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This started 0ff as a bet from my Dad. You'll never be able to make one, he says. Oh yeah?. I tried to make it as close to a fat strat as I could with a little vintage look to go with it. Of course, its not a real Fender strat, but I think its close. I started with a one piece Swamp Ash blank and routed the cavities for the pickups and electronics, jack, neck pocket. Then cut the outline of the strat body and shaped it. Its close, but not real close. The Neck, fret board are made from Rock maple, fretting and cutting the fret board was an adventure. I stained the body with Rustoleum Golden Mahogany stain,( I still don't know if I should of done that or not) and finished with high gloss. The neck and fingerboard was finished with gun oil. Parts and electrics mostly aftermarket and a few Fender parts ( tremolo cover and tuning pegs), Pickups are from Dragonfire guitars and hardware from misc. suppliers. It takes alot of research to make one of these and patience…and lots of time. I think I might make another one, maybe….its was a challenge and a blast to make. And I won the bet.

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That is a B E A U T Y!!! How does it sound and play? You may have won the bet but you also got a nice little axe there. my age is showing, later.
 

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Beautiful guitar! Nice work. I suspect your dad does not feel like he lost after seeing your result…
 

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Beautiful guitar! I really like the stain and finish. The majority of Strats I've seen are painted. I like to see the wood (stained, not painted). How heavy is it? My brother bought a Strat that was ash and it was pretty hefty. It was heavier than most Strats, but not any heavier than my Les Paul (feels like it weighs a ton). Is there a steel rod in the neck? All I've seen have a bar going from the body, through the neck and to the turning keys, with a place for adjustments (under a cover).

Like I said, beautiful. How does it sound?
 

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Thanks guys, sound and plays good…still might have to tweak it a bit. I ran a standard truss rod though the neck with the adjustment near the nut. Its heavy, but not as heavy as I thought it would be,( still have to locate my scale for an accurate weight).
 

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Wow, that is one beautiful guitar. I love the color and I think it is a great choice for featuring that wood grain. I'm working on a telecaster body and plan to buy a neck, because building one does seem like it would be an adventure like you said. Well done!
 

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I love the look, I've never seen an ash Strat that color, it's really striking! Very, very nice work!

I have a G&L Legacy tribute that's ash with a transparent red finish. Everyone compliments me on it. My only complaint is that mine has a rosewood fretboard and I'm really a maple neck kind of guy.

I'm sure you're going to get a lot of compliments when you play it.
 

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ooh it's a beauty, an impressive guitar you have made there.
 

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Kool axe dude! If it plays half as good as it looks, it should be pro quality.

Now for the big question: how well can you play it? (grin)

Paul
 

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Great-looking instrument! Congrats on winning the bet!
 

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A really nice job. I've always been in awe of people who can build guitars. I mean, it's got to do a lot more than look good, how can you tell if it will sound good, or be comfortabe to play?
 

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I work at a used music shop, and we get a lot of custom builds coming through the door (which is kind of a bummer), but I have to say, we would be speechless if we ever saw something of this caliber come through the door. Truly excellent work. PLUS, I think it's way cooler that the design is not perfectly strat like.
 

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nice job. Looks like a keeper.
 

· In Loving Memory
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Great Job!
I think it looks wonderful, I like the color..Woodgrain is much better than paint.
Congrats on a very fine job.
 
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