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jt001
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Post subject: My very first Frankie project - WIP
 Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 05:35 PM
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Joined: May 21, 2008
Posts: 70
Location: PR
Status: Offline
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It's been many, many years since I first toyed with the idea of building a Frankie replica (or something that looks like a Frankie, for that matter). Why now? Well, I got accepted at Law School and will be starting in August. I'll be SO darn busy that I had to start this right away or wait 4 years to do it!!! So I finally took the plunge. Please bear with me as English is not my native language. 
Although I would have loved to make a 100% die hard replica, I had to cut some corners here and there due to lack of funds. I got an alder body from ebay to start with. I'll be fitting my guitar with the following:
Gotoh Floyd
OFR would have been great, but I decided to go with Gotoh for mainly 2 reasons:
1. These suckers are very, very well made and work awesome!
2. Sadly, some of the new OFR are lacking a bit on the quality department. Money was not an object here, it was just a matter of taste.
EVH humbucker
After thinking over and over and over and over again I decided to go with the EVH Frankenstrat pickup. I was between the EVH, SD custom custom, and a SD '78. The more info I read on them the more confused I got. I read so many contradictory things that I got to a point where I was totally lost, so I decided to go with my gut and went with the EVH. I still haven't got it, but a got a nice deal with free shipping on ebay so I went for it.
EDIT: I just received the humbucker! Nice! I was thinking about relicing, but it looks so pretty! LOL!
I also ordered a pickup base and some black and white cable from Stewmac which, by the way, it has just arrived!
Gotoh tunners
This was due to a budget cut. I wish I could go with Schallers, but these Gotoh's are pretty good and get the job done. I'll sand them a bit to get rid of the brand new finish. Had to replace the posts because they were to big and might have cracked the pickup wall.
Neck
I got one of those Mighty Mite's Fender licensed MM2928 maple Strat neck with jumbo frets. It has a skunk stripe but what the hell. Gets the job done. Might not be as accurate but it was a nice fit. I'd like to sand it a bit and weather it. Still not sure how to accomplish that, so I'm looking for some more info on that.
Pickguard/Pot/Knob
I decided to go with Divebomb on this one. They look dead on and saved me the hassle of getting all those separate parts. Besides, it's ready to go. I still haven't got it, but I've heard many good things about it.
Neck pickup
I decided to get a cheap pickup and use YMI5150?'s awesome phenolic cover, but guess what: he noticed my pickup is not F-spaced, but G-spaced.  I got it on ebay for a buck, so no harm done, but now I'm back at the beginning. I still need to find a very, ultra cheap pickup so I can get YMI5150? phenolic cover.
Well, I can't post pics without first saying thanks to some members of the forum. Although we haven't talked nor chatted, I have taken their threads and dissected them as best as I could. They made awesome builds and I've used them as inspiration and as a guide on my trek. Some of you are Sc0rch, Chewie15 (from here and the RPF, where I am also a member), Divebomb, YMI5150?, ratfinkinjection, Kyle5150316, ThreeMan and many, many others that I can't remember the names. For that I apologize. You've done an awesome job guys!
I also like to add that I am no wood worker and I've NEVER used a router in my life, so I got one of those Dremel Router attachments, read as much as I could on the web and prayed for the best. I think I pulled it through, tho. Only two finger cuts!
Sanding almost complete!
Neck and tremolo set!
Had to replace the original posts because they were to big and might have cracked the pickup wall.
First time using a router!
Now my guitar, just like Steve Vai's will have some of my DNA in it. :lol
Guitar has been filled with acrylic based sanding sealer and ready to sand. I used an electric sander in some places and the rest was done by hand
Beginning the taping process
Thanks for the idea Sc0rch!
I messed a bit in some of the taping, specially the ripped section on the front bottom. It should have been a little more angled to the bottom.
Ready for some white. I applied one ultra light black and 2 white dustcoats. After that I went with 4 or 5 thin coats until white was achieved.
Peeling the tape off. In some threads I read to wait a day, in others to wait an hour. I waited about 7 minutes after the last coat and everything came out pretty good.
Relicing and weathering
I went with some dremel, X-acto, sanding and dry brushing technique to achieve a little dirt on some white spots, specially on the bottom of the guitar. Doesn't look like much now but if my calculations are correct, once the red is applied it'll look much better. For the tuners scuffed them with sanding paper. I believe it was 220 grit.
Well, that's it for know. I've already shoot 2 light coats and one medium coat of clear on the guitar, to prevent the pinkish color. I also began the process of taping for the red. I'll be posting pics soon. So far I've only applied the thick ones.
Your tips, constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome!
jt |
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monotonous15
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Post subject: RE: My very first Frankie project - WIP
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 06:31 PM
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Joined: May 29, 2004
Posts: 1079
Location: United States
Status: Offline
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| Holy crap. Looks great so far. Can't wait to see it when its done. Good attention to detail. *sigh* I wish I could do one of these. |
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<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/5931/gggg4cm3pu.jpg" border="0" alt="thanks to stratovarius" /></a>
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jt001
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Post subject: RE: My very first Frankie project - WIP
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 06:35 PM
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Joined: May 21, 2008
Posts: 70
Location: PR
Status: Offline
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Thanks a lot for your comments!!!
Well, perhaps I can be of help when you get to make yours! I'll try to document as much as possible |
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YMI5150?
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Post subject: RE: My very first Frankie project - WIP
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 06:36 PM
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Joined: Jan 09, 2009
Posts: 575
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Status: Offline
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| very, very nice Jose!! Welcome. |
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Sc0rch
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 06:39 PM
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Joined: Jan 08, 2010
Posts: 317
Location: Halifax, Canada
Status: Offline
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wow, nice progress pics. the back looks awesome. I notice the bridge pivot posts are really close to the pickup route. After installing the bridge did you string it up and do an intonation check?
How much was your neck? from the front it doesn't look that bad, just needs some dirt.  I was half tempted to buying one of these mighty mite necks after putting one on a strat build I finished recently. they aren't that bad after a little fret work on the fret ends. |
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MMVH5150
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 09:02 PM
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Joined: Nov 14, 2009
Posts: 251
Location: NJ, USA
Status: Offline
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| quick question did you check to make sure it strings up and plays. i had a problem with mine where the screw posts were to close to the pickup route and it actually snapped. i would hate to see it happen to you but awesome job by the way. Looks sick! |
_________________
I want you to think of someone.your own critic. Someone givin' you a hard time and on 3 were gona say "f@#$ YOU!" Ready? 1,2,3 f@#$ YOU! 1,2,3 f@#$ YOU! Makes ya feel better doesn't it. Who likes ice cream around here!~~David Lee Roth, Largo '82
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YMI5150?
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 09:16 PM
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Joined: Jan 09, 2009
Posts: 575
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Status: Offline
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| add this scar before shooting red |
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jt001
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 09:45 PM
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Joined: May 21, 2008
Posts: 70
Location: PR
Status: Offline
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Thanks guys!!!
Sc0rch wrote:
wow, nice progress pics. the back looks awesome. I notice the bridge pivot posts are really close to the pickup route. After installing the bridge did you string it up and do an intonation check?
MMVH5150 wrote:
quick question did you check to make sure it strings up and plays
Nope At the moment I didn't have the tuning heads.
Now that you guys mention it, I also think they are pretty close to the rout and that worries me a bit. I didn't mount the hardware, tho. I took it to my guitar tech and he did the trem setup. Before getting to it, he told me the distance from they Floyd to the bridge by memory! He's pretty knowledgeable and I trust him, but now that you point it out, I'm a bit worried it might snap! He said that he moved it forward because of the distance from the bridge to the neck (I can't remember the distance) I think I'm gonna give him a call. I'd rather have this checked asap, now that I have the tuners and pickup. In case he needs to move the trem back, I think the damage would be minimal and easy to retouch the paint at the current stage.
What are your thoughts about it, guys? Should I have the trem moved back a bit? If the trem goes back too much, would it the intonation be affected as well?
Sc0rch wrote:
How much was your neck? from the front it doesn't look that bad, just needs some dirt. I was half tempted to buying one of these mighty mite necks after putting one on a strat build I finished recently. they aren't that bad after a little fret work on the fret ends.
I completely agree!!! I need to get some dirt on it! I'm still checking how to do it, tho. I read about sanding it a bit and using gunstock oil or something like that to seal it back? Any suggestions are highly appreciated!
I got the neck on ebay for 90 bucks. It was the best price I found. Some had the very same neck for 10 bucks or more higher. Seller's name is krazybytes.
YMI5150? wrote:
add this scar before shooting red
Thanks Kevin!!! |
Last edited by jt001 on Jun 21, 2010 - 09:54 PM; edited 2 times in total
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MMVH5150
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 09:50 PM
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Joined: Nov 14, 2009
Posts: 251
Location: NJ, USA
Status: Offline
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| fill the trem stud holes with dowels and goriilla glue or wood fillers then redirll just from past expierence, cuz mine snapped if u find it in an early post. maybe im wrong but it does look close. |
_________________
I want you to think of someone.your own critic. Someone givin' you a hard time and on 3 were gona say "f@#$ YOU!" Ready? 1,2,3 f@#$ YOU! 1,2,3 f@#$ YOU! Makes ya feel better doesn't it. Who likes ice cream around here!~~David Lee Roth, Largo '82
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YMI5150?
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 09:50 PM
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Joined: Jan 09, 2009
Posts: 575
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Status: Offline
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| bolt the neck on and place the trem on the body. measure the distance from the 12th fret to the saddles. if you're close to 12.75" your posts are positioned correctly. if they are correctly positioned, I'd run .009-.042 strings. that will lower tension. |
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jt001
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 10:18 PM
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Joined: May 21, 2008
Posts: 70
Location: PR
Status: Offline
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I'll definitely do that as soon as I get home!
I am actually a little guitar tech impaired. Hehe  Just to make sure we are on the same page, when you mention to "measure from the 12th fret to the saddle":
1. Measuring "from" the fret refers to the actual metal strip, not the "2 dots on the fretboard", right?
2. Up to what part of the saddle should I take into consideration? Viewed from above: the top of the saddle (near the allen screws close to the bridge) or up to the black block that holds the string in place?
Quote:
fill the trem stud holes with dowels and goriilla glue or wood fillers then redirll just from past expierence, cuz mine snapped if u find it in an early post. maybe im wrong but it does look close.
Thanks man! The more I think about it, the more I think you are right. Looking at it, I think it's dangerously close. This guitar will be seeing a lot of trem abuse and I wouldn't like to see it go to waste. The guitar tech told me that he used different inserts because the ones from the Floyd were pretty robust and would have torn apart the wood on the rout. |
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jt001
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 10:40 PM
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Joined: May 21, 2008
Posts: 70
Location: PR
Status: Offline
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If you see this photo of a Floyd installation, the posts are very close to the original small holes. On my setup, the posts are pretty far away:
My setup
Hmmm. |
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jt001
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 21, 2010 - 11:05 PM
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Joined: May 21, 2008
Posts: 70
Location: PR
Status: Offline
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Ok, I talked to him and as Kevin mentioned, he installed the Floyd taking into consideration the distance between the center of the post up to the nut, which is 25" (that was the number he had told me earlier). That means the distance from the nut to the saddle is about 25.5, so that confirms what Kevin mentioned earlier: the distance between the 12th fret and the saddle is 12.75 (25.5 / 2= 12.75). He mentioned that if he moved the trem back, then I'll have problems with the intonation being flat (or sharp? darn short term memory!)
He said he used smaller posts for that reason, and that there was no crack when he drilled. If he would have used the Floyd posts, then it would sure break. He also told me it was idea using .009 strings. As a rule of thumb, he recommends .009 on Floyd based guitars.
So, I think I'm good to go! |
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YMI5150?
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 22, 2010 - 02:43 PM
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Joined: Jan 09, 2009
Posts: 575
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Status: Offline
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| another option would be to target an early year of Frankie that had the Fender bridge on it. even if they are correctly placed, there is a risk that you'll break through. I'd hate to see you go through that. is this guitar going to be played a lot? or more of a piece to look at? |
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jt001
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 22, 2010 - 11:37 PM
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Joined: May 21, 2008
Posts: 70
Location: PR
Status: Offline
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Well, I don't play in a band, but I'd like to make this my first guitar.
But if I move it back, will the intonation be flat? |
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