Show your guitars !

here's mine:
04 eppihone standard plus

71 usa strat

07 usa tele

Only two friends...a Clapton and a Larrivée

Here's some of the guitars which grace my music room.

Most recent aquisition - Maton Mastersound 2000 deluxe


A couple custom made strats i built last year - I gave the white one to my nephew as a 16th birthday present, I've kept the other one - great guitar - easily comparable to a MIA Fender. nearly cost the same in parts!!




Raven West Guitars - RG770DX - Neckthru



Ibanez ART100 - cheap but great guitar!



Schecter Omen 7 string


Crafter SA-BUB - hybrid customised with extra humbucker with independent output.


Acoustics: Cole Clark FL1AC



Ibanez EW2012


Ovation iDea

OMG Michnet you have my dreamed collection...
Impossible to find cole clark or maton at a good price in France...

And your custom strat !!!

Very very nice to share this with us !!

yes that is a beautiful collection michnet!
i have a maton em300,only 270 made back in early day's before the 325 was made!


love this strat michnet

Thanks guys...

Here's some more pics of those strats: https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31626&id=1618736139&l=ccae089bae

Strats are the simplest to build, there's no odd angles to worry about and the pickguard hides any messy routing!!
I can't lay claim to the kneck though, I don't have the tools to knock them up, I used a Fender licensed mighty mite neck and quite happy with it... maybe if my dad was still working in the woodwork industry I could go and use his machinery, but he's retired so I don't have access anymore. The body is a lot simpler to knock up, this one is a 2pc slab of American swamp ash already thicknessed to size, trace outline and cut out with a bandsaw, work it to shape with a plain, files and sandpaper - make up some templates and go to town with a router etc... not too hard really. The pickguard is Indian rosewood selected to match the grain of the fretboard and machined up with a scrollsaw, finish is airbrushed stain and Scandinavian oil. I purposefully didn't fill the grain as it gives it a great natural 3D texture when the light hits it. It's also aging beautifully, I wasn't into the relic thing beforehand but this is actually tasteful where the stain is slightly wearing through after a year of usage.

The white guitar was the first one built and is a GFS kit. I wasn't happy with the woods they used so that's when I started looking into making my own. I've had a number of requests from people to make them one up to their ideal look and specs, but it's just too much work and couldn't justify charging it. There's about $1,300 worth of materials/parts and a good 50-80 hours of work. You can see why they charge $4,000+ for a custom shop guitar!!

I've got some plans for a 59' LP I would like to attempt this year maybe... a lot more complex, especially with the carved top...still debating that one!

I'm absolutely wrapped with the Maton MS2000DLX - I went guitar shopping a couple weeks back with the intention of going home with a Gibson LP Standard to replace the Ibanez ART100. But the more of them I played the more I felt a bit 'let down' - these are meant to be the holy grail of guitars!! Walking around the showroom floor I spotted this Maton and it screamed 'play me' so I did and within 5 minutes I was negotiating a price with a case thrown in. Buyers remorse hasn't hit yet and doubt it will!! I've always thought that guitars chose people and have always told newbies don't get too set on a particular brand but buy something you feel completely at home with rather than buying a particular brand or style and force yourself to like it.

The Cole Clark was like that too, I initially went to buy one a few years back but every one I picked up and played just didn't do it for me - I ended up buying a Fender CDE220 that day instead. A year later I was in town and had a few hours to kill so went 'window' shopping, picked up another C/clark that caught my attention, this one had a beautiful Bunya top and Queensland maple back/sides and it just sang to me so I brought it there and then! It's my main acoustic now.

Cheers
Carl

Thanks a lot for sharing this !

http://www.warmoth.com/ this site is not cheaper for guitar parts ? It seems in France a lot of people are using it to set up high specs guitars at a very competitive price !

Yeah I discovered Warmoth after I ordered the Mightymite neck!!! Warmoth has a much nicer range of parts.

Next guitar I build I will definitely consider them instead. Probably even go with one of their bodies and save considerable time in making one up too, unless it was going to be a custom shape.

michnet76 wrote:Thanks guys...
I'm absolutely wrapped with the Maton MS2000DLX -
Cheers
Carl

hmmm better have a play of one of these,seen a few on ebay lately,i am a sucker when it comes to maton's....i love em!

michnet76 wrote:Yeah I discovered Warmoth after I ordered the Mightymite neck!!! Warmoth has a much nicer range of parts.

Next guitar I build I will definitely consider them instead. Probably even go with one of their bodies and save considerable time in making one up too, unless it was going to be a custom shape.

In France we consider Warmoth to be the better place to build a guitar...they really have good woods, huge choice and they ship fast. Some of the better custom warmoth guitars i have seen worth only 900-1000€ if you choose the good parts.

OK, here goes..........

'88 LP "30th Anniversary Plaintop"
[img][/img]

'07 "67 Series" Flying-V
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'07 MIM Tele......Customized
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'08 Fender Malibu........JUNK!! DO NOT BUY!!!!!!
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'98 Epi LP Std+
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'04 Epi. G-400 Deluxe Flametop
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'04 Epi EJ-200
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'07 Epi. Sheraton II
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'08 Epi LP "56 Gold Top"
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SX SJM '57
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'04 Washburn D-10 SB
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Agile AL-3000 "Prestige" .....a truly amazing guitar/value
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Awesome collection there 6StringBender... The Epi's are good value - when I went guitar shopping a couple weeks back I played a few for the first time and was quite impressed.

The Sheraton II looks the business with that gold hardware!

mmm, damn that little voice in my head... "No Carl you can't have one - think of the children..."

6StringBender
go to photobucket and sign up,no cost!,upload pic's there,it will then give you a code to paste onto forum,may get better quality
i love that collection of your's,very nice
and yes my epi standard is just a killer guitar as well,
they are worth every penny!

Wahou 6StringBender very nice collection, you must have all the sounds you are needing !!
Big Epiphone fan ?? You've made some upgrades on those ?

aussie2009 wrote:love this strat michnet

+100 !!! Absolutely SIZZLING!
The wooden PG is stunning w/the triple lipstick tube p'ups.
How long ago did you make this, because it has a real "vintage" vibe about it............

Thanks guys ! I do love guitars.........
Those ARE uploaded from photobucket, but most were taken w/a crappy cellphone camera.......
And each of the Epi's are stock.......they all have their "niche" in my sound pallatte, but, I'm soon replacing the P-90s in the Gold-Top and the SJM '57 with mini humbuckers, neither set of soapbars are quite up to par, and neither are wound correctly to be "hum cancelling" when both are selected. (as most Gibsons are).

I DO like Epis, but the real surprise of the collection is the Agile AL-3000, They can be had new for $399 USD + Shipping, and mine is actually a BETTER guitar than my Gibson LP.
They're made in Korea, but using the materials and methods that were used on late 50's guitars...... 2 pc. solid mahogany body, 3/4" Canadian Flame Maple top, Maho set neck (long tenon), ebony fretboard (real, not dyed walnut), real abalone fretmarkers (mother of pearl available on AL-3100s)18-1 Grover Super Rotomatics, Graphite nut, hand filed/dressed frets, American wiring, top grade switches/pots, and moderate output p'ups that sound more like origional Gibson "P.A.F.s" than Gibbys own '57 Classics do.
Check them out sometime, their seller handles 3 lines of guitars, with Agile being the best quality............heres the link (below)
http://www.rondomusic.com/al3000hsb.html

be sure and check out all 18 pages of guitars at Rondo,
this one
http://www.rondomusic.com/al3100setribalblue.html
will most likely be my next guitar purchase.

6StringBender wrote:+100 !!! Absolutely SIZZLING!
The wooden PG is stunning w/the triple lipstick tube p'ups.
How long ago did you make this, because it has a real "vintage" vibe about it............

Thanks for the feedback...

Only made it last year... I'm a sucker for a guitar with nice woods and this project just kept developing as I went along. I was initially just going to use a black PG but it just didn't do it for me, then I came across a Woody Woodcaster (like this one http://www.woodywoodcasters.net/images/-0004_lw-1_full_shot_frt.jpg) and fell in love with the the idea of a wood PG and I really liked the look of the L/sticks so ordered some in and also ordered in a rosewood sheet which would normally be used for an acoustic back.

Here's the back, shows the unfilled grain which gives it an extra dimension of wood grain in reflection of the light. Also R/wood cover at the back.



Also got the idea to carve out my pseudo name on the pickguard!! I think Cole Clark do this on their Guardian models too.

I don't think I had the brass nut installed at the time of taking those photo's, I've also added a chrome knob on the pickup selector for that added bling!

I might make up a quick video if you guys fancy a listen to it... The L/Sticks are great on clean settings, very warm and with the brass nut gets a bit of a bright slappy twang happening!! They don't overdrive very gracefully though, which is understandable being low gain pups so it doesn't get out as much as I'd like it to, just doesn't suite what I play live very well. But at home I love hammering out bluesy stuff with it when I'm in a laid back mood after listening to the likes of Clapton!!

Cheers
Carl

6StringBender wrote:
I DO like Epis, but the real surprise of the collection is the Agile AL-3000, They can be had new for $399 USD + Shipping, and mine is actually a BETTER guitar than my Gibson LP.

Yeah I've heard great things about them around the place too... never played one but certainly will when I come across one if the opportunity arises.

But I need to stop looking at other peoples guitars as I suffer real bad from GAS!! LOL!

What was that 5th commandment in the guitar bible?... 'thou shalt not covert thy neighbours guitar'

michnet76 wrote:

6StringBender wrote:
I DO like Epis, but the real surprise of the collection is the Agile AL-3000, They can be had new for $399 USD + Shipping, and mine is actually a BETTER guitar than my Gibson LP.

Yeah I've heard great things about them around the place too... never played one but certainly will when I come across one if the opportunity arises.

But I need to stop looking at other peoples guitars as I suffer real bad from GAS!! LOL!

What was that 5th commandment in the guitar bible?... 'thou shalt not covert thy neighbours guitar'

Have to find a humbucker loaded guitar...have to find one of those so... Stock pickups are really good ??

I

MusashiChan wrote:Have to find a humbucker loaded guitar...have to find one of those so... Stock pickups are really good ??I

The stockers in the Agile are ballsy beyond belief !!
Check out some youtube.com clips of the Agile AL-3000 or 3100.
I'll try to get my mic set back up this weekend so I can post a short soundclip of the Agile+HT-5H+Jensen C12Q= O.M.G.!!!!!

i like the look of the agile AL-3100,sweet!

Hi all... just finished another custom built strat... thought I might share it with you guys.

This one has a 2pc southern swamp ash body with koa top with gloss tobacco burst. Neck and f/board is highly figured maple with satin finish - it really is a work of art! Pickguard is normal maple. All hardware is Fender. Electronics are straight from a US Fender highway one. Has turned out to be a great playing and sounding the guitar, my only disappointment is the different tones (colour) between the neck and pickguard.

Amazing !!!! A love all, pickguard, koa, neck...what about a little sample or video
PU from H1 are good on this ? What about handwound beauties on such a gear ??

What do you mean by:

michnet76 wrote:... just finished another custom built strat...

Did you build it all yourself? (If so, well done - you're a genius and an artist!) Did you buy the parts and assemble and finish it? (If so, you're pretty damn good.) Or did you have some other involvement? (If so, what did you do?)