Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

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Berlin
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Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Berlin » Mon Mar 20, 2017 1:59 pm

Hello*
this past July I picked up a Chris Locke body and neck to do me a 6 screw, B/W frank build. The question I have is it's obviously all bare bones right now... Raw wood.
I would prefer that, even more so, than putting stripes and such on it. If I would stay the bare wood route, would it:

A. Hinder a "proper" (for lack of better description-) VH tone, being that it doesn't have the paint on the body? If so- what kind of paint should I go with? Schwinn- or like a nitro base?

B. What about treating the neck with an oil or wax?

And lastly I suppose-
Pick guard?-
I have both a half pick guard like the red white and black- and a full black, like the '78 original.

For those who have bare bones replicas or the painted up models- are there obvious tonal nuances that you can tell?

I don't need to replicate it in all its perfection of the original- but I am interested in what will naturally sound the best- if in fact paint and pick guards alter the tone that much.
Thank you in advance!

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chrisom
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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by chrisom » Tue Mar 21, 2017 4:37 am

Somewhere I had a picture of Ralle's Floyd Rose equipped VH-routed Strat. It has some paint on it, but not much- most of it is gone. I think you'll be fine whatever you do. EVH's was black, then white, then red. Dave Gilmour's 'Black Strat' was a factory sunburst with a factory black painted over it. How you play it will determine your sound way more than your finish, so do whatever you like... :thumbsup: :rock: :vh:

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chrisom
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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by chrisom » Tue Mar 21, 2017 4:43 am

I was going to put a clear nitro lacquer finish on a Warmoth maple neck in order to not void the warranty, but after I shot it with a couple coats of Stewart MacDonald clear lacquer-based sanding sealer, I stopped, because it had a great matte finish like an older Charvel, but with an actual protective coating on it...

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chrisom
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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by chrisom » Tue Mar 21, 2017 4:49 am

There's also a post somewhere on the MetroForum where a guy shows the Duplicolor spray paint he used for his VH 'tribute' guitar. He used 'Pure White', Universal Black, and 'Super Red 2'. If you can find the post, you can judge whether or not it looks accurate or not... :vh:

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=38775&hilit=duplicolor

Berlin
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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Berlin » Tue Mar 21, 2017 7:19 am

Thank you very much for your reply Chrisom! :thumbsup:
Yeah I thought I've heard it mentioned somewhere that paint of any sort, nitrocellulose or laquer will tone out the over all sound of the guitar. I know Sean Mcfly just did a new one not to long ago- with a black nitrocellulose coat I think-
Maybe since I'm preferring it to be bare bones- I'll start there and see what it does- maybe with just some good ole ' Dirt & Wood ' it'll take on a tone all in its own as opposed to paint- shooting for maybe a Rory Gallerger patina- :lol:
Another thing is- this Locke set is so nice and we'll done, that I'm actually afraid to try and paint or oil anything for the possibility of ruining it-
I really like the way the Palermo strats have thier necks oiled- they just look like they are comfy!
And I have a couple of ralles videos- I know the strat you are speaking of.
I think the whole of this was just inquiring if anyone notices a "significant" tone that occurs with a painted up guitar than not.
Of course I would like to protect the guitar as well...
I'll start bare then and add more layers of skin as needed I suppose- :wink:

Thanks for your input!
Jamie
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topsportsmanta1
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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by topsportsmanta1 » Thu Mar 23, 2017 6:07 pm

Berlin go to post ur frankie last page above
You will se mine u built any questions let me know
mike

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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Tone Slinger » Sat Mar 25, 2017 8:28 am

It's great that your going with the vintage 6 screw style Fender tremolo. I love everything with 6 strings :D , but, a good vintage style Fender strat (tweaked or stock) is tops for me. I still have a KNE, but Musikraft, Locke, etc are just fine. Honestly though, the 'Azusa' body template was 'Supposed' to be a clone of a Fender, so it's uniqueness is by accident. Also the sharper profile edges on the body could be deemed as a lazy short cut by Wayne C. Even '70's era Fender body' s didnt have the softer edge contours of the previous decades. Production short cuts.

As far as more details concerning the Franky check out a thread here called "Franky...beneath the paint" I think thats what its called. Franky started out bare and unfinished and Ed initially gigged with it that way.
Rip Ben Wise (StuntDouble) & Mark Abrahamian (Rockstah)

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chrisom
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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by chrisom » Sat Mar 25, 2017 2:29 pm

Tone Slinger wrote:
It's great that your going with the vintage 6 screw style Fender tremolo. I love everything with 6 strings, but, a good vintage style Fender strat (tweaked or stock) is tops for me.
+1!! :thumbsup:

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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Berlin » Sat Mar 25, 2017 9:23 pm

Thank you Andy for pointing out that thread! I'll have to check it out* You and Allen have been a great help with the trem guidance you gave to me a while back! As soon as I get all my :vh: ducks in a row- I'll be doing a many post- of all types of sound options between different pickups- different speakers- different amp configs- different tunings (garbeaj) -
kinda all things VH, In a Johan Segborn (sp) type of manner... :lol:

And again- I KNOW that it's all been done... And everyone has nestled into by now, thier own favorite 12xxx bliss tone/sound or mod5 or etc...

I won't be re-inventing the wheel necessarily by any means -
so I'll expect no one to be holding breaths waiting for these posts and experiments- but all for the love of the game! Which is why Any of us here still chase and experiment and ROCK *

Good game everyone- :lol:

Thanks!
Jamie

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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Its Luke » Thu May 25, 2017 9:15 pm

Just heard a very interesting interview with Grover Jackson on Tone-Talk with Dave Friedman.

He said that Ed's original guitar was white with black electrical tape, not black painted white.

Also doesn't sound like Wayne Charvel did any of the body contours or cuts, Lynn Ellsworth would have done any of the woodwork and they were just puting together partscasters before Grover arrived.

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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Megaro » Fri May 26, 2017 8:34 am

That is only just a little bit correct. Look at this large photo of Frank posted sometime ago by one of our members. It is paint. But Ed did use a few smaller pieces of black tape for the fine pin stripes. You can tell the actual pieces of tape if you look closely. They have more of a gray shade to them.

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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Its Luke » Fri May 26, 2017 10:27 am

Very Interesting.. thanks for sharing that!

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Tone Slinger
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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Tone Slinger » Sat May 27, 2017 5:10 pm

The franky was bought as a bare wood body. Check out the thread "Franky beneath the paint" and there are photos from earlier '77 and its a bare body. LOTS of info in that thread.
Rip Ben Wise (StuntDouble) & Mark Abrahamian (Rockstah)

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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Megaro » Mon May 29, 2017 10:38 pm

Any pics of the back of the Black and White Franky that shows how many springs Ed was using on his 6 screw trem / vibrato ? Eddie did some trem work when he was still using a conventional Fender bridge that is not easily to duplicate with the Floyd system.

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Re: Building a Frank... Small detail questions?

Post by Berlin » Tue May 30, 2017 9:03 pm

Uh 1... 2... Uh 123....

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