Rat Mustang project - finished at last!

[HNB]

Looking great!

[ThePearDream]

Very cool. It's great to know that Tonebomb will make a Mustang with those mods. I may have to do the same thing soon.

[Unicorn Warrior]

If you don't mind me asking, what did they charge you for that body?

[JVG]

The Tonebomb body was US $200, including shipping to Australia. I thought that was a pretty good deal. They charged a small amount extra for the angled neck pocket, but did the body contours and JM vibrato route at no extra cost.

The only thing with the body (and it's not a deal breaker) is that it's slightly non-standard size around the lower horn, which means a standard mustang pickguard doesn't quite work. So, I'm yet again going down the custom pickguard road (a familiar story in the offset world, especially for lefties!)

Also, it needed a bit more finish sanding when I got it, but that's ok.

J.

[Unicorn Warrior]

Yes, that sounds like a good buy. Been wanting to make one of these for a while now. Maybe after I complete my current Jazzblaster

Excited to see the end result of yours

[CROSS_guitars]

very nice.

I'm fast becoming a fan of poo brown.

[JVG]

Some progress on this one.

Vibrato is from a parted-out KC Jaguar, bought off eBay a while back. It's the only lefty JM style vibrato I've put on my builds - usually I can't find them.
Control plate is from Faction - expensive, but the only viable option as a lefty.
Bridge was initially just a cheap JM one I had in my parts drawer, but in the last picture it has been replaced by a Staytrem. Many thanks to the kind gentleman in the UK who helped me obtain this - it was a true act of kindness from a stranger!
Fender "F Tuners" on the headstock - they are the new ones made in Taiwan (if I recall correctly), and I think they're actually better than the German ones I have on a couple of Strats. Who'd have thought it? Not me!

At the moment I'm being held up by the pickguard - a familiar story in offset land! The Tonebomb one I got with the body was a bit weird some spots, and I tried some "official" Mustang templates from the web and they didn't quite fit either. It seems the body is just a touch off vintage spec - enough to require a custom made guard.

Anyway, as you can see I've strung it up and have been playing it acoustically a lot. There's a bit of a gap around the neck pocket (again maybe the Tonebomb body is a touch out of spec, since Musikraft necks are typically spot-on), but a snug fitting pickguard will hide most of that.

The unplugged sound is VERY nice, and I'm putting that largely down to the roasted neck. This is my third build with roasted maple (the others being a Strat and a Tele) and they all have a really cool sound - lots of sustain with a really pleasing upper-midrange focus. When I first built the Strat I just thought it was a fluke, but now that I'm 3 necks in I actually reckon the roasting makes a massive difference. I can't wait to hear how this one sounds plugged in.

Next update should be at completion, or pretty close to it! Now for this damn pickguard....

Cheers!
J

[JVG]

.
Well....I neglected to post pictures of the completed guitar, so here they are!

This was a project that took a long time to get the last 10% done - the main holdup being the pickguard. I had to get one specially cut, as the body shape is slightly non-standard.

Anyway, i’m very pleased with the way it looks and sounds, it’s a fun guitar to mess around with. As i mentioned earlier, my aim with the body finish was to make it look unashamedly amateurish, as if it was an old Mustang that had been stripped back to bare wood in the 70s. Why? - just for fun

The final stats are:
Alder body, 1 3/4” thick, with body contours, made by Tonebomb. Home stained and finished in a very light coat of nitro, smoothed off with steel wool.
Roasted maple neck, with “Brazilian Walnut” fretboard, by Musikraft. Medium C profile, 7.25” fretboard radius.
Staytrem bridge.
Tremolo from parted-out KC Jaguar
Pickups Fender Fat 50s, but soon to be replaced by custom wound A3 pickups by Dawgtown (great pickup maker!)
Currently running GHS pure nickel strings, but thinking of switching to flatwounds.

Hope you enjoy these pictures of my “Rat-stang”

Cheers!
J.

[s_mcsleazy]

oh hell yeah. reminds me of my jankmaster.

[JVG]

oh hell yeah. reminds me of my jankmaster.

Ha! Yes, I think they are cousins!

I like the idea of guitars that don’t look too flash, but play and sound great.

J.

[Rgand]

Nice job. Good choice of PG for it. Looks great!