Minor Setback

So i used rustoleum primer for metal on that guitar body. sigh. it looks really bad and orange-peeled. Mike tried to warn me. So i got a big sanding job ahead of me after this layer hardens. It's a good thing i'm working out my guitar painting and building education on a cheap one.

Metal Guitar Project

So i have a lot of parts laying around and decided to build some metal guitar I would never actually buy. Take the body of a crappy Aria Pro II. I like the shape of it actually. And sand away the stupid green tobacco burst finish

I bought this pickup for $100 in the mid 90s. From all my research i discovered this is a mid-level Jackson from the time that went in their stealth models and some of the dinkys. The wax is a little wet because it's hot as hell in my house. Good enough for government work. I figured woohoo free jackson pickup.

A look at it's identifying serials.

To be continued . . .

In the Event I'm Ever "Jacked"

Here's my guitars. Wow, i'm down to only 2 and yes some bad decisions were made along the way. But i like these two. Thinking of sticking hotter pickups in the strat.

And here's some tell-tale distinguishing features about them

The nice strats don't have serials right there. That "M" means Made in Mexico! Ariba! It is the mark of a standard strat, but this one is setup pretty nice and i like the feel of it. Easiest guitar in the world to play.

This one is a dead giveaway. A little birthmark in the neck

The Art of the Pedal Board

Yes, there is an art to it. It's harder than it looks. Not rocket science, but you have to consider a lot of different factors while configuring the geometry, including order of signal/sound, will it fit in the damn case, what gets unplugged, what gets a battery, does that pedal eat batteries, is there room for all the input jacks, does the daisy chain of power reach all the input jacks, is there room for your foot to easily activate everything, will it all travel safely without banging around in the case.

So here's the latest in all its glory. I've learned over time, it's just a pain in the ass to have a boss pedal facing any direction other than straight on. Distortion before echos and swirls, and the latest addition of an LPB-1 signal booster at the end of the chain. ALL NEW felt-ish covering on the board itself. This stuff gets old and you have to replace it. Use super 77 and stretch it around the back with a staple gun. Then rip off the rubber feet on the pedals and slap industrial velcro on the back. Sticks nice, see

Then get your vintage hipster-approved case

Only recently noticed the pocket i can stick the cables in. Ahh, nice snug fit with the power strip inserted

Then top it off with a block of foam from the fabric store.

Here's the absolutely coolest thing about it. The cables near the tuner create a perfect little pocket for a small flashlight (a CRITICAL piece of gear).

Most of the time you plug your crap in, no sound comes out of the amp and then you have to troubleshoot it in the dark with some impatient sound guy going, "guitar right. guitar right. guitar right." Yeah, flashlight.