Headstock cut with 4 and 2 holes drilled.

I also had a call with an old friend at Furniture by Dovetail. They manufacture and sell fine furniture. I used to do some database work for them. I gave the owner a call and he was gracious enough to offer me some time in his shop to cut out the shape the guitar body on the shop band saw. He said I could also use a drum sander to get the edges of the body square.

My next post will show the cut and hopefully routed body. Some time soon I will review the components I will be using for hardware and electronics.

Behringer Strat Copy

Overall the guitar is in OK shape. It was a bit dirty so I cleaned it up a bit, replaced the strings and it actually sound pretty good. Not as good as my Fender Mexican Stratocaster but better than $30. I let my 8 year old plunk away at it a bit. He seemed to like it’s extremely low weight. It’s super light, featherweight even. The wood must be polina or basswood or some other super light weight wood.

A trip to home depot resulted in a few sheets of sandpaper, 3 cans of valspar ( red, white, and black) and a can of clear coat. After prying the guitar from of the clutches of my 8 year old I decided it was time to tear it apart. I stripped down the body and sanded it just enough to rough up the finish so the new paint would adhere nicely.

Behringer Before first coat

I first painted the entire body black using Valspar Satin Black. I waited several hours in between coats until I had a nice even coat. After that I used masking table to mimic the design of Eddies famous 78 version of the Frankenstrat, see image below, and then applied white paint. Again I used several coats and waited a few hours between coats. I hadn’t though of blogging about this when I was painting it or I would have taken more pictures of the masking process.

I did not stick to the exact layout of the stripes as you will notice on my finished version, however I tried to get the same general “feel” with mine. After the white paint was dry I removed the tape and applied more tape. This time using the 84 version of the Frankenstrat as my guide. Here’s Edward’s guitar.

And finally here’s a few pictures of my finished Behringer EVH. After paint and before final assembly.

Here’s a shot with the bridge, pickguar and neck resting in place.

And finally with strings tuned up and ready to play. Which I am happy to say still plays as nice as it did before I tainted it’s stock appearence.

As you can see it’s not an exact replica of the EVH Frankenstrat but it has the same feel. Although mine is alot cleaner and not quite as road-worn. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I did painting it.

I started researching the various types of wood that are commonly used for guitar building. I found several useful sites describing the various qualities of specific species of wood. They were quite useful in making my decision about which wood to use for my guitar.

Ultimate Guitar Guide to Tone Wood

Sound Unlimited: Tone Wood Guide

I ultimately selected poplar for several reasons. Poplar is readily available in the northeast, is quite reasonably priced and is not too heavy. I was able to buy a 2″ x 18″ x 10′ milled board for $40 from a local lumber yard called The Woodery. Buying locally meant no shipping charges and I was able to select the board I wanted in person. They cut the board in half for me so I could fit it in my car. I should be able to get 2 guitars, possibly a 3rd small body if I use the ends of the board. I used the freshly cut ends of each piece to cut 2 pieces for my first guitar body. The guy at the lumber yard recommended using the center of the board for the best quality. The ends of the wood are less desirable due to the end grain being more susceptible to damage due to changes in temperature and humidity.

2" x 8" x 10' poplar cut in half.

My first guitar will be about 16.5 inches in length from top or neck end to bridge or tail end. The finished size will be 16 inches so I rough cut each piece to 16.5 to give myself some extra room. After cutting the board and cleaning the ends to make sure there is no dust or extra wood particles, I glued them together using Titebond and some 18 inch wood clamps I found at the hardware store.

TiteBond Wood Glue

In my next post I’ll review some of my choices of hardware and electronic components I am considering for my guitar.