Jackson Double V project...

Bluestreak · #1 04-26-2009, 09:59 PM

This was the first guitar I ever saw on MTV way back in 1986. I have to thank Legacy One guitars for cutting the body for me. Here's where it went from...

Here's what I added...

The neck (NOS Jackson neck, meant for a Jackson DXMG) and the EMG-89 pickup that went in.

The hardware came from a parted-out Jackson Randy Rhoads, or so the EvilBay auction claimed.

I had to make the Jackson/standard strat neck heel compatible with an Ibanez neck joint. A screw broke off in the neck while I was relocating the neck mounting holes. The broken screw was a nightmare and had to be extracted quite savagely. To repair the damage, I over-bored the damaged wood, cut a special cross-grain plug, and the repair went smoothly.

Here it is, test-assembled and fully set-up, just before it went to paint. It was so much fun to play, I hated to tear it down for paint.

(cont)

Bluestreak · #2 04-26-2009, 10:00 PM

The jigsaw puzzle this past Monday night, when the body came back from paint. The paint turned out immaculate!

From the back...

And finally...

The color just doesn't pop until you put it in natural light. I painted it "Sonic Blue", a Ford color. The guitar was painted to match my Mustang coupe. I haven't taken a picture of the two together yet.

So that was my first guitar build. Total cost came in just under $600 - unbelievably cheap, and it plays as well as any of my RG5/7xx guitars (and they cost much more).

I've already started my next project, a 7-string strat based on an Ibanez RG7621 I got from the 'Bay for a steal, and the work is already in progress. Building guitars is becoming addictive!

-R

nato101010 · #3 04-26-2009, 10:16 PM

Dang! Dig the blue/silver combination! So, it wasn't hard to convert the square neck heel to a AANJ? Cool!

Bluestreak · #4 04-26-2009, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nato101010

Dang! Dig the blue/silver combination! So, it wasn't hard to convert the square neck heel to a AANJ? Cool!

No, it was pretty easy. I had to add a piece of wood (glued) to the end of the Jackson neck to re-shape the heel, but that only took a short while. Then I took some measurements off my 2004 RG2770 AANJ guitar and used that information to relocate the holes on the Jackson neck (that's when the screw broke off). I was nervous as hell until I put the first set of strings on it and intonated the guitar. It tuned up perfectly.

RNRCRAZYKNIGHT · #5 04-26-2009, 11:11 PM

Cool guitar!!!!! I've been looking at one these bodies for my next build.

My question is, does it come equipped with a Vinnie Vincent wig? LOL!!!!!

Scott

prydogga · #6 04-27-2009, 03:44 AM

Lion's Claw on a V? NIIIIICE!!!

callen3615 · #7 04-27-2009, 03:54 AM

Nice, good to know im not the only one who still plays thrash.

prydogga · #8 04-27-2009, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by callen3615

Nice, good to know im not the only one who still plays thrash.

Who doesn't like to break out the good old Megadeth or, to a lesser extent, Metallica every once in a while?

Ironbird · #9 04-27-2009, 10:22 AM

Nice!!!! That makes me wanna take that axe and rip out some "Paranoid" Randy Rhoads style!

bcrich1975 · #10 04-27-2009, 11:36 AM

That looks great. I remember that guitar too from the VVI videos. Your color choice looks really nice...much better than the pink/silver combo of the original. Whole build was under $600? That's amazing. How much did it cost to have it painted/clear-coated if you don't mind me asking?

Bluestreak · #11 04-27-2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydogga

Lion's Claw on a V? NIIIIICE!!!

You can thank Chris with Legacy One for that. He threw that in there. I was skeptical at first but once I saw the guitar as one piece, it's a nice little stand out feature. And a tip o' the hat to one of my favorite guitarists.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rg770dx

That looks great. I remember that guitar too from the VVI videos. Your color choice looks really nice...much better than the pink/silver combo of the original. Whole build was under $600? That's amazing. How much did it cost to have it painted/clear-coated if you don't mind me asking?

I left out the receipt for the neck when I posted that last night. Raise that cost from $596 to $756. I thought that sounded low. I have to send another receipt to my insurance guy now, too. Doh!

$200 for paint. It was the most expensive part, but that included grain-filler/epoxy coat, sanding that down, then primer, finish-sanding, and the two-tone paint job. I could have done some of the work and kept it cheaper, but the guy who painted the guitar also painted my Mustang. As you can see, the dude's an artist with a gravity gun, so it was worth the extra $$$ to let him just run with it.

I really should post some up-close pictures of the paint job and the color transitions, because I gave the guy ZERO direction other than to paint those fins silver, but he managed to nail the paint down to exactly what I was thinking, blending the two colors together immaculately.

You know what surprises me most? I've shown it to a few diehard KISS fans this past week, and they didn't know whose guitar it was. Although Vinnie didn't come up with the design until after he was in KISS, I still thought the KISS fans would have known it!