Latest project complete

LonePhantom · #1 08-22-2006, 06:50 AM

A couple of months back I bought a Saga PRS style kit from Demiurge. My fiance and I went halves in the cost of the kit for a birthday present for me (which happens to be this Friday the 25th!!!).

Seeing as we both went halves in this I thought I would name it "Niphen" (combination of Nicky and Stephen) which is a name a good friend of ours came up with when she got tounge-tied talking to us (one of those out for dinner and a few drinks later things!). She decided to call us Sticky and Niphen. I figured Niphen sounded a little better than Sticky so I went with that!

This was my first ever attempt at painting a guitar so the paintwork is pretty woeful (gotta learn somewhere) and luckily this wasn't a high dollar project like my previous blue RG/JEM style guitar my Dad and I built. It's actually a deeper, earthier colour red than the pictures from my crappy camera show. I'll be replacing the bridge, nut and machine heads with better gear soonish. I installed some Mighty Mite Motherbuckers and they sound great. Really high-gain pickups that's for sure, real hot.

I've tuned the guitar to low B as well so I have a baritone sort of set up. I'm running a pretty crazy string set to do that too. Tried the Zakk Wylde cusstom lo-tune strings but the treble strings had no where near enough tension for this tuning, and barely enough even for D standard. It's now running the .70 - .52 - .44 - .30 - .17 - .13 which is just about right.

Anyway, enough blabbing on from me, again thanks Demiurge. On with some pics.

And the rest of the gang.

Demiurge · #2 08-22-2006, 09:59 AM

Well done- I'm digging the finish.

Lefty Robb · #3 08-22-2006, 10:02 AM

How can you maintain that tuning with such a short scale? even with redonkulous string guages, I can't see that thing sounding all that great, I would love to hear a sound sample.

LonePhantom · #4 08-22-2006, 07:11 PM

Well the thick string gauges I'm using keep the tension up nicely. From memory I measured the scale and it was 25" like a PRS (I think).

It's not holding the best tune at the moment due to the cheaper machine heads that came with the kit and I haven't done the best job with slotting the nut. This doesn't matter too much as I'm going to replace the nut with a graphite one and get some decent locking tuners. With some graphite saddles as well this should turn out ok.

Well if it's still having difficulties I'll just have to tune it up a bit higher I guess, no real issues.

Lefty Robb · #5 08-23-2006, 02:07 AM

looks like a set-neck right? if so too bad, casue you could have a baritone neck made for it, or move the bridge back 2 inches, lol....

satchboogeyman · #6 08-23-2006, 02:20 AM

good job

and great job in getting your fiance' to go in of halfers with you.

mi2tom · #7 08-23-2006, 05:32 AM

Good job!!!

LonePhantom · #8 08-23-2006, 05:56 AM

No not a set nut, it's a bolt-on neck. It's not really worth it to make a baritone neck, the neck would probably cost more than the guitar itself cost all up!

Thanks for the compliments all.

Lefty Robb · #9 08-23-2006, 06:56 AM

wow, I would have bet anything looking at it from the front thats its a glued in neck.

**GilkyBear** · #10 08-23-2006, 07:22 AM

Cool job, bet it was fun anyway

Demiurge · #11 08-23-2006, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lefty Robb

wow, I would have bet anything looking at it from the front thats its a glued in neck.

It's actually not a bolt-on neck, but a bolt-IN neck. After the fingerboard, the neck extends with a tongue of wood into the body where the bolts are attached, so the articulation of the neck and the body is underneath the neck pickup. PRS does this too, which is funny that not only did Saga re-create that, but also because modern PRS's have big, blocky heels jutting out from their bodies, where the Saga kit doesn't.

LP, maybe you can post a picture of the back of the guitar to illustrate this.

LonePhantom · #12 08-23-2006, 06:11 PM

Yeah that's right, and yes the heel absolutely blows away modern PRS heels! I'll try and remember to take some photos of the back tonight when I get home from work.