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As well as spraying guitars we do a lot of design and built projects and setting up of guitars, mainly for ourselves to try out at gigs to see how they sound and work. What we will try to do is list a few of the projects that we have been working on over the past couple of years.


2009 project was a guitar designed in the shape of a knuckle duster. The design came about one day while reading Streetfighters Custom Bike Mag, they use the knuckleduster as their logo and as the Band are all two wheeled hooligans, what better way to combine the two hobbies - Music & Motorbikes

For this project Andy asked UK's top guitar maker Sims Custom for some help and advise - www.simscustom.com

Hardware includes - through the body string ferrules, Gibson bridge with graphite saddles, Kent Armstrong Rocker Alnico Humbucker Open Black (Bridge), Kent Armstrong PAF Style Open Black (neck), Gibson style pots, switch & jack, Gotoh machine heads
Body - Poplar wood with gun metal metallic finish (highly polished), specially made metal back plates and covers
Neck - Plain Maple neck with Ebony fingerboard, custom made inlays - 2 different pearls for NOS tap & luminous pearl for NOS pipe, Cosmic blue sparkle for the NOS bottle & homemade NOS sticker
Streetfighter Guitar on view at the Sims Custom Stand at Music Live Show NEC Nov 2009

 
 

2008 project was Andy's standard Epiphone Les Paul. A bog basic model bought new in 1998 for about £200 when we was visiting the guitar show in London. A great guitar with the feel of a proper Les Paul but not the sound, sooo..
The first thing to do was to remove the pick-ups and replace with Gibson 500t & 496r open type pick-ups. These are the same pick-ups that you find in the Gibson Flying V range and the Les Paul Classic range but we went for the Zebra ones. Andy bought these from Rosetti.co.uk. The main UK distributor of Gibson spares and parts.

Now were getting there. A lovely crunchy rock sound with a huge amount of output.

The second thing to do was to remove all the electrics. This included the 3 way switch, the jack plug, the volume+tone pots and all wiring.

After fitting new jack plug and new switch Andy decided to try something new and fit all 4 new push/pull pots after reading one day about Jimmy Page's Guitar.

We made sure at this point that the pick-ups we bought were 4 core cable type and not just the standard one cable sheilded type that you get in Gibsons at the local guitar shop.
We replaced all wiring with decent sheilded wire and even replaced the capacitors.
All the electric components were bought from WD Music Products (these are the guys that make Kent Armstrong pick-ups) Go to their web site, they have a huge amounts of goodies.


This picture shows the pots in the out position

This picture shows the pots in the in position



Finaly a new set of D'Addario strings and ready for test drive

" I still haven't work out all the settings on the pots. From coil tapping to out of phase, flick the swith and you are off again. It's definalty made it one powerful guitar, loads of output and great rock sound . I love it. There's a few more ideas that i have got to put to the test so i will keep you informed "

"For the start of 2008 I have replaced the Epiphone nut for a nice new aftermaket Gibson one, thanks again to WD Music Products. The string spacing is wider that the Ephiphone (not by much though) but it works out to be the same as a Gibson, which is fantastic for me as I am used to the SG and Flying V". Andy



andy@kosmic-dogs.co.uk