My attempt at the EVH Frankenstrat Frankenstein

[chickabuka]

Looks like one hell of a nice art piece to me.....how many hours did you put into it??

[bigeddie38]

@chickabuka Thanks, I guess I spent about 85 hours over a couple of months.

[ACOUSBand]

@bigeddie38 dude thats like a replica u made

[bigeddie38]

@ACOUSBand I'm guessing that's a question? Erm, yes it's a replica I made!!

[jfr04]

Attempt? You Nailed it!

[bigeddie38]

@jfr04 Thanks, but maybe not quite, I think I set the standard a while ago but some Franks on here now are fantastic!!

[PMProductionsCinema]

u call that an attempt...that IS a frankenstrat

[bigeddie38]

@PMProductionsCinema Thanks, glad you like it.

[ryanchiarella94]

What kind of pickup did you use?

[bigeddie38]

@ryanchiarella94 Used a Seymour Duncan '78 model

[Metallicaforever95]

Nice i wanna do the exact same i have all my supplies but i hit a brick wall.. I dont know where to apply the tape. How did you get pictures or templates or what to see exactly where the tape goes! Plz help fast!! I really wanna start my project!!! Thanks

[jfkdjfd]

Why is everyone obsessed with a Frankenstrat? Really, i'm at a loss. Why?

[wldntknow]

It needs to be more dirty plus you have the wrong reflecting patche design on the back on the guitar.....ALL AND ALL ITS STILL FUCKING AWESOME!!!

[MrDarinWarren]

Hows it sound?

[fr84k]

Great job! Do you remember if you used the regular Red or the Aerocycle Red from Vintageschwinn?

[bigeddie38]

@fr84k Thanks. I just used regular car spray cans.

[Sk8boy297]

YOU... ARE... GOD.....

[bigeddie38]

@Sk8boy297 Ha.....thanks!

[jbstorck]

Did you get this as a kit from Divebomb inc.? or any of the parts?

[bigeddie38]

@jbstorck No this wasn't a kit. I got all the parts from different sources.

[ragingLIAM]

thats wicked!

[mlb0226]

Attempt my ass! This is as good as if not better than the real dea! How does it sound?

[bigeddie38]

@mlb0226 Thanks very much. Think the SD '78 pickup is a very nice sounding hb.

[RockoVanClark]

one word: amazing!

[bigeddie38]

@RockoVanClark Thanks, glad you like it!!!

[Aerosmithrockr1]

Can u send me specs? I'm currently in the process of making one of these

[bigeddie38]

@mattgsperm Open to offers!!!

[LTLfilms]

what is that white strip that has guitar picks on it? 

[bigeddie38]

@LTLfilms Just some rolled up masking tape.

[EijiKikumaru187]

@bigeddie38 hey, that was my same question about the tape. But, is there anyway to make that stick real good on the guitar so it wont fall off? :s thanks

[bigeddie38]

@EijiKikumaru187 Hi. It's stuck to mine no problem. Just make sure the area where your going to stick it is clean and dry.

[EijiKikumaru187]

@bigeddie38 niceee :) thanks!!! ohhhh btw... good shit on the guitarr :)

[bigeddie38]

@EijiKikumaru187 Ha....should see the new Charvel build video I've just put up a couple of days ago. Turned out well. :)

[EijiKikumaru187]

@bigeddie38 aighttt I'll check it out :)

[azazael07]

@EijiKikumaru187 For now I used mounting tape but it should be white gaffa tape not masking tape. Same as the tape on the rear cavity under the springs should be white gaffa tape

[HillaryHitler]

This is the way to go make your own

[JBsuxCOK]

How much did it cost to build that? Bet it was less that 25000

[JesusFreak1231000]

What did you use for the body and neck of the guitar?

[JesusFreak1231000]

what pickups did you use?

[bigeddie38]

@JesusFreak1231000 Hi. I used a Seymour Duncan '78 Model in the bridge and used a dead Ibanez S470 single coil in the neck.

[1961gibson]

what kind of paint did u use?

great replica!!

[bigeddie38]

@1961gibson Thanks, Just used ordinary car paint spray cans.

[mrockdog70]

nice work, one question, what year is the quarter?

[bigeddie38]

@mrockdog70 Hi, thanks. It's a 1971.

[race1717]

Where did you get all the materials?

[bigeddie38]

@race1717 Body, neck and SD '78 pickup from USA. Paint from my local motor spares store. All other hardware from ebay.

[race1717]

Where did you get all the materials? I'm looking forward to build an LP-style model with the similar paint job.

[john0the0bastard]

Excellent!

[TheMaggie5150]

What is the top red pickup?

[bigeddie38]

@TheMaggie5150 It's just a pickup from an Ibanez S470 I sprayed an aged.

[bigeddie38]

@mitek9 Make me a sensible offer for the guitar and case and we'll see what we can sort out.

[evhfrankie]

@bigeddie38 ill give you 2000

[bigeddie38]

@evhfrankie Are you serious about that? $2000 for the guitar and case? If so then contact me via 'messages' and we'll see what we can sort out, ok.

[samborastrt]

how much would u make another one for?

[bigeddie38]

@samborastrt. If you were in the UK I'd sell you this one.

[01EVH]

You should quit your job & make these for a living!

Great Job!

[berga1995]

baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa­aaaaadddddddddddddddddddd

[astacy77]

@berga1995

its sopposed to look like that

[VANKAYLINPRODUCTIONS]

What kind of body did you use?

[bigeddie38]

@VANKAYLINPRODUCTIONS I used a 'KnE Guitars' Ash body.

[1961gibson]

i dont get how eddie got the guitar worn down to wood by the quarter

[transformersgod]

because he used to move to hold the floyd rose tremolo but then he didnt need it so i would imagine it wore down the paint

[scittball]

Hey bro Great job,this is the best replica of the replica i've seen on here yet.Wanna sell it?(seriously)

[bigeddie38]

Hi, thanks but not for sale (yet)!!!

[bigeddie38]

@azazael07 OK, hold my hands up and say yes you've done a cracking job there with yours. Just think both are good in different areas!!!

[azazael07]

Apologies mate a drunken friend posted that thinking he was funny. I only just found out from you're reply.

[MegaJaybee]

EPIC WIN!!!!

[kasseyify]

how come the black is still visible under the red coat?

[bigeddie38]

Only used two coats of red. If you take a look at the Fender replica, it's the same.

[2346]

u think u can get something out of it at the pawn shop or no cause the neck might be a turn off?

[bigeddie38]

2346. It might not be perfect but then look at what you upload.

[2346]

wut did i upload?

[greezylightning9]

u didnt just attempt it you conquered it

[garyjohnjacquard]

Very Nice !

[therocker03]

you know the wire at the back where the springs are, is that even connected to anything? that's one wire i don't understand and if it's not connected then I won't have to worry about it. And the neck pickup, is it even in range with the strings?

[bigeddie38]

The wire at the back is a ground wire soldered from the back of the volume pot to the spring claw. Think you'd best put it on in there. As with the original, the neck pickup isn't in range as it's not even connected to the circuit, only to the switch in the middle cavity. Hope this helps.

[therocker03]

ah, so the ground wire gets connected from the volume pot to the spring claw. is that all you have to do with the ground wire? and does the neck pickup work on your replica or is it just not connected?

[bigeddie38]

Wire soldered from the back of the pot to claw, yes. On mine, the neck pickup doesn't work, just curled the wires up and soldered them to the switch. Ok.

[therocker03]

wait, sorry for all these questions, but if you soldered the single coil to the switch wouldn't that make it work? or did you put solder the wires to the wrong places?

[bigeddie38]

The single coil and switch are only there for effect, they don't work. I read somewhere that Eddie gave up trying to wire them in because he didn't know how to but just left them there after trying.

[therocker03]

ok, thanks a lot for the help, just two other questions though, are you using a push-pull volume pot or just a normal one? And do you know the difference between them?

[bigeddie38]

Just a normal 500K pot. The SD '78 model pickup which I used was a single braided wire model which can't be coil tapped with a push-pull if thats what you mean.

[therocker03]

ok, thanks a lot for all your help, you really have helped me loads

[therocker03]

oh actually, one last question, did you just connect the humbucker to the volume pot or do you have to connect it to the 3 way switch first? I've heard that the switch isn't connected though, is this true?

[bigeddie38]

Just connect it straight to the pot. Like I said earlier, the switch isn't connected to anything in the (jack, pot, pickup) circuit.

[therocker03]

ok thanks, i'm not going to ask any more questions, lol. you were a great help :)

[bigeddie38]

Ha, no problem, glad to help.

[therocker03]

ok i'm sorry man, but one more thing that I don't know about, when you connected your humbucker to the volume pot, did you have to sort it out by colour codes or do you only have to worry about colour codes with 4 conductor humbuckers?

[bigeddie38]

Hello again, how you doing? It all depends how many wires your humbucker has. Have a look at the Seymour Duncan website > Support > Wiring Diagrams. This should answer all your questions. Let me know how you get on, any more help, just drop me a line.

[therocker03]

ok thanx, so if the humbucker just has one wire coming from it, you just solder it straight to the pot without worrying about colour codes or anything. Is that right?

[bigeddie38]

Send me your email address via messages rather than by comments and I'll send you a diagram, ok.

[CCVikings]

what kind of pickups did you use, and how did you get them red? and whats the thing in the middle? and what kind of paint you use?

[bigeddie38]

SD '78 model humbucker and a spray painted Ibanez S470 single coil pickup. The thing in the middle is a Fender switch.

[benjamin2595]

did you put clear coat on it?

[bigeddie38]

No, don't need to.

[polkadotvguitar]

how did you do the relicing around the quarter?

[bigeddie38]

By using a small polishing wheel in a battery drill until you expose the wood, easy.

[jackoliverw1]

How did you make the neck pickup red????????

[bigeddie38]

Just spray painted the top face of the pickup.

[halieluvstroy]

great job me and my wife are building an EVH Frankie as well check out our 2 videos and let us know what u think

[ME100472]

Great job, I'm getting ready to start my own. You did a very good job on the body. I just ordered a relic EVH humbucker (autographed by Eddie himself) to install in mine. Did you use Schwinn bicycle paint at least for the red? And do you have any idea what the back profile thickness is on the neck at 1st and 12th fret on the original?

[ME100472]

Oh yeah, one more thing, what did you do to get the color on the neck/single pickup?

[bigeddie38]

Masked the pickup so just the top face was showing, primed and sprayed, cleaned the poles then rusted them.

[bigeddie38]

Thanks. The autographed pickup wasn't available when I built mine but it does have the SD '78 Model in. Just used ordinary car paint from Halfords for this. Still researching the neck but for now I used a Floyd cut Mighty Mite neck until I find a better one.

[deathofamartyr2]

do they even sell that schwinn bike paint anymore?

[ME100472]

Yes, look on ebay under the seller "vintageschwinn"

[Lilrocker5150]

how did u expose the wood especially in the back?

[bigeddie38]

Just by using a small sanding wheel in a battery drill.

[kellyj5150evh]

do you have a link to the reflector seller?, please.

[bigeddie38]

Sorry, I don't, it was about a year ago since I got them.

[ryanonwheels12]

ddks2273 on ebay usually sells reflector sets for frankenstein projects as well as unfinished guitars to work on.

[kellyj5150evh]

where did you get the reflectors? I cant find them any where.

[bigeddie38]

I was lucky, US ebay.

[CassFan5150]

LOVE THE GUITAR DUDE!!!!!!!!! AMAZING!!!! Can I ask what tape sizes you used???

[bigeddie38]

Thanks, I used 18mm, 10mm and 6mm tape.

[Greenballed]

How did you age the pickup selector like that?

[l33tm4n321]

ok, so I take it you are NEVER going to sell that. but if you have a change of heart, shoot me a message. I'd easily pay 800 + for something that high of quality

9only reason I'd offer that low is because seeing as you can build one for under 300.00 800 would be generous. plus I don't have the skill to build one myself. 16 year olds and power tools don't mix very well ;) ) anyway give it some thought. GREAT JOB BTW!!

[bigeddie38]

I agree, you can make one for very little but I bought all brand new quality parts which cost me quite a bit. Original Floyd, SD '78 pickup, ash body, Mighty Mite neck, Schaller tuners etc etc. Plus the 75+ hours taken to build and age it. Thanks for the interest though.

[l33tm4n321]

wow, an original floyd? that must have been a pain to find. plus one of the SDCS '78s... those are pretty hard to find too and fetch top doller. that is a pretty pricey project! if you have the money though, it is definitively worth it.

[gl5027]

NICE OMFG THAT IS NICE you did an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING job on that everything looks so perfect I made a black and white eddie van halen guitar and I thought it came out pretty nice, but my god this is something that I would dream of having you sir have talent

all the best,

GL5027

[bigeddie38]

Thanks, one of the best comments I've had yet.

[gl5027]

you deserve it man I would kill to have that kind of talent your truly blessed man.

[luizhmax]

thank you man for taking the time. again, yours is the best replica i've seen. congrats on the excellent job!

[bigeddie38]

Thanks, any more questions, no problem!!!

[luizhmax]

i'm sorry but it's still not clear to me. so yours is the "trembucker", right? (SD makes the normal humbucker and another one specially made for floyd rose that they call "trembucker")...

[bigeddie38]

Seymour Duncan make the '78 model to order, to whatever spec the customer wants. You can specify pole spacing, leg length, with or without logo and even how many wires you want, braided or unbraided. I specified pole spacing for a Floyd trem, no logo, long legs and single braided wire. The only thing standard, obviously is the al2 magnets and windings to 9.1k.

[luizhmax]

great job. the best i've seen so far. did you get your SD '78 pickup in the normal "humbucker" spaced pickup or in a "trembucker" spaced configuration?

[bigeddie38]

Hi, thanks, it's humbucker Floyd spaced. It's a pity I've had the audio disabled for this though :(

[bigeddie38]

Seymour Duncan '78 Model.

[mxscott67]

Very nice, I'm currently making my 2nd replica. I'll post pics when it's complete...again very nice!!!

[VacTrooper]

very nice replica of a replica!!

[bondkor]

about how much did this thing cost when you were done?

[bigeddie38]

I can't remember exactly, think it was about five to six hundred pounds.

[bondkor]

what did you use for the body did ypu buy a fender or did your buy the body and then neck?

[bigeddie38]

Got a brand new unfinished untreated ash replica body off ebay and a Mighty Mite Floyd cut neck.

[12345678ix]

awsome job man conrats

[bigeddie38]

Thanks!!

[JackChaseProductions]

what dead pickup do you use in the neck?

[bigeddie38]

I think it was an Ibanez S470 middle pickup I painted and rusted.

[Junkman192]

Pretty cool, but its called the frankenstrat.

[bigeddie38]

Frankenstrat, Frankenstein, Frankie etc, who cares what it's called when you build one yourself and your happy with it. Thanks for the comment though.

[louisherewego]

how u get the pickups not to fall out

[bigeddie38]

Screwed straight to the body.

[danmt5qm9oy]

the only thing i see wrong is the neck on eds guitar didn't have the skunk stripe on the back

[Greenballed]

Where did you get the body for this. Kit? The square edge bodys are hard to find.

[bigeddie38]

Not a kit. Most parts including body from ebay.

[Greenballed]

Nice job. Ive been making Eds guitars for a few years. Looks like a Mighty Mite Neck? Ive used them but found putting on the floyd rose over the nut doesnt look that great. Apparently they sell them with a Floyd cut or as they call it a "F" cut. But they are hard to find. Is that what you used?

You got the paint perfect. Takes WAY more time than most people think. The last one I made, I used a florescent lime green instead of the red...It looked awsome.

Good job! You'll be sued! LOL!

[bigeddie38]

Yes your right, it's a MM Floyd cut neck. Thanks and glad you like it.

[t1msguitar]

try a srtat knock-off. like peavy. that's what i used. check out mine. type "my eddie van halen replica ( my homemade). it took me about four days to make.

[djrees56]

It doesn't look like you attempted it...it looks like you DID it!! BRAVO!!

[bigeddie38]

See earlier comment reply for guitar. Case - £80, Foam - £45, Logo -(specially made) £25.

[2346]

dude when u take out the pick guard how did u get the pickups to stay there

[bigeddie38]

Just screwed to the body.

[2346]

so i should just tighten the springs that hold it down?

[Guitarchordhelper]

can you please tell me how you made the pick holder?

[bigeddie38]

Just a rolled up piece of masking tape.

[Guitarchordhelper]

what do you mean just a rolled up piece of masking tape? did you roll it on something?

[bigeddie38]

The Seymour Duncan '78 Model braided single cable pickup.

[the1nameless]

hi great job

this may sound stupid but could you tell me how you get the pickup to stay down

as in do you have to glue it down or screw it down? im really confused

[bigeddie38]

The pickup is the long leg version which allowed it to be screwed directly to the body within the cavity.

[Jam1457]

Great job, better than the one I built. How is that 78 pickup?.. I used the Seymour duncan SH 12 (George Lynch) Screamin' Demon and that is nice. Can you post a sound check of this?

[bigeddie38]

I'll have to get a video camera first!

[LSGoCards7]

Did you get all your parts off of the Mighty Mite website?

[bigeddie38]

None. Just about everything found on ebay.

[LSGoCards7]

How much did this cost you? I thought about tryin this.

[bigeddie38]

Hi. Well it wasn't a cheap job as all parts were bought brand new. Check prices for the following main parts and you'll get an idea. Unfinished ash body, Mighty Mite neck, Original Floyd Rose, Schaller tuners and a Seymour Duncan '78 model pickup. I'm currently on doing the case now so 'part 2' coming soon.

[J5150C]

Hey that turned out really friggin cool! What pup do you have in it and how does it sound? BTW, I know where you're coming from when you say it's fun. I had a blast making mine! Check mine out, looks exactly like EVH's.

[bigeddie38]

Managed to get hold of a Seymour Duncan '78 Model pickup for it. Looks like you've done a great job on yours aswell!!

[vanscralen2ll2]

+for a minute i thought it was the real one at the beginning like you were comparing photos or something. thats pretty badass man

[bigeddie38]

Thanks. It took me a while but the result was worth it.

[alpha1shadow]

dead on

dead on...

[bigeddie38]

Thanks. It's not quite 100% but I love it.

[alpha1shadow]

it looks cleaner.

it's actually more aesthetically pleasing than the true frankenstein. yours doesn't have the feel of it being something that you could find in the trash.

believe me, that's a good thing.

it'll get worn as you use it.

I've had a kramer for seven months now, and it looks pretty worn.

[ACDCKissLuki]

How long did it take you to build this guitar? ps: Its very very cool