Model 343
Build Thread Really - it's in there somewhere.
This guitar started as a LPjr body I put up for sale on eBay in August 2008. I had the idea to leave it un-routed and offer free routing services to anyone, hoping to leave the bidding open to lefties as well. I think that may have discouraged some bidders because it sold for $40, which barely covered the cost of materials and eBay fees.
The buyer was indeed a leftie. Through contact with him, he ended up contracting me to complete the whole guitar for him. He sent me the parts, including the neck, and I did everything else for him. We never negotiated a price, but I wasn't doing it for the money anyway. I wanted to make the guitar and see the project through to the end.
As the build went along, I found out that Blaise, the purchaser, was a firefighter. Perfect name, huh. He was a firefighter in New York City... in 2001... in September... Yes, he was involved in the rescue mission of the Twin Towers. Suddenly, this became very personal for me. I didn't have anyone I knew or am related to involved in 9/11, but I have the utmost respect for the men who dove headlong into that mess trying to help anyone they could. The whole build slowed down for me. I was determined NOT to screw up an aspect of this thing. Well, the best laid plans and all that. But I did give my absolute best effort in every aspect of the build.
There were 343 firefighters who died that day. I tried my best to find some way to get the number 343 inlaid into it somewhere in brass lettering, but it was cost prohibitive. The numbers would have run +/- $20 each. I didn't trust myself enough on my (then) newly-acquired scroll saw to make the numbers from longhi or yellowheart, so the idea went by the wayside. In the end, the best I can do is to name it 343 in their honor.
So that's the story. Here's the guitar.
The body is longhi & bloodwood.
The neck is mohogany with a bloodwood fretboard, brass frets, bloodwood headstock cap, and abalone inlays.
The hardware is all gold, with a Gotoh wraparound bridge/tailpiece combo.
The pickups are a mismatched set - the neck is a Dean, the bridge is an Epiphone.
The control cavity cover is bloodwood.
The neck pups never came with height screws, and the holes in the brackets are not the standard size, so it currently has none. Please try and overlook that when voting. This is one of the few things that were beyond my control. Also, I would not have chosen a mis-matched pair of pups, but again, it simply wasn't my choice.
back left
back right
down the back
down the front
down the left side
down the right side
front left side
front right side
up from the bottom