Designing a pick-guard for a custom guitar


I finally got this guitar finished. The custom pickguard came out
great, which is what I initially used Cheetah to help me visualize.

It plays and sounds amazing, and now it's one of all time my favorites.

 

Attachments

  • Warmoth Tele 01.jpg
    Warmoth Tele 01.jpg
    105.1 KB · Views: 568

I finally got this guitar finished. The custom pickguard came out
great, which is what I initially used Cheetah to help me visualize.

It plays and sounds amazing, and now it's one of all time my favorites.


Wow, that looks great! Nice project all the way around.
 
Very nice job 'ZOO'...!!!
It's beautiful!
(what's in the background? ... A Les Paul, and? an Ibanez?)
:icon_thumbup: :icon_thumbup: :icon_thumbup:
 

Thanks for the support guys, I'm already on number two but no 3D
visualizing for this one so I won't be posting any pics but...

I may be working on a custom guitar visualizer
like Warmoth uses for their Tele and Strat body's.

I had the idea many years ago while doing some graphic work for
Ed Roman, owner of World Class Guitars, before he moved to Las Vegas.

Then it was all Photoshop, now with Cheetah it could be so much better.

Here's a sneak peak at the first test, a headless Vader by
Kiesel, One of the finest guitar makers in the world today.

 

Attachments

  • Kiesel Vader Model.jpg
    Kiesel Vader Model.jpg
    77.6 KB · Views: 494
Reply to posts

Nice job, Zoo! As a picker myself, and one who has a couple custom pieces, I appreciate your effort. Hey, the next pickguard could be 3D.
 
Nice job, Zoo! As a picker myself, and one who has a couple custom pieces, I appreciate your effort. Hey, the next pickguard could be 3D.

Thanks Greg, it's my first Telecaster, not counting
the new one I returned cause it was flawed.

The one I'm currently working on is a slab Tele,
no arm relief or belly cut but with Strat controls.

It's got a spalted Maple top so I'm not using a pickguard
cause I don't want to cover any of the cool grain pattern.

This one will have a stacked Tele neck PU and a Humbucker at the bridge.




 
Last edited:
Interesting!
Sort of like a Gibson SG....
Can't wait to see what your next project looks like 'ZOO'.
Great work!
:icon_thumbup: :icon_thumbup: :icon_thumbup:
 

I've made some progress with the guitar visualizer.

Here's some images in progression.

 

Attachments

  • Visualize 01.jpg
    Visualize 01.jpg
    71.4 KB · Views: 492
  • Visualize 02.jpg
    Visualize 02.jpg
    80.9 KB · Views: 654
  • Visualize 03.jpg
    Visualize 03.jpg
    71.7 KB · Views: 483
  • Visualize 04.jpg
    Visualize 04.jpg
    75.1 KB · Views: 557
  • Visualize 05.jpg
    Visualize 05.jpg
    85.4 KB · Views: 620

I made holes for the controls and used an old
trick from cartoon animation to show reflection.

Remember whenever there was a balloon in a cartoon it
always had a window reflection in it, even if it was outside.

 

Attachments

  • Visualizer Demo 12.jpg
    Visualizer Demo 12.jpg
    69.3 KB · Views: 441

Here's the real thing. :cool:

 

Attachments

  • New Vader 03.jpg
    New Vader 03.jpg
    129.3 KB · Views: 498
  • New Vader 02.jpg
    New Vader 02.jpg
    121.6 KB · Views: 467
Looks really cool :icon_thumbup:

Rock, Blues or Jazz? :smile:

Yes, but I guess I'm most comfortable playing blues and rock.
Jazz requires more musical understanding than I have
available, but I love it. Weather Report is still a favorite.

Wow - now that´s greeeeeener than a treefrog. :tongue:
Great seamless back.
Soundcheck?
Cheers
Frank

By all means, I've been "Chugging" away all morning and
I'm in glorious pain right now, but I'll put something together.

This thing has Lithium PUps wound by Kiesel, they are nice and hot, but they offer others.
And since they are all custom I could ask for any combination of them.

The color is called Kiesel Racing Green, from Jeff Kiesel's racing
hobby, but to me it's an old favorite I call Monster Green.
My first guitar was monster green black burst over 40 years ago
and I thought it was about time to bring the green back again.

It took nine weeks, Chambered body-5 piece maple neck with
a thinner neck profile. You get 100 bucks off any options,
so if you have 100 bucks in options, they are free. :cool:

1706.00 with shipping, although I got no
warning of the shipment, glad I was home.

For that price I would normally get something from SE Asia or
Mexico through Musicians Friend, and this is made to my specs.:eek::eek:


 
I have to admit, my reaction to the real thing is somehow the same as franks ... What a green ...

Jazz requires more musical understanding than I have

Actually only a few types of jazz, like Coltranes harmonics and chord changes or Thelonious Monk etc. Todays jazz musicians (well even those some 30 years ago) are usually very well schooled, able to play anything from the sheet, knowing all the progressions, transgressions and stuff. They are usually quiet good and you can find enough saxophonists that sound like Coltrane and so on. But a lot of the great musicians hadn't that much schooling, or like Jim Hall classic schooling, as much as I know. He is a good example anyway. Not that fast, not the finger acrobat, but still one of the best guitarists jazz ever had (just listen to his records with paul desmond).
It's not about understanding. It's about feeling.

And great rock guitar solos (like hendrix) could have their place in fusion or jazz tunes.

The only reason not to play jazz is just this: not to like it :smile:

(sorry, the word jazz starts a trigger in me)
 

"Schooling" is a relative term. People used to say Frank Zappa
wasn't "schooled" in music because he didn't go to Berkley or
other institution. But in fact he had his formal music education
when he was so young, it was disregarded. He was doing
orchestral arranging when he was in high school.

Like Alan Holdsworth, who taught himself music theory
in a totally unconventional and amazing way. RIP
I guess "school" is whenever we strive to see deeper
into what we love to do, however we do it.

Here's a tidbit: Carol Kaye. You may never have heard of her before,
but you have listened to hundreds of songs with her playing mostly
bass and some guitar. Google her. But don't believe the wiki,
it says she's died in 2006- THIS IS NOT TRUE. She's amazing!
Something like 10 thousand recordings.

 
Back
Top