Re-tape according to the template provided, and now spray red (not too thickly, as Eddie painted it thinly. It is also evident from interviews at the time, as well as some logical analysis, that Ed used the Bumblebee and the borrowed Chris Holmes Destroyer in late 1979 and early 1980 to track Women and Children First, meaning the Frankenstrat saw very little, if any, use on that album. There is a lot of discussion about what type of tape Eddie used, but the consensus is he used mostly gaffer tape. Given Eds reputation of intentionally lying and deceiving, particularly early in his career, to thwart copycats, it is entirely possible that he installed this trem EXCLUSIVELY as a feint to those who would inevitably try to decode the method to his madness; a task that is still ongoing and incomplete to this day, nearly 45 years later. Either sand it down to wear it, or bash it with the side of a hammer or a large chain to dent it up. The body itself, a ~5-1/2 lb Northern Ash Boogie Bodies branded Strat clone, made by Wayne Charvel and Dave Schecter *using Schecters templates* in a batch of 100 Ash bodies in 1976, was advertised by Charvel to have improved tonal properties as a result of the heavy ash body. I used plain masking tape for this step, which measured 18mm wide. Paint Your Own Frankenstrat Capture the look of the guitar that changed everything There may be no guitar more iconic in the history of rock than the famed Frankenstrat of the 1970s and 80s. This page is a collection of all history of the guitar, accepted/established and theorized alike, from its first days in Van Halens LA club gigs to its final live show on May 29, 1983 at Van Halens legendary US Festival concert. Your email address will not be published. Eddie installed a PAF humbucker from his ES-335 and cannibalized the tremolo unit from his . The back was slightly birdseye and featured an R5 nut with. Painted black, 1961 Stratocaster mint green pickguard installed. Note that Ed had over a dozen red/white/black guitars during his time with Kramer none of which were painted by him, and are NOT to be confused with the Frankenstrat. Change). Teams. 1982 was a vital year in that the Kramer Guitars and Floyd Rose deal was officially made. thanks again!! Back Original There are two no-logo Floyd Rose FRT-5 prototypes seen during this time: One on the Frankenstrat, and one on the Rasta (Unchained) guitar, which is taken off and put on the Kramer ad guitar shortly afterward. First-known FRT-5 Design (November/December 1982). Posted in Frankenstrat on May 21, 2009 by Mr. But, all I could find in painter's tape were 1 and 3/4 rolls. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Save 5% with voucher. Unlike the latter contenders, the Frankenstrat was a true experiment that Ed personally modified and incrementally improved constantly over its 6 year use as his primary guitar, and even beyond its permanent retirement. Note that some light blue paint was smeared/transferred to various locations around the edges of the guitar in the mid-to-late 1980s, Photo: UnknownMET Exhibit, New York City 2019. and of course, a Floyd Rose Tremolo Bridge. The red coat Eddie put on wasnt particularly thick so the black lines showing through is key to getting it right. hi John! I believe I gave it a very light sanding after the primer, but would not be necessary, as thats what Primer is designed to do. I skipped this detail. Chip Kinman of The Dils performs with his crudely striped Les Paul, Edward performs with his newly striped Frankenstrat at Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA. It is worth noting that this is the exact tremolo that theCharvel Bumblebeewas built with. This bizarre CBS era tremolo construction saw the sustain block and the tremolo plate made as a, , which was then chrome plated. CC is generally fantastic in a Strat with a Floyd. Correct, drilled the screws directly into the body. A dedicated artist and tooler, he also designed and played one of the most well known specialty in all of rock: the Frankenstrat. A new bridge is also installed at this time; a 1970s Fender cast tremolo. I've been a fan since I saw them make Black Sabbath look like a tired and bored band back in September of 1978. It was made from a Northern Ash Stratocaster body, with pickup routing which . Oct 8, 2020. To better understand the complex history of the guitar, this article features a prelude tobrieflycover at the major changes throughout its life. Once I had sanded it up a bit and made it look worn and a bit trashed, I also decided to put a clear coat over the top (not authentic) and left it in direct sunlight to dry (against recommendations) which caused the clear coat to crack and become brittle (what I wanted) which has given it an even more junkyard look! Anyone have a suggestion on where I can find it? Jimi has continued his search to uncover the history of the guitar in the years since his VH links thread, and has contributed major portions of the information to this article as well, along with Don Ward, Logan Schenk, and countless others who have contributed to the public discourse. The black, white and red "Frankenstrat" famously created and used by Eddie Van Halen. The Frankenstrat, also known as " Frankie ", is a guitar created by Eddie Van Halen. Red paint added late March 1979.Late March, 1979 to ~February, 1980Photo: Young GuitarSeptember, 1979. PDF Files. Coming soon. Only 14 left in stock. Get it tomorrow, Feb 14. See the actual size of a frankenstrat template right on . The neck had been swapped for a more modern strat headstock and there were cigarette burns on the headstock from Eddie placing cigarettes under the strings. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Create a website or blog at WordPress.com. PAF? Hi all, Recently a old ash tree fell down in my back yard so I decided to make a guitar out of it, I knew that ash isn't used as often for guitars and not very many people played ash because of its wait, and then I stumbled upon the Frankenstrat. Its name is a portmanteau of Frankenstein, the fictional doctor who combined body parts to create a monster, and the Fender Stratocaster, an electric guitar made by Fender. Stripes arefirst picturedAugust 1, 1977. I like the idea of the guitar, but I don't have an. Holy crap . The Frankenstrat Guitar - My Verdict. The body Eddie bought had HSS routing, and he was fascinated by the idea of using a bridge humbucker for a Gibson-like tone. . There are many replicas and copies of this iconic guitar, most notably the Fender official replica . a mere six weeks after beginning the repairs, however, and it was completely transformed from a standard red & white strat, into a Van Halen Frankenstrat (left-handed, of course!) EVH Frankenstrat Replica. Mod Garage: The Original Eddie Van Halen Wiring. I sealed it up and let it sit for about 8 hours. Its better to do multiple light coats than rush it with a single thick coat and risk ruining it. step 3. Of course, some hardware can be different, so always get your hardware before building, so it will be to suit what you have. ?or any other design you will need the following materials: Primer Masking tape 1 x 200ml can of Pinty Plus Basic Black 9005 400ml of Pinty Plus Basic White 9010 (2 x 200ml or 1 x 400ml) 400ml of Pinty Plus Basic Live red 3020 (2 x 200ml or 1 x 400ml) The next step is to black primer coat- make sure you do not go too heavy with the spray painting as it . frankenstrat stripe template Chip had a white Les Paul that he wrapped electrical tape around, essentially creating the same exact visuals that Ed would immortalize with his Frankenstrat afterwards. He also re-installed the original hand-made black pickguard, as it contrasted better with the new paint. On switches running the LAN Base feature set, routing values . This could have been a great opportunity for Grover to secure an endorsement from the young Ed, but all chances of that went bust when Grover would go ahead and make more copies for sale at Charvel without Eds consent. Body, Paint, Necks, Tremolos, and Pickups, Many newcomers, therefore, seem to get unrelated Kramer guitars confused with Eds Frankenstrat, or simply misunderstand the relationship between Ed and most of his guitars. A standard German Floyd replaces the APM FRT-5 whale tail. Also the Sansui artist model 5150. But this guitar should not look so clean and untouched It should look like it has been on tour for 10 years!, so, out with the 1200grit sandpaper, and get to making it look worn down and bashed up again! The Frankenstrat is Eddie's attempt to cross pollinate a Gibson and Fender. There was some blue paint on the back body and some of the reflectors from Eddie leaning the guitar against a freshly painted Van Halen banner. Its not available anymore, so I used the next best thingDupliColor. For more details on how Ed actually prepared and sprayed the Frankenstrat body red, watch the excellent video below by Johnny B. The decal doesnt say Patent Pending on it like other beak versions. I noticed some builds have a white straw in wrapper looking thing on the lower horn. Template routing ensures that each part is identical; whether you're shaping six parts or sixty, each one matches the template (Photo 2). Maple 22 fret neck with Gotoh tuners and R3 nut, Chrome Floyd Rose Special with OFR 42mm Big Brass Block, Duncan custom clone PAF Alnico 5 humbucker. A Superstrat is a guitar with an S-style-body (as made famous by the Fender Stratocaster) but features modified hardware more specific to Rock and Metal music. You placed the humbucker directly to the body, right? Frankenstrat routing template. Its linked above, but just in case, here is a direct link to download, Click to access vh-bumblebee-tape-diagram.pdf, Now, make sure you share some photos of your build if/when you go through with it! Apparently Eddie was pretty much a hack and couldnt really solder, so Mark cleaned that up among other things. Sanding; to remove the gloss paint and make sure all surfaces were suitable for a new coat of black paint. and simply screwing the lock nut into place. I really only routed in the trem cavity for maximum movement, but probably couldve left it as a standard strat setup That said, most of my original measurements were made by sight, when I was 14 years old . The Frankenstrat is an ash Stratocaster body with a routing that. Undoubtedly the most convoluted and confusing aspect of the history of the Frankenstrat, neck swaps were a very common occurrence, even becoming nearly day-to-day at times. After drying for a few days, I did a little strategic sanding to prepare for the red coat. To get close to Eddie's tone, use a Strat with a bridge humbucker, wiring it to a single 500k audio volume pot, as shown in Fig. "I took a PAF out of an ES-335 and the vibrato out of a Fifties Strat when I made my Frankenstein guitar". Ed, unphased by the blemish, purchased the body for a reported $50 ($225 in 2021, adjusted for inflation), where the catalog price for a non-blemish body was $89.95 ($405 in 2021, adjusted for inflation). Here is one I prepared earlier around 1996 in high school woodwork, to be precise! Its actually rather ironic to think Eddie actually played this guitar for many years like this. The volume is not affected, as the screws used keep the hum bucker at the desired height/distance from the strings as it would be if I had used a pick guard. Tape according to the templates provided, and spray white. 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