Coyote's Build

[jhale667]

If he's a total pro, he probably has some sort of "clean room" dust-free drying/curing area (and some serious ventilation), but still not a bad idea just in case...

[jhale667]

I got curious and was poking around looking for snakeskin sources (apparently Kenny at Performance will do outside bodies and necks, not just their own) - but I gotta say looking at a few of them, in some cases the paint-jobs (particularly the new WD sig's) actually look cooler than the real thing...

OK, like for example: Warren's original Python one, as well as this one - AWESOME. No ifs ands or buts.





(Coincidentally, ^the example above^ is a Dinky body from the manufacturer I just stumbled onto via the JCF, and a new Charvel Production-model neck.)


But not really feelin' THIS one:



Looks more like Alligator than Python kinda...I think the newer S/H Python one Warren himself has been playing lately even pales in comparison to the other one, or even the Anaconda one...

THIS one looks cooler than the last example, but still not touching the first one in this post....!




Found a distributor, but based on the variety out there, almost would want to hand-select the piece, or at least choose one out of a set of "in-stock" photos, to see what I was getting instead of ordering and hoping...

[GAR]

You'd have to find a hide more than 13 inches wide to do it.

It could be applied with white school glue, or rubber contact cement it doesnt matter. Real skin means it's waterproof.

Snake is really light. I really liked it, as stupid an idea it may seem if you never felt it.

Unlike the coldness of the feel of paint, the skin was warm and didnt affect the tone. It's not better or worse than paint, it's just different.

But a likeable different. And a very cool feeling of different, too.

[Coyote]

Drop by this weekend with one of your most-beat gigbags for it, or a hardshell case if you can.

Having worked in bodyshops I can tell you the air always has abrasive dust going round and I wouldn't want that settling on it in any stage of the application myself.

If he's a total pro, he probably has some sort of "clean room" dust-free drying/curing area (and some serious ventilation), but still not a bad idea just in case...

Allow me to clarify a bit...

The guy who's ultimately gonna paint it, his day-time job is not hot rods.
But he's done enough paintwork to realize the necessity of ventilation/"clean rooms"...
Even if he doesn't do it at a full-blown "bodyshop". (Not many hobby-rodders have that luxury around Funland...)

And yes, I realize the last bit sounds like this is gonna take forever...

[jhale667]

Hey, better late than never, especially if you're pleased with the results...

[Coyote]

Hey, better late than never, especially if you're pleased with the results...

What am I? A fortune teller?

(Don't answer that... )

[jhale667]

And I won't call you Shirley, either.

OK, I won't.


This thread has kinda motivated me to get off my ass and finish a couple of my guitar projects that have been on the back-burner, especially the recreation of my (2nd of the era) 20-something Charvel-mutt...
For your next one, you may want to consider KnE bodies...(started listening to the overwhelming consensus opinion amongst my friends - real and on teh internets - that the Musikraft body was too nice a piece to NOT stain or clear-coat, saving that body for another project) - they're damn near as accurate a Charvel repro, and cheaper than Musikraft (or Warmoth)...this showed up today...



Neck-pocket fit is tighter than a virgin's... uh..direct-mounting the pickups, Ti-block, Graph Tech saddles and Stainless Steel hardware already installed, once everything's all perfect off it goes to (well, now one of) my paint guy(s)...

Snake is really light. I really liked it, as stupid an idea it may seem if you never felt it.

Unlike the coldness of the feel of paint, the skin was warm and didnt affect the tone. It's not better or worse than paint, it's just different.

But a likeable different. And a very cool feeling of different, too.

Never tried a real snakeskin guitar, but have had enough snake and eel skin wallets to know I'd like the feel...just doesn't seem like it'd be all that durable over time...

[GAR]

Go to Performance and feel one Saturday. The snake is really thin, lightweight and it feels great.

You will be convinced to have 'em do it to that one. Probably the same price as paint, and more reversible if you want a change years later - just peel it off, tell 'em use white Elmers.

[jhale667]

Go to Performance and feel one Saturday. The snake is really thin, lightweight and it feels great.

You will be convinced to have 'em do it to that one. Probably the same price as paint, and more reversible if you want a change years later - just peel it off, tell 'em use white Elmers.

They didn't have any last time I was in there (not very far from here), unfortunately, but might be worth calling later to see if they have one in stock.
Won't be doing it with this one, as I'm set on recreating/correcting a design I didn't get right w/that neck years earlier (IS corrected now, just need the paint "re-imagined" correctly) for mostly sentimental reasons; But at the price-point KnE bodies go for, I can conceivably get bodies for both a snake and the Fair Warning one in the very near future, and get them both going as the post Voyager-Charvel (and now the offshoot natural Ash Musikraft) projects.

[Coyote]

Checking out the KnE site as I type...

"The Warren" sounds interesting...

[jhale667]

I'm gonna keep using his stuff.

Checking out the KnE site as I type...

"The Warren" sounds interesting...

Yeah, might do snakeskin on a Dinky "Warren" body someday...the KnE guy's turnaround is 3-5 days, his communication is excellent...body I got was created the day before (he's local, so UPS got it here in a day), and is ridiculously close to the Musikraft - only his neck pocket and routs are tighter overall it seems...

[jhale667]

Hey now!

Uh-oh!





Wait- bodies only - no matching headstocks?

[GAR]

That's like Dean Zelinsky's DBZ guitars, with his laser-burned "croc" finishes which I don't necessarily care for but can appreciate aesthetically.

The real skin's the way to go, but even if this guy did real snake hide applique's I wouldn't pay $600 fuckin dollars.

I mean, how long does it take to paste a skin down and trim the edges with an Xacto blade? 40 minutes?

I can see the hard part would be cutting the perimeter's top and bottom band edges straight.. like you might want to use a steel ruler or carpenters' square as a straight-edge. But once you got the side pasted, it's got to be an easy shot trimming the top.

Or vicey-versy: top, bottom, then band the side 'round it.

Ok maybe 2 hours with a bottle of Elmers. Nobody should have to pay $600 for the real thing, which has a nice exotic feel to it.

Graining the actual wood for 6 hun I don't thinks so!

[GAR]

They didn't have any last time I was in there.

They have cutoffs as samples.. duhh!

Ask to see samples. Of course they ain't gonna have any - they sell out everyone they make.

Even the ones they took to the show found homes the first day!

[Coyote]

I was poking around the 'net, looking for some alternative shielding methods...

And I bumbed into this site:
Control Plates - ID Info - USA Charvels

Of particular interest was the "Triangular shaped cavity w/metal cover early 1982 - current" bit.



Looks easy enough... I might try that.