Ed Shark Guitar

[Jahuli]

THIS THREADSHOULD PROBABLY BE IN THE GUITAR MAKERS FORUM BUT ANYWAY...

I'M PLANNING ON MAKING A REPLICA OF ED'S SHARK GUITAR THAT USED TO BE AN EXPLORER I THINK

I GONNA MAKE THE BODY AND EVERYTHING MYSELF, BUT BUY A NECK

ANYONE GOT ANY TIPS, HINTS TRICKS OR ADVICE

IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE ONE IF TALKIN ABOUT ITS THE ONE ON THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS OF WACF (AWESOME ALBUM)

[Don Corleone]

Drop Frankenstraat a PM, I know he's built sharks in the past and should be able to give you some tips.

Keep us posted as well (with pics if you can) how you getting on with it.

[Don Corleone]

I'll shift this to the builders Forum in the next 24hrs.

[Don Corleone]

The bridge pickup apparently was dimarzio, and has a really distorted sound. The body was korina which is a bright sounding wood, however when he cut it up, he said that he lost alot of tone so he tried to fix it with different pickups (thinking he'd broke his pick up) but he could never achieve the original sound.

There are also a few stories on how Ed made the jagged edge cuts. Ed claims to have drilled the guitar with a wood boring bit before he cut through the holes with the chainsaw.

[cdwillis]

Ed said after he cut out the section behind the bridge it sounded really thin. I dunno if I'd make it exactly like that, but I hope yours comes out cool.

[Don Corleone]

An idea might be to not go a near to the bridge as Ed did.

[BlimpyCHIMP™]

YOU SHOULD MAKE THE BODY OUTTA ASH WOOD IF YER GONNA CUT THE FUCKER UP LIKE THE HALFCHINKWIT DID

BC!!

[Nitro Express]

Ed made his shark guitar from an Ibanez Destroyer. The Destroyer was a Japanese copy of the original Gibson Explorer which were made from Korena wood which is simular to mohogany but comes from Africa.

The Ibanez Destroyer had a glued on neck just like a Gibson. Unless you are a pretty damn good luthier, building such a guitar yourself would require special tools and knowhow. I would just buy an Epiphone Explorer and cut it and paint it. Much cheaper and Ed said cutting that wood out fucked the sound up anyways.

[Jahuli]

I WANTED TO USE MAHOGANY

[Frankenstraat]

alright guys, Im back... I had some trouble logging on here for a while. I'm building one of these at the moment. I'll post up some pictures for you...

[GAR]

If you're making a blank, I'd choose a heavy ash, cherry, or birch in 1-5/8" stock.

This would get the density up to somewhat compensate loss of wood at the bridge when you drill and saw it out.

[GAR]

Originally posted by Jahuli
I WANTED TO USE MAHOGANY

If you use Koa or light mahogany I'd go 2-1/8" thick stock for the body.

[Nitro Express]

How fucked up on Schlitz do you have to be to drill a zillion holes in a guitar you like and then chainsaw junks out of it? Man, Edwood probably always was more fucked up than we had thought. I look at that guitar and shake my head actually.

[GAR]

Originally posted by Nitro Express
Man, Edwood probably always was more fucked up than we had thought.

Chris Holmes told me Ed got the Ibanez because he had one first. He used to let Ed borrow it for months at a time and started having resistance from EVH to return it. He said, "Last time I got it back I had to physically threaten him for it, but we're already past that now. But back then I was pissed cuz it was the natural wood and he went and fuckin' painted it all fucked up and messed up the controls."

So when Ed went and got his own, he couldn't stop messing with it apparently and continued his experimentation beyond what he'd done to Chris's explorer - which in interviews he does regret doing having lost sustain.

[Nitro Express]

Theres a photo floating around on the net where it shows Eddie and the band in a studio and Ed has a sunburst Les Paul and you see the cheap keyboard and marshall cabinet he did "And The Cradle Will Rock" on. To the side you see a Explorer shaped guitar that is painted red. It's not the maroon and silver of the the shark guitar.

That has to be that guys guitar Ed borrowed.

[Nitro Express]

Ed said he used Destroyers a lot on those early albums and pulled out a original korina flying V for "Hot For Teacher". Ed used the Frankenstrat for songs needing a whammy bar and preffered a Gibson styled guitar for everything else. Maybe he was after a thicker sound.

To be honest, maybe he played Strats live more than any other guitar because they are well balanced and comfortable. What would you rather have slung on you for 2-3 hours a night? A Les Paul, Explorer or a Strat shaped guitar? It was just the perfect guitar for wild stage antics too.

I actually thought the Kramer 5150 guitar sounded better than the Frankenstrat. That Kramer was awsome sounding and Ed's tech on the last tour said he loved that guitar. That one was done right. Original Floyd Rose with the pivot screws screwed into the wood. The pickup screwed into the wood. A tight fitting neck pocket. I wonder what kind of wood the body was? Ash? Alder?

[Frankenstraat]

Ed's guitar was actually a Korina Greco, its was made of Sen which is Japanese Ash... If you were wondering what the 5150 was made of it was Poplar...

[Frankenstraat]

I forgot to mention that the Greco destroyer was made in the same factory as the Ibanez...

[Frankenstraat]

Here's where I'm at with mine...

[Diamondjimi]

Lookin good !

Keep us abreast ..........

[Dino.]

Frankenstraat, please shoot me an email to confirm you have my correct address before shipping it. :D

Just kidding (unfortunately).

Awesome work bro. ;)

[Cato]

Originally posted by Frankenstraat
I forgot to mention that the Greco destroyer was made in the same factory as the Ibanez...
it's Fujigen.
the Greco/Ibanez guitars made in the early/mid 1970's are hard to find even here in Japan now...

[Panamark]

As a lover of Ibanez Destoyer's (I think I may possibly own the best vintage one on earth)


WHY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


They sound great, stock pickups, great action, cool tremolo (kahler)
Apart from the flying V, these guitars rock for their shape...
(Gibson Explorers too, but I wouldnt swap my DII for any explorer)

The big assed body and neck through body gives these guitars
the sounds, strength and tone that you want...

Why cut chunks out of it ??

Apart from replicating a part of VH history (which I respect)

I wish I could let anyone of you play my 1984 DII...
Classic guitar

[Matt White]

We need more info on this guitar....

anybody finished yet?:confused:

[HuckFinn]

I'm pretty sure Ibanez Destroyers are not made of Korina as Ed has stated. They were marketed as having a "Korina Finish". They were actually Ash bodies and maple necks. The necks were bolt on.

[indeedido]

I've made a couple of these. I used the Epiphone explorer. Super easy....by the way, in the new guitar world I think it was, he says it was painted to look like Korina, I think it said it was actually ash.

[MAX]

I've been fuckin' searching like no tomorrow but isn't or wasn't there a thread in here where someone built a shark step by step? I'll be damned but I cannot fucking find it!!! :mad:

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by someone who makes it up as he goes along
I'm pretty sure Ibanez Destroyers are not made of Korina as Ed has stated. They were marketed as having a "Korina Finish". They were actually Ash bodies and maple necks. The necks were bolt on.

Wrong wrong wrong...

The early Destroyers (mid 70's models) were an exact copy of a Gibson, as was an early Ibanez Korina Flying V...

I'm reading that the Ibanez was ash with a set maple neck...

http://www.guitarattack.com/destroyer/destroyermay04.jpg

http://www.guitarattack.com/destroyer/destroyermay04back.jpg

http://www.guitarattack.com/destroyer/headmay04.jpg

http://www.guitarattack.com/destroyer/bodymay04.jpg


:elvis:

[ELVIS]

I recall seeing a '75 or '76 in person and no way was it ash...

I well knew what ash was at the time...

I imagine they could have been made from various types of wood including (most likley) alder...

[Amity75]

Eddies Shark is my favourite of all his guitars. Partly because I'm fascinated as to what mental state he was in when he decided to make it.