Sporkaster 4

SRich

Sporky said:

I have decided on my next build; it is suitably over-ambitious.

Great thread........but this teaser is a bit like "Tune in next time folks!".....

Sporky

SRich said:

Sporky said:

I have decided on my next build; it is suitably over-ambitious.

Great thread........but this teaser is a bit like "Tune in next time folks!".....

That's the idea.

More teasering (sic): it'll be a modern take on a long-established design, and I can think of several people who will, initially at least, be quite upset about it.

Roland

Sporky said:

 ... a modern take on a long-established design, I can think of several people who will, initially at least, be quite upset about it.

That's the type of guitar which we should be building. There are far too many reproductions of 1950/60s designs, and the world has moved on since then.

Sporky

Now there is an assumption...

The cap-head screws for the pickups have arrived. Let's hope I measured right... these'll give SP4 a nice industrial look.

Sporky

Progress!

Scratchplate trimmed around the neck pocket and screwed in - also used cap head screws for the pickups, pickup switch and control plate.

http://monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/builds/SP4/010617 assembly/01 neck pup.jpg
http://monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/builds/SP4/010617 assembly/02 bridge pup.jpg
http://monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/builds/SP4/010617 assembly/03 control plate.jpg

And this is the body assembled - wiring still to do, then drill the neck for its mounting screws, mount the tuners and do the nut and we're there. I have tomorrow off and should get most of this done.

http://monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/builds/SP4/010617 assembly/04 body.jpg

paulnb57

Looks great, liking the Allen bolts...

Andyjr1515

Yup - very nice touch....

Sporky

Ta gents.

Today I have started wiring. The control plate and one knob needed drilling out so that I can use a no-load tone pot, and I'm not certain about some of the pickup phases so I'm using teeny crimp connectors to make it easy to swap later. Neck is bolted on and the tuners are fitted - with a following wind I'll be done today.

Sporky

It's done! Wiring went pretty well, there's just a lot to fit into a Tele control cavity.

Pickups are an Oil City Scrapyard Dog in the neck and an overwound Nightfighter in the bridge, then the combinations are:

Neck (series)
Neck (parallel)
Neck and bridge (parallel)
Neck and bridge (series, out of phase)
Bridge

Because the Nightfighter is so high output the out-of-phase option isn't all thin and wispy like normal, instead it has a sensible output and a nicely honky sound to it. I am most pleased with this.

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/builds/SP4/020617 completed/01 sp4 front.jpg
http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/builds/SP4/020617 completed/02 sp4 back.jpg

paulnb57

Very nice, well done!

Sporky

Thank you!

Full specs (as much as I can remember at least)

Body is something mahoganyish (2-piece from David Dyke)
Neck is birdseye maple
Can't remember what the fretboard is
25" scale, 12" radius, jumbo fretwire
Lefty Wilkinson bridge with a set of righty compensated brass saddles
Oil City pickups - Scrapyard Dog and overwound Night Fighter, 5-way switching
No-load tone pot
Axetec mini locking tuners
DiBond brushed ali scratchplate
Finish is Chestnut spirit stain and brushed acrylic - very, very thin

EricTheWeary

Well, excellent! 

I cant remember if I've commented on this Discussion before but I love a stratele and some further little twists here as well. That looks absolutely great. 

KDS

Nice 

ThePrettyDamned

Cor! Looks brilliant. Wow awarded. 

Sporky

Fanks chaps. I'd put this off for years and it's turned out to be the best guitar I've made - with this and Sporkbasser 1 I just need to build something with a tremolo...

Sesh

Nothing short of awesome. Well done.

Rocker

Very nice.  I like the idea of the output jack socket fitted to a Strat jack socket panel at the back of the guitar.  And the colour is great too.

Sporky

I've done that output jack on almost all of the guitars I've made - dead simple, looks clean and it put sthe lead in a useful place to wrap around the strap button. Patent not pending.

AustrianJohn

Cool guitar - nice job!

boogieman

Nice work sir. Wish I could get anywhere near that level of woodworking competence.