Custom guitar build with Trem-King

We're finished - and relax!

This guitar was built for a customer in the USA who as you’ll see below, had a very strong view regarding what he wanted.

Warmoth body and neck

The body and neck were made by Warmoth, the body being chambered and exceptionally light. My customer wanted a tightly coupled neck join so opted for my neck fitting kit. Because the body had a contoured heel, I used the version with shortened screws.

Neck inserts fitted, showing screws cut to length to accommodate chamfered heel
Neck inserts fitted, shorter screws accommodate contour heel

Trem-King Tremolo

A Trem-king vibrato was also specified which required some complex routing in order to fit it. It’s always a bit stressful cutting holes in someones brand new guitar but of course and thanks partly to the supplied templates, everything went well.

First cut for Trem-King rout
First cut for Trem-King rout
Tremolo routs complete, need sanding
Tremolo routs complete, need sanding
Tremolo routs sanded and give two coats of sealer
Tremolo routs sanded and given two coats of sealer

Here’s a top view of the fitted Trem-king.

Bridge fitted with the E-strings to ensure everything lines up (very important, this!)
Bridge fitted with the E-strings to ensure everything lines up (very important, this!)

Tor-tis pickguard

Another specification was that all the plastics, that is pickguard, control and tremolo cavities should be made from Tor-tis. This is a fantastic material which was a lot of fun to work with. I rounded and polished all the edges to give a very organic feel.

The shape of the pickguard was designed by the customer who supplied a cardboard approximation of its shape.

Pickguard in place - and it fits!
Pickguard in place – and it fits!
Tremolo cavity cover made from Tor-Tis, together with its template. Edges not yet rounded
Tremolo cavity cover made from Tor-Tis, together with its template. Edges not yet rounded
Tremolo cavity cover - trying it for size and appearance
Tremolo cavity cover – trying it for size and appearance

Completed guitar

The finished guitar certainly has a certain style about it – all screws were brass slot head, provided by the customer. I’m just not sure about his choice of white knobs!

We're finished - and relax!
We’re finished – and relax!

2 Comments on “Custom guitar build with Trem-King”

Leave a Reply to Jack Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *