Since the last episode of the ProgBlog, my focus has been split between many projects. And as a result of this, nothing significant happened on any of them. So I decided to get a bit more serious with one and then nail the rest in due course.
My current project, therefore, is the remodelling of my old SX GG2 guitar. As a quick reminder to new readers, when I bought it, it looked like this:
Then after one small mess around with electrical tape, it had white stripes on it. I can't find a picture of that right now, but it was pretty cool, even though it was a shoddy job.
Just recently I decided to completely deconstruct and rebuild it, so here’s a run down of whats happened so far, and maybe a guide to people who haven’t done this before, and want to have a go. I found the whole process so far pretty exciting and not as much trouble as you’d expect. I recommend it if you have an old guitar.
Anyway...
*cue cheesy 80’s montage music*
Just before Christmas:- I Took the stripes off the guitar, and the markers off the fretboard. It took longer than I expected, because I had to polish off a load of sticky marks that the tape left in its malicious and adhesive wake. We then headed into the festive season, with my guitar looking like this:
Shortly after Christmas:- Due to receiving a small toolset for Christmas, I took all the hardware off my guitar. This is anything that can be unscrewed without having to break any wires or permanently disconnect anything. This is my little box full of guitar hardware at this stage:
1. Misc. Screws
2. Tone/Volume Knobs with washers
3. Machine Heads and all relevant screws & washers
4. Big screws for Strap
5. Pickup... holders? Not sure what they're called.
6. Tune-o-matic bridge (sounds like a wallace & gromit invention) with screws
7. Pickup selector switch with washers & screws
8. Bridge with screws
9. Pickguard, trussrod cover, and all relevant screws
10. Back panel and screws
About a month ago: I got me a soldering iron! And set to work on what was at this stage the manliest part of the process. Burning metal off other metal. It was brill, despite the very minor burn I incurred during the process and it got better quickly and I had a cool scar for about a week. I’d say it was worth it. So with all the pickups and electronics removed, here’s how they looked: 
And here’s how the guitar looked:
Last Week:- popped into a shop in Huddersfield where a lovely old woman sold me several sheets of sandpaper. This’ll do me, I thought, until later that night I ran out of sandpaper and my guitar still looked very much clothed...
Today, however I bought 12 sheets of the stuff, and only two sheets in, with the help of some good friends, I managed to finish sanding down the front, including the headstock. It now looks like this.
Impressive, eh? I even managed to get started on the back. Although at the moment it looks more worn than sanded.
And here’s what my supposedly black pants looked like after a day of sanding. New fashion trend maybe?
I think that’s about it for the guitar workshop!
In other ProgBlog news, my Progressive metal band is ready for action! I sorted most of this out just before I got properly started on my guitar, and now the lineup is confirmed, maybe short of an extra guitarist and a singer. The band name, and album name have both been decided and the track listing is done, even though I’m going to have to write lyrics for a couple of songs so that they have titles.
The name of the band is MetroGnome, it consists of me on guitar and vocals, my good friends Ben Wareing and Dale Cross from back in’t Runshaw days on bass and drums, respectively, and James Goetz, the newest addition to the crew, on what is likely to be a mellotron. We may settle for miscellaneous key based instruments, however. ;p
The album will be called Worlds Apart, after the title track which is 23 minutes and ten seconds long, and split up into 4 sections. There are 3 as yet unnamed B-sides, all of which I am very proud of :D and they last between 5-10 minutes each. I fully cannot wait to get started on this, I think recording will commence next July, so watch this space.
Finally, a few developments have been made in the ProgPit construction plan, which if you’ve never heard of it before, is the name of my home studio next year! I have managed to get hold of a pretty powerful Mac for about £400 and a very basic drum kit for free! I’m going to Prog up the kit with a china cymbal and a splash, that I managed to haggle from a music shop for £100 quid for both, and I need to look into getting a cheap double bass pedal.
After mentioning this venture on the Frost* forums a while ago, I received a thoroughly amazing reply for a man I know only as SerFox, advising me in pretty much every aspect of my studio development. On his recommendation I am on the market for some Rokkit monitor speakers and the lil pads that you put underneath them that stop your desk and room from being bass-raped from the low end output. It’s all coming together rather nicely, if I’m honest. Thanks, Fox, if you're out there!
Oh, and I’m going to get 2 of these bad boys put up on the wall either side of the computer to make it look more like a mad science lab. Dont’cha love it.
Well thanks very much for checking in and let me know on facebook or something if you want to ask anything. I’m still open for suggestions about what colours to paint my guitar ;)
Peace out! A-town,
Xxx
