The Electra Forums

Someone has a x350 body/neck but stripped of all hardware and parts. I see that and it almost pisses me off

I hope if someone is on the board that got this they didn't do that to it themselves, and they just bought it and decided it was too much to fix. They ask pretty good money for it, and I would love to restore it, but it will take another complete guitar to get the parts to fix it! You'd have to MAKE a base for the bridge and those 150K pots are tough, not to mention the sockets, knobs, probably plastic covers too, pickups, think about it. It would be way more to fix it then to buy one that doesn't need a thing. Why do people do that? I enjoy a challenge, but GEEZ!

I guess if you snapped off a neck from a shipping accident, you might need that. Otherwise?

Such a shame.

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Thorny

Do you think the back was painted?

Absolutely, and a poor job at that, so it all has to come back off.

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Thorny

I dont why i asked such a stupid question I was looking at one on ebay that has the mpc disconnected and seen pics on here. I might have been thinking on the gold top they did 2245 i think

I noticed that project, too, and was considering grabbing it. It would make a good twin to the one I picked up off the 'Bay in similar condition last summer, which I am in the process of restoring.

The one I already have was also stripped of all electronics, but included some of the original hardware (tuners, bridge, MPC cavity backplate), most of which was in pretty much unusable shape.

The top, unlike the one referred to in the OP, was a complete mess. Someone had stripped it and begun painting faux maple flames, then given up. The back was covered in some kind of glop. A real mess.

My plan was to try to bring her back to life in the likeness of NY's Old Black, at least in terms of the pickups (P90 in the neck, Firebird in the bridge) and the Bigsby. The finish, after much research, will probably be something simple like Tru-oil. (the natural wood, after MUCH scraping and sanding turned out to be quite lovely).

The other part of the plan was to take advantage of the MPC cavity by installing some DIY effects units into it. Plenty of room to put the innards of a couple pedals, and since the guitar was originally intended to house built-in effects, it would still be living up to its destiny, in a way. I had my eye on the BYOC Armstrong kit, but recently noticed they're out of stock, or discontinued, so I may just go with some other Orange Squeezer clone. That and a germanium treble boost. Those types of effects would likely be the only kind I'd want so early in the signal chain anyway, so not having the convenience of modular effects in the guitar wouldn't be an issue.

One of these days I hope to get working on the project again.

Now, the stripped guitar I picked up off ebay last year cost considerably less than the one in the OP -- I think it came to $250 with shipping. I'll probably put another $400 or so into it for parts etc, and hopefully have something unique, useable, kickass -- but I agree with the above posters, it's asking quite a lot for something that's going to require not only a whole lotta work, but cash for parts. That said, I wouldn't mind building two...

I won't be competing against you on it. The only nice part about it is the top. The rest has been pulled off or trashed with paint.

I'd suggest being conservative with your offer. I hope you restore it. It'd be nice to see it playing again. But man, it will need work. If it is missing that brass base for the bridge to mount to, that part will need to be made from a block of brass. Unless you do that kind of thing or can pull it from your other one you had better consider that. A standard metric bridge will have posts that fit that piece, so a standard bridge will work, but you need the base to attach it to.

Good luck! I hope you get it very reasonably.

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Thorny

Thorny --

I appreciate the non-competetiveness, but I should probably have made more clear in my previous post that at this point, I have no real, pressing need to have a go at two refin projects.

I am truly grateful for the positive, fostering environment I've found here at the Electra Forum. But let me make absolutely clear: there are all sorts of reasons for me not to try to acquire that particular guitar. Not least of which is that my previous acquisition still languishes back at my folks' place in the States. I'm working in Croatia now, and upon finishing the current contract will return to my home in... Japan. Yeah, it's complicated.

So bid/offer away, fellow forumites! and perhaps at some point in the future we can exchange tips and tricks about how to bring one of these poor stripped beauties to life!

That said, I do hope to prevail upon the knowledge and expertise of the forum at some point in the (hopefully not too distant) future regarding how to do so.

Thanks again, y'all! (and apologies to the OP if I've hijacked the thread. I'll start another once I get my hands on the guitar in question and begin to really hash out a plan...)

One further note: it's not entirely clear from the pictures I saw that the neck didn't snap at some point and was painted over to hide the fix. That might explain a previous owner stripping it for parts...