Build Your Own Clone Message Board

I dug out my first electric guitar, purchased used sometime in the mid 1980's. It's an Alvarez

I don't remember many good points about this guitar, and the electronics were always screwy, but the neck feels pretty good actually, so I'm considering gutting and rebuilding it into a decent metal guitar- floyd rose etc.

Step 1: evaluating what's inside. Here's a picture of some active electronics:





I never knew what this was all about as a teenager, some 'mystery' device Looks to be a transistor buffer? Any other guesses? It's wired to a toggle switch. It's a mess in there.. three mini toggle switches in total (not including pickup selector switch), two humbuckers of unknown origin.. I have no idea how this guitar is wired, but I don't think half of it even works currently..

Here's the overall guitar.. spiderweb FTW :

sweet plywood body!

Cool project! Keep that paint job it's awesome!

Thanks for noticing. It's the tonewood of 80's metal, you know.

Looks like they tried a poor mans Mockingbird wiring...I would guess an active boost (treble boost most likely) is what is on that board. Looks like a fun project.
-P

Chuck schuldiner guitar!!!
Fuck it, that's way to deathmetal for you Eric, sell it to me!!
And yes, I'm serious.

That is definitely a Bich knock-off:



I've always jones'd for a Green Mockingbird:



And PPG, I just broke out my first electric to for tweaked, repair and updating.

I'll post pics later.

I've been wanting to pull out my old '85 Ibanez (my first as well), ever since Kunfuz re-did.. some metal guitar, can't remember at the moment. Actually, I've been thinking about reviving that thing for a few years now.

Looking forward to seeing what you do with this Alvarez, PPG!

Jefe, My red squire or black epi SG? Or the living color charvel?

This makes me really upset that I sold off my first electric! It was an old Kramer Focus (2000?) - bought it used, had it on layaway at Beaver's Band Box for something like 5 months, and then almost never played it - so lame!

Keep it, rebuild it, make it into something you'll actually play ...

Here is what I did:
I got my first electric while working at a music store. The guitar fell off the wall, so I gave the store owner $50 for it. Only issue was a dent in the bottom, otherwise it played fine. Kept it for about 10 years then took it out and modded it big time:
New nut, pickups, switching, now I use it on a regular basis.
See this thread: http://www.buildyourownclone.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=28175&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=DeArmond

-P

Seriously! For a metal guitar, the important bits are active EMG pickups (always 81/85, if anyone's noticed. I know EMG makes other models, but if anyone is anyone in metal and has a signature guitar, it's EMG 81/85 or it ain't metal...) and the ability to drop to A# tuning. Floyd Rose is a bonus. At that point it doesn't matter what sort of wood - or even if it's wood at all - that it's attached to!

The Charvel, that was it! Just snapped some crappy pics of my Ibby..