Charvel Mockingbird ?

[Tim_B]

this might jog some memories....

http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/87207-what-do-I-call-this-MockingVel-CharBird

[Tim_B]

PS: To the dude who bet 100 guitars this guitar build didn't require buckets of filler, as Johnstone asserted, you're gonna need a really big box to ship me and Johnstone 50 each. I'd delete that post in a heartbeat, were I you.

Mitch
AxeD

Mitch, you were the closest to figuring what some of the parts are, plaudits for that.

As for getting 50 guitars for free, I'd settle back on that one for a while; you may have lost the bet before you started .... ok, I KNOW you've lost :think:

[Tim_B]

and for those who've said they like it or that it looks cool, thanks !

it's been 2 1/2 years from idea to finalisation, and now I've got it in my sticky paws, I'm loving it.

[Tim_B]

for anyone still interested in the whole story, this is what I posted on another forum ( where they don't have the JCF 'sense of humour' )

I got a 1996 USA bolt on mock, and hated it.
it looked like this

It was rubbish, sounded crap, wouldn't stay in tune, and the neck wasn't in great shape. When I had it set up as well as I could, it still played like crap, I just didn't get on with it.
So I started selling bits off it. The neck and tuners went to Leamington Spa, the EMG 81/85 combo to Cumbria, and the trem to Greece.
I threw a PafPro/J90 combo at it, replaced the trem with a Jackson JT6, and got 1986 Charvel model 4 neck for it.
( from 1987 to 2006, my only guitar was a 1987 model 4, and naturally I got 'accustomed' to the neck profile and 'low profile' style floyd )
This was progress, it was playing something like I wanted it to now, and looked like this

But it was still a disgusting dried oxblood colour, and I didn't play it much because I got greif from my better half about how it looked ..
At this point, I started talking to a good friend of mine about what could maybe be done to it ...
Over the last two years, we've exchanged about 1250 emails on the subject.
Lets say that there aren't many options that haven't been considered.
What we ended up deciding on was:
quilt sapele veneer front and back
3 colour tobocco burst, continuing up the back of the neck
set neck conversion
pseudo-full-mock electronics ( vol/pup/vol/tone, varitone, and phase & single/parallel/series switches for both pickups )
replacing the JT6 with a new Schaller OE Floyd
then a fret dress and pro setup ....

and you have the finished article, which is now affectionately known as the 'MongrelBird'
( Axewielder from this very forum named it that in November 2008 )

What these pictures can't show is how the quilt shimmers like a precious stone as you change the angle of the light, and how the gloss is so glossy that you could shave in your reflection!
It's not just a guitar, it's an aesthetic masterpiece.




neat touches include the burst going all the way up the neck and round the headstock, how the headstock and lower horn 'mimic' each other, and the serial number stamped into the back of the headstock
Something REALLY cool ( a happy accident ) is the figuring in the fingerboard, and the way the tone of the rosewood complements the tobacco/sapele combination


and a few excited snaps on my cameraphone shortly after it arrived at my work...


I'd like to thank Cyclonic guitars again for their work, not only have they been patient, understanding and helpful, but their packing skills are second to none !
( I've not been his easiest client to deal with ... )

I've had this home 2 days now, and managed to play it for about 3 hours
it doesn't feel like I just got it, it's familiar like an old friend, it feels like I've had it over a decade, it's just 'right'.
moving the front strap button to the 'vintage' position means there's absolutely no neck dive ( but it's got a 3" leather strap and Schaller straplocks regardless )and it just sits so comfortably on me.
Tone options? you name it.

what now?
I'm gonna play it, then put new strings on it, and play it some more!
*GRIN*

[toejam]

All righty then! Why so cryptic in the first place and asking what it is if you know damn well what it is? This should be in the Guitars By Other Manufacturers section...

[Tim_B]

All righty then! Why so cryptic in the first place and asking what it is if you know damn well what it is? This should be in the Guitars By Other Manufacturers section...

to be honest, I was hoping that more people might be confused about it, but there was massive scepticism from the off .. so that joke fell flat on its face!

If a mod would like to move this thread, that would be the correct thing to do

[eakinj]

nevermind

[rjohnstone]

Hey I got the glued in part right.
As for the filler, ya win some and ya lose some.
Neck joint looks like filler with all the wavyness in the pics.

Curious how strong that is considering how much material was removed from the heel.
I only see two real solid points of contact and those aren't really supportive from a string tension perspective.

Not trashing your effort... just curious.

[modelseriesman]

Fine job. It's a good looking 'what if Charvel & BC had a kid'. Kudos.

Mitch
AxeD

[Trem]

I'm curious about the scale length difference, wasn't the mockingbird 24.75" scale and the model 4 a 25.5"? And did you just move the neck out a bit to compensate? Can't tell from the pics, the 22nd fret on both necks looks to be in the exact same spot. Guitar looks sweet tho, it turned out really nice.

[Tim_B]

Curious how strong that is considering how much material was removed from the heel.
I only see two real solid points of contact and those aren't really supportive from a string tension perspective.

the best way to answer this is probably to say
- this isn't the first set neck conversion that's been done in this way, and the early ones are still strong and stable
- this particular join was done over a year ago, and hasn't shown any signs of flexing yet
- there are adhesives available which are stronger than the woods you're joining .. so contact area becomes less of an issue than the integrity of the wood

the heel shape is a direct copy of an early 1980s USA BC Rich custom shop .. a nod to tradition

you're not alone expressing concerns over the structural durability, but all the evidence is positive

[Tim_B]

Fine job. It's a good looking 'what if Charvel & BC had a kid'. Kudos.

Mitch
AxeD

thanks Mitch

as a means to an end, it got a 1980s model series neck onto a mockingbird body in a pretty way - for me, result !

[Tim_B]

I'm curious about the scale length difference, wasn't the mockingbird 24.75" scale and the model 4 a 25.5"? And did you just move the neck out a bit to compensate? Can't tell from the pics, the 22nd fret on both necks looks to be in the exact same spot. Guitar looks sweet tho, it turned out really nice.

look around and you'll find mockingbirds which are 25 1/2", 24 3/4" and 24 5/8"

this one was 25.5", so the model 4 neck went straight on.
straight on as in fasten the screws, string it, tune it and play it

and thanks !

[Trem]

look around and you'll find mockingbirds which are 25 1/2", 24 3/4" and 24 5/8"

this one was 25.5", so the model 4 neck went straight on.
straight on as in fasten the screws, string it, tune it and play it

and thanks !

Cool, yeah i did look around for awhile before i asked, i couldn't find one in particular so i was just curious. Figured it must be so - or was curious if you did in fact just make it work.

[JJDK]

the best way to answer this is probably to say
- this isn't the first set neck conversion that's been done in this way, and the early ones are still strong and stable
- this particular join was done over a year ago, and hasn't shown any signs of flexing yet
- there are adhesives available which are stronger than the woods you're joining .. so contact area becomes less of an issue than the integrity of the wood

the heel shape is a direct copy of an early 1980s USA BC Rich custom shop .. a nod to tradition

you're not alone expressing concerns over the structural durability, but all the evidence is positive

-it also survive international shipping in 100+ degree weather strung to pitch
-if the military likes this structural adhesive....so do I

Folks-board members,

TimB and I both were members of this board and the BCRich forum before the project even started.We both really like both brands.He had a Mock body and a charvel neck that he adored.So we came up with idea of going nuts on it and making it the best it could be and presenting it when it was done for appreciation/education.I do professional building/refurbing/customizing (as explanation not promotion)so rest assured that all "T"s were crossed and functionality came first.

all of this from 2 great friends that have never physically met that live many thousands of miles apart in different countries that said one day-"Man,wouldn't it be cool as hell to do "this" .......and then we could show the guys on the boards!"

for those that think that the project was in bad taste or don't like how it was presented?our apologies and-well,you can please some of the people some of ...........................