Oz's travels.

A discussion one night over a drop of cider, Tucker, Moxey and I decided to start a band, but it fell down to me to find the instruments. Well to find Guitars and drums our size was going to be hard, so I thought I'll try an make my own.

I googled electric guitars to see if there was one design that I liked. It took a while but I found this one that is an early 70's Fender Stratocaster. I liked that it was natural wood not painted an looked quite simple to reproduce.. Putting the design on Microsoft office publisher it could now be blown up to my size, then printed off 3 copies so I can use them as blue prints.  

I found out that guitar bodies are made out of Maple, Mahogany, Basswood (that comes from Linden trees), Alder, Swamp Ash, Korina, American Tulipwood (Poplar), Wenge, Phoenix, Paulownia, Agathis and Japanese Ash. Well I hadn't got any of that lot, I had a Oak floor board. 

So body first, using a cut down print out as a template you very simply draw round it then........

Cutting it out on the bandsaw makes the job so much easier. Its great to have the proper tools for the job, thank you Phil. 

Fitting the neck., I marked out where the neck fits into the body.

Then cut out the section with the Dremel cutting disc.

Now the fretboard is made out of a separate piece of wood, but I made the neck thick, so I marked out (using the template) the frets and then....

....cut out the frets with the Dremel cutting disc.

I took my time an I think not a bad job.

Then the pick ups.

Input jack.... where you connect the wire from the amp.

I made it out of a block of aluminium.

Then sunk into the body.

Another pose but this time with a proper strap.

Tremolo bar aka whammy bar.

Tin plate surround for the input jack.

Pick up selector switch.

Volume and tone knobs,  I luckily found them on ebay.

The tuners. 

......an ready to be connected to one of my Marshall amps.

I had a thought, this guitar is based on a Fender Stratocaster...... well as I built it, that makes it a                                                                   "FEND'OZ' STRAT'OZ'CASTER." 

he he.... my first promo shot if I choose to go out on the road.

Well if you have a guitar, you need a case to keep it in.

Just needed the clips so a shufty on Ebay found the right ones.

I wanted that authentic, knocked about in the back of yer mates Transit, pissed on by a drunk band member, used as beer.... sorry.... cider table and it was made back in the 70's look.. 

Same procedure again, find one on Google, blow it up, print off three copies and mark out on a bit of Oak floor board. 

Cut it out, then cut out the frets, but this time. . . . .

. . . . I thought I'd make it a bit special by spraying the body Tardis Blue. 

Looking good.

The bass was a lot more simple to make so I soon finished it.

At first I thought making the drum kit was going to be a long job, but I was very very very lucky. One night I was roaming ebay, I happen to type in miniature drum kit. A few model kits came up, then I couldn't beleave it.... this came up. 

Tucker suggested a drum stage, to raise him up a bit, plus to have a quarter stage in front of the drum kit so Moxey and I can do dramatic posses. 

                                                           Now I marked it out.

Set up the kit to check it fits.

Then I let Phil build it and then paint the stage. 
 

Once the stage was dry, we couldn't wait to do our first full on 'JAMBUTTY' session. 

We have had long discussion on what to call the band, Moxey suggested 'Gopher it' an Tucker suggested 'The Caddyslacks'. Well I didn't need to suggest anything, I liked The Caddyslacks so we clinked our bottles of cider an toasted to a fun time ahead.