Mudcaster #3...

If you have followed my guitar making experiments you will be glad to know I have completed Mudcaster #3. It started life as a Thompson Water seal can. The contents went to treat my deck late last fall. Shame on you for thinking I poured it out in the creek just so I could get this nice can. 





Picture number 2 is a sink drain screen purchased at Lowe's. I am going to have to recut the wooded bridge. Between making a groove for the piezo pickup underneath and a slot for the bridge bolt I got the wood too thin. The sound of the pickup was better with the wood thicker. I'll work on that tomorrow. 










Picture number three says "is it electric?"

I say "hell yes." 













Looks like this will be my signature head stock design. I had high hopes of being able to cut an old Gibson mandolin "snake head" headstock. I'm not there yet. 











Volume knob is from a 1978 GMC truck AM radio. I knew I was saving that thing for something, I just did know know what. Funny how the reason you do things gets clearer as you get older. 









Back cover plate seals the electronics and unfinished neck work. Aren't you glad I put my clothes on before making this picture? 

So total cost was about $20 bucks for electronics, about $6 for the wood which is poplar and can have another neck or two made from it, #5 for drain, can of paint $5 bucks with plenty left, $5 bucks here and there for assorted boxes of screws and washers, and $12 bucks for the sheet of tin for the back plate with plenty of that left for other projects. I figure I can easily say I came in under $35 for the average cost. Did not count the water seal can. I would have been thrown away if not reused. 

I have some other items saved for my next build. I'll have to buy tuners as I have used my spare parts I had laying around. I start my work shift midweek so I'll use that time for gathering stuff up and maybe make another on my next off days.