need a little direction with an idea of mine

[joelfrieders]

so my father has been a very important part of my playing and guitar experiences over the past 20 years and i really want to make something for him that will kind of link our two passions

he's really into corvettes
im really into guitars

so i thought since his new baby is so important to him, id try and customize a guitar for him that combines the corvette aspects and guitar aspects into one display item that he could hang in his office



he has a cream colored, red leather interior 1986 corvette that he just adores



now what i need help with is the following:

what exactly, say, on a decently priced cream colored strat, should i mod to make the guitar into a corvettecaster?
*i was thinking, put the corvette logo at the 12th fret, use corvette bolts as the knobs, the classic V below the bridge, maybe a red leather strap for display or even a red leather pickguard, put black strings on it (it IS just for display)... any other ideas?

anyone know where to acquire authentic corvette parts like what ive mentioned thus far?

what about display options? some of the cases ive seen online are going to run between 400 and 800 bucks for a decent one, but again, this doesnt need to protect like sing sing, it just needs to make it look classy


does anyone have any knowledge they could drop in here about what else i can do (im not made of money either haha)?

anyone selling a squier thats cream colored?

thanks in advance fellers

[SixStringSlinger]

You can check junk yards, yard sales and whatnot. Never know what you'll find there. As for using a Squier, not a bad idea. If you want you can even remove the Squier logo and slap a Fender sticker on there. Maybe even have a custom "Corvettecaster" or whatever sticker made.

[Mark Davis]

http://www.gibson.com/whatsnew/press...03/jun30a.html

Might get some ideas from this one.

[drhulsey]

You might get some ideas/materials here:
http://www.corvettemuseum.com
It's right here where they make they make them, in Bowling Green, KY. The trumpet player in our band works at the Corvette Plant. A Corvette logo just behind the bridge might look good You might convert a digital image of the logo on your Dad's car to a decal to use. He's gonna LOVE this

[Telenator]

Forum member JohnnyCrash does some "car emblem" theme stuff on his guitars. http://www.tdpri.com/forum/members/johnnycrash.html

[joelfrieders]

you guys are awesome

im new at all this, im just used to abusing guitars, not manhandling them like this

i appreciate all the links and tippers!

[drhulsey]

Don't forget to come back with some pics

[joelfrieders]

update - i found a squier stratocaster for 75 bucks with the SAME frickin color as the corvette

its in better than mint condition, so its PERFECT

ive enlisted the help of our resident ninja with the headstock decal which will read "FriedercasteRx" (we're a family of druggists, so its extra cool)
I have a few friends with direct from the factory connections on an actual corvette flags emblem for beneath the bridge as well as a decal for on the 12th fret

STILL, what the hell should i use for knobs?
any ideas?

sparkplugs would look to out of place

i know the guitar will need some sort of chrome on it besides the emblems border

hell yeah getting a start on the best christmas present ive ever thought of giving!

and what about wall display cases, anyone have any blueprints theyd like to share? id like to make it myself (not too handy with the tools and stuff like that just yet, but hey, ya gotta grow up sometime)

NICE!

[guitarzan13]

Can you find any old corvette radio knobs??

[joelfrieders]

i looked into those, but they're the same as the Chevy truck stereo knobs so they aren't specifically corvette ya know?

great minds think alike though

someone also suggested using micromachine corvettes for each knob, but that might look a little childish

KEEP THINKIN!

thanks friends

[Telecaster Joe]

Dice knobs might be cool

[reverbbb]

Les Paul knobs from the 70s are cool. They come in gold or black. They have a smooth concave face for the tone or volume lettering. You could develop the Corvette logo and have it placed in this concaved area. Then seal it with something clear to protect it.

Another possibility is to get some push-on Telecaster dome knobs. Take them to an experienced engraver and have the Corvette logo engraved on each knob. You could then stain the engraving with black or some other color to accent the design. There are a couple of different types, flat tops and rounded domes.

[joelfrieders]

Originally Posted by reverbbb

Another possibility is to get some push-on Telecaster dome knobs. Take them to an experienced engraver and have the Corvette logo engraved on each knob. You could then stain the engraving with black or some other color to accent the design. There are a couple of different types, flat tops and rounded domes.

thats GENIUS

i was thinking it should be chrome of some sort, and trying to get crap to fit without glue or taking things to a machine shop would be a little difficult

thats an amazing idea

next stop, google for the engraver!

i love this forum

[EunosFD]

It's a bit pricey (relatively speaking of course), but there's also the PRS Corvette model (Z06 specifically):

http://www.prsguitars.com/corvette/index.html

Maybe that'll give you some sort of inspiration for your own design.

[joelfrieders]

Originally Posted by EunosFD

It's a bit pricey (relatively speaking of course), but there's also the PRS Corvette model (Z06 specifically):

http://www.prsguitars.com/corvette/index.html

Maybe that'll give you some sort of inspiration for your own design.

yeah, i saw that gawdy thing when i started thinking about what to do for poppa
but
1. i want to have a hand in its creation
2. the color is important
3. the only thing i like on that prs is the flags below the bridge, which is what i plan on doing but with the circle around it like on his actual car
4. why spend a few thou when a few hundred will make the perfect gift

i DO like the tips of the tuning machines on that prs tho
just wish it wasnt so BLAOW!

this particular corvette is stylish in its subtlety
i want to emulate that, not just throw a bunch of chrome **** on it ya know?

thanks for that link tho!

[pottedmeat42]

i don't have much in the way of advice, but I applaud your effort & give you props for the idea. -jason

[reverbbb]

I got to thinking, the Telecaster knobs are probably chrome plated already. Meaning that the chrome will chip off if engraved. Perhaps you can find some similar knobs that are aluminum or such. If all else fails, then you could get a machinist to make you a set only out of stainless steel - THAT would be cool.

[MulliganChebichev]

Found it, I thought that Fender made one, but it was Gibson:



...yuck

[joelfrieders]

Originally Posted by MulliganChebichev

Found it, I thought that Fender made one, but it was Gibson:



...yuck

that would be a pretty cool ashtray maybe

now im having second thoughts about the whole fretboard text issue
maybe just the 12th

[zook]

Originally Posted by MulliganChebichev

Found it, I thought that Fender made one, but it was Gibson:



...yuck

Fender didi make one, I remember seeing one. The guitar is supposed to simulate the cove on the side of the 57-61 Corvette.

Some great ideas about the knobs so far. I'm sue there's someting out there that will be just the thing.

Winnie