Kurt Neumann bastard guitars

[bsman]

Saw the BoDeans last night at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, and was interested to note that Kurt Neumann's "strat" is unlike anything I've ever seen before (no pickguard, rail humbucker, non-standard bridge, two plain knobs and a mini-switch and the plug is on the heel -- a la tele or Les Paul rather than the front). I did some checking into this, (here's an article from Guitar World on his guitars: http://www.guitarworld.com/kurt-neumann-bodeans-master-bastard-guitar-builder) and apparently he builds his own guitars out of parts. He also sells 'em on the band's webpage for $5K each:

 

[Flatspotter]

That's a lot of money for a partscaster.

 

[bsman]

That's a lot of money for a partscaster.

Agreed -- however, it HAS been played by a bona fide (well, in the upper Midwest, anyway) rockstar! Totally_jammin_out

 

[Guitar Heel]

That's a lotta dimp!

 

[IamSeaDevil]

I almost liked the Jazzmaster till I saw the bridge

 

[GilmourD]

Yeah, those look like Warmoth parts slapped together, sprayed with a light lacquer, and then steel wooled to death.

 

[VoidTerraFirma]

I'm non-plussed.

 

[bsman]

Yeah, those look like Warmoth parts slapped together, sprayed with a light lacquer, and then steel wooled to death.

If you read the article, he actually finishes them with tung oil and then applies acrylic over the tung oil. It actually looked pretty good on the guitar he was playing last night.

I wouldn't buy one of those but it has given me some ideas. For example -- he got some very violin-like tones out of the Joe Barden two-tone pickup in the bridge. I am going to think very closely about perhaps replacing the Pearly Gates in my strat with one of those...

 

[GilmourD]

If you read the article, he actually finishes them with tung oil and then applies acrylic over the tung oil. It actually looked pretty good on the guitar he was playing last night.

This is tung oil over cherry red StewMac dye.

Nothing wrong with the finish. It's just not worth $5K on those guitars.

Now, maybe if it looked a little more like this tung oiled beast I could understand a couple grand.

 

[bsman]

Actually, as far as I'm concerned, NO electric guitar is worth $5K even if it has a dodo-bone nut, depleted uranium frets and pickups wound with platinum wire...

 

[Knox in Box]

Actually, as far as I'm concerned, NO electric guitar is worth $5K even if it has a dodo-bone nut, depleted uranium frets and pickups wound with platinum wire...

You forgot about them being made of female entwood.