Built guitars

Arranged in descending order of completion (most recent at top)

 
 

Guitar 12 (7-string)

  • Poplar Body with Scrap Wood Mosaic Top

  • White Limba Neck

Guitar 11 (6-string)

  • Ambrosia Maple Body

  • Bocote Neck

Guitar 10 (headless 7-string)

  • Poplar Body with ….Top

  • Zebrawood Neck

  • Purpleheart Fretboard

  • Stainless Steel Frets

  • White Dimarzio Titan Pickups

Guitar 9 (7-string)

  • Walnut Body

  • Walnut Neck

  • Aged Bronze Aesthetic Overall

  • Seymour Duncan Nazgul and Sentient Set

  • Black and Antique Copper Schaller Hannes Bridge

Guitar 8 (5-string bass)

  • Alder Body

  • Neck from cheap Squire Bass that I had

  • Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Jazz Bass and P-Bass Pickups

Guitar 7 (7-string)

  • Black Schaller Hannes Bridge

  • Pickups:

    • Neck: Dimarzio Liquifire (John Petrucci Signature)

    • Bridge: Dimarzio Tone Zone

Guitar 6 (6-string)

Completed in approximately 2022

Specifications:

  • Hydro-dipped Mahogany Body

  • Body shape modeled after the Jackson Kelly, now modified to perfection

  • Bare Knuckle Aftermath Pickups

  • Burnt Chrome Floyd Rose Special Series Tremolo Bridge, Nut, and String Retainer

  • Handmade Marbled Knobs (Etsy)

  • Gotoh 3-way Switch

  • Gotoh Black Tuners with White Buttons

  • First Guitar With Brand Plate with Serial Number, “Kevin J Cope Custom Guitars No. 6”

Guitar 5 (6-string)

Completed in approximately…2022

Specifications:

  • Hydro-dipped Mahogany Body

  • Body shape modeled after the Jackson Kelly, with modifications

  • Lace Deathbucker Pickups

  • Gold Gotoh Tuners with Amber Buttons

  • Marble Topped Gold Knobs

  • Rose Gold Floyd Rose Special Series Tremolo Bridge, Nut, and String Retainer

  • First Guitar With Brand Plate, “Kevin J Cope Custom Guitars”

Fixes/Changes since it was first made (alot has changed on this one):

  • Hydro-dipped twice: The first one yellowed badly after applying a Polyurethane finish.

  • Body slightly reshaped as the original horn did not allow for good high fret access and looked rather silly when I sanded it back to allow easier access. Chopped the horn off, glued a new piece of Mahogany on it and reshaped it from there.

Guitar 4 (8-string)

Completed in approximately…

Specifications:

  • White Limba Body

  • Purple Stained Barky Spalted Maple Pickguard

  • Brushed Nickel Soapbar Bare Knuckle Ragnarok Pickups

  • Black Nickel Floyd Rose Special Series Tremolo Bridge, Nut, and String Retainer

  • Modified neck from an Ibanez 8-string, 3-piece neck

  • 2 Gotoh Push/Pull Pots wired for…

  • 3-way Switch

  • Gotoh Black Nickel Tuners

  • Body shape modeled similarly to Guitar 2 (below)

  • Black Nickel Knobs

Guitar 3 (6-string)

Completed in approximately…

Specifications:

  • Chambered Mahogany Body with Worm-hole Golden Camphor Top

  • Bare Knuckle Polymath pickups

  • 2 Gotoh Push/Pull Pots wired for…

  • 3-way Switch

  • Roasted Maple Neck

  • Stainless Steel Frets

  • Black Floyd Rose Special Series Bridge, Nut, and String Retainer

  • Black Gotoh Tuners

  • Body shape modeled similarly to Guitar 2 (below)

Fixes/Changes since it was first made (alot has changed on this one):

  • Originally stained Orange, but I was meh on it. Sanded it off and left it the natural wood color on the top and still stained the back lightly black.

Guitar 2 (7-string)

Completed in approximately…

Specifications:

  • Semi-semi-chambered Ash body (I was sheepish about routing this first 100% handmade body) with Quilted Tiger Maple Top - Stained blue with a few small highlights of pink

  • Neck purchased from Precision Guitar Kits: Roasted Maple Neck with Purpleheart Fretboard

  • Chrome Gotoh tuners

  • Chrome Floyd Rose Special Series Bridge, Nut, and String Retainer

  • Gotoh push-pull pots, wired for…

  • 3-way switch

  • Burnt Chrome Bare Knuckle Juggernaut Pickups

  • Stainless Steel frets

  • Strat-style jack

  • Strandberg and Kiesel influenced body shape with large cutaway from high fret access and beveled arm rest for comfort and aesthetics

Fixes/Changes since it was first made:

  • Frets 21-24 scalloped and re-fretted with stainless steel frets

LESSONS LEARNED:

  • Don’t be afraid of the router, be careful but not afraid to seriously take out some wood for a chambered body

Guitar 1 (6-string)

Completed in approximately April/May of 2021

Specifications:

  • Precut Alder Body with Poplar top from Russia with Strandberg body shape. Made for telecaster style electronics

  • Gold locking Gotoh tuners

  • Gold Floyd Rose String Retainer

  • Black Graphtech Nut

  • Pots and electronics (prewired purchase on Reverb, all details from listing below)

    • 2 CTS Custom Premium Audio Taper 275k pots.
      1 Oak 3-way Switch
      1 Orange Drop 200V .047 capacitor or Mallory .033uf Capacitor
      1 Treble Bleed Circuit
      1 Switchcraft input Jack
      Premium Gavitt push back wiring.
      1 Kluson Gold Control Plate (USA specs)-TOO BIG FOR STRANDBERG BODY SHAPE-NOT USED
      2 WD Music Gold Flat Top Barrel Knobs or Dome Top Knobs.
      1 Black Switch Tip (switched out for Gold Strat style tip)

  • Pickups:

    1. Neck

      • Originally had a Gold Bare Knuckle Brute Force, but switched out for Chrome Lace T-100

      • Gold pickup ring for Fender Telecaster PC-5763-002

    2. Bridge

      1. Bare Knuckle Cobra T

  • Bridge: Babicz FCH-Tele Single Coil, Original Series, Gold

  • Custom Tele Control Plate made from Oak

Fixes/Changes since it was first made:

  • I hated the neck pickup. It didn’t match the bridge pickup at all by being significantly lower in volume. The change (listed above) matches much better and really completes the sound perfectly.

  • Original generic Tele bridge replaced. I’ve found that I hate the height adjustment screws on the saddles of those bridges, they cut you! So I replaced it as listed above and LOVE the new bridge.

  • 2024: Refretted with stainless steel frets and frets 13+ scalloped. I might scallap the whole neck I love it so much.