Automotive guitar ideas.....yep guitar ideas

[57dodged100]

The garage here in Ohio makes it too cold to work on my Mopars this time of year. I've been buildling electric guitars during the cold weather. My current project is a guitar I'm modifying to be a telecaster esquire and I want it to have an automotive theme. This style of guitar was first released in 1950 but it's wiring changed in 1951 and has remained unchanged eversince. Therefore, I know I want either a 1950/1951 license plate somewhere on the guitar (probably 1951). I'm open to painting the license plate any color (MAKE SUGGESTIONS)

The upper pickup cavity of the guitar will be unused (the esquire only has the bridge pickup) so I want to put something automotive in that space. My ideas so far are 1) spark plug, 2) piece of speedometer, 3) odometer, 4) radio faceplate. MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR OTHER ITEMS.

I'd also like to put some automotive knobs on the controls. Ideally, they would be Mopar knobs. I like the one's that read "choke" "throttle" "lights"; PLEASE MAKE SUGGESTIONS. PLEASE POST PICTURES OF KNOBS, AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE SOME FOR SALE.

It might be hard to see in the pictures, but there is a three way switch in the control plate, I was thinking maybe a knob off a heater slide. PLEASE MAKE SUGGESTIONS

I'D LIKE TO HEAR ANY AND ALL IDEAS!

Here are few mock up pictures.

My staring point:

Gutted:

Here is a style of know that would make for good Volumn and Tone control knobs. But I'd prefer Mopar knobs if I can find them.

 

[Abodybomber]

Nice... BUMP! Several musicians here, might take a while. I like the, concept. I keep looking at that cut of that upper pickup cavity, .I keep thinking 1940 Ford pass car stock "chevron style", tail light.Good luck.

 

[Serj22]

Ok, I get the idea.

For the selector switch, you could use a heater control knob, but it wouldn't look much different than a regular guitar switch. I would make a cavity in the guitar with a router and put the glovebox plastic cover from like a 68 dart in there, and use it as a pickguard. The headstock I would put a emblem on, like a trunk emblem or some cursive script "DODGE" or something. I'll have more ideas for sure.

I once built a guitar in highschool that looked like a machine gun. My shop teacher told me to take it home and leave it there. lol. It looked neat and I wound up selling it. Never made one like that again though. I love making different looking guitars.

 

[4spdragtop]

I aint very creative, but I love your and everyones ideas so far! What about the neck being a "drag strip"? With xmas trees etc...
Sorry I didnt see/read but will this be a functioning geetar??

 

[hemidart67]

Have any of you guys seen or heard of David Synder he is out of Ohio
I actually collect his Car art but now hes is into Guitar art
Check it out at www.davidsnydercarart.com
Sorry to hi jack the thread i just love his work

 

[Abodybomber]

Ok, I get the idea.

For the selector switch, you could use a heater control knob, but it wouldn't look much different than a regular guitar switch. I would make a cavity in the guitar with a router and put the glovebox plastic cover from like a 68 dart in there, and use it as a pickguard. The headstock I would put a emblem on, like a trunk emblem or some cursive script "DODGE" or something. I'll have more ideas for sure.

I once built a guitar in highschool that looked like a machine gun. My shop teacher told me to take it home and leave it there. lol. It looked neat and I wound up selling it. Never made one like that again though. I love making different looking guitars.

This, I love....

 

[smlveightis]

Router the neck pick-up area, and put and old school tach in there!!

 

[YY1]

Scroll down to the last pics in my post.

I did this pretty much the day after I got my Charvel around the winter of '86.
Kinda' understated, but gets thumbs up from Mopar guys.

I also used to have a speedometer from one of my 66/67 Coronets that sat on top of my Marshal...
...with the needle fixed at 115 MPH.

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopar...r-Mopars&p=909803022&viewfull=1#post909803022

A few years ago I saw these-
I had that idea back in the 80's after seeing Amir Derakh's WWII aircraft graphics.
There's a whole pile of car graphics that could work.

I also had a bass with a reflective Roadrunner decal for quite a while.
That worked well.

 

[dwire67]

How about a Nice bright red Guitar with a little Mopar Truck theme and metal pic guard
Maybe a inlaid lettering?

 

[dwire67]

http://www.ascentproducts.com/

These are cool knobs

 

[57dodged100]

I love a lot of these ideas! I'm starting to second guess many of my original ideas. I trying to prevent myself from going overboard because this is going to be a functional guitar.

Thinking about a tach/spedo somewhere, maybe decal rather than license plate, and I like the R/T knobs....

 

[68 HEMI GTS]

I love a lot of these ideas! I'm starting to second guess many of my original ideas. I trying to prevent myself from going overboard because this is going to be a functional guitar.

Thinking about a tach/spedo somewhere, maybe decal rather than license plate, and I like the R/T knobs....

the license plate looks cool, but my thought was if you were really jamming out it would be very likely for me atleast that i would cut the **** out of right hand.