Alex Guitar Info

[prodigal son]

Hello!

I'm trying to make a copy of the guitar Alex uses in the Distant Early Warning video!

It looks like a custom Fender with a mirror pick guard.

The problem is that I am partialy color blind!!!!

I cant tell the color of the guitar!!!

Is it candy apple red, or candy tangerine?

Can anyone give me the proper info on this guitar?

Thanks for any info in advance!!!!!

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

QUOTE (prodigal son @ Jul 2 2005, 08:41 PM)

Hello! I'm trying to make a copy of the guitar Alex uses in the Distant Early Warning video! It looks like a custom Fender with a mirror pick guard. The problem is that I am partialy color blind!!!! I cant tell the color of the guitar!!! Is it candy apple red, or candy tangerine? Can anyone give me the proper info on this guitar? Thanks for any info in advance!!!!!

I'm pretty sure it's a candy apple red. I don't see any orange in there.

[GhostGirl]

Moved to MMM forum.

[prodigal son]

1-0-0-1-0-0-1 Thanks for the info!

 

GhostGirl sorry bout the wrong forum post!

Newbie mistake!

 

Any more info about this guitar is welcome.

Outside of the video, Alex didnt seem to play this particular guitar much, if at all!

 

I think its a cool guitar and want one like it in my collection!

Thanks Again!

[SignatureAurora]

Prodigal Son,

 

The guitar your trying to copy is Alex' notorious "Hentor Sportcaster."

 

It's a basically a candy-apple red stock 197-80 Fender Stratocater which had been modified several times before the video you're referring to.Infact, Alex played it ALOT on tour back then. He favored that one and a favorate Black Strat he used on "Territories" on Power Windows. That was also the same guitar he used on "Limelight" on Moving pictures.

 

Years ago (20 now i believe) i too created a copy of it as a project inlearning how guitars worked and experiemented with learning different pickup wirings and combinations.

 

Essentially, it has the following differences compared to a stock statocaster:

 

1. It had an unlabeled after-market neck with a rock maple back and a rosewood fingerboard produced by a now-defunct Canadian guitar supply company called "Shark." Alex used to 1000 grit sandpaper to sand down the back of the neck to make it a little more satin feeling and not so glossy and slippery with the laquer clear coat they used when they originally made the neck.

 

Alex used Letra-Set to put the name "Hentor Sportscaster" on the neck (Hentor was a nickname for their producer friend Peter Henderson).

 

2. The pickguard has been changed many times. You are correct, it has a mirror finish and is made of stainless steel.

 

3. I has a Bill Lawrence L-500XL humbucking pickup with cream binding in the lead position and standard era Fender single coils in the middle and neck positions.

The wiring is also different. Alex ditched the standard 5-position pickup switch in favor of a more Gibson-esque three position toggle switch which is mounted on the pickguard on the lower cutaway. Alex has the "up" position of the switch hooked to the middle and neck position pickups, the "middle position" to the middle and neck pickups and the "down" is the neck pickup alone. This way, ALL pickup positions were humbucking. Prior to the L-500XL, Alex dropped a chrome plated PAF-57 in there.

 

3. Alex also did away with a tone knob and only used one for all pickup positions.

 

When I made mine, I hooked up the XL-500 with all the bells and whistles-split-coil, in/out phase, reverse phase with mini toggles I bought from radio shack. It was fun and it sound exactly like his.

 

I've since sold it and moved on to currently owning many different guitars. Two however are my favorites and i rarley play anything else They are two Signature brand, the same that Alex' used on the latter-half of the Power Windows tour and recorded and on tour on Hold Your Fire, Presto and some appearences on Roll The Bones. One a factory-bought, flip-flop pearl white Aurora with three Evans E1 Eliminators (SSS) w/ gold hardware similar to his self named "Great White" used/seen on the "A Show Of Hands" video (only Alex' had black hardware). It's customized with Alex electronics made for me by the people that made them for him. The second is a self-built from left over factory parts Midnight Blue Metallic blue Oracle with 2 Evans E2's and 1 Evans "classic" E1 (HSH). It has a highly flamed maple trasparent red neck and is not customized like Alex's were, but i decided to build it to factory specs with push/pull tone and volume pots that split the Evans E-2 humbuckers.

 

Beautiful guitars...hope that helps

 

SA

[prodigal son]

SignatureAurora

You are the BEST!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the great info!!!

Its more than I expected!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So much info.....Im gonna have to print this puppy out!!!!!!!!!

 

Do you have any pics of your copy?(I would love to see it)

 

You have an impressive guitar collection, I am truly jealous!

 

My collection thus far is low buck style.

 

1. black-n-white MIJ FEnder Strat modified to look like Dave Murry's(Iron Maiden) Dimarzio Super Distortion at the bridge & Dimarzio Paf at the neck!

 

2. Jay Turser (lawsuit jt-80) Lennon style rickenfaker knock off with a bigsby trem mounted on.

 

Now I'm moving on to the Alex project!

Thanks to You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many Many Many Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SignatureAurora]

PS,

 

I might have some old pics of it laying around, I built it and mostly played it in my college Rush copy band "Afterimage" 20 years ago (...ugghh). I'll see if i can find those pics. At the time, I didn't really care for the mirror pickguard in mine, so i went with a stock black one. My friends brother owns the guitar now and has had it for the past 18 years or so...i should give him a call..i miss it..lol.

 

As for my "collection" it as modified over the years. At one time (in college) I had 12, as I was in a Rush copy band and a Beatles copy band at the same time. I had a Gretsch 6122 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman and the Tennesean, made a strat to look like george harrison's psychodelic one, a Rickenbacker 320 which was modified to look like john's rick 325 (the vintage series werent available yet), the "hentor" candy apple strat, a piezo-equipted Martin d-00028 acoustic (which i hated), a spanish made classical I picked up while in Spain..etc..etc..blah blah..lol.

I also did alot of orchestral work as well, playing guitar in a big band, being part if a road show for plays such as "Guys and Dolls" and "Fiddler in the Roof" so i had some other instruments fitting that purpose.

 

Later I settled into the assembling and modifying intruments to my needs. Name brands mattered very little as long as they body and neck were in good playable shape. I decided to delve into electronics and study up on how guitars work. Around that time is when i found my love - my 1990 flip flop pearl white Signature Aurora (SSS), one of the last one's made. I had it worked on by and signed by Rod Evans (the maker of Evans pickups) when he modified it to be as Alex' white Aurora was. This was purchased AFTER the company whent out of business and was part of NOS (new old stock). In the process of learning more than i thought i could about electronics (alot from my dad and the rest from Rod) I befriended alot of people who were responsible for Signatures. Thats's when i happened across the last two peices of a guitar left in the factory - a midnight blue metallic Oracle body (HSH) and a non matching but stunning highly flamed maple Transparent Red neck with ebony fingerboard (they all had ebony fingerboards). I obtained the needed parts (thru exclusive connections) and assembled it to the factory specs. I did not modify this one electronincally. I also own an equally rare transparent red Signature Excalibur Bass. These are my two main guitars and I LOVE THEM and will never part with them.

 

So now I'm in a Christian rock band and own an assortment of guitars once again..lol. All these guitars have been modified to one extent or another: the two Sigs, the Sig Excalibur bass, a first genersation Ibanez AF75BS jazz style (no tremolo), a butterscotch blonde Telecaster, a beautiful blonde (no, not a woman) Takamine EG523SC acoustic/electric, a stunning birdseye maple topped Songbird Ovation copy acoustic/electric. As for amps it's kinda complicated, but im running two stereo systems (one using a 1979 Roland JC 120, the other a Behringer Ultratwin GX212 pushing an additional custom 2x12 cab I built for it) each with their own effects racks, controlled by a custom switching board that i built that combines and selects the amp(s) and effects that i want or desire to combine at will. I also built a guitar selector (since we have no roadies) that allows me to keep the guitars tuned, ready and plugged in (the ones with batteries have a detent switch inline toprevent drawing power when im not using them) with having to unplug or be hassled when it comes time to switch. I use 2 Rane SM26B mixers (used extemsively by Alex himself) to combine, level and split signals to the house and another one for my rack's backline level. I LOVE THAT MIXER!!!

 

Since space is a premium at most of our venues, my effects are rather stripped down and consolidated, but quite versitle and powerful. Into my switching/combination system goes: a RP2000 for one stereo side, and two Gallien Krueger 2000CPL's for the other stereo side. I run their outputs via one Rane mixer to an old (but VERY faithful) Digitech DSP-128, for ambient delay/echo/repeats and then to another Rane to (where the "dry" outputs from RP2000 and the GK's is mixed again) which goes to the house soundboard.

 

I think that's it...

 

Sorry for running on and on...lol. I'll repost this to the "equipment list" thread and save myself time retying....

[prodigal son]

Again, Cool Info!

I like your philosophy on the name brands not mattering so much and playability/sound taking priority!

My Turser knock-off is a pretty good little guitar after I had some work done to it.

1. Neck needed adjusting, and some frett redressing.

2. Bigsby trem added.

Now she plays nice, and I didn't need to spend a used car price on the real Rick!

As far as the Alex guitar goes I will probably focus on the basic look without getting to exact!

Candy apple strat.

Basic HSS mirror pick guard.

Not sure about the bridge pick up ,might stay with the white Dimarzio super distortion(fits more my style of material and play) or go with something a little more like contemporary Alex(not sure yet)!

Will probably keep the basic 5 selector switch, rather than the gibson toggle.

The trem....Hmmmmm.....not sure on this...will check the FR/khaler type set up most likely!

Thanks again for everything!

Very COOL!!!!!