NGD: 5150 Series Standard Stealth

[nobozos]

It's the guitar I didn't know I wanted until I played it. I never really gave them much thought. After all, it's basically a strat with two humbuckers, which Charvel has been making a version of for years now.

-However-

After I pulled it off the wall and played it, it immediately felt comfortable to me, like an old broken in pair of shoes. I have been playing the Frankie quite a bit since I got it, and although it doesn't quite feel as good as that one, it is very close.

I really thought it sounded good and resonant unplugged, so I had to plug it in, and I was very happy that I did. It doesn't sound like the Frankie on the bridge pickup. Can't quite put my finger on it yet, but it's just a bit different. Maybe it's the Ebony fingerboard, or the Volume pot being wired to a tone pot, but it's different enough to notice. I also like the options of a neck humbucker and the combination of the two humbuckers that I don't get in my Frankie.

Anyway, I decided that I didn't need my Player's Series Tele anymore, and traded her in for the Stealth.

I will still play my Partscaster Strat, my Frankie, and my Homebrew Les Paul, but I can easily see this guitar becoming my "go-to" that I will be playing the most. It's just a comfortable guitar to play, sounds great, and it's a workhorse. Glad I decided to pull it off the wall on a whim. I was not even looking for anything, but it just felt too good to pass on.

[rvk5150]

It's the guitar I didn't know I wanted until I played it. I never really gave them much thought. After all, it's basically a strat with two humbuckers, which Charvel has been making a version of for years now.

-However-

After I pulled it off the wall and played it, it immediately felt comfortable to me, like an old broken in pair of shoes. I have been playing the Frankie quite a bit since I got it, and although it doesn't quite feel as good as that one, it is very close.

I really thought it sounded good and resonant unplugged, so I had to plug it in, and I was very happy that I did. It doesn't sound like the Frankie on the bridge pickup. Can't quite put my finger on it yet, but it's just a bit different. Maybe it's the Ebony fingerboard, or the Volume pot being wired to a tone pot, but it's different enough to notice. I also like the options of a neck humbucker and the combination of the two humbuckers that I don't get in my Frankie.

Anyway, I decided that I didn't need my Player's Series Tele anymore, and traded her in for the Stealth.

I will still play my Partscaster Strat, my Frankie, and my Homebrew Les Paul, but I can easily see this guitar becoming my "go-to" that I will be playing the most. It's just a comfortable guitar to play, sounds great, and it's a workhorse. Glad I decided to pull it off the wall on a whim. I was not even looking for anything, but it just felt too good to pass on.

Awesome...I grabbed a matte year year old model recently and feel the same; just so comfortable to play and sounds great! I got a great deal on it being a year old and discontinued color (green is my favorite color) plus I liked have the selector switch on the bottom although it is sweet yours has the kill switch.

Congrats man; enjoy!!!

[TJ_Kong]

Congrats! I’ve heard many good things about that guitar

[nobozos]

Mine does have a kill switch. I would have rather had one without the kill switch, but it doesn’t bother me to have it. I just see it as a gimmicky kind of feature that isn’t particularly useful to me, but it’s there if I ever want to use it

[rvk5150]

Mine does have a kill switch. I would have rather had one without the kill switch, but it doesn’t bother me to have it. I just see it as a gimmicky kind of feature that isn’t particularly useful to me, but it’s there if I ever want to use it

Interesting...well anyway; we both got sweet axes! Enjoy!

[ejmaes67]

It's the guitar I didn't know I wanted until I played it. I never really gave them much thought. After all, it's basically a strat with two humbuckers, which Charvel has been making a version of for years now.

-However-

After I pulled it off the wall and played it, it immediately felt comfortable to me, like an old broken in pair of shoes. I have been playing the Frankie quite a bit since I got it, and although it doesn't quite feel as good as that one, it is very close.

I really thought it sounded good and resonant unplugged, so I had to plug it in, and I was very happy that I did. It doesn't sound like the Frankie on the bridge pickup. Can't quite put my finger on it yet, but it's just a bit different. Maybe it's the Ebony fingerboard, or the Volume pot being wired to a tone pot, but it's different enough to notice. I also like the options of a neck humbucker and the combination of the two humbuckers that I don't get in my Frankie.

Anyway, I decided that I didn't need my Player's Series Tele anymore, and traded her in for the Stealth.

I will still play my Partscaster Strat, my Frankie, and my Homebrew Les Paul, but I can easily see this guitar becoming my "go-to" that I will be playing the most. It's just a comfortable guitar to play, sounds great, and it's a workhorse. Glad I decided to pull it off the wall on a whim. I was not even looking for anything, but it just felt too good to pass on.

post some pics?

[nobozos]

[track 5]

Yo NB, What up! I will take the middle one off you. If that fucker is for sale. That's fucking awesome You doing good on you're end I hope. Lock n load dude. Stay safe. Out.

[nobozos]

Hey Track,

Thanks. I can't sell that guitar. That's one that my kids got me for Christmas a few years ago. Here's the story on that particular guitar:

The guitar is a kit from BYO guitars. The parts that came with the kit are crap, but the bones are good. Solid mahogany body with a thick maple cap, and a figured veneer.

What I did to the guitar kit:

Initially, I wanted to stain the flame top with purple dye. When I did, I discovered that some of the glue they used to affix the figured veneer to the maple cap had apparently soaked through the veneer, making it impossible for the stain to apply properly in a couple different areas, so I had to change my strategy.

I decided I would use a rub-on black lacquer on the top, and a lacquer stain on the back. I wood filled the body using a black wood filler and sanded the body, and applied the stain and lacquer on the top. Originally, I had wanted the top to be buffed to a high gloss finish, but that was going to require multiple coats of lacquer, with a lot of sanding in between. I thought I was prepared for it, but I got about 5 coats in, and after sanding through the finish each time to get everything level and smooth, I looked at it (in it's current finish) and decided "Fuck it, that's good enough". I applied a coat of clear over it and done painting.

Now for the assembly:

I threw all the parts that came with the kit in the shit can, and purchased better hardware. I had in my mind what I wanted to do with the guitar, which was set it up like the EVH Wolfgang MIJ non-trem specials, with the Schaller stop tail and Floyd nut. I had my local guitar tech re-radius and refret the neck with 6105 fret wire, and cut in the Floyd nut for me. I installed the hardware and electronics.

I used a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom for the bridge pickup. For the neck pickup, I used the neck pickup from a Kramer Pacer Series (Gibson), because I really thought it sounded good.

Because it was a Kit guitar, and I'm not trying to pass it off as a Gibson, I wanted to find something to do with the headstock that fit the guitar well. Since I had a Harley at the time, I thought it would match the guitar well if I could find some kind of Harley-Davidson badge to put on the headstock. I found this cool Chrome/Black sticker that I thought fit the theme very well. (If you look closely at the Strat on the right, You will see that there is a Harley-Davidson pin pushed into the headstock where the Fender logo usually is)

Quick note on the strat on the right. Fender body, Red Devil pickup in the bridge and Classic Vibe pickups in the middle neck. Hipshot locking tuners, and Super-Vee Blade Runner bridge. Neck is a Musikraft custom neck. Neck started as their "Frankenstein" neck in rock maple. I had them add a 22nd fret, move the truss rod adjustment from the heel to the headstock, change the heel from Tele Square to Strat Rounded, and give me a compound fretboard radius with 6105 fretwire, with an asymmetrical back carve and an oil/wax finish. My goal was to make a neck with everything I liked in a guitar neck, and I succeeded. As a result, I will never get rid of that neck.

I have a problem.