JG: Chris, first off - when you sent me your most recent photo of you with your guitar collection, I was blown away. It's obvious that you've worked pretty hard on all of those guitars.

CD: Thanks, I'm glad you like my stuff! Yeah, I've really gotten carried away with this. I have fourteen finished projects, three more in the works, a few more planned, and just the other day someone asked me to make a guitar for them. Add that to my personal collection, and there are about thirty guitars in my house. I'm building a workshop in my basement now, and I'm just having a blast... making them is almost as much fun as playing them! I just love guitars, what can I say?

 

JG: Have you quit your day job to do this full-time yet, or do you just call in sick 2 out of 5 days a week?

CD: I actually haven't had a day job in a while. I make a living in an unusual way, but I am looking to put some extra money in my pocket making guitars. At least until I'm headlining at the Garden!

 

JG: I'm afraid to ask you how you're making your money, so I'll assume that you're some sort of HITMAN.

JG: So, out of everything that you've put together, which is your favorite and why?

CD: Hmm... it's hard to say. I think I'm most proud of the M-1 Tiger and Relic Frankenstrat, since I put so much work into the details, particularly aging the Relic. The Tiger just has such a wild, raunchy tone, and I have a DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Blues pickup in the neck of the Frankenstrat that's just one of the most incredible sounding pickups I've ever heard. But the 5150 seems to be the one I play the most, and it's especially cool to look at it next to my other 5150 - that was made by a professional - and see that they both look just as good. As for the ones I sold/plan to sell, I try not to think too much about 'em once they're done, or I'll end up keeping them! And also, I like that little plastic toy guitar I striped up! Would you believe that thing can actually be played?

 

JG: Well, drop a pickup in it, record something, and we'll post it on this page!

JG: So - the 5150 you painted and put together looks as good as the one you paid for?

CD: Definitely! Only difference is the headstock is a bit smaller, and it's not aged... I couldn't bring myself to tear up my paint job. The second one I did had the full headstock, but again, I couldn't bring myself to tear it up.

 

JG: How much did you pay for it?

CD: $1200.00... and that's before shipping!

 

JG: And what did the one you put together cost you?

CD: The first 5150 I did I went overboard on, particularly by buying a brand new Warmoth neck, brand new Schaller locking tuners, a brand new Floyd, a brand new Duncan pickup, and having the neck and tuners installed professionally - I didn't trust myself enough to drill the holes yet. So I hit somewhere between $900 and $1,000. But the second one I did cost about half that, if not less, and the end result was just as good as far as sound and feel go, and better as far as looks go!!

 

JG: $500 - $600 is very cool, man. Especially, if it has a real Floyd Rose. Truthfully, cost is why I decided to start making and painting my own guitars back in 1983. The thought of dropping $1000 on a Kramer back then was impossible for me.

CD: I know that feeling! That's also partly why I made my own M1-Tiger instead of buying one. I've played a few of George's signature guitars, and they're way too bright for my playing style, and man - are they expensive! My replica cost a LOT less to make, has the reverse banana that I like better than the Strat-style headstock, and is better suited to my playing in several ways. A win on all counts!

 

JG: How many more are you planning to paint?

CD: I wish I knew. I've done more than I ever planned to, and I can't seem to stop! I have a Kamikaze that I'm about to start, and a Skulls & Snakes planned, and I'm thinking I'll do at least one more Frankenstrat and one more 5150. I've even bought some woodworking equipment, and I'm going to try and make some bodies. There seems to be no end in sight... next thing you know, I'll be cutting down trees in my backyard and trying to make guitars out of them!

 

JG: Why do I see your neighbors looking out their back window one Saturday morning and the husband saying to the wife, "Honey - where did our tree go?" (Then, camera pans to Chris in his basement - goggles on, old VH cranked in the background... laughing his ass off holding up a big section of the tree which will be cut into several bodies. Camera pans back to neighbors with stunned looks on their faces...)

CD: Heheheheh! Oh man, you have no idea! That seriously has Chris DeNicola written all over it!

 

JG: I knew you were a MADMAN!

JG: Through our email discussions, I know that you had painted your own guitar before buying my book, I know that EVH obviously influenced you, but were there any other guys who inspired you to wanna learn how to paint guitars?

JF: Probably Steve Vai's early guitars that Joe Despagni made, and I remember seeing guys at Guitar Institute of Technology with customized guitars that were cool. But before I ever picked up a guitar, I used to draw, paint, build models... all kinds of things like that. I guess that carried over since I always thought it would be cool to design and build my own guitar. I'm also a video game nut, so I thought it would be cool to have guitars with pictures of my favorite video game characters on them, but I haven't tried that yet.

When I went to Guitar Craft Academy, I got my first chance to try making a guitar, and I had planned to make some guitars on my own to pull in some extra cash, but then when I saw all the equipment you need to do it, and the air compressor and spray guns and ventilation for the paint, I chucked that idea! Then years later, I ran across your 5150 book, and with this much easier alternative, I got going. I think what it really did for me was act as a catalyst - I didn't think I'd be able to make guitars in my basement, and now, here I am doing it.

JG: Much to the chagrin of your neighbors who are missing their trees, right?!

CD: Exactly! And their fence made a really nice workbench to do it on!

 

JG: So, when did you really start painting guitars?

CD: I'd say my first attempt was sometime around 2001... I think... I had always wanted to take a cheap guitar and customize it, so I bought a purple Squier Affinity Strat and ripped the thing apart the second I got it home. I took some spray cans and masking tape to it (not having a clue what I was doing), and tried to put a couple of humbuckers in it. I actually cut the pickguard with a hot knife! The guitar was a disaster, but later on at GCA I fixed it up a bit, rewired it, and made a new pickup and pickguard. It still looks like a wreck, but it doesn't play too bad!.

 

JG: Believe me - next to the first guitar I attempted to build and paint, your purple one looks like a custom shop Fender! (I'm going to insert a photo of both of our first guitars here)

CD: Not if you see it up close! The "stripes" are just piled on top of the finish, and I didn't do any clear coating or anything!

 

JG: What convinced you that my book may be the right choice to help you paint your own guitar?

CD: I had wanted a 5150 ever since I saw Live Without A Net, and I remembered seeing a Frankenstrat on eBay a while ago. In my search I found your book, and figured, "Hey, I already know how to make a guitar, maybe I can make my own 5150!" And hey, it wasn't even twenty bucks! I actually bought it, and a complete 5150 within the same few days. After reading the book though, I wanted to try it myself. I hadn't even seen the website or the pictures of the other guitars that people made, but when I did, I just thought, "Damn, if these are really first-time jobs, I can definitely do this!"

 

JG: You'd be surprised how many emails I get from people saying that these were not painted by first-timers - that they're probably my own guitars.

CD: Are you serious?! Geez, you just can't please some people! But hey, I'll tell 'em myself, the guitars you see in my pictures came right from my garage!

 

JG: So, after reading the book through, what was your first reaction?

CD: I thought the guitars you made looked REALLY cool, and it seemed like the striping would be pretty easy. And being the skeptic that I am, that's saying a lot. It definitely made me realize just how far off I was when I painted that Strat! I was also glad for your very thorough explanations of each step and the reasons behind them, rather than just "do this, now do that." With a better understanding of what was happening, it was much easier to do the work, and at this point, I've got it all down, and I don't need to go back and forth to the book anymore.

 

JG: So, what you're really saying is, the info in the books goes far beyond what you were expecting in terms of explanations?

CD: Definitely. I've seen a lot of instructional books and videos on all kinds of different subjects, and a lot of them just tell you what to do, but not why you're doing it. That kind of instruction can lead to someone overlooking or even skipping a very important step because they just don't understand it. For example, if you hadn't talked in detail about the curing time for lacquer and the damaging effects of rubber, I would probably have just sanded the thing the next day and plunked it down in a stand, and all my work would be down the drain.

 

JG: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your first finish? - the one you did prior to buying my book?

CD: Uh, I can't go any less than one?

 

JG: I scored my first one a -78. I gave myself a few points for installing the Floyd Rose without any help or explanations. You can score yours any way you see fit. The important thing is that you're still not performing at that level. :)

CD: Believe me, performing at that level would be like playing guitar for 10 years and never moving past an open E chord! But hey, let's rank my guitar a -5150! An EVH guitar made by Eddie's retarded evil twin!

 

JG: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your first finish using the methods in my book?

CD: I'd say about a 7... I didn't do a factory finish, and it was mostly an experimental venture, but from the second I saw the first set of stripes, I knew it wasn't going to be my last. I just blew myself away..

 

JG: On a scale from 1- 10, how hard would you rate painting your own guitar is using one of my books?

CD: As far as just the basic painting techniques go, I'd say about a 1! If you can't manage to nail techniques this easy, you probably can't even tie your shoes without help! The factory finish is a little harder, and designs like the Tiger can be tricky, but with a little patience and effort, you'll look at a guitar you just finished and think it looks like something you'd see in Sam Ash.

And besides that, having actually worked with spray guns at GCA (Guitar Craft Academy), I'd say the level of convenience doesn't even compare! Look at it this way - do you take out a second mortgage and buy an air compressor, spray guns, expensive paint, and knock down a wall to put in an exhaust fan and spraying booth... or pick up a coupla cans of Krylon on your way home from work?

 

JG: Excellent point. And, truthfully, because I have been doing it both ways for 20 years, the end result is not much different (spray cans vs. spray guns) - regardless of what you read online. Obviously, auto paint with the addition of a catalyst bypasses the curing stage, but still, to produce a factory finish, it's all in what you do AFTER the paint is applied that is key.

CD: Exactly, and before you paint, too! That was the problem with my first attempt... I had no idea that you were supposed to prep the guitar and then clean it up afterwards. I just pointed the can and pressed the button. But now, when people see pictures and I tell them it's ordinary Krylon paint, they're just amazed.

 

JG: If someone reading this interview right now is thinking about painting guitars, but has not bought 'HOW TO Create A Factory Guitar Finish,' what would you tell them about this book?

CD: I'd say that it's easy, fun, and addictive as hell! I ended up buying ALL of the books, not just the 5150! You don't have to know anything at all about guitars to do the finishes. Hell, you don't even have to do a guitar, you can refinish your furniture this way! And if you do know your way around a guitar, it can help you start turning out your own design ideas.

And for the price of the book, well, GCA was eight grand! That's probably more than you wanna spend if you just want to see yourself playing a 5150 or a Frankenstrat! Or even do it as a hobby or to pull in some extra cash. But in this case, you learn everything you need to know to do great finish work for around twenty bucks, and you don't need all the heavy gear. I show people pictures all the time, and most of them tell me they wish they could make guitars like that. I tell them every time, "You can!"

 

JG: Don't lie to them, Chris! - ah, just kidding. MOST people CAN do it. The truly lazy and uninspired wouldn't be able to do it because there's labor involved. But, as you're pointing out, it's a labor of love. Once you see what you've done, for many people like yourself, it IS addicting. And, it's not a bad addiction to have... unless you leave all of your neighbors treeless. (Camera pans back to Chris's street - all of the trees that once graced this quiet neighborhood are ALL GONE.)

CD: BREAKING NEWS - Chris DeNicola's guitars blamed for massive deforestation! Enraged environmental groups try to block the sale of Krylon paint!

 

JG: Thanks for doing this interview, Chris. Now, get back to the basement!

CD: Thanks, man - it was a blast! (BBBBRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMM... Chris fires up his chainsaw...)

 

If You're Interested In Learning How To Do What Chris Is Doing, Click On The Book To Learn More About It...

 

 

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