Bumper March GOTM

[Trevor Davies]

My TL-1Tb with gold hardware.
The back of the body is FW Japan Brown stain, tru-oil for neck and the top coats.
The pickguard is red tortoiseshell.
The headstock logo is vinyl decal.

[blinddrew]

I do not envy the judges this month! :O

[Brendan]

OK comp closed - new (non bumper) comp up soon!

[FrankenWashie]

Did we get a verdict, or did I just miss it?

[Brendan]

Haven't posted yet. Working on it now @Franken.

[Brendan]

aharmon's ES-1Q

This really is a visully striking guitar - the well executed finish really makes the quilt pop, and the clean binding helps. The headstock is simple and well done, and the decal is a really nice touch. Topped off with a good choice of upgrades. I feel that the knobs are a little out of place - maybe more chrome would help here, and I would use chrome screws for the pickup surrounds (but that's being picky!)
Beautiful colour and nicely finished through to the headstock. Great upgrades and selections. Overall looking great, but I think I’d go with different knobs.

johnbamb's JK-7
The headstock shape (and logo and finish!) and string-through are stand-out features on this guitar, and really wll done. I love the way the "V" string-through echos the body shape. Along with the choice of hardware it's a beast! The finish is perhaps more subtle than you might expact from an instrument in this genre, but well executed nonetheless.
Great shaping of the body and the headstock. Love the colour choices and outcome. You’ve done a great job on something impressive.

Eitan Yerushamli's IC-1
This is suitably "in your face" for a metal guitar, and the choice of blue to pink (?) fade, while still showing (and enhancing) the grain really works. The blend of black and gold hardware works well, too. It would be nice to see a headstock decal. Interesting choice of a P90 in the neck - I would have expected something with rather higher output.
Interesting colour choices, and can appreciate the overall outcome, but not quite my cup of tea. I do think however that it all comes together to be a consistent package. Great work!

DarkMark's AES-1
This is the guitar I would go to at the music shop. The finish suits the style and is really well done - I love the deep red colour and the burst, and the way the grain is subtly eccentuated by the darker stain. The simple black (?) back and neck are well done (which isn't easy with black.) That's set off by clean binding. The headstock shape is ambitious and yet well done, though I would like to have seen a logo. Hardware choice, especially the floating bridge, completely fits the style. All round, a stunning guitar.

Classic elegance again. Simple colour choices and bling to give the whole guitar that special look. Love the outcome and a worthy entrant!

mrpearson's PSH-1
This is the other ;-) guitar I would go to at the music shop. I love the ochre colour, which works particularly well on this guitar - the flame really pops, and the slight graduation towards the edges enhances the effect. The oil finish looks great, and has a good gloss. Classy headstock logo, and the serial on the reverse is a nice touch. Nice choice of hardware, particlarly with the Gotoh bridge and Tonerider pickups. The pickup surrounds that match the binding are another nice touch. Altogether, evertything goes together really well. With my picky hat on, the toggles do look a bit close to the pickup selector - might be easy to hit the wrong thing if you're not looking closely.

Love the simplicity of the colours. From simple browns and black, everything comes together nicely. Love the headstock logo as well – overall a great package!

Trevor Davies' TL-1TB
A simple oil finish on the top offsets the gold hardware and custom pick guard nicely, and forms a contrast with the sides and back. I love the unique headstock shape and logo, and the stamped serial on the reverse is a nice touch.
So many positives from this guitar – love the headstock shape – fits nicely and has character of its own. Colours work together well and the overall impact is great. Only thing that doesn’t work for me is the black switch cover and pickup surround, but that is being overly picky!

Kinger's EX1-A
This screams "metal" down to the black hardware and colour co-ordinated strings. I love how the red finish is really bold, but still shows the grain. Great choice of hardware, especially for the genre. I didn't know compensated nuts were a thing, but there you go ;-) It looks like the finish in the headstcok doesn't quite extend all the way to the nut, but again, I'm being picky.
Red hot guitar and lovely. Love how the strings match the body and neck. Great overall effect. Nothing jarring and effective looks.

[Brendan]

And to the runner up - Dark Mark's Special. Overall there was not a lot between this and the winner and a line ball decision has it as runner up.


And the winner mrpearson's PSH-1 - . Overall simple colour choices and a classic look coupled with classy logo and an overall beautiful effect.

[DarkMark]

Congratulations everybody. An extreme range of styles this competition. Thanks Brendan. Congratulations mrpearson! Personally I rate Trevor Davies’ Tele above mine, nice work!

[Johnny Bravo]

Bravo to the winner. Well done, mrpearson. That looks fantastic.

I must admit, it's a bit sobering to see this as a first build - my first build is nowhere near close to this standard

[mrpearson]

Congrats to everyone and the judges for taking the time to review all the hard work from all the entrants. I honestly didn't expect to win against the other great builds out there this month. Next build is definitely going to take some inspiration from DarkMark's red / black stain.