Mario Labonte's JazzBird

[Mario Labonte]

Got the idea for this one after reading "Electric Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia" a few years ago. On the subject of the Gibson Firebird, it said Leo Fender thought that body design was a tad too close to his Fender Jazzmaster and told Ted Mccarty about it. It got me thinking (pretty convinced I'm not the only who thought of it )... How would a Jazzmaster body and a Firebird heastock look together?

I'm pretty pleased with the final product so far. It's really comfortable strapped on and it's easy to play. The neck depth is pretty close to a PRS' fat-wide necks with a nice D shaped curvature. I really like that shape. Glued-on construction. The body natural color is not really good looking just by itself but matched with that gorgeous pickguard, it makes that body look ravishing. The front of the heastock with the IER on top of the mahogany is also pretty cool looking. Yeah, really please with this one.

Body: Fidji mahagany
Neck: African mahagany
Fretboard + headstock veneer: IE rosewood
Frets: 21
Scale length: 25½
Side markers: fiber optics through a brass tubing
Tuners: Steinberger
Pickups: Seymour Duncan Vintage Blues Set (SH-1 '59)
Pickguard: Warmoth
Finish: 12 coats of tung oil
Bigsby tailpiece
Weight: 8.3 lbs

[Mario Labonte]

Few more pics...

[Hans Bezemer]

Beautiful guitar, I like the headstock very much!

[Mario Labonte]

Thanks a lot Hans. It's really appreciated

[Dan Smith]

I dig it, Mario!
Great looking axe!
What kind of nut are you using?
Dan

[Mario Labonte]

Hi Dan,
Thanks a lot man.

LSR roller nut and a StewMac roller bridge. Wanted to try that nut for a long time

I wanted a Bigsby because it feels to me that that body just needs it for the look but I don't know if it's because of the angled bridge, quality of the bridge, the nut or something else but sometimes after I shake a chord (that's all I am good at with a tremolo bar, really), the strings are still going a bit sharp. Not every time , but sometimes. Must depend on how hard I go on the bar

Mario

[Edgar Jessop]

...sometimes after I shake a chord the strings are still going a bit sharp.

I can't tell if those are locking tuners or not but in either case try using the fewest possible winds on the posts to minimize the posibility of slack building up.

[Mario Labonte]

Hi Edgar,

The tuners are Steinburgers gearless that StewMac used to sell. The strings go throught the peg and they are locked using the top of the tuners, that piece is a screw "stopping" the string going one side or the other. The tuning is done rolling the knob on the back of the headstock, making the shaft go up or down for. Thus, no windings

[Dan Smith]

Thanks Mario,
I just ordered a Bigsby tremolo, I have no prior experience.
Dan

[Gordon Bellerose]

Love the headstock, and the color of the pickguard.
I have no experience with a roller nut. How does it fit? do you have to cut the fingerboard a bit short to compensate for the diameter of the roller?
Personally, I like the Bigsby too.

One of my next builds is going to have one.

[Mario Labonte]

Hi Gordon,

Sorry for the delay, but yes you have to cut the fretboard a tiny bit to compensate where the rollers touches the strings (like the edge of the nut). When you buy the LSR nut it comes with instructions and mesurments