Custom Paulownia Flying Victoria Electric Guitar

By Vicki Lynn

A mockup of the guitar with the neck installed and the Humbucker pickup resting in place; I feel it's important to install the neck first and then the bridge to ensure correct distance for proper intonation and string placement on the fretboard, for even spacing of the strings from the edge down the entire length of the neck.

A close-up image if the guitar neck, I would not advise what I did when eBay sent an email saying; "This seller is open for offers." And because I wasn't able to purchase the Paulownia Flying V body for full price at the time, I thought I would send an offer; the offer was accepted by the seller in China, however, I wasn't aware that the seller would send a subpar product without notice warning me, "We can send you an item at that price but it will have flaws!"

Because the body was subpar and below the standards required for building a guitar without complication, this body arrived needing more "tweaking" than most bodies you would purchase require. Thankfully, I had enough experience under my belt to correct the flaws; otherwise, this body would not have been usable by the novice builder.

Here is a front view of the guitar with a Fender roasted maple neck installed. I chose a roasted neck because they are usually much lighter than the same maple neck that is not roasted. I have read online in forums that the roasted necks are not lighter; however, they are indeed lighter, lighter because the necks have far less "moisture". I have also noticed that older necks are much lighter when they have "aged" over the years and are no longer "green".

When you are building a "lightweight guitar" with an extremely lightweight Paulownia body, you must plan for a lightweight neck and headstock, due to the fact they stick out far from the body, and you do not want to create "neck dive".

Here is an image of the Flying V body after installing a Wilkinson 52.5mm (2-1/16 inch) string spacing hardtail fixed bridge solid saddle bridge, in addition to a Wilkinson vintage tone Humbucker pickup.

Here is an image after installing the "gold" Wilkinson Vintage Tone Alnico 5 PAF Humbucker Bridge Pickup.

Here is an image of the guitar body with the string ferrules drilled in place. One of the reasons you want to install the bridge early in the process, besides making sure the strings are aligned, is that you want to have a "guide" for drilling the holes through the body for the string ferrules.

I use a guide for drilling the holes for the ferrules. I purchased an aluminum guide from an eBay seller which can be used for both vintage and modern string spacing. The guide was expensive, about $40 USD, but it makes string alignment and perfect drilling possible with minimal effort.

Time to lay out the stickers I plan to use on the body; I wanted to create a "Going Postal" look or an appearance of a "Traveling Steamer Trunk". I drew out plans where I thought the stickers would be more visible and less visible, such as on the back and where the player's right-hand would cover the stickers, and on the front where they would be more visible, which is where I would put the stickers, I liked the best.

Continuing laying out the stickers starting from the top to the bottom; I felt that beginning where the area was the tightest to where it expanded out would be more efficient than having to "squeeze in" at the top and avoiding the "fins" which would have to be narrowed down to one sticker at a time.

Getting to an area where I must narrow down to just one sticker at a time but still giving it a layered look like the stickers were casually added over time to a "Traveling Steamer Trunk" will be difficult to achieve in these areas.

I am getting to the completion of stickers stuck in place while keeping in mind the areas where parts of the pickup and the hardtail bridge will cover the stickers, the places where the stickers are less important to me visually.

Front and side view of the stickers near completion.

Here is another view of the side and front with the stickers in place.

The gold parts which will be installed on the Flying V including a custom "gold" 4-screw neck plate purchased for an earlier project in which the body would have been too heavy for my disabled back, and the project was abandoned; however, the wood was 127 years old! Showing is a Wilkinson Vintage Tone Alnico 5 PAF Humbucker bridge pickup for Les Paul electric guitar.

Also showing are Gotoh Vintage oval knob tuners (6-in-a-line). With a lightweight Paulownia body, lightweight vintage tuners are necessary. Below the vintage tuners are Top Hat Speed Control knobs for Les Paul. And near the bottom middle are True Custom Shop® string ferrules for Fender electric. And below the electronic wiring is the Wilkinson 52.5mm (2-1/16 inch) string spacing hardtail fixed bridge and finally followed by True Custom Shop® Vintage string trees, and genuine Fender Schaller strap locks.

The front of the body after the first coat of Krylon Clear Polyurethane, I like to use Krylon Poly because it emits little odor, and they claim it will not yellow over time.

Here is the back after a "good" few coats of Clear Polyurethane were applied.

Here I am checking the angle of the guitar when placing the guitar strap buttons at the angle of the artificial line.

The heel of the Fender Roasted Maple Vintera Mod 60s Telecaster neck, twenty-one medium jumbo frets with a 9.5-inch radius "C" shape.

The Fender roasted maple neck was crafted by highly skilled Luthiers in the Fender Factory in Mexico on a Computer Numerical Controlled Machine (CNC); many of the guitars made in the original Fullerton, California Fender Factory were crafted by Mexican Luthiers, guitars which were played by many famous musicians of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. And any bias and "snobbery" towards their craftsmanship is just that, bias, and snobbery; the only major difference is the cost of labor, which can affect the overall cost of the product.

Uncovering the string ferrule holes from under the decals once the Poly dried. I wanted a little more resistance before drilling the holes again, by hand, because I did not want the decals ripping while cutting. The dried Poly would give me the resistance needed to ensure minor damage to the stickers.

The front of the guitar during the final stages of the build.

Here is the finished guitar from the back showing the strap "button", a low-profile fastener providing minuscule obstruction of the hand at the lower end of the fretboard. The guitar strap attached is a four inch super wide Iconic Leathers black leather double padded bass guitar strap offering ultimate comfort and stability.

Here is a full view of the 3 lb. 14oz. Paulownia Flying V electric guitar with a roasted Fender Telecaster neck after completion. And the completion of the decals, including the decals my sister brought back from Hawaii!

It is quite possible to make an exceptional guitar with quality parts and have it tip the scales at less than 4 lbs. If you have a bad back, then building a guitar with a Paulownia body, a roasted neck and lightweight vintage tuners can be precisely what you need to keep your love of music alive.

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Custom Paulownia Flying Victoria Electric Guitar

By Vicki Lynn

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Today's Issue		Friday 18th April 2025