NGD and Focus 3000 Question

[Wheelman]

I've been gassing for a white Squier CV 50s Strat for a while now and found one local to me on CL so I picked it up.
Paid $250.00 for it, a HSC and a strap. Other than a little dust it is totally mint condition and the setup is just as I like it.

I haven't taken any pictures yet but when I do I'll post then up.

Now for the question about my F-3000.
A few months ago I bought an Agile Dauntless which is pretty heavy at almost 10lbs. Tonight while moving the Dauntless and F-3000 around comparing their tone to the CV I noticed the Kramer seemed to weigh about as much as the Dauntless. Out of curiousity I weighed all three axes on a bathroom scale.
The F-3000 weighs ~9.5lbs, almost as much as the Dauntless, the CV weighs between 6.5 - 7lbs.

Is this an unusual weight for an F-3000?
Does it indicate what wood the body might be made out of?

Wheelman (Ken Wheeler)

[0 Xero 0]

Out of the species Kramer used, it's most likely made of maple. It's heavy and dense, much more so than poplar, basswood, or alder.

[Holzar88]

I've never gotten my two F-3000s on the scales, but they're both very heavy guitars.

[errbt]

I've never gotten my two F-3000s on the scales, but they're both very heavy guitars.

As is mine...notably heavier than my alder '86 1000 & 3000 (the '85 3000s I have are also alder, I believe, yet are heavier than the '86 ones but still not as heavy as my '87 trans blue F-3000 (which is, based on the Forum consensus from pics of the wood grain, made of ash). Of course none of them match the cement block that was my maple '85 Baretta Reissue.

[kremark]

Out of the species Kramer used, it's most likely made of maple. It's heavy and dense, much more so than poplar, basswood, or alder.

I have a project body from a Korean Striker 600ST and I have a Focus 3000 in tact. The Striker body will be used for mutt assembly and it is visually confirmed as 2-piece maple body. I'll finish it in some kind of burst pattern just to highlight the maple. (Cherry or Blue??) I think it is very possibly the same type of stock used in both countries.

[japkramernut]

I have a project body from a Korean Striker 600ST and I have a Focus 3000 in tact. The Striker body will be used for mutt assembly and it is visually confirmed as 2-piece maple body. I'll finish it in some kind of burst pattern just to highlight the maple. (Cherry or Blue??) I think it is very possibly the same type of stock used in both countries.

That is a nice looking project body you have there, I would definitely like to see how your project turns out.

[Wheelman]

Hmm, thats interesting, I thought all Strikers had plywood bodies, I guess I learned something new today.
Sounds like my 3000 must have a maple body. I'm not sure of the exact year of manufacture but it was the late 80s.

Wheelman (Ken Wheeler)

[kremark]

It is generally assumed that Striker 100ST's and other low model #'s are plywood. Focus 1000's maybe too. I assumed my 600ST was plywood, but there was one way to find out.

[errbt]

It is generally assumed that Striker 100ST's and other low model #'s are plywood. Focus 1000's maybe too. I assumed my 600ST was plywood, but there was one way to find out.

I've never heard of any '80s Focus being made of plywood, 1000 or otherwise. Neither of the two 1000s I've owned were. They may have been 2 (or even three or more) pieces of solid wood glued together before cutting/routing, but not in layers like plywood. Definitely there have been cases of solid, non-ply Strikers so I suppose there could a rare ply Foci here or there, but I doubt it, especially considering the Foci were all made in Japan while the budget grade Strikers & Aerostars were made in Korea (or Indonesia?).

[matt3846]

I've never heard of any '80s Focus being made of plywood, 1000 or otherwise.

Same here. -- As for the 600st not being plywood... I have a 600st body that I sanded some of the finish off in the trem cavity, and it's not plywood.

Also a stripped body sold on Ebay last week...



So they're definitely out there! But, I don't recall ever seeing proof of the other Striker models not being plywood. It's always the 600st it seems.

[kremark]

That's some good information and one nice looking non-plywood body. So no known Focus plywoods out there?

[japkramernut]

Sweet, I might have to get my hands on one of those 600ST's. Looks like you did a very good job of stripping that 600ST body. Do you plan leaving it as is or give it a new paint job?

[kremark]

Just for clarification, there are 2 different bodies pictured above, mine is less well stripped body with a little of the red primer left. The other was sold by who knows to another somebody and looks perfectly stripped. As for me, I think I will apply some more elbow grease. and expose all the top grain, and I am leaning on green burst using some left over nitro cellulose. I was going to cherry burst it, but green looks nice.
I am trying to finish a strat build and it has been a learning experience dealing with nitro cellulose. The lacquer dries so fast, that without retardant, the spray finish goes on very rough with no flow out. TMI I know.