Congratulations to Matt Phillips from Bunkman Guitars on being our March Guitar of the Month winner! Let's find out how he created this unique Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein inspired guitar.

"First off let me start by saying… I am a hobbyist. I have been building guitars from scratch since 2006. It's something that I enjoy doing on the weekends and holidays. One of these days I plan on going "full time".  I want to thank Mohawk for making awesome products and giving me this opportunity.Recently I was presented with a chance to help a childhood friend raise money for his "micro-preemie" son. As you might know, medical bills can pile up in these situations.

For me, this was a chance to do something completely unique and step "outside the box".  I decided to do a modified version of Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein's Annihilator.  Doyle is the guitarist for "The Misfits".  These guitars are out of production and pretty hard to come by. This also gave me an opportunity to really express myself artistically. 

The original guitar is a neck through but I decided to try my own design for the neck pocket.  I used brass inserts and machine screws to bolt the neck into place from the bottom. Essentially, this compresses the wood simulating a neck through design. It actually resonates amazingly and is not as "muddy" sounding as some of the neck through guitars I have played.  This design also makes maintenance much easier. You can watch a video of the neck sliding in here.

I also wanted a locking hardtail bridge that allowed for fine tuning similar to a Floyd rose but without "whammy".  I modified a Schaller base and bolted it to a solid brass block.  I then used machine bolts to mount the entire unit to the body, allowing for height adjustment.  I had the bridge powder coated flat black. It works like charm.For the body, I used a ½ quilted maple top and American alder base. The neck core is laminated Rock maple with Honduran mahogany.  I decided to use Cocobolo rosewood for the finger board.

For the finish, I wanted to keep the styling of The Misfits by using Flat black on a majority of the guitar. I also wanted to feature the beautiful quilt of the maple.  Here is what I did.

I finished the shape and body chamfers then sanded to 320. I sealed the back and side of the body/ neck.  I then sprayed a single coat of M100-0224 Black to the maple top. I then used a rag soaked in acetone to work black into the quilt. I let this dry overnight, then sanded with 320 again. This exposes the natural maple with deep dark quilt.

Then I sprayed two coats of M100-0273 Modern Mahogany to the top only. Then I used M104-S224 Satin Black on the back, sides and bursting onto the top. Then used M102-0485 Dead Flat Clear all over the guitar, giving it a magical satin finish. I finished the project off with a coffin case and Crimson Ghost emblems. This project was very time consuming, but I enjoyed every second.

This guitar will be auctioned off on Ebay in early April and proceeds to benefit little Early Coffey. Thanks again Mohawk… I couldn't have done this without you. Now on to the next build!!"

Thanks for sharing with us Matt! If you have any questions about the guitar, our products, or anything touch up related, feel free to reach out. If you would like to be considered for our Guitar of the Month for April, submit your before and after photos on our Facebook page or group, or tag us on Instagram. See you next week!