Oliva 135th Anniversary "Truckster" (El Troca)

In May of last year, I made it a mission to utilize some necks, cigar boxes and parts that had been hanging around in the bin for a while, to create a few instruments without having to order any materials for. I had several of my favorite Oliva 135th Anniversary boxes in a pile that all had some minor cosmetic issues (chips in the lacquer, a few small scratches, etc--but hey, "used" cigar boxes tend to have minor issues anyway), and wanted to make them into some viable workhorse guitars. So I chose some combinations of components I would enjoy using myself, and I got to work.

"The Truckster" is based on a couple of my own personal builds (also called "The Truckster", but mine have different bridges and tailpieces), with a control and pickup configuration offering similar versatility to a Les Paul or SG. Most of the time I don't put selector switches on these (aside from the ones configured like Stratocasters) unless it's a custom order, but I had some 3-way toggle switches lying around and thought I'd add one to the circuit for enhanced versatility. I utilizes a top-loader hardtail Strat-type bridge, sweet and simple. 

I chose a pair of covered humbucker pickups to get a meaty tone that folks want from a two-humbucker axe. Each pickup has its own volume, along with a volume control for a passive under-the-lid piezo and a master tone control, all topped with the classic "speed knobs" in a dark "smoked amber" or whatever you'd call it, for a "vintage-y" appearance. In true "Truckster" heritage, just like on my own Trucksters, the knobs are lined up straight to give it a "wheeled" look.

Vintage style tuners on the 25.5" scale neck give it a time-proven and familiar vibe. Currently strung up with 11-50 strings. Plays nicely, but that's subjective and I always disclose that you may want to put a different gauge on and set it up for your liking. 

Definitely one of the standouts of the inventory, and built with the gigging player in mind. I used decorative grommets instead of soundhole covers on this one, and it makes this one notably louder unplugged than some builds! I've sold custom ordered versions of this one for considerably more, but because I'm looking at these as kind of "scratch-n-dent" builds with OEM-grade parts and such, I don't see why I can't offer them at the same price as my normal non-custom builds. This is the first time I've offered one with this configuration in the standard off-the-shelf offerings, and I think it'd make a great tool in the right hands, whether pickin' on the porch or onstage at your next gig.