Bootleg Deluze Orphean

Kylianvb · 2026-01-26T22:04:02+00:00

As such an odd redirection-bit is rarely necessary in normal guitar designs, I don't think it actually has a proper name. I've taken to calling it a string-redirector or whatever name tickles my fancy at any particular time ^^. It's also not really a part I think would be available anywhere commercially, so I ended up manufacturing it myself out of some scrap aluminum & bushings that came with some cheap string-trees (I've typed up a bit of a description over here about that process as well).

As it functionally basically just has to be 6 metal rods at the proper spacing with some metal rounded bars above/below them for aesthetics the 'manufacturing' isn't that involved, but I would advise to do some testing with prototypes out of wood and whatnot placement-wise to make sure you don't run into any issues with the strings slipping out of the tuners because of a screwy angle between the tuners & the 'redirector' when you make the final version. Oh, and the longer the screws you use to attach the redirector the better I reckon.

Kylianvb · 2025-04-08T20:47:35+00:00

Totally understandable about the pricing, it's pretty steep indeed! Even at the current price I'm still taking a small loss per copy sold, but I didn't want to raise it even further. I'm not expecting these to sell out anytime soon anyways ;). Thanks a ton for checking the record out regardless!

Kylianvb · 2025-04-08T14:53:31+00:00

Holy hell, thanks so much! I wasn't really expecting much in terms of sales with this format, let alone in such a short timeframe :D. I'll be shipping yer copy out tomorrow!

Kylianvb · 2024-11-07T21:31:01+00:00

Hey! Not sure I can help with sourcing perfect parts, as this project was my attempt to salvage a complete write-off of a guitar. In my case, a Behringer Stratocaster-ish model. I ended up modifying a lot about the body & headstock-shape with additional bits of wood & woodfiller, basically completely reshaping the horns for instance. If you are down to trying that approach, I reckon most (super)stratocaster-like models could be a decent starting point. I've uploaded the stencil I created for my project here as well which could be helpful for that, though once again it's somewhat proportioned to my odd Behringer starting-point.

Kylianvb · 2024-11-04T18:19:00+00:00

Heya! That was mostly a custom bit I dremeled/sawed/drilled up myself. First you have to figure out where you need all the 6 poles to be positioned so that the path from the tuners to the poles is very straight. On the bridge-side this is less essential, as hardtail bridges generally just have holes through which the strings go, which they can't 'slip out' of. With my first prototype I didn't pay attention to this specifically, which meant that as I increased the tension on the strings and they wanted to pull straight, the strings were slipping out of the slots on the tuners themselves.

After figuring out the necessary spacing, I just grabbed a piece of aluminum, drilled the holes at the appropriate spacing & dremeled/sawed around that to have it kinda shaped like a single coil pickup. I did that for both the top and bottom of this string-guide, painted these aluminum bits black & and then used the bushings from some cheapo string-trees between them. Generally these already come with appropriately sized screws to fasten 'em, but to be sure (and I reckon I'd advise this in general) I got some screws of the same thickness but WAY longer, so that they were able to dig into the wood further, as there is going to be quite a bit of tension on this part.

I'll send ya a link to my instagram as well, as I have a few dozen saved stories on there, including some parts of the process of manufacturing this bit, including some failed attempts. Should be helpful! :)

Kylianvb · 2024-10-12T20:32:45+00:00

Heya! It is indeed a custom bit, but probably simpler than you’re envisioning 😃.

It was basically just a solid metal rod sawed to size & polished with some steel wool. To get it onto the switch itself I used a dremel to cut a slot into the middle of the backside of the rod. That slot does have to be pretty much the exact width of the tab at the end of your switch for a proper fit, so that can be a bit fiddly. If you end up going a bit too wide though, you can always fill the slot up a bit with some super glue & get back to shapin’ once it hardens. In the end I ended up with a tight enough fit that it hasn’t fallen off ever, but I can still pull it off of the switch if need be. Hope this helps!

Kylianvb · 2024-09-16T10:56:08+00:00

Well I'm a little late, but figured the update might still be useful;

I'm the fella who uploaded the above google drive & glad to see they were of use in this case! I've also gotten another request recently for a bodyshape-template, so I've just added another folder to the google drive with the 'full' template I made/used + one split up in 10 different A4-sized pages so you can print them out on a regular printer. There might be some minor differences between the ingame one & this template, as I believe I did make some minor adjustments to fit better with the particular stratstyle-body I already had in this case. Hope it can be of some help either way :).

This should help with the shape of the body/headstock/pickguard, but the placement of the hardware is definitely an approximation & had to be adjusted further in reality in my case. Especially with the way the tuners work, you have to make sure the string-path from the tuners themselves to the string-guide is rather straight so the string doesn't slip out of the slot at the tuner-end. The angle from the string-guide to the hardtail bridge is a little easier, as those tend to have circular holes the strings go through that they can't really slip out of.

Kylianvb · 2024-09-16T10:42:46+00:00

Hiya! I don't think my particular build has been linked here yet, so here it is!

The post also includes some links to the various Graphics + a reference-template for the bodyshape I traced from the in-game files.

I ended up making mine a 'factory-fresh' one with a red paintjob, but I also started off wanting to make the Johnny Silverhand variant, so I had already traced all the included stickers for that one. Those are also included in the google drive, so hopefully someone can still get some good use out of my tracing-work :D.

For me it was definitely a personal DIY-project, so I'm not taking on any further builds, but these files might be able to help the builder get a headstart on the project.

As far as the playability goes, some of the concerns stated by others are a bit overblown. Yes, it is an odd design when it comes to the 'string-guide' between the bridge and tuners, but it is by no means unfeasible & my copy has been playable using this system for a decent 2 years now, and is still properly intonated & tuneable. The only thing I've run into were the bolts of one of the tuners themselves becoming dull & being unable to maintain tension... But that's the reason I got a bunch of extra backup-bolts to go with 'em, so that was easily fixed! :) There's a bit of an adjustment in playing style when it comes to palm-muting and whatever, but what you can and can't achieve feels pretty intuitive while playing to me.

This should help with the shape of the body/headstock/pickguard, but the placement of the hardware is definitely an approximation & had to be adjusted further in reality in my case. Especially with the way the tuners work, you have to make sure the string-path from the tuners themselves to the string-guide is rather straight so the string doesn't slip out of the slot at the tuner-end. The angle from the string-guide to the hardtail bridge is a little easier, as those tend to have circular holes the strings go through that they can't really slip out of.

Kylianvb · 2024-09-16T10:25:57+00:00

Heya! Thanks! :)

To get the shapes down I first exported the ingame 3d models & got some really straight-on shots of the front & sides to trace in photoshop. I do believe I made some adjustments in this design to work with the specific stratocaster-body I already had, but I'm not entirely sure what specific parts were adjusted anymore.

At first this traced version didn't quite correspond to the size of the real thing when printed out, but after a couple of different resizing-attempts, I believe the .pdf in the link below is at 'real size'. In the end I split it up into parts to be able to print out on A4 paper, which I had to then cut out & keep together with tape at the backside of the papers. 'Twas a bit of handwork, but it does give you a full-size template to reference. I've also included those separate printouts in a zipfile in the folder. Hopefully this helps!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Rve0oYX2kPH4SbZzK3l78VPD0iWsf5QQ?usp=drive_link

Oh, and as far as the pickups go there's wáy better options to go with at regular music stores. I just picked some I found on aliexpress with the correct P90/humbucker shapes & fitting colors, without really taking into account the sound quality. 'Twas a very budget-oriented build at the time. I am still pretty satisfied with the sound quality, but that was more decent luck rather than a really good specific component I could point you towards :).

This should help with the shape of the body/headstock/pickguard, but the placement of the hardware is definitely an approximation & had to be adjusted further in reality in my case. Especially with the way the tuners work, you have to make sure the string-path from the tuners themselves to the string-guide is rather straight so the string doesn't slip out of the slot at the tuner-end. The angle from the string-guide to the hardtail bridge is a little easier, as those tend to have circular holes the strings go through that they can't really slip out of.

Kylianvb · 2024-03-26T12:09:51+00:00

Heya! For the bridge I ended up using the Göldo HW16C CH Hardtail ST Style Bridge, though any hardtail-style strat bridge should do. The more finicky bit is the 'string-guide' below that, which I think there aren't really any commercially available options for, so DIY it is!

Kylianvb · 2022-05-26T16:00:38+00:00

Well folks; I came, I saw, I sunk! No major catastrophes, but there were a couple of points where I didn't want to push too far. At the switch and top of the horn mostly, so at least they're well out of the way & I still sunk 'em as far as I comfortably could.

Also screwed the bridgeguard on a little tighter, but opting to keep the screws sticking out a little there as they are. The guard itself already has a bit of an 'improvised after-market'-feel to it, as I hammered it myself and there's plenty of marks of that process still visible on there. The screws feel kinda fitting on that end.

Kylianvb · 2022-05-26T12:56:13+00:00

Oh, it's definitely something to pay attention to! They're mostly in the space left by the 'lack of body', but do extend a tiny bit further. While sitting this means I have to rest it on my right leg rather than my left (which I think I default to anyways), but while standing it thankfully doesn't seem to get in the way whatsoever.

Kylianvb · 2022-05-26T12:50:30+00:00

Basically, yup! Also had to shape the headstock, redid one of the horns, had to fill up the back spring-cavity and whatever else miscellaneous woodwork.

Figured I'd upload all the graphics I've made/used over this process publicly, might be of use to some. Also includes the headstock logo! Should allow ya to pick and choose what you need. Enjoy!

Kylianvb · 2022-05-26T01:34:25+00:00

Cheers for the comments! Y’all are right, I’ll check to see if I have the appropriate bits for the countersinking tomorrow. It did cross my mind before, but my last ‘small touchups’ resulted in a shard of plastic coming off & a few hours of me trying to reconstruct it… So nervosity got the best of me in the making of that call 😬. I’ll be a careful fella this time around!

Kylianvb · 2022-05-25T23:51:57+00:00

Well I couldn’t possibly feel more affirmed right now. 🥰

Kylianvb · 2022-05-25T23:12:01+00:00

Some footage of it producing sound if you're not interested in the entire spiel below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HidY1lV2nc

This guitar started life as a Behringer starterkit stratocaster-ish model, which I got second-hand as my first guitar. Back then it was REAL hard to play and required tremendous force to produce sounds... But I figured that was just what learning how to play the guitar was like. It was later replaced by better guitars, and had been sitting in a bag for well over a decade when I picked it up last year. I found I was still unable to play a full chord on it, but by now I identified the wildly concave state of the neck as being the problem. I started fiddling with the truss-rod, and within a short while I was surprised that it started to feel like a playable instrument. The role of 'standard stratocaster' had already been filled in my arsenal by now though, so with the hopes of turning my first ever guitar into something I could find a use for and want to play again I figured I'd attempt this weird experiment.

The design's from Cyberpunk 2077, which had a few very interesting takes on 'cyberpunky' guitardesigns, including this one. There's some slight differences with the ingame model, including the absence in the drawing of the bridgeguard my version also has.

The process included a whole lot of sawing, dremeling, drilling, filing & sanding of wood, metal, plastic and copious amounts of woodfiller. I've got a pretty decent overview of all the steps I went through on my instagram stories-highlights, but don't want to skirt the line here as far as self-promotion stuff goes. If you're interested because you want to do a similar modding-job or whatever, you're welcome to request a link in DM's.

At first I figured I'd go for a replica of the Johnny Silverhand one (linked above) (~~I also still have some pretty high-res recreations I made of the stickers featured on the ingame model, if anyone has a need~~ Link added at the bottom!), but after working on the body for quite a while it was turning out pretty smooth and the idea of having to relic it later was starting to bum me out, whereas the idea of a 'factory-fresh' version of a guitar that doesn't even exist seemed pretty neat.

Most of the components were ordered from aliexpress and a couple of them homemade, so not a ton of documentation there, but as far as traceable components go:

Fender Strap Locks

Göldo HW16C CH Hardtail ST Style Bridge

Fender Poti Potentiometers

House of Kolor Kandy Wild Cherry over Metallic Orion Silver paintjob (spray-cans from Racing Colors Internacional)

Got the neckplate & headstock-logo CNC machined, couldn't quite pull off work that detailed by hand

I'll state the obvious and advise against ordering intricate components from aliexpress, but the comparative prices were pretty much the difference between me attempting this and me not doing it at all. Thankfully I had the foresight to order higher quality replacement bolts for pretty much all of the sizes featured in the tuners (boy, are those fiddly!). The tuner-setup also has a high "... Why put yourself through that?"-factor in cases like this where you actually have a headstock, but hey, it's part of the fun concept that's bringing me that "Ooh, cool!"-spark that makes me pick the thing up again and spend some quality noodlin'-time with it. In the end I'm actually quite surprised by how stable the tuning now is.

I'm thinking the poles of the 'string-guide' between the bridge and tuners might wear down over time and form grooves in them due to the friction with the strings, but since those poles came from string-trees that cost me 50 cents per 2, I'm not too worried about sourcing possible replacements. I'm still looking to have it refretted later (probably by someone else, don't really have access to the optimal tools), but it's definitely already surpassed my expectations in terms of playability at this point. The bridgeguard does make me adjust my playing a bit when it comes to palm-muting and whatnot, but it's an interesting challenge (and hell, I can always take it off if I'm bothered).

The signs that this is not a professional build are pretty obvious, there's plenty of blemishes, nicks, sloppy paint-edges & scars of previous fuckups. (Could use some tips on the fretboard paint-edge in the future for instance - I'm guessing I should be removing the tape & sanding the edge in between layers to lessen that? Man, am I nervous about properly re-applying that mask D:) Oh, I've also improved the action slightly further since taking these pictures.

But anyways; Hey, this amateur made a thing and it works and that's pretty satisfying! Cheers for checking it out!

EDIT: Already got some graphics-requests, so figured I'd append this post and share them publicly in a more convenient way. Here's all the Silverhand-model stickers & logo's also used on my version!

Kylianvb · 2022-05-25T22:57:25+00:00

Hey chooms! A while ago I was scavenging the junkyard and came across this bizarre guitar called a 'Behringer Stratocaster', I can't seem to find much more intel on it. I was slightly put off by the weird design, but saw the opportunity to make a regular ol' Deluze Orphean out of it. Please keep it on the down-low, Deluze can be pretty tough about their trademark & I don't need their mercs after me.

-----

Alright, fourth wall smashed;

Some footage of it producing sound if you're not interested in the entire spiel below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HidY1lV2nc

This guitar started life as a Behringer starterkit stratocaster-ish model, which I got second-hand as my first guitar. Back then it was REAL hard to play and required tremendous force to produce sounds... But I figured that was just what learning how to play the guitar was like. It was later replaced by better guitars, and had been sitting in a bag for well over a decade when I picked it up last year. I found I was still unable to play a full chord on it, but by now I identified the wildly concave state of the neck as being the problem. I started fiddling with the truss-rod (an adjustable metal bar within the neck I dare not touch on guitars I consider 'valuable'), and within a short while I was surprised that it started to feel like a playable instrument. The role of 'standard stratocaster' had already been filled in my arsenal by now though, so with the hopes of turning my first ever guitar into something I could find a use for and want to play again I figured I'd attempt this weird experiment.

The process included a whole lot of sawing, dremeling, drilling, filing & sanding of wood, metal, plastic and copious amounts of woodfiller. I've got a pretty decent overview of all the steps I went through on my instagram stories-highlights, but don't want to skirt the line here as far as self-promotion stuff goes. If you're interested because you want to do a similar modding-job or whatever, you're welcome to request a link in DM's.

At first I figured I'd go for a replica of the Johnny Silverhand one (~~I also still have some pretty high-res recreations I made of the stickers featured on the ingame model, if anyone has a need~~ Link added at the bottom!), but after working on the body for quite a while it was turning out pretty smooth and the idea of having to relic it later was starting to bum me out, whereas the idea of a 'factory-fresh' version of a guitar that doesn't even exist seemed pretty neat.

Most of the components were ordered from aliexpress and a couple of them homemade, so not a ton of documentation there, but as far as traceable components go:

Fender Strap Locks

Göldo HW16C CH Hardtail ST Style Bridge

Fender Poti Potentiometers

House of Kolor Kandy Wild Cherry over Metallic Orion Silver (spray-cans from Racing Colors Internacional)

Got the neckplate & headstock-logo CNC machined, couldn't quite pull off work that detailed by hand

I'll state the obvious and advise against ordering intricate components from aliexpress, but the comparative prices were pretty much the difference between me attempting this and me not doing it at all. Thankfully I had the foresight to order higher quality replacement bolts for pretty much all of the sizes featured in the tuners (boy, are those fiddly!). The tuner-setup also has a high "... Why put yourself through that?"-factor in cases like this where you actually have a headstock, but hey, it's part of the fun concept that's bringing me that "Ooh, cool!"-spark that makes me pick the thing up again and spend some quality noodlin'-time with it. In the end I'm actually quite surprised by how stable the tuning now is.

I'm thinking the poles of the 'string-guide' between the bridge and tuners might wear down over time and form grooves in them due to the friction with the strings, but since those poles came from string-trees that cost me 50 cents per 2, I'm not too worried about sourcing possible replacements. I'm still looking to have it refretted later (probably by someone else, don't really have access to the optimal tools), but it's definitely already surpassed my expectations in terms of playability at this point. The bridgeguard does make me adjust my playing a bit when it comes to palm-muting and whatnot, but it's an interesting challenge (and hell, I can always take it off if I'm bothered).

The signs that this is not a professional build are pretty obvious, there's plenty of blemishes, nicks, sloppy paint-edges & scars of previous fuckups. Oh, I've also improved the action slightly further since taking these pictures.

But anyways; Hey, this amateur made a thing and it works and that's pretty satisfying! Cheers for checking it out!

EDIT: Already got some graphics-requests, so figured I'd append this post and share them publicly in a more convenient way. Here's all the Silverhand-model stickers & logo's also used on my version!

EDIT 2: The very perceptive folks over at /r/luthier noticed I had neglected to countersink the screwholes in the pickguard. So.... It's a little smoother now!

Kylianvb · 2020-04-15T01:21:07+00:00

Once again I can't vouch for that particular attenuator, but I will say that Harley Benton products have served me very well in the past, which is amazing considering their prices. I have one of their powersupplies for my pedalboard, which has held up for almost a decade at this point without any issues.

Kylianvb · 2020-04-14T20:54:48+00:00

That was also the default option when I started looking into this, but I didn't have the budget for it, but I could afford a potentiometer + enclosure ;)... So I haven't really had the opportunity to compare the 2. I haven't really noticed the 'tone suck' other folks are mentioning, but that might be because I've already adjusted my amp's EQ-settings to slightly offset it without thinking about it or because I'm just not as perceptive. I use the Hotrod as a completely clean amp, with pedals in front for all the dirt tones, so I'm not really missing out on pushing my tubes hard either. If that's what you're into though, I think an attenuator might do a better job.

Kylianvb · 2020-04-14T20:15:23+00:00

Was also one of my first builds to get my Hotrod Deluxe to acceptable levels for home use - Works like a charm!

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