Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: WezV on July 26, 2007, 05:07:23 PM
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OK, Noodle has said it would be good for me to to a plank to playing photo essay on one of my builds. I like the idea but thing we should go a stage further. I wanted to do some projects as demo models over the summer anyway but i reckon i will let you guys dictate the way it goes - as long as nobody asks for a bloody banjo i dont mind!!
First up, shape. I was going to go with this thing designed by my cousin but maybe make the upper bout a bit larger. I think it would look good with a big ole chunk of chrome tele style bridge with a humbucker sized hole and another humbucker in the neck
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801042.jpg)
The body wood will be this korina, slightly knotty but has a great tap-tone.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801048.jpg)
Not sure what to do for the top. Either this splated and slightly flamed maple
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801043.jpg)
or this flamed maple
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801046.jpg)
All ideas welcome and i will get started on it next week!! obviously i will have the final say
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That splated top looks amazing!
I'd put the splated bit at the bottom and have something like a Zebrano fretboard to match it - Would look stunning with gold hardware :o
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not a fan of spalted. personally i think some nice plain wood with some grain would look good.
a pretty fingerboard would be good though! :P
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i'm not a fan of spalted, to be honest, though every so often you see a great-looking spalted top. I'd go with the flame, but obviously it's up to you!
Nice body shape too.
:drink:
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Spalted top, ebony board, black headstock (les paul style black) and black hardware.
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I find spalted only works well on certain shapes - but i like this set. the flamed stuff would be nice though and will look good under a purple burst :wink:
i will post some pics of the options for neck and fretboard, it will be stuff that i have here. Probably ziracote fretboard but i have some interesting stuff for necks i want to try out so i post pics later
hardware will probably be chrome because of keeping costs to a minimum.
I am basically after ideas for shape, scale length, wood choices for neck, pickups, hardware (nothing too expensive for this), inlay . . . and anthing else people can think of that they would like to see in a guitar.
obviously i expect to get a lot of ideas i will ignore( :twisted: ) - thats just the nature of the beast!!
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I would say a Purpleheart fretboard, the shape in the picture is nice, but an asymmetric bottom thingy would be cool to.
Why don't make the body out of 3 pieces? The middle piece the korina wood, with 2 "wings" glued to the middle piece (and with a nice strip of purpleheart between the 2 parts)
No inlay!! :D
Does anyone have any idea how a bubinga neck would sound on a guitar?
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well sticking with the woods i have here, no bubinga or purple heart.
here's the neck woods i can spare for this one:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801051.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801056.jpg)
from the top:
Bocote - the grain isnt pefectly aligned on this bit though.
Indian rosewood - nice and straight grained
Bloodwood - another nice blank but on the short side so no big headstocks
Zebrano- to be used as the outside laminates on 3 peice necks
I also have some flamed maple and mahogany neck laminates
And fretboards:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801061.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801063.jpg)
Bloodwood
Bocote
Indian rosewood x3
Grenadillo x 2
birdseye maple (acrylised)
Those are the woods we have to work with folks, although i will conside mixing up a couple of neck blanks in a laminated neck!!
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Oh, i also have a load of ziracote fretboards coming so i maybe able to spare one of those. Ziracote is my favorite wood for fretboards!!
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If you're using the Spalted top I beg you to make the fretboard out of that Bocote - Would look stellar!
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yah i was thinking they would go together well - problem is i am not keen on the colour of bocote, that peice came as part of a bulk buy. I dont mind the bocote neck blank because its mainly dark grain but the fretboard looks a bit like vomit - it will get used for something but possibly not this
Has anyone got any other ideas on the shape - its hard to tell when something is just a template but i am still not sure about the one i have shown!!
So far i am thinking the korina body with flamed maple top. indian rosewood neck with ziracote fretboard and flamed maple binding. No inlays because i like the look of ziracote so much - but if anyone has a cool inlay idea that could challenge me i might do it, i need a bit more practice with inlay anyway.
Purpleburst on the body with a big chrome tele bridge and direct mounted neck humbucker. Still not sure if it would look better as a chambered design with some kind of f-hole.
... and the big question for this forum - - what pickups would be best for the most versatile tone. Part of me things something in burnt chrome would go well with the purpe burst!! I also reckon a big chrome MQ or manhattan would look great in the neck!!!!
I was thinking a set-neck like a prs i.e full width neck tenon rather than a gibson style one - although i may extend it into the body further than a prs. Again set-necks are something i havnt done as much off it is good to use this opportunity to get more experience with them. Only done about 4-5 set-necks so far. all but the first turned out great but it doesnt hurt to practice!!
i'm also tempted to do a purpleburst, set-neck strat so lets hear opionons on that as an alternative idea
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that spalted piece would be awesome on a hetfield style explorer
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About the shape - I think the top horn is a bit too bulbous - I think you should go for a more traditional top horn with the thin sharp Eclipse-like bottom horn which you've shown in the template which looks awesome.
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dont say that hategrowth - i keep wanting to do another explorer, but it would probably be a downsized version like the gibson x-plorer pro of the 90's. very nice guitars!!!!
Anyway, we need to focus this in so lets vote.
vote 1:
spalted maple top
Flamed maple top
Plain korina body with no top
Vote 2:
The shape i posted above
A strat shape
Suddenly i want to do a firebird!!
Anything else
Vote 3
State your prefered neck wood and fretboard from the selection above
Vote 4 - bridge
tele style with humbucker
tele style with tele pickup
strat hardtail style
tune-o-matic
Vote 5
Choose a cpikcup combo you belive to be truly versatile from the BKP range!!
I will give this the weekend to see what you all reckon and go with that!!!
I dont want to do a trem guitar because trems cost more money for the quality i need on my guitars and since i am funding this one there is a budget and i cant skimp on pickups for you guys!!
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1: spalted top
2: Shape posted above
3: Mahogany with Zebrano fingerboard or the spalted Bochote.
4: Tunomatic
5: Pair of Cold Sweats.
My sort of Artist's impression which I made up of some of the pictures you posted combined with a Les Paul neck I found on the net :P
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/noodleplugerine/Weztar.jpg
PS: Add a vote for Finish?
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now we are getting there!! i suppose i could do a bookmatched fretboard with one of the neck laminates but really i prefer either light or dark rather than the somehwere in the middle like zebrano.
so if you dont like the top horn would you rather it was more les paul shaped on the upper bout with the sharper lower hornof the shape i posted????
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vote 6 - finish:
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now we are getting there!! i suppose i could do a bookmatched fretboard with one of the neck laminates but really i prefer either light or dark rather than the somehwere in the middle like zebrano.
so if you dont like the top horn would you rather it was more les paul shaped on the upper bout with the sharper lower hornof the shape i posted????
The bottom horn is very nice - But I think the upper horn isn't as pretty - I think it's a bit too bulbous in some way.
But don't let me overstep my mark - This is your guitar, and your business!
6: I'd say if using the spalted then do an oiled finish - And if using the maple a transparent burst - Either blue/red/purple etc - A vibrant colour.
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Hey man! use the Spalted Maple! It rules! :twisted:
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Should go for the original shape, with the spalted top, and the Ziracote fingerboard :)
That Bocote fingerboard looks really nice, i may have to get a piece for when i get round to building a fretless bass! :)
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But don't let me overstep my mark - This is your guitar, and your business!
but thats the point, i always want to listen to what other people want from a guitar otherwise i may as well just stick to making them for myself - and i seem to be getting a little beyond that now and thats the way i see my future going!!!
plus, if i am documenting it here - it might as well be something thats for the BKP people!! it should make it more interesting for you all to watch.
If tim wants to input as well that would be great, but no expectations - i would really like to know what he would like from a guitar that the only sure design decision at this stage is that it will definately feature his pickups!!!
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1: spalted top
2: Can be the shape you show
3: Neck should be fat tone like mahogany/rosewood... the fingerboard shall be Ziricote!
4: Tunomatic with string thru body or hardtail
5: That's very particular, what kind of souond do you seek? (put 2 humbuckers or Mississippi Queen - BLACK!)
6: clean finish!
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5: That's very particular, what kind of souond do you seek? (put 2 humbuckers or Mississippi Queen - BLACK!)
well thats the question!! most of the guitars i make now i end up selling which is why i asked for people opinions on what is most versatile... Its almost like i am trying to remove what i want from the equation - because being able to build what other people want is a much better skill to have!!!
if you take something like a normal guitars with standard pickups it should be able to do a whole range of stuff - thats what i am after - but something that is still distinctly WV!!! so i am not looking for something completely high gain or something completely clean - just something that shows my guitars off to there full potential
Even if i end up keeping this for myself when its finished, i am the sort of player that no guitar is wrong for - just different.... i am fairly obsessed with guitars and generally like all of them!!! which is why i am willing to except suggestions from the BKP froum on this matter
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Bocote fretboard man, all the way!
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1. Spalt, most definately spalt. I love it.
2. I quite like the shape, it reminds me of something I was looking at in the guitar shop yeterday. Although Firebirds kick arse man (got a rebranded Ibanez Lawsuit Firebird that may be up for grabs if anyone wants it)
3. Bloodwood:Zebrano:Bloodwood neck with the fingerboard blank cut off the same neck blank (after glueing) so it just carries on through the neck on fretboard.
4. TOM bridge, trems cover too much wood :lol:
5. Haven't heard enough BKP's to give an opinion, but the blend pot betwwen a coil tap (as used on Vintage guitars) is apparently really versatile.
6. Just harden the spalt and leave it natural. Spalt is it's own decoration.
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i';m going to go against what everyone else has said;
I don't like the bottom horn; It looks to weedy and pointy. It makes me want to snap it off...
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I love chevron flame tops (one of my LP's has one), and I really don't like spalted wood - basically you have fungus holes in it! A very clever marketing trick though - let's not throw away this piece of cr@p, let's pretend it is a jewel and price it as such.
I don't mind the body shape - looks like the Aria PE's if it will have a carved top. Firebirds are great, but they really need a neck through to be 'right'.
Having 2 bloodwood necks, I am somewhat biased. However I think the bloodwood fingerboard on the bocate or rosewood neck would look great.
For me the best bridge is a wrap around, or the hardtail strat.
Pickups are more a case of what sound are you going for. Without hearing the finished guitar and not knowing what woods you are going to use, I think it is really hard to say what pickups to go for. At this point I think 2 humbucker cut outs is all I can pick, although if you are going for the more basic look, what about 2 P-90's?
The purple you had on the tele was great looking. Tell you sprayer back and you should get a great finish again :lol:
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Ok, here goes
1. Anything but spalt maple (looking at it makes me feel ill) preferably the flame maple
2. The shape is a difficult one, but I really like the BC Rich Eagle :P (Picture here (http://namm.harmony-central.com/SNAMM05/Content/BC_Rich/PR/NJ-Classic-Eagle-lg.jpg) for those who may not have seen one)
3. My preferred neck/ fretboard wood is, and always will be, maple on maple - although from the choices you gave, I'd take the Zebrano, with that Bocote board (i like the grain pattern on that)
4. TOM - String thru, no question lol
5. I'd take either a pair of Abraxas, or Abraxas/MQ
6. GREENBURST! :D
Ooo, I'm getting myself all excited now - any chance I could pay you to build what i've just come up with there? :P
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vote 1:
Plain korina body with no top
Vote 2:
firebird!! - although maybe make it something slightly differet
Vote 3
brazilian rosewood looks nice
Vote 4
tune-o-matic
+ string thru
Vote 5
Bridge - mini mule
mid - MQ
neck - mini mule
3 vol 1 tone
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3. Bloodwood:Zebrano:Bloodwood neck with the fingerboard blank cut off the same neck blank (after glueing) so it just carries on through the neck on fretboard.
i like the idea of mixing bloodwood and zebrano in the neck, but i really dont like the idea of mixing fretboard woods. it can look great but seems a little wrong to me - you might get the strings sounding differnt from each other because of the tonal characteristics of each peice of fretboard wood!!
I love chevron flame tops (one of my LP's has one), and I really don't like spalted wood - basically you have fungus holes in it! A very clever marketing trick though - let's not throw away this piece of cr@p, let's pretend it is a jewel and price it as such.
Phil has a good point here, as much as i like spalt it is only for decoration and doesnt add anything to the guitar tonally - in fact if used unwisely it can detract - mouldy wood isnt the most vibrant stuff. wheras the other maple top i have shown is thicker and will bring some nice top end sparkle. Matched with the korina it would give a very rich and complex les paul sound - but less muddy!!
Vote 3
brazilian rosewood looks nice
i dont have to do another rant about the current state of brazilian rosewood do i, i am sure i have bored enough of you with that :wink: Although the ziracote i am getting is very close to good braz RW in looks and sound except for its more grey - dark brown- black rather than the purples and reds you can get in braz RW. I like the idea of having 3 pickups but that might be limited by money!! I have just been to the tattoist today to book in and i need to save £250 for a huge arm tattoo
thanks for the ideas guys - keep them coming!!!
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3. Bloodwood:Zebrano:Bloodwood neck with the fingerboard blank cut off the same neck blank (after glueing) so it just carries on through the neck on fretboard.
i like the idea of mixing bloodwood and zebrano in the neck, but i really dont like the idea of mixing fretboard woods. it can look great but seems a little wrong to me - you might get the strings sounding differnt from each other because of the tonal characteristics of each peice of fretboard wood!!
I couldn't see that to be honest. The strings (open) are suspended from the nut and tehbridge which both act as solid units. Although the nut is often attached to the fretboard, each of the fretboard woods are, more or less, solidly bonded to the nut. Therefore they'll act as one piece.
When fretted, the string is suspended from the fret and the bridge. As the fret is bonded to all three pieces, teh fret board should act as one piece of wood.
But I never deny the possibility that I could be talking out of my arse :lol:
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but when you play a guitar with an ebony fretboard over some thing like rosewood it feels very different - and dont foget that the fret is firmly connected to the wood underneath it. I think fretboard wood changes the 'attack' characteristic of the sound.
the bloodwood would have a similar feel to ebony and possibly a sharper attack thean the zebrano.
Anyway, i was just looking at the wood and decided to draw the shape on to show hat it would actually look like. the wood has been wiped with spirits to show more of the figure but it also darkens it somewhat:
here is the flamed maple again, although i would probably put the body the other way to get more flame accross the lower bout:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/1-4.jpg)
the spalted maple:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/2-2.jpg)
and the acrylised b/e maple fretboard. Its a very nice peice of wood that no one has noticed:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/3-3.jpg)
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I still think that the Spalted is the way to go - It's gorgeous.
The maple looks superb aswell - But I'd still rather see the Bochote - Never seen spalted Bochote before - But it aswell is gorgeous =)
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the bocote isnt spalted. It has very tight orangey yellow and black grain lines. with that peice being flatsawn it cuts though a few grain lines and creates the crazy look. although when i start sanding the radius it will completely change the way the bocote looks - always a gamble with flatsawn fretboards
Couldnt use spalted wood for a fretboard anyway - wouldnt last more than a day unless it was acrylised
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bocote seems popular so here is another pic, close up:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/4-3.jpg)
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Wez, how much would it cost for you to make another one of these, maybe with different woods (I only say that because I have no idea how padauk sounds):
(http://www.wezvenables.co.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/14.jpg)
(sorry if you dont like hotlinking from your site, I'll take it down if you want)
I think it looks great :D
As for the guitar in this thread, I dont particularly like the body shape, but I think the spalted maple looks nicer on it than flamed might.
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Thx for the interest but that stuff is best done through PM's
Sorry to be funny guys but my intention in this thread was not to shamelessly whore myself out as a guitar builder. it is something i do as well as having a full time(if you can call it that :wink: ) job as a teacher, i do it mainly because i really like guitars and i am pretty damn good at it. I do take on custom work and commisions but only about 5-6 a year so i am really not doing this thread for advertisment and i dont want to be in a situation where anyone thinks i am using this forum for that much shameless self promotion. One day i may like to be a full time luthier but at the moment i would rather be in the situation i am in where i get to pick exactly what i want to do and put my full effort into everything i make... i am not sure that would still be possible if i was worrying about the bills as i was doing it!!!
I will say this here then we will keep this thread on topic. If you like my guitars and wonder if we could do something together then send me a message telling me what you want . I will email back to tell you if it is something i would want to do, how much i would charge and how long it would probably take!!
sorry if tha comes over as a little harsh but i really only wanted to do this thread because lots of people here seem genuinely interested in the construction of guitars!!! the stage we are at now of showing lots of pics of wood and critiquing the shapes is exactly what i would do with a client.
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Ah ok, sorry, I tend to take threads off topic without realising :lol: I'm very interested but probably wont be able to afford one for ages anyway now I think about it :oops: Will PM next time!
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i have PM'ed you tom :D
i am always greatfull for the interest folks, mainly because it makes me feel good. but i think it would be a little unfair for Tim to be funding my add campaign :wink:
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Looking good Wez - if you really like Ziricote for fretboards, give me a shout if you ever have trouble tracking any down in future as I've got enough left from the ebay stash I bought for 9 more fretboards and I can't see me using it all.
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cheers bainzy - i have just orderdd a load of fretboards . .. but if you had owt big enough for a neck that is something i would really like to try!!
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bocote seems popular so here is another pic, close up:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/4-3.jpg)
a very vehement YES YES YES YES YES (yet again).
I am actually, contrary to my instincts, starting to love the look you have going with the spalt. I do, however, think that the body shape is a bit meh (for lack of a real word). Someone said they just wanted to break off the curved bit at the cutaway, and i have to agree. I think, personally, i would accentuate the cutaway tip more and have less of a bowling out bottom to the body, it looks very unwieldy, even if it is not physically, the shape portrays that effect. But if you tighten up the bottom of the body (just a tad) and then got with the spalt and Bocote, i think you would have something very apealing. However, if you do choose to go with the flamed maple, i would not use the Bocote, it would just look "off" and not bring out the natural effects of both woods... in other words, they would clash in look, and certainly aesthetic appeal.
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yeah you are spot on - the bocote and spalted maple will go together to make a very woody organic guitar wheras the flamed maple will probably look best with a strong colour and they always look best to my eyes with dark fretboards and headstocks.
I might have a re-design on the body if it really isnt greatly appealing to anyone so please be honest if you dont like it!!!
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vote 1:
spalted maple top
or
Plain korina body with no top (see vote 2)
Vote 2:
The shape i posted above (with the flamed top)
or
Suddenly i want to do a firebird!! (plain korina)
Vote 3
State your prefered neck wood and fretboard from the selection above (can't really vote on that, i haven't tried most of those :oops: )
Vote 4 - bridge
tele style with humbucker
or
tune-o-matic
Vote 5
Choose a cpikcup combo you belive to be truly versatile from the BKP range!!
again, can't really vote on that, the only ones i've tried are the silly grin hard rock/metal ones.
who said i was indecisive? :lol:
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i'd agree with a couple of things about the body shape.
although i like the lower horn, i would just make the main chunk of body a little less big and circular... it looks a little bit out of proportion to the other half to my eyes.... it's close to looking great though.
i'd also go with the Spalted Maple and that Bocote, definitely- looks great.
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Suddenly from what i am getting from you guys i am getting that it should have that bocote fretboard and that the body shape i have designed needs more work to be truly appealing, the spalted maple seems to be very popular so we know who is more ocncerned with appearance rather than ultimate tone :wink: (i know thats not true because you wouldnt be here if you were not interested in getting a good tone).
I will make my decision based on your input on sunday night and start gluing the wood together on monday!!
Now i am going to go and get drunk
keep it coming!!!
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Something that just ocurred to me (for some reason) is that maybe you could do a roughly LP shape with an 'offset' body, in the same way that an ESP Viper is an 'offset' SG - do you get what I mean?
(http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.0c4728241a.jpg) (http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?0c4728241a.jpg)
Dodgy paint skills, but that sort of thing :lol:
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i get exactly what you mean and i can see something promising through the dodgy paint skills!!
it was a short night out - but i am drunk!!!
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i just realised i voted for a spalted maple top instead of flamed. And i wasn't drunk.
:oops:
I blame tay zonday.
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i just realised i voted for a spalted maple top instead of flamed. And i wasn't drunk.
:oops:
I blame tay zonday.
does not mean you would prefer the flamed over spalted? It will all be taken into consideration!!
So far i am getting the idea we are going for something like the deisgn i posted but a bit less bulbous at the rear end - more of a substantial horn and a bigger upper bout... that keeps making me thing of the matt bellamy manson's - which isnt bad but i dont want to do owt like that incase i want to sell it.
i am suprised nobody seems to be keen on doing a strat shape!!! i reckon if we are going with the spalted maple it might look good on a simple san dimas style strat - with the bocote fretboard and some nice inlays, flaming skulls or something!!!! SImple design will work better with the OTT grain of the woods. maybe a set-neck strat with tune-o-matic!!
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(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801042.jpg)
That shape just screames semi-acoustic to be, something like an ES-125...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Gibson-ES-125-TC-Electric-Guitar-Nice-NR_W0QQitemZ290140761399QQihZ019QQcategoryZ38085QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Of course you could change the electrics round or decide to make it with a tune-o-matic and stopbar. I'd finish it in that red stain in the ebay auction above and have twin P90s (yum!!!)
:twisted:
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i am suprised nobody seems to be keen on doing a strat shape!!! i reckon if we are going with the spalted maple it might look good on a simple san dimas style strat - with the bocote fretboard and some nice inlays, flaming skulls or something!!!! SImple design will work better with the OTT grain of the woods. maybe a set-neck strat with tune-o-matic!!
I'd definetly go for a Strat shape - But you seemed to put alot of thought into that Singlecut - So I didn't want to say anything :p
If I could find the photo of a specific Superstrat with a spalted top I saw a few months ago - I'd show it.
It had radioactive signs on the fretboard, and 1 pound coins on the knobs with a bloodwood binding on the neck.
Was truly gorgeous imo - And VERY cool - But alot of hard work.
My dream shape would be something like a Black Machine, Caparison Dellinger or an ESP M series shape - My fave guitars are definetly super strats.
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, flaming skulls or something!!!!
TACKYYYYYY
Love the san dimas idea though - could you mock it up for us here-> http://www.nymphusa.com/kisekae/strat710/base.asp
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The singlecut shape is being used by my cousin/sprayer on a guitar he is making. . . we designed it as a semi-hollow guitar so made two sets of templates. one for the shape and another for the chambers!!!
I am quite open to doing a strat because its something else i already have templates for - but i am not really worried if i have to make more templates anyway.. but a strat is still something i have never gotten around to doing so having an excuse to do one is never a bad thing... but i dont see the point making it like a standard strat because there are far too many of them in the world anyway!!!
I like most guitars. There are a few i am not interested in building like extra pointy bc rich or dean razorback shapes but even the stuff i moan about like SG's i actually quite like - i just have issues with the way gibson does it!!!
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, flaming skulls or something!!!!
TACKYYYYYY
Love the san dimas idea though - could you mock it up for us here-> http://www.nymphusa.com/kisekae/strat710/base.asp
i was just looking at the skulls on the bottom of my vince ray voodoo boots and thinking i could do some good inlays with skulla and flames - - part of me wants to do something a bit more rockabilly!!! probably not for this though.
i will do the kisekae thing tomorrow for the strat
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/noodleplugerine/Weztar2.jpg)
What I got from the Virtual maker :D
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Noodle that is lovely!!
Black hardware and strat head would make that even better imo
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Noodle that is lovely!!
Black hardware and strat head would make that even better imo
+1
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does not mean you would prefer the flamed over spalted? It will all be taken into consideration!!
yeah, i'd prefer flamed.
though that spalted super strat noodle did looks pretty nice! :D
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nice mockup noodle but gold hardware is a definate no-no for me!!! other than that, and the fact the pickups look wrong that way round - bloody lovelly stuff!!!
headstock will obviously be one of my own designs, althougt it isnt something i am as precious about as other makers it will be where i am most likely to fall into trouble - copyright wise anyway
my headstock shapes tend to be variations on a theme to suit each guitar
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/noodleplugerine/Weztar2.jpg)
What I got from the Virtual maker :D
How did you do that?
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http://www.nymphusa.com/kisekae/kisekaeE1.asp
virtual guitar fun to be had by all!!!
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a couple of simple strats showing the bocote fretboard with the flame or spalt - couldnt resist the LP custom inlays though
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/spalt-1.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/flame.jpg)
colour aint quite right but that will be differnt when the wood has a finish
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I really like but the LP custom inlays don't fit imo, standard dots would be better.
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^ +1
i actually think spalted looks better in the superstrat, as long as the colour is a bit more like the flamed colour.
I'm not too fussed on reversed headstocks either... that's just me though.
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standard pearl dots, and headstocks the right way round would be cool. Man I'm a fussy old traditionalist...
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headstocks will probably be different anyway but that one of the things you cant change as easily on the virtual guitar program. Still not sure whether to go with an angled 3 a side headstock or a flat fender style
It looks like we are pretty much decided on a strat shape with spalted maple top and bocote fingerboard. Tune-o-matic bridge strung through body. Probably a zebrano and bocote 3 piece neck. I may do something simple but different for the inlays - still open too ideas on that
Things to decide later will be finish, although most likely it will be natural or slightly amber tinted and electrics!! Still not sure whether it would be better with a single bridge humbucker have more than that. Maybe a bridge humbucker with neck MQ or something like that. controls will be kept to a minimum. No more than 1 switch and 2 pots - but they might be push/pull depending on what pickups i get for it!!
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Agree with all the above.
Also, I'd say 24 fret with a 25.5 scale length, 2 humbuckers, and either a 4/2 headstock, or a 6 side, Jackson style headstock. I'm not a fan of traditional LP/Strat headstocks, but I'm sure you'll make something nice Wez - All the headstocks of your design I've seen, I've liked.
Electrics should be a Single push pull knob for volume and changing between the pickups.
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i havnt done a 6 a side headstock since one of my first guitars so it might be worth reviving a headstock i used on that.
strangely - that was a spalted maple top:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/4f90-1.jpg)
the shape of that thing was based on the bigsby merle travis guitar! Not my best work but i was very happy with it at the time - its owned by my dad now!!
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now that spalted top is STUNNNNING! :o
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well i thought i might as start this thing.
Here are two korina body blanks:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/1-5.jpg)
one is as they come from the timber yard - the other has been planed to 1 3/4" thick, had its edges made ready for joining and is erady to build with. Sometimes i buy wood prepared like this, sometimes i buy it straight form the yard - just depends how lazy i am feeling. I prefer to make bodies from one plank of wood cut like this for the consistency of the tone.
Im gonna start with the prepared body for this build - because i am feeling lazy!! First step is to mark the middle point of the plank where it is sawn in half
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/2-3.jpg)
I have marked it because i want to get those two edges together on the end of the body blank like this:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/3-4.jpg)
Apparently this is called 'flitch matching' (thanks bainzy :wink: !!!!) and whilst it is completely unneccisary i love how it looks!!!
So here is the wood marked up with the strat outline:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/4-4.jpg)
The join is good but needs a little touching up. This is done with handplanes and a long sanding block (sandpaper + 2x4 plank = sanding block). I use whatver seems to be working best on that particular wood.
Here is both halves of the body blank put into the vice for the final joining:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/5-2.jpg)
After that the join is checked again with a straight edge and dust is cleaned up.
I will then dry clamp it to make sure evrything goes together ok. Then glue it up and leave in clamps at least overnight:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/6-1.jpg)
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Gorgeous piece of Korina!
The headstock on that guitar of yours reminds me of the Schecter Diamond Series - Like WFD's.
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yep, similar to the schecter which was obviously stolen from the teisco spectrum from the 60's. I have a very battered and abused teisco spectrum bass that i cant deny has been he influence for few things i have made
Its also similar to the peavey t-40/60 headstock. What you cant really see on that blurry photo is a lighter swoosh on the bottom edge that is where i carved through the headstcok veneer to the neck wood below - that will be something i do again... if i do do it reversed its similar to a firebird headstock
even my normal headstock is quite similar to the one from the dan armstrong plexi guitar. I never realised that for a few years but cant deny i am a fan of the dan armstrong plexi guitars (for the look, not the sound) so they probably did influence my somewhat.
An original headstock shape is very hard to come up with so i dont worry about it being my 'signature'- i wouldnt want to use the same headstock on everything anyway because it just wouldnt suit all i want to build!!!!!!!!!
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I'm a big fan of headstocks like the ones I posted from the Virtual designing thing.
Ibanez and Jackson have great headstocks - As do ESP.
But nothing beats the Caparison 4-2 imo.
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Go for offset dots for the inlays!
That Flitch Matching i did by mistake with my guitar, and the slight wave in the grain (when viewed from the side), is in exactly the right place for the body contours, so the same grain like goes from the upper horn all the way to the arm contour :)
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Go for offset dots for the inlays!
noted!! - Still nor sure if it will any inlays at all yet.
This morning i have prepared the neck laminates
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/7-3.jpg)
above we have two zebrano laminates and a whole bocote bass neck blank. But as you can see the bocotes grain is not ideal for a neck since it is travelling diagonally. If this where a softer/weaker wood like mahogany i would never consider using it for a neck but since bocote is quite stiff it should still be all right in a laminated neck. So i have sawn a stip off the side of that neck blank for use in this guitar. the rest will also be sawn up for laminates
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/8-2.jpg)
see the colour difference with freshly cut bocote - it starts to darken pretty quickly but is really vomity at first:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/9-2.jpg)
and here we have the 3 bits being clamped together:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/10-2.jpg)
a few more clamps went on after i took the photo
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i have also started gluing the top to the body.
Usually it is a good idea to join both halves of the top and glue them onto the body in one go. thats certainly the best way to get the tightest joins anyway!!
But this top is splated and quite thin so is more delicate than usual. Therefore i have decided to glue one half at a time - this means i will need to be extra carefull to make sure i get a good join but makes it a lot easier to deal with the spalt!!
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/11-2.jpg)
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Great pics =)
Keep it up =)))
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looking good, can't wait to see the end result! :)
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this will probably be done quite quickly - possibly ready for spraying by the end of the week. I have both halves of the top glued on now and hopefully will be able to give the spalt some protection later on tonight to make it easier to work with tomorrow
i
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Looks great, wish I could build guitars :)
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Now this is nice to follow! :D
What kind of glue do you use? Titebond?
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yep, titebond original for all the wood/wood glue joins. never titebond II or III
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i havnt done a 6 a side headstock since one of my first guitars so it might be worth reviving a headstock i used on that.
strangely - that was a spalted maple top:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/4f90-1.jpg)
the shape of that thing was based on the bigsby merle travis guitar! Not my best work but i was very happy with it at the time - its owned by my dad now!!
that headstock is great, that gets my vote!
:twisted:
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^yer me too.
i'm still in awe over that top...
Wez have you got a higher resolution image of that guitar?
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reminds me of a peavey headstock..... doesnt suit the guitar in my opinion but thats cos i love my explorer/les paul/ ibanez type headstocks
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yeah i like that headstock but i agree it doesnt suit the guitar - - early mistakes!! definately got a peavy vibe..
that was built when i had a very shoddy camera but like i said before, its currently owned by my dad so i might be able to get a better picture - might show the mistakes though :wink:
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On the spalted superstrat I think a black headstock (maybe even reversed) with no inlays on the neck except one at the 12th fret.
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i was wondering whether to veneer the headstock or not, good idea woogie....i am also tempted by using the headstock design posted above with but in reverse - problem is i already have some right handed tuners i have been meaning to use so i might as well have it the right way round.
One good inlay at the 12th is a nice idea - - - anyone got any inspiration for that!!!
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Do you have any of the spalted maple left? Would be good to use as top for the Headstock =)
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i was wondering whether to veneer the headstock or not, good idea woogie....i am also tempted by using the headstock design posted above with but in reverse - problem is i already have some right handed tuners i have been meaning to use so i might as well have it the right way round.
One good inlay at the 12th is a nice idea - - - anyone got any inspiration for that!!!
Veneer!! thats the word i was looking for!! If you have righty tuners, make it a lefty guitar and donate it to me when you're done with it :D
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One good inlay at the 12th is a nice idea - - - anyone got any inspiration for that!!!
if you wanted to be really, really flamboyant some kind of tree/vine/plant thing would be really cool... not the typical vine-inlay going down then whole fretboard though...
i dunno why i say that really, just because the spalted is so natural and bare that some kind of nature thing would look cool.
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One good inlay at the 12th is a nice idea - - - anyone got any inspiration for that!!!
if you wanted to be really, really flamboyant some kind of tree/vine/plant thing would be really cool... not the typical vine-inlay going down then whole fretboard though...
i dunno why i say that really, just because the spalted is so natural and bare that some kind of nature thing would look cool.
Nice Sambo, giving the guitar a theme, I like that. Maybe a tree? Your trademark WezV logo like on your amp would be cool but it might be too personal to sell on. I think a theme idea like Sambo said is great!!
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cheers woogie :)
havent seen wez's logo thing... ?
i think some sort of uber-intricate tree-of-life design would look superb as 12th fret inlay...
http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/images/gifts/brassware/tree_of_life_mirror.jpg
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cheers woogie :)
havent seen wez's logo thing... ?
i think some sort of uber-intricate tree-of-life design would look superb as 12th fret inlay...
http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/images/gifts/brassware/tree_of_life_mirror.jpg
Brilliant!! That would suit nicely but don't forget how thin the 12th fret is.. maybe have it as a 5th fret logo like on the Ibanez SZ's.
For Wez's logo check his cab thread!!
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^very true.
or you could even have it going over a few frets near the 12th? if that would be possible.
but i like the idea of a 5th fret inlay.
just to show how simple it would be to come up with some sort of tree design without ripping off someone's image:
this is a 2 minute sketch i just did.
(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i133/samchad27/File0088.jpg)
you could add an over-sized leaf on each branch and do it in abalone.
that would look reeeaally cool!
:twisted:
gonna check the cab thread now.
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(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i133/samchad27/File0088.jpg)
That would look lovely in Abalone over the 12-17th fret.
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dont foget that we are going for fairly crazy fertboard wood - inlays like what you are suggesting look best on really dark and plain fretboards.
I have a few great bits of black pearl (arrrrrg, shiver me timbers!!!) left that will make something nice but it needs to be quite simple if its going to stand out.... might be best to leave that decision till after i have radiused the fretboard so we know exactly what the grain is like - it might suggest something to us!!
I dont really want to do the spalted wood on the headstock because i am going for a fender style of neck construction and the idea of getting a really thin bit of spalted wood to match the curved section really sounds like a PITA. But i can easily do it with black veneer and then i will inlay my 'WV' logo somewhere on that.
anyway back to the build, warts and all. I have just roughly cut the body out:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/12-2.jpg)
notice the dark spot - well spalted woods are a bar-steward. This stuffs relatively hard in the middle which is good for the bridge but has some quite soft bits where most of the spalting is. One of these sections got dented during glue-up. I had to steam it out - which worked well, and then sand it flat - which didnt because it was still a little damp and made it all discoloured.
I hate working with spalted wood so before we proceed i am going to try and sort it out. Here it is coated with west systems epoxy which is a boat builders epoxy. Its super strong, super hard and super clear..even better it doesnt smell as bad as cheap epoxy and its a lot thinner so soaks in quite deep on the spalted wood and should harden it off considerably
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/13.jpg)
I think the dirty spot was still a little wet and is making the epoxy cloudy. Its all gonna have to be sanded back tomorrow anyway and i will probably have to do another coating tomorrow
On the plus side - it should turn out great!! spalting just creates so much extra work - i wonder if the factories that are suddenly using it go to this much effort. Mind you they probably dont make the mistakes i do :wink:
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That's going to look gorgeous when it's finished! =O
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very nice!
and you're right- i overlooked the fretboard wood.... if it was ebony then a detailed inlay would look fantastic but maybe not so much with the bocote.
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Just that standard tree in the cirlce would look sweet
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i was wondering whether to veneer the headstock or not, good idea woogie....i am also tempted by using the headstock design posted above with but in reverse - problem is i already have some right handed tuners i have been meaning to use so i might as well have it the right way round.
One good inlay at the 12th is a nice idea - - - anyone got any inspiration for that!!!
something tribal yet unique cool and classy.....if that exists
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not much unique left if ya wanno go tribal. Plus i hate cutting lots of points into pearl - it always snaps!!!.. I am not the best inlay artist - best to stick with stuff that mainly consists of geometric shapes
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i do like the tree in a circle idea but will have to have a think about wether its something i can do- although i always like a challenge
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cheers woogie :)
havent seen wez's logo thing... ?
i think some sort of uber-intricate tree-of-life design would look superb as 12th fret inlay...
http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/images/gifts/brassware/tree_of_life_mirror.jpg
(http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/images/gifts/brassware/tree_of_life_mirror.jpg)
Becomes:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/noodleplugerine/loltree.jpg)
Unless Wez is up for sculpting inlays.. =)
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i never said an identical copy did i?
:shock:
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Why not?
Looks nice :o
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i'll chip in now! personally i reckon no inlay, just side dots. just my preference.
was wondering, are you still doing a set neck, or will it be bolt on now it's a strat?
it looks great by the way :wink:
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I think Wez wants to do set neck for practice - he said something about not doing many - So he wants to do more.
Was looking about and saw this headstock - I think something similar would look gorgeous on such a woody guitar.
http://www.ballurio.com/images/BGImages/GlyfTV.jpg
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I still havnt decided on neck join yet - i really want to do a set neck strat with tune-o-matic.. then i could carve a way a lot of the heel area.
The problem is that i really want to oil the neck because of the woods we have gone for - it will feel so much nicer. but i want to lacquer the body. I have done oiled set-necks on lacquered bodies before but its always a git to do and there is always some compromise around the join. Much easier to send the body off for spraying and oil the neck seperately.
either way - it wont have the big chunky heel you expect on strats
That headstock look a little awkward to me.. and i should say - i dont mind borrowing design ideas from established designs but i couldn't steal another luthiers distinctive headstock!
Its good that you guys are actualluy considering how the pearl will look when inlayed - but if somebody better than me did do that celtic tree inlay they would engrave all the detail back into it and wipe black ink into the lines
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How about a little boxing glove inlay. This guitar is born of the BKP forum after all.
Might have the mother-in-law on Thursday, so not too sure if I can make the beer :evil: :cry:
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That a shame, i think i had just about convinced my girlfriend she would enjoy it!!
boxing glove aint a bad idea
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well i was hoping to get the body mostly build today but unfortunately the epoxy is still ever so slighty soft. It should be dry enough to sand by tonight - it actually sands really nicely once its fully cured so its worth waiting
so i though i would get a bit done on the neck - but i cant find a bloody truss-rod. I know i needed to order some but i was sure i had one hanging around here somewhere..
i have another guitar i am finishing off this week but that also got a coat of epoxy last night because it has a redwood top that needs a bit of dent resistance. so no working on that today either.
It looks like i am going to have to do the unthinkable thing i have been putting off for far too long........
.......time to clean out the workshop!!! - see if i cant find that one remaining truss-rod before i order some more in!!!
then maybe later on i can get the fretboard slotted and if i find the truss rod i will start work on the neck blank.
I usually use a two way truss rod and dual carbon fibre bars as standard in my necks but with the zebrano/bocote/zebrano neck blank we have gone for that would really be overkill. so i will just go with the two-way rod i think, if i used the bars as well on this neck the truss rod would probably never be able to move it!!!
can anyone tell i am trying to put off sorting the workshop out!!
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well i found a truss rod. It was in the middle of a neck but at least i have one now, i have also ordered some new ones but dont want to wait a couple of days before doing anymore on this.
I have a rather large pile of shoddy guitars piled in the corner of my workshop. They are the things left over from learning to do this and its always a bit of a problem knowing what to do with them. I was happy with all of them at the time i made them but i am such a completely different level now all i can do is scrounge the odd part from them. Any that i consider good enough to bear my name have been sold on really cheap to people who have supported this obsession of mine but couldnt quite afford to comission something from scratch . the stuff thats left i cant let leave the workshop because i dont want people playing them and saying my guitars are cr@p, but i havnt gotten around to disposing of it yet either and find it hard to do what i have just done!!! - - a big soul cleansing fire might be the way to go!!
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well i found a truss rod. It was in the middle of a neck but at least i have one now, i have also ordered some new ones but dont want to wait a couple of days before doing anymore on this.
I have a rather large pile of shoddy guitars piled in the corner of my workshop. They are the things left over from learning to do this and its always a bit of a problem knowing what to do with them. I was happy with all of them at the time i made them but i am such a completely different level now all i can do is scrounge the odd part from them. Any that i consider good enough to bear my name have been sold on really cheap to people who have supported this obsession of mine but couldnt quite afford to comission something from scratch . the stuff thats left i cant let leave the workshop because i dont want people playing them and saying my guitars are cr@p, but i havnt gotten around to disposing of it yet either and find it hard to do what i have just done!!! - - a big soul cleansing fire might be the way to go!!
haha, keep them for when you're famous and sell them in charity auctions! :D
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I guess I'm a little late on this one but hey here is my little suggestion for something....
(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g244/19770509/wierdguitar.jpg)
The only reason I put this together (and quite haphazardly) is it blens what most people suggested already and what I had planned for a warmoth partsocaster of my own.
In essence this is my dream strat but with the wood you guys already have chosen.
I can even tell you the wiring options I was going for.
anyway just a thought
As for inlays something that spans the 11th to 14th frett would be cool. or for simplicity's sake, the neoclassical thumbnail markers of the gretsch might be nice.
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Ok one more for something a little more modern
(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g244/19770509/wierd2-1.jpg)
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cheers Jp. Bigsby is probably out because i dont want to overprice this. If i manage to keep production costs quite low then i will have less problems selling it for a resonable price after i am done.. If i start spending too much it might make it just a bit too unique to sell easily for the higher price i would have to put on it. And thats as much as i want to talk about price untill its finished :wink:
I was considering doing a bridge humbuker with neck single or just go for my normal two humbuckers - opinions please!!!
Anyway, here is the neck blank all tidied up and roughly marked with a neck outline:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/14-1.jpg)
here it is with the truss rod i relieved from another guitar:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/15-1.jpg)
this is a two way rod that consist of a rectangular bar and round rod. they are welded at one end and have the edjustment at the other. I like these rods because the welded end is tiny and if you have heel end adjustment you have to remove very little wood from the headstock end of the neck - which i reckon can only be a good thing. I understand that some of you will think heel end adjustment is impractical but my necks dont usually need much adjusting and i would rather sacrifice a little practicality for extra strength in the neck and the ability to get the neck really slim if needs be.
the truss rod channel is routed with a 1/4" round nosed bit:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/16.jpg)
fretboard has been slotted;
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/18.jpg)
this was done with the same jig bainzy used in his thread. afterwards it is trimmed to size:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/19.jpg)
Next steep is to glue it onto the neck. what i do is clamp the headstock end on the edge of the workbench with the rest overhanging and attach 4 spring clamps to hold the fretboard in place:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/20.jpg)
the clamps allow me to align the fretboard perfectly , then remove the fretboard to put glue on it and make sure it returns to the same place.
its then all clamped up and once a few clamps on the spring clamps can be removed to make way for proper clamps:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/21.jpg)
notice the fretboard shaped caul betwen the clamps and the fretboard
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This guitar is going to be gorgeous!!!
The fretboard looks even better than I thought it would :o
And I think 2 humbuckers would be best.
What wood is the middle laminate in the neck? Has a very pretty grain.
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That fretboard is going to look amazing on a guitar!
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i went with bocote for the middle laminate to match the fretboard. Although bocote goes through a few colour changes before it settles into a browny orange so they dont quite match just yet.
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also, dont forget the fretboard grain will change yet again when i radius it!!!
I think the black headstock veneer is going to look more appealing - because as it is now, we almost have too much woodiness and i want to balance it out
i usually plan everything out carefully firstbut simpler designs like this can be winged to a certain degree.
i went with 25.5" scale length and i have left 24 fret slots as well - can still cut it down to 22 though if that more popular
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that's a nice fretboard!
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sorry dave, just cant take you seriously with that avatar :wink: if you say its nice (with an avatar like that) it makes me think its awfull!!
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the good news:
well i have done some more work on the body today.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/22.jpg)
i used a strat template and a router to get it to its final shape. There is still a ledge on the bottom because the body is still thicker than standard, will sort that out soon!
the bad news:
I have been hit by the curse of documenting a guitar build!!!
i had got as far as rough cutting out the neck today when i noticed something bad. One of the joins in the heel had a gap about 1/2mm wide. as i was examining it i squashed it closed which caused the fretboard to pop off in that area!!!! :(
ok, so what went wrong... well i was sure my joins were all good, sure i had glued it properly but there must have been something i missed!! its very frustrating when this happens
anyway - i decided to see how easily the neck blank would come apart, and it came apart shockingly easy!!! what i can tell from looking at it is that the zebrano has soaked up glue as normal but the glue hasnt penetrated the bocote at all!!!! I have only worked with bocote once before a few years ago... what i forgot to do was wipe down the gluing surfaces with acetone before gluing. This is neccisary with bocote because it is extremely oily/waxy and needs some of the oils removing before gluing.
because it came apart so easily i could save this neck but i think what i will do instead is proceed with another idea. I reckon i will save that fretboard for something else
How about a solid one-piece indian rosewood neck with figured maple skunk stripe and possibly a bit more inlay than would have suited the bocote!!! I think that may suit the guitar better anway
I speak to a lot of people that say they could never build a a guitar because they dont have the patience - its these moments that make me think they are right... It all went wrong this morning so i put the neck to one side, got on with other stuff and took a few hours to think how best to proceed. Half the battle is not throwing it against a wall when something goes wrong, if you can get past that moment of frustration you usually end up with something better in the end!!
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ooo shame about the neck, but excellent attitude!
that body is looking stunning! earlier i would have leant towards the flamed maple, but that really does look fantastic. almost seems a shame to ruin it with a neck and hardware and such :wink:
looking forward to further developments. i know if this was me i'd still be sitting looking at a couple of pieces of unworked wood, i'm a real procrastinator!
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Yeah man that sucks.
I had to scr@p a maple:zebrano:maple neck as when I was shaping the headstock I came across a BIG patch of duff wood right in the end (if you were to look straight down the headtock and neck, towards the body).
You couldn't see it until until the wood was cut (you certainly couldn't see it when I spent over and hour in the wood shop choosing my wood). I tried to chop down the size of the headstock a little but couldn't get to the end of the wood. Typically I had already shapped the neck (the headstock was going to be a sort of organic shape, rather than have sharp corners where the front of the headstock joined the sides), it was going to be a much more free flowing carved shape (got to experiament ain't ya).
As much as I like wood, it can't half be a pain in the arse sometimes :evil:
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I did tell you it would be warts and all!!
I will say one thing though, just incase anyone thinks it means i sell substandard guitars.. i inspect everything fully to check structural issues because, like tonemonkey said, wood can be unpredicatable. I was trying to flex the neck this morning to check everything was ok when i noticed the problem. i leave no possible way for structural problems to get onto a finished guitar because i check everything carefully like this and i would much rather be honest about the fact that things go wrong because, well, thats just life :wink:
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new neck blank:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/23-1.jpg)
never done a one-piece fender style neck like this before so it should be interesting!!!
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Shame about the neck - I do think that fretboard would have looked superb with the spalt - But the new neck blank also looks stunning - So no harm done.
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started work on the rosewod neck - i think i will get that part finished first before returning to the body but its looking ulikeley it will all be done this week. oh well i still have four more weeks of work so thats at least another guitar after this that should get done!
first job was to put the truss rod slot in the back of the neck. and now i have to do the fretslots into the actual neck blank. I have cut awy one side of the neck blank to make it quicker but it wont fir into my fret slotting jig so it looks like i am doing it by hand :cry:
here its is now:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/24.jpg)
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i reckon you should put a more modern styled headstock on.... like the ones on the LTD mh400.
i hate fender headstocks they just look generic
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it wont be exactly like a fender one - i would rather not copy anyones headstock directly
It will be something inspired by the peavey/teisco/schecter headstock, like these below:
http://www.dobuita-st.com/shop/yamaguchi/20060411/P2h.jpg
http://www.goodtimesmusicstore.com/product_images/128545x250.jpg
http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/report/gakkifair1999/gd/gif/ele-054a.jpg
obviously i will try and make it a bit more original though.
I drew the fender shape onto the headstock because thats the shape my templates have. i dont usually use templates for necks but this is different to how i usually build anyway so why not!!.
anyway, onto slotting the fretboard/neck.. like i said before the whole neck blank wont fit into my fret slotting jig - but i can use you scale template from it to make out the fret locations so at least i wont have to do lots of measuring. I used to have to mark out fretboards by measureing every single fret. i could do it quite accurately but it took a long time and a lot of patience!
here is the fretscale taped onto the neck blank:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/25.jpg)
while is taped in place i notch all the fret locations with the fret saw.
then i removed the template and cut the fret slots carefully with a fret saw and square - thats why i left the square edge on the neck blank.
here it is slotted:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/26.jpg)
at this stage i have left the fret slots a little shallow because i would rather get them to there final depth after i have radiused the board. that way the fret slot will follow the radius of the fretboard. I havnt done that yet because i want it flat so i can stick the template to it and route the neck to shape:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/27.jpg)
all ready to glue the truss rod in!
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i reckon you should put a more modern styled headstock on.... like the ones on the LTD mh400.
i hate fender headstocks they just look generic
I find that comment interesting being as Fender created the genre of electric guitars. I'm not saying they invented the electric guitar but they pretty much brought the genre of electric guitars into being.
dont get me wrong I'm not having a go at you.... just mearly thinking out loud.
I often read threads for a observing human reaction as well as entertainment. (Ok now I'm rambling)
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I think what hate growth meant by that statement is that the Fender headstock shapes are often imitated by the vast number of strat copies etc on the market. And it is this imitation that has made them much less distinctive than they once were. And therefore people that use the Fender shapes on custom guitars are giving themselves a less individual instrument by copying the thousands of other similar guitars on the market.
That was my interpretation :P
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i reckon you should put a more modern styled headstock on.... like the ones on the LTD mh400.
i hate fender headstocks they just look generic
I find that comment interesting being as Fender created the genre of electric guitars. I'm not saying they invented the electric guitar but they pretty much brought the genre of electric guitars into being.
dont get me wrong I'm not having a go at you.... just mearly thinking out loud.
I often read threads for a observing human reaction as well as entertainment. (Ok now I'm rambling)
Doesn't the fact that they invented the genre itself make them Generic?
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it dont matter :D
anyway, looks like the body is ready to be worked on again - the epoxy took longer to go fully hard than it should have but now the top should be very stable!!
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the epoxy took longer to go fully hard than it should have but now the top should be very stable!!
Even if it does look diseased (I'm gonna make sure everyone knows I don't like spalt maple :P )
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it looks diseased because it is!! and if this guitar was having something simpler it probably would be finished by now... i get fed up with spalt everytime i use it but its usally worth it by the time the guitar is finished
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So - Any ideas for inlays Wez?
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i think i am quite liking the idea of ofset clay dots along the bass side - but thats a bit simple and playing it safe. I was considering taking the boxing glove idea and doing small ones instead of dots.
for the side dots i am going to do small brass rings. I may put pearl in the middle of them if i have any small pearl dots - not sure on that one at the moment - but the side dots will be fancy.
i may also go with a different style of logo to suit the headstock shape better - we will see
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^ interesting, sounds nice!
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the side dot thing is real easy to do but looks so classy. B&Q sell small brass tubing thats just right for 'french eye' dots
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ah, cool. You have to go to B&Q, though... :lol:
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i try not too but if i happen to be down that way 8)
anyway couldnt find pearl dots so it will be brass tubing with rosewood centres.
here are the dots just before being stuffed with rosewood dust and soaked in super glue:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/28.jpg)
notice the little baggy of rosewood dust - that has been saved from this specific neck blank so the colour should be a good match. i always save a bit incase anything like this needs a little filler!!
here is a blank headstock incase anyone wants to do some photoshop magic to show me a cool and original headstock shape that will suit the design. I do have some strips of rosewood cut of from the neck so can add more to the bottom edge if needs be
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/29.jpg)
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And what was in that bag prior to the sawdust, looks strangly familiar
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What about something like this for a change:
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Double positing!!
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probably a guitar nut or something like that to be honest!!
I did have a funny moment last week when one of the students from the school i work at came around to get a guitar re-wired. He handed me the case and told me all theparts were in the front pocket so i started getting it all out and there was a little tin :roll: I figured he must have put some screws in it so opened it up for a look and it was obviously full of weed - - he didnt half look sheepish!!!! :wink:
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i do like the bigsby shape - probably not quite right for this one though - and the fact you can clearly see where the end has been broken off on the merle travis guitar puts me off slightly
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here is what i am thinking:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/30.jpg)
why i didnt just draw that on the wood and take a pic i will never know. would have taken half as long and looked twice as good - but you get the idea
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I would make it slightly more rounded on the end bit. It looks like an ESP headstock now.
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picture tells a thousand words woogie!!
:wink:
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bit more progress today.
neck is fitted to body -
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/32.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/31.jpg)
obviously still some tidying up to do in the cutaways but tis getting there!
I still need to sort the neck angle out which i will do by putting an angle onto the heel of the neck. I was going to angle the pocket but the templates i have for a strat wont really allow that so i will have to approach it from a different way - both work just as well
Also i am leaving the body a bit thick at 2" so it will be a bit of a chunky strat. The wood is light enough that it wont be too heavy and i reckon the extra girth will suit it - but i might do some subtle bevels around the edge rather than go for the usual roundover, will see what takes my fancy . I will also do something with the heel to add comfort but still havnt decided what. might be a AANJ - might be something more subtle
i reckon i will order pickups this week so am now open to suggestions for what to go for. The overall tone of this should be similar to a mahogany bodied guitar but with less muddiness and i want something that will be a good all rounder.
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I think what hate growth meant by that statement is that the Fender headstock shapes are often imitated by the vast number of strat copies etc on the market. And it is this imitation that has made them much less distinctive than they once were. And therefore people that use the Fender shapes on custom guitars are giving themselves a less individual instrument by copying the thousands of other similar guitars on the market.
That was my interpretation :P
Got it in one :D
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hmmm just a thought a boxing glove was mentioned as a inlay because its made from ideas on theis forum....... two words spring to mind BARE KNUCKLE
so maybe a fist...... just like the one on the st anger cover but upwards rather than downwards.....
jsut a suggestion.
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I like your headstock idea, maybe do it similar to a birds beak?
like the buzzard bass but different
I am sticking with the idea of different pickups! mini humbuckers!!!!! :D
just curious, why do you have the whassit stripe on the back of the neck?
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I like your headstock idea, maybe do it similar to a birds beak?
like the buzzard bass but different
I am sticking with the idea of different pickups! mini humbuckers!!!!! :D
just curious, why do you have the whassit stripe on the back of the neck?
i believe its the routing for the truss rod
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hmmm just a thought a boxing glove was mentioned as a inlay because its made from ideas on theis forum....... two words spring to mind BARE KNUCKLE
so maybe a fist...... just like the one on the st anger cover but upwards rather than downwards.....
jsut a suggestion.
how about a fist coming at you? so you mainly see the fingers?
I am sure i have seen a guitar with something similar in brass on the 12th fret and it looked GREAT
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goo d ideas for the inlay - i will sketch something out later. I am curently routing for two humbuckers so thats gonna be what it has.
the skunk stripe on fender necks is traditionally because the neck is made out of one piece of wood so you have to route for the truss rod from the back rather than hide it under the fretboard. - although there are quite a lot of fenders in the world with a seperate fretboard and they still have the skunk stripe but we dont need to get into that.
this is a solid indian rosewood neck without a seperate fretboard so the truss rod has to go in from the back as i dont feel like getting clever like G&L do!!
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i have now drilled for the bridge and routed the humbuckers.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/33.jpg)
You may notice i have gone for a full T-O-M + stopbar combo. It was just because i found an extra stopbar in the bits box, bit of an impulse really - although in the pics i have a chrome bridge and nickel stopbar because i must have grabbed the wrong one. they will match on the finished guitar.
Mock-up with parts:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/34.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/35.jpg)
They are some el cheapo epiphone chrome covered humbuckers - but i reckon its gonna need something that looks more interesting that that.
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i wasnt happy with the muddiness of the spalt so i have cleaned it up and redone the hardening process.
much nicer definition on the spalt now
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/37.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/38.jpg)
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looks really nice so far... :twisted:
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thats almost ok for a strat!
although I prefer the spalt before you re-did it or whatever you call it lol
nice job
raw nickel for the metal?
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the problem would be getting hardware to match raw nickel and bright chrome might not work - i want to use what i have which limits us to chrome for the hardware, but i am considering camo or somehow aged pickups.
The spalt has much more definition in the black lines now and that cant be a bad thing. If i dislike the colour when its got a coat of lacquer on it it may get tinted slightly - possible make it all a shade or two darker
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can you not roughen up the hardware?
I think it would look quite good
or a mismatch, different stop bar to bridge
like Zakk Wylde Rebel :P
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quite possible actually - its not a bad idea, i might strip down the stopbar and see what it looks like
... its growing on me the more i think about it!!!
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now how about this for an inlay!!!
(http://www.80stees.com/images/products/Cobra_Kai_Fist-Buckle.jpg)
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What fret(s) are you planning to put it on?
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Looking superb so far Wez - Am really loving the look of that spalt.
I think that inlay isn't quite right - Although you can see it's a fist, it looks more like 5 rectangles =/
One where you can see the wrist would be better.
Something like this:
(http://www.mondotees.com/ProductImages/bangonicons/fist.jpg)
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http://www.pokemonultimate.wanadoo.co.uk/countryneed.jpg
that kind of hand would be interesting
I definately think the worn hardware would suit the top
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Although you can see it's a fist, it looks more like 5 rectangles =/
i know - thats what i liked about it. it would be piss easy and would make me shout cobra kai moto's all the time!!
i was thinking 3-5 frets quite large for that one but it depends if i have enough pearl
the fist you have shown does look better and would still be relatively easy. where did you find it?
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Although you can see it's a fist, it looks more like 5 rectangles =/
i know - thats what i liked about it. it would be piss easy and would make me shour cobra kai moto's all the time!!
i was thinking 3-5 frets quite large for that one but it depends if i have enough pearl
the fist you have shown does look better and would still be relatively easy. where did you find it?
Google image search - It was on the page after the one you gave up on :D
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just checking for copyrighted images and such - especially since i will be selling this
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probably my best previous inlay.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/12.jpg)
its very effective, but as inlay art goes its also very basic. just thought i would post it to show my skill level in this area.
noodle's fist is good because you can see exactly how to make it from pearl - nice block shapes!!
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just been messing around with sandpaper, buffing compond and a stop bar and i have this:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/a1-1.jpg)
i think with a little more effort it might just work - i should probably bury it in the garden for a few weeks to see what happens
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how does Tim do the pickups effect?
That looks niiiiiice!
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how does Tim do the pickups effect?
That looks niiiiiice!
which one - lots of distressed options on BKP's. if you are on aboutt he aged nickel i guess its partly artificial wear like i just tried and partly chemical to get it actually looking old
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well any of them, the aged or raw would be interesting.
does he buy them raw :? or do it afterwards
well the point being that is looking nice, and looks liike it may suit! :D
would angle grinding a chunk out be taking it too far ??? :roll:
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i dont want to do anything thats takes it beyond practical so the angle grinder is out of the question - maybe on the pickups, we will see
i guess tims raw nickel covers are simple un-plated or un-buffed
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bit more progress today.
neck is fitted to body -
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/32.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/31.jpg)
HOT DAMN! I have got to make a spalted top one day. If you are interested in the guitar i built over the summer i do have pics, and i have been considering posting them up here. However, i don't want to feel like i am flaunting my guitar or showing off, for i feel no right too as my craftsmanship is nowhere near professional (it was my first full build, well my only build actually).
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That spalted top looks really nice, I dont like the lighter spalted tops I've seen as much as that darker one. Looking forward to seeing the finished item!
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bit more progress today.
neck is fitted to body -
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/32.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/31.jpg)
HOT DAMN! I have got to make a spalted top one day. If you are interested in the guitar i built over the summer i do have pics, and i have been considering posting them up here. However, i don't want to feel like i am flaunting my guitar or showing off, for i feel no right too as my craftsmanship is nowhere near professional (it was my first full build, well my only build actually).
Do show! :D
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yeah, show it off - your first guitar is probably miles better than my first!
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You should see some of the abominations that have come out of my shed (actually my spare bedroom). Post pics dude.
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you shall all witness my monstrosity tonight then! :twisted:
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just ordered some more hardware (which i wasnt going to do for this build!!!). I have gone for nickel plated stuff that can be distressed easier and hopefully match the stopbar i did last night. I didnt want to start mixing distressed nickel with distressed chrome. I guess this means it will be covered pickups hopefully somewhere between the aged nickel and camo options - just need to speak to tim about that, and what humbuckers to get!!!
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decided on control layout.
It will have master volume and tone with the 3-way toggle switch inbetween.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/39.jpg)
possibly gonna have a couple of push/pull pots for coil tapping, phase switching or series/parallel options - really not sure yet though, again it depends what pickups i get!
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i have to say i'm coming round to spalt... in a super-strat style of guitar, anyway! :lol:
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i have to say, yet again, absolutely stunning! :D
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cheers guys!!
.. right, the inlay. i have cut out the parts of the fist with black pearl and stuck them together and filled the gaps with black filler.. the fingertip is obviously in the wrong place so i will have to sort that out but i thought i would show the options for positioning.
option1: spanning the 11-13 fret.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/40.jpg)
option2: the wrist sitting directly on the 12 fret slot
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/41.jpg)
option3: the wrist sitting directly on the 3rd fret
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/42.jpg)
option 4: the wrist sitting on the end of the neck
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/43.jpg)
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I like option one
why are there no options with the wrist pointing upwards? would that not look good at 12th fret?
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because of the way i cut the inlay!! - i could do it if i used the back of the inlay but i glued t up to match the camber of the rosewood board so the edges would stick up if i flipped it over. I have got to pull it apart and reglue it to fix the fingertip so its not out of the question to change it when i do that
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:?
lol i didn't know that they had to be cut in the specific way. thinking about it now i feel stupid though, seems obvious. nice work though!
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At the bottom of the neck looks really good I think.. Option 1 will also look great.
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one thing to remember when looking at the inlay is to try and imagine it with the frets going over them - obviously at the end of the neck more frets will cut through it but i still think it looks pretty good down there
I have just spoke to tim regarding the pickups. This build seems to be going in a more metal direction so decided on a pair of miracle man pickups in distressed nickel covers.
I should point out that this is an awfull way to build a guitar. when building for other people i always insist every element of the design is decided on first, but occasionally i really like to go with the flow and let it evolve like this one is. I can see the finished guitar now and its nothing like i imagined when we started!!
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I think the inlay should go on the headstock, but that's jsut me.
I think I remember something about you being a teacher Wez, is that right. Hope you're enjoying your holiday you lucky git. I drink with a few teachers and they're all looking especially smug these past weeks :roll:
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my logo is going on the headstock - but i could imagine something like the fist looking good in the truss rod cover position, but that wont work on a fender style headstock!
yep, i'm a social sciences teacher - thats why i have the time to do this build!! It does limit the number of guitars i can make a year but i am trying hard to find a balance - hopefully be able to go part time at some point.
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i'd go for the 12th fret, more than likely.
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I think I remember something about you being a teacher Wez, is that right. Hope you're enjoying your holiday you lucky git. I drink with a few teachers and they're all looking especially smug these past weeks :roll:
well, if it's such a cushy job, you know what you can do...
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Spanning 11-13 imo.
Sat at the bottom of the neck would look ok, but not as good as 11-13.
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I think I remember something about you being a teacher Wez, is that right. Hope you're enjoying your holiday you lucky git. I drink with a few teachers and they're all looking especially smug these past weeks :roll:
well, if it's such a cushy job, you know what you can do...
my day job is cushy- seriously. I only do 6th form, teach in the same two rooms that are next to the staffroom (close to my coffee jar :wink: ) and can regularly sneak off to the workshops and pilfer the supplies of mahogany from old bookcases that arther keeps for me.. hopefully next year i can get one of the technicians to show me how to use the CNC machine, its not big enough for whole guitars but i might be able to cut logos and make templates on it.
And as soon as i decided i didnt care whever the kids liked me or not - it became almost stress free for me... all except the odd parents evening and report writing fuss.
best thing is that it gives me 13 weeks off a year plus i finish at 3.40 at least 3 days a week so plenty of time for this guitar stuff!!
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I think I remember something about you being a teacher Wez, is that right. Hope you're enjoying your holiday you lucky git. I drink with a few teachers and they're all looking especially smug these past weeks :roll:
well, if it's such a cushy job, you know what you can do...
my day job is cushy- seriously. I only do 6th form, teach in the same two rooms that are next to the staffroom (close to my coffee jar :wink: ) and can regularly sneak off to the workshops and pilfer the supplies of mahogany from old bookcases that arther keeps for me.. hopefully next year i can get one of the technicians to show me how to use the CNC machine, its not big enough for whole guitars but i might be able to cut logos and make templates on it.
And as soon as i decided i didnt care whever the kids liked me or not - it became almost stress free for me... all except the odd parents evening and report writing fuss.
best thing is that it gives me 13 weeks off a year plus i finish at 3.40 at least 3 days a week so plenty of time for this guitar stuff!!
Never heard anyone speak so highly of teaching xD
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i'm aware i have it easy, certainly not that easy a job for most of them
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i love how this is turning out....
any idea how much itll cost?
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Inlay looks AWESOME!!
11-13th ftw
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I think I remember something about you being a teacher Wez, is that right. Hope you're enjoying your holiday you lucky git. I drink with a few teachers and they're all looking especially smug these past weeks :roll:
well, if it's such a cushy job, you know what you can do...
my day job is cushy- seriously. I only do 6th form, teach in the same two rooms that are next to the staffroom (close to my coffee jar :wink: ) and can regularly sneak off to the workshops and pilfer the supplies of mahogany from old bookcases that arther keeps for me.. hopefully next year i can get one of the technicians to show me how to use the CNC machine, its not big enough for whole guitars but i might be able to cut logos and make templates on it.
And as soon as i decided i didnt care whever the kids liked me or not - it became almost stress free for me... all except the odd parents evening and report writing fuss.
best thing is that it gives me 13 weeks off a year plus i finish at 3.40 at least 3 days a week so plenty of time for this guitar stuff!!
There was me thinking you were going to be a DT teacher?
and don't you have tattoos too?
what is social science :?
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I think I remember something about you being a teacher Wez, is that right. Hope you're enjoying your holiday you lucky git. I drink with a few teachers and they're all looking especially smug these past weeks :roll:
well, if it's such a cushy job, you know what you can do...
Didn't mention anything about it being cushy (like I said, I drink with a few teachers, so I know what it's like).........
.........But apparently it is :lol:
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i failed D&T quite badly at school!!!! did woodwork and cooking - the two things i spend all my spare time doing now
and yes - i am a teacher who currently has a large forearm tattoo and come october the 6th will have a full sleeve. no short sleeve shirts for me in the summer term!!
Social sciences is Psychology and Sociology.
can we keep any questions about prices to PM's please!!
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11-13 for me, wow, how did you get the definition of the fingers Wez? are those separately cut or one piece?
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all seperately cut. I wiped the edges with black dye. stuck it all down onto paper and positioned it - then filled the gaps with black dye mixed with glue
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Woo for rocking teachers! (ok I don't graduate till June, and I'll be teaching a REAL science, but still).
Pretty awesome build though. A custom guitar has always fascinated me, though I'd never know what to go for. Do love your slightly wonky Les Pauls though.
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Slightly wonky!!!!!!!! gotta be a better way of describing them that that :!: :wink:
you are a braver man than me if you want to teach a real science - too many kids running around for my liking!!..
i used to be a teaching assistant working with the SEN kids and helped out in lots of science lessons....scariest hours of my life
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my day job is cushy- seriously. I only do 6th form, teach in the same two rooms that are next to the staffroom (close to my coffee jar :wink: ) and can regularly sneak off to the workshops and pilfer the supplies of mahogany from old bookcases that arther keeps for me.. hopefully next year i can get one of the technicians to show me how to use the CNC machine, its not big enough for whole guitars but i might be able to cut logos and make templates on it.
And as soon as i decided i didnt care whever the kids liked me or not - it became almost stress free for me... all except the odd parents evening and report writing fuss.
best thing is that it gives me 13 weeks off a year plus i finish at 3.40 at least 3 days a week so plenty of time for this guitar stuff!!
haha, awesome!
I suspect it's easier teaching sixth form, though, at least most of the kids (half) want to learn there.
that's not what my dad said when he was trying to teach french to people who could barely speak and write english... (they were native english speakers, by the way)
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Didn't mention anything about it being cushy (like I said, I drink with a few teachers, so I know what it's like).........
.........But apparently it is :lol:
:lol:
:drink:
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that's not what my dad said when he was trying to teach french to people who could barely speak and write english... (they were native english speakers, by the way)
:lol:
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And now we have all established i teach, i dont expect you to be pointing out my spelling and grammer issues... dont tell the english teachers i start sentences with 'and' all the time!!!
I have inlayed the fist today so thats currently being glued in with epoxy and i should be able to clean it up and show you all how it looks tomorrow. I have also added some bevels to the top. Its certainly not bevelled as much as an SG because the top isnt thick enough for that, and you couldnt call it a carve top either..its just some subtle shaping that will hopefully enhance the oevrall look of the guitar. I have shaped it about 90% of the way there and its currently soaking up some more epoxy so i can safely take it to its final shape
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11-13th frets in the end??
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that seemed the popular choice so i went with it
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got some pics of the inlay;
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/44.jpg)
mock up with frets (the real ones will be parallel);
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/44-fret.jpg)
and the side dots:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/45.jpg)
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Amazing, you should make that inlay on more guitars!!
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its just how i like inlays actually - simple and effective rather than over fancy. Good quality materials and a few straight cuts and it only has an hour or two put into it.
i should say the frets will probably cover a bit more than i have shown
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Looks superb =D
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Really like the inlay, super simple and awesome.
And your LPs ARE wonky. Crazy. But crazy AWESOME!
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which ones are you looking at - i dont think i have done much LP shaped stuff, is it the ravelle style ones.. that has the top half of a LP and a fairly wonky bottom half i suppose
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that looks great!
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headstock is cut to shape and i have started to bevel the bottom edge slightly - i think it will suit the style of guitar this has evolved into:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/46.jpg)
And i have carved the shape of the neck 98% of the way there:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/47.jpg)
If somebody asks me to copy a neck shape i will but most of the time i just free-hand and eye ball it all. Next i have a break then to hold the neck to get a feel for it so i can make any tweaks if they are needed - then i will finalise the shape and sort out the transitions at either end.
I think the 'having a break' step is the most important part because i need to distance my self from it so i can come back objectively and see what needs doing to the neck to perfect it!
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the headstock looks GREAT!
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great headstock, and i really like the flamed maple truss rod cover/skunk stripe (that is what it is, right? :oops: ) too.
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I really didn't think I would like the Headstock - But yet again you've amazed me Wez - That's gorgeous.
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The headstock looks really good, the bevelled edge adds a nice touch :) I think if the end was rounded a bit more it might look better but thats just my opinion, I might see what it looks like via photoshop later, unless you're happy with the shape.
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I thought i was going to hate the headstock..... but WOW i love it.
anybody wanna buy a rocket roll II? i need money to go towards this
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go for it tom, always open to options!!
The headstock seems to be going down well which is always nice!!.
I might play with the bevels a bit more but it probably wont change that much now
the skunk stripe is maple. . . with a difference. This neck will be unfinished, maybe just a bit of oil and wax and a lot of polishing. Thats great for the rosewood but not so good for the maple which would quickly turn dark and grey.
i finished a fretless bass a few months ago with an acrylised birdseye maple fretboard. the maple is actually fully impregnated all the way through with acrylic. the point being that it will be hard enough to resist the wear of the bass strings and it also doesnt need a finish!!
I have some left and its perfect for this application because it wont go dark and grey like normal maple. I said it was birdeye maple but it looks more like flame because we are looking at the birdseyes from the side view - just because it fit nicely that way
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I might play with the bevels a bit more
Stop that and get back to work, there's children on here :lol:
Looking good dude. Did you go and see that band BTW?
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nah, didnt get chance - had a very heavy weekend planned and my girlfriend was moaning that her new glasses were giving her headaches... still not happy about it!!
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haha i've just read through all 16 pages after missing it all whilst i was on holiday, this guitar looks real nice!
Kinda reminds me of the Washburn spalted maple X50
(http://machinehead.co.uk/images/x50pro_spl_map-lg.jpg)
Except miles better :D
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crikey - that is quite similar!! Oh well the pickups from tim and aged hardware should give mine a different look!!
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Don't worry wez your headstock looks loads better, I cant stand that Washburn headstock!
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not to worried - i do try to be a bit individual and different but originality is a damn hard thing to achieve in guitar design without making something people wont buy!
Basses however, whole different story!!
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yeah your headstock and neck in general is way better, there's too many guitars out there to be completely original.
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Don't worry wez your headstock looks loads better, I cant stand that Washburn headstock!
+1.
It's amazing how similar the two guitars are out of pure coincidence - It proves that almost everything this side of sanity has been done on guitars now.
Although the inverse V really does tip the scale.
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How about on the other side of sanity?
I once saw a guitar that was made of concrete. Good sustain but a bit heavy on the strap. And does anyone remember that carbon fibre guitar with a twisted neck? The twisted neck made it very comfortable to play but it never caught on.
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thats the problem aint it - loads of good ideas that should work but people need to want to play them.
there are lots of original shapes that i could make guitars but its the same story - somebody needs to want to play them!
And to be honest i make guitars because i love guitars. I want to make them better and i want to put my stamp on it but i am not trying to re-invent the instrument!
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Thats it for now folks! I am going away for the weekend today so progress will resume on monday. hopefully the spalt will be stabilised enough to let me get all the woodworking done and get it ready for a finish next week.
see you soon!!
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OK - one more post to get my number of posts up to 666.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
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Have a nice weekend. In the meantime we'll be drooling over the pics on your website.
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thanks for the info about the maple skunk stripe, wez.
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right time to age the hardware!
I have asked Tim to take some nickel pickup covers and do the war torn effect on them. then i want him to do the ageing treatment to get something somehwere between the aged nickle and the camo effects. with the extreme distressing of the war torn effect the base metal should go blackish with the plating more aged.
Anyway i wanted to do something similar to the hardware - although the wartorn effect would be impractical on a bridge so its not quite that distressed:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/49.jpg)
The certainly couldnt be called relicing and doesnt represent natural wear.
I had a bit of trouble getting nickel plated tuners to get the same kind of wear but came accross some wilkinson antiguity tuners that are aged nickel so brought them. the wear is a bit disneyfied so i removed the buttons and aged them a bit more:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/51.jpg)
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Looking great!
Has the wood firmed up nicely?
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yeah, its definately more solid now - i just have lots of sanding to do to get it tidied up
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lots of the sanding done - the front of the guitar is just about there!!
I have wiped it with spirits in the photo which has dried in some areas more than others making it a little patchy looking but hopefully it gives you a good idea of how i have shaped it.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/52.jpg)
its having one more coat of epoxy now its at its final shape and then i will start work on the neck join and back contours!!
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That is gorgeous!
How are you going to do the neck joint?
A standard SG Block style one?
Or some other sort of smooth all access one?
I used to think that set neck joints allways blocked together like they do on traditional Les Pauls but after seeing that Feline LP and the neck joint on my Viper ( http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/noodleplugerine/100_0510.jpg ) etc it seems that swooping neck joints are just as possible on set neck.
That being said - Getting one of those super smooth all access joints will require alot of cutting down considering the amount of wood in that pic won't it?
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i reckon i will round off the heel section then route that section of the body thinner like on an ibanex AANJ, then possibly angle it slightly as well. It will be ferrules rather than a neck plate.
hopefully it should all look nice and organic and feel comfier than the average strat.
I have left the body at 2" thick because the body is quite light and i want to keep a bit of bulk in the body so it feels sturdy- but expect to see a large amount of contouring on the back for comfort
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absolutely sick man! i am so glad you picked the woods, shape, and otherwise mentioned materials you did, IT LOOKS INCREDIBLE! If i had the money, i would buy it, o wait... i could make one myself :twisted:
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remember we ditched the set neck idea!!
I do like swooping neck joins like you have described - thats what the through neck LP i am having sprayed at the moment has. Its quite possible to do guitars that way - no need for the bulk of a gibson with a set neck. Even worse is those PRS's with a really large uncarved heel section
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The distressed hardware looks brilliant with the spalted top - like the whole thing's been buried in a compost heap for a couple of months!
(That was meant as a compliment :wink: )
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thats pretty much what i was aiming for so thats ok!!
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what do people reckon i should get done for the finish?
I dont want to do an oil finish because i dont feel it will be substantial enough to protect the spalt - even after all the epoxy i have used i would rather be safe than sorry!!!.
I was thinking high gloss would be good with the messed up wood and hardware - kind off a contrast against it. I havn't tried a satin finish before but this might be the perfect opportunity.
i did think about a relic finish but i dont think it will work well with the complex patterns in the wood. it will almost be too much going on
oh... the neck will be oil and waxed
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I'm not sure how a high gloss finish would work with the spalt - Personally I think an oiled finish would LOOK best - But if you say it won't protect the spalt then it's obviously not a viable option.
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thats why i am thinking satin lacquer might be the best way forward
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Yeah, go for satin. Gloss is never a good idea on natural finishes, I think it makes it look cheaper and cr@p most of the time, like on the lite ash strats/teles.
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satin definitely, would look classy!!
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dont say that tom. Almost all the guitars i make are natural finish with high gloss lacquer!!! :cry: :wink:
i know what you mean about those fenders though!
I know organic guitars have done some spalted maple guitars with tru-oil buffed to a semi gloss finish but really i want the practical protection of lacquer with the nice touchable finish of oil.
I might spray gloss lacquer for the strength but knock the shine off it then buff it up with wax to try and achieve a semi-gloss. The problem with just doing satin is that it will buff up to a shine overtime anyway
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High gloss would work on curved tops - But I think on flat tops the black machine approach is what I would go with - Oil or satin =)
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yeah but its now somewhere between a flat top and a carved/bevelled top - but that might not be that noticable untill i have finished it, however i do!!
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Yeah, go for satin. Gloss is never a good idea on natural finishes, I think it makes it look cheaper and cr@p most of the time, like on the lite ash strats/teles.
seconded.
also that distressed hardware looks very cool on it.
this guitar is annoying me... i don't like spalted maple tops, nor distressed hardware. Usually.
:lol:
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glad its annoying you dave.. it may be that you never would have liked the finish product but watching the construction makes you feel closer to it :wink:
i would never normally do distressed hardware but since it was suggested i went with it and i like the way this is turning out!! its actually got me considering doing a proper relic - not something i generally go for
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still a bit untidy but i have got the neck attached and started contouring the back and neck join
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/55.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/56.jpg)
basically its a section routed lower ala ibanez AANJ (all access neck join) and then the heel has also been sloped and rounded off - its what felt right at the time and it certainly makes the heel relatively discreet
Ferrules are not as tidy as a neck plate but they do allow more fun with the heel shaping!
also started on the gut cut but i might take that out a bit more
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Looking gorgeous!
That routing is the same that's done on Charvel fusions and the like right?
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god knows - not following any set plans here!
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what exactly are ferrules?
a washer and screw?
ohh and they look waaaay nicer than a plate!
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basically - but its a bit higher quality than a washer. Its about 1/4" thick and countersunk to hold the neck screws - and they are chrome plated but obviously i will have to do something about that!!!
You also get string ferrules which go in the back of guitars like telecasters to hold the strings
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glad its annoying you dave.. it may be that you never would have liked the finish product but watching the construction makes you feel closer to it :wink:
:lol:
Sweet cutaway too.
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done some more distressing/ageing of parts:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/r2-1.jpg)
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Looking gorgeous!
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what are the bottom right parts?
been trying to work it out, looks familiar but damn headache prevents active thought
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roller string trees - they only got a quick dip - dont want them so distressed they harm any strings!
above that we have the washer and nut from a 3 way switch
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Gorgeous so far man! i'm not too big on bolt-ons myself, but that looks very well done! and i have quite a soft spot for spalted maple (or any natural finish guitar, especially the darker woods! :wink:
i was just wondering actually.... where do you get your woods from?
again, amazing work! keep it up
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It's getting nice!
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the woods all came from various places, mainly just stuff i had lying around.
the korina body was from David Dyke at http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk , or was it from simo who runs the ukgb forum - i cant remember with this peice.
I think the rosewood neck blank was from http://www.lmii.com/ but i cant really remember.
The spalted maple top came from a canadian ebay seller
http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/fine_woods
Usually my guitars heavily feature wood from Larry Davis at http://www.galleryhardwoods.com but he has only contributed the maple filler strip on this neck
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How long do you have left Wez?
Frets, carving, wiring and finish?
How long till we see the finished article ;o
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i should have all the work done by the end of this week. then i will send the body off to Nath for finishing. Probably 3 or 4 weeks
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i have just inlayed my logo on the headstock, currently under a load of epoxy so no pics till i have cleaned it up. Hopefully by tonight i should be able to get the neck finish sanded and get a heavy coat of danish oil on it overnight. I can probably fret it tomorrow then give the neck a wax and it should be done.
Just have a grain fill and finish sanding to do on the body before thats ready for lacquer
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headstock inlayed with my logo, looks like i still have a bit more sadning to do on it:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/57.jpg)
the whole neck:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/58.jpg)
and the neck carve:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/59.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/60.jpg)
i have wiped the first coat of danish oil onto the neck. Its shown a few areas i need to sand a little more but mostly it feels pretty damn nice!!!
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Looks - PHENOMENAL!
Wonder how it would have looked like with the Bochote board now - I think that rosewood is gorgeous.
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like the headstock, perfect! fits the body
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That is such a nice neck, simply beautiful.
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Looks - PHENOMENAL!
Wonder how it would have looked like with the Bochote board now - I think that rosewood is gorgeous.
it kinda makes me glad the bocote neck didnt work out - this is a great neck so far!
although i am in the process of saving the bocote and zebrano for use on a explorer pro shaped thing i reckon. It will just be a plain korina body so will suit the carzy neck wood a bit better. I have wanted to do a smaller explorer for a while so it makes sense
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that is awesome! very nice inlay on the headstock, and just generally looks sweet.
what happened to the bocote board? i must have missed that, somehow... :oops:
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back on page 9 i had problems with glueing the bocote and zebrano due to the oilyness of the bocote. Its something i can sort out but decided to go with a 1 piece indian rosewood neck instead - which i think was the right choice for this guitar.
the bocote and zebrano neck will soon feature on another guitar, tis an easy fix!!
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all looking fantastic, i love the brass side position markers!
i reckon you'll have to make about fifteen of these now, cuz i think you've got us all GASsing!! :lol:
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while that would be nice i plan on moving forward and building as many different things as possible . original ideas needed!!!!
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back on page 9 i had problems with glueing the bocote and zebrano due to the oilyness of the bocote. Its something i can sort out but decided to go with a 1 piece indian rosewood neck instead - which i think was the right choice for this guitar.
the bocote and zebrano neck will soon feature on another guitar, tis an easy fix!!
thanks, wez.
:drink:
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this mornings first job was to get some more oil on the neck after the initial coat last night.
This time the oil is applied whilst wetsanding the entire neck with finishing paper. I went up to about 1500grit wet &dry paper then switched to micromesh paper going up to 12000grit. tbh you can just take it to around 1000grit then switch to 0000 wire wool and wax but i get carried away sometimes. the danish oil is constantly added to the paper as you go and all residue is buffed off between grits.
here is where it stands now!!!
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/61.jpg)
the problem with oil finishes is that they wear through relatively fast so this will get a couple of coats of wax to protect it but even so it wont stay this shiny on its own. The neck will probably need 1 re-oil/wax as well as regular buffing in its first year and whenever it needs it after that. With regular playing and buffing a patina as nice as this will build up and it will need less treatment and shouldnt dry out. A fair bit extra maintenance but its worth it!!
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Gorgeous!!!
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could you not do a satin lacquer finish?
They do slow after a while but if you polish it some lemon oil and then some beeswax polish you would not believe the smoothness you get.
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i could but nothing beats the feel of natural wood, well worth the little bit of extra work that may be needed once a year at most . . . and believe me - i have played enough necks to know that this will be smoother and will age much nicer than any style of lacquered neck if treated properly
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i have installed the frets:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/62.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/63.jpg)
the next job is to fill all the fret ends with rosewood filler then i can file back the fret ends.
I may have a bit more work to do on the finish after that but the neck is essentially done untill the body is finished!!
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Looks amazing WezV.
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The inlay really works!
Looks superb Wez - it's good that the frets didn't destroy it - That inlay really looks cool.
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the inlay looks 100 times better in real life. you just dont get the colour variation or figuring on a camera. This is some high quality black pearl so its main colour is a smokey grey with pinky/purple and blue shimmers running through it. It also has a very subtle mottling with makes it look a bit more skin like. This wouldnt be out of place as the faceplate on a very expensive watch!!!!
i like the black pearl because its very subtle untill it catches the light. i dont like inlays done in white pearl because they can look cheap against a dark fretboard.
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Ah Wez that inlay just plain rocks, hehe. Good work on the neck too, looks like it would be a dream to play!
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i reckon i am gonna do myself a nice plain explorer pro(smaller body) in the next couple of weeks - something i have wanted to do for a while. At least that way i will get to practice my set-necks like i wanted this summer!!!
This is what happens when i get GAS, i have to build it for myself!!!
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Looking very nice indeed, Wes! Can't wait to see it attached to the body. The inlay looks great with the frets in, almost looks like it's holding the fret :)
Good show ol' chap!
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looking good!
what's the radius on that neck, by the way? i can't remember if you mentioned that before...
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i did it 12" radius to match the T-O-M bridge - although to be honest its easy enough to modify the the bridge radius if its needed so it was just me being lazy!!!!
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Fantastic work!
How much do ye charge?!
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I think we have done this already in ths thread but...
...not really trying to use this thread for advertising - dont think thats fair on tim. I make 5-6 guitars a year and they are all priced individually based on the spec - because they are all different!!
I build what i want rather than what i need to to pay the bills, i have a full time (if you can call it that) job as a teacher for that.
if anybody has an idea for a guitar and wants me to make it they get in touch to see if its something i want to make, if i can fit it in, and how much i would charge.
prices are comparatively cheap but always different because the guitars are always different.
thanks for the question but its really better done by PM
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That's one of the best necks i have ever seen, i love it!
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xplorer pros are far too small
make a full size esp style one
pickups switch to the back :D
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or just about right for smaller people!!!
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or just about right for smaller people!!!
very true
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or just about right for smaller people!!!
very true
Speaking as a smaller person, I can only agree.
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nice to know philly Q
i do think the smaller size explorer is more practical for most players - including the relatively short ones!!!
It can be swung about a bit more freely than the classic explorer shape allows and that has to be a good thing for all sizes of guitar player.
after seeing people play both styles of explorer live, they always seem a bit more lively with an explorer pro - they just fit snuggly with the smaller size and the neck angle
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I am 16 and not the biggest person but i prefer a full size explorer :D
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yeah but you are a self confessed crazy!! :P
I do like the full size ones but the body blank i am using would be a bit small for that. wheras the explorer pro shape fitted almost perfectly - well except for having to stick an extra bit on the fin anyway.
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Any progress on the build Wez?
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i have finish sanded the body and will get some lacquer on that next week. I think i am gonna finish this one myself rather than get nath to spray it because it will allow me to experiment a bit more with what i want. It will be rustins plastic coating applied with a brush which i havnt done in a while but i used to be able to get a very nice finish in 3 days with this method. Takes a lot more work to get good results than spraying does though - lots of sanding off brush marks between coats!
I have also trimmed all the frets back and bevelled the ends - need to round them off to make them super smooth and give then a little level and re-polish
no pics yet because not much to show -
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the woods all came from various places, mainly just stuff i had lying around.
the korina body was from David Dyke at http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk , or was it from simo who runs the ukgb forum - i cant remember with this peice.
I think the rosewood neck blank was from http://www.lmii.com/ but i cant really remember.
The spalted maple top came from a canadian ebay seller
http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/fine_woods
Usually my guitars heavily feature wood from Larry Davis at http://www.galleryhardwoods.com but he has only contributed the maple filler strip on this neck
thanks man, i cn't tell ye how much thats helped me!!
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the woods all came from various places, mainly just stuff i had lying around.
the korina body was from David Dyke at http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk , or was it from simo who runs the ukgb forum - i cant remember with this peice.
I think the rosewood neck blank was from http://www.lmii.com/ but i cant really remember.
The spalted maple top came from a canadian ebay seller
http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/fine_woods
Usually my guitars heavily feature wood from Larry Davis at http://www.galleryhardwoods.com but he has only contributed the maple filler strip on this neck
thanks man, i cn't tell ye how much thats helped me!!
I'd very highly recommend David Dyke for supplies- for me it's a 42mile drive there (approx an hour), and it's worth it- the people there are helpful and friendly too, nice large selection also. They supply timber to people like Doug from Blackmachine and Jon from Feline Guitars too, so they're not a bunch of cowboys looking to make a quick buck :)
It's not too crazy an idea to get a list of stuff you'd like, and call them to check they've got the timber in stock (most likely they will have), and actually drive from IoW to there, it would be worth it :)
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I havnt had the chance to visit David yet but he is the sort of wood dealer that understands what we are after - i have no qualms about ordering blind from him and trusting him to supply me with the best he can offer. it took me a while to get around to ordering from david but he is definately on my main supplier list from now on!
Larry Davis in the US is pretty much on a par with David's level but seems to have a much bigger selection of exotics and the ability to acrylise wood, but postage and customs limit how much of his stuff i can have
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thanks guys, i was going to go for dave anyways! he's the only one with upright bass parts! :twisted:
again, lots of thanks for the help! looking forward to the end results of your build WezV!
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well i am still waiting for the pickups but i guess thats mainly down to all the staff at royal mail deciding to give themselves days off
I am gonna finish this one myself so it should be done relatively soon!!
My girlfriends trying to convince me to do her a chocolate brown SG with white scratchplate since i had some SG templates turn up the other day... Chocolate brown :?
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My girlfriends trying to convince me to do her a chocolate brown SG with white scratchplate since i had some SG templates turn up the other day... Chocolate brown :?
Chocolate brown SGs can look good! :D
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/7608A.jpg)
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Chocolate brown SGs can look good! :D
Especially if it's dark chocolate :)
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Chocolate brown SGs can look good! :D
Especially if it's dark chocolate :)
that does look good!
how about flamed chocolate :P
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it did interest me for a short while but then she said she said she wanted it free.
Thx for the pic, i have seen walnut ones that look cool but really wasnt sure about the solid brown finish. That doesnt look too bad but i reckon it could be dessertified with a cream scratchplate - might actually look like it was made from chocolate then!!!
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Stick a pic of Tay Zonday to it for full effect. :wink:
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That doesnt look too bad but i reckon it could be dessertified with a cream scratchplate - might actually look like it was made from chocolate then!!!
The black scratchplate definitely needs to go, cream would look great. That's not my SG-X in the pic, but I have a black one and a green one, and I replaced both scratchplates.
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it did interest me for a short while but then she said she said she wanted it free.
That doesnt look too bad but i reckon it could be dessertified with a cream scratchplate - might actually look like it was made from chocolate then!!!
Hey thats women for you :roll:
Hmm that started me thinking of an almost black with cream for a Guinness finished guitar
Me needs a pint about now (10 hours of this shift gone)
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if yue doing a brown sg, you should go for a dark brown wood with a black scracthplate (cream outline) and cream pickups! kinda like a SRV style sg (that kinda combo of black, brown and cream)
that would be kickass!
especially with humbuckers!
kinda like this:
(http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z134/izyvonskuzzmonkey/Picture1.png)
sawi about lack of pickup rings, knobs etc. ,i did this kinda quickly PDT_032
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now thats gonna nake me think about a solid rosewood SG!!! in future i will keep my random thoughts to myself as your guys are making me want to do it!!! Luthier GAS takes longer to cure!
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Tell her to make it under your supervision. A group project :wink:
Have you thought of a Firebird rather than an Explorer? Firebirds kick ass.
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thought about it quite seriously - but i have wanted to do this explorer for ages
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just put the first coat of lacquer on the strat - actually gotta stop calling it a strat now so am open to suggestions for names refer to this thread for suggestions based on the 'beginning with v' theme
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8842&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Doesnt look like the p-ups will turn up today but hopefull we should have ths thing together by next week!!
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just had my next couple of BKP sets turn up including the ones for this guitar. they look pretty good but unfortunately my camera's battery ran out after one photo so you will all have to wait a bit longer before pics
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just had my next couple of BKP sets turn up including the ones for this guitar. they look pretty good but unfortunately my camera's battery ran out after one photo so you will all have to wait a bit longer before pics
You bloody tease!
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oh alright!! here ya go:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/p2-1.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/p1-1.jpg)
along with a mule/manhattan set for something else!!
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Oooh - They look very nice!
What are they in the end?
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miracle man (men!!) for this one.
Tim seems to have got just about the right amount of distressing. I think this wartorn & aged nickel cover effect really works . at first sight i thought they could do with a little more but the more i look at them the more i think they are perfect for the guitar
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Ok - Something I never understood needs to be adressed.
Is it Miracle men, or Miracle mans?
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might have a re-think with the finish on the strat. the korina on the back is damn nice tone wood but i find the grain texture tends to look a little rough and the colour isnt as consistent as i would like, its making it look slightly patchy. its probably good enough but i would rather aim a little above the good enough mark (although admittedly slightly below the PRS perfect finish - i dont think that is something i have achieved yet and probably wont till i make my guitars with robots :P ).
i cant help think the wood might look better with a slightly translucent black over the back just to get a nice even colour with a little wood grain peeking through.
anyway - pretty much decided i will go with that but it makes me wonder if i should do something to the top, maybe a light grey or even burst it
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Transparant black sounds good - I don't think I've ever seen a painted spalt top.
Anyone got any examples?
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i have seen trans finishes on spalt before - the trick is to do it gently enough that you dont start taking away from the spalt. we will probably experiment with that and see what happens :D
that will have to be sprayed so the guitar will be finished in a few weeks rather than next week but now is the time to hold back and not rush it - might as well go the extra mile and get something i like more!
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Anyway, strats out of my hands for a few weeks so i will post some of my other summer project thats just started
korina body again, this time no fancy top. Its the explorer pro!
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/2-5.jpg)
i have purposely left the neck join section a bit oversize because i want to experiment with something i havnt done before. You may know that i have a dislike of Sg neck joins and explorers have a similar problem. My plan to get round this is to use a wider and longer neck tenon. The neck will hopefully extend all the way to the bridge pickup route. but thats will be decided by my neck blank which is actually an offcut from this;
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/b2.jpg)
so the neck will have the same maple/wenge/walnut/wenge/maple laminations and you will see them on the face of the guitar going between the two pickups. Well we will have to see if the neck blank is actually long enough for that first - if not i will probably end the neck between the two pickups, but will have to see if i think that will look right first... it can always ahve the traditional explorer scratchplate covering it !...... The point is the tenon will be longer than normal and that should increase stability and strength.
fretboard and headplate will be this quite speckly ziracote:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/4-5.jpg)
the finish will probably be a nice blood red colour
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Gorgeous as allways Wez!
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Nice body man! By the few pics I have saw, you know how to work with wood! :D
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here is another one thats nearly finished:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/lp1.jpg)
decided to spray it purple but its gone more of a burgundy colour, thats more to do with the colour of the redwood underneath the paint rather than my colourblind sprayer mixing up the dyes again- i aint complainingg though, i think it looks awesome!!
its a thin bodied fanned fret through neck and it will have the mule/manhattan set of pickups i posted on the previous page
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Looks gorgeous - Make sure to post pics when it's finished =)
What's the mark underneath the bridge pickup cavity?
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there are 12 screw holes for the individual bridges and a diagonal hole going to the control cavity for the earth wire. the individual bridges will actually be sitting on a hardwood plate (similar to how doug at black machine does it) to raise them higher so i could get a good LP style neck angle - some people wont like it but i dont like LP's without a neck thats angled back.
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Did you build the guitar in your avatar?
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yeah, that was for my cousins 30th b'day
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It's my birthday in a couple of weeks (hint hint) :twisted:
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yeah, that was for my cousins 30th b'day
wow :mrgreen:
It looks hot!
I'm going to check out your site 8)
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It's my birthday in a couple of weeks (hint hint) :twisted:
his band and wife payed for it!!
so i put the band logo in the fretboard
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/12.jpg)
We knew he like ravelles but would never buy a fernandes!! and this is by no means a copy - the shape is quite different
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/2nath.jpg)
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got the neck blank glued up for the explorer.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/5-3.jpg)
Its maple/wenge/walnut/wenge/maple with ziracote fretboard and headplate and a long tenon that will extend into the bridge pickups cavity for a super stable set-neck
like this
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/6-2.jpg)
also just ordered a kahler trem for it, just trying things i havnt done before
http://www.wammiworld.com/7300.html
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Nice!
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Gorgeous piece of work again Wez!
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How much do you charge roughly?
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I think WezV prefers to discuss prices over PM.
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Kahler noooooo! It's the ugliest bridge in the whole world!
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Khaller noooooo! It's the ugliest bridge in the whole world!
True that.
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Kahler suit some guitar and others they don't but I prefer the whole system to a floyd. Hardtail ftw anyway ;)
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I think WezV prefers to discuss prices over PM.
I PM'ed - didnt want to do another rant about how unfair it is to use Tim's forum as my ad space...
As for the kahler, they are the marmite of guitar bridges. Personally i like the clunky over engineered look but certainly wouldnt want it on every guitar - i reckon it will really suit the explorer though..... like i say, just trying out things i have less experience with. they do 7 and 8 string versions now and they have the option of locking the trem!! Very finicky to set up though and i think thats why they have a bad reputation.
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I think WezV prefers to discuss prices over PM.
I PM'ed - didnt want to do another rant about how unfair it is to use Tim's forum as my ad space...
As for the kahler, they are the marmite of guitar bridges. Personally i like the clunky over engineered look but certainly wouldnt want it on every guitar - i reckon it will really suit the explorer though..... like i say, just trying out things i have less experience with. they do 7 and 8 string versions now and they have the option of locking the trem!! Very finicky to set up though and i think thats why they have a bad reputation.
They do 9 and 10 string versions too, as well as being adaptable to accommodate a fanned bridge :)
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crazy stuff
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I think WezV prefers to discuss prices over PM.
I PM'ed - didnt want to do another rant about how unfair it is to use Tim's forum as my ad space...
As for the kahler, they are the marmite of guitar bridges. Personally i like the clunky over engineered look but certainly wouldnt want it on every guitar - i reckon it will really suit the explorer though..... like i say, just trying out things i have less experience with. they do 7 and 8 string versions now and they have the option of locking the trem!! Very finicky to set up though and i think thats why they have a bad reputation.
They do 9 and 10 string versions too, as well as being adaptable to accommodate a fanned bridge :)
:o
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As for the kahler, they are the marmite of guitar bridges. Personally i like the clunky over engineered look but certainly wouldnt want it on every guitar - i reckon it will really suit the explorer though
.
they do suit explorers incredibly well if they have a medium darkness finish if its too dark or light they look awful
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i am thinking a deep bloody red for the explorer
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Red Explorer will work - Any news on the Spaltocaster?
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Nath has just finished spraying my fanned fret build and is currently in the process of doing the black back of the guitar. he wants to burst is slightly onto the front
i will show you pics when i have them - shouldnt be too long
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I have the neck of the explorer just about ready to glue into the body
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/neck.jpg)
I have added a black veneer to the splice join i had to do to use this left over wood - better to make a feature out of it than try and hide it :wink:
i have glued a large chunk or rosewood to the heel to add some thickness that will give me a a neck join more like i want and it will also add interest when i get to carving the heel after the neck and body are joined together
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I like the flame maple, and the indian rosewood fretboard.
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Very nice Wez!
Can we see a pic of it inlined with the body?
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not just yet - going out in a mo, hopefullly i can get it actually set into the body soon which will give a much better idea of what it will be like
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I'm looking forward to this :D
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so am i :wink:
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i know the guitar that you had the title of this thread for is the one you are planning on selling - but as yet do not have a buyer (?) - but do these other ones have buyers, or were they commissioned? Right now i am too lazy to go back and see if you already answered this question. By the way, i $%&#in love the LP, it is so gorgeous.
EDIT: so that is quilted redwood is it? wow. stunning.
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the neck looks awesome! :twisted:
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I'm going to have to be an arse and say I'm not sure the 3x3 headstock will suit the Explorer shape, but looking forward to being proved wrong.
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i dont think everyone will like the 3x3 on an explorer but thats ok....
I have somebody possibly lined up for the strat (veteran).
The lp was just me experimenting with new things, i may sell it if i am happy with it. If i am not i will experiment a bit more!!
The explorer was because i wanted something quick and easy to do - although its developed into a more complex beast since then!!
Basically i use my extra time in summer to build the things i want to, i might keep one of them
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I thought you wanted to build a firebird too :roll:
ok... well I just may want to see a custom firebird
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i thought about it but did the explorer instead. I have done a few firebirds before and want to experiment with the design of my firebird Jr a bit more
there is lots of stuff i want to build but only so many hours in the day :(
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ooo ok.
any pics you can post please?
or would that be off topic?
this is like a WesV guitar blog :P
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This firebird was my first ever guitar for someone else, i think it was my 3rd or 4th guitar overall:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/firebird1.jpg)
Anyway, i decided to make two identical ones and he could choose, mainly because i needed the comfort of a backup guitar on this first commission. It was a good idea because i carved right through to the truss rod!! thats not something you can get away with on a thru-neck. I was glad i had decided to do two!! I chopped the neck off and made it a set-neck instead with a solid white finish
firebird junior
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/firebird.jpg)
That guitar was never quite right though, depite being really cool looking - so i want to recreate it properly at some point!
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Your guitars are always looking more and more appealing
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i have the super large neck pocket cut out on the explorer:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/exp1.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/exp2.jpg)
I know not everyone will like the 3 a side headstock but i feel the curve on the end of the headstock reflects the curve on the end of the body quite nicely
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I know not everyone will like the 3 a side headstock but i feel the curve on the end of the headstock reflects the curve on the end of the body quite nicely
Yep, starting to see where you're coming from! :D
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MY instincts tell me I shouldn't, but I love it!
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Nice guitar! I think a headstock 3+3 a little thinner in the middle would look better to me... But as you said, it matches well with the curve of the body :)
How does sound Ziricote?? Will be this guitar solid finished in the body?
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You planning on giving it a top?
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Hows it gonna be finished?
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the finish will be a deep translucent red. The neck section will show through in the middle - still havnt decided if to see the neck on the front of the body yet. If i go for 2 pickups a traditional explorer scratchplate will cover it nicely..... although i am tempted to keep this as a single pickup guitar with just a volume control, maybe an inbuilt overdrive.
ziracote apparently sounds like brazilian rosewood, but i havnt built with taht to compare - and i dont intend to either. for me its the perfect middle ground between indian rosewood and ebony and looks pretty damn special too - this is not the nicest peice i have!!!
heer is my latest batch of the stuff:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/1-7.jpg)
all but one have been reserved
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no top for the explorer, keeping it simple and deadly
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I like the wood :D
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You DOES have good ones! iI bought 3 to build a guitar to a friend and wait for futures times (I have W.A.S. wood acquisition syndrome, I'm just hobby, and coming back to build just now, don't have any machine and a nice place to let it...:shock: )... Where do you bought this ones, can you tell me? really nice ones!
I'm searching veneers like this ones you have...
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i get my ziracote from www.galleryhardwoods.com , i have had it cheaper elsewhere but never as good as what larry sends me
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Ok! I'll see this! I've bought from http://www.exotic-woods.com/, but I can't say to you if it's the best or the normal or the rest... hehehehe looks good and I'll show to friends with more experience than I've, so then I tell you!
The camera's flash took it to bright :? I'm not a good photographer :D Yours look better!
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that looks pretty good to me - top peice looks really nice
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here is an upclose shot of the ziracote fretboard, now fretted. It will probably end up a few shades darker but i really like it because it has a lot more flecking than normal
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/b.jpg)
And the explorer has been routed for the kahler trem and 1 humbucker:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/a.jpg)
i should have some the strat back to assemble in a week or two!!
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i am thinking i will get a ceramic warpig for this guitar
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OMG that looks superb :D
Cant wait to see it finished 8)
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i have the super large neck pocket cut out on the explorer:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/exp1.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/exp2.jpg)
I know not everyone will like the 3 a side headstock but i feel the curve on the end of the headstock reflects the curve on the end of the body quite nicely
Very tasty work - I like your headstock design but for this guitar I'd have inverted it.
Bet it'll scream with the low string pull of only one pickup and that massive neck joint. Oh, and the Warpig you have planned won't hurt either :lol:
Next project has to be a Dean Vee type of thing - all black with binding round the body, neck and headstock (yum!!!)
:twisted:
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VERY Nice.
The Kahler doesn't look that bad actually.
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The Kahler doesn't look that bad actually.
Yes I've actually burned my tongue :D
Look great Wez!
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(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/52.jpg)
What happened to this baby?
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on its way soon - finishing is always the slowest process!!
I am glad you are all coming around to the kahler!!
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wow, really sweet!
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on its way soon - finishing is always the slowest process!!
I am glad you are all coming around to the kahler!!
I like Kahlers, especially on Explorers - I'd love to have a Destroyer, like Dave Murrays with the kahler :D
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The kahlers do tend to be quite bulky and industrial looking and i know that puts a lot of people off, but i have actually recessed this into the body slighty which means i need a bit less neck angle and more importantly the trem feels a lot less bulky from the playing position - should feel quite slinky when its all done!!
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That sounds pretty inovative 8)
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Not really innovative, infact some people would see sinking the bridge as cheating, but it serves me well in this instance!!
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I've always thought Kahlers were flat mounted, but I've never played one :roll:
Are they usualy liek that?
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you generally get two types, flat mount and stud mount. Mine is flat mount, just recessed slightly because i like it like that.
They can be set as low as a fender bridge but function a lot better with the saddles raised up more, so i sunk the bridge so i could raise the saddles more and still have a low action, i could have added more neck angle instead but wanted to keep it without much neck angle because thats what i am used to playing and i want to keep this one for me a while
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Intriguing!
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Not really innovative, infact some people would see sinking the bridge as cheating, but it serves me well in this instance!!
I did that with a Kahler Flyer on a Squier Strat in 1986! Not that I'm claiming to have invented the technique or anything. :wink:
I think the increased angle over the rollers helps sustain a bit, at least when the bar's not in use. But that was my problem with the Kahler in general - because the cam part of the bridge raises but the saddles stay put, you reach a point where there's almost no string pressure on the saddles and the guitar just dies. That apart, I think it's a wonderful, beautifully engineered design.
I never owned one, but the Washburn Wonderbar looked an interesting design - it also had roller saddles but there was a second set of rollers pushing down on the strings behind the saddles. Big bulky thing though.
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you got it philly, for saying they are designed to retrofit onto a strat they dont actually mention anywhere that you either need to severly shim the neck or sink the bridge for it to work at its best ... but i knew that and allowed for it.
This is the slightly cheaper hybrid model, it allows you to lock the trem off if you want to which is a big plus for me and i dont know why they dont offer it on the pro models
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Are you going to use the behind-the-nut string clamp Wez? I always thought it was better with a Floyd locking nut. I was a bit surprised when they re-launched the Kahler that they'd kept the string clamp.
Having said that, if I ever get round to putting my 80s Kahler unit back on my old Hamer, I'm just going to use the standard nut and a set of locking tuners.
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Sorry for digging up old news, but I really like this body shape and I'd think it would look stunning with a spalted top: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801042.jpg
Oh well, on another guitar perhaps. :wink:
The explorer looks great as it is, I think. I wouldnt hide that wood with a pickguard. With a Warping and a Kahler trem, it'd be a metal beast even Karl Logan would be scared to touch.
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We are doing a guitar like that with a spalted maple top but its a real slowburning project. I am teaching my sprayer how to build guitars but i have given him quite alot to spray recently so it hasnt progressed much recently
here it is rough cut out:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/new_project_005.jpg)
i think since then he has trimmed the top back and done some koa binding, we made a neck for it but it went wrong so need to do another - just as i was letting him do a bit more by himself :wink:
Yep philly Q, behind the nut string clamp i am afraid - although i am possibly going to replace it with the cam one so it doesnt need alan keys to change a string:
http://www.wammiworld.com/5514.html
not sure yet
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The spalt on that is awesome Wez! I didnt really like spalted wood before looking at this thread and now I seem to really like the look of it.
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damn!! - i want to discourage people from spalt - i hate working with it!!!!! Although i do have another spalted guitar lined up for the end of this year and i am actually looking foward to that one....i guess its more of a love/hate relationship with me and spalt!!
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I put a recessed Kahler in my Ibanez bitsa. It was set up originally for the Ibanez lo-pro but they are expensive and I picked up a Kahler flyer for $50 on eBay, When I was looking at how to fit it to the Ibanez body it just seemed like recessing it would look best so that's what I did. The string angle with the Warmoth neck worked out great.
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i will get a photo of this bridge from the side at some point - when you see it recessed it definately makes perfect sense, even if it meant i had to make an extra template :wink:
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ok, as discussed before kahlers work with the strings being attached to a cam and then going over saddles which nver move whilst playing so you can palm mute to your hearts content without going out of tune. Problem is that the saddles need to be raised to a certain height so you dont loose all tension on them when using the trem - this is where a lot of people go wrong with kahlers because the bridge design lets you lower the saddles past the point where they will function correctly. Why they cant just thicken the base plate under the saddles so the lowest position was a functional one is beyond me.
Here is mine from the side, the saddles are set at there lowest usuable point to maintain a good break angle when using the trem and the whole unit is recessed into the body - its currently set so the string would touch the fretboard because thats the theoretical lowest point i will ever need
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801681.jpg)
I could have gone about it different ways but you cant deny these bridges are bulky buggers. here is what it would look like if i didnt recess it
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL801682.jpg)
On a smaller sized exlorer like this i think it looks a little daft.
the only compromise is that now the little allen key that lets me lock the trem is not accessible so i will need to add a small channel behing the bridge to solve that
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You are setting the spalted bolt on aside for me right? :wink:
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to me, a floyd rose looks more industrial, and bulky
I think Kahlers look more self contained
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You are setting the spalted bolt on aside for me right? :wink:
sorry fella, someone has already laid dibs on it - they tend to go to the people that offer me money :P
to me, a floyd rose looks more industrial, and bulky
I think Kahlers look more self contained
the kahlers are definately more self contained, that makes them much easier to route than a floyd,
at the end of the day floyds are always just floating from two pivots - i know its a strong design that works but it doesnt always feel like it is. The kahler should be more resistant to my sloppy playing
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When are you appying the finish? :)
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still need to carve the heel , add some room for some controls/electrics, inlya the headstock and finish sand the whole thing then it will go off to be sprayed - might be a while because i am expecting a couple back from the sprayer to put together
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are you getting the 'palm arm' for the Kahler?
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If i do get round to ordering teh other locking nut i might get a palm arm as well - not really fussed at this stage but its worth considering.
Anyway, got this back from the sprayer today:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/1-10.jpg)
Brightly lit so not like its real color but look at the reflections from the flannel:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/2-7.jpg)
this is closer to the real life colour:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/3-6.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/4-6.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/7-4.jpg)
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Very nice!
Is the whole on the top by the bridge going to be visible with the bridge on?
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Veeeery nice :) That's how i'm going to do my neck-through; with capped body, but not covering the laminations. Quite the shiny finish on her :) Big fan of sapwood in the fretboard, nearly bought a few bits of cocobolo like that a few weeks ago, but decided against it; got enough fretboard wood already!
Looks like a really comfortable fan there- what bridge is going on it, individual saddles?
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Yeah, individual bridges mounted on a ziracote plate. The earth wire hole is slightly larger than normal to accomodate a wire from each bridge. The actually channel is normal size - just enlarged at surface so i can join 6 wires into 1.... it wont be visible at all!!
This thing is all about comfort, its just over 1 1/2" thick, fully contoured and weighs practically nothing at the moment. Its only a 1" fan from 25" to 26" with the 7th fret parallel... I just wanted enough to tighten up the low e when down tuning.
the neck is all reclaimed mahogany. the body wings are mahogany, a thin bit of flamed maple and the quilted redwood on top. I have the neck showing on the front because i got the redwood very cheap and it was never going to be good for anything other than a neckthrough
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Yeah, individual bridges mounted on a ziracote plate. The earth wire hole is slightly larger than normal to accomodate a wire from each bridge. The actually channel is normal size - just enlarged at surface so i can join 6 wires into 1.... it wont be visible at all!!
This thing is all about comfort, its just over 1 1/2" thick, fully contoured and weighs practically nothing at the moment. Its only a 1" fan from 25" to 26" with the 7th fret parallel... I just wanted enough to tighten up the low e when down tuning.
the neck is all reclaimed mahogany. the body wings are mahogany, a thin bit of flamed maple and the quilted redwood on top. I have the neck showing on the front because i got the redwood very cheap and it was never going to be good for anything other than a neckthrough
Yea, my next guitar is going to be really comfy too, will be a more 'organic' shape, with nice rounded edges etc. I think it'll have a similar fan to my current build, but with a perpendicular fret somewhere around the 7th i'd imagine.
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sounds good, i think i will try a bit more of a fan on something else if this turns out ok - probably something with extra strings
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Wez I'm annoyed with you... you've made fall for kahlers!
Although for mynext guitar I have an idea inluding one :D
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sorry, not the cheapest thing to GAS for!!
I got mine here:
http://wammiworld.com/
Very helpfull people indeed with great customer service
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Wez I'm annoyed with you... you've made fall for kahlers!
If you can't get enough of Kahlers, there's a (poor quality) pic of my Kahlerised Hamer on this thread:
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9683
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Thats hawt :)
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test fit of parts, excuse the fingerprints
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/test2.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/test3.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/test4.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/test5.jpg)
think i am going to have to darken off that bridge plate, maybe even remake it out of ebony but i am happy with how it all fits together
need to wire and do setup
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A beaut, more art than axe :D
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That looks real nice Wez!
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cheers guys, i am really looking forward to playing this one!!
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veeery nice.
the bridge mount thingy looks a bit odd in that colour to me, could you paint that instead of using an ebony one?
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its ziracote at the moment, matches the fretboard nicely but i am tempted to make another one out of ebony and maybe try a different shape/size too.
i knew the bridge plate idea would always divide people but i really wanted this to have a LP style neck angle because i wanted to keep certain LP characteristics whilst making it a damn sight more ergonomic. For me a LP without a neck angle would feel wrong and the bridge plate let me keep it
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Love it!
Is it Nathan that does the finishes btw? 'Cus whoever it is sure does them well 8) :wink:
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yeah my cousin Nath does finishing for me inbetween his full time job, a 2 nights a week plumbing course, doing plumbing work experience all day saturdays and having a band.... Thats why things are taking a while to finish at the moment - - - he tells me he enjoys doing it though!!
We are curently experimenting with trans finsihes and he is getting great at it - really magaes to capture a depth of colour that is hard to photograph, strange with his colour blindness. you only have to see that the guitar looks a different colour in every photo to see what i mean - so much nicer in real life!! I do help out with colour mixing on customer stuff but largely leave him to his own devices for my stuff
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Gorgeous - I think the plate could be improved though.
ebony sounds good - But the shape is what puts me off - Maybe it should be parallel to the bridge on all sides and curved off towards each edge?
That would look ace.
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Gorgeous!Congratulations! 8) It's a real beauty,even the bridge plate! :lol: I really want to know how it sounds and plays now...I see a MQ but what is the bridge PU ?
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Looks great Wez. I like the bridge plate, but I won't pass comment on wether it's dark enough as I think you can only decide that looking at the real item.
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cheers guys - i am just goin to get it playable for now and sort stuff like the bridge plate put after i have played it a bit. Not the way i normally do things but this was more an experiment with new things and its turned out a lot better than some of my experiments do!!
Pickups are a Manhattan (not MQ) in the neck and mule in the bridge. The manahttan is a lower powered MQ with a really stylish cover so i thought it would be good for a classy guitar like this - looks and sound wise. Mule in the bridge because i love humbuckers
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That bridge is HAWT! Also, that is some pretty intense fanning you got going on there with that Single Cut, is this one for you or a customer?
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It was just for me but will probably be for sale once i am happy with it. the fan is actually quite subtle, it only goes from 25" on the treble side to 26" on the bass side. i wanted to do it just to see how it felt - but didnt want to scare people off. I think fanned fret is a great idea but i feel when its too much a lot of guitarists are scared off. Just enough extra tension on the bass side to aid down tuning without feeling too strange. thats the idea anyway - we will see if it worked, hopefully tonight!!
i am currently considering making a slighter wider bridge plate with bevelled sides to take away the sheer drop at the edges of the bridge
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Awesome. When I first saw the fanned frets, I was worried. But now its finished I can totally see how comfortable they would be.
I'm looking forward to seeing the spalt geetar though!
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ok wired it up tonight, still havnt finished cutting the nut properly and playing with the steup but it was close enough for me to tune it up and give it a quick play .... and quite shockingly, i could play it quite well.. well for me anyway!!
That was always going to be my benchmark to see if fanned frets was a good thing - if i could adjust to it anyone can. I spent a minute looking at the fretboard finding my way around and the next minute i was knocking out all the obvious riffs and chord sequences i always do with no real adjustment needed - infact i would go so far as saying certain things were sounding better, barre chords high up the neck were distinctly easier than i have ever found them before!!
going to play with the set-up and final details over the next few days but initial impressions are very promising!!
oh, i love the manhattan already! its so clear sounding. The overall tone so far is quite airy and resonant which comes from the large quantity of redwood i think. It certainly doesnt sound like a les paul but i havnt pinned down what it does sound like yet - it will probably be clearer to me once i have the set up perfect and the tuning is better
One thing i did notice is that the strings do not pull the others out of tune at all when tuning up - must be the individual bridges because even on normal fixed bridge guitars they tend to influence each other a bit
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One thing i did notice is that the strings do not pull the others out of tune at all when tuning up - must be the individual bridges because even on normal fixed bridge guitars they tend to influence each other a bit
That's interesting, I always thought it was due to the neck flexing a little as each successive string is tuned up.
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as with everything - its more a combination of factors, the neck on this is reinforced with two CF bars as i do on a lot of necks so its stiffer than the average neck. but i do that quite often anyway and still find the strings pull each other out slightly, not really something i notice because its so normal and intuitively worked into my tuning technique.
the effect was noticeable by its absence on this guitar, i kept going back to correct the tuning and finding it was still perfect - thats rarely happens even with the really stiff necks
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Yeah, as you know I like my SGs :wink: , so I'm used to one-piece mahogany necks with a little flex in them! I tend to tune each string a little sharp because I know it'll go flat when I tune the next string.
How do those little individual bridges work? I assume there's a moveable saddle for intonation, but are they height adjustable too?
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the saddle assembly can move back and forth in the channel and has 2 small grub screws for height adjustment. when its all set there is another small grub screw to tighten that locks it all in place
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yeah my cousin Nath does finishing for me inbetween his full time job, a 2 nights a week plumbing course, doing plumbing work experience all day saturdays and having a band.... Thats why things are taking a while to finish at the moment - - - he tells me he enjoys doing it though!!
We are curently experimenting with trans finsihes and he is getting great at it - really magaes to capture a depth of colour that is hard to photograph, strange with his colour blindness. you only have to see that the guitar looks a different colour in every photo to see what i mean - so much nicer in real life!! I do help out with colour mixing on customer stuff but largely leave him to his own devices for my stuff
He's colourblind? wow lol
Sure looksl ike he does a great job :D
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you must have missed the trans black telecaster i posted at the start of summer - it was purple!!!!!!
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:lol: :lol: :lol: lmao awesome :lol:
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well set-up was a damn sight more difficult and i still need to make back plates and truss rod covers but i am loving the fanned fret LP. It took me a while to get the fret levelling right - for some reason it seemed much harder with the frets all skewiff. i guess my usual method works best with parallel frets!
fun to play though and i am really loving these pickups now the guitar is playing in tune.
I cant believe how easy it is to adjust
At the moment i have it in standard tuning with 10's, feels fine - i had it in low B earlier with 10's and it was a little buzzy but still better than guitars are usually in low B. I think i need to experiment with other strings to see what works best on it. I reckon with a light top, heavy bottom set it should be damn near perfect for downtuning!
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Pics? :D
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well set-up was a damn sight more difficult and i still need to make back plates and truss rod covers but i am loving the fanned fret LP. It took me a while to get the fret levelling right - for some reason it seemed much harder with the frets all skewiff. i guess my usual method works best with parallel frets!
fun to play though and i am really loving these pickups now the guitar is playing in tune.
I cant believe how easy it is to adjust
At the moment i have it in standard tuning with 10's, feels fine - i had it in low B earlier with 10's and it was a little buzzy but still better than guitars are usually in low B. I think i need to experiment with other strings to see what works best on it. I reckon with a light top, heavy bottom set it should be damn near perfect for downtuning!
Congrats dude, looks great, glad it plays well too! Interesting about the fret levelling, i'll see if i have any problems with mine.
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been busy ripping my kitchen apart at the moment which means a little less guitar time - i still have some details to work out on this guitar and hopefully have the strat coming back soon but its all slow progress at the moment - i will get some pics of stuff when there is something more to show
the fret levelling problems were down to the fact i usually use a large file pushed striaght along the fretboard. not normally a problem but i guess the resistance from the fanned frets must have caused a twist whilst wasnt paying attention :oops: , must pay more attention to basic physics!! i did it again with good sandpaper on a radius block and it worked fine
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TOP CLASS Stuff
i´m amazed
if you lived in brazil, i would liek to do a guitar with you
Q:)
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Hey Wez,
Where did you bought this saddles of the bridge? It works well?
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i think they were from allparts - not cheap at all. I was going to make something using standard saddles but chickened out and brought these instead. a cheaper and more gracefull alternative might have been to do what doug at black machine does and use wilkinson style saddles attached to a hardwood plate
click on the 884 link on this page to see what i mean:
http://www.blackmachine.net/
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Nice idea! I'm thinking in do a homage to a acoustic harp-guitar by Epiphone, building a eletric guitar based on that design... and for the bridge I'm thinking in something alike that you and Doug did!
I thought in something like standard saddles to, but should be hard to do it...
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been busy ripping my kitchen apart at the moment which means a little less guitar time - i still have some details to work out on this guitar and hopefully have the strat coming back soon but its all slow progress at the moment - i will get some pics of stuff when there is something more to show
the fret levelling problems were down to the fact i usually use a large file pushed striaght along the fretboard. not normally a problem but i guess the resistance from the fanned frets must have caused a twist whilst wasnt paying attention :oops: , must pay more attention to basic physics!! i did it again with good sandpaper on a radius block and it worked fine
Use a wet or a diamond stone, it works great!
EDIT: i want that Black Machine 8-string, $%&# it looks nice!
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yeah i have tried that method in the past- after a few fret jobs i started using a big heavy old file and it works great normally.
the wet stone would have the same problem as the file did, you push it straight along the neck but as it contacts the frets at an angle it will try and turn.
Not really a problem if you are aware of it and control it better but i hadnt considered it might happen.
anyway - all level now! a radius block with sticky back sandpaper worked best for this guitar
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guitar stuff is taking a while to get finished at the moment.
My kitchen is going well though, its currently an empty shell with a propped up sink waiting to be plastered - but once thats done its a easy job and i can give more time to the guitars again.
The sprayer has been in touch to let me know the spalted maple strat is about finished so i will put it together soon and get all the detail work on the fanned fret lp sorted.
anyway, should be able to finally get some stuff finished and some new stuff started in the next few weeks. It helps having half term next week but i am in amsterdam for a few days.
Busy times!!!
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its currently an empty shell...waiting to be plastered
I can relate.
:wink:
Can't wait to see the pics when everything's finished.
Oh, and try and get some of the guitars as well.
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guitar stuff is taking a while to get finished at the moment.
My kitchen is going well though, its currently an empty shell with a propped up sink waiting to be plastered - but once thats done its a easy job and i can give more time to the guitars again.
The sprayer has been in touch to let me know the spalted maple strat is about finished so i will put it together soon and get all the detail work on the fanned fret lp sorted.
anyway, should be able to finally get some stuff finished and some new stuff started in the next few weeks. It helps having half term next week but i am in amsterdam for a few days.
Busy times!!!
Can't wait !
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Just got this back from the sprayer
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/sp3.jpg)
we didnt use any flattening agents in the paint so although its a matt finish it should polish up in certain areas from use - i thought that would suit the vibe of the guitar better than doing a proper relic
anyway - i am quite happy with how the burst turned out, wasnt sure i liked the idea at first!!
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also made some decisions about one of the guitars i have kept for myself
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/f68ere2.jpg)
This is the first guitar my sprayer did and it was good enough for me but never perfect. Unfortunately the paduak has faded into a dull brown so its time for a goth makeover i think. Solid black finish and all black hardware - it may even call for a set of black warpigs with allen heads bolts... I will have to see what tim thinks about warpigs in a solid paduak guitar
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and a quick mock-up with parts:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/sp5.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/sp4.jpg)
gotta say - i am pretty damn thrilled with how this is turning out!!!
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Jesus Christ Wez, great job as ever :D :o
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I am by no means a strat fan, but that does looks awesome. Good work.
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cheers peeps!!
I was a bit worried this would turn into a design by commitee nightmare but i couldnt be happier with how its turning out - so, many thanks to everyone that has made suggestions. Even if i ignored them this guitar looks the way it does because of this forum so everyone give themselves a pat on the back!!!
Hopefully it should all go together nice and i can play it tomorrow, then it will be set free into the world!!!
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Wez I want one. Really I shall get in touch in a few years and buy all of your guitars. Every one. I'll make you rich.
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its a deal!!!
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didn't like the look of the body on its own. but with a neck, its perfect
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Just got this back from the sprayer
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/sp3.jpg)
we didnt use any flattening agents in the paint so although its a matt finish it should polish up in certain areas from use - i thought that would suit the vibe of the guitar better than doing a proper relic
anyway - i am quite happy with how the burst turned out, wasnt sure i liked the idea at first!!
So is that flamed AND spalted?
EDIT: IT LOOKS $%&#IN FANTASTIC!
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So is that flamed AND spalted?
EDIT: IT LOOKS $%&#IN FANTASTIC!
yep!! you see it quite often actually - most of the stuff i have had was good solid bits of flamed maple with the flame looking a bit rubbish in the spalted sections. This was a little more consistent
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and a quick mock-up with parts:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/sp5.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/sp4.jpg)
gotta say - i am pretty damn thrilled with how this is turning out!!!
That is looking damn good Wez!
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Really I shall get in touch in a few years and buy all of your guitars.
No you bloody well won't!
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thats cool
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Really I shall get in touch in a few years and buy all of your guitars.
No you bloody well won't!
Seriously I have so many ideas I want Wez to build. A rocking neck through SG for example, that Strat bar-stewardisation, and I also could do with a new dining table and chairs...
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Wow, Wez that looks awesome, I want one! I may contact you next summer about one of these if I manage to save some of my student loan for the last term :)
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Seriously I have so many ideas I want Wez to build. A rocking neck through SG for example, that Strat bar-stewardisation, and I also could do with a new dining table and chairs...
just started this:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/pk1.jpg)
but you cant have it!!! :P
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also could do with a new dining table and chairs...
If you want a dining table, you may want to contact Mr 13 String Superbass :P
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also could do with a new dining table and chairs...
If you want a dining table, you may want to contact Mr 13 String Superbass :P
If you're after a dining room table, this bloke lives near me. I keep seeing his work in wood working books. Damn good with wood and a top bloke to boot....Bloody expensive though.
http://www.varah.co.uk/GAL-dining.htm
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very, very nice wez. :twisted:
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hmm actually a thru-neck sg is also a great idea, as the main complaint I've heard about sg's is the "weak" neck joint. If you could also make it so its not neck heavy and with a strap button on the top horn like Iommi, I'd buy one :)
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hmm actually a thru-neck sg is also a great idea, as the main complaint I've heard about sg's is the "weak" neck joint. If you could also make it so its not neck heavy and with a strap button on the top horn like Iommi, I'd buy one :)
yes please darlin'
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hmm actually a thru-neck sg is also a great idea, as the main complaint I've heard about sg's is the "weak" neck joint. If you could also make it so its not neck heavy and with a strap button on the top horn like Iommi, I'd buy one :)
thats pretty much the idea on the sg. Its actually going to have a flush mounted dunlop strap lock button on the upper and a normal dunlop one on the base of the guitar. going for a longer scale length as well but it all should balance nicely. Trans black finish with dogear nickel BKP-90's
I do moan about sg's a lot but its not the shape i dislike at all - its just the way gibson makes them that bothers me
Oh, and it will have a 24 fret neck but it will be reinforced with a tweo way truss rrod and dual carbon fibre bars running the length of the neck - - - so although its quite a long neck it will be plenty stable
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Looks really great WezV, although I would prefer the body to be a bit brighter, it seems a tad dark with the dark neck.
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It is quite dark but i think it suits the look. also its trans black so it will be more see through in brighter light
here are some more pics
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/sp6.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/sp7.jpg)
i would take photos of the back but i will need to clean it first - obviously the satin finish really wants to show fingerprints!!!
So its strung and wired and sounds excellent, I am not liking the bridge pickup for clean stuff but what it lacks the neck pickup more than makes up for - and both sound ecellent with the gain cranked
i wont get chance to set it up properly till friday because i am off to amsterdam for a few days
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I don't think it's to dark in the new pics, so I guess it was because of the lightning it looked dark. :)
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Seriously I shall commission you to make a rocking P90 with a long scale neck and neck through. As soon as I graduate and get my first teaching job that is...
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That looks amazing with everything on! I think the dark colour is fine. It kinda reminds me of Ibanez sz-series, but nicer. With an aged silver strat-style hardtail bridge it'd look even better but thats just my personal preference. I need one of these guitars!
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Outstanding. Really :D
And the finish really makes the spalt look gorgeous. Great work on the inlay btw :)
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One word: Phwoooaaar! :D
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Lovely. One thing that puts me off a lot of custom guitars is that they're a bit too shiny and new-looking; this looks like something one of the orcs from Lord of the Rings would play. Love it.
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that is an AWESOME finish. wouldn't mind a pluck on that!!!
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Lovely. One thing that puts me off a lot of custom guitars is that they're a bit too shiny and new-looking;
My sprayer has grumbled constantly since i told him i didnt want it shiny - i think i took away his favorite part of the process
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Thats awesome Wez. :good:
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Holy cr@p that looks so different to what i thought it would look like, that looks amazing Wez!!
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That looks great Wez.
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cheers fellas - gonna sign out for a few days now. Got a flight at 6.30 tomorrow!!
it will be finalised when i get back on friday and up for sale at some point in the next couple of months, i think i need to hold onto a demo model for a while first. I have had some interest already but we will see how it goes
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Have a nice holiday!
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(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/sp7.jpg)
THAT GUITAR NEEDS TO BE MINE!!!! :x Maybe i should make some burnt offerings on the shrine of the guitar gods, hopefully they will hear my call. :wink:
EDIT: that hardware looks AMAAZAZAZING, top notch job!
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My sprayer has grumbled constantly since i told him i didnt want it shiny - i think i took away his favorite part of the process
If I had produced that black fade I wouldn't be grumbling, it looks awesome. You can tell your sprayer from all of us that he's done a top notch job, heh.
(Note to self, must learn how to produce a good fade / burst, heh).
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looks awesome! :D
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what kind of pickups does the transblack spalt one have again?
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miracle man calibrated set
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It is quite dark but i think it suits the look. also its trans black so it will be more see through in brighter light
It looks great Wez; lovely job.
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cheers bob - loving your work too!
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Just absolutely $%&#ing gorgeous Wez.
Top job. Really.
I'm not even kidding, if I had money, I would buy it. Instantaneously.
Superb job.
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Absolutely bloody lovely!
Noodle - you'd be in the queue mate, I can't see that guitar not selling!!
Roo
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Just curious Wez, have you ever used a Koa top? I am thinking about using a Koa top on my next build, and that black burst looks so damn good, i think it might even look nice on a koa top. That goldeny brown warmth of koa mixed with black burst... what do you think?
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What a beauty !
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Just curious Wez, have you ever used a Koa top? I am thinking about using a Koa top on my next build, and that black burst looks so damn good, i think it might even look nice on a koa top. That goldeny brown warmth of koa mixed with black burst... what do you think?
i did a koa topped semi hollow tele a few years back. its a beautifull wood even unflamed in its natural state - a burst like this could look good but it would need to be kept very subtle to make sure you were not suppressing the natural shimmer of the koa
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It looks lovely Wez, well done! :D
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Just curious Wez, have you ever used a Koa top? I am thinking about using a Koa top on my next build, and that black burst looks so damn good, i think it might even look nice on a koa top. That goldeny brown warmth of koa mixed with black burst... what do you think?
i did a koa topped semi hollow tele a few years back. its a beautifull wood even unflamed in its natural state - a burst like this could look good but it would need to be kept very subtle to make sure you were not suppressing the natural shimmer of the koa
do you have a picture? i am drooling thinking about flamed koa, or curly koa mmmmhmm. Yeah, i agree, a real subtle burst would be essential, if i decide to do a burst at all.
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I have some blurry pics somewhere - will try and find them when i wake up tomorrow!! i think it was my 4th or 5th guitar project so try to remember it isnt like the stuff i am building now :oops:
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I have some blurry pics somewhere - will try and find them when i wake up tomorrow!! i think it was my 4th or 5th guitar project so try to remember it isnt like the stuff i am building now :oops:
You mean you can build stuff in focus now? :twisted:
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you better hope so!!! :wink:
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One small blurry pic is all i have and the colour isnt great on it either - this was before i had a camera that would actually take a photo.
Not the fanciest piece of koa but i liked the stripes
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/6-5.jpg)
god awfull headstock :oops:
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One small blurry pic is all i have and the colour isnt great on it either - this was before i had a camera that would actually take a photo.
Not the fanciest piece of koa but i liked the stripes
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/6-5.jpg)
god awfull headstock :oops:
I have to agree on the headstock part :lol:
Otherwise it looks great, i really like koa.
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god awfull headstock
Yeah, not gonna disagree on that, but treat it as a learning experience. Nice body though.
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Just curious Wez, have you ever used a Koa top? I am thinking about using a Koa top on my next build, and that black burst looks so damn good, i think it might even look nice on a koa top. That goldeny brown warmth of koa mixed with black burst... what do you think?
i did a koa topped semi hollow tele a few years back. its a beautifull wood even unflamed in its natural state - a burst like this could look good but it would need to be kept very subtle to make sure you were not suppressing the natural shimmer of the koa
do you have a picture? i am drooling thinking about flamed koa, or curly koa mmmmhmm. Yeah, i agree, a real subtle burst would be essential, if i decide to do a burst at all.
Koa, IMHO looks bloody fantastic. But then I would think that, because I have a koa top on my Warmoth Soloist. If you get a really nice piece, it might even be worth just finishing clear, it looks so damn good. Sadly, I hear the flamed/curly stuff is very hard to come by these days, but that may have changed since I ordered it. Anyway, here's a quick pic of mine:
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q50/sld5150/Web-WarmothSoloist.jpg)
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^ Nice!
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Koa, IMHO looks bloody fantastic. But then I would think that, because I have a koa top on my Warmoth Soloist. If you get a really nice piece, it might even be worth just finishing clear, it looks so damn good. Sadly, I hear the flamed/curly stuff is very hard to come by these days, but that may have changed since I ordered it.
The curly stuff is not so much hard to come by as it is expensive. But, the again, scarcity does drive up price - as does demand. The curly Koa is what i would be aiming for, it is just so stunning. there are few other woods that are as breathtaking as curly Koa. By the way, i quite like that guitar, it has an understated awesomeness. :twisted:
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Koa only comes from one relatively small place so supplies are always going to be limited and the flamed wood is always going to be most sought after - those bloody ukelele makers want all the stuff and are much closer to get first dibs :wink:
Related woods do exists elsewhere though - autralian blackwood for instance. The wood varies quite a lot in appearance like all woods but some blackwood is very, very similar to koa
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By the way, i quite like that guitar, it has an understated awesomeness. :twisted:
Thanks man. I was going for the understated thing with it. It's not so understated plugged in though - the pickups are Warpigs!! :twisted:
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Koa only comes from one relatively small place so supplies are always going to be limited and the flamed wood is always going to be most sought after - those bloody ukelele makers want all the stuff and are much closer to get first dibs :wink:
damn those ukelele makers, guitars are FAR more important! :wink:
Related woods do exists elsewhere though - autralian blackwood for instance. The wood varies quite a lot in appearance like all woods but some blackwood is very, very similar to koa
I will have to look into this. I assume it is very different than African Blackwood... same species though? It is so interesting how very similar plants are distributed around the world. Next thing you know we will be finding Jarra Burl and Quilted Maple on one of Jupiter's Moons :o
It's not so understated plugged in though - the pickups are Warpigs!! :twisted:
haha, nice! :twisted:
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I will have to look into this. I assume it is very different than African Blackwood... same species though?
African blackwood is a type of rosewood (dalbergia) that varies from a reddy colour to very, very black
koa and australian blackwood are both large acacias with reddy, golden brown wood and can have very even flames when figured.
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African blackwood is a type of rosewood (dalbergia) that varies from a reddy colour to very, very black
That's true, my guitar has an African blackwood fretboard. It's very dense and has a darker tap tone than other rosewoods I've tried. It's as black as ebony with only a few chocolate brown stripes.
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African blackwood is a type of rosewood (dalbergia) that varies from a reddy colour to very, very black
koa and australian blackwood are both large acacias with reddy, golden brown wood and can have very even flames when figured.
i feel uneducated :cry:
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Clarinets are made from African Blackwood, and they're almost allways completey black.
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Clarinets are made from African Blackwood, and they're almost allways completey black.
many woodwinds are...
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Clarinets are made from African Blackwood, and they're almost allways completey black.
many woodwinds are...
Exactly.
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Yeah, I had a morning phoning around woodwind makers looking for some small pieces of african blackwood. Even ended up speaking to some bagpipe makers. It seems the vast majority of them have an agreement to send their offcuts to people who make chess boards........I just wanted four bits for a snooker cue that I was planning on building.
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i think craft supplies stock it for woodwind and turning stuff
although looking at the website - mostly out of stock :(
http://craft-supplies.co.uk/cgi-bin/psProdCat.cgi/African===Blackwood,2,,,A===B
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finally got some completely finished pics, it might even be making it into a guitar calender - i will let you know about that when i have more info.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/v4.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/v3.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/v2.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/v1.jpg)
I have also had a few people playing the fanned fret LP and everyone seems shocked by how easy it is to play - so i guess i will have to get that finally finished off now. Only a few months late :roll:
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One thing that I would change about that guitar..............................
..................... it should be laying on MY kitchen floor :twisted:
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my new kitchen floor is nice as well aint it - i put that down on saturday, still a few bits of dust and grout in the dimples. Mopped it about 20 times yesterday!!
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I had already admired the floor. I was going to make a comment about that too. Very nice......... New floor and Burton thorugh to the second round of the FA Cup, what more could you ask for :)
Actually, I was just up the road from you the other day. Doing some work on the A50/A38 junction.... Another KFC (amongst other things), just what we all needed :roll:
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Wez I've said this before, but that is fooking awesome. What pickups you got in that bad boy? And I WANT one so badly. Definitely getting in touch when I graduate...
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Cool guitar!
It matches well with the kitchen floor. I think you should leave it there.
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That looks awesome Wez. It's come together so well. I love the way you've done the neck joint, and that aged hardware suits the overall look of the thing brilliantly.
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very nice. nice flooring too. :)
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Gorgeous.
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Waoh! If that beauty plays as well as it looks,it will be the queen of...The neck-view from behind is superb...Congrats to you,Wez!
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apparently it plays well - i am getting less able to tell as any skill i once had on guitar slowly disappears.
the action is nice and low but still buzz free , sounds amazing when anyone who isnt me plays it!!
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i am getting less able to tell as any skill i once had on guitar slowly disappears
You can't do everything so well,it wouldn't be fair! :lol: I'm ready to try it at any time..of course,i'm in Belgium but.. :cry:
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Wez, simply put, you are an 'unstoppable force' (someone please get the reference, please... :wink:). More importantly, that guitar is an unstoppable force. I bet if you put that in front of a train it would make the train crash and wipe out because of the guitar's intrinsic awesomeness (i strongly suggest that you don't try that :D).
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I have to say that all Wez's guitars play really nicely. The fanned fret LP is amazing, once you've got over the look, it is really easy to play. The frets seem to fall to your hand shape in all positions. It has a great sound too. The Spalted Top guitar sounds great (I was playing through Wez's Little Rock), and again the feel is aweaome. Whoever gets it will ge really happy.
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Cheers Phil!! It was good to meet you and get to talk guitars... Now to get my kitchen finished so i can start with the guitar building again!!
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Wez, simply put, you are an 'unstoppable force' (someone please get the reference, please... :wink:).
Well it's an Agent Steel album from 1986, but you're not that old are you, Mr _9? :wink:
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Now to get my kitchen finished so i can start with the guitar building again!!
And for those wondering, the kitchen is rather woody - a nice mix of maple cupboards and wenge worktops - well not solid wood but i really dont have time to be handmaking cabinets as well!! Tap tone isnt as good but thats ok :wink:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/th_k3.jpg) (http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/k3.jpg)(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/th_k2.jpg) (http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/k2.jpg)(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/th_k1.jpg) (http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/k1.jpg)
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Ooh, nice kitchen! :D
I've been sorting mine out today - not putting in new units, but chucking out mountains of plastic bags and deciding it's finally time to get rid of my beer bottle collection...
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havnt even got the oven i ordered in yet, thats coming tuesday hopefully. I had a major attack of OAS and went for something far too fancy for a tiny terraced house but i like cooking so its all good - i only just stopped short of buying a huge range with the excuse that i would cook christmas dinner.
This has been my biggest bout of DIY so far - if you look at the two pillars in the pic you can see we have extended the kitchen and it makes a huge difference. Now we have cupboard space and room for a fridge freezer - frozen food for the first time in 6 years.... i didnt know how much i missed it till now!!
PS. i am dragging this of topic a bit but why not since everyone commented on the floor when i was trying to show a guitar :P
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You need a place to feed the guitars.
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Nice kitchen mate. Hopefully you'll be making coffee for me in it soon...
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I do make good coffee, or even occasionally bad coffee - i like to roast my own beans (some of you probably saw that coming) and havnt quite perfected the art yet!!!
Should be some more progress on sue's guitar soon, I am off from the day job on friday and hope to get a big chunk done then - but i am also at the tattooist all day saturday so i might be making last minute changes to arm designs instead
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Hmmm, home roasted coffee, sounds good to me.
We look forward to seeing any progress you make, either on the tat or the guitar :) We want to see some pics either way.
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Wez, simply put, you are an 'unstoppable force' (someone please get the reference, please... :wink:).
Well it's an Agent Steel album from 1986, but you're not that old are you, Mr _9? :wink:
HAHA! Very good Philly! And no, i am not that old, turning 20 soon!
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Wez, simply put, you are an 'unstoppable force' (someone please get the reference, please... :wink:).
Well it's an Agent Steel album from 1986, but you're not that old are you, Mr _9? :wink:
HAHA! Very good Philly! And no, i am not that old, turning 20 soon!
I wasn't much older than that when I bought it.
On vinyl. In 1986. :lol:
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i salute you sir! 8)
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wanna see something fun, well fun for me anyway
http://www.projectguitar.com
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Congratulations!
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Gratz!
I want to try that neck, looks exeptionally awsome!
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Good job WezV 8)
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Whoa well done. That is a pretty pro picture there too... well I think it looks nice anyway, don't know the specifics of how to distinguish
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Congratz Wez!
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Congratulations!!
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cheers peeps - now i just got to get the next 4 finished off
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very, very nice guitar!
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I've only just noticed how ****ing lovely the headstock on that guitar is!
:)
Roo
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well thanks for that - cant promise its original though. So many variations on the fender headstock its quite unlikely that it is!!!