killemall8 Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 yep, thats a big list of in progress stuff. i just quit Wal Mart, so i should have some more time now, even if i get a regular day job. i had that chance at sears, but i messed up and now they are over employed. too bad, i knew people there that put in the good word for me and everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Two Bodies I didn't get a whole lot done over the 3-day weekend. I was only able to spend about 4-6 hours total in the shop. I managed to get the two blanks all glued up, cut out, planed, template-routed, and drum-sanded. I prpbably own't be able to touch them again until Thursday or Friday. I'm kinda looking forward to getting back to it. I have 4 bodies that need some router attention. This is going to be quite a pile of wood shavings. It's a reas feeling of accomplishment knocking them out in rapid succession like that. Tulip & Re-Paint I'm really hoping that I can buff out these two this weekend. I'm tired of looking at them sit on my pool table/staging area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 oo that wood looks great in that shape. i wish i had that much wood. i have none at all except for some mahogany neck blanks. but you always have great wood. i hate ordering from online wood places though, mostly because i dont like to wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 I have a fan. Seriously, though, I told you in a PM where I get most of my wood. It all comes in dang rough, but I've only had 2 pieces that weren't up to par out of probably 30. One of them warped after it was planed, so that wasn't any fault of his and could have happened with any seller. So in reality, 1:30 isn't bad at all. AND I don't pay market price for it including shipping (most of the time). The selection is kinda limited, but at this point, I'm OK with it. Oh... which did you mean looked good in that shape: the limba-topped LPjr or the mahogany/maple stringer PRS? Two Bodies I got the control cavities and pup routes hogged out last night and this afternoon. No pics. I wouldn't even have posted an update, but since I'm here answering killemall anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted September 4, 2008 Report Share Posted September 4, 2008 Yeah, i know where you get it from. thats also where i got some walnut neck blanks last year, and the body wood for the first KL explorer i made. pretty good prices, but you pay shipping for the large pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Tulip & Re-Paint I buffed out both bodies & headstocks yesterday while watching the NFL games. I'm 100% unsatisfied with them. The poly discolored in places when it was being leveled. It's pretty noticable on the yellow Tulip body. At this point, I've been painting these two things for probably 4 months - I'm done. They're not getting re-done AGAIN. Both of them have been done twice now. I'm basically sick of working on them at this point. I'll post come pics probably next week. I'm too disgusted with them to mess with it right now. I'll be doing the final buffing with some Meguairs and call it a day. Bloodwood LPjr The dude who won the bloodwood & longhi LPjr body got a helluva deal. The final bid was $40 - the reserve, which was set to cover all costs. So I broke even. So be it - those are the chances you take. But there's good news. He wants me to finish up & assemble his whole guitar for him. He's mailed me his neck & some hardware. I'll be gathering the remainder and passing the cost on to him. I'm pretty excited that I get to finishit all up for him. I'll post some pics as soon as I can. The neck is mahogany w/ bloodwood f/b, gold hardware, TOM bridge, string-through ferrules. The pups he sent be are on the cheap side - Epiphone bridge & Dean neck - but if that's what he wants, so be it. No progress on anything else so far. I've been.... distracted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 thats great that he wanted you to assemble it for him. why and how did the poly get disscolored? thats strange. i know how you feel, the more you work on a thing after its not right the first time, the more it just seems to be a hassle and you just want to get done with it whether its great or not. hope to hear back from you next week when you get back online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I have NO clue how or why it browned. It was thick in some places, and that's where it browned, but even after leveling it out, this thinning those thick spots, they remained dark. I'll be back next week. There's just waaaaay too much to do to have time for anything... you know... fun. Bloodwood & Longhi LPjr front for saleback for sale neck 1 WIP 07 The two "for sale" pics are the front & back of the body dry as it was pictured in the listing. There were "wet" pix as well, but I'm not seeing the need to post them. Neck 1 is a shot of the neck he sent me. I'll be rounding out the points, installing the nut, and inlaying my "J" logo. I'll also be making a bloodwood TRC. As a result of the work, the headstock will need to be re-finished. From the other two pics, I'm pretty confident that the F/B is bloodwood. It looks & feels like it's a pretty well made neck. With the gold hardware, this thing is really going to look great. I'll be making a back plate as well, but I'm undecided whether it'll be longhi or bloodwood. I DO know that both the back plate and TRC will be held on with rare earth magnets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 G -string tuner looks in an awkward place. D might not be ideal either - have you test fitted some tuners yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 G -string tuner looks in an awkward place. D might not be ideal either - have you test fitted some tuners yet? Not yet. It's not an odd camera angle - the holes weren't well planned out. After the test-fit, if the strings don't clear the posts, what would you suggest? Could I put in some kind of vertical post for them to go around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 i was more thinking about buttons sticking out at odd places.. looks like the tuner button could be smack bang on the corner of the headstock - which might look strange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I get ya. Let's do one better then and put the button on the top of the headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 that bloodwood LP is looking great. i think that headstock is hideous though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Yea... the headstock looks pretty bad. Good thing he wants me to take the point off. Bloodwood & Longhi LPjr http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...0LPjr/wip08.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...0LPjr/wip09.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...0LPjr/wip10.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...0LPjr/wip11.jpg The only reasons I documented this step is because I promised him I'd keep him updated on every step. As for posting it here, I figured "Why not". The neck looks a little off-kilter, but it's just an odd camera angle. Not that y'all don't already know this, but those center point holes left by a forstner are REALLY nice targets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2008 Bloodwood & Longhi LPjr GOL DANGIT!!!!!! I'm so ticked off!!! cuss cuss cuss cuss cuss cuss I routed through the dang curve. sonofamotherlovincassinfrackindammitalltohell I have to get a plug cutter and patch it up. I have NO idea why, but the dude isn't mad about it. He suggested putting a couple of mini-switches there for coil taps and to help disguise ot a bit. He has a lot more class than I do, that's for sure. Word for word, he said "It's not like you can drive a truck through it." I'm so mad at myself for this. It's just pure carelessness. Avenger Prototype I'm gonna finish this one up. I'll be using a hceap maple/rosewood neck I bought for $25 shipped. It's a little rough on the ends of the frets, but is otherwise playable. It's no prize, but it'll do for now. I made a cavity cover from some maple. I'll be making some pup rings from maple as well. It'll tie the maple of the neck together with the body. Here's how it's going to pan out: chrome hardware hardtail bridge (don't know which one yet) 3-position toggle top-mount jack 1 vol, 1 tone bridge pup: DiMarzio mega-drive neck pup: DiMarzio - either a PAF neck or a Hum. from Hell Sale Bodies I finished up two over the weekend. I'll post some pics tomorrow. One is the limba/african mahogany LPjr, the other is the mahogany/maple PRS. I almost have the next blank glued up. It's 7 pieces - and it's taking forever to glue together. Sapele/purpleheart wings with a yellowheart pinstripe, and a yellowheart core. I have some sapele in stock, and some bubinga on the way, as well as some other pieces to be used as caps. I'm working on getting 40BF of 8/4 ash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Mahogany & Maple PRS http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...le/frontdry.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ple/backwet.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ple/backdry.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...maple/sides.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ntrolcavity.jpg Limba & Afr. Mahogany LPjr http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ba/frontdry.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...mba/backwet.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...mba/backdry.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...limba/sides.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ntrolcavity.jpg Avenger Prototype No pics. I picked up the neck pup yesterday: DiMarzip Air Norton. I started finishing the body. With shellack. You may all browbeat me about why shellack isn't appropriate for a guitar because it isn't durable enough. I'm NOT concerned with that. I don't beat up my gutars, so it's not an issue for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 I routed through the dang curve. ... I have to get a plug cutter and patch it up. I have NO idea why, but the dude isn't mad about it. He suggested putting a couple of mini-switches there for coil taps and to help disguise ot a bit. He has a lot more class than I do, that's for sure. Word for word, he said "It's not like you can drive a truck through it." bummer!! do you have a fix sorted yet? I like the look of the mahogany and maple PRS style body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 bummer!! do you have a fix sorted yet? I like the look of the mahogany and maple PRS style body Thanks. Yea... this PRS is really clean & straight-forward. It's hard to go wrong with this wood combo. I'm getting a LOT better at shaping the body, too. For the fix, I have a set of plug cutters on the way. The hole is 3/4" wide. I'm going to make a plug that's 3/4", and drill the hole out to match. Then it's just a matter of re-shaping. I hope I can match the grain well enough, and that there isn't too much of a dark circle when it's all done. This is gonna have me ticked for a while. Whenever I'll see it in the future, I'm sure all I'll see is the patch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 Yea, stuff like that you'll always see first. I have some errors I see constantly, but most others wouldn't and they drive me nuts. I know this might be a bit out there, but you could also do a small inlay of the owner choice with either pearl or contrasting woods after you have done the plug, that way its plugged and strong, yet the joint/plug will be covered completely. I know its a strange spot, but if the owner did like a certain idea you could also do it on either side in the same spot so it looks even. Although I bet your plug will turn out decent enough. Best of luck fixing it and great work on all the other rigs, very nice work. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Bloodwood & Longhi LPjr Patched!!!! http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...0LPjr/wip14.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...0LPjr/wip16.jpg The plug cutters came in Friday, so Saturday looked to be busy. I did a number of practice cuts on scrap & cutoff pieces to make sure I had it down before touching the real thing. After making a couple of plugs that were acceptable, I moved over to the body. The first step was to drill a hole EXACTLY the same size as the plug. Normally, this wouldn't have been an issue. Then MY luck jumps into the mix. The area around the hole was extremely thin on one side. So thin that it couldn't withstand the vibrations from the speed-bore bit. It broke off making a bigger, jagged hole. Bollocks! Enough of this - it's time to freehand it. I have some fine needle files, so I used them to smooth out the hole as best as I could. I took some 1/8" - 1/4" scrap, taped it to the outside of the body, then traced the hole onto the scrap from inside the control cavity. I bandsawed the piece as close as I was comfortable doing with such a small piece, using pliars to hold it. I then used the smallest drum sander I have and got as close to the line as I could. From there, it was a tedius process of a lot of test fitting and hand shaping it with 80-grit sandpaper. When it was fitting into the hole, but still a snug fit, I glued it into place. Sunday night, I leveled it down with a lot of sanding, starting with 40-grit and going up to 150. It's still noticable, but it's fixed. Also, I made a control cavity from bloodwood. http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...0LPjr/wip17.jpg Now, I'm FINALLY ready to go to the next step for the body - finish sanding & seal-coat. The neck gets some serious work after that. Avenger Prototype The pups are set: Dimarzip Megadrive in the bridge & Dimarzio Air Norton in the neck. I made some pup rings from maple last night. Here's a front & back pic of the 3rd coat of shellack. You can see the cavity cover & rings above the body. The bass side of the body is NOT that light. The flash just washed it out. http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...apele/a0108.jpg Sale Bodies Two PRS bodies. Just some basic shaping at this point. http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...01/101_2152.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...01/101_2156.jpg On the left is some nice ribbon sapele with a limba/sapele/limba center. I only did the center lam because I needed the extra width. It's a nice decorative touch as well. On the right is a real PIA. 4" yellowheart core with a 1/8" yellowheart pinstripe in the wings. The wings are topped with purpleheart and backed in sapele. EIGHT glue joints!!!! It took a week just to glue the dang thing together. I made a purpleheart control cavity cover for it. http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...01/101_2162.jpg The sapele body is going to get a traditional carved top and belly cut. Maybe a trebel horn access bevel, maybe not, The purple/yellow will get a forearm contour, belly cut, and the access bevel on the trebel horn. I'm wanting the cuts to go through the different layers for some artistic reveals. Other Planing I ordered 40BF of 8/4 ash last week. It came in this morning. I got it for $4.17/BF. Not bad. I figure to be able to get 8-10 bodies from it. With the stuff I have in right now and the stuff I have coming in, I'll be able to have some really good progression in my abilities. Decprative caps, carved tops, chambered bodies, f-holes, binding... I'm excited. I ordered a 4x8 sheet of Aqua Boomerang formica. THIS is going to get interesting really fast. It's going to be laminated onto some bodies ala Danelectro. I really need a Tele pattern. I won a pair of DeArmond "moustache" pups. I'm excited about that too. I'm thinking about either an Avenger or 335 body, heavily chambered, burled redwood cap, cream binding, gold hardware, trapeze tailpiece..... who knows. I have a couple od others to deal with before I can tackle anything like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted October 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Avenger Prototype I put 5 coats of shellac on the body and 3 on the cavity cover & rings. Now they sit and dry for about a week. The tuner holes were too small for the Wilkinsons I bought, so they needed to be drilled out. Two of them ended up about 1mm off, but considering I was trying to center the bit into an existing hole rather than make a straight line on a blank slate, I'm not upset. The test fit of the tuners has a nice snug fit. http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...apele/a0110.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...apele/a0111.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...apele/a0112.jpg I also cut out the inlay on my pretty new scroll saw. On this pic, the inlay is just sitting on the headstock. I made it from a sapele cutoff. Once I get this inlaid, I'll say down some shellac on the neck. http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...apele/a0113.jpg Bloodwood & Longhi LPjr The body was finish sanded and cleaned up last night, and the 1st coat of sanding sealer went on the top. Tonight, the back gets the first coat. It's sooooo much easier to use than grainfiller. The control cavity cover got it too. The flash picked up what looks like a mass of yellow dust on the face, but it's not really there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flop Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) Avenger, those are both great looking guitars, I really like the color of the bloodwood. What kind of pickups are you going with? I might try to build an LP in the distant future and was wondering what the depth of the pickup cavity route is. Edited October 1, 2008 by Flop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted October 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Thanks. The dude I'm finishing it for sent me a Dean neck & Epiphone bridge. Those wouldn't have been MY choices, but it's not my guitar. I might try to build an LP in the distant future and was wondering what the depth of the pickup cavity route is. I'm NOT being dismissive or insulting in any way, but..... If you're asking those sorts of beginner questions, you should get Melvin Hyssock's book “Make Your Own Electric Guitar”. That will hold the answers to MANY of the questions you're likely to have. We here consider it the bible of electric guitar lutherie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted October 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2008 Bloodwood & Longhi LPjr Gluing on the nut and minor re-shaping of the headstock. Sale Bodies This is my first attempt at an access bevel. It was surprisingly easy. It took about as long to smooth it out with some 40-grit as it did to carve it away with a microplane. Weather permitting, tonight I take it into the driveway and put on a forearm contour and belly cut. Also, but not pictured, the other PRS body gor routed for 2 HBs and a lip dor the carve. It'll get some angle-grinder love tonight as well. In other news, I've been comissioned my a dude at Guitar Center to make him an ash strat body. I'm not going to make any strat bodies to try and sell because they're a dime a dozen. But... he came up to me and asked me "How much". Easy money. Future Planning DeArmond gold foil "moustache" pups stamped "1966" on the back. These things are nearly perfect. Not hardly a scratch on them, no pitting, long leads, VERY shiny still. I'm more than a little excited. These are going into a hollow-bodied something. I haven't decided yet. I won't be able to get to it until next year sometime, so there's plenty of time to decide. Also, I'm going to make an ash PRS H-S-S body for myself. It'll get mated up with the Westone neck. I'm trying to get a used Khaler for it as well. I may dye it green or orange. Of course, who knows when it'll all get put together.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted October 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 Sale Bodies Belly-cut & forearm contour on the PH/YH/Sap PRS. I was going for some artistic reveals on every bevel made. http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...01/101_2199.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...01/101_2200.jpg 1st attempt at a true carved-top. I've read through the tutorial a dozen times. Any input ot suggestions on how to refine it is desperately wanted. It's not a bad start, but it's not quite there yet. http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...01/101_2203.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...01/101_2204.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...01/101_2201.jpg I have two ash blanks glued up. One is for the strat I've been comissioned to do, the other is most likely for me. I probably won't be able to make any progress at all this weekend. Tonight is a concert, tomorrow is an annual back yard fish-fry, Sunday is my day to chill and watch NFL all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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