avengers63

Tracing the p/g onto the body before you started carving on it was a good idea.

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm not set up to spray. Pine is notoriously patchy as well. Flexner advises using a conditioner for woods that get patchy. IIRC, they're washcoats, but the only difference is the name. I'll give this product a shot on some cutoff. Better yet - I can try it on a Retrotron body. The whole thing is getting covered anyway.

I'm going to dye it either green or orange. I'll most likely top it off with lacquer.

PROGRESS!!!! I got all three bodies cut, template routed, and with a neck pocket. The formica sheets have all been cut to size to glue on as well. It worked out pretty nicely. The sheet is 48"-49" wide, and the circumference of the body is just under 48". I can just cut off a slice from the end and have a piece long enough to go all the way around the sides with just the right amount of waste. And there is PLENTY of formica left.

This got some work this weekend, as did the Retrotron. The Westone neck I'm using had some screw-in bushings. Clearly, they had to go. I just KNOW that I wouldn't place the ferrules in the exact same place as these bushings, so it's just easier in the long run to drill them out and plug the holes. Since that'd juse be boring, here's the WIP series on the process. bushings holes drilled, plugs cut plugs glued into place plugs sawn off & sanded flat I also got the neck pocket & pup holes routed. The Kahler is just sitting on the body right now.

It's gonna be a Dano shape, just smaller. Depending on how these go, I'm toying with the idea of doing a couple other shapes and seeing how they sell. The basic Strat, Tele, maybe PRS or a 335. Who knows. Right now, all that's just ideas and "what if's". Don't worry guys... there'll be some actual progress pics before too long.

I'm thinking I missed your intended question. I was hearing "are you putting the stuff on both sides of the guitar", but I'm pretty sure I missed it. The formica is only printed on one side. The other resembles brown hardboard, but it's a LOT stiffer. The sheets ARE quite thin. Thicker than veneer, but not by much - maybe 1mm at most, possibly less. But it's VERY stiff. You could easily make a true semi-acoustic out of it. I bet it'd sound weird, too. But isn't that part of the point?

They're held together with lag bolts! That's ridiculous!!! I love 'em and I've never seen them until this thread. The whole thing will be covered in formica. There will be white binding on the top & back to hide the ugly edges. My original thought was to have the body be little more than a 1/2" frame with the formica acting as acoustic soundboards Maybe a solid core, maybe not.I don't think I'll be doing that on these first runs, though. The body is a bit small - the blank is 12x16. I'm concerned that if I loose too much weight from the body that it won't balance. With a full-sized body, I don't think it'd be much of a problem. The hogged out body with a top isn't a bad idea. But like the frame, I'd be concerned about weight. Any thoughts?

Those HAVE to sound weird. I'd love to plunk arounf on one for a while. I love funky stuff like that. Here's what's happening: 1st body rough cut 1 blank gluing 1 blank waiting to glue All parts have been ordered. I chose parts that can be bought again repeatedly in case it sells and the store wants another. I'd be able to repeat the product accurately and inexpensively. I'm giving Eden a try for a neck. I heard some bad reviews early on, but they've turned heavily positive since then. All I'm hoping for is that it's playable. If not, I'm out $38. I was shopping around for a neck & pups the other day. I knew going into it that I was going to give Eden a shot, so that search was fairly easy. The neck I decided on is maple/maple w/ dot markers. As a bonus, it's already finished. I figure if the neck is OK but the finish is shoddy, I can re-finish it. If it's good, then I'm ahead of the curve. It didn't cost more than the unfinished necks, so why not. Anyway, I found the one I wanted with a BIN of $30 or best offer. With nothing to lose, I made an offer of $20, which was accepted. COOL! Now it's time to look for the pups. Since I'm putting Gretsch pups in mine, I wanted the other to have similar ones, so I looked at GFS. Picking out the ones I thought were similar, I went looking for that model from other sellers. We all know they're all made by Artec, so in theory they shouldn't be too hard to find, and cheaper than GFS. Unsurprisingly, I found them quickly. Better yet, they were from the same seller as the neck. Combined shipping! The BIN was $18 each or best offer. Again, with nothing to lose, I made an offer of $12 each. Offer accepted! So, I have a finished neck and two pups on the way for $68 shipped. Buying the pups from Guitar Fetish, they'd be $35-$39 each, plus shipping. This is both pups, a neck, and shipping for LESS than just 2 pups from them. Gotta love it.

At bare minimum, this is on the back burner. I need to: 1. Finish the Avenger prototype 2. Wire the Tulip 3. Wire the jack of the Carvin kit re-paint 4. Finish the bloodwood LPjr 5. Make 2 Retrotrons and a third R/T body 6. Finish the ash PRS. All that's happened with it is the basic body shaping. The rest of the parts should all be in next week sometime. 7. Finish a couple of Christmas presents. 8. While this is happening, other bodies need to be made and auctioned. All of this IS going to happen before I touch the zebrawood LP again. With this in mind, it's pretty likely that it'll be here getting dusty for a few months. All that being said, if it's still here in a few months (like in 2009), maybe I'll try and fix it. But for the forseeable future, it'll be waiting for someone to give it some love. Hey JM... wouldn't it make a GREAT Christmas present for you? By coincidence, there's a pile of all black hardware available too, as well as some Artec/GFS pups. Yea... I'm subtle.

Avenger Prototype I buffed the shellac out with steel wool. Everything is finished with shellac - the body, neck, rings, and plate. It all has a matte finish as well. I wanted a very natural look & feel to it. I didn't fail to learn from the zebrawood LP... I lined up everything BEFORE drilling the neck this time. dumba$$ shot from the headstock control cavity back with cover Here's where I'd love some opinions. I have three sets of knobs I can use. Pictured below is one of each sitting on the body. The wife & oldest kid both like the black one. What are your thoughts? BTW: The abalone bell knob is sitting on the input jack. There are only two pots. I should be able to have this completely finished this weekend. I need to make a run to the store for pup springs & screws and strap buttons. After I get the pups in the rings, I'll be able to do the wiring.

Soulds like as good an option as anything else. We all know it takes dye & stain nicely, and it's as good a musical wood as anything else. FWIW: Larry Karosa made a series of ash necks. They didn't look too bad. With the natural graining and the curve of the back of the neck, some interesting patterns came out.

If it's such an easy fix, wouldn't this be a GREAT opportunity for one of you experienced builders to teach we poor, foolish learners what to do? Why, you could even produce a detailed picture tutorial. hint hint hint Also, staining or dying is not an option. I sealed the body already during the grainfilling process.

Maybe not, but they work wonderfully under shellac, lacquer, and poly. And you're right - shellac is great as an undercoat/sealer. Pretty much anything will stick to it. Not that it's necessary to even use a sealer, but that's completely beside the point.

For the F/B, I wouldn't be able to make any suggestions. Were you making the neck & F/B from scratch, I'd say use gloss poly. Poly is extremely durable and might hold up better than lacquer. But, with this being a refinishinf project and the neck is already fretted, any finishing to the F/B is going to be a real chore. Shellac is extremely easy to use. This is largely due to it's lature. Like lacquer, it is "always solvent". This means that the solvent will turn the finish loquid again no matter how long it's been on. What does this meas for you? Coat #2 will "melt" into coat #1, etc., etc., creating one thick layer. This helps with leveling, runs, bubbles, etc. After the 1st coat is on, let it dry for a day, then buff it out with steel wool. I say wool over sandpaper because the sandpaper will clog pretty fast. If you do use sandpaper, don't worry about sanding through. The first coat is a sealer anyway. It's unlikely that you'll sand through the finish that soaked into the wood itself. After that, you can apply as many coats as you feel necessary. they only take a couple of hours to dry, so the you can get it nice and thick pretty quickly. I'd advise leveling the finish before applying the last coat or two. This will make the final leveling a LOT easier. Between coat sanding isn't necessart because of the "melting" thing, unless you have some really major issues. Be aware that shellac is a good wood finish, but might not be a good guitar finish. As Geo said, shellac is soft. It won't hold up to a lot of abuse. If you're rough on your instruments, it will wear & chip quickly. If you're not abusive, you'll be OK.

I have a couple of DPDT 3-position mini-switches. BUT... they're labeled "center off" on the package. Will they work for a normal 3-position or do I need to go get some others?

Now that it's too late... Amber shellac would be a great option. Also, a light-colored stain would do the trick. (I often wonder why folks here run to dyes or tinted finishes, but ignore a basic stain.) I've never worked with Tru-Oil, so I can't comment on it. I'd highly advise NOT using a veneer on a body with rounded edges. Without a TON of veneering experience, it'd be extremely likely that you'd dork it up. I agree with the others on one point - more sanding/smoothing might be in order.

IT CAME IN!!! The sheet of Formica in Aqua Boomerang I ordered 2 weeks ago came in today. I'm REALLY excited now. just a sample pic, not a scan of the actual sheet. OK, so here's the plan.... I have a template I made a few months ago in anticipation of being able to do this. It's a trimmed down version of the Danelectro "bowtie" shape. (Not-so-)Coincidentally, I just so happen to have a Dano neck on hand. Hmmmmm. I also have some Gretsch pups on hand. Hmmmmm. Is it possible that I got them specifically with this in mind? I ordered a bunch of parts today - enough to make this guitar and to make another at the same time. One is for me, the other is going on consignment at a local shop. I'll be making three bodies concurrently - one for me, one for the commission ax, and one for eBay. artist's rendition - not an actual guitar STATS: Ash body, possibly hollowed out a bit. Not positive yet. Gretsch pups on mine, Artec/GFS Gretsch clones on the consignment white pickguard - top routed body - p/g mounted electronics 3-position switch concentric vol/tone neckplate, not ferrules white minding on top & bottom And the whole dang thing - front, back, & sides - is covered in Formica. not as cool as what I'm going to make

No, no, J.P. You have a very valid point. We don't NEED the power tools. We have them, and I'd not do this without them, but we don't neeed them. Somehow, things got built, and built very well, for thousands of years. Then we got electricity, and spinning blades came soon afterwards. I tell ya - having done an ounce of inlay work, I have the deepest admiration for the dudes who made all the stuff we see in a museum. They did it all with small hand saws, chisels, planes, and scrapers. And it looks 500 times better than what we do now with all of our technology. All admiration aside, I'd not try and do it without power tools. All confession of my personal need for power tools aside, I have more than I need. But DANG they're fun! I finally understand Tim Allan.

I've been tempted with his stuff and one other dude's stuff before. I have to restrain myselg because of the HORRIBLE testimonies I've read, like Wes's. It may look pretty in the pictures, but the pics aren't very close. The few I've seen close-up have been just horrible.

Then you have some catching-up to do! Let's see, what over-specialized gadget do I need THIS week...

Amen to both statements. This hobby isn't about saving money. It's about creating something from nothing, catered to your personal tastes, then using that creation to pour your soul through musically. This is the single most emotionally fulfilling, complete expression of self I've been involved in. From start to finish, this is ME. Enough philosophizing... I went relatively low-end on most of my tools. I'm not even going to touch all the little things that add up like the $15 chisels, $35 drill bit sets, individual router bits, etc. This is just the stuff you can't fit into your pocket. Ryobi table saw - $100 I don't hardly use it anymore Skill 10" compound miter saw - $150 Hitachi scroll saw - $170 Ryobi router/table combo - $100 Ryobi router - $70 used Craftsman drill press - $50 reconditioned 10" Ryobi band saw - $140 This is the one piece I wish I had got a better tool. I abuse it mercilessly. Ryobi angle grinder + flapwheel - $25 Ryobi 6" buffer - $20 Ryobi 18v cordless drill - $20 (GREAT find on sale) Black & Decker cordless screwdriver - $20 Dremel + attachments - >$200 Hitachi belt sander - $150 Ryobi random orbit sander - $20 Ryobi 13" planer - $200 Rand 6" jointer - $240 clamps - >$100 Freud biscuit joiner - $100 All of those Ryobi tools you see... those are entry-level pieces. In most cases, you can double or triple the cost for a mid-grade tool. Number of guitars completed so far - 1 Number of bodies completed so far - 10 Number of regrets over getting into this hobby - 0 Don't - I repeat - DO NOT think for one split second that you'll be saving money doing this.

If you followed the thread about this body in the WIP section, you know the story. If not, go have a read. The woods used are white limba for the back, mahogany for the pinstripe, and zebrawood for the top. The body has been grainfilled and sealed. All holes have been drilled, though some clearly need to be filled & re-done. The neck pocket was drilled & recessed for Ibanez 9/16" bushings. Limba cavity covers are included. The $40 cost of materials is all I want for it. I'd tap you $18 for shipping to America. I KNOW this is more than the actual ammount, but I'd refund the difference. Please... if you can fix it, take it off my hands. Links to the pics: http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...3/LP1/wip14.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...3/LP1/wip13.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...3/LP1/wip11.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...3/LP1/wip07.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...LP1/wip06-1.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...3/LP1/wip05.jpg

Sale Bodies PRS style 7-piece sapele, yellowheart, and purpleheart laminate 1/2" radius edges forearm contour, belly cut, upper fret access bevel HSS pup routes purpleheart control cavity cover http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...YH/frontdry.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...YH/frontwet.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...0YH/backdry.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...0YH/backwet.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ellyforearm.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...%20YH/bevel.jpg PRS style Quartersawn sapele with white limba stringers shallow carved top, 1/2" radius on back belly cut & upper fret access bevel HH pup routes white limba control cavity cover http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ed/frontdry.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ed/frontwet.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ved/backdry.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...ved/backwet.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...arved/sides.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...arved/carve.jpg

The Kahler Flyer was paid for Monday. Today, I found a pair of black Gibson P-90s. They're paid for and on their way as well. I decided to go with a mini-toggle for the phase switch. I'm debating about a flat-mount jack or an electrosocket. BTW: The Kahler didn't have the locking nut or arm with it. Where would be the best place to get parts? The Kahler website didn't have an ordering system or price list.