avengers63

I couldn't agree more. Control is a key issue with a LOT of the things we do, as is patience and experience. Having instructions on what to do only takes you so far. It's a blueprint for success, but that's all it is. we have to go out and DO it. Mistakes will be made and with that comes knowledge. Experience will be earned and improvements will be made. And that's what I'm doing right now: doing, learning, and gaining some experience. So without further ado... I can repeat the process with a favorable result. That's all well and good, but what about the blackburst? That's the key to this whole thing - covering up the line around the edge of the top. Today, at least, my mojo is working. Of course, since I managed to not only do it, but repeat it AND do the burst, I'm doomed to dork it up on the real thing. But for today, I'm pleased.

And now, some playtime. Continued tests on scrap, both red and yellow, with a dealer coat of poly.

I'll agree where the problem really went awry - when I tried to have the top meet the binding. I'll look into seeing what we have lying around to make a scraper with. Now on to some progress.... I got the rectangle test piece sanded back hit up with some yellow. HOLY POOPERS!!!! This is with a sealer coat of poly on it: What I discovered is that the yellow really lightened up the red. It's not nearly as intense as it was. that could be in part to the sanding back as well. In any event, the whole thing really came to life. I'm not displeased. Right now, I'm proving to myself that I can do it again. In my mind, I could have easily done it once by sheer accident. If I can do it again, I'll have settled it in my mind that I CAN do it on the real guitar.

Gretsch is one of those companies that figured out how to perfectly balance "cool" and "tacky". I mean, who in their right mind paints a semi-acoustic archtop orange. Really. But they made it work. Now, I don't think I'd WANT to see a Gretsch done up like a Gibson archtop.

The P/G and rings have been finished up and all the holes drilled. It took me a couple of hours last week of fiddling with it to get everything lined up right, including the neck/string/bridge alignment, but we're finally in the home stretch. You'll notice that there's no formica on the back & sides anymore. I decided that it just wasn't working so I took out the heat gun and wide plastic putty knife and slowly wiggled it all off. I gave the back a 1/2" roundover, sanded it to 150, and hit it with primer/sealer/grain-filler. So here's my thoughts on the whole thing: It's going to be bound in white. I have the option to paint the back black or leave it gray. If you take a look at the pattern, there IS gray in it, so it wouldn't be entirely out of place. The neck is black, so that would match up well. I could bind it in black and paint the back white, but would that look goofy with the white p/g? Any thoughts?

Actually, the jam I'm in now is because I cut the binding channel too low. Were it 1/8" higher, I'd be OK. But I hear what you're saying about the scrapers.

Will the dye permanently stain the binding? I have to tape it off to do the blackburst anyway, but it's always good info to have ahead of time.

Thanks! I'll have a go at that also.

Time out. I went back to check in on it after it (basically) dried. It's frickin' PINK. Adding more dye and having another go.

Seeing the results, I just HAD to play. From left to right is pine, poplar, makore, mahogany, and sapele. And now, the same woods dipped in blood. The pine looks like crap. The super-dense grain likes didn't accept any dye, so it looks stupid. The poplar is interesting. It took the color very nicely without looking garish. The makore is OK, but nothing special. The mahogany favors the heritage cherry used on an SG. The sapele isn't bad. Tomorrow, when I do the yellow, I'll test it on the other side.

Some help from a PGer on EXACTLY what to search for (thanks!) got me comfortable enough to start experimenting. Here's the test pieces. On the right is a piece of thin quilt I have, on the left is a cutoff from the actual top. If the process is acceptable, I'll be using the piece on the right as a box lid. If not, oh well. After mixing up the dye, I started rubbing it into the test piece. I had to add more dye twice to get to the color I'm looking for, but that's a LOT better than overshooting the mark. As many of you know, it's a little washed out in pics. They look a little orange because of the flash. It's really just a tad lighter than what's on the American Flag. So with that looking the way I liked, it was time to test it on the actual cutoff and a piece of ash. The ash is a little splotchy because it had some finish on it. I was looking for the raw product, and I'm happy with the results. So now I wait for it to dry. Tomorrow I'll try to sand back and see what happens.

You do really cool work with the rustic theme. What's the difference between a P90 and the P60 other than the EMGs are active?

I'm still designing my next build and I need some opinions and, if possible, visual examples. The body is going to be painted black with an 1/8" bloodwood cap. It will have white binding to match the white pickups it'll be getting. The question is about hardware. Do y'all think I should use gold or chrome? It's contrast/conflict with the white that I'm questioning. Gold on bloodwood is REALLY snazzy, but the white might dork it up. FWIW: These are the pups in question. They're taken off of an Airline repro.

Except for the Thunderbird, I don't care for the looks of any of Gibson's basses. Given that a bass is neck heavy to begin with, add that to an un-balanced design like the Firebird and it sounds like a recipe for disaster.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=40093 Grab some lumber and join in! The final entry date is June 30th.

Hey T.K. - I'm glad you finally made it in. AND with a different approach to boot... bonus prize. With a sustainer in it, maybe Pete will actually like one of these out of sheer principle.

Body #1 is done. It'll go up on the bay tomorrow morning. Basically, I wanted to do this one as a dry run before doing mine. I made a smaller cavity & cover template set specifically for this. The LP shape was really awkward and the normal Stew-Mac was WAY too big. If this sells for a reasonable price - like >$50, I'll have to consider making more. Poplar is only $3/BF here, and I was able to make this with just under 3BF. I could realistically do all the cutting, shaping, and routing in 3-4 hours, so it'd be worth it to make more if it sells well. I'll not be doing anything else on mine until the hardware comes in.

The body has been sealed off with sanding sealer and the top/test piece is ready to go. I'm still unsure exactly how to proceed, so any/all assistance is not only welcome, but desperately needed.

That looks like red oak. Which means it looks like poop. BTW: Wez did a baritone that was covered in wenge. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...96&hl=wenge

In agreement: It CAN be done, but you definitely do NOT want to. The surest way to blow up your tools is to force them to do stuff they weren't designed to do.

That's why I don't buy them from Warmoth - I can't afford it. I've not had a single playability or quality issue with the Dano, Epiphone, Karosa, or other necks I've bought, AND they've been bought for a fraction of what Warmoth costs. +1. Well, 95% +1. I sell bodies on eBay for an ounce of extra cash, but not to try and make a living. It also has helped me refine and improve my abilities and allowed me to explore new aspects without absorbing any real cost.

Then I think it's time that everyone pulls out of me. Make your own necks! Make your own necks! I don't wanna. BTW: Your wood is always just sick. I wish I could afford me some-o-dat.

IIRC, you're like me in that you don't make your necks. If that's correct, where do you get them?

I can dig the Performer, but not the Katana. The Performer looks like a Fender-ized Parker Fly. The Katana.... I've said repeatedly that sometimes I like different just for the sake of different. But that thing just doesn't have any shape. At least it looks like SOME design went into the Corvus, even so far as to make it a stylized crow. The Katana is just a triangular piece of scrap with a couple of jagged points cut into it.

ALMOST any and every wood will make a fine neck. From a structural standpoint, stability and strength are paramount. You could use Home Depot oak, exotic imported cocobolo, or some random reclaimed timber from a barn, and all could have good structural qualities. But we're talking about a LOT more than just construction. We need to address how the wood effects the tone. All woods do something different to the tone. The body wood effects it as well. The combination of the two have another effect altogether. Define what you're looking for, both in tone, appearance, and cost. After that, you'll get help on the question at hand.