GregP

If it's not already slotted, there's no problem whatsoever putting the slots where you want. Another option is if the bridge accepts TOM saddles, replace them with a certain kind of roller saddle (I have a set that I've used, so I know they exist... indeed, they may be the more common kind!) on which the "roller" part is actually on a small horizonally-mounted screw. Just move the roller back and forth along the threaded bit in order to adjust spring spacing. A pic says a thousand words, but I don't have one right now, so I'm not sure it's very clear what I've said. Greg

It's meant to be used with a drill press. Unless your router is capable of very low speeds (not likely), I wouldn't do it. That much speed... the friction would be such that I can't imagine you'd avoid scorching your wood. Greg

Andy DePaule (DePaule Supply) has REAL shell for amazing prices... no point going with this eBay stuff. Greg

Amazing. Really good work!

I can't imagine it'd be the without-binding width, since most people will either add a "ledge" after the fact, or reduce the width of the fingerboard itself to accomodate binding; the template seems to be for full neck, not fingerboard. But, as mentioned, measuring is the way to go. Greg

Hey, thanks for that, Cody! No Robo-Sanders available in these parts anyhow (you'd think Ottawa, a reasonable-sized city, would have one somewhere, but no...) and I've always suspected there'd be an easy way to do something just as good. And here it is. Greg

Hrm? The guitar is made. ;-) I just need to put finish. As it turns out, the gel stain was compatible, or at least my sample from last week didn't have anything weird happen with it. Off we go with the gel stain, then. I was amazed that nobody here knew more about it, until I began searching on the internet and came up short with every attempt. Vague hints here and there, but nothing concrete saying what Danish Oil is compatible with. I guess this'll be the first definitive "you can use gel stain with Danish Oil" thread provided it ends up working out in the long run. Make an offer... this is Project Guitar, not buy a guitar! I like your signature line. This may end up being a mistake, but what the heck, it's time to just go for it. Greg

Grr. Now a site I visited says that even a penetrating "mixed" product like Danish oil won't work well with porous woods like mahogany without a pore-filler/sealer. Just when I thought I had an easy project.... I hate living in Canada when it comes to sourcing this crap for guitars. There's all kinds of poly out there, but with the danger of ghost lines and all that jazz, it hardly seems worthwhile even trying. Greg

If you've ever used a microplane product, you'll know that its surface is literally a series of small little "plane"-type doodads. The reason it doesn't make dust is because it shaves off a series of small chips instead. So, in some cases and for some wood, I wonder if it might be too "aggressive"? Greg

A straight piece of wood and a router with a template bit is what many have used. Depending on the wood, though, all it takes is one nasty chip and whammo... scary stuff for people like me. More effective would be a robo-sander. I've done it successfully twice, with the following technique: Measure up and draw the lines of your taper. Use whatever tool you're comfortable with to "rough cut" to size. Keep in mind that the wrong tool is just as dangerous as a router bit "digging in" in terms of getting tear-out, though. I used a scroll saw with a fine blade. Then, with adhesive spray, I stuck a halved sheet of sandpaper to a flat surface, and manually ran the fingerboard back and forth across the surface (as opposed to running a sanding block over IT) until I was lined up with my drawn taper lines. In your case, since you want to mount and then trim, you could use one of the above techniques to get hella-close to the right size, and then some careful sanding with a level sanding block should bring you flush with the fingerboard. Keep in mind-- the above is purely amateur advice, partially to bump the thread and hopefully have more of an expert chime in. Greg

Any news? I haven't phoned anybody, but I did some net-searching. One fellow in a Yahoo user group was suggesting (for a different purpose, but I'm adapting it to mine) adding analine dye to some of the Danish Oil itself, in order to produce a more darkly-coloured wood. Yet another person WAS using Gel Stain in combination with Danish oil, but they seemed to be less than expert at finishing, and didn't post back with results. On Wednesday, I'll be able to check the sample I made for myself to see if the two are compatible-ish. Worst case scenario, my guitar truly lives up to its "workhorse" destiny and isn't a work of art. Greg

You could build a simple lap steel guitar! It helps to have an interest in lap steel to begin with (Think David Gilmour or Ben Harper for more 'modern' artists who use it). Then give this a quick browse: http://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/lapsteel/index.htm His full-on guitar book is good, too. The nice thing about the lap steel (especially if you do it as basic as his, though of course you can make modifications!) is that a lot of factors are taken out of the equation, in a good way for a first project. For example, the high nut means that you don't need to worry about making an angled headstock, or even a Fender-style one! No trem routing... and if you do just one pickup, not much electronics (though electronics are one of the things that intimidate me the least anyhow). I think it makes a very worthy first project, and actually I'm doing mine as a "second" project because I got so bogged down by my "first" one (a full-on guitar) that it's off to the side until I can source the parts and make the jigs that I still need. Greg

[quote name='Mike Sulzer' post='261313' date='Mar 29 2006, 08:43 PM']It will certainly help with that, but only if it does not short out.[/quote] I coulda sworn the whole point was that the capacitor WOULD fry, thus breaking the connection between you and the current, which would be incorrectly travelling along the ground in the case of a reverse-wired outlet! Or the other reading I had, and I admit that the site wasn't clear, was that you were supposed to feel SOME current and take it as a warning to let go right away. It's just a few extra seconds saying, "Heya... you're about to get zapped!". It's definitely never described as a "bad current blocker". Greg

Much appreciated. I tried the local stores, but nobody had an answer. One guy said that oil + oil doesn't always ensure compatibility, but couldn't go any further than that with my specifics. I called MinWax, who make the Gel I have, and they said that they don't make Danish Oil and therefore couldn't guarantee compatibility. I'd be curious to know what you find out! Greg

I've done both. Scroll saw isn't as slow as you would think. I mean, it's a high-speed blade moving up and down. That'll get through some wood. Pick the right blade so that it's not prone to wandering and snapping, and you're golden. Sure, a bandsaw is preferable, but a scroll saw works, too. Greg

I don't really know the difference or availability. The thread could as easily have been titled: "Making my mahogany darker, in a way compatible with Danish Oil." As long as there won't be any negative reactions between them, dye might be a way to go. Greg

Colour me ignorant-- I didn't know that about Ricks.

I wouldn't use a plunge router, but that's just me. Use your drill press to put a correctly-sized (ie. the size of the posts) hole through a fairly substantial hunk of wood. Clamp this wood to the appropriate spot on the guitar. Your drill bit won't naturally want to vary its course, so as long as its path is "true" by using a thick enough piece of wood as your guide, you should be able to pull it off with a hand drill. Test on scrap first, to see if this technique works for you and your gear. Greg

It's very very uncommon for someone to use maple for the entire body of the guitar. Indeed, while I'm sure it's been done somewhere, I've never seen one. Maple is usually used as a "top" on a guitar, and is also used for necks and fingerboards. Greg

Looks like I'll have to do just that. Mainly, I wanted to know in advance of buying a product that may or may not work. Since it's a fairly safe bet that my original hunch is correct (any oil based stain should still work along with Danish Oil) I'll just have to go for it. Still, $5 is $5, and if someone knows for sure that it WON'T work, that's $5 and some minimal effort saved. Greg

*bump* Pity me.

I don't get it. The entire functionality of a 6-string is already built into a 7-string. Why would you need 2 separate necks? Greg

Wow. Can't believe there are 10 bids! Must resist the urge to state the obvious 6-string + 7 string on same guitar observation. Drat. Half too-late.

I'm finishing my lap steel project much the same as the way Koch does it on his website-- with Danish oil. I don't mind the dings it's likely to get. The project is cherry over top of mahogany, and I'd like there to be more contrast between the wood tones, so I was considering staining the mahogany a bit first. I really don't mind if the stain ends up fading a bit over time... the whole project is to make a bit of a workhorse, not a work of art. Consequently, I really want the stain/tint/whatever to be something that's easily available at any Home Depot or WalMart or whatnot. I don't want to play the supplies-chasing game on this one. I've done a bit of searching, but I'm not finding a definitive answer to these questions: 1. Can I use any oil-based stain and still have the Danish Oil "work" properly over top? Would it be easier to tint the Danish Oil for the subtle color change, instead? I know you can buy pre-tinted, but I already have heaps of Oil and would rather work with what I have, unless the stain is $10 or more, in which case it's more economical to just buy more coloured Danish Oil. 2. If I'm careful and go with a light touch, will simple painter's tape be enough to draw a "line" separating the top from the bottom? I know that oils and stains are intended to soak into the grain, and therefore it may want to creep up into the Cherry. But the cherry, being a fairly dense wood, might not be as much of a "sponge" as the mahogany, so I'm hoping that the tape will be enough to deter any border-crossing stain. Thanks for any help! Greg

Exactly what I'm planning on doing with my current project. Drill once with a bit that's big enough to accomodate the lugs and wiring, and then drill again (but only partway, to the point of entry of the jack) with a larger bit that's going to be the size of a washer or whatnot. My plan is to use a wood disc, which will then screw onto the surface of the "larger" drill work. It's a lot like the Jem-style thang, but on the back at an angle, instead of on the "side". Greg