GregP

Not really. And I actively dislike that Ibanez one, too. All's subjective, though, so if it's beautiful to you it's OK if it's godawful to anyone else. !

If you can get a veneer, and you decide to stay natural, go for it. It might be an extra hassle and expense to get your hands on it, but making a closer match between the body and headstock might make or break the final execution! Greg

I'm surprised you didn't ditch the string tree screws when you had the chance. Other than that it looks faboloos!

Congrats on all your hard work. Looks great!

It's original, but I don't like it, I have to say. On the other hand, I have seen carved-top teles before, and they can look awesome. Ultimately, I don't think that a carve is as important as the rest of the design; however, the execution of a carve CAN really make a difference and can create a unique look, like that "Isabella" guitar by Warrior. Greg

more than makes up for it. I don't have a personal family dentist, or I'd definitely ask. I was out for coffee tonight with my g/f and another couple (a double date as it were. ) and my g/f actually kind of hinted to the other girl, who had worked at a dentist's office, that I'm looking for such things. Unfortunately, she didn't seem too keen on asking around her old haunt, or her personal dentist either. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. <chuckle> My gf DID, however, get me a scalpel to add to my set of Xacto blades, so that may end up coming in handy. I'll certainly keep everyone posted. Now that my eyesight and patience have returned, I might be ready for a 3rd attempt at the Tracktion logo, in addition to trying something more simple. It occurred to me only today (I'm not that quick on the uptake) that I can even use my actual block inlays for practice... it's not like I actually have to glue them into the cavity, I'm just practicing making the cavities. Then again, some of my blanks are fairly square-ish, and at least I wouldn't be risking anything by using those. Frank, interesting point about the 'fuzzy flaps'. Makes sense. Cheers to everyone for the information-- and welcome to thegarehanman Greg

Definitely form a plan. My first guitar is carved-top, bound, inlayed, the whole deal... I just wish it had been my second guitar. Nothing stopped me from going for it, though (even people advising me not to), so definitely make sure that you make YOUR plan and stick to YOUR guns. Any suggestions I (or anyone else) could possibly give come in part from our own biases. Greg

Hrm, just looked a bit more into it-- Garret Wade has a fairly similar system of calculating shipping costs as StewMac... ie., overpriced. Grizzly, on the other hand, does not process International orders online, requiring instead a fax order, and preferring a bank wire transfer for payment ($15.00 service charge right off the top). If I want to make guitars, I should move to the States. Let's say I get the diamond burrs, too... that's $30 US for the parts $17 for shipping $10 or so for duty/taxes ----- $57 US, or $70 CDN Sucks to be Canadian when it comes to these things! Cheers for the helpful pointers anyhow. Looks like it's back to trying to source something from a Canadian supplier. Greg

Yup, here it is at Grizzly: click me?. Are the bits useful for this sort of work, Devon? It's not much of an investment at $12.95 anyhow, but the voice of experience would be handy. They also have the diamond burrs for fairly cheap. I'd been planning to make a Grizzly order at some point in time anyhow, so this might provide the excuse and compensate for the annoying costs of shipping and duty. <grumble> I assume that the Garrett Wade mail order place is American, too? If it's Canadian, the higher list price still makes them a better option. Maiden: do you think the upcut would leave the kind of fuzz easily fixed with a bit of personalized attention? Greg

What they said. There's a whole huge stickied (I think!) topic on computer-based recording around here somewhere. It's "cheap" compared to a real studio, but be warned-- it can become just as expensive a hobby as guitar building, because the more you get into it, the more you may find yourself wanting better software and equipment. Greg

Stone the blasphemers! Stone them! Er... I don't remember offhand what Padauk Paddywack... whatever it's called... looks like. Is that the one on Boggs' guitar? Greg

Happy Bday! Mm... eggs...

Awesome find, tirapop! The only thing that concerns me is that they mention spiral upcut. Not being very experienced, I'm not sure what disadvantage that is, if any. The only one I know about, judging by the StewMac description, is that downcut will reduce edge fuzziness. I don't mind cleaning up edges myself, as long as it's just minor fuzz and not chipping of big pieces. If I knew that even one of the bits was a wee tiny cutter, it'd still be great VFM! I'm tempted to order just for the 'loot bag' Christmassy vibe of it all. <laff> Using the shaft size as a reference point (1/8"), it looks like some of them ARE pretty wee, actually... hmm.... <tempted> These look to have some useful tools for the clean-up and etching (if one decides to etch) phase, too. Greg

Maple also doesn't need pore filler when it comes time to finish. Although we'd rather not make mistakes ANYWHERE, surely it's better to have difficulties with the back of the guitar than the front. Greg

Cool. I always figured they were the same, but I couldn't account for the discrepancy in colour. Now I know.

Looks a bit crooked to me, too, but it might just be an illusion of the picture.

Since carved tops on LP are maple, I would say that yeah, maple would be a good choice. Greg

Thinking you have all the tools you need/want. There's a big mistake. Every time I turn around, I'm needing to buy something I hadn't accounted for. Greg

Might be time to think about using my educational discount to pick up Illustrator! Er... after my bills are paid, tools and finish are purchased for my current project, my car gets a tune-up... Drat, on second thought maybe not! Great mini-tutorial, though. Being familiar with other graphics programs, I can easily imagine how this would work, even without an in-depth tutorial. Cheers for the contribution! Greg

Remember, I'm a first-timer, too. I don't think a veneer is too far out of line. All you have to do is throw some glue on it and clamp it down. It's a little more involved if you want to do an arm contour, but I know there are tutorials around to guide you through it if you decide to do that. Good point about the electronics route, too! Much easier to just cut the right channel and then add a veneer than to try to drill your way through with a long (and expensive? Maybe not!) drill bit. Greg

Yes. If you want to add an extra touch, you could consider a "drop top" instead of just flat top with the limba/mahogany/whatever you end up using. A "drop top" is just a thin veneer (usually 1/4" but there's no real rule) that is a 'cap' on your guitar. By using a drop top instead of fabric, you could get some of the benefits of such a construction style-- the possibility to chamber (create empty pockets) the body of the guitar for lighter weight, for example. Depending on the wood type, it can be nicer looking than the body wood, too. On the other hand, many people (myself included) like the look of 'plain' woods like mahogany and limba anyhow. Although I believe common wisdom has you glue the veneer BEFORE routing pickup cavities, I don't see why you couldn't take the opportunity to rout the outline of the cavities in the veneer first. With the wrong kind of wood, you could end up tearing the crap out of a thin veneer; however, with care and a tight-grained wood like maple, it could end up making your job easier...? I can't speak from experience, so a different perspective on that particular point should be sought before attempting. Even my Godin LG, which is a 1 3/4" mahogany guitar vaguely similar to a Les Paul is a real back-breaker. If you go for solid mahogany, expect all the usual weight issues associated with a Les Paul, carved top or no. Just an idea. Greg

Exactly... AND, I only say it because I myself have bit off more than I could easily chew. I'm getting there, very very very slowly. I wish I had done something much simpler to begin with. Going back in time, I probably would have done something more like a tele or an LP jr. with the Hipshot, Schaller, or even Mighty Mite hardtail bridge instead. Greg

I don't have a 'family' dentist, so I can't just ask him for his throwaways... I might feel oddly about asking a complete stranger, though if I knew someone would say 'yes' without giving me the runaround, I wouldn't let pride get in the way. I think today I shall try a square-ish blank. Since it's practice, I'm not going to bother shaping it into a true square, though. We'll see how she goes! Greg

Awesome-tastic! It's not common to see a goldtop-like (not totally, yours has that burst!) Strat. Using the right knobs and a TOM was the perfect touch to give it a true "goldtop" vibe, otherwise it would have just been a gold strat. Amazing! Are those top ferrule-things from Carvin, also? Greg

Testify! I had Hot Rails in a guitar for a dog's age until the whole guitar got stolen (side note to the finishing folks: you should have seen the horrible faux marble finish I put on it, from a Craft Store kit...). Hot rails are great. On the replacement guitar (stupid Insurance company wouldn't pay for the Graph-Tech saddles, though! ) I put an SD Li'l 59, which is a single-coil sized PAF pickup. It's pretty good, but had I known more about pickups back then I would have gone for the JB instead. Greg