RestorationAD Posted February 14, 2012 Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Doing at least 2 of the new 7 string Express model. Reverse headstock padauk necked mahogany monsters. Starting with the neck blanks. I am not going to explain as much with these as they are meant to be built quick but to the same standards as a regular S9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 URL=http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll19/restorationad/S907_Express/P2090444.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 So this blank was a bit of a mess as it has what looks like a knot in the middle. In order to preserve the blank I had to turn it around so most of the knot is cut out and what is left is not in a structurally important part of the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 After posting about 7 string Express models I received several requests about 6 string versions... well here we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Not wasting wood is important so I spent extra time planing out the cuts so that I get the greatest yield. When I am done there will be no scraps bigger than a playing card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Getting everything ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Ok glued up and plained out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Fretboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Those are sweet. I've got a bocote fretboard that started out looking just like that. It has darkened so much over time that it looks a lot like cocobolo. Not that looking like cocobolo is a bad thing. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 yeah I have a bocote board sitting around...it's pretty big though.Big enough for an 8 string,but I seem to have misplaced my piece that was big enough for two necks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 The biggest thing with Bocote is that it looks sick when you first cut it. Later it becomes brown... However if you use an oil with UV protection you can retain some of the contrast. HOD still looks pretty good (though it never sees light). I love bocote. It sounds like rosewood and looks crazy. However it is about as stable as an 18 year old cheerleader. Since they air dry it you have to be very careful with it as a lot of time it is not fully dry. I usually cut it and let it sit for a few months to a year. I missed out on a few wide pieces that they had at my local wood shop... kills me to think I could have made some tops out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Trussrods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Nice.... I've been itching to do a batch build. I'm about to do an original prototype that I've got drawn up in CAD. We'll see what kind of response I get. If it's positive I'll probably give batch tooling setups a swing. A Paduak neck is on my list of things to try soon. Love working with it I've used it on one acoustic and body parts of a few electrics now. Love watching your build threads keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 I can't say I enjoy batch building but it just makes sense with these guitars. Originally it was only going to be 2 and now it is 7 (3 7strings and 4 6strings) as demand was overwhelming. The necks are going to get rough shaped on the CNC although I have not worked out the neck carve yet... hopefully by next year. The bodies for these are mostly one piece Mahogany that will be rough cut on the CNC. I have a few ash bodies I am going to use as well. I am not a fan of ash as it is hard to get good swamp ash these days but I am going to give it a go again (and in the process remind myself why I stopped using it). I finally got most of the work done on my new Single Coil so a few of these will have a SC in the neck. The others may stay single Humbuckers. I also have 2 prototypes for a new high output humbucker that might end up in these. Those of you who know me know I loath high output HBs but demand is leading me to see if I can overcome some of the drawbacks...the first run is promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 New single coil? Any characteristics you'd like care to share? You going after a specific neck tone here? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 New single coil? Any characteristics you'd like care to share? You going after a specific neck tone here? SR They are supposed to be secret but I will give you this. You know I love P90s and like to make things that sound like them. But I also like modern sounds... These are probably more modern than you would use. I had a bridge loaded in the pickup horse and was beating on the Mesa... amazed at how they sounded. Definitely not vintage. John knows the sound I am after. I would say they are pretty close to my blade pickups. They look like half a HB. (Bad Picture) Name plate in front is the model... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juntunen Guitars Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Let me know when you get the single coils done, I'd be interested in getting some for my strat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Let me know when you get the single coils done, I'd be interested in getting some for my strat. I am scrambling to find a 3 SC guitar to finish testing so I might have to build one. I know what they sound like with an HB and I know what 2 sound like together (using a 3-way) but I haven't had three in a guitar yet. I am not planning on RWRP the middle as not many will be sold as a set of three. They are basically for using in the neck/middle with a HB. But I will tell you this one of these Express models is getting 3 SCs because I am dying to have these around (at least for a while) loaded in a guitar. (I like 60 cycle hum...) Any one interested can email me and we can talk. I should have some ready in the next few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Any characteristics you'd like care to share? You going after a specific neck tone here? John knows the sound I am after. I would say they are pretty close to my blade pickups. I'm not ashamed to say that I really have a hard-on for these blades. Classic sound they most certainly are not. They have all of the typical bite, attack, and twang that a s/c is supposed to have. What makes them special is that they have all the power and balls of a P90... maybe more. When I took the mirrored Iceman to the shop to show off, some of the guys wanted to play it. When they heard the pups, they were like , then they were all like , and I was all . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 Yeah, those blades have been stuck in my head ever since you got them. Between your comments and Brett's over the last year and my love of the P-90's he built me, my desire has steadily been rising... SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Our Souls inc. Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 Let me know when you get the single coils done, I'd be interested in getting some for my strat. I bought 3 of Rad's SC's for a friends build. I am AMAZED at how great they sound. Rad went for a certain tone I was after and nailed it. ( ) Nailed it. I put his pickups above Duncans and Dimarzio's in the tone dept. I own and use all of the above, but future builds will mostly get Guitar Logistics pickups installed. Budget pending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted March 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 Don't worry I made a promise to get more blades done this year. I built that set from robbed parts of single coils from a Floyd Rose headless guitar and hand cut forbon and hand shaped blades and hand cut the slots in the covers... so I have been scrambling to come up with part supplies. With the new CNC I can cut the forbon and covers. I still have to make the blades by hand. I finally solved the magnet issue (same ones I am using in the Diablo single coils). So I may have a few sets late in the year. (Ha ha ha ... looking at the pile of builds I have this year) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 I like the idea of making a PJ set with blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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