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Was talking to a customer today. The consultation went the usual way, with my standard Alpha bolt on spec as a start point. The guitar to be built for him is well off the standard mark at this point,

But at the end of the session the guy asks if I have any standard Alphas or Omegas sitting around. Of course - I dont, as I have never actualy built one of my base models, They always get tweaked in some way. So I tell em "sorry, No I dont"

To which he answers "well if you want to build some you can sell them from my shop" Tuns out the guy owns a guitar shop :wOOt

So. This will be a thread with 2 Alpha's & 2 Omegas, Body blanks are glued up & setting just now, Necks are coming out of the blanks pile.

Ill get piks up as I can, Start tomorrow. nobody wants to see body blanks :lol:

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So you have a couple of base models that you've never built.....how funny. I totally get it of course, you make custom guitars. Nobady wanting a custom guitar is going to buy a base model without customizing it a bit. Still....it just sounds funny. Great story and great opportunity for you.

Bring 'em on!

SR

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OK. Got hold of a camera. So here are a few piks of where I am just now with this current batch of builds.

On the bench today are, 3 Omegas & 2 alphas. The earlier piks are gone im afraid, but Im not too far into a few of these so it may still make an interesting thread.

Anway,

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3 omegas, 1 Alpha, 10 Low whistles & 25 truss rods :lol:

Im gona be busy for a while

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Omega standard body blank, Poplar.

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Omega F (Floating trem model). Ash with Walnut skunk stripe. This one is heavily chambered with a number of small compartments. Ash top over an Ash back.

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Omega Custom. Cedar body with figured maple top, this one is flamed with Wenge & Ash striping.

These will all have 24.75 scale, 2x humbuckers, 1x vol, 1x tone, 3 way toggle. 3 a side heads on multi lam necks.

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The other 2 guitars are Alpha models. Both have Poplar bodies with bolt on necks. 2x humbuckers, 1x vol, 1x tone, 3 way toggle.

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Alpha 10. Trem model body blank before edge trimming .

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Alpha standard. This one is fairly advanced in the build.

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Teaching my Nephew to spray candy colours, Few runs but not bad for his first time with a gun. Cherry pigment in the clear over yellow poplar = Candy Orange. I rekon its cool, some might think it a bit bold or flash. But screw it, so what.

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Test fitting a neck & selecting a board. Single piece Ash for this I rekon, Wenge board, Chrome hardware.

Thats it for the time being. Ill get some more up as I progress.

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Glad you guys like it,

Got very little done today. Cleaned up a maple blank for the other Alpha's neck & slotted 2 boards for it. Cant decide wether to go with another Wenge or if I should use ash. got a neck for each of the Omegas going, Ill get piks up tomorrow when there is a bit more to see.

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Western Red, As far as I know. Im not completly convinced it is what the supplier says as its a laughably light selection I have here. I mean its heading toward Balsawood territory. that blank weighs fook all, even with the ash, wenge & maple.

I made a les paul type thing a while back with it & the damned thing weighed less than a chambered alder strat :blink:

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Western Red, As far as I know. Im not completly convinced it is what the supplier says as its a laughably light selection I have here. I mean its heading toward Balsawood territory. that blank weighs fook all, even with the ash, wenge & maple.

I made a les paul type thing a while back with it & the damned thing weighed less than a chambered alder strat :blink:

Huh. What I can see looks pretty white......

We have a white cedar over here that is very white and straight grained and light and carves very well. As long as it works good and sounds good, who cares.

SR

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK. Bit of an update on these. Not much as I have been hammered with a dose of the plague :unsure: but I got a little done regardless.

Omega standard, body carve started, Neck scarfed. planed & ready to be truss chanel routed.

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Another 2 Omega & one Alpha neck on the go.

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Few more piks. Omega F neck (bottom left above)

Black walnut with a maple centre strip, Ash pinstrips either side of the maple. Walnut headstock & rosewood fretboard. Heavy white binding fretted out to edge of bind.

Volute.

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And heel

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Thats the Alpha neck you can see beside it with the abalone inlays.

Headstock roughed out.

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End of fretboard. (its the neck on the right)

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Looking good Paulie. I like the end of that fretboard a lot. A dose of the plague has to suck. :unsure:

SR

Yea. Plague sucks big time. cant realy do anything when you keep getting dizzy spells, coughing up krud, fainting & vomiting. Especialy vomiting, hocking your guts up into your resperator sucks like you would not believe :rolleyes: , but at least its funny when you look back on it. Or at least my mates think its funny.

Anyway. few more piks.

Back of the beadstock on the Alpha neck. Ash with a wenge board.

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Heel end. this one is a bolt on.

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Wenge fretboard polished to 2400 grit. Abalone dot inlays & medium jumbo frets.

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Side dot markers. usual problem with one not being in line, 9th fret sitting a little low, about 0.5mm toward the back ot the neck. not much but enough to tik me right off. Sorry for the crappy focus here, cameras are not my strong point.

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Frets need leveling, dressing etc. & finishes need applying as there is only a light sealer on here.

I like ash necks like this. the tiny recesses caused by the grain serve to make for an unusual feel, not quite as uniformly slick as a polished maple neck. I find them to be realy easy to move around on & even brand new ones have that funky 30 year old guitar feel to them.

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Few of the Omega custm neck under way.

Rock maple, Walnut & Ash laminate. With a walnut headstock.

Glued up, levelled & ready for the truss chanel.

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Getting my typical scarf & volute treatment, scarf will be around the third fret if I get it all correct. Volute will be similar to my shelby model (its up on the forum somewhere)

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It was going to be getting a wenge board, But im thinking maby ebony now, duno where to go with it. Ill have to make both boards & do a visual with the neck sitting in the body before glue up.

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Thats it for now. More during the week.

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Just a word to the wise...chicks faint...dudes pass out. :)

Sorry bout that, it must be the mediaction - heat & acetone fume combination. making me confused. You are indeed correct, I never fainted,

I either passed out,

Fell asleep abruptly,

Or knocked myself unconscious with the realisation of my own awsomeness.

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  • 1 month later...

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