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Boggs

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Everything posted by Boggs

  1. This is a test mule. I bought the standard Tele body pre-routed and drilled (for seeing how I can modify it to bring RockBeach ergonomics to it and to try out the GFS Trem system for a budget type of build) and the bridge assembly and the pickguard from GFS. The neck is a standard 25.5" scale 22-fret neck I had in stock. Absolutely no reason it shouldn't work. The saddle location for the GFS Tele roller bridge plate is clearly different from the standard hardtail GFS Tele saddle location adjustability range.
  2. Okay... I sent him another e-mail with pictures I took showing the issue I was describing and he acknowledged what I was describing was the case but as he does not manufacture them, the only thing he can do is take it back in return. I let him know that this is something he needs to address from a manufacturing standpoint, but that I will modify this one to be able to work on my own but I do appreciate his acknowledgement and offer to take it back. Now, I know what I need to do to make it work. I will just consider this one my test mule.
  3. ...as soon as I can convince John at GFS that if I use this bridgeplate with the bridge locating posts in the wrong place that the guitar will not be able to intonate because the posts are located 1/2" too far forward... He responded back originally that I can adjust the bridge and each saddle on their slots to achieve intonation like I don't know what I am doing, and I responded back with actual measurements showing clearly they cannot and he has not responded back yet. I am disappointed by this. I will keep you informed.
  4. GFS... I found a possible problem with the bridge assembly though. It looks like the bridge posts were made 1/2" too close to the neck side of the bridge plate for a 25.5" scale neck. I will let you know what I find out from GFS...
  5. All of my guitars have it in one form or another... Thanks for acknowledging it!
  6. RB-Tele. More contouring is in the works and still TBD. It won't be just a slab of wood...
  7. I wish the colors in the pistachio came out better in the photo. It really doesn't do them justice...
  8. ...the olivewood neck with the pistachio fingerboard... Amazing how much more the body resonates when played unplugged even when compared to the birdseye maple neck that was on it.
  9. I'm keeping my string of last place finishes alive...
  10. this was a commissioned build. the headstock was designed exactly to specification of this instrument's respective owner. I wanted a 4x4 or a 5x3 headstock but he insisted on inline 8 reverse. strings are available through labella... their crazy 8 strings are an off-shelf fit. I'm also in talks with a few sting companies to get custom sets made up as well. I would think DR Strings would do it as they hand wind theirs and I have found them to be an extremely responsive company managed more like a "mom-and-pop" kind of thing... I hear they treat their employees like family too. I do support that...
  11. Just so you know, I am not the one who voted for me... Actually, I did vote for Madhattr88 this month. It was really close all around though. Some excellent work this month. FWIW, the CB-III was played at a concert by a strong player in the WNY region and one of the things he commented about was how easily he could access the upper frets. Looks are deceiving... The thicker pinch zone does feed more lateral energy into the body and as a result, it is tone-rich much like a set neck. A legendary regional player of almost 35 years rushed the stage where it was played to see what it was because it sounded so killer to him... He found me afterwards to tell me and with it in his hands, he loved the ergonomics and the ability to set it down and lean it against a wall without falling over. Those are the votes I need most... Regarding the treble side of the pickguard, yeah... I do show more wood than Fender.
  12. Just got back from the Joe Brucato and Joyous Noise concert... Jeff (lead guitarist) played the new CB-III went NUT over it!! He played it on one particular song and I have to say it sounded KILLER! It was a far better fit for the song than his much loved LP... A longtime friend of his who is a longtime fixture in the local scene as a player rushed the stage after that song and asked Jeff what it was he was playing because it sounded SOOOOOOO good. He handed it off to him to inspect it and went back to his LP. I got to meet Joe (Jeff's friend) after the set and he just plotzed over both guitars I brought. He and Jeff kept commenting on how good they FEEL to play and Jeff gave me a big promo shout-out before the night was over and promised that we are going to be sitting down and talking over exactly what he wants me to build for him... He is determined to have a guitar built by me now for sure! I also got a message from a player in Nicaragua who is from here on a recommendation from Tommy Bianchi (a RockBeach owner) and he is ready to talk about a special build for him and I also received another e-mail from a player on another forum asking to talk about a build for him... This guitar is the one that is making it happen!!! I hope to get the recording from the concert up and posted soon, but I am dead tired right now. I had to go from a funeral to the gig after 3 hours of driving and I have to prepare for the show. Thank you so much for the positive feedback everyone. It really does mean a lot!
  13. She's a touch on the bright side, but easily managable with the tone control. Has all the Stratty quack and sparkly cleans and turns into a snarling monster on overdrive! This is a sweet guitar for sure!!! Gotta do more of these. I think they have the potential to be a commercial success... By the way, this guitar is in the May guitar of the month contest if at all interested in throwing a vote or two at it...
  14. RockBeach CB-III for the more traditionalist player. It plays and balances great. Even the slight relief cuts allowed by the thinness of the caps do make a difference in terms of comfort. They're not visibly obvious. Woods are walnut caps on a tulip poplar solid body. Neck is birdseye maple. It retains all of the ergonomic advantages of the RockBeach lineup but uses the pickguard construction and pickup/controls layout folks are so familiar and comfortable with.
  15. Still a little tweaking of the finish to do and setups after things stabilize with strings... I wanted to get it together for a guitar show in Buffalo this weekend. I'll get to plug it into an amp tonight after my wife goes to work. She's sleeping now... I tried it out on my computer to make sure everything works. Not the same as breathing fire! It plays and balances great. Even the slight relief cuts allowed by the thinness of the caps do make a difference in terms of comfort. They're not visibly obvious.
  16. Here's progress on the finish... 3rd coat of Murdoch hard oil. Still not rubbed out or anything like that as more coats need to go on. It'll still show you how the grain looks and the nice contrast with the tulip poplar.
  17. Actually, I overlayed the outside dimensions of mine over a Strat and mine actually has a little MORE room than the Strat... There is a bit more beef at the neck heel as it transfers more lateral energy into the body for a richer tone. I find when it is rounded over (as the early stage photos here do not show yet), it has little affect on playability on the upper frets, but my guitars all sound monster rich... No need to be sorry, man... If everyone liked it, it would probably be too "vanilla" for me! I sincerely appreciate your honesty.
  18. Actually, it is walnut top and back over a tulip poplar middle and is a solid body. There is zero finish or sealer on it. Raw wood. I also need to round the edges and give it a belly cut and forearm relief cut. It's going together really nicely though...
  19. There will be slightly less heel block, but that part does allow lateral energy from the strings to be more efficiently transferred into the body and it does add "character" to the overall resonance of the guitar. When I fit a neck pocket, it is fitted by CNC to a fit that allows you to press the neck into place and pick up the body and shake it without coming apart before I put a bolt into it. In that way, it sustains more like a set neck or a neck-through. ALL who have played my guitars comment about that. Pinching the neck at the heel like that is not something the big-box guys in mass production can afford to do to keep their profits up. The lower horn is an area I am tweaking. There will also be forearm cuts and belly cuts as these will be solid body guitars. I also intend to engrave my logo through the first layer of the pickguard so it shows through... I will most generally use a Hipshot, but I will primarily go hardtail. Maybe after I get a feel for how popular these could be will I go into making a trem version... One step at a time.
  20. Needs a little minor tweaking. The piece you are looking at is a particle board concept proto with contact paper on it just to see how things fit and balance visually. It's a nice tool to work with. The pickguard is not laying flat because the body piece is not thick enough for the switch. Neck is just for visual effect. The pocket is not deep enough to sit at the right height. The pickguard is a standard Strat configuration. I am hoping there is enough familiarity with the Strat to have players feel comfortable with it while keeping true to my design concept and its inherent ergonomic advantages.
  21. In keeping my tradition of not voting for myself ( ) I had to go for Shad's Offset Avenger. Very tasty. I liked that Victorian Muleskinner too... I tend to go right to the natural woods rather than paint, but that's just me, and my record as a GOTM filler says that and $4.00 might buy you a cup of coffee at Starbucks!
  22. The completed guitar is now up on the GOTM thread for February if interested...
  23. Lefty Cicada by RockBeach Guitars Koa and Tulip Poplar body Birdseye Maple neck with Pistachio fingerboard and medium jumbo frets 25" scale length Texas Special pickups GraphTech ResoMax Bridge Hipshot Tuning Machines Murdoch Hard Oil Finish
  24. Good news for leftys... It looks like the GraphTech ResoMax is eaqually happy as a righty or a lefty. No special loading of saddles is necessary. It also looks a HELLUVA lot more comfortable for palm muting than a typical Tune-O-Matic saddle. Nice to see somebody has their engineering and ergonomics act together besides me! Cheers!
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