87kevin

Thanks Prostheta! I'm sure it's all good. PM me if there's something I should do different next time I post pics to PG.

They arent working for me.. They were at first but seem like they dont anymore?

Hi Guys This is the new Orion from Fast Guitars - http://www.fastguitars.com Basically a ss but done our way. For some of the finer details - http://www.fastguitars.com/index.php/guitars/features.html The specs on this particular guitar are 1pc ultralight swamp ash body with spalt maple drop-top cap. Bound body and ebony fretboard. Nice flame maple neck with ebony headstock overlay. Thanks for looking!

I have the exact same problem and have been googling for hours with no luck. I'd like to find another source to buy these from

hmmm. I did sort of rush through and not wipe down the body in between wheels. That is probably it - thanks erik. Do you wipe off with a clean cloth only or do you use naptha or something like it to get all the compound off?

Yep 2 wheels (one on each side) and only one stick per wheel. The medium seems to work great with a little gloss but the fine just mucks it up!

Hi all, I've been buffing my guitars with the stewmac foam pads and automotive compounds until now. I just set up a shopfox buffer with the 12" buffs and menzerma compounds (butterscotch med and ivory fine). The medium is taking off all the sanding marks no prob and leaving a uniform dull lustre like it should. Problem starts on the fine wheel. It actually seems to dull the finish, leaving a hazy residue and seems to introduce tons of new scratches. I can wipe off some of the residue, but all in all, it seems the fine compound dullens and scratches up the finish left by the medium compund? I'm sure I'm soing something wrong, but I dont really have any instructions... Any ideas?

No sweat. I do this all the time. Fretting bits are cheap. http://www.precisebits.com/products/carbid...fret-cutter.asp

Thanks Mattia, that sounds like the perfect solution. Cant believe I didnt think of that earlier.. Good old lacquer would probably work too huh? As far as epoxy goes, I've done it but i hate to work in 5min windows with stuff as intricate as inlay. Plus it's messy. With CA i can lay the strips into the slot on my own time and flood with CA like Mattia says. Ideal except for the staining. And the superglue on my eyeball but that's a different story:)

So i just did a couple of guitars with a 1/16" wide, .03" thick purfling around the perimeter of the body. These are carved maple top neck-thoughs btw. So all went well except for one thing - when I glued in the pcs with CA glue - the glue naturally turned the maple darker around the channel. Most notably on the faux binding on the outside of the purfling. I thought no big deal, after sanding this will all come out. Well, sort of did but I had to sand TONS to get it to come out - long after the abalone was flush and smooth with the top. I sanded too far in a couple of spots and the underside of the shell started to show through and the stain was still visible. So is there any way to avoid this in the future?? The two thoughts I have are 1 - get thicker (.05) abalam stock and sand like a mofo, or 2 - just coat the whole surrounding faux binding area with CA so it will stain evenly at least. Any thoughts?

Ya - they should be a tight press-fit. You could fill the holes and re-drill, or if it's not too bad, mix up some epoxy, scuff the sides of the bushings and set them in there. Just dont get glue on the threads.

If this isnt mass production, you could use that bit you already found with the proper cap diameter and re-drill the pilot to 5/16 with regular drill bits after you drill the recess...

I was just here http://www.bowriverwoods.com on friday. They have a huge selection, tons of burls. Though they're pretty pricey. I've also been in contact with http://www.cvtonewood.com/woods.htm but have never been there... Decent prices on figured maple. -Kevin.

You are not gonna find any files online that have the proper geometry and the depths - nevermind working 3d models. You're lucky to find a basic outline. You have two options here (if using a dwg file from the net)- 1 - borrow a guitar from someone that you want to build and use it as a guide for the depths of the pockets 2 - buy all the hardware you intend to use and measure it when you get it There's tons of info on the net, but you have to sift through a lot of garbage and conribute a lot of your own info too. -Kevin

Swede, I want one of these for the same reasons you do. I put off buying one from SM because of all this talk. I've decided to make my own and I have a chunk of AL big enough to do 3 or 4. I'm gonna attempt cutting them on my router (I've done a little AL before). Are you interested in one if it works out? I should be able to keep it within .001 or .002. It will take me some time and it will be solid, not extruded..