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a2k

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Everything posted by a2k

  1. a2k
    Now that is funny!
  2. a2k
    It's the answer to all guitar questions. Q: How do you get that killer tone? Where'd you learn those hot licks? Have you considered playing bass instead? A: Paduak Influenced Sound Sub-Overtone Frequency Filter
  3. a2k
    Better put in for the trademark on that! In fact, go for a patent ("Technique for Using Paduak Intensifier Block to Improve Overall Guitar Tone Awesomeness"). Could be a game changer. Looking great!
  4. a2k
    I've been quietly lurking along with this build CJ. It's turning out great. I might have to come back to Japan just to see it in person. (By the way, our stuff is finally scheduled to arrive next week after three months of transit. That breaks down to 2 weeks of transit and 10 weeks waiting for the customs inspectors to clear it - good thing I didn't send back a bunch of rosewood. I'm looking forward to getting my basses and starting to set up my shop so I can get back to work.)
  5. a2k
    I've been lurking along as we pack up. This is looking incredibly sharp. The pin stripe binding and brass filled markers are going to be really nice.
  6. a2k
    Here's an interesting video showing a bass Prince commissioned just before his death: Looks like a really interesting combination of materials and some top-notch craftsmanship. The maker built a guitar for Prince as well - it was the last guitar he was photographed with playing live. http://www.gusguitars.com/product.php?model_id=16
  7. a2k
    It could oscillate like a Leslie cabinet or you could connect it to a foot pedal.
  8. a2k
    Hey! A family emergency has taken me back to the states. I'll be back on Wednesday, but on Friday we are heading to Hokkaido. Let's find time for a Shinkiba field trip as soon as I get back to a normal schedule. Besides the wood wholesaler that I've been buying from, there's also a retail store that has the most mind blowing selection of exotic figured woods to check out (look at the pics at the bottom of this post).
  9. a2k
    I need to introduce you to my wood guy in shinkiba. He might be able to get you some more options. And he plays bass.
  10. a2k
    Did you re-do the template? I don't notice the lower horn width on the most recent pictures... I vote for beveling the body instead of rounding it over. The angles of the multi-scale need some company. I cant wait to see this come together. You have until mid July. No pressure!
  11. a2k
    Thanks CJ for coming out on Saturday night! It was a fun night for sure. Getting to see, hear, and play the Chinaberry Two was definitely a highlight. It is in every way a beautiful instrument - photos do not do it justice - and I can confirm that it feels and sounds as good as it looks. Here's a group shot of the Chinaberry Two hanging out with my Koi Bass and one of the Piccolo 6's.
  12. a2k
    This bass looks even better in the flesh. CJ stopped by my 'hood today and I got to take a close look at the chinaberry 2 bass. So many nice details and the quality of work is absolutely top notch. Really inspiring craftsmanship. The oiled cherry neck feels absolutely amazing, the inlays on the fingerboard are very cool, and of course Fuji-San. The red tinted filler & urethane finish on the chinaberry body is mesmerizing. Can't wait to play it! I got a sneak peek at CJ's next project too... it's gonna be cool but I'm not going to spoil the surprise.
  13. a2k
    Woohoo! Good to see another build started. I'm moving to the other side of the pacific to a land where I no longer have access to a massive $1/hour wood shop. For my next build, I will likely be joining you in the old school land of hand tools.
  14. a2k
    It's a ghost!
  15. a2k
    Totally. And the frets are WAY too close together for my fat fingers.
  16. a2k
    Thanks for the kind words! I'm still riding the high of pulling this off. Now I just need to get Joe on video playing his single cut ax.
  17. a2k
    Everything went (mostly) as planned and I successfully surprised the guys with their new piccolo basses last week between sets at a gig. They seem pretty happy. Here's a shot of the the instruments before they were handed off: A ground came loose in the blue guitar, so Sean didn't get to play it plugged in until Friday night when I brought it to a jam session. Here's a video of him playing it literally for the first time (don't judge him for his singing or me for my camera work!): I am so stoked to be give these guitars to my bandmates. We all know that there's magic that happens when you turn a pile of wood and metal into a musical instrument and hear it make sound for the first time - the saying "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" definitely applies here. There is even more magic when you take that newly minted instrument, place it in the hands of a skilled musician, and hear them make it come to life. Full pictures and write-up to come...
  18. a2k
    Here's where things stand... Tru Oil is magical stuff. Now the lil' piccolo basses are hanging to cure for 12 days while I head back to the states for work. When I get back, I'll have a day to level the frets, install the hardware and electronics, and get everything set up before the big "reveal".
  19. a2k
    The only tools I really use are a rasp and a set of cabinet scrapers. All of those routers and saws are just to speed up the rasping and scraping.
  20. a2k
    Almost there! This is the most heads-down focused I've been on a build. Amazing what a deadline will do. Necks and bodies are shaped, frets installed, bodies stained, necks set, and now I'm going to spend the next few days applying coats of truoil. I actually might finish these in time! -- BEGIN PROGRESS PHOTOS --- Neck pre-carved. I used the facets approach which seems to work well. I'm learning - the initial facet can be used to determine the shape ranging from a "D" with the line closer to the edge, then a "C" a little closer to the center. Move a little closer to the center and it's a "soft V", and then a hard "V". A little too "D" shaped, so I worked it down after this. The single-cut as a cool heel. Working on the bodies. I did a hard bevel on the single cut and a rounded bevel on the double cut. Filing away... Starting to look like guitars. I did a black stain and sand back on the double cut, and a brown stain and sand back on the single cut. The black looked really cool - I almost kept it that way. Necks glueing in. At this point, I wasn't very happy with either color. I woke up this morning determined to cover the yellow with black and just go "stealth guitar". But after I saw what a coat of oil did to the blue, I changed my mind with the yellow. The truoil adds a little yellow to the blue to darken it and make it richer, plus the way it brings out the wood is just ridiculous. Here's the blue after one coat of oil: And the yellow. I tried to do a faux binding on it, but the coloring difference between the top and sides of the maple isn't very apparent. Now they are quietly drying. I'll be putting on two thin coats of oil a day until Sunday morning, when I leave for a few weeks while they sit. When I get back, I'll have a day to install the electronics, get the hardware on, and get them setup before the big "reveal".
  21. a2k
    That's awesome!
  22. a2k
    What would I need to do to bribe such a person into making a couple of "ten/eleven" switch plate covers for me? I can offer some pretty crazy Japanese kit kats. Or cash. But seriously, the kit kats are better than cash.
  23. a2k
    Now you've got me thinking. I wonder if I can get a plate etched with something besides "rhythm/treble". I'm thinking "funky/sexy", "country/western", "rock/roll", "yin/yang", or maybe just "10/11".. This might even be the place...
  24. a2k
    Grrrrr... freakin' tear out. I was drilling the pickup selector hold and probably (definitely) was going a little too fast. Just as the bit made it through - blam - a chunk of the top went flying to who-knows-where. My fault, and a major bummer. The repair plan is to fill it and then just use a washer as a mounting plate for the switch to hide the repair. Any other ideas? Otherwise there are lots of good progress updates to come once I regain my spirits from this screw-up.
  25. a2k
    I've got a deadline. Our vocalist is likely leaving Japan at the end of next month, so my band's last gig is probably April 15. And I'm traveling from for the first two weeks of April. So that means I've got to get these finished this month. Hope I can do it! I have been making fairly steady progress. The necks are all glued up and ready to be shaped next week, electronics cavities routed, and I've done the pacman cut on the pickup cavities. Here are some photos: Headstocks have been laser etched: fingerboard and headstock plate aligned with pins so they glue on straight: New toy - laser beam! Heal glued on the double cut neck: Fillet ready to the truss rod channel: I have learned my lesson and used a fence to make sure the side markers all lined up: Dots on the board and holes on the side. I love the way the abalone looks on ebony. They glow. Glueing the fingerboards on: And finally, the electronics cavities are routed. I'm hopeful that I will get the necks shaped, fretted, and glued in next week. Then I can finish the week after and give it two weeks to cure while I'm away. Next week is gonna be a big week!
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