GGW

Remember too, that when you're doing this type of test that the two pickups are probably not the same. The bridge tends to be wound hotter so they will sound a bit different. I also don't buy the sweet spot theory, unless you don't fret a note. In general, I believe the biggest sound difference is in the way the pickup handles notes as it gets closer to the fixed end. I hear the bridge as brighter, but more importantly, it picks up a different event envelope of the note. The note seems to twang or evolve more. I think this phenomina increases more rapidly as the pickup approaches the bridge and so there may be more fineness to placing this pickup. I invision that there is something going on with the way the harmonics damp at the end. I also agree about the distance between the two pickups affecting the combined tone significantly. Only a three single coil strat style makes that particular combined sound.

I'm not so sure by looking at that picture. Are those holes next to the intonation screws or a reflection? Look at both sides. In the line drawing, I see holes under the saddles.

There are two kinds of these bridges and it depends on where the string holes are. If they are in the bottom plate, below the saddles, it is the string through body type and you need to drill through and have ferules in the back of the guitar. The other kind is called "top loading" and on saddles like that, the holes are below the intonation screws on the back of the bridge. There is another kind that are beside the screws but it has an offset saddle to the screw. The top loading style is easier to deal with as fas as construction goes.

There's a good video tutorial here:

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Ski...e.aspx?id=30182

If you are near a Rona, they have always had Watco lacquer in spray bomb as well as cans. I used it once from a spray can and it seems fine. Many of the specialty paint supply places carry lacquer if you ask.

Another vote for the auto section at CanTire for sandpaper. As also stated auto finish supply places, and let's not forget Lee Valley. They have some ultra fine grits that I've been using for sharpening with good success.

I agree with southpaw; time well spent. One thing I did was go down to my local music store and pick up all the free brochures I could get. You don't have to copy those shapes but you can study them for ideas and thnk about why they may have done certain things. A design can be a mix of others ideas with your own.

This is a topic I've been interested in as well. My idea is not to necesarily get either a full electric or acoustic sound but to explore a spectrum in between. On my last electric build, I made a body about two inches thick with the sides carved out of a solid piece. I've decided, as was already stated, that this was a big waste of wood and was quite hard to do. I've since been finishing up my first acoustic and have struggled through the bending and will do the sides like this from now on. For the electric, I made the top thicker (about 4mm) and of bulbinga with no bracing. I put two electric pickups on and a sound hole up on the top bout. Under the bridge area I left a block of wood to mount an electric bridge, but it does not go to the back. My theory was to get some top vibration and to have a sound hole to relieve the internal air presure. I like the way it turned out. It is fairly jazz sounding on the neck minihumbucker and is probably more towards the electric side of the spectrum.

What I find is, that most of the common magnetic pickups will sound like an electric guitar. A very interesting pickup though is the Dean Markely sound hole pickups. I've had one in an acoustic and to me it sounds better than peizos I've heard. These pickups are voiced for bronze strings . I keep asking why there doesn't seem to be a pickup like this in the form of an electric guitar magnetic pickup. If you had bronze strings on a semi hollow guitar and a pickup like that I'm sure it would be close to an acoustic sound. One of those at the bridge and a big snarly humbucker at the bridge might do it.

You might try two veneer layers, a black one, capped by a maple one. This gives you a wood layered look and the black would match the body. There are headplate size maple veneers available from LMI that are thin enough to bend over the headstock contour. They make them dyed black as well. It might give you a look similar to this idea:

I always like a fix that looks like you meant it to be that way .

Maybe look into one of the looper pedals that retains its memory. Get a sample of the helicopter and play it back from the pedal. Then it could be used for other sounds and looping as well.

I did a similar thing on my last electric:

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...c=37659&hl=

I didn't want to put a cover into the wood on the front or back so I came up with this idea. The cover is on the bottom edge of the body and out of site most of the time. The pictures linked off of the main thread show how I routed inside to create a cavity so I could enclose the electronics and shield everything. It was quite fiddly to wire up but I don't plan on changing things around too much. I used strings down through the holes, tied to the components and pulled them in. Some parts were prewired.

Further to the torch cleaners, the feeler guages with teeth ground into them don't seem too good either. I got a set cheap off eBay and they don't really cut. I think it's because slots cut into a piece of metal don't do what saw teeth do.

I actually had good luck on my first build using an exacto knife against a small metal staight edge and the using variuos sandpapaer arrangements. If you get the slot started, a folded peice of 220 cuts very nice. You can fold it more times and fold it around smaller objects, including guitar strings, for the larger slots.

I would have said scraper as well; with one variation. I put a piece of masking tape over the blade, back from the edge I'm cutting with. The tape slides along the surface and the cutting edge cuts flush to the side.

Very nice looking job RDub. I cannot spray either and would like to try brushing water based lacquer. I'm in Canada and close to a supplier of the USL . Do you notice any color cast on the white binding? I was going to tint white and would think the blue cast would be good. I was hesitant when I read "a subtle amber color" in the description of the USL.

I was wondering about clear coat on a white surface as well. I believe that any nitro lacquer may look clear when it is new but that they will all "amber" or shift to yellow with varying amounts over time. I searched in response to your specific inquiry and also found the link above. The Minwax appears to be nitro. I think any solvent based clear will have this issue.

I go to a public wood shop and a while back a guy brought in some of the new water based lacquer. I remember the instructor dismissing it as having a blue tone. When I started the white project (I go slow) I searched for this stuff, but now they say that it is "improved with an subtle amber color". I suspect that they tinted it. If nothing else comes up, I will be using water based poly like this:

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=70 (Note the FAQ at the bottom)

Interesting. Is there any experience on how colorfast food dyes are? Does the color fade?

Very nice job. I like the way the black/grey lines pop off the red.

From the controls I'm thinking it is an old Roland guitar synth controller. Check this page:

http://www.hillmanweb.com/hillgt19.html

I've used this stuff:

Fibre Veneer

from LMI as a veneer layer. I haven't tried it for what you are proposing, but it seemed like it is somewhat "plasticy"; it's basically impregmated with epoxy or something. I had wondered if it would resist being colored by water based dye. I don't have any left to try it on.

Further to similar thread I started in the Finishing section:

HERE.

After reading this, I just happened to notice this RustOleum colored lacquer in Home Depot. I've read through the data sheet at their site and they don't really say what it is, but the solvents in it suggest nitro. It comes in white, black, red and clear. Anyone know what this stuff is?

Does anyone know what this stuff is?

Link to RustOleum Lacquer

The companies in the US will not send the tinted lacqers to Canada. I was in the Local Home Depot today and noticed this stuff while browsing. It comes in red, white and black. Is it really a lacquer, suitable for a guitar?

Bridges are put on later, over the finish, so I assumed the qualities were a hard wood that did not need to be finished. This is usually the same for fret boards but of course there is finished maple as well in electric guitars. If this is the criteria, then you need an oily tropical wood and ebony and rosewood are the common ones used.

I'm working on my first acoustic build and wanted to have lighter colors so I used Pau Ferro as pictured on the LMI site here:

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts....ado+Fingerboard

This the fingerboard picture but I got a bridge blank to match. I asked for a piece that was light in color and it is quite blondish. It seems OK for now but I can't vouch for it in the long term. I'll get some pics up when I finish.

My understanding is that most solvent based polys tend to have an amber tint. The water based products tend to be more of a bluish tint. The water base may be better on white. You'd have to test to confirm this though.

Thanks for the comments Prostheta. And WAK, you have a very keen eye for Canadian content. The fret nippers are from Can Tire; I ground the end down on a grinding wheel. They were real cheap and are holding up very well.

India Ink is very black and easy to use; just protect you hands. It may actually bee too black for your taste so experiement and maybe thin it. I used it on ash, trying to get the effect you're after, but it was so dark that you need to look twice to see the grain.

Link

I would say a compressor. The optical ones sound good but there are several for guitar that make your tone fat and smooth.