Myka Guitars Posted May 6, 2005 Report Share Posted May 6, 2005 (edited) I wanted to share with all of you the latest guitar I have completed. There are a couple new features (for me) in this one including the first singlecut sculpted heel guitar with a rosewood neck. It turned out great. The transition is just a line where the leacquer ends and the neck begins. Simple and it feels good too. I finished it in a light oil, the same as I put on my fingerboards. Just enough to seal it a bit and bring out the grain and color. I will be building myself a guitar soon (3-4 months) and it will be a complete oil finish. I love the feel of the wood. Another cool thing is the Stetsbar tremolo. I helped design a new baseplate for the unit that works for a new construction. The original design was for retrofitting the guitar onto a Les Paul or something like that. The new method allows the tremolo to appear to float about the top. I am pretty pleased with it considering it being the prototype of the new Stetsbar setup. The trem can drop the notes by a full octave and raise them by a whole tone. That does about as much as I would need. Since it routes into the top by only 1/8" of an inch you don't lose all that tonewood. Also the springs do not resonate in the range of the guitar so you don't get that annoying faux reverb effect. Sustain is excellent since the strings and springs literally pull the bridge down onto the top of the guitar. It responds like a fixed bridge. It really is a great tremolo and now it looks even better. The electronics are also pretty interesting. The magnetic pickups are a pair of Rio Grande P90s and a babkybucker in the bridge. In the bridge I used LR Baggs piezo saddles running into a GraphTech piezo/hexaphonic preamp setup. The range of tones from this guitar are endless. I went with the LR Baggs saddles because they are very solid and mount into the tune-o-matic bridges very snug and tight. The piezo tone is also quite good. Here is a pic that shows what the electronics do in detail: electronics diagram Here are some pics: Here's a closeup of the Stetsbar: All in all the guitar turned out really nice. I wanted to match a tiger eye stone that I had and the colors are a near perfect match. The cool piece of maple didn't hurt either. EDIT: Here is the gallery on my website for more pictures: #022 Tiger Eye Classic Enjoy! ~David Edited May 6, 2005 by Myka Guitars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!!METAL MATT!! Posted May 6, 2005 Report Share Posted May 6, 2005 DAM That's Nice I realy love that color and the pickups just look so deadly with the wood, extremly nice headstock man! SWEEEEEEET!!! !!METAL MATT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meegs666 Posted May 6, 2005 Report Share Posted May 6, 2005 that is an amazing guitar, man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted May 6, 2005 Report Share Posted May 6, 2005 (edited) Sweet as usual... I like the look of the trem with the rosewood pickup covers. Everything on this guitar just flows so well, it's like a great work of art I'm also loving your switching ideas. I will be using that on my next creation! Edited May 6, 2005 by Godin SD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 DEADLY! I really don't see how you can let a guitar like that go . I don't think I have the willpower, yet. Keep up the great work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mledbetter Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 wow.. not much to add here.. that's is incredible looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooten2 Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Brilliant!! Love those pickup covers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluespresence Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Outstanding work as always David. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivin Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Speechless! Awesome stuff David - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Absolutely breathtaking, David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 10+ Brilliant work!!!! Outstanding Detail and finish. Peace, Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Sweet! I'll confess to not liking the look of that trem, but like many things it may grow on me. The things that grow on me tend to develop into long-term affection rather than a one-night stand. Looks are only secondary to performance, though, and the trem sounds like a real performer. The electronics... what can I say... that kind of flexibility is something I only dream of. Wicked awesome. Some guitars are wonderful for their simplicity, but there's also room for technology and this one makes me drool. And finally, the guitar itself-- you could have put any electronics in there, and used any kind of trem, and the end result would still be an unbelievable-looking guitar. Good work! Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slabbefusk Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 (edited) You the man! Everything just flows and goes together real well. Edited May 7, 2005 by Slabbefusk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goth_fiend Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 beautiful work man, i wish i could do half as good as that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiggz Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 man, that thing is absolutley amazing, and an extra thumbs up for the modified base plate on that previously mankey looking trem (now looks miles better) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 There is one flaw I noticed in the process pics: you list the top wood as quilt maple. Other than that it's Puuuurfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted May 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Setch, now that's attention to detail! My QA needs to be better Thanks so much for the comments. As always I appreciate it. And if you have any critique, improvements, etc I am glad to hear them. The only thing I would change on this guitar would be the weight. I overcompensated a bit for the rosewood neck and it is a touch heavy. The rosewood necks aren't that much heavier than a maple neck so there isn't much of a need for too much compensation. The tone it gets because of that is full and dark so I didn't mind too much. It is meant to be a studio guitar so this wasn't really a concern. The trem has grown on me over the last few months. I know the machinist and he helped design this guitar with me along with the base plate that came out of our brainstorming sessions (it really does make the trem look 100% better). He is a great industrial desginer and has helped me refine some of my processes (look for a fully adjustable all aluminum neck pocket jig in the future). I have another guitar with a top just like this one in the works. I may do the same thing with it in terms of finish but the electronics will be simpler; 2 humbuckerss, master volume, master tone, a 5-way, and piezos for good measure. It will also be a fixed bridge since it will be a display model (aka: mine). I may make the bridge myself though. I Have been thinking about a ebony and bone tune-o-matic for years now. I think it's high time I did something with the idea. ~David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american_jesus Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 david, that is simply an amazing looking guitar. you seem to have a nack for this, and everything i've seen you make has been incredibly beautiful. good work there, keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 David, the guitar is awesome! I LOVE the tiger eye finish. It is my favorite finish by far, I hope to do somthing similar on my first maple capped guitar. What method did you use to achieve that effect? Also, how did you go about making the pickup covers on this guy? I cant wait to see how the ebony TOM comes out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Nice David, that Stetsbar looks great on that guitar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1nf1d3l Posted May 8, 2005 Report Share Posted May 8, 2005 nice looking guitar dude, very classy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibreakemineedtobuildem Posted May 8, 2005 Report Share Posted May 8, 2005 Exactly what I was thinking.Very classy.The koa binding is beautiful. I love the neck joint.Great guitar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n8rofwyo Posted May 8, 2005 Report Share Posted May 8, 2005 Classy - Soooooooo very classy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnewman Posted May 8, 2005 Report Share Posted May 8, 2005 Y'know, you consistantly make my favorite guitars on this whole site - I wish I could afford to buy one from you. Maybe some day . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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