Drak Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Pics will be forthcoming soon. The Tele is from the Rustler Roundup series of Teles I built, it didn't get a Cowskull because the spalt was so so so so crumbly and delicate, I just couldn't pull off the cutout, but it was built along with the others up to a point. That body is probably 4-5 years old and is about 90% done at this point. The Strat I just started this weekend and is a new build and is going great. Both Sweet Spalted Sistahs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 to coin a phrase from another forum i frequent THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICS! will the spalts be matching/similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 (edited) I love spalts. We need pictures. Edited May 13, 2009 by Keegan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Drak. Your teles are famous you must post pictures... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 I don't know about famous, but I have been very very remiss in not posting full blown finished pics of the Steerhead/Roundup collection. First, I had just stopped posting any pics at all for a long time, then I left the Internet alltogether for awhile, then I bought a house and that took all my time for awhile, then I was waiting for sunny weather and it never seemed to come, then when it came, I was busy doing other things...just seems one thing after another has prevented me from documenting and posting them all together, which I want to to before they start getting too nicked up from using them. One (Trail Boss) already fell from it's stand, nothing terrible, but it did nick a tuner and a spot on the backside of the body... The spalts are not from the same batch of wood, but they are very similar in appearance, and both very spalty and totally rotten, balsa-wood soft spalts. The Tele is an Alder core, the Strat is a Black Limba core, both have spalted lams on front -and- back. The neck I'm using for the Strat is a hockey-stick Jackson-ish metal neck, and already has the spalt lam on the headstock from several years ago, I was planning on using it on an old spalted Shark V I built a few years ago then trashed when I came up with my newer, sleeker Shark V model, so the neck headstock is already lammed and ready to go. I'll get pics up ASAP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 We'll start with the Strat. Black Limba body, ready to slim down. It was 1 3/4", but I wanted the overall thickness to be 1 5/8" at end, including the spalted lams, so we're ready to route her down a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Routing 1/2 way done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 I can get it down to where there's just a little nub left, 60 grit sander took it out in 1 minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 A quick little hard-backed hand sanding, and she's dead flat, ready for spalt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 ...After we blow off our work, of course... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 The first silly mockup. It will be a black Gotoh Telecaster Humbucker bridge, this was just for stupid pics. A Strat-Tele METAL(ish) Spalted Hybrid, HaHaHaHa!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Here's the back Spalt, ready for glue-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 I figured I'd skip the stupid 'Million Clamp Man' shot and just git down to it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Oh, forgot to add in the rear cover shot..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 And the front glued up. Cloudy days suck for cool pics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guernica Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 And the front glued up. Cloudy days suck for cool pics... ...wow, thats a nice piece 'a wood!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Oh, forgot to add in the rear cover shot..... I take it this was done an a scroll saw? If not, what did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 (edited) I take it this was done an a scroll saw? If not, what did you use? You don't know that Drak is the Master if the Scroll Saw!!! He uses it for EVERYTHING! BTW, great pieces Drak! I always loved spalt, but always feared all the care needed to rout and work with it! Nice job! Edited May 14, 2009 by Maiden69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 I take it this was done an a scroll saw? If not, what did you use? You don't know that Drak is the Master if the Scroll Saw!!! He uses it for EVERYTHING! BTW, great pieces Drak! I always loved spalt, but always feared all the care needed to rout and work with it! Nice job! A man after my own heart. The more I use mine, the more I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyonsdream Posted May 14, 2009 Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 just a question: if you spalted the front and back, why use a piece of black limba? Seems like a waste for what little of if you'll see on the side grain? Oh, and that top is just SICK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2009 Yes, yes, Maiden is quite correct, it was done on the TRUMPETS BLARE! ...scrollsaw. God I just couldn't resist doing that... Yeah, there is a lot to think through when using really spalted pieces, but if you can build a guitar, you can figure it out. For example...the slot for the lever switch, I wouldn't DARE try to cut that out without stiffening it up front and back with CYA first, and even then, I will proceed with all the caution in the world...one slip, one chip-out, and it's all over, but y'all know I'm not exactly 'risk-averse', dontcha? Also, I'm considering using longer screws for the bridgeplate since 1/4" of the screw is just biting into balsa wood. Like I said, if you can already build a guitar, these things are just common sense if you think it through. I cannot WAIT to hit this muthu with CYA once it's final sanded, which is where it's at now. I hate final sanding guitars, don't you? As far as the Black Limba goes, hell, I bought a 12' x 14" x 2" board of it a few years back, I'm not gonna run out of it anytime soon, and honestly, I didn't buy it for it's looks, I bought it for it's Tone, so I could care less if it shows or not really, it's a great sounding wood to use, the looks are just an afterthought for me, and if I remember right, it was cheaper by the board foot than Mahogany was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJE-Guitars Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Like them! Pity you could never get any spalt over this way of the world as the termites would devour it long before it spalted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Loving the color matching of the spalt and black limba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted May 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Thanks! Bringing you up to date...a few shots of the body as it sits now. Front..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.