avengers63 Posted July 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted July 8, 2010 Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 Great! You will HAVE to tell me how you like that bridge! I haven't seen anyone use one around the forums and have been planning to put the 7-string version on a build I have in the pipeline. When you get this done please drop me a PM and tell me your impressions. Build's lookin' tight by the way. That fretboard bling is right up my alley. Chris PS: I JUST saw who's build this is. I saw the Kahler bridge and got all excited and went straight down to reply. But now that I know it's your's... that fretboard bling is too much, way tacky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 All BS aside, you've never used a Kahler before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 neck shaping is done I've finally come to what is a REALLY comfortable neck shape for me. I came about it completely by accident. When I cut the necks of the '58 Twins to thickness before shaping the back, I mis-measured by 1/8" too thin. There was nothing left for me to do at that point but to go ahead and shape them and hope for the best. Because I felt they were borderline too thin, I left the back pretty flat and essentially just rounded over the edges. The flat bit down the center was tapered, getting wider as you went up the neck. Well, that accident gave me the best feeling neck I'd made to date. It was also predictable and fairly easy to repeat. An ounce of research tells me I "invented" the thin D contour. With a 1/4" fretboard, the thickness in the middle of the 1st fret is 3/4", and thickens to 7/8" at the 12th fret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 I've finally come to what is a REALLY comfortable neck shape for me. I came about it completely by accident. When I cut the necks of the '58 Twins to thickness before shaping the back, I mis-measured by 1/8" too thin. There was nothing left for me to do at that point but to go ahead and shape them and hope for the best. Because I felt they were borderline too thin, I left the back pretty flat and essentially just rounded over the edges. The flat bit down the center was tapered, getting wider as you went up the neck. Well, that accident gave me the best feeling neck I'd made to date. It was also predictable and fairly easy to repeat. An ounce of research tells me I "invented" the thin D contour. With a 1/4" fretboard, the thickness in the middle of the 1st fret is 3/4", and thickens to 7/8" at the 12th fret. That is similar to my favorite neck contour as well. I have done several Db shaped necks... Mine are flatter the whole way up the neck though. So they are usually almost (1/16" or less) the same at first fret as the 14th. My newer ones are more trapezoidal in shape. Love the build ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Built Guitars Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 same here. And I stumbled acrossed it in a similar manner. And like you stated, easy to duplicate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narcissism Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 It explains why I like the JEM Universe 7 string so much. It has a very flat back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Ross Posted July 11, 2010 Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 Great! You will HAVE to tell me how you like that bridge! I haven't seen anyone use one around the forums and have been planning to put the 7-string version on a build I have in the pipeline. When you get this done please drop me a PM and tell me your impressions. Kahlers rule. If you're considering a Floyd, get a Kahler. It's a MUCH better trem IMO -- easier to route for, install, set up, and they're way more adjustable (radius, string spacing, spring tension, trem arm tension). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 I've been fidgeting around with the tuner placement for a while now. It was really starting to bug me. Then the light came on this morning. I can't spend $150 on gold Steinberger tuners and have everything perfect. Nor can I spend more than that and get high quality banjo tuners with a lower gear ratio. So I'm stuck with some 18:1 Grovers. (I know - a real tragedy that I have to settle for Grovers. ) The only drawback is that they have to be closer to the edge of the headstock than is normally seen on a Firebird. The problem is that I'd really like to have the strings go straight out on the headstock to the tuners. BUT.... if I do that with these tuners, they just barely have enough room next to each other to fit. That not only makes tuning a PIA, but there's a LOT of extra room on the headstock where the tuners would normally be, and that just looks silly. I looked for a couple dozen examples of Firebirds with reverse headstocks and "normal" tuners. The early versions had non-straight strings, which looks bad. The later versions have a redesigned headstock which accommodates them better. The picture I made my template from had the banjo/Steinberger tuners. crap Then the lightbulb came on this morning. I'll be using a Kahler string lock. This is narrower than the nut in the first place, so the string angle will be messed up anyway. So that's that. I put the tuners in so that they look right on the headstock and don't worry about the straight-line aesthetics because there's jack that I can do about it. Pics to come later. FWIW: I've been grain-filling the body with some thinned down polyurethane. This stuff is going on unbelievably smooth, and with next to ZERO dust nibs. After it all gets filled, it gets a black burst and then the top clear coat. If the top clear goes on as smoothly as the filler has, this finish is going to be the best I've ever done. Of course, saying that just doomed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 Pictures as promised.... The only thing I have left to sort out is where to put one of these... ...the emblem from a '67-'69 Firebird. I suppose I should buy one, then try and work on the placement. Or maybe I could make one on the scroll saw and inlay it into the headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 grain filling with poly & sanding back florescent/inside lighting blows for pics first stage of the blackburst done 2 coats of poly to protect it while the remainder is done probably another one or two tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpcrash Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Nice job on the burst John. I do think you're either taking closer pictures or being more selective about what's in the background these days though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juntunen Guitars Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Definately a nice burst. What did you use to spray it? Did you bump it on something as well? There is a spot below where the tone knob goes that looks like you hit it on somehting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Definately a nice burst. What did you use to spray it? A can of flat black spray paint - the cheapest available. IIRC, they're $0.97/can at Wal-Mart. It's what I use for the white & gray primer as well. Did you bump it on something as well? There is a spot below where the tone knob goes that looks like you hit it on something. maybe Thanks for pointing it out. I'll look into it. It might be a camera trick, it might not be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Back blackburst painted with the first coat of clear The original plan was to bolt the neck on with ferrules. After the whole thing was constructed, I decided that there wasn't enough meat at the end of the heel to secure the neck in place, so it's now a set neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 I started the leveling/buffing process this morning. I hope to be through it all sometime this afternoon. I'm working on the purple Rhoads at the same time. I'm also trying something different, which is taking absolutely forever, but I'm hoping the results will be worth the extra effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2010 Unlike the purple Rhoads, the finish on this one buffed out just like it was supposed to. So here's the neck after a good soaking with linseed oil... ...and said neck being glued in. The pic is kinda washed out, but oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 What are you using to glue the neck in? With the neck already oiled and the pocket finished, wood glue isn't going to hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooglebug Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 What are you using to glue the neck in? With the neck already oiled and the pocket finished, wood glue isn't going to hold. looks to me like theres tape in the neck pocket and the end of the neck looks dry right on the edge of the pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 What are you using to glue the neck in? With the neck already oiled and the pocket finished, wood glue isn't going to hold. looks to me like there's tape in the neck pocket and the end of the neck looks dry right on the edge of the pic Hooglebug is on the right track. The pocket wasn't sealed. The closest it got was a little paint around the top and some finish that "dripped" around the edge. I scraped most of it off before gluing. The oil on the neck most definitely did NOT extend all the way down the tenon. I only oiled it enough to overlap about 1/2" into the pocket so there would be no bare spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 assembly & maybe the wiring today.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 .........aaaaaaaaaand the pup screws are too small for the holes in the wings. [smiley]facepalm[/smiley] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 Almost there. We got a long way to go and a short time to get there..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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