RestorationAD Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Bass Neck set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Pickup routed. When I re-design this monster I have to remember that all my pattern bits are 3/8" not 1/4". I managed to route the main parts out with the 3/8" then follow up with the 1/4" and get it to look good but I hate taking full depth cuts with the router. It is tempting fate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Heel carved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 A look at what it might look like with a finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Looks awesome man. Really digging that burl. What scales is that one again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Here's an interesting thing I learnt. Take Wengé straight to the buffing wheel after 240 grit. The abrasive opens up the grain and you get an awesome glossy (with a bit of oil) coarse texture. Almost like how sandblasted wood can look. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Looks awesome man. Really digging that burl. What scales is that one again? Both guitars are 25.5" - 27". Here's an interesting thing I learnt. Take Wengé straight to the buffing wheel after 240 grit. The abrasive opens up the grain and you get an awesome glossy (with a bit of oil) coarse texture. Almost like how sandblasted wood can look.Interesting idea. I will have to do some experiments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 My bench is locked up at the moment however I did this on the vice hub and tommy bar's end caps. Looks sweet. The pores open out and the softer grain deepens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireFly Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Good score on the clamps! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 Good score on the clamps!Hilarious that I found them on the shelf at Ollie's (a local Big Lots variant). I bought every one they had on the shelf. I just wandered in there to kill time while my kid was at dance.I also found 2 Norton sanding disks like my old one I use for carving tops. I was ecstatic as I thought I would never find one again and mine is worn out (20 years old).The randomness of the whole thing was just funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psikoT Posted June 14, 2013 Report Share Posted June 14, 2013 Very nice heels... I love your work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Yea Wenge polishes up real nice. I sometimes sand it to 600 then polish it with a leather belt to kinda burnish it up to a nice sheen. Still always chicken out & put some oil on it if its for a customer & then there is that niggeling voice in the back of my head that just keeps whispering "biiig eviiil spliiinter of deaaaath" it is wenge after all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Instant sepsis? Got to love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 Finishing is boring...So most of the guitars I am working on are in the finishing stages and frankly there isn't much to see. The wenge needs elbow grease to look right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 Wow. That's some really nicely flatted Wenge. I've always found it a task to get flat planes right due to that variation in hardness between late and earlywood. No joke about it being hard work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 How thick is that top RAD? Less than a half inch? You have become a master at creating great depth in relatively thin tops. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 Wow. That's some really nicely flatted Wenge. I've always found it a task to get flat planes right due to that variation in hardness between late and earlywood. No joke about it being hard work. Keeping wenge flat involves blocks. Whenever you can you must use a hard block this allows the sandpaper to cut the hard spots first and not sink into the soft parts. I took what you said about opening the grain on the buffer and changed it a bit. I used a 320 grit Flex pad from Klinsgpore to polish out the 400 grit scratches (don't ask grits do not matter, results matter). This had a slight effect of deepening the soft grain slightly and giving the body some texture. Much more subtle than using the buffer as it still looks very flat (the hard edges were not rounded). I really like where it ended up so thanks for the idea! How thick is that top RAD? Less than a half inch? You have become a master at creating great depth in relatively thin tops. SR I try to use a 3/8" top. This one is exactly 3/8" thanks to the new Laguna. The trick to creating depth in a carve is making sure the concave part of the S curve is large. This makes it seem like a deeper carve than it is. Also don't F*&K up. Because the top is so thin you only get one chance to get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Multiscale 6 string basses need custom pickups. No angling off the shelf pups here. I present the Diablo S6 P-bass and the Diablo S6 Humbucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 After the first coat of oil it looks a little different. The browns are now closer in color. Protection is the key though as this thing has to go on the road and hold up. It will get 2 more coats of Behlens then I will move on to a rub finish to seal the whole thing up tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Wonderfully mindbending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 You guys will like this. I have know some of you guys through email and forum posts for a few years. Some of you guys will get this right away. The fact I had to post this is funny in its own right because most of us do research before buying anything... <from a few places> I want to make this very plain. Do not ask a line cook to make your wedding cake. Do not ask a Chevy guy to rebuild your Ford motor. Do not ask a luthier who specializes in Fender relics to build a Gibson LP. If you want to order a guitar from a luthier do some research. I blog all my builds, there is over 4 years of information on the type of guitars I build on that blog. I have build threads on Project Guitar, Sevenstring.org, and TDPRI you can look through. All luthiers worth their salt have a style and usually have some standards they use. The things you should know about me as a Luthier. No silly wood combinations. Just because they are exotic does not mean they should be mixed together. No Binding of any sort. No inlays. No outside vendor pickups. I design and build custom pickups why would you ask me to use someone elses? No gold hardware. EVER. No replicas of production guitars. The S9 is a very thin ergonomic guitars I have spent years developing. If your prefered bridge needs more than 30mm depth to install I can't do it. This means no Floyd Rose. I am a minimalist. I hate complicated electronics. I have been at this since I was 13. I have a great day job and build guitars because I like to, not for the money, not for the fame, not for the power, just no more games... hmmm went all Megadeth for a second there. \m/ Know your luthier! </from a few places> This isn't directed at you guys as your not my potential customers but guys I share and learn from. So now that we are straight can we get back to building!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 All power to you. Don't understand the gold bit though. This shouldn't affect your fundamental build styles or choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psikoT Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 No gold hardware. EVER. Agree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiewarlock Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 Gold hardware has its place. While i certainly don't like a Jackson Randy Rhoads with gold hardware, with black hardware it is one of my favourite guitars. But a Les Paul Custom HAS to have gold hardware IMHO. Some PRS look fantastic with gold hardware as well, but that's about it. I like black hardware. Chrome can be a little blingy and look cheap in the wrong guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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