avengers63 Posted August 3, 2013 Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 Today I'm starting probably the most obnixous build you'll see in a long time. So let's get all of the "What's wrong with you" commments out of the way now so we can get down to some serious lutherie.WARLOCK superthin construction ash neck-through poplar wings rosewood fretboard (variety undecided, subject to change) black hardware standard 2HB setup The body/neck will be grainfilled and primered white I'll be picking up a can of water-based finish and adding w/b dye to it this will then be sprayed over the white base for a nice, deep, colored finish. This, of course, brings us to the point of me being a twisted bastard. When it's all said and cone, I'll have, true to my hair-metal roots.... a turquoise Warlock. I did a google image search for "turquoise warlock guitar", and dey aint none. I might end up with the only one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajax Posted August 3, 2013 Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 I applaude your guts sir. Is that you and your dog in the pic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 Thanks. And no, that's neither I nor my dog. Not that I wouldn't dress like that. Here's me and the other two Pharasees in this year's Easter play. As we all know, I've no fear of guitar voodoo, either verifying or de-bunking it.. I decided to go with some voodoo this time. It suits my needs, and I can manufacture a justification. I'm using some scrap sapele to build the headstock thickness, as opposed to scarfing it. I reason that if the choice of fretboard wood will effect the tone, how much more can it be effected by the wood the strings are directly attached to? Sapele is uber dark, so it should add some subtle warmth to the growly/mid-bright ash. Yes, I certainly could have used ash for the headstock as well. I'm sure many of you would say without hesitstion that I should use it. I suupse this is just more of me pushing the envelope. Like da man say: ya gotta let a ho be a ho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingman Posted August 3, 2013 Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 No hate here, I think turquise is th eperfect color for a Warlock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted August 3, 2013 Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 Only issue for me is the ash neck. I think the Ash will be a PITA to get even and nice in the neck to body transition. Apart from that; Go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetzerHarah Posted August 3, 2013 Report Share Posted August 3, 2013 I'm pleasantly surprised, I was expecting another damn corvis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 I did a google image search for "turquoise warlock guitar", and dey aint none. Challenge accepted. I didn't even bother hitting google, first place I looked at was a folder on my computer called USA Warlock. Heres the first few I found: You haven't mentioned what bridge you're using. If its a floyd on a slimline guitar, you'll want to plan either a non recessed above the body mount with lots of neck angle, or you'll have to cut the floyd block right back and retap the thread holes, which is what I did when I built myself a slimline Neckthru Warlock with recessed floyd several years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Or, just order the shorter block from Floyd... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Or, just order the shorter block from Floyd... Too expensive. Cut with a hacksaw only takes half a minute as brass cuts quick, then bastard file it back takes about ten seconds. The holes are already drilled which means you have no alignment problems, just need to be tapped (if its cut deeper than the tap, I think Gotoh blocks are tapped all the way through or at least deep enough to still be usable, from memory the genuine floyd ones are not. EDIT: I just did a search as its been years since I'd tried to source a trem block, they are about a third of the price I remembered them being. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Thanks for the pics. I would consider #3 and the last to me turquoise, and they look pretty darn good. The trem block debate is moot: I'll be using a hardtail bridge. I'm not much for a trem in general. When I use one, my choice is always Kahler first. But thanks for the input nonetheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Or, just order the shorter block from Floyd... Too expensive. Cut with a hacksaw only takes half a minute as brass cuts quick, then bastard file it back takes about ten seconds. The holes are already drilled which means you have no alignment problems, just need to be tapped (if its cut deeper than the tap, I think Gotoh blocks are tapped all the way through or at least deep enough to still be usable, from memory the genuine floyd ones are not. I think you'll find that whole process is more like an hour, than just a few minutes. Floyd shorter blocks are available already fitted to a floyd, for zero cost if ordered like that. And you dont have to buy taps, etc. I prefer clients to see fresh parts, rather than something that's been modified to suit. And, if you arent PERFECT with the cuts etc, it wont fit as nicely as it should. My hourly rate is worth too much to much around modifying stuff already available to purchase ready to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Hey, Perry. How are things going for you? Any interesting customs featuring body parts of our guitar heroes come in lately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 No, but that's because of a lack of body parts Where can I source some? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetzerHarah Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 I would check Snowtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 Bring it on John. This should be fun! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 Only issue for me is the ash neck. I think the Ash will be a PITA to get even and nice in the neck to body transition. Apart from that; Go for it.Peter seriously? We should talk this out like old stodgy luthiers one day. I am not sold on the Ash neck thing and kinda agree with you.However this is my friend John. He is willing to do the extra things it takes to get something from nothing.I am pretty sure I have documented the technique for getting a solid return on soft/hard woods like Ash. Having built several wenge necks I can tell you now that proper sanding blocks are the way to go. Using a block is the only way to attack Ash, Wenge or the like. PITA yes. Unconquerable No.That said. You (John) are always trying to push the envelope on acceptable and I am good with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 I used an ash/cherry/maple on the 2nd superthin, with the wode outside parts ash. There were no issues with making it smooth. I used all ash for the neck of my neice's LP, which was painted white. There were no issues with it either. I made the 2nd Corvus entirely of ash. No significant issues. I can admit that in all three instances, the transition was more challenging than with other woods. Challenging, but by no means impossible. Honestly, I've never noticed any significant hardness difference in the early/late growth on ash, so I'm not sure that's being referenced. Yellow pine or cypress I've seen it in, but not hard Northern ash. Maybe we're using differene species of ash. In any event, I've used this stuff before successfully, so I don't have any fears at all. But I appreciate y'all looking out for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 The reason I mentioned the "problems" with woods that have quite a difference in hardness in summer/winter growth is that not everyone knows/thinks about it. Having made a few necks from Oak (similar issue) I have experienced the problem, and as RAD said it is all about using ridgid blocks, no sanding with you fingers wrapped in paper or on soft cork/rubber blocks. However that is how I prefer to do the delicate neck/body and neck/head transition and after a few experiences (OK, none with ash...) I just don't have the time to deal with stuff like that. Having said that I recently made a 8-stringer with a spanish cedar neck, maple head and to make things worse a maple/cedar lam in the head scarf joint and a thick head being planned down from the back, meaning I had a huge problem keeping the lines in the head/neck transition area due to the great difference in hardness between the maple and the cedar. I should have known better... Apart from that I say go for it John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 I just don't have the time to deal with stuff like that. I should have known better...I seem to say that a lot to myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 OK kats and kittens.... it's time to feed me some inspiration. With the body being a loud-but-plain solid color, I need to do something inspired with the fretboard. Something involving a difficult scroll-saw-made inlay. Something that would tie in nicely with the color 'turquoise'. Point me in a direction and inspire some creative juices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 The first thing that popped into my head was recreate the body shape and use it for fret markers. Cut them out of that sparkly plastic sheeting in turquoise that WhaleHazard linked to in one of his builds. Or use a silhouette of the entire guitar in minature as markers. probably not quite worth .02. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 turquoise reconstone: https://www.lmii.com/products/mostly-not-wood/inlay-materials/stone-inlay-material/faux-turquoise-inlay-material or is that too obvious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetzerHarah Posted August 9, 2013 Report Share Posted August 9, 2013 You could do some Kokopelli designs, I often see those in turquoise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingman Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 use guitar picks for inlay, cheap and they come in lots of different colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 Yeah, and make the rout a bit deeper and then cast clear epoxy so that the picks are set deep into the fretboard! Hard to find picks that fit between the higher frets thou... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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