argytar Posted April 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2020 Yo! So the hardware stores are closed, due to the quarantine. My white primer is finished and I only got maroon primer, which I sprayed on. Maybe it will be interesting when it shows up under the green color, when the guitar starts becoming a relic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted April 14, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2020 Hi! going slow on the project as the weather has not been ideal for spraying nitro on it! Still, managed to apply green metallic paint and started with the clearcoat nitro. I guess that in a couple of weeks we can hear the first notes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 Wow ! It took forever to finish! I am wet sanding now and tomorrow I will use the buffing wheels! We ‘re getting close! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayT Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 On 5/7/2020 at 3:11 AM, argytar said: Wow ! It took forever to finish! I am wet sanding now and tomorrow I will use the buffing wheels! We ‘re getting close! story of my life...except I have no buffing wheels. For me saying/thinking that I'm "getting close" always jinxes me back to rinse-and-repeat mode -- or should I say strip-and-repaint mode. Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 3 hours ago, JayT said: story of my life...except I have no buffing wheels. For me saying/thinking that I'm "getting close" always jinxes me back to rinse-and-repeat mode -- or should I say strip-and-repaint mode. Looking good! Alas , that already happened a couple of times already so.. yeah being hasty makes you pay with more waiting time!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2020 Started the buffing process on my... drill press... decided to not go all the way as the hardware is a little ‘seasoned’ too... put some brass inserts to try out various tailpieces , but it seems I am sticking with the bigsby/ Vibramate assembly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2020 Now that I look at the pictures again the stop tailpiece looks weird being that far from the bridge! I will try it though at some point. I think it is close to the Larry Carlton placement. Should be interesting. This obeche guitar is very light. It is like 1650gr with the fretboard frets and truss rod on. I chose the Vibramate plus Bigsby config to make it more substantial. And because I love the B5. And of course because the Vibramate helps with a little better break angle, ergo better tuning stability... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayT Posted May 13, 2020 Report Share Posted May 13, 2020 On 5/11/2020 at 8:29 AM, argytar said: Started the buffing process on my... drill press... Oh yeah, I'm stealing this idea...I have an extra drill press just sitting the box that I can dedicate to buffing. The company shipped me two by mistake and its been since December so I'm assuming they're not coming after me or the press if they haven't yet 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 13, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2020 5 hours ago, JayT said: Oh yeah, I'm stealing this idea...I have an extra drill press just sitting the box that I can dedicate to buffing. The company shipped me two by mistake and its been since December so I'm assuming they're not coming after me or the press if they haven't yet Cool! Seems to be working so far! Would be curious to know the optimal speed ie rpm that the wheel should be spinning at. I could arrange that since my drill has variable speed... thanks on advance!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 (edited) .... had ordered the Steinberger tuners from Stew Mac and the pack might be misplaced... they will resend but the tuners are on one plus month backorder... ... totally understandable btw... I get it.. Guess I will move on to something else until they arrive. Or... I found some schaller banjo tuners on a local store.. should I use them to finish the project? They are real banjo tuners not kluson or something. I might take a measurement or two and see if they fit! Edited May 19, 2020 by argytar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2020 (edited) So the Steinberger tuners seem to be lost in the way.. Stew Mac will resend (great service as always). I could not of course wait... did a small half - assembly to check out the setup. The Vibramate assembly makes the guitar substantial and gets a very good back angle with the abr 1 bridge!! The trem feels smooth and retains great tuning stability. I was hesitant at first with the ceramic Duncan sm2b . However it delivered an authoritative Firebird tone. Unmistakable. Just what I had in mind. It sparkles , yet it barks! Not bad at all! Very south rock style! Allen Collins’ Skynyrd riffs and licks and what I could play of Johnny Winter sounded mighty authentic! Loved it! Cannot wait to receive the rest of the pots and the switch by the end of next week to take a listen to the neck p90 too. The guitar is feather- weight light!!! Balances great and the hefty neck feels great! I put Dunlop 6105 frets on and the playability is enjoyable. All in all, I am very optimistic of how this project will turn out. One question though: would you put 3 ply black pickguard on this guitar? I think I should because I only have nickel and black hardware. Don t want to put too much visual info on there. What do you guys think? Edited May 22, 2020 by argytar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted May 22, 2020 Report Share Posted May 22, 2020 Black-white-black or black-cream-black would tie the black and chrome/silver elements together as well as the binding on the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2020 55 minutes ago, Bizman62 said: Black-white-black or black-cream-black would tie the black and chrome/silver elements together as well as the binding on the neck. Hmm I don t know if I can find black cream black but I sure have black white black blanks. I might give that a go and see where it gets me! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2020 Hmmm... I guess I could make the pickguard middle layer go from white to cream with some amber shellac to match the binding! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2020 So I decided to make a black 3-ply pickguard. I screwed it on and got the first notes!!! Love the tone! It s got girth and pop, definition and ooomph. Suits my style perfectly. Weighs at 2.8 kilos! It is light!! I will wait for the Steinbergers so that I can complete the project by the end of this week , but I sure dig where this is going!!! Better call tone! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 25, 2020 Report Share Posted May 25, 2020 Man, that thing cleaned up really nice! Even better, it sounds great. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2020 22 hours ago, ScottR said: Man, that thing cleaned up really nice! Even better, it sounds great. SR Hey thanks so much! I appreciate it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted May 26, 2020 Report Share Posted May 26, 2020 That's some professional grade woodworking and the sounds are something to die for! I never really understood how big an impact the real type pickups have to the sound, now that I've learned what's the secret behind some distinctive sounds I'll have to learn to play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted May 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2020 6 hours ago, Bizman62 said: That's some professional grade woodworking and the sounds are something to die for! I never really understood how big an impact the real type pickups have to the sound, now that I've learned what's the secret behind some distinctive sounds I'll have to learn to play! Thank you so much! I immediately loved this guitar! It ‘s got “that” in between sound like a tele on steroids! Very fun to play!! Today I got some stuff I ordered for this guitar and did some work to finish the electronics. I think she has started to look really pretty!! Love the reflector knobs!! I hope the Steinberger tuners get here soon , so that I can finish the project!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gogzs Posted May 27, 2020 Report Share Posted May 27, 2020 On 3/22/2020 at 4:39 PM, argytar said: This is still one of my favorite pictures I've seen around here. So raw to the point I thought you were joking haha. Turned out so great. Looks awesome, and sounds even better, props! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted June 2, 2020 Report Share Posted June 2, 2020 Sounds great, looks beautiful. I love that neck pickup sound. The bridge is just pure firebird. Johnny Winter eat your heart out! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted June 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2020 (edited) On 5/27/2020 at 1:17 PM, Gogzs said: This is still one of my favorite pictures I've seen around here. So raw to the point I thought you were joking haha. Turned out so great. Looks awesome, and sounds even better, props! Hey thank you so much! Feels great to share my hobby with the community! It is like I made myself a gift and I love it! Waiting for those Steinbergers to arrive, they should be here by Thursday. Great customer service by Stew Mac , I just have to say! They will be gold , everything else is on backorder, but I guess I can change them to nickel in the future, when/ if things get a little better with the planet. I sure regret the title of this thread, requesting permission to change it... 1 hour ago, Norris said: Sounds great, looks beautiful. I love that neck pickup sound. The bridge is just pure firebird. Johnny Winter eat your heart out! Thank you very much! Glad you guys dig it! I do, too! I had my worries with the Sm2b being ceramic and all, but the sound is right there and I am very pleasantly surprised! Balances very well with the neck p90, too! That is a 50s style Alnico II p90 by Nick Silver pickups here in Greece, measuring at just 7.4 Kohm, but its position helps it get much ooomph , definition and sparkle, with the right amount of warmth! Delicious. I will make a new vid when the right tuners arrive to show the middle surf-tastic position and some of the clean tones. Pulling the bigsby a little bit away from the usual trem/ tailpiece “normal” position, helps a lot with the break angle and the tuning stability! I dare say it is as enjoyable and smooth as the one on my 1966 Gretsch 6120! You can see in the vid how much I enjoy using it!! Edited June 2, 2020 by argytar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted June 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 So the Steinbergers arrived and they seem superb... but they are gold... I really hope the original parcel shows up eventually even after almost two and a half months.... Will string her up and make a final vid !! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted June 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argytar Posted June 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 Hi! After a long time the correct Steinberger tuners arrived and I think the guitar is almost complete. Now we need a headstock logo and a pickgurd tattoo! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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