GregP Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 This will be my first post on the forum, though I've browsed through a bit. I've been wanting to build my own guitar since I can remember, though the dream has somehow transformed from a tele-style guitar to the current DC LP style vision. Unable to afford a whole bunch of resources, I've been scouring the internet for weeks, picking up bits and pieces here and there... but only found Project Guitar a few days ago, if you can believe it. I must have been Googling with the wrong keywords! I've been a player for 13 years or so, ever since I 'graduated' from running a beer bottle along the strings of my dad's Fender acoustic to my own (Made In Mexico) strat. I really enjoyed not just the playing, but the 'gear' side of things as well. I was often more interested in the columns in magazines that revolved around set-ups and product reviews than I was in tabs or artist profiles. Shortly after getting the strat, I swapped out the bridge pickup for a Hot Rails, slapped in some Graph-Tech saddles, and thought I was done. Nope. Took it apart and sanded it down completely (hand-held belt sander! Not the most precise tool...) before repainting it with a black and green faux marble kit. I never got around to lacquering it, because it was eventually stolen. Since then the only 'mods' I've done to the replacement guitar (a tele-style Pacifica) have been replacing the bridge with a mini '59, and adding a switchless coil splitter (engaged by turning the tone knob to full, and disengaged from 'level 9' on down). Oh, and fully shielding the guitar. My guitar roster now includes a Yamaha dreadnought, a Guild D-20 Dreadnought, a Godin LG, and the tele-style Pacifica. I have my single-coil machine, my P-90 machine, and now I figure it's about time to get a humbucking blues/jazz beast going on... and I've elected to build it. In the next little while, I'll try to scour the forum for old posts, but I'm a bit lazy by nature... so don't be surprised if I ask some of those same questions that have been asked a million times! Also, I have to admit that I don't have any plans to do any hands-on building for at least a few months, so I'll be a bit of a sporadic presence around here. About me: I'm an English teacher in Ottawa, Ontario, , with a healthy respect for outdoors activities... I've cycled from here to Charlottetown, PEI, and I'm currently training for a full marathon (ugh!! I'd rather play guitar!). Musically, like most of you, my tastes run the gamut. When I PLAY, though, I'm one of those that tends to stick more or less to pentatonic blues patterns (learned not to stay in one position, though, at least!) and basic chords. On a typical day, you'll hear me trying to do some SRV-style rhythm with sub-standard blues solos over top. If I can get something done some day like the few guitars I've seen Lex make, I'll be a rather happy fellow. ;-) That new bass is everything I ever look for in a bass myself, and then some! Well, enough of that... I'm a bit overly verbose at times! See you around, Greg. Quote Link to comment
Brian Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 Welcome to the forum Greg Quote Link to comment
Jehle Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 Howdy Greg, I suppose being verbose is a residue of being an English teacher. The missus is in an English PhD program at the moment so I actually appreciate the length of your introduction. I suppose I'm used to it. Are you a post-modernist, or traditionalist? Given everything that you've stated, you are really going to enjoy it here. You've already taken the first few step to building by collecting parts and trading out bits here and there. Working on and building guitars is addictive. Don't be afraid to ask any silly questions. Lord knows we've all had them, and that's what we are here for. See you 'round. Quote Link to comment
GregP Posted March 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 I guess I'm a neo-modernist New Critical archetypalist psychoanalitical traditionalist. ;-) Don't worry about the silly questions-- they will come, and they will be laughable, indeed. <grin> When it comes time for practical advice, I'm mostly going to be nagging people for techniques on getting my guitars playable. Yeah, I want them to look sweet, too, but if I never want to pick them up and play them, then I've pretty much failed in what I want to accomplish with this pursuit. I'm not expecting masterful action with the first couple guitars (though one can always hope!) but what I do want is to do a decent job of the fretboard, and mating up the strings from nut to bridge nicely so that the guitar feels like a proper guitar regardless of what the body looks like or how crooked my pickup routs turn out. Er... looks like I'm not all that scarce around here so far... But this is one verbose forum! I looked at "new posts since your last visit", and there are many... I should fit in OK, then. Quote Link to comment
budman68 Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Welcome Greg!! Dave-> Quote Link to comment
Stalefish Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Helloo to you too!! Quote Link to comment
guitar_ed Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Hi Greg, Welcome to our version of sanity. And don't worry about being verbose. Other than photo's, it is often the only way to be accurate. And speaking of photo's, we like them too. As for stupid questions, every good teacher I have ever had has said the same thing: The only stupid question is the one you don't ask. And my favorite admonition is . Welcome and have fun, Guitar Ed Quote Link to comment
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.