VanKirk

I still love my Leo Fender signature G&L S-500. The frets are worn almost flat, the maple fretboard has worn through to bare wood in most spots and the hardware is tarnished. I love the tone, the trem & the shape of the neck. I ordered this guitar back in...'92 or so but it wasn't what I wanted at the time but I kept it anyways and I'm glad I did. My first electric was a Peavey Impact 2 with dual humbuckers with a separate switch for each and an ebony fretboard. It was fun to learn on. I've been VERY happy with my first handmade guitar and my current one, plays & sounds great.

First, I'd change the nut and get rid of the plastic under the bridge. After setting the neck bow & saddle/bridge/nut slot height (and new strings), if it's still too bright I'd then try lowering the potentiometer value & raising the tone capacitor value.

Looks like a good start. I hope you can keep it going without getting shut down like some other cool sites have been. I have a suggestion for what it's worth, instead of listing bands starting with "The" under the letter 'T' maybe use the second word in the title. Such as, instead of "The Eagles" being listed under 'T', have it listed under 'E'. I've added it to my bookmarks and will check it often. Good luck!

I like the headstock. It fits all 8 tuners well and looks to be a straight string pull over the nut. It would be a little pointy to me on a 6 string but hey, there's 8 tuners on that beast so it's expected. Still flows well. Lookin forward to seein it with a finish. I like green!

I use a rasp then I finish with some 80 grit sticky back sandpaper stuck on the side of an old coffee cup, hehe.

At first glance I say to myself wow! very nice! Second glance, WoW! That's sweet! I like that alot and I can't wait to see it with a finish. I think I missed what finish you're gonna clear it with?

wezV or scottyd? wezV or scottyd? wezV or scottyd?

I think a veneered pickguard might look nice. Depending on your finish of course. I like the original sound holes best but still not quite doing it for me. It's close though. Love the rest of the shape and hardware.

Hard to top that first one! (pun intended )... but here's my entries anyways- Blue flame &

Still shaping the top. I'm using cabinet scrapers and a rasp to do it. Once you learn how to properly sharpen a scraper you can shave alot off at a time or a little. Lots of control.

I don't know what to say. We're all blessed that he has been able to touch us all through a common love for guitars. I'll miss him. Thank you BP.

There's no need to search through EVERY thread. Just the ones that contain the info you're looking for. The search function can guide you to the answers you seek.

I like the design! I had the same inspiration from the Tele-PRS shape myself. Gotta get finished with this but my shop isn't geared for woodworking yet. (New house) This version Tele-PRS. It's not a string thru but the next one will be.

Sounds like I'm on the same page as you Greg. It's hard to use some of these other scales/modes and get the feel for them when I've over-used pentatonic minor so much in a blues context. I've been toying around with Satch's music such as Mystical Potatohead Groove Thing, Always with me Always with You, Why & Summer Song. Lately I've been playing some Santana like Europa & Samba Pa Ti. These songs I can still get into the groove with & yet open my playing up a lil at a time without totally losing it. It's hard for me to jump right into another style so I just kinda have to get my feet wet first. It's important for me to understand the feel as well as technique otherwise I feel like I'm just playing note for note.

There's a past thread about this video and it contains the sheet music to that song as well.

Cool! I'm in Olympia as well. There seems to be alotta cool builders in this area that are helpful to me.

You deffinately need a business plan of some sort. I'd recommend taking a small business course at a local college. You need to break down all of your expenses so you have a ratio of expense to income. This will give you an idea of how much to charge but always keep in mind that some things that can earn you income are not always something you can record at the end of the month books. ie, lowering costs for a customer that could potentially bring you in more business. Do you have a business liscense? Do you know what type of business liscence you need? I found out that just having a business liscence wasn't enough if I did work in a town that was different than where my business address was located. Also, be prepared for a headache at taxtime...and know when your business tax is due. Anyways, this is just a small fraction of the knowledge you need BEFORE you get involved with your business. Otherwise, you'll be looking at failure, dissappointment and maybe even legal problems. You can do it. You just have to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible.

Yes. I've used Sperzels for several years and find that they are as effective as a locking nut and are much more convenient when string changing & tuning. If the new neck already has tuner holes drilled you need to check the size of the hole to make sure the Sperzels will fit.

The before and after pics look like 2 different necks. The taper from the heel looks sharper, narrower on the 'after' pic. My guess is that the 'after' pic is something he took while at a music store and not even something he worked on. The directions seem very dangerous to me and I also don't believe those are the results of that procedure.

Thought I'd necro this post cause it's one of the more original looking guitars I've seen around here. I generally like traditional guitar shapes but this one flows nicely and looks pretty unique. I'm sure there are other guitars similar but I like how this was done. Cool body shape & headstock. My only worthless critique would be to have the pickup routes just a bit cleaner, sharper but still a nice guitar.

Tru-oil is nice but still just a bit sticky. I like the feel of Formby's Tung-oil blend. Nice and smooth and still gives decent protection.

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you and your families enjoy the New Year!!!

Everything you and others have said here seem to cover all I've noticed. I do think that a solid color would look good such as a gold top or pearlescent, dark red. Can't wait to see it finished. Who knows? It may play and sound awesome even with a non-tradition tone wood. I like the idea of a nice strong strip of oak down the middle of the neck to strengthen around the truss rod.

The customer service at Bill Lawrence is awesome. Check his site and call him direct and describe the tone you want and he's very good at nailing it for a great price. Just make sure that you go directly to his site cause there are copies of his pups that aren't his at all.

It may be difficult for others to look back on this thread and know exactly where you're coming from. Especially, when your comments sparked a large part of this debate. If you have something to clarify in your earlier statements then add to them. Why go back and edit out your posts? It looks to me like you can't handle it when others pick out discrepencies in your posts which in turn lowers your credibility.