VanKirk

Ditto! I usually only like Sea Foam Green on a Chevy Belair but like Maiden says, with a bit more blue and pearl...SWEEET! Very impressive and really nails the PG spirit!

That's sounds close to the process I used but instead of the Naptha-thinned coats I used the aerosol version which is already thinned. If you were going to use poly over tru-oil though I would strongly suggest trying 2 coats of Danish oil then go right to the poly instead to save alot of time and sanding. Try it on scrap and compare your results with the tru-oil. IMO, I really think the Danish oil looked better than the tru-oil as far as grain popping went and you get the same slightly amber glow with either one. 2 coats Danish oil, shellac as grain-filler if needed then right to the poly would be my personal choice.

They are nice playin guitars too. Gigliotti's son worked at the local GC in Tacoma where I had a chance to play a couple of them. There's a thread around here somewhere. Here is one Aluminum guitar thread.

I had good luck experimenting on scrap with poly over Danish oil. It gave me that nice glow that tru-oil did on my other scraps but is wayyy harder. I think it even popped the grain just a bit better than the tru-oil too.

Myka is a builder here that uses the Stetsbar. I think he mentioned that it is a drop in for tom-style bridge. No routing needed and he says they work great. Myka builds some great looking, highly detailed guitars, and gives reliable advice, IMO so I trust what he says. I've never played a guitar with a stetsbar though. Here's a link to a guitar that Myka completed with the stetsbar Mykaguitars.com #22. Not sure if it's what you're looking for and it's not a cheap upgrade but it's high enough quality for Myka's guitars. Edit: Forgot the link to the Stetsbar site; www.stetsbar.com

Including tools, parts & finishing supplies? Dang! I better keep shopping around. I even borrowed the major tools such as a band saw, router & planer and will be borrowing a spray rig and still I am looking at an easy $500 and I thought that was reasonable.

In order to keep your costs down I would suggest drawing up a thorough plan such as what type of bridge or other parts that may affect the construction as well as materials and tools. Then, make a list of all your tools, parts & finishing supplies needed for your plan and start shopping. See what you can beg or borrow. Find a local wood supplier & maybe a local voc/tech school with shop tools that you may use. Befriend people with tools and materials...having cold beer or doughnuts at the ready can go a long ways. It helped me! So did talking about hunting, fishing, motorcycles & guitars. Be prepared to drop an easy $500 on just parts, wood & finishing supplies for medium grade parts. Brian @ UniversalJems is a good place to find reasonably priced parts, IMO. Not to mention you'll be supporting this site since it's his. Good luck and RAWK ON!!! btw...I'm a noob so take my advice with a grain of salt.

I wished I had seen the way you carved the neck join before I shaped mine. I love the contrast of the walnut and gold hardware.

I used the Hipshot Babygrand bridge and the post bushings were an odd size. I don't remember the exact diameter of the drill bit I used but 1 was just a little bit too large and the one I used was just a tiny bit small so I went with the smaller one and tapped them in. I didn't drill the holes deep enough because I marked the depth of the bit from the very tip. I was having a blond moment because I thought I was using a forstner bit...or something *sigh*. I was thinking of using a bolt threaded in to the bushing to pry against so I don't mar the gold coating on the post. I also have a 1/4" piece of aluminum that I can drill a hole in to put over the bushing and pry against. Sorry for the highjack. I hope any answers can help you as well, verhoevenc.

I want to get one of these from stew-mac so I can remove my trem post bushings on my project and redrill them about an 1/8" deeper. I just hope it'll have enough power to get them out since I had to use a mallet to get them in. I've also thought of just making one similar to that design. It's almost like a battery post puller in reverse...sort of.

After gathering some reviews I would test drive them with my guitar setup and listen to; 1. Which one sounds better (of course) ie; Are they useable sounds for what I'd use them for? 2. How user friendly are they? It sucks having to spend hours learning to use a piece of equipment at my level (I'm not a sound engineer). 3. Will it fit my future needs? ie; expandable/upgradable 4. Price difference after I go though steps 1-3 5. Will my wife counter my purchase with a new wardrobe, appliances, etc. Or, if you live with the parents, will they tan your hide? 6. Will I go into debt, screw up my credit, or be stuck eating Top Ramen for the next year? That's a pretty basic guideline I use when buying new equipment or tools which is probably why I hardly ever get to buy gear/tools. I can make it through steps 1-4 but it's step 5 that's the killer (sometimes literally ).

You're farther along on your project than I am on mine and I've been working on mine longer. I just keep telling myself it's not a race. It'll get done. I'm moving in to my first house tomorrow and I'll finally have space to work in. After the move and some landscaping I'll not have any excuse except laziness keeping me from finishing it so I'm not sweating it. Guitar building was never meant to pay my bills and those damn bills have priority, unfortunately.

Ty @ Roxy Finishing calls this Green Dragon Burst. I don't think it's what you're after but wth, maybe it will help out in some way?

AMEN! 16 years later and I STILL suck!

Tru-oil comes with it's own sealer and I'd suggest trying the aerosol version since it's already thinned for spraying. I had good results on scrap by using the sealer then wiping on around 15 coats (allow for plenty of drying time in between), level with 000 steal wool then shoot around 4 coats of the aerosol. I sprayed the last couple coats fairly thick once I was sure the rest were fully cured. That was on maple sanded to...600 grit I believe. It came out with a high gloss that gave the maple just a slight amber color. After a year it has shrunk back a little so that I can see some grain lines but since I sanded to 600 grit to begin with it's very subtle. The gloss is still there though. I did the same on another scrap piece where I used a walnut stain (came in a pack with the tru-oil & sealer) on flamed maple. It's nice but I think since I sanded to such a fine grit the flame isn't as 3D as it should be.( ?) I used another scrap piece off the same board and used red dye sealed with shellac. I wanted it to be a little deeper red so I tinted the shellac as well and the grain popped out way more than the tru-oil over walnut stain. These were my long-winded amateur findings, thanks for reading.

I haven't decided on the shape yet but you're single cut REALLY grew on me once I thought about how comfortable that thing might be to play so I may love it when it's done (not that my opinion means jack, lol ) I have to say this...and totally meant as fun ribbing; The gap between the tuning pegs looks a little off (I had to say it, I'm a gifted smart-ass)

After changing my mind about 5 times on the color and taking a year and a half just to build it ... I've decided on this color. I've changed my mind about the control layout as many times as well and am going with that same layout...I think

My tweed Blues Deville cost me $600 used in great condition. I've had it since...'97 or '98 and have had no problems with it. I always let it warm up and I make sure to give the knobs a turn about once a week so they don't get dust build up and sound scratchy.

I wonder if this kid gave up, ran outta money, finished it and it sounded like crap or electrocuted himself? Maybe his rig turned out perfect and he's too busy playing through it at arena gigs to post here. I hope that's it.

I'd deffinately clean up the cap jizz cause I've seen caps that have leaked and eaten through traces and protective coating. If a visual inspection checks out then you may be just fine but who knows what state it's in. I'd clean up any corrosion or dust bunnies and make sure you have a properly rated fuse before firing it up (maybe a bad choice of words, hehe). I still haven't found a way to put the smoke back in. Let me know if you figure it out. Sorry I don't have a better answer.

I have a 2x12 Fender reissue tweed Blues Deville and I love it. It goes great with my tweed cable, tweed case and sunburst Strat, hehe. Very responsive to picking dynamics and finger picking on the clean channel sounds sweet. I let the tubes get nice 'n warm and with just a bit of distortion it nails the blues tone I want. For effects I use a Johnson J-station. It's cheap but gets close to the sounds I want and I have fun editing the presets.

Gettin a chuckle out of this debate I grab the guitar sitting next to me, pluck the low E string and I watch it move as much side to side as it does up and down. Pluck it gently or forcefully, no matter how hard I try I can't comfortably pluck the string without pressing down slightly. This makes the string vibrate in an eliptical, very close to a circular pattern. I'd think string gauge would affect how it would vibrate but not THAT much differently than what I just saw on my own guitar w/ .10-.54's. As a technician I get very annoyed with engineers because they lose sight of practicallity and even reallity sometimes What looks right in a book might not be realistic when put into practice. Go grab your guitar and LOOK at it as you pluck it.

I had lotsa fun playing a Pod XT Live at GC for over an hour. It sounded pretty good to me and I like the built in expression pedals but I guess connectivity is more limited than the Pro rack mount version.

Sometimes at work certain jobs intimidate me and I wind up over-thinking things but after I just jump in and do it I find that most of the time they're almost embarassingly simple. Confidence can sure go a long ways. As long as I don't get cocky, that is. Being humble can be a good trait but can work against you sometimes. I found that I can get down on myself and admit EVERY little thing I find wrong with myself but by doing that in front of a boss or co-workers I point out weaknesses that would have gone unnoticed. I'm my own worst critic and I walk a fine line between being humble & confident without downgrading my skills to my boss.

Tommy at USACG (USA Custom Guitars) has swamp ash. He even showed me some birdeye swamp ash before which I'd never seen before or since. Not sure if you'll have any problems shipping but you can always e-mail him (e-mail addy on his site).