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VanKirk

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Posts posted by VanKirk

  1. Perhaps you are thinking of Grosh guitars. He has some tasty carved versions of Fender designs:

    http://www.groshguitars.com/images/ccT-hnybrst_5.jpg

    Grosh is exactly what my project is modelled after except I wanted a deeper carve and a contoured heel as well as a different wiring scheme.

    I played a couple Grosh guitars and they are about the nicest sounding and playing guitars I've picked up. :D

    (better be for $3000+)

    GREAT fretwork and finishes but in person the carve is so subtle it makes me think why bother, dish that sucker out!

    Again though, that's only what goes through my warped mind, hehe. :D

  2. Great variety of stringed instruments this month!

    The explorer & tele were nice but I struggled more figuring out if I wanted to vote for the lapsteel or ukelele.

    I guess I feel a little biased this month against the typical guitar shapes.

    If I could sit down for a few hours with each of these instruments (with borrowed talent, hehe) then I MIGHT feel differently but as for eye candy, I went with Matt's uke. :D

    Just somethin about it. The simple shape with the killer woods and it's not something I see very often.

  3. (for a quick explanation)

    I've always just thought of ground loops as places where the difference in ground potential between one ground spot and another is different. The difference can be caused by many things and create many different symptoms.

    (long winded explanation of my understanding)

    When wiring radio communications systems I have to make the ground lines as short as possible because if they are too long or too close to an antenna or coax line, the ground can actually act like an antenna and the signal picked up through the ground line raises the potential from ground. Can cause noisy audio or even speedometers and other gauges/computer controls to go nutz in cars and video equipment interference.

    All ground lines need to be ground potential. If not, any signals that make there way into the ground line can cause unwanted noises and can even damage some circuitry.

    I worked for Kurzweil Music Systems as a service tech for several years and after researching a recurring problem I found out that when customers plugged their audio cables into their synths they would blow their Flash ROM.

    It would back-feed just enough current that made it's way to the sensitive Flash ROM and the diodes didn't block it fast enough.

    It was because they didn't use a power conditioner and the audio equipment grounds and the synth grounds were at a different potential.

    Sorry, too much confusing info. :D

  4. Ughh, even though I love Muddy Waters. Don't get me wrong! :D

    I absolutely HATE makin muddy waters. I cramp up and can spend hours on the toilet making horrible, embarrassing noises. :D

    Oh wait! My bad :D

    I love Muddy Waters too! B)

    I voted for the contours because going with a thinline will alter the tone alot not just lighten the weight of it. Unless you want the thinline tone, that is.

  5. Your guitars are always B) and your posts add lotsa character to this community. B)

    but sometimes, Drak I think you love feeding the W.O.D. almost as much as building. :D as if you always struggle with the urge to fling the SOB if it even looks at you funny :D

    Or maybe like building a sand castle as a kid:

    Fun to build but more fun to play Godzilla or King Kong and bash it down while making screaming sounds from the pretend inhabitants.

    Well, for my sick lil mind anyways, hehe. :D

    I could just imagine how popular (in a good or bad way) a video clip would be of you feeding the W.O.D.

    Some would need to seek therapy from the horror but for others it would be a therapeutic stress reliever.

  6. Have a look at Switch guitars. The shapes are kind of lame anyway, but the goofy carves totally kill it for me.

    I agree. The outer sillouettes start out looking goofy but add that carve and they go from goofy to butt ugly @mach 10, hehe. :D

    So I think a carve top really can make or break a design.

    The carve can change the flow to the point that even the outer body shape can look different to my eyes, for better or worse.

    I look at the Schecter 006 and the outer shape is OK but with the slightly scooped horn sections it adds character to the guitar.

    My on-going carve top tele-ish project I think is made by the carve. I like the outer shape but with the added carve it gives it a little more character (I'll change it slightly on my next one though, still learning to implement it correctly).

    It also has a belly cut & contoured heel for playing comfort not for looks.

    As an added bonus the carve on it makes it more comfortable for my pinky to rest against when I finger-pick.

  7. and my last piece of advice,never mention vinyl sealer to westheman,he will rip ur b@lls off and slap u in the face with them till you skip home to mumy lol,no offense...

    My advice...

    When posting here on PG, don't post advice unless you are certain that you have the correct answer or at least a link/contact to where to find the correct info.

    This way, people in need of info won't be mislead or have to wade through info that's useless to them and cause headaches or even a ruined project.

    In other words, don't post an answer if you're unsure about the subject.

    Also, try to keep posts relevant to the topic or start a new thread.

    and finally...don't believe everything you read; research, research and research. :D

    :D

  8. Everyday of the year I get the greatest present anyone could ask for

    ...a caring, loving family! :D

    ...did that sound sincere enough to get me some good tools for Father's Day? :D

    but seriously I have a great wife and kid who are very supportive of me and my hobbies B)

  9. I have made mostly neck thru guitars and one or two bolt ons.

    Which is it...one or two? hehe :D

    Maybe try and make more bolt-ons and keep track of your time, material & tooling costs and compare that to your neck-through building costs.

    Track it as precisely as possible or it's a waste of time.

    Also, look for something that will make your product stand out above all the other builders that are already out there.

    I know of a builder (Gugliotti guitars) that doesn't hardly make anything himself. He out-sources most everything.

    USACG for the neck and bodies (minus the top)

    Roxxy for the finish

    ...not sure of the name right now but another person for the set-up.

    The one thing he does is cap the bodies with an aluminum top.

    They actually play really well but they should because he covers the out-sourcing costs in the final guitar cost (of course) but that puts him in a price range with the big boys.

    Hard to compete with big names and marketing depts. especially, when it comes to stubborn guitarists who buy into big-name hype.

    For most builders I think it's a labor of love than any ideas of making a full-time income out of it but who knows?

    Good Luck!

  10. I'd be careful and check the credentials of anyone who offers or accepts a commissioned job for you.

    There has been 1 incident that I know of where an ex-PG member/so-called "luthier" commissioned a job to build a guitar but took the money and split.

    It doesn't take too much research to find out who the skilled builders are around here that can actually commission work but most of the people around here would just tell ya to read up and build it yourself! hehe :D

  11. Hello again,

    My LP plans call for a 24.5 in. scale length. Would it be wise to buy a 24.75 in. scale length fretboard off Stewmac, and just move the TOM bridge back 1/4 of and inch?

    Otherwise I'm going to have to make my own fretboard, because as far as I've seen, 24.5 is not very common.

    If you do that double check how changing that measurement in your plans effects the other measurements such as pickup and control layout.

    May not need any altering but it's worth the time to check.

  12. But I'm only gonna do CNC for the shape of the body

    I'm planning on doing the routing myself for the neck joint area, the pickup, the jack, and... that's it, not trem.

    Personally, I would CNC the routes and shape the body by hand.

    The routes need to be precise while the body shape is more forgiving if you need to alter it.

  13. I heard about that story on the news today (I live close to there......I mean very far away. It wasn't me. I have an alibi. I swear!).

    All I wanna know is which one of you did it ...and how much for a couple body & neck blanks? :D

    Seriously though, it bothers me that people are tearing up wetlands and private property to steal these trees.

    That article states that a 1/2 mile wide vehicle trail was cut into a state wetlands area where around 50 maple trees were cut down? :D

    It's a shame to think that the maple I've bought could have come from stolen trees.

    Makes guitar builders look like poachers. B) trees are our friends :D

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