rubber314chicken

So my friend has a ton of guitar parts, and wants to build stuff (guitars?) with them and my assistance. Got me thinking of getting a second guitar- I've learned from my first one what to (and not to) do. I'd buy a preslotted fretboard, yada yada yada. Anyways, what got me thinking is that without having to buy pickups and some other electronics and stuff, I'd be able to make this guitar a bit nicer without spending a ton of money. I'm thinking (semi) hollow body based of a start with f-holes, carved top, binding, basically the works. Maple neck, not sure on bolt on or set. Head stock would be based off of the schecter c-1, only with a 4+2 setup. The one crazy idea I got was a mini switch that controls a circuit that will take the output and then have a 4-channel output. I saw a circuit like this: http://www.aaroncake.net/circuits/organ.asp but it ran on DC. I know I'll need a 9-volt and a switch on the guitar to operate this. I was wondering a few things: 1) does anyone know of a circuit like that (a color organ I guess?) 2) will running the output to both the input jacks adversely affect sound? 3) what is the best way to go about putting leds in the fretboard?

try it on a scrap. tape off the area you don't want paint and see if it works.

There is no way you can do a brush on finish with flake. The first rule of any metallics is that you do nto touch it with anything until it is buried under several coats of clear, and the larger the flake the more coats it takes to bury them. If you brush on a finish it will knock over all of the flakes and you will get a dull splotchy result. okay, the cost of flake, poly, paint and a sprayer is over budget, so I guess I'll just have to find a different finish I like.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/kustomshop/ksflake.aspx is that solvent proof? and what paint should I use for a base coat? I'd like to stick with a brush on finish (the poly and the paint) so I don't have to fork over the money for an HVLP sprayer and buy paint and flake.

using flake, like you would for a car? I wanna do a finish like this, but I'm not sure what to use for the clear coat. I"m too poor to buy automotive urethane, and I heard that deft lacquer doesn't work well of flake. would poly work? I"m going for a high gloss finish, but I can live with the lower gloss of poly. what size flake would I want to use, .025? I'd be applying it like this: http://pearldrummersforum.com/showthread.php?t=195802 so sprayability of the flake isn't important. should I use more than one size as well, or just use one?

I'm not dead set on lacquer, but I want a finish that will not affect the resonance, as drums have to resonate a lot.

I'm looking at the different types of lacquer, and reading I found out that there are the three main types (nitrocellulose, pre-catalyzed, and water based) I know nitrocellulose is almost always used on guitars, but I"m looking at building a drumset, and I don't have 2 moths to let the finish cure before I can even think about playing it. I know I'd have to wait a week for any finish, but I don't want to wait much longer than that my question is, to cover about 20 square feet with lacquer would take how many rattle cans? I"m aiming for 15 to 20 coats. would it be more cost effective to invest in a rockler HVLP spray system? I'd love to be able to dye the lacqure to do a burst on the drums, and I know that spraying is better for doing a burst than rubbing on. I'd also like to get put lacquer on my guitar, currently it has a satin finish with danish oil, and I"d like something that is gloss that also offers more protection, and will help bring out the colors of the finish. also, is nitro lacquer the only type that will blend together between coats, or will the others types do that as well? I'm basically looking for the most durable finish that would work well on drums, and the layers would blend together.

thats pretty cool. I'm gonna spend some time making a binary clock in it.

no, first the output from the switch is the middle lug, then that goes to volume and out. then each pickup will go to the middle lug of the corresponding tone pot, and then the right lug would go to the input of the varitone

http://www.guitarcenter.com/D-Addario-EXL1...100-i1123153.gc print and take to the store to get them (or order online, but if they ship wrong or charge wrong, and then they might notice and fix it) I did this, and it worked. (I told Neil Zaza as well)

no, but its a LOT easier than using a dremel like I did. 2 minutes per fret equals about 50 minutes of fret tang cutting.

yeah, I notice more of a difference the cleaner my amp is set to. It getss fatter in series, and more crisp in parallel. defiantly worth the modding.

yeah, my bad... I wasnt thinking when I drew it... Sock Puppet has it right.

you need just 1 pole, so get the 2 pole.

yeah, especially if you can set it to apply just a little steam, and on cotton that will work wonders. do it a little at a time, and you will get it bend with a little work.

interesting... how about some more pics?

there could be some advantages to that... like 2 peeps on 1 guitar (I've always wanted to do that) or different tunings like GEO said... but a double neck lefty... thats not something you see daily. but I'll agree that the headstocks should be the exact same. thats the only problem I can see.

its all maple.... and surprisingly, it sounds pretty warm. maybe its the caps (.047mf)

thanks for all the comments @ PTU I got it at certainly wood. If you e-mail them, they will show you the veneer before you buy it.

no, you can see it in the actual guitar, but its not as bad as the pic.

yeah, I wanted to bind it, but I had a arm rest and I figured that would be a pain. I agree that the finish could use more work, but I refinished it once, and that might be why it looks a bit blotchy. my next one will of course take all this into consideration. (yeah, it is very addicting.... they should have you do this in rehab...)

no, the fretboard is rosewood I got a rockler. I finished it b dying it brown, then sanding in the middle, and then applying red. once I had that done, I let it dry for maybe 2 hours, then I went at it with danish oil, applying it liberally, and then wiping it off after 20 minutes. once that was done, I went on vacation for a week, and when I can back I rubbed it out with mineral spirits and steel wool, and then finally with some paste wax to buff it. the sheen isn't as high as in the pics, but it still isn't flat at all.

2 months old....

looks nice (so far...) I got quilted maple veneer for mine, I had enough to do an iceman body (pretty bid) and my head stock, and I still had a good chunk left over... I bought it from certainly wood, nice customer support, and shipping was great, but hard to open the box (it was basically sealed from water with tape). I would get the wood from them if you can't make the veneer.

Yeah, after about 8 months of work I finally finished it. http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb314/R...an/81a7dd1b.jpg http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb314/R...an/496b114f.jpg http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb314/R...an/37454825.jpg[ heres another shot, but the color is a bit too red: http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb314/R...an/a1fee429.jpg I'd like to thank everyone that helped me out in the process, I probably wouldn't have had completed it without the help.