mushy the shroom

Hmm.. I don't know why you would want to do that, but if you were to, I would first remove the finish from the edges, then use some heat gun to soften the glue and take it off. I'm not sure, though.

Yeah, the pole pieces may line up differently on Teles. I would reccomend either getting a "Tele Approved" humbucker, or a humbucker with a blade-style pole piece.

The top would be a lot harder to cut off, but like Dan said, you could later add a veneer or thin strip of maple. Fun stuff!

I think it would work. One thing you could do, is instead of using a standard metal neck back plate, get a very thick one, and embed it further down into the body, so it reaches below the neck pickup. Stealth tele sounds cool, I REALLY like thin and/or stealth guitars (check out my GOTM entry). Good luck!

Amen to that! If you want a spectacular if your ever going to burn your guitar, saturate the wood in gasoline before finishing it.. BOOM!

If neck stiffness is an issue, can't you just use those carbon reinforcement rods?

Either cut out the outline and trace it, or use something that dents through the paper and into the wood, then go over that with a felt-tip marker. I had to do both for my guitar.

Random side story: I was using a table saw to cut down the Neck Thru part of a Carvin neck, and the saw was having trouble. You know, all smoking and varying speed and all. After about 6 inches it just stopped. It turned out that the saw had blown a fuse in the wall because it tried to draw more power (or something). That's how good the maple is in Carvins.

You would need some type of oil soluable die to tint it. A way to apply it is just to use a cotton rag and rub it on. Use a few coats and use some 0000 steel wool to clean it up. The best thing to do, though, is to follow the directions on the can.

I would have to go with someone named Willy Porter- think of him as a fusion between folk and rock, with amazing guitar chords/licks. But, I can't get over this other guy named Justin King. He's kind of like a mix between Eddie and Yngwie on acoustic guitar.

Yeah, I did. That was pretty funny. Pretty cool concept. I know that people have used loud speakers under the strings, as feedback was originally created, but more controlled. This has probably been mentioned, but it's a pretty cool idea.

I had a test guitar to test this pickup idea I thought up, but I don't know if I have any pictures of it.. oh wait- http://staticline.drastic-creations.com/ne...yan/guitar.html . Pretty darned sick looking, but the pickup worked :-)

Dude, you hit it RIGHT on the head! That's exactly what I made this guitar for. Elegance in simplicity. I built it to showcase the Maple top, and I think I achieved it. Yeah, it is a little off, but that's because there are no grooves in the saddle. So whenever I bend, it slides a little up. I don't mind it much, but I probably should put some grooves in. I can't even tell when I play. As for more, I'm thinking of making a one piece lacewood half (including the neck), and a one piece maple half that includes the fingerboard. But that would be so expensive, and I don't have all the tools to build the neck. I'm satisfied with this one, so it may be my first and last because I'm kinda short on money (this one cost $500 to build). I still need to mod out my Steinberger!

Haha, thanks all! It's reassuring to know my guitar has been compared to an Underwear Model.

I know that!

The strings are a little over an 1/8th inch from the body. On my 3 pickup Les paul, I have them closer than that, so I've had to adjust my playing style as a result. I can't dip the pick as low, but I've gotten used to it, and it really doesn't make a difference. In practicality, the pickup and pot are sealed, but I could always cut out the pocket from the back and screw it back in later if I need access. But there's no reason to.

Hey! Very little parental involvement! Especially with the design. Another problem of sending voltage through the strings, is that they would heat up and drop in pitch. Trem!

That's one amazing guitar! One question: do you like the EMG Select Pickups? I have a few on my Steinberger, and I think they are too weak and bland.

The Nebula (I entered this in GOTM): This is technically my first guitar (I built another one to test a pickup concept). I am 14. The only help my dad gave me was making one cut with a table saw (we ended up blowing out a fuse because of the load), and planing down one board (on our jointer ). Click Here For More Pictures/Info Technical Info: Body: * Chambered 5/8" Quilted Maple Top (with embedded pickup) * Chambered 5/8" Lacewood Back * Total Body Width is 1 1/8" (VERY THIN!) * Neck Thru Construction (Maple Neck) * Soloist Style Neck Joint * Weights 4.75 Pounds (VERY LIGHT!) Neck (bought from Carvin): * 24 Fret * 25" Scale * Ebony Fingerboard * Maple Neck * Two Graphite Reinforcement Bars * Two Way Truss Rod * 11 Degree Headstock Angle (non scarf-joint) * 1.71" Width At 1st Fret * Side Fret Markers (but no front fret-markers) * Graphite Nut * Thin profile Headstock: * Carvin Premium Tuners (soon to be replaced with Steinberger Gearless Tuners) * Removable Quilted Maple Veneer (covers up truss rod) Electronics: * Embedded Bill Lawrence L-500XL (in bridge position) * Push Pull 500k Volume/Tone (0.050 microfarad) Knob * Carvin Premium Side-Mount Output Jack Hardware * Tusq Acoustic Saddle * String-Thru Construction * Embedded Jim Dunlop Strap Locks Notes: This guitar's pickup is embedded about 1/4" away from the strings. The hot pickup yields a sharp attack with full range and singing sustain. The chambered body makes for a clear acoustic-like tone while on the clean channel. Think Jimmy Page style sound, but with lots of distortion, a very crisp metal tone. The guitar is very light and thin, making it easy to play. The action is very low, as well as the intonation, but it is hard to adjust, as the saddle has no movement. The single knob is a volume knob in the down position, and a flexible tone knob in the up position. The volume knob doesn't bleed treble, but the tone knob is very useful in rolling off the searing metal tone and attack of the pickup. Rock On, Ryan

The Nebula: Discussion thread Here This is technically my first guitar (I built another one to test a pickup concept). I am 14 (but don't let that influence your voting). The only help my dad gave me was making one cut with a table saw (we ended up blowing out a fuse because of the load), and planing down one board (on our jointer ). This took five weeks. http://staticline.drastic-creations.com/guitar/front3s.jpg http://staticline.drastic-creations.com/guitar/back2s.jpg Click Here For More Pictures/Info Technical Info: Body: * Chambered 5/8" Quilted Maple Top (with embedded pickup) * Chambered 5/8" Lacewood Back * Total Body Width is 1 1/8" (VERY THIN!) * Neck Thru Construction (Maple Neck) * Soloist Style Neck Joint * Weights 4.75 Pounds (VERY LIGHT!) Neck (bought from Carvin): * 24 Fret * 25" Scale * Ebony Fingerboard * Maple Neck * Two Graphite Reinforcement Bars * Two Way Truss Rod * 11 Degree Headstock Angle (non scarf-joint) * 1.71" Width At 1st Fret * Side Fret Markers (but no front fret-markers) * Graphite Nut * Thin profile Headstock: * Carvin Premium Tuners (soon to be replaced with Steinberger Gearless Tuners) * Removable Quilted Maple Veneer (covers up truss rod) Electronics: * Embedded Bill Lawrence L-500XL (in bridge position) * Push Pull 500k Volume/Tone (0.050 microfarad) Knob * Carvin Premium Side-Mount Output Jack Hardware: * Tusq Acoustic Saddle * String-Thru Construction * Embedded Jim Dunlop Strap Locks Finish: *Danish Oil Stain *Satin lacquer Notes: This guitar's pickup is embedded about 1/4" away from the strings. The hot pickup yields a sharp attack with full range and singing sustain. The chambered body makes for a clear acoustic-like tone while on the clean channel. Think Jimmy Page style sound, but with lots of distortion, a very crisp metal tone. The guitar is very light and thin, making it easy to play. The action is very low, as well as the intonation, but it is hard to adjust, as the saddle has no movement. The single knob is a volume knob in the down position, and a flexible tone knob in the up position. The volume knob doesn't bleed treble, but the tone knob is very useful in rolling off the searing metal tone and attack of the pickup. Rock On, Ryan

Yeah, I've seen that giant thread. I had the idea that if I were to run a certain amount of current through the strings over the magnets, they would vibrate at that tone. But I'm not sure how to do this so that there isn't any interference with the output signal. Basically I would need a circuit that identifies the frequency of the output current, and sends an amplified version back through the strings.. but there are too many problems. Any ideas?

There's not going to be many wires around the single coil, but it would still look cool. It would be pretty neat to put more wires, or a faux integrated circuit behind it. If you want it to look really trashy, you could just mount the pickup inside the hole, and use height adjustment screws and springs to affix it.

The Hall Effects Sensor idea sounds neat. And the fuse idea would be invaluable, as running 120 volts through your hands each time you touch your guitar if it shorts wouldn't be fun. Although it would add an entirely new meaning to "Man, his hands are ON FIRE!". Oh, and that old idea about the mixer with individual string volumes, might not work to well because everytime you play two strings at once at the same fret, the fret would cause conduction between them. Although that may not be bad, it would limit control.

Hey, most people cannot tell the difference in tone with direct mounting, or using the rings, but if you have a good ear.... As for mounting, there are a number of ways to do it. I would rout out the base shape of the pickup (including the tabs on each side), and use springs under it and around the screws for height adjustment. Are your pickup holes already routed? Or are you planning on doing it yourself?

Welcome to the forum! In my opinion, the Bill Lawrence L-500XL is the ultimate lead pickup, but the clean tone isn't all that great. You can install a sustainiac in a humbucker space, alongside a single coil, or mini-humbucker. As for the wiring, if you are going to install the sustainiac, you're going to need some wiring knowledge, but if you were to just replace the pickups, all you would need is a soldering gun, solder, and a wire code for each pickup. Very easy stuff. I know that www.musiciansfriend.cm sells pickups, and www.billlawrence.com sells the L-500XL. Good luck!