Jester700

Because you get 1/2 off all options when you get the kit. When I got Abalone blocks and Stainless steel frets, which would have been $220 extra instead of the $110 I paid. I was sure I wouldn't take more than a $110 hit, since the kit was on sale at that time, too. Sale ended, I ebayed the body (for $250, IIRC), all was well. And I also wanted to see if their body shape was something I could live with. I was thinking of assembling & keeping the whole thing. Hard to tell from pictures, you know? Honestly, I didn't even think to ask if the neck alone could be gotten with a floyd nut... ...doh...

You can get any option you can get on a bolt on guitar. Block or dot markers in MOP or abalone, maple, rosewood, or ebony board, different fret size & materials, different radii (just not the one I want, which was the only one they offered a couple years back when I got my last neck). If you get a "bolt PLUS" kit (which you can get with a floyd), you CAN get the floyd nut. Which is why I don't get it, other than "if you aren't going to put the kit together as intended, we aren't assisting you". I'm just bitchin'. I know I can get what I want from Warmoth for $400 anytime. But the neck I got a couple years back is awesome - almost perfect, and will be with just a bit of sanding. If I'd KNOWN they were going to discontinue the compound radius and change the neck profile again, I'd have ordered 2 more at the time, just to HAVE them. When I got that one, I got the kit and sold everything but the neck on fleabay - the neck ended up costing me $200-ish, IIRC.

They are, but less so on parts & kits than on full guitars. I was going to get a bolt kit from them and use the neck on another guitar (their kits are $50 off now). I asked: 1) Since my guitar body has a Floyd, can I get a Floyd nut on a kit neck even though the kit body only has a standard bridge? 2) Since my favorite radius isn't offered any more (your compound one of a few years ago), can I get the neck *without* frets installed so I can have it reradiused aftermarket? Though I was willing to pay an upcharge, no dice on either one. I find that really annoying - they MAKE bolt necks with a floyd nut. Why can't I get one? IMO this falls into the "sombody's stupid rule for no good reason" category. The fret thing I could see, depending on their production flow.

Actually, you may see a savings after 5 or 6 if you don't factor in a winder, but if you do it'll take longer than that. If you also count your TIME, you may NEVER see a savings (depending on your value of your time). But then, you get pickups exactly as you want them...eventually. I think you're right, though - there's a lot of info out there. Stew Mac also has a few parts, as does www.ampge.com/ Another Forum here: http://www.firebottle.com/fireforum/fireBB...m=pmgd&enter=go

I wonder if there's any way Jason could sell his book as an e-book or PDF. With small books like these, they often don't get reprinted because small runs aren't worth it to publishers. But e-books have little start up costs.

Neck & fretboard, but not frets.

With a normal humbucker, the magnetic pull should be negligible. Adding a strat style pickup with Alnico5 polepieces might, but that's another thing.

Sure would be nice if catalyst had a USA dealer other than the leprechaun. Maybe they'd sell a few... That neXt guitar looks cool.

Yeah, it de-glosses it, like having a satin finish. Not quite as ORGANIC as an oil or no finish, but better than the gloss, IMO. I use whatever's handy- 0000 steel wool, the equivalent scotch-brite (synthetic steel wool), or extra fine sanding sponge.

So why do people still buy Gibson? Aren't Heritage, Hamer, and maybe even freakin' SAMICK out-Gibsoning Gibson? Or is the name on the headstock worth that much? And I thought that high schoolers with their "gotta have Nike air pumps because Jimmy has 'em" was stupid... ;-)

I was fairly impressed with what you could get for the money in the Ibanez Artcore line, but I didn't do any direct comparisons with anything and I'm not even a jazzer. So there's a data point, albeit a really small one... ;-)

There are all kinds of common studio rigs - Fender, Marshall, Roland... If the Twin is most used, it's just because so many studios have one on hand. I wouldn't get a special amp for recording. A 57 at the speaker and a condensor in the room is a great starting place. With close miking, play with position and angle a LOT. An inch can make a big difference in sound, especially when a cabinet or combo has more than one speaker - phase relationships will cause a comb filter effect that changes as you move the mic in the area between the speakers. If you mic the back, do try inverting phase, and also try it without. Unless your mics are equidistant from the cone you won't have a perfect phase relationship anyway, so rule #1 is experiment.

A builder from Philly used to finish his whole guitars in CA. Nice hard finishes, and they looked great on his natural wood instruments. He said the stuff was very toxic and wondered about long term health effects, but it turns out a car accident rendered his concern moot. :-(

Some people use it without a locking nut, but for that to work, you need 3 things: 1) A slippery nut - graphite/teflon, etc. No bone or standard plastic. 2) locking tuners 3) A straight string path through the nut; no Jacksons need apply. With all that, it still won't be as stable as a locking nut, but some people prefer it, especially those who block their trem and detune a lot.

I'd love to see these things take off. Same with the NeXt solidbodies from Catalyst. But people don't seem interested. IMO, it's not about sounding like an old Martin. It's about making a good, expressive sound. Same with electrics. People want Fender or Gibson through a tube amp. Personally, I like my Ibanez through a digital modeler just fine.

I had an all access joint put on my basswood Ibanez Radius/JS body, and that body already had an angled plate (a little more comfy than a normal strat). I like it, but I also have a normal radius, and I don't think I'd do it over again; it's not that big a difference. To refinish it so it looks good made the project cost about $150.

What cartels? If they legalize the growing of it here, complete with government inspections like most AG industries, you know who the biggest grower will be? Philip Morris. After all, why just tax the selling here and give all those profits to other countries? With a new industry comes new legislation, and they can limit imports. Plus, think of the growth of associated industries - new textiles based on hemp, and a healthy growth in the eye drops and packaged snack food industries.

Alcohol is legal because 1. It's the drug of choice for the people in power 2. It has a long history, including some nastiness that followed the time it was criminalized 3. It is big business There is no logical reason that weed & alcohol shouldn't be treated equally. IMO there is a certain need for recreational drugs (though I haven't done more than have a couple beers for maybe 15 years now), but if we actually thought about it there shouldn't be the current vilification of weed. And it could become a cash crop for the government, while becoming cheaper & safer for buyers. And the whole illegalization of medical use is criminal in itself - some politicians need to catch a little cancer and be denied relief, IMO. But who thinks anymore? Much easier to agree with the suits and slur the mantra "drugs are bad, m'kay?" over a half empty bottle of Jack...

Takeuchi makes them, IIRC.

Did you get it yet? I ask, because there is variability in guitars, especially in the lower price ranges and especially on acoustics. My $800 Breedlove has been raising its own action in the year that I've had it. It's still not too bad, but I'm about as low as I can go on the saddle and it's still at 7/64". They start with tall saddles, so I've probaby removed 1/8". I just went to a store where they had these, and they're all over the place. The one with the best action in that store was the CHEAPER model, the AC25M. The AC25R and AC25R Plus were both higher. If I were buying another one today, I'd have chosen the cheaper on for that reason. I suspect the same is true of other makes. Any more, I will only buy acoustics that I can actually play. I hope the one you get is as good or even better in sound & feel than the one you played.

I think they're butt ugly & uncomfortable. The Strat body was an improvement in every way. The Tele SOUND is something else again, and I always wondered why not sell a 3 pup strat but with tele bridge and neck pups. You'd have the country sounds covered.

Unless you're going headless and need the tuners at the bridge, I'd say go with FR or edge. My R doesn't QUITE return to pitch like my edges. It also feels different. It has some nice features - the lock is cool, though it's a little cheezy. The spring adjustment is a nifty idea, too. But I think it's just made too cheaply to get the best from these ideas.

Am I really the only person who cringes when they see flamed maple on a guitar top? I mean, it's a dead-giveaway for one of two things (or both): photoflame, or plywood tops. Neither of which is particularly a great thing in my book. ← Generally, you're right. But thare are a few flamey acoustics that are very good. IIRC Taylor had some maple topped guitars in the history of it's 600 series, and there's the T5 if you're into that sort of thing. And I've seen others, though I forget where...

No "LOL" needed; you're right on the money. For the strings to follow the fretboard's compound (conical) radius, the nut should be 10" (which the fretboard also is at that point) and the bridge should be MORE than 16". Since the conical shape is 16" at the highest fret, that same shape would be roughly 18" where the bridge is. If you're shimming bridge pieces anyway, THAT's where I'd set it. But 16" is close enough, and heck, even 10" will WORK, even if not optimally. But definitely get a 10" nut.

Speaking of radii, I finally got that jewel blue body attached to its Carvin neck (yeah, I know...). Also put A5 poles in one coil the bridge bucker. It "strats out" very nicely. ;-) Now to add the double barrel switching... Jackson's stealth (sabre knockoff) had a lighter wood; I think it was alder but it may even been basswood (I wasn't paying much attention back when I had them). They were THE lightest trem equipped guitars I've ever owned. Didn't seem to hurt them much; they sounded good (though not as full as the mahogany sabres, and they did have overwound buckers).