guitar_ed

Anybody notice where the PUP is? It is in the middle, not bridge like most single PUP guitars. And to me, it looks more like an SG than a LP JR. But what do I know? Personally, I like it the way it is. Yep, it is ugly. But there isn't much that I can think of that will un-ugly that guitar. Plus, if by some bizarre chance that really is a set neck, it ain't agonna come off easy. It's gonna be a bear. Guitar Ed I used to be one step ahead. Now I just try not to get run over.

I got another question for you. Did you use a water soluable dye, and are you using a water soluable lacquer? If the answer to both is yes, brushing on the lacquer will cause the dyes to run. Practical experience taught me this one. Guitar Ed

Question: Do the guitars need a neck reset? I ask because the question is not addressed in the opening post. Guitar Ed If you stumble in the dark long enough, you find the light switch.

Hi, I think that I am going to disagree with a lot of people on this forum. You should damn well charge for your time and experience. They are worth something to you. Also, odd as this may sound, people tend to more appreciative of things that they spend their money on, provided that they get VALUE for their money. How do you think Bennedetto charges $40k for a guitar? They use pretty much the same materials as everybody else, they just do it really, really, well. Just like your first guitar. Or was your first guitar a fluke and not representative of the real quality of your work? Don't take this to mean that you could, or should, charge $40k. But how many hours went into that first guitar? By this I mean real working hours, not learning hours. How much do you make at your regular job? Multiply those two numbers, and you know what your time is worth to you, swapping one job for the other. Now you can adjust the fee according to your requirements and your friends desire for a guitar. One other word of advice: Contracts. Use one. Who owes what and when. Guitar Ed Yes, I am an @sshole on occasion

Make the routes big, and don't use too much glue. Guitar Ed My 3 cents worth.

Hi Jay, 1) Yes it is a Schaller, and 2) Yes, it is a roller bridge. Guitar Ed

Hi All, I just finished my latest project, the Koa Kaster. It is a double cut tele, mahogany and Koa. You can see it Here. Later, Guitar Ed

I had the same issues on two guitars that I have done. Both with light tops and black backs. I did the top first on the theory that black will cover a light colored stain, but a light stain will not cover a black stain. So I did the tops and then taped and did the backs. One other thing that I learned is to use the blue 3M tape, not the white. The white does not adhear very well, so you get leakage. Guitar Ed Just my 3 cents worth.

Check out Daisy Rock Guitars. They are smaller sized guitars. I have seen one and even played it for 30 seconds, and it was nice. Not expensive. Guitar Ed

The best place to start is the Bennedetto book on building an archtop. You can get the book from StewMac or LMII. Guitar Ed

Hey Southpa, That is some nice looking wood, and lots of it. I might suggest one thing, and that is taking a lot of pix and asking Tommy at USACG to give you some ideas. Afterall, that is a large part of what he does for a living. Guitar Ed

Talent can, and will, take you a fair distance. But few of us are born with that kind of talent. Chet Atkins wasn't, Clapton wasn't, Les Paul wasn't. But with practice and what not, look what they achieved. Now if you have some talent, and practice like a mad man, you will make it. I seem to have some talent as a builder, and I am getting better. But as a player, not so much. Guitar Ed

Howdy Wes, I have done 2, count 'em TWO, whole arm rest cuts. But I used a Sureform tool to start, and then went straight to 80 grit sand paper on a power sander. But I found this to be a very efficient method. Guitar Ed

Hey Tezifon, That is wicked looking. I like it! Guitar Ed

Hi, It has been my experience that when gluing there are two issues: 1) The tightness of the clamps; and 2) The consistency of pressure over the entire piece being glued. When doing veneer work or gluing an acoustic bridge, many people use a vacuum clamp, which does not generate all that much pressure, but it does cover the entire gluing area. According to LMII, their bridge vacuum clamp generates 14lbs/sq inch at sea level. My advice would be lots of clamps, alternating which of the neck they are on, and they need not be bone crushingly tight. Guitar Ed

Silly idea but.... How about blue painters tape a hole punch? It would be small dots, but the tape would be easily removable. Guitar Ed Maybe not the best idea I've ever had.

Hi Jay, On a Tele w/ a TOM, you will need to either: A) Shim the neck; or Recess the Bigsby. Allparts sells gold TOMs, because I just ordered one for my Tele/Bigsby project. Guitar Ed

Howdy, I think that the first step I would use is the sand back approach. If you do a search on "sand back" you should find some tutorials on it. But the orange/brown. HooBoy. Not a clue. Figure out what dye you want to use, either a RGB (Red Green Blue) or CMY (Cyan Magenta Yellow) dye, and get the appropriate color wheel. Then practice. Either water or alchohol base dyes will do the job. Take care and take photos. Guitar Ed

I would suggest getting the Benneddetto book on building Archtops. While the techniques might not be directly applicable, it might give you some ideas. And I definitely would suggest starting with pine. You can throw away several pine bodies for the price of one mahogany body. Guitar Ed

I have another category, which I sometimes fall into. For my current guitar project, I designed my own body, and had USACG build the body and neck, and then I finished them. I also spec'd out the various parts, and I will be putting the whole thing together. This is definitely not a kit. Nor is it "from scratch." But I am damn'd proud of the guitar. Guitar Ed

When making cookies, when one says "from scratch," it does not mean growing and grinding your own butter, flour, and vanilla extract. But it does mean mixing the flour and butter and etc. It does not mean buying pre-mixed cookie dough and just putting it in the oven. How does this extend to making guitars? I don't think "from scratch" should require making your own pickups and bridge and pots and strings and tuners and growing & harvesting & drying your woods. Nor should it include buying a finished neck and body and just putting hardware on it. But the body and neck shaping question is tough. I just don't have an answer that makes sense to myself, much less one that I can express. Guitar Ed

I just got a blurb in the mail from GC, and there are bits in it about how and why various different things impact on the tone. And what they said about the various pieces, including the body, is that they impact the way in which the string vibrates. I am not a physics major, so I can not judge the accuracy of the statement. I am just repeating it. Guitar Ed

I forget which guitar it is, but Gibson does what you are talking about. It is one of their custom shop guitars. Guitar Ed

Hi, I am thinking about getting a little recording unit to mess around with, but I have no idea what sort of things to look for or to avoid. As I don't want to spend to much on this, it will have to be an analog recorder, probably 4 track. Any thoughts on what questions to ask would be appreciated. Thanks, Guitar Ed

Hi CS, If you have an archtop guitar, odds are you have a set neck with a dove tail. This would be much harder to replace than a Fender style bolt on. So unless there is something really wrong with the existing neck, refinishing might be a better option. You might consider the Bennedetto book on building archtops. It will give you a good idea on what you might be getting into. Guitar Ed