avengers63

its a fanned fretboard go read up on ormsbys latest build about them waht scale lengths are u using? No no no.... we gotta support his naming convention for whatever trademark he's trying to establish. It's not fanned, it's Multi-Scale.

Fretwire without barbs and slots cut the right size seems like a good way to do it. So how would the frets be secured? The barbs are what holds them into the wood. Maybe some type of glue?

What exactly do you mean? I'm not understanding what you're referring to by "pin heads".

I don't know if I want to show off the ruts I accidentally dug into the body in some places. But... I have no issue showing it when it's fixed! Seriously, if y'all wanna see what I temporarily monkeyed up, I guess I'm not too proud. Does anyone else want to see them? I'll be using flat white primer, then a nice medium blue. I figure to top the whole thing off with some brush-on lacquer, sand it flat, and attack it with a 6" or 10" Ryobi buffer I'll be getting from Home Depot. There's only s $5 difference from the 6" to the 10", but I don't know if I'd ever need the 10". I'll have to investigate the two some more. FWIW: I just got a bonus check from work. On lunch, I picked up a 13" thickness planar, a 6 galon shop-vac, and a 4.5" angle grinder with a 60-grit flap wheel. These were the last pieces of the body-building puzzle to fall into place. I'm all giddy thinking about finally making some! First project: this body redesign.

I finally have all the paint stripped off. That rattle can stuff is as thick as rubber! I was careful to to lay it too think, but it gummed up anyway. It was incredibly unimpressed with 40-grit on a random orbiting palm sander, so I had to take a wire paint stripper in a drill to it to get the paint off. Now, I have LOT of sanding to do to get out all the scratches from the wire spinny thingie. Maybe the belt sander can help speed things up... Then I paint it blue.

For me, the Viper feels more like a suped-up model. Maybe because it's kinda slanted forward - makes it look faster. Faster means more power means suped-up. TVJs just don't have that suped-up look to them. Similarly, a trem feels suped-up to me, while a TOM or wrap-around or any given non-trem bridge is not suped-up. TVJ's, despite having their "hot" models, simply do not have the hot-rod guitar look to them. If you're set on the Khaler, then I encourage the Viper and some other hot-rod pups. An X2N or Bill Lawrence L500 in the bridge should give it power to spare. Block or trap inlays will still look OK. If you're concerned with overdoing the bling, go with dots. Your gut instinct is probably right on this one. On a completely different note, all this talk about hot-rod pups and things looking out of place reminds me of a great story. I was a kid - maybe 10-12 - when my mom sent me with this old dude who's house we were at to get some fried chicken. We hopped into his early 70's Oldsmobile station wagon and headed out. At a stoplight, a couple of over-torqued gear-heads pulled up in their suped-up muscle car. They were revving the engine and generally acting like tools. The old guy told me to "buckle up and keep quiet about this. If your mom finds out, she'll fill me!" When the light turned red, he mashed on the gas and we took off like we were shot out of a cannon. We left the other car behind in a hurry. That station wagon had an Olds 450 Rocket under the hood! MAN that was great!

If you went with a custom t/p, you DEFINATELY should go with the SG. A trapeze would be really nice. It wouldn't take up any more real estate than a Bigsby. Here's what I think we agree on this far. I think these are for aesthetics than anything else. TVJ's wouldn't go with the Viper. TVJ's wouldn't go with the Khaler. Khaler wouldn't go with the SG. Bigsby wouldn't go with the Viper. Block or trapezoid inlays would be good on either. TOM/stop bridge would be good on either. SG = Bigsby or TOM with TVJ, PAF or other hot pups VIPER = Khaler or TOM with hot pups So, the choice is really dependant on a couple of factors: 1) How set are you on the Khaler? 2) How set are you on the Viper? Did anyone ever discuss hardware color? I'd vote for gold or black, depending on which body. SG/gold, Viper/black.

The wood absolutely could go either way. If you're set on using a trem, the Khaler you've mentioned frequently, that would lead you towards some hot-rodded pups. If you left the trem idea alone, that might open some thematic possibilities for you. The Viper itself lends itself towards the more hot-rodded choices, but the obvious SG-like shape would make more reserved choices just fine. Clearly, this shape can go either way. Howzabout this: Have you done more hot-rod builds or more reserved builds? Whichever one you've done more of, do the other to balance things out.

I completely agree with this rebuttal. Simple block or trapezoid MOP inlays would be great. They wouldn't detract from the body at all. If you don't like that idea, plain dots would look great as well. Since you're going with the Viper, TVJ pups would be out of place. The Khaler returns to being "right". So... are you planning on going with a hot-rod set, or some basic PAF clones? Ebony FBs aren't so expensive they can't be used. Why go through the effort of dying one black when you can have the real thing?

I'd be the first to agree that TVJ's wouldn't look right with a trem, Khaler or otherwise. Now, a vibrato on the other hand, like a Bigsby for example....

Do you really thing 3/4" on the bridge placement would be that noticeable? I won't say it wouldn't be, but that'd be the difference between Gibson's standard 24.75 and your 25.5. FWIW: You can often find Gretch pups on eBay for >$100/pair. They might be an acceptable alternative to the TVJ. Guitar Fetish might have some clones for a fraction of the price as well. Yea, TV Jones would be really pricey. They have a unique jangle to them, though. I'm hoping to use them on the "masterpiece guitar" I have dreamed up for a couple years from now.

+1 to interest in a fixed bridge, but not until either VERY late this year or sometime next year. Other woodworking commitmits have to come first, as well as at least two other builds.

SG BABY!!!! Twin T.V. Jones pups or a pair of Gretsch pups scavenged off of eBay with a phase switch in the middle. Amber tint to the clear lacquer finish. Black or gold hardware

I've never liked the look of dog-ear p-90s. They look big & clunky and clutter up the face of the guitar. Don't care much got "no marker" fretboards, either, except for a fretless bass. Oh well - you can't please everyone. On the other hand, the SG is my favorite shape. A classic black or heritage cherry on an SG... you can't go wrong with that!

I'm very interested is getting ahold of some pickup, trem, neck joint, and cavity templates. If anyone is interested in making some copies of theirs out of MDF, hardboard, or lexan, PLEASE PM me and let's work out a deal. I don't have ANY templates right now, so I pretty much need everything.

Nonsence! That'd be easy like... painting the body instead of a natural finish. And when have we ever done things the easy way?

I personally endorse Carvin. The quality is amazing, and the price is among the best on the market. They offer a neck-through as well. The big drawback is lack of options. But, if you like the few specs they offer, they're WELL worth the effort.

2 options: covering it up and trying to make it invisible. Covering it up actually wouldn't be that hard. Rout out a VERY shallow space covering the entire tenon - no more than 1/8 inch - and match the cavity with some cutoff body wood. You wouldn't want to take more of teh tenon than necessary, so you'd want to keep the plate as thin as you can manage. A veneer of the same type would be great, but a cutoff from the actual blank would be best. This would have hte closest color match. If you want it to be invisible, that would be... difficult. You would have to have the surface of the body that is routed out for the neck pocket. Because you'll have to cut around the perimiter of the cavity, you'll NEVER get it totally invisible. There WILL be that gap, however thin, that will show. But... it might be able to be disguised somehow. My thought on how to get it out without routing is with a drill press, a teeny bit, and about 500 holes around the perimiter of the cavity. Then, the body gets put on end and the cavity is "cut out" with the same method. It can be cleaned out with the router later - this would be just to get the cavity wood out in one piece. The plug can then be cut this and used to cap the tenon. A last option would be to use a traditional cabnetry mortise & tenon joint. I'm not an expert on these, but it would be a dang sight easier than the drill press craziness and would end up totally invisible.

Paint the guitar a solid color.

Yep. At least you're in the right loony-bin with the rest of us! No more than anyone on their first build. A lot of common sense and the ability to read & research before you act. You WON'T know what you're doing until you've done it a few times. Having a clue ahead of time will reduce the number of mistaked, though. That's hard to say. What thoughts haven't you typed out?

Maybe I just missd it. I'm not trying to pick on anyone or assign actions that aren't there. If that's the way it seems, I apologize. I was just trying to use this as an example. Cool?

Two Categories: This seems like the optimal solution. Time Limits: I think the idea is to limit the frequency of pro entries rather than to punish success. From the amateur's standpoint, it's dang hard to compete with a seasoned professional who can do this all day every day, while the amateur has only some weekend time & the odd evening to work with. Build Thread: (just playing 'devil's advocate'...) Perry didn't actually post the video thread - killemall8 did. He stated in the thread that he wasn't posting them on purpose, and was disappointed that the vids were discovered. It has been sugested, and I agree, that the purpose is to disuade someone from pipping in, entering, and never being seen again. I believe the feeling is for someone to be a part of the community before participating in the contest, which is why I'd have easily given Perry a pass on not having a thread first.

Boggs: Big masses of purpleheart just don't do much for me. Maybe it's because the color is a little overwhelming. I presonally thing PH is best used as an accent than as a main tone. Scottyd: That walnut is nice!!! For the whole piece, though, I need a little more color. Everything's close to the same tone of brown. I like the sculpting on the horn, though. Verhoevenc: I have NO DOUBT that acoustics are harder to build than electrics. That alone should get acoustics a slight nod. This one is simple & classy looking. Nice & clean. Zyonsdream & Boner: These super-pointy things do nothing for me. Both of these are... long. To each their own, but these are not for me. Sorry. Andronico: I've stated before that I feel small bodies aren't well suited for natural finishes. They're just better suited for solid colors. That being said, you're my pick for the month. The volume of work you put in is simply staggering. The whole thing is extremely impressive to me. Mickguard: It looks like a really great finish. Clean & simple. It's hard to go wrong with a reserved appearance on a classic shape. I'm not so much for the strat/tele combo, though. Jyrki: I LOVE the finish. It's really top notch. Unfortunately, there's nothing "unique" about this one. I'm not knocking it in any way, it just doesn't stand out enough to me. Hitone: Gimick guitars don't do much for me. Sorry. Jukkasil: I'm not so hot for the f-hile shapes or the unfinished look of the wood. I'm interested in how the dearmond style pups sound, though. Rhoads56: Sorry, Perry, but I just couldn't vote yours above Andronico's. A dude in his basement making everything by hand is a lot more impressive to me than a professional luthier customizing everything. By all rights, you should be able to do these on demand. That makes it a litle more expected, if not routine, than a tricked out piece by an amateur. I hope you understand that I'm NOT cuting your work or suggesting that it's substandard in any way. Orgmorg: Those rustic guit-fiddles you're making are great! They look like something Cousin Jed cobbled together in the barn. They have a real redneck, half-a$$ed quality to them that I find really cool. My only concern would be the roughness of the rusted tailpieces. I'd be concerned about the rusty metal shortening the life of the strings. I'd be leery about the feel of them on my hand/forearm as well.

This is growing on me. My initial thought was "It's a cross-brand hybrid... so what". After seeing it for a while, the design is slowly growing on me. #2 is a lot better in my eyes than #1. It has a PRS/LPjr look to it. The pickguard and finish changed everything. The slightly off-kilter bottom end is starting to appeal to me as well. I guess this proves it to a certain degree. The old, classic, proven shapes are some of the most comfortable and visually appealing designs available.

Thanks for sharing that! Doh, I should know that Stewmac is overpriced on everything! +1 to THAT!!! I was looking at prices for neck ferrules (instead of a neck plate) in the catalog. They have a forstner bit for the recess hole listed at $13.59! You can get a whole set for +/- $20 at a box hardware store. Yea... on a LOT of stuff they're just highway robbery. P.R.Luke: RE: router bits I only got two words for ya.... e bay