wardd

Ok, that's one vote for Less Filling. d ward

I've seen many posts and guitar designs that center on keeping the instrument as light as possible or at least lighter than it would be if everything was left solid. My player guru has a theory that the optimum weight of a solid body electric would be 7 1/2 pounds. I'd be interested in other opinions on this idea. Be Cool, d ward

Here's a link to some stuff I found where they are talking about "velocity of sound" for different kinds of wood and other general tonal properties. http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/guitars/ele...uying-guide.php Be Cool, d ward

In 1972 I worked in a music store and the owner was somewhat of an inventor. He had the same idea for a fully adjustable nut. He came up with a design and had a patent lawyer do the patent search and found that there were already 5 or 6 patents for a similar device. I'm sure I've seen "compensated" nuts somewhere. Be Cool, d ward

Andy, First of all, welcome to the group, you will find a lot of good info and help here. I'm a math teacher so I'm glad to see your teacher giving you a challenge project. One thing I've been working on for the group is to develop a way to introduce new members in an effort to help them find the info they need. Follow the link below and it will guide you to the tutorial sections etc. where you can find lots of good info. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=22201 I think a telecaster would be a good starting project since they have a "flat" body that doesn't require carving. And if you made it a single pickup version you wouldn't need fancy wiring. Good Luck, d ward

First your picture needs to be hosted somewhere. Then add tag after, I can't show it here as it thinks its an image reference and won't show it. Use the square brackets [] not the usual <> brackets used with html. There is a picture button (the little tree), but it won't work in older browsers. The button does the same thing as the above, it just adds the tags for you. Good luck, d ward

I found this picture of a mahogany PRS for you. I have a mahogany '65 SG Junior I refinished to natual and I think it looks fine. Good Luck, d ward

Another good trick is to use an aligator clip as a heat sink when soldering small components like capacitors. Clip it between the solder joint and the capacitor to bleed off heat. Good Luck, d ward

ol kp, Here is a link to some stuff I'm trying to develop to help new members to find the info they need. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=22201 You will find answers to many of your questions in the tutorial sections. Good Luck, d ward

I made my first guitar out of a figured maple table my mom picked up at an auction or rummage sale. It looked like some kid had made it in shop class maybe. But, the wood was nice. The hardest part as I recall (did this in 1978) was working around all the screw holes. The other big problem was of course keeping the legs from poking you when you strapped it on. Good luck, d ward

Why not make yourself one of these. Be Cool, d ward

Dragos, First of all welcome aboard, there is a wealth of info on guitar making you can find here. I've been working on a way to introduce new members to the site, follow the link below to get at least some help on using the site. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=22201 As to your plans for a guitar building project. I would first start looking at pictures of guitars that you find here or elsewhere on the net. Once you focus in on something, then start looking for the details like templates etc. Another thing that would be helpful in getting advice on a first project would be for you to tell us a little bit about your "potential" as a builder. What kind of tools do you have or have access to? How much woodworking experience do you have? How much money can you afford to spend on a project? Do you want a "copy" of an existing guitar or something custom / unique? etc. One thing I would at least mention is that there are lots of places where you can get bodies, necks etc. already made. The neck / fretboard building is by far the most complicated and critical and many builders use premade necks. This might be a good way to begin you first building project. That way you can get a feel for the process, learn more about how the guitar goes together, try your hand at finishing etc. and still have a really good chance of making a nice instrument. Then on future projects you can build more of the guitar yourself. Good Luck, d ward

I made myself a permanant template for this one, I hope to repeat it. I inherited some 5/16 plexiglass, ok I fished it out of the trash at work, seemed like it would work well. I added some 1/4 alignment holes that go through the center of the pickups. I plan on using dowels to hold the top and center in alignment when clamping. I'm going to rout the channels for the wiring in the top so they won't be too deep. Be Cool, d ward

I have seen bending tool made with a torch pointing into a piece of steel pipe. I'm thinking that if you play with the distance between the end of the pipe and the torch you could adjust the temp to a certain extent. Then if you put a cap on the other end you could drill holes to let some heat escape and adjust that way too. Between the two you could play with the above until you get the temp right. Just thinking out loud. Good Luck, d ward

GregP, You're right, it sound like a real pain all the way around. If I were you, I'd take a close look at that sweet lap steel in the April GOTM and make the guy an offer he just can't turn down. Be Cool, d ward