toddler68

Jer,

Thanks for the feedback. Well, I've had to re-make the frame because the old one (which was not the original) was falling apart and the cloth (also not original) was attached very poorly with staples and not stretched properly. So, I don't really have a good example to go by.

My question is, exactly how was the original grill cloth attached at the factory? Or better yet, what's the generally-accepted method of attachment these days? Is any kind of adhesive involved or just staples? Also, does it need to fold over to the back side (overlap) and get attached on the back or is it fine to attach to the outside edges?

Thanks, Todd

I bought a new piece of grill cloth to re-furb my Fender Twin and I'm not sure exactly how to apply it. Does anybody know of a tutorial on how to do this or could walk me through it? Any good Fender restoration websites? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Todd

well i got some part a/b wood bleach yesterday at rockler. klean-strip i believe

ill post pics and give you guys results when the woods bleached

If I'm not mistaken, that's the same 2-part stuff I've used. It rocks! Don't bother with the single container stuff they sell at Woodcraft... it is worthless.

Thought you all might appreciate this:

Les Paul on eBay

Thanks for the replies guys, this is exactly the info I needed. FYI, the power tubes are Sovtek 5881WXT but all the preamp tubes are stamped China. Don't know if that makes a difference in quality or tube life, but I will definitely have some fun trying different tubes in V1 to tweak the tone.

bump

If it were me, I'd buy a decent band saw first. If I'm not mistaken, Home Depot has a nice 14" Ridgid saw that hovers around $400 I think. Next is a drill press - a benchtop will do just fine for most guitar stuff. Then keep some of that money for when your Skil router craps out (which it likely will) and buy a nice Bosch or Porter Cable. As for the scroll saw, I have one but since I got my band saw I quit using it.

Just my $.02...

Dude, I am crying that is so funny!

I recently bought a B-52 AT-100 head (which I absolutely love) after reading some reviews on harmonycentral. However, I also read that the stock tubes will likely croak after about 6 months and I wanted to have a replacent set ready if/when that happens. I wondered if anyone here would recommend any particular brand over another.

I play mainly METAL, so I'd prefer something that would lend itself to that style. Any recommendations on power tubes and preamp tubes would be appreciated. Also, If any of you have any firsthand knowledge of this head and would like to share your thoughts, I'd really like to hear what you've got to say. Feel free to reply to this or PM me.

Oh, and do any of you amp gurus have a favorite amp mod website? I thought I might pose these questions in an amp-specific forum.

Thanks, Todd

Seriously, for a hardwood that's not too wide (how big's the cavity, is the question?) 2-3mm is plenty thick. Besides, you can always sand it thin, and add a lamiante or two (odd numbers of lams for stability, look at how plywood is put together) to make up for any thickness/stiffness issues.

That's exactly what I have done on both my guitars. Just gluing a thin veneer on the backside of the cover will give you tons of added strength.

You could try wood bleach if you want to lighten the wood a bit. It's something I've been wanting to try myself... when I find the right piece of walnut. Anyway, lighter wood might give you a broader range of colors to choose from. I remember seeing someone on this forum (Drak maybe) who bleached a walnut top and then did some kind of transparent reddish burst. It was very cool. Anyone remember that? I tried a quick search with no success...

Found it. It was Drak... a GOTM entry by the name of "Bones". Unfortunately, the links to the pics are not showing up for me anymore. Here's the link anyway: Drak's "Bones" GOTM entry

You could PM Drak yourself if you wanted some pics... or guidance.

You could try wood bleach if you want to lighten the wood a bit. It's something I've been wanting to try myself... when I find the right piece of walnut. Anyway, lighter wood might give you a broader range of colors to choose from. I remember seeing someone on this forum (Drak maybe) who bleached a walnut top and then did some kind of transparent reddish burst. It was very cool. Anyone remember that? I tried a quick search with no success...

The first (and only) time I sprayed lacquer without a respirator, I got a nasty headspin. Just brain cells I'll never get back - and I was already running low.

Never again. I am truly amazed at how well those things really work. When it's working properly, you can't smell a thing! I even use one when I'm fitting PVC pipe together with that awful primer and cement.

It IS a very cool thing to see. My neighbor let me have a big cherry trunk from his backyard and I had it sawn up last month. Hard to pass up free wood.

Palmgren 3in1 sanding center

I ran across this thing on Amazon.com and wanted to throw it out there - I've never seen it before. If anyone has first-hand knowledge, please share.

Toddler

Tough month. I'm a sucker for camphor burl, tho.

I am TOTALLY ripping off your wood combination for my next project. I especially like the thin layer between the body wood and the padauk. Really nice detail. What kind of wood is it, if I may ask?

Yeah, those pics are much better. Those tops are gorgeous!

The first round of pics didn't do them justice.

I've been looking, but I dont know what kind of burl to use to get that kind of grain..

they mostly look like your first one...

one of the coolest Ive ever seen...

seriously wondering where you got that burl

I'd like to tell you I scoured the globe looking for that perfect piece... but alas, I only scoured eBay for a couple days - seriously, eBay. I wish I could remember the guy I bought it from. I don't think it was one of the usual suspects. What I do remember is paying $125 for it.

I'm finally done and I've already entered GOTM. This thing took forever (nearly 2 years) but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Here are the specs:

Maple/Purpleheart/Walnut laminated neck

26 fret Rosewood fretboard

Graphite nut

Mahogany wings with carved purple stained burl cap and faux binding

Carved back

Purpleheart pickup rings with creme DiMarzio Evolutions

XBridge Piezo Tremelo

Sperzel tuners

Hand-rubbed nitro finish

Enjoy!

back

back closeup

body front

front closeup

It's been almost 2 years, but I finally got it 99.9% done. Still needs a logo, though.

Specs:

Maple/Purpleheart/Walnut laminated neck

26 fret Rosewood fretboard

Graphite nut

Mahogany wings with carved purple stained burl cap and faux binding

Carved back

Purpleheart pickup rings with creme DiMarzio Evolutions

XBridge Piezo Tremelo

Sperzel tuners

Hand-rubbed nitro finish

Link to build

Gorgeous! Does that neck feel like butter, or what? I am finishing up a purple stained maple cap myself. Just curious, how did you get the color? It's nice.

One other question: what's your finish?

I think I would lean towards B, but I doubt it matters all that much. The quartersawn center laminate should provide sufficient strength. Anyone else care to chime in?

To restate, does anyone know a way to stop the marring, or the slight indentation, caused by a router bearing?

Yeah, I've had that. I usually ignore it because I end up spindle sanding the body profile anyway. I should really replace all the bearings on my router bits just to be safe. I had a similar issue when the set screw for the bearing collar stuck out farther than the bearing. Just take a Dremel and grind down the set screw a tad. (The side opposite the hex key )