toddler68

Bought a bunch of fret markers on eBay recently and thought I'd share my experiences. I'll be brief:

• Unless you crave disappointment, Don't buy from this seller: taisamlu on eBay - out of Taiwan.

Crappy Abalone dots

More crappy Abalone dots

The pics might look good, but the real things are total crap. Thin, flaky, full of holes, not round, edges are pitted and uneven. I really hate flaming people, but this stuff was totally lacking in quality. I'm curious to hear if anyone else has dealt with this eBayer. I should have given him negative feedback, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it (if for no other reason than it shipped fast). I should have at least settled for neutral.

On the opposite end of the spectrum...

• I've bought several items from this seller: guitarmakingstuff on eBay. Good quality but you will pay. Nice Abalone dots

• Also good stuff from: primegoods which sells mostly jewerly, stones & shell

• Definitely Buy from this seller: candy033 on eBay. They even have a website: MOP Supplies

I bought 100 1/4 inch abalone dots ($14) and 9 abalone blanks ($21) plus about $8 combined shipping from Australia. I'm no Craig Lavin, but to me they were stellar! At least as good as stuff I bought from guitarmakingstuff and Stew-Mac - probably better. The inlay blanks practically gave me a seizure they are so flashy. Absolutely no comparison to the garbage I got from Taiwan.

Awesome Abalone dots

Superb Abalone blanks

Their website says they will do custom cutting from a drawing or computer file. I'm going to try out their services soon on a headstock logo. I'll report back on the results.

You gotta get some better pics of the neck blank. Even in those sketchy pics, it looks awesome! I'm such a sucker for tiger maple. What's the dark wood, the thin laminate?

the Metal one is quite cliched and relies on 'evilness' to get it noticed.

the other two are quite forgettable

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Ouch! That's going to leave a mark.

And tell me how can 'evilelvis' not like 'evilness'?

Every time I have tried to vote in GOTM it says I have already voted in that poll. This time I just did the null vote and it still said I already voted. ***?

Let me reiterate: I, toddler68 do solemnly swear that my next guitar (if in fact it is a laminated neck-thru with cap) will feature capped wings only: the laminations will be visible from both sides of the body! So help me Dog. Maybe I'll even go so far as to run a lamination or two through the fretboard!

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I am working on a similar one for a client right now. Same body style with a burl Maple top which will be transparent purple. Purpleheart center lam on the neck.

Cough Cough, Going back on your word are we?

Awesome looking axe! it might be just me, but is the laminate front out of centre? That Burl pattern looks lower than centre. I understand youre hands are tied in regards to the size of the laminate. Shame you cant see the moose anymore!

I Love it tho. Truly an inspiring piece

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Yeah, it's funny how your priorities change when someone else is footing the bill. I think I meant the next guitar I build for myself

And yes, the burl cap is off center for some reason. I can't explain it, but it doesn't really bother me. I noticed it awhile back and was just waiting for someone to bring it up. You guys don't miss a trick!

Nice cad work.  Did you do it?  What system is that on?

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Thanks. I modeled it in Solid Edge and rendered it in Alias. The product of many lunch hours.

Man, truly inspiring! Your thoughtful documentation makes me want to build a hollowbody - and I don't even like hollowbodies!

btw, Photobucket gives me some problems, too. Can't edit the pics once they're in my album. I always have to Photoshop them, change the filename and put them back in. If I don't change the filename, it puts the exact same unmodified picture back in there. Aggravating!

Every time I go into Home Depot I take a quick look through the maple stock, and I always find a piece or two that has some flame; occasionally the whole board.  Devon's right, you can get it cheaper at a lot of hardwood dealers (especially if you buy a good-sized board).

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You too? I thought I was the only one!

Took you long enough to get this beauty in the GOTM.

Sneaky guy, not even an update and suddenly BOOM!!! it's in the GOTM.

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Sorry, I did it out of order.

I just missed entering last month by a few days and then I went on vacation. Promise to do better next time.

Yeah that is very tasteful wood use and selection. Your guitar has extremely unique feel to it. I'm sure she has an awesome sound too. The string ferules, brigde, and single pickup arrangment really give a "roundness" to the face. I like also how you placed the input jack on the control cavity cover. And the all wood cover is also an excellent choice. Oh yeah and love the clear natural finsh and multiple neck laminates. Keep 'em comin' man, i would love to see that body style repeated.

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Yeah, it's amazing how it sustains. Just keeps ringin'! If I ever figure out how to do it, I'll record it and post an mp3 or wav.

Hopefully, you will see another in the near future. I am working on a similar one for a client right now. Same body style with a burl Maple top which will be transparent purple. Purpleheart center lam on the neck. Here's a CAD rendering of it:

Awesome work; you should put the GOTM pics in this thread just to close'er up!

I love the body shape.  It's a lot like the Schecter 006, which is one of my favourite bodies ever.  I'm surprised fewer people are doing that style, but it means you get to carve out your own special niche.    I forgot to add a 006-like shape to my other thread in which I list guitars I'd like to build. 

Very classy, very well executed.

Greg

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Thanks! Glad you like it. There's a few boogers here and there, but overall I'm happy with it. Here's the pics:

Body shot

Back

Back closeup

Front again

Hey GregP, I also like the 006... even the Avenger. I like most of the Schecter body styles -they're unique.

I'm finally throwing my hat into the ring:

26.5" through-neck maple/walnut/paduak

Mahogany body with string through

Rosewood fretboard with abalone dots

TOM bridge

Duncan JB

Tru-Oil finish

I think I'd go with a double action rod. LMI and some others sell them. Only needs a 3/8 inch deep slot. You could also plane the fretboard thinner -like to 3/16 or so to give you a little more neck thickness to work with. I've got a wizard on my Saber and it looks like what they did.

I know what my next neck is going to look like! Stunning contrast Great choice of woods. I like the Parker-esque body shape too.

could always attack the top of a chrome one with some wet and dry? might work?!

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Or you could run them through a bead/sand blaster.

I have some great looking Goncalo Alves wood, with beautiful deep colours.  Problem is, that when I plane off the outer layer, the wood underneath is a bit plain looking. 

Is there a way to speed up the oxidisation of the wood to get the rich colours back after sanding the wood?

Thanks,

Brian.

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I believe I saw this question asked recently. The answer was exposure to UV light. Try getting some sunlight on it -see if that does the trick.

Outstanding! Do the pickup holes have binding on them? It's a really nice detail. The bound fretboard is also a nice touch. Great build, man. You should be proud.

Anyway, the answer is yes, the two outside holes of the six hole pilot tremolo will match up with the two pilot tremolo.  You should have no problems.

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Thanks Matt. I figured as much. This is my first tremolo install and I don't want to screw it up. Thanks for pointing me to your Strat tut. It's great to see the pictures to my questions!

Hey BigD, I for one like it with the flaws left in. That Conklin is a bit over the top, but it makes a statement. I tried to leave some "nature" in my burl too. I wasn't going to fill any of the crevices, but I ended up doing it anyway -except a couple big ones. I think it still looks good. One of these days when I stop obsessing on it, I'll take pics and post the final results.

I'm doing a similar (but thicker) burl top on my next one. It's a commission so the client might want the "flaws" covered up. I'll try to steer him towards the more natural look.

Worth a thousand words... thanks MaTT.

Any takers on my other question?

Now it is making sense.

Another question: Can I assume that the hole centers (pivot points) are the same distance from the nut for both the 6-hole and the 2-hole versions of a Strat-style bridge?

I'm looking at the stratocasterforprojectguitar PDF from the download section and it looks like the routing profile on the back is larger than the front (where the trem block goes all the way through the body). Does this mean that it's angled? There is no side view so I can't really tell. Help please?

Are they auctioning or having a clearance sale? I too got some great deals from an architectural millwork shop that was closing.

I have a question:  Other than the pressure of the tightened rod and silicone lube placed at each end, what prevents a Hot Rod from being able to slide out of the adjustement slot once the FB has been glued?  I really really really hope this isnt a stupid question, but am quite curious as the the answer.

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I asked the same question when I did mine. I think the answer is string tension. You're always going to have the t-rod tweaked to some degree to counteract the force of the string tension. Correct me if I'm wrong, anyone.

Thanks for the info, Doc. It seems everybody is nuts about the Jets. Everybody uses them. I don't want to go cheap and end up with something that will fall apart in a couple months, but on the other hand I just can't see spending twice the money to turn a couple knobs for my guitar. I want to land somewhere between Harbor Freight and Jet and I think this may be the ticket. I just need some validation.