mhenley

Hi, I just noticed this thread so sorry if I repeat any info. If you are looking to build a tube amp I would highly recommend the AX84 website. I built the Hi-Octane amp on their and for a 6W amp it sounds great and can shake the foundations of my house. As I progressed through my tube amp building experience, the people on the forum were very helpful... especially during the poking-around-the-wires-while-the-feedback-is-screaming phase that is part of every first high gain amp. The proper answer is wooden chopsticks. Matt

I have proceeded with using equally spaced strings (at least for the cad layout). If i dont like that I can cut a new nut. I am planning on using clear Danish Oil at this point. Working on getting the tuning machines spaced out at this point. Maybe mini-grovers would have been easier over grovers. This is a purported "Nut Slot Spacing Calculator" that says it gives you good spacing numbers. You have to tell it intended string widths and distances from the ends of the nuts. For what it's worth, I think my fingers want strings that are evenly spaced (same distance from string centers). It doesn't matter if strings get thicker, the distance from the first to fifth string (four spaces) should be exactly twice the distance from the first to third string (two spaces) or I think I'll get out of whack. That's just me though. I've looked for a half an hour (because I got curious too) and haven't been able to find the discussion I'd seen somewhere. ←

Any links to previous discussions on this? The search feature seems to be of little help (nut is only 3 letters which is not indexed). I know Stewmac sells a ruler that does this but wanted a rule or a formula that i could work out and lay out... probably just use the centers for laying out the tuning machines, then get Stewmacs ruler for the actual nut. I think the consensus is that, as far as major, commercial-built instruments go, neither is correct - they do get farther apart as you go towards lower pitch strings, but not by the widths of the strings. At least that's what I've heard from people who're obsessive enough to take the time to measure these things . ←

Here is a picture of the guitar as currently in cad (plan view only) Quick dumb question, i have laid out the strings in the nut based on the string centers. Is this correct or do I lay them out and use the diameter to calculate the string to string distance? Matt

Just set up a Photobucket account. My cad drawing is on my machine at work (ACAD Lt doesnt seem to like linux (under Wine) ) so I will link it on monday or when i dotn get the bandwidth limit message also... didnt think to send it to my home email. Here is the original (extremely blown up from the magazine article):

I just thought I would post what I have so far on my neckthrough project: Basics: 22 Fret Neckthrough design based on a custom guitar made by Mike Tobias for Trevor Rabin (of Yes at the time). 25 inch scale Neck is laminate of bloodwood surrounded by Rock Maple with a black veneer in between. wings are zebrawood bois d'rose fingerboard (from lmii) Tonepros TOM bridge Dual Humbucker (Semour Duncan JB and Jazz) lmii double acting truss (less depth required than StewMac Hot Rod) double graphite reinforcing rods I had a friend of mine draw up the body shape based on this photograph from a 1987 Guitar player magazine: http://www.savepic.com/freepicturehosting/...93&img=toby.jpg and I have been doing the rest of the cad work in ACAD LT. Here is the design so far: http://www.savepic.com/freepicturehosting/...&img=guitar.jpg I have also drawn up a side view with the neck angle incorporated, but i cropped that for this. I have the neck laminated and ready to cut. I think I can get two necks out of it. Still fiddling with the dimensions on a few items. Taking it very slow and methodical as this is my first and I want to do it right. Still playing around with the headstock design (I didnt want it to be a complete rip off of Mike's Design) Matt (I would have put the pic directly into the post but it doesnt like dynamic pages...)

Didnt realize that this thread would turn into a flame war. Yikes... On the commercial music front, there are alternatives to the standard record company paradigm of mass marketed music that are a result of the internet. http://www.magnatunes.com is one that has some pretty decent stuff. You pay what you think the album is worth and they split it 50/50 with the artist. On the topic of copyright and trademarks, I see the word "steal" used. One cannot steal a design... fender still has their head design if you use it... you infringe on the trademark or copyright which is under a completly different set of laws. It is the MPAA and RIAA that have pushed the concept of "stealing" and "piracy" to make it more sensational and evoke more of an emotional response. (I have yet to see boatloads of dead people as a result of software piracy). Of course... I want my guitar to have its own design... I want something thats a cross between the one ormsby came up with (cool design!) and the one on tobias basses. I am working on a neck through that is based on a custom guitar that tobias built for Trevor Rabin (photo in 1987 guitar player mag). I emailed Mike Tobias which questions about it and he was very nice and helpful. Matt

Hi, I am trying to build a neck through guitar with the neck constructed of a centerpiece of bloodwood with quartersawn maple laminated on either side(with black veneer between). The maple came in one piece, 2" thickness x 6" width x 48" length. I would like to cut it down the middle to make two pieces of 1" x 6" width x 48" length. A friend who is letting me use his shop (joiner, bandsaw, tablesaw, drill press) suggested i use a tablesaw and do it in two passes... i thought the band saw would be a better choice. Any suggestions or any places in north houston i can pay to have this done (as I dont want to waste any more wood than is necessary)? Matt

Hi, I just saw your post on this topic. Last year I built a very nice tube amp using the High Octane schematics on the http://www.ax84.com website. They have links to manufacturers and a forum that has a lot of people that will help. It was not particularly cheap but well worth it. Has a great sound.