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Hmmm...Don't really know Rob. Maybe one of the finishing gurus around here will jump in and anwer that question. Thanks for the kind words. Best Regards, Mike.

Hey Greg, I found your other post after I posted in this thread so now I see where you are coming from with this question (you have a pre-existing ground problem). In his book, Melvyn Hiscock says you can just pull the wire through the hole and then just let it lay against the body and trap it there as you screw down the bridge. In theory this should work fine. If, however, you want to make sure that you have a good contact you might want to solder the wire down. This shouldn't be any harder than sodering a groundwire to a tremolo claw. Maybe just give it a try, eh? Can't hurt. Is your bridge painted at all? That might affect the grounding properties of the bridge assembly as well. I wonder what the guys in the electronics area would say? If you post over there, I'll follow the thread with you because now I'm curious as well. Best Regards, Mike.

O.K. then...plane both sides. He said it was plenty thick. Best Regards, Mike.

I think you did the right thing. Did you drill a hole into the control cavity so you could use the common ground between all your components? Here is the hole I did on my fixed brige guitar: You can see the angled groundwire hole just above the six string-through holes. I used an extra long drill bit and angled it into the control cavity. I hope that helps. Best Regards, Mike.

Hey Maestro, I had a similar problem except I was fighting a twisted blank. I would image your problem should be even easier to fix, however. Frank Falbo and David Myka ecouraged me to use my jointer and planer to fix the problem. Here is the original thread: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...=0entry142203 For me, just using the jointer was enough to give one level side. I've gone on with the blank and made the neck which I'm very pleased with (here is the thread to making of the neck: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...pic=11418&st=15. I should think that either a jointer or a planer would correct your blank very easily. Keep in mind you only need one true side as the other will be chopped away and curved anyway. Good luck! Best Regards, Mike.

O.K. Rob and Jeremy, you asked me to document the tung oil process so here you go. In the end I've decided to approach finishing the body just as I've done my maple necks in the past. The first thing I did was sand the entire body to 400 grit. I initially stopped at 220, but decided I wanted it to feel a little smoother. I used a rubber sanding block for most of the sanding and a small square of sandpaper and my fingers for the horn contours. Next, I attached a homemade hanger to the neck pocket. I made the hanger exactly as described here: http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/bridge...e_guitar01.html Here is the sanded body hanging from a hook: http://www.pariah-now.com/Guitar%20Build%2...Tung%20Sand.jpg Next, I poured a small amount of Minwax Tung Oil into a disposable container and used a foam brush to paint all surfaces of the guitar. I let the guitar hang for about 3 minutes and then I took a lint-free cloth and wiped off the excess tung oil all around the body. Here is what the guitar looks like after one coat of tung oil: I am very pleased with how it looks already. I plan on doing a second coat later on this evening. I'll process it the same way as above. I'll continue doing two coats a day until I'm satisfied with the finish and then I'll buff out with #0000 steel wool and then apply a wax finish (thanks for the suggestion Frank Falbo)! Best Regards, Mike.

I sympathize with you completely. I have been surrounded by cancer lately. My wife was recently diagnosed with melanoma, one of the most malignant kinds of cancer you can get. Fortunately, it was only about 0.23 mm deep and did not appear to have metastasized. My wife is a doctor herself which is probably what saved her life. She knew that the mole didn't look right and insisted that the dermatologist do a biopsy even though the dermatologist didn't think it was necessary. Not long before my wife was diagnosed with cancer, my aunt was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. They are giving her 6 months and are telling her to make her arrangements. Very depressing. To top it all off, one of the head instructors at my Tae Kwon Do studio was diagnosed with metastatic leukemia. She is undergoing chemo and radiation right now as we speak. Needless to say, it has been a very shocking and introspective time for me lately and I think I can understand what you are going through in some small way. My wife and I were lucky. I wish you only the best. Take care. Best Regards, Mike.

Howdy, If you want to buy online, here is a link to the main Project Guitar site which provides a list of a bunch of wood suppliers: http://www.projectguitar.com/ref/supply.htm You need to scroll down to find the wood supply list. I think a lot of people use Gilmore Wood Company. I don't know where you are, but you can try locally as well. To find your local supplier I think the best thing to do is use the telephone directory. Finally, you can also try Ebay. Good luck! Best Regards, Mike.

Wow Hynsu, I really like the Birdseye Maple fretboard! I have a Birdseye fretboard laying around here and you're making me want to get to work on it. Best Regards, Mike.

Amen to that brother! The pay off is huge, however, which makes every curse worth it. I think if you can pull off your JS7 you're really going to have something unique. Especially with that gorgeous laminated neck of yours. From the rumors I've been hearing you may be getting some competition from Ibanez themselves. Rumor has it they may be coming out with a JS7 next year. Just a rumor though. Yours will end up looking better than a stock Ibanez JS7 regardless. Best Regards, Mike.

That person was working with Ash, not Mahogany. I specifically asked about using tung oil on Mahogany. YOU missed that because now YOU are on a rant . If you are implying that tung oil will work as a grain filler on mahogany as well then just say so. Look...I'm sorry you're taking this so personally. It wasn't my intention to get into a pissing contest with you. You gave me a curt and less than helpful reply to my post and I responded in a way you didn't like. If you are going to present that kind of attitude in your posting then you have to expect a backlash every now and then. At least in my "rant" I didn't get personal and resort to implied profanity ("Were you beaten with a Search button when you were growing up? Or are you just to ________ lazy to even click on a virtual-button?" and "You have a problem. Get over it or die from it"). I was doing my best to be diplomatic and present a reasoned argument in my defense of having asked my simple question. I even tried to say some nice things about you in the end. This argument seems pretty unproductive to me so this time I really am giving you the last word. Do your worst. Sincere Regards, Mike. P.S. Thanks to everyone who posted advice. Much appreciated!

Thanks Alex! I'm almost there...... Regards, Mike.

In a word: NO Nowhere in any of the searches I presented did the answer to my specific question appear.

Thanks Darren. What do you think they do on the JS6? You ever see one of those in person? Hey Drak, I'm asking the question with regards to my JS6 project: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=11418 In my first post for that thread, I give a link to the Ibanez JS6 that I'm modelling my project after. I know Ibanez used an oil-based finish, but I'm not sure exactly how they did it. My guess is still that they didn't use any kind of base coat or filler. I was just wondering if there was any kind of conventional wisdom on the subject since this will be the first time I've used tung oil on mahogany. Hmmm..... Best Regards, Mike.

O.K., I'll play. Here is the first search I did regarding my question of grain filling mahogany before using tung oil (search words were "tung oil mahogany"): http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...ng+oil+mahogany As you can see, not very productive. The next obvious search was better (search words "tung oil"): http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...ghlite=tung+oil I went through as many as I could stand to and didn't find an answer to my specific question. I'm not saying that the answer isn't there, I'm simply saying that it would be like finding a needle in a hay stack. I did, however, find many posts of yours on the subject of tung oil and can see that you have very strong opinions regarding tung oil. In fact, I found one post which seems to contradict your answer to my question as you yourself say "it depends" to this poster: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...185&hl=tung+oil In this thread on page two, the question of tung oil and grain filling mahogany is asked, but never answered: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...opic=7769&st=15 My purpose in posting wasn't to start another debate about the merits of tung oil or whether the tung oil you buy at Home Depot is really tung oil - I could care less. It was a simple question. No more, no less. Don't take all this personally. It's just one of my pet peeves when a person replys to a post with "do a search" (I realize in your case you added the illustrative sentence "in a word: NO", so you're exempt in this case). Granted, a lot of times the original poster could very well have easily found the answer to their question by doing a search. I just feel it's a bit elitist and condesending to simply reply "do a search." Here's what I do when I read a post like this. I either take the time to post a constructive answer, I do a quick search for them and post the link or I don't reply at all. What I never do is post "do a search." Phew....O.K. (steps off soap box), feel free to have the last word. Like I said, this is just a pet peeve of mine. I really hope you don't take it personally. You're a very helpful poster most of the time and I respect your opinions and I look forward to your advice and posts in the future. Best Regards, Mike.

Howdy, I'm getting ready to tung oil a mahogany body and was wondering if I should grain fill first. My inclination is not to. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Best Regards, Mike.

Here's the update I promised starting with the bridge and ground holes: Here's the string ferrules. I tried using a guide ala Guitar Frenzy, but one ferrule is a little off. Next time I'm taking the body into work and using the building crews drill press. http://www.pariah-now.com/Guitar%20Build%2...%20Ferrules.jpg Finally, the recessed output jack. Major pain to do. http://www.pariah-now.com/Guitar%20Build%2...ed%20Output.jpg Best Regards, Mike.

O.K. Jeremy, I'll try and document the tung oil progress on this thread. I'm almost ready. Monday I drilled the recessed output jack (pain in the butt) and last night I drilled the bridge mounting holes and drilled out the string-through-body holes. I need to counter sink the string ferrules and drill a ground wire access hole and then I'll be ready to start the tung oil finish. Should be in the next day or so. Pictures soon! Best Regards, Mike.

Thanks Jeremy! I appreciate the comment. I'm going to try and wrap this project up this weekend. Everything except the finish which I can easily do during the week since it will be entirely tung oiled. Thanks for looking! Best Regards, Mike.

Yes, exactly. Picked it up at Home Depot. I think it is a fairly standard item and it works very well. I picked up this method from Melvyn Hiscock's book. The only thing I would mention if you are going to try this is to use a wooden shim under the drill bit to protect the guitar body (you can see the shim I used in the picture). I'll look forward to hearing what your painter says about painting your guitar. Since you're having it professionally done, it should look amazing. Your're looking for something like the JS1200CA right? I love that color. Good luck and I hope to see some more progress pics soon! Best Regards, Mike.

Hey Dave, Good to see you over here (We've met on the Petrucci Forum. I'm the guy that made this guitar. If you're interested, check out my new project.)! I like the chunk of rosewood you're using for the fretboard. Not typical looking rosewood. Interesting color and nice looking grain. Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to seeing this one finished. I haven't seen anyone attempt a EBMM Petrucci before. Best Regards, Mike.

Very, very well done. I like this guitar a lot. Enjoy! Best Regards, Mike.

Why would I be furious? I actually appreciate and solicit your opinions! So actually...thank you! You are, however, jumping the gun a little bit since I was simply showing what the cover looked like in place and not implying that I was finished with it. In fact, one of the bottles of Behlens stain you see a couple of posts up is in fact mahogany brown which I may use to stain the cover. I say -may- because in a way I kinda actually like the way the cover looked in a natural state after I wiped it with naptha. Hmmm....decisions, decisions. Anyone else have an opinion? Best Regards, Mike. Edit: Hey RGGR...what are you going to do for a control cavity cover on your JS7?

Got home a little early today after voting and decided to do a little work on my JS6. Here's what I got done today: What you see is the finished control cavity cover route with cover in place. I made the cover from a 1/8 in piece of flamed maple I picked up at Woodcraft. Obviously I've given everything a quick naptha wipe to bring out the grain which I think will look quite beautiful when finished. Here are some more detailed pics of the job: Homemade routing template for the cavity cover route: http://www.pariah-now.com/Guitar%20Build%2...ver%20Setup.jpg Cavity cover route finished: http://www.pariah-now.com/Guitar%20Build%2...er%20Routed.jpg Drilling the wiring hole for the neck pickup: http://www.pariah-now.com/Guitar%20Build%2...ring%20Hole.jpg Wiring holes into the control cavity drilled: http://www.pariah-now.com/Guitar%20Build%2...ire%20holes.jpg As always, thanks for looking! Best Regards, Mike. Edit: Here's another shot of the back of the guitar showing an interesting grain pattern in the mahogany. Notice the circular grain lines at the horn and rear curve. http://www.pariah-now.com/Guitar%20Build%2...ver%20Grain.jpg

Wall of Death. I suppose it is here that Drak fulfills his need to expedite the ultimate universal outcome of all things in nature by increasing the entropy of his less favored projects. Best Regards, Mike.