westhemann

The tone zone is great,but the amp is more important than the pups. Some "hair metal" to get you inspired

Well,it's going to be tough...but if you are willing to do the work there is no reason you can't end up with a fine guitar. Kits https://buy.precisionguitarkits.com/

Good luck with all that.

Actually,all of the major manufacturers do it,including Jackson USA,ESP Japan...you name it they do it. But the shim method is easiest.I almost always go for the shelf first,and then if I stuff it up I do the shim thing.The shelf is not really superior in any way obviously,it is more of a "can I do it" sort of challenge.Involves a lot of math and jig work.

KEA is talking about the shelf method,like this I do it sometimes,like on the one in the pic,but more often than not I just do the shim method.

You use blocks and clamps on either side of the neck to put your router on.It can be tricky.Or you just cut the entire end off and use shims.Sometimes I make shims out of ebony.

A million different combos can get you there.I like the Tone Zone.... Duncan has the JB/59 combo which works well. GFS has some really inexpensive pups...the crunchy pat is perfect for that sort of thing http://www.guitarfetish.com/Crunchy-PAT-High-Output-Humbucker-Black_c_139.html Almost anything can do glam metal with the right amp.

Maybe,but I am a technology caveman,so what do I know?

I can see them fine

Aside from just rounding it over a bit,the headstock is in it's final shape. Yeah,granted that the ebony scarf is a bit unusual in it's placement,and a bit thick.Maybe on the next one I'll do two thinner pieces separated by another piece of mahogany...scarf joints are not an every day thing for me,so I am still experimenting.

Man,that Cedar really looks like white limba. Love it so far.The top is sweet

I used to use EMG on everything,but the last few years I really prefer just using any decent passives...but with the Kahlers I use those plastic pup covers to cover up the pole pieces because something in my mind just thinks it goes together This one is Duncan Invaders in both positions,but with the pup covers What do you use to get the tight corners on the pup routs?Looks like 1/4"" corners and I can never find a pattern bit with less than a 3/8" diameter.My last attempt was a massacre.I was trying to rout for EMG 81/7s and I ate the template because of the lack of a bearing on a 1/4" bit.

And my disgrace of a sloppy workbench...it is really nasty outside and so I am really getting the indoors of the big house filthy.Luckily I live in the little house out back Oh...missed the fretboard clamping

So ... The famous rasp Messing up a floor and a pair of pants I put my hand covering "no touch" areas...because I would rather gouge my hand than the wrong part of the wood And as it stands now...sandpaper from here

Did cutoffs of body blank for headstock.Thanks to Mikro for the mahogany,I bought it from him a few months ago for another project but I see a V in it All glued together in an ebony sandwich...scary,right?That is Gaboon Ebony I bought some years ago and I have been using pieces here and there on stuff.Ebony is good to keep around for random stuff I did some bandsaw work and did not take pics...I forgot...but skip to sander with old paper Less scary now,huh?

Just going to chronicle the neck here,because I am so slow that if I do the entire guitar here it will get real stale real quick I have crap for tools,so suck it if you don't like it Skillsaw with neck blank on my C3500 workbench.The blank was glued years ago Cut both sides as deep as I could Finished the cut with my bandsaw then cleaned both pieces up with planer and stored the one I won't be using yet Doing scarf

Maybe I missed it somewhere,but what pups are those?Really unusual for me to see a Kahler next to something not EMG

I need to start doing film finishes again,so I will be busting out the conversion varnish soon.I have been doing "natural" looking crap for too long and I have to accept that I will never be happy with the quality of my builds unless they are topped off with a nice,thick,proper finish. I hope that makes sense...I am pretty toasted right now and I am only 60% sure I am in the right topic

Also,I don't really know what Perry is up to at the moment.I stopped looking at his work a few years back because his level of craftsmanship is so high it makes me want to chop off my hands.Same reason I don't look at Ron Thorn's stuff.

I draw inspiration from yours in particular because your wood selection is similar to my own taste,you do the work with your own hands,and they are better quality than mine yet give me attainable goals for myself that won't cost me a fortune to reach.You may consider yours hack jobs,but mine are hacky-er to my eye Sure,there are some truly great artisans out there,but I can't afford the equipment or materials they can afford BTW I sent you a PM with the name of whom I was actually referring to.

No stabs...I was talking about someone else entirely(why I said cold climate).I have no problem with you or Perry. What is it you think are stabs?I like your work just fine...I draw a lot of inspiration from the way you work.Matter of fact you are one of my favorite builders right now because your thread is so full of awesome pics of great guitars....I was talking about Black Machine combining elements and the fact that making similar guitars to them is not necessarily stealing intellectual property except in the case of the original elements like the recessed engrave plate at the back of the body of Black Machine instruments.

If we are talking about the same people(Black Machine),they have no guitars in their gallery of current builds and the website says "not taking orders",so whether that means they are just backed up or whatever,it does apparently mean you can't buy a new one right now...and that will of course lead to clones being made. I still don't know how original those guitars are...they do definitely have a certain look to them,but they are just thin superstrats...and people have been making the strat thinner for comfort since people started building them.Thinner and more comfortable is always the logical step,and IMO just because you combine a bunch of already well used elements into one guitar that doesn't create intellectual property.at this point there are so many guitars being built that if you wish to be truly "original" you have to go into really funky looking territory.Much better IMO to just build them to higher standards if possible. Of course,there is at least one builder who even goes so far as to embed an engraved plate in the same location as them,and that is pretty blatant... I do like the guitars Black Machine makes.They seem very well crafted,and they don't try to convince you they are awesome with self written 3rd person biographies and a fake Q&A page like a certain guy in a certain cold climate does. Anyway,sorry about the hijack.

I have never had a film finish over porous woods that didn't shrink back a little over time,no matter what I used to fill the grain. Well,that's not quite true...I coated one with bondo when I first started building and it never shrank back,but I'd rather have a little shrink back.Visible pores really don't bother me I have used Preval quite a bit and it works,but it is so expensive that it doubles the cost of your finish by the time you are done,and you will always have orange peel to level out.

Not copper,but you could use brass instead.Brass is much more durable than copper and darkens somewhat over time.I have even seen it darken to look almost identical to copper,yet it doesn't turn green when you sweat on it. Not to mention brass is a more popular material or guitar hardware... http://www.guitarfetish.com/SOLID-BRASS-STRAIGHT-Locking-Stop-Tailpeice-Hand-Polished_p_4225.html http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Gate-S-104A-Electric-Machine/dp/B007VOLOOO/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1385168635&sr=8-18&keywords=brass+guitar+tuning+keys http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Stratocaster-Brass-Nut/dp/B003B07LI0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385168731&sr=8-1&keywords=brass+guitar+nut http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002U8E5Q/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d0_i6?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=07A2M9564QPPJJWJBTG9&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1630072202&pf_rd_i=507846

I built a Beast years ago with 45 degree bevels all the way around it both front and back long before I ever even heard of that "minimalistic builder" you mention. Why did I do it?Because a 45 degree pattern bit comes with every router bit starting kit and it is a logical step to use it to bevel a guitar body for comfort and looks.