Ragasguitars

Stainless might be a little hard if not impossible to cut with a jewelers saw, you probably would do better with a CNC or a Laser cutter for stainless, carbide cutters work best with stainless, but mild steels can be cut with a jewelers saw, I have used steel for the last guitar I did and I cut the dots (stainless) on a lathe myself, but the logo and 12th fret are a mild steel. Jewelers saw works really well with about .030" up to about .050" thick. Steel inlays

Don't even try to expect a solid answer in a few sentences on copyright infringement. There are so many loopholes, laws, and new changing court decisions that turn up everyday, after the internet got big all these things multiplied exponentially. Unless you put a Fender logo on a guitar you built and try to sell it as a Fender they probably won't care. If you plan on trying to get a patent, trademark or sue someone for infringement, make sure you have money and a good patent attorney, don't even try to do it alone unless you are a patent attorney. Besides there are so many rip off companies in existence that try to duplicate the PRS look and they change a minor little thing and they can get away with it, I say be original and different and avoid all this crap all together. Also after enough years pass on some things are considered "generic" and become impossible to sue on infringement and anyone can use. Almost like asking for a Kleenex when you need to blow your nose, that is a product name, it is a tissue but Kleenex has made it into our brains as the generic name for a tissue so if someone said Kleenex in a movie without their consent there is really nothing they could do about it. That's basic but kinda explains how many companies can get away with "copies" of other guitars. If you really want to know as much as possible go enroll in college for a patent law degree, there is just too much info.

I know I already posted a link but if you really want to see some wild guitars check out these. I guess my idea of wild and the traditional idea of wild is different.My Webpage

www.angelfire.com/la3/powerguitar/index.html check these out

US post office sucks, try UPS, they have never failed for me, the post office never fails to disappoint.

There is nothing better than a dremel for any type of craft. I use one for just about everything if I have the right bit for it. I used one on every guitar I have built. Carvings are done on all guitars I have built using a dremel. www.angelfire.com/la3/powerguitar/index.html I even rely on a hammer and chisel from time to time also. basically if you can find a use for something, use it if its the best option. I also find a lot of stuff from stew mac overpriced and unecessary.

I find it better to buy wood from a lumber supplier, it is usually a lot cheaper but you will have to do all the finish work yourself most of the time, plus you can get better grade wood and have more options with a hardwood supplier for better prices. On top of that, most of the things in the StewMac catalog are there to rip people off, most of the tools and jigs they sell can be made by anyone willing to take the time, so if you are building a guitar you should have the patience and time to make these jigs yourself, and save yourself the money. For example, a saddlematic intonation gauge costs 30 bucks, to make one would cost a couple dollars with parts from home depot. thats just a little thing though, there are more things that are unecessary from stew mac for the price they sell them. Files, fretwire, cutting bits, stuff like that is worth it though.

go to http://daddario.guitar.com/ and vote for Lay To Waste, tell everyone you know.

I cut those inlays by hand. The dots are stainless steel that I cut on a lathe. The logo and GORE inlay were done by hand out of some steel plate with a jewelers saw, files, sandpaper, dremel, etc... They were carefully and painfully sanded flush with the fretboard, the logo inlay cavity was actually cut with an exacto blade, and gouged out since the points were so small and I didn't want to have a lot of filler plus the buckeye is so soft. As far as I am hearing it will have a Giger theme, which the guitar was designed for, you all get a cookie, with some Giger babies on the neck, and some accent work on the carving, possibly some chrome paint over the mahagony, not totally sure exactly what its going to be but as I find out mor info I will post it and pics. Thanks for the replies.

Here are some pics of my latest guitar. www.angelfire.com/la3/powerguitar/Glassman.html Main page: www.angelfire.com/la3/powerguitar/index.html All that's left is the paint job. One piece mahagony neck, headstock and body, buckeye burl top and back, steel inlays, ebony fretboard, 1 emg 81.

A burl is also not really part of a normal tree, its almost like a tumor on the roots or branch. Like he just said, it is fragile and can fall apart in your hands, so if you want to work with it in the future, try practicing on a piece of scrap that you know you will not use, but not a big piece of scrap, its quite expensive. On the other end of the scale, be careful if building with bocote, its hard as hell, hard to sand and heavy. I built a bass out of it for a friend of mine and used a hammer and chisel to shape just about every part of the guitar once rough cut. Sounds pretty good though. I will have all the final pics of this "Giger" guitar once my clients brother puts on the custom paint job, might have some chrome paint here and there.

It's actually Buckeye burl. Its super soft wood and both easy and dufficult to work with. I use a dremel, sandpaper, basically anything I can grab to get the desired effect. I even used an exacto blade and various files too. The guitar plays very nicely, i just got done stringing it up and doing all the setup. It is also a one piece neck, headstock and body with the buckeye top and back, no glue joints other than the fretboard and the top and back. Pain in the ass to work that way but the end result is killer. And what's not fancy about this guitar?

Yeah, those spikes at the headstock were taken out for that reason.

I am about to finish up a one of a kind guitar and would like everyone to check it out. i was also wondering if you have to submit anything for guitar of the month? www.angelfire.com/la3/powerguitar/Glassman.html Main site is www.angelfire.com/la3/powerguitar/index.html

plexi glass can be cracked, which is why i am switching to lexan, costs more but it wont crack, you can bend it in half and it wont crack like plexi. the only reason it costs 250 is that everything from home depot and lowes is so expensive for the plexiglass and aluminun. If I did ten cases and bought from plastic and metal suppliers it would only cost about 100 a case for each one but most suppliers have minimum orders in which you would need to buy enough material to do a few cases. sheet metal could probably work also if thats the look you wann go for, and yes they are heavy, about 40 lbs. heres a breakdown of the $250 for skibum: 9/32" plexiglass, $25 per sheet, 3 sheets needed comes in 2'x4' 1/4" mdf, $5 per sheet, 3 sheets needed, 2'x4' 1" aluminum angles, .050" thickness, about $8 for an 8' length, about 9-10 needed about 300 rivets, $12 1/2" aluminum angle $5 per 8' length, about 3 needed i get the corners and hardware from stew mac the inside is a polyethylene foam i get from a fabric store, about $30 sad thing is from a plastic supplier i can get a 4x8 sheet of lexan for less than the price of three 2x4 sheets of plexiglass from home depot. hoped that helped

I use 3d studio max. don't know a whole lot about it but i get by. Thanks

I have built myself an 8 string a few years ago, I was able to use an emg 707 since I made my own bridge plate and modified some saddles to reduce the string spacing at the bridge to fit within the pickup range of the 7 string pickup. There might be a machine shop near you where someone would be willing to help you out and make it for free. There are also a few other things you could try and make it yourself. My Webpage My 8 string and some other work I have done are on my site(yes my site sucks, but it shows my work)

I build my own cases, check it out on my website. They cost about 250 to do one at a time with stuff bought at home depot or lowes, but there are metal and plastics suppliers that are a lot cheaper if you plan to buy in larger quantities.My Webpage

I actually have to add the fretboard and other stuff to the model but where those horns close in to the neck is actually where a normal V meets the neck, they will probably actually curve in closer but I am still figuring out the 3d program so it will really not hinder higher fret access, it will actually give better access than every other V i have seen because I move the fretboard further towards the headstock for better access to the higher frets, plus there will be a smooth transition from neck to body. All that will get worked out as I have time to do it, i still have a full time job, and a band, and this company is not even started yet.

Thank you for the feedback. The carving on the V took me no more than 8 hours. the other one I am working on has a lot more detail and has more than 8 hours in it already and its still not near completion. I knew before anyone said anything, my website sucks, I don't have any money to start my company and don't have any website skills other than the free help from angelfire, just want to get my work out in the public, but that is the first of my list of priorities is to get a REAL website. Thanks again

My name is Ryan Ragas and I am new to the forum here. I would just like to post a link to my website. I am in the process of starting my own company and would just like to introduce myself to everyone here. Hello everyone. Ragas Guitars