whoofnagle

Here are a couple of shots after three coats of tru-oil.

The previous links should take you to all the posted pics.

Bill

If I missed a post elsewhere sorry, but I heard that the appeal by PRS regarding the making of SC guitars has been reversed. Check out there website.

I don't want a SC, but this is cool.

Link to PRS

Bill

I think pulfering is against the law. Ron's purfling is sure cool though!  LOL

I agree, I really want to do purfling now.

Have you guys seen his inlayed freackin tops? Just amazing. He has a koa top inlaid into a limba body. That made me pass out the first three times I looked at it. Wow!!!

←

I'm SLIGHTLY confused as to what this is... got a link to this particular masterpiece for further exploration?

Chris

←

ThornGallery

Look at Jo Lee's guitar. There are several others that know have inlaid tops as well.

Bill

Here is a shot of the top and body after I putn a few coats of tru-oil. I have been experimenting with different ways to apply it. By this I mean, how much, with or without naptha, and the number of coats.

I think it makes the figure of the koa really standout.

All progress pics

Bill

Well I stopped by my local walmart today and picked up some tung-oil. For those of you have done the body with tru-oil - how much of the bottle did you use? I know I will be wiping on multiple coats (thin). I am just curious as to how much of the small bottle did you use.

Bill

Cool - I am looking for a natural feel - so I will go without the filler. I thought I would need to go way on up with the sanding - that was why I asked - working on 320 now. I hope to get some done each night this week so that I can start applying the finish next weekend.

Thanks again,

Bill

Drak,

At what point in your building career did you start to feed WOD? When you first started did you keep the flawed guitars? I am about to start finishing #2 and have a list of things to do better on the next one.

Bill

I have a body that is a koa top and an ash body. After reading previous posts, I think I am going to try the tru-oil and naptha method for my finish. This will be a first for me.

After much reading I still have a few questions:

1. I assume that like the ash - the koa does not need to be grain filled. (I plan to head to the MIMF forum and do some reading there next).

2. I have sanded the body to 220, wetted it- to raise the grain, and then resanded to 220. Do I need to go to 320, 400, or beyond before applying the first coats of oil?

Bill

When will you route for the neck pup - or did I miss that you are not doing a neck pup?

Looks great so far. I really like the way the tummy carve looks on the back.

Bill

Here is a link to a thread on thr Thorn form- thought this was pretty cool. Thought some of you folks would like it. This would be nice for those who are building lots of the same bodies.

Drilling for strap locks and input jack

Bill

Man it is hot today!!

Well I am slowy making progress on this guitar. Next up is rounding over the edges, sanding, and on to the finishing this fall when it cools down.

Here is a shot with some of the hardware in place, and yes the neck pup is just stuck in there, it has not been mounted.

Bill

All photos so far

shouldn't matter. 500K pots are used with humbuckers not because they're humbuckers, but becasue traditional LP-style guitars are wired with volume controls for each pickup, so the volumes are inhibit-style rather than bypass-style like a single master volume pot is wired.

I use 500K pots for everything, no problem, single or humbucker or P-90. If your pot does not have high enough resistance in my experience you may not have the master volume go all the way down to zero.

←

Cool. I have a 300K and a 250 handy - I might try the 300K just for the hell of it!

Bill

I am in the process of trying to finish doing the routes on my second guitar. When routing for the pups on the first one (2 single coil tele pups) I went to a depth of about 3/4".

Do I do the same depth for a P90? I have never routed for one and do not have a guitar to compare it with at this time.

Thansk,

Bill

Yes, a P90 IS a single coil pickup.

George

←

Thanks, I know it is a single coil, but is the 250K pot the best to use? I thought I read somewhere that a 50K pot works well with a p90, or even a 300K, but I did not know how the bridge pup would do with a 300K or 500k pot.

Thanks again,

Bill

I was wondering if anyone knew where I can find schematics for a tele. The neck will be a p90 and the bridge a single coil. I plan on using rio's for both pups.

Can this be wired like a tele with two single coils?

Thanks in advance,

Bill

I like the ash more than the koa.  With that perticular peice of ash I would have done it without a top.  On the plus side you have a great looking back

←

If the other side of the ash had looked nice I would not have covered it, but it looked like crap - so the koa top.

Bill

Well I have routed for the neck, and am getting ready to do the bridge and pups. I have decided to go with a regular rio single coil in th ebridge and a rio p90 in the neck.

Two questions - 1. How deep do I route for the p90? 2. What size roundover bit do you guys normally use for a "T" style guitar?

Bill

Link to bigger picture is in the original post.

Drak,

Your choice in wood continues to amaze me. While I am not partial to the design, I am amazed at the quality of wood and work that you continue to produce.

Bill

Looking good so far. What are the plans for this body? Pickups? Bridge? Neck?

←

Pups = 2 Rio P90's

Bridge - Hipshot

Neck - TBD?

Bill

Thought I would post some links to a Koa topped swamp ash T style guitar that I am making. I think I will use a set of Rio P90's for the pups.

Oh yeah - threw in a small tummy cut.

Bill

front view

rear

side view

Personally, I think it is an amazing piece of work. It combines the vision of Ron's customer with the creativity of the builder. After reading LGM's post several times - I think he hit it on the nose. Ron did start by hand. He took a very common body shape and put his own twists on it. His use of the CNC allows him to cut the bodies in an extremely percise manner. I can't fault him for that, In fact, if you look at the pinned tutorial on CNC, you will see that he still spends quite a bit of hands on time with each guitar. Also, I think we have overlooked the time that it must have taken him to program that CNC to do this project or the time it took him to program his original pattern.

Whether some builds a guitar completely by hand (non-CNC) or with a CNC I don't care. I have respect for either route.

That Koa top is sick as well as the Limba!!

Bill

I'll post a pic of the grinder and my carve attachment later today Marty.

Everyone who wants to do a carved top should own one of these attachments, it is THE carver for the backyard builder. 

Thanks!

←

I too would love to see a picture.

So your block of mahogany and sand paper is all you use for joining? If so, that is way too cool. I think I have easy access to all tools at home, but I always had to trek down the road to get a hold of a jointer to use. This could make my life a lot easier. What grit sandpaper do you use? You said the pads were given to you - I will do a search, but do you know where they can be purchased?

By the way - very nice work on the carve. The design is not my cup of tea, but the workmanship is top notch.

Bill

Thanks for the advice, I will have to look into them.

Bill

I -just- got done dying the Lacewood Rhoads V, and have the black and blue dyed fingertips to prove it. Tee-Hee!  (I ran out of my latex dye gloves  )

Looking sweet so far! 

←

If the blue is anywhere near what you showed yesterday - hold on!!

Very nice work sir

Bill

Well I started to work on my 2nd project. It will be a LpJr. made out of a two piece black limba body (thanks Rich). Here are two pics of the body after I finished cutting and routing today. Everytime I think I have figured out the router - wham a tear out!. Thankfully the tear out today was minor and was easily sanded out .

Well now I am off to read about building a neck. This will be a first - so I am sure it will be quite some time before I have any updates.

In building the neck - how are the pre-slotted fretboards from places like stew mac or exotic hardwoods?

Bill

Front view above

Template with Body