RGGR

It wasn't a flap disk.......it was curved disk with metal grind on it. Found them already!! http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=926 http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1...nnel=1155152696

Months ago someone posted a link to a curved sanding disk........for carving a LP type top this seemed like the perfect tool........ And now I can't find the link to it. Anyone from my desciption know what I mean? Thanks

In one of the pictures shown on your website.....the quilt has this brown color and in pic after the yellow and green show up. How did you go about getting it from brown to green?? Or was the brown before the sand-back???

Print this, making sure the nut measures up to 43mm.

Inspiration comes from different sources..... And looking at this Ritter bass I knew it possibly could be one of my "future" projects. Quick inventory: Mahogany body 3 piece maple neck 36" scale length Gotoh tuners Bridge.....Ritter Custom design. Hmmmmmm..... Quick search on the net revealed not many same type bridges for sale. Or have I been looking in the wrong places?

Time to put some life back into this thread, as the guitar is nearing completion. Body primed and sanded smooth with 400gr sandpaper. Ready for paint. Neck shaped, contoured, fretmarkers installed, Myka type* side markers installed, headstock primed and ready for paint. *Myka type side markers = Side markers installed in silver tube, so silver circle appears around the sidemarker. Currently reading up on paint, paint guns, and paint booths, as thinking about shooting this one at home. Shopping list so far: Sata MiniJet IV 1.1 (Base) Iwata LPH 400 1.3 (Clear) Going DIY painting route as wanting complete control over project and no longer wanting to be dependent on outside help.

Coming to stage where I have to do some fretwork. Never done this before, so in for steep learning curve. On Ibanez J Customs I have seen these nice rounded frets. How would I go about achieving fret ends like these. Would I file/sand the sides of the frets even with the fretboard and then elute the step of putting 30 degree bevel/angle on sides on the frets, but go straight into the rounding fase. And would be simple effective way of doing this. Just small file and lots of patience????? Hope any of you can shine some light on the matter. Thanks.

I have seen many guitars with flames on them.....but non of them worked for me. And as big fan of 50s type flames......I stole these from picture of a back fender of a custom bike. I adapted them a little to work on the guitar. Flames turned out a little darked then instructed.......personally I was shooting for more ghost flame appearance. For painter it was pain in the butt getting these flames exactly like instructed. Like he told me: "I can do 2-3 bike gas tanks with flames in a day......right side, left side....done. But this guitar.....it was a pain in the butt getting the flames to match.....and flowing nicely around the tremolo and pickup rings." I personally think he did a good job laying them out. See here we enter the part I wasn't so happy with when I got the guitar back. A year ago (mind you!!!)....I had instructed the painter to let the back blob (as to call it....) to flow to front of the guitar. Meaning the line coming from the flame would flow on the back of the guitar backwards onto the blob. Not with the abstract points flowing forwards. This is the painters "abstract" imput. When I got the JS-7 back I was like hmmmmm........... Realizing that in future I need to learn how to paint so I have full control over the whole process, and not have some painter put his creative touch on MY guitar. Having said that is........it somehow has grown on me already........ The darked flames, the abstact points in relation to the flames and the JS-shape. Projects in the works will be less difficult paint wise.....so painter should be okay on this. The Axxion will be black metallic.....so no worries there. RGT-7 will be stained with final coat of clear. And the 540Pvii will be Ibanez Desert Yellow.......so all solid colors. Currently in process getting JS-7 ready. Suddenly everyone with a sharp object in 3-5 ft of the guitar becomes an immenent enemy. All in all for a first guitar it's not a bad effort, I guess.

When starting this guitar I didn't see the point investing in painting equipment. Now with multiple guitars in the work......it slowly starts to make sense..... Maybe I'm just a control freak......like to have control over project from beginning to the end. The painting part probably has to become part of this. And for a first attempt at guitar building I think it has turned out like one badass guitar.

It has taken way way way to long to finish this sucker......but when it's finally all painted and back at the house....well.....it's a nice feeling. I'm happy with the paint job (although some things I would have done differently if I had painted her myself.) For next projects I think I'm gonna explore painting myself. Simply to have full complete control of the project. And yes, already in process of putting her together.....the baby has to make some noise. Here some more pics:

After 2 years of building, 8 months of waiting at painter to get his act together........I finally can show some results....

Yep. Haven't seen the results though. But he painter was happy with it........so we have to wait and see.

Only the clear layer to go........

Not overly excited about their services either. They have f*cked up a couple of my orders too. Not leaving enough room for toplock nut (while specificly stated in instructions) Ebony boards of not the right quality (light streaks in the board). Fretslots not deep enough. Besides the fretslots, they have corrected my order(s) and resend me new boards. This speaks for them. They do correct their mistakes. But in my book it should have been good the first time.

Just had a quick word with my painter. He promised me to have the guitar ready by the end of next week. Fingers crossed.

Just had a talk with my paint guy. Guitar has nice candy apple red paint.......but on flame part he hadn't started yet. It's like that for last three months now. First teh guy fell off his motorcycle and broke his hand (read 3 month delay), now he painted it candy apple, but somehow doesn't feel like doing the flame job on it????? Think I need serious talk with the guy. Or take the guitar back, and find new painter. Maybe next guitars I need to paint myself. Then I know for sure it get's done properly.

Not to piss on the parade, but simply some points I would have done different.ly - I would have moved the brigde pup a little closer to the neck. It seems too close to the bridge for my liking. - I would have extended the carve on the lower horn all the way to the neck. Simply looks better IMHO. - I would have given the guitar more hips. Extended the carve into the body, not just rounding the sides off. Then again I'm big Maxxas fan so it's easy to see where these comments come from. Still great second attempt though. Third?

Aaah! Nice consistant answers. It's an ebony board, so probably will go from 400 to 2000 and then install the frets. It ain't gonna hurt going to higher grits, I guess. Thanks guys!

Coming to the stage where I'm gonna start my first fret job. Question though? To what grit do you sand the fretboard before installing the frets. Do you polish it all the way to 2000 grit, or do you sand till 400 grit and do later polishing with frets installed. I now have sanded board to 320-400 grit. Thanks. RGGR

Today I finished a job I have dreaded for a long time. Drawn up every excuse possible NOT to start installing the fretmarkers. I was simply **** scared screwing things up. In the end it was relative easy job. Very happy with the result. Process I used was pretty straight forward, and now I can't really believe I dreaded this so long.....but that's part of the fun of building....it's a never ending process of finding solutions for problems that present themselves.... I started out with laying out the fretmarkers on the fretboard, glueing them in place with a Pritt gluestick. Measured everything 40.000 times....making sure everything was nice and square......using long ruler in the process. Then I used some tape to mark out the position of the fretmarkers.......just placing tape right around the shell material in square type marking. I removed the fretmarkers, and with simple cheap handdrill I drilled 4mm holes in center of marked out areas. Then quick fit with actual shell fretmarkers to make sure the holes were deep enough. Slowly making them deeper......till everyting fitted nicely. All in all 30 minutes layout and 10 minute drilling job. Now some clear epoxy 330 to glue everything in place. Consider this a very fruitfull day. Seriously dreaded this for a while.

Made quick stop at my local woodsupplier today. Browsing through the stocks I bumped into this great Wenge blank that would be perfect as a neck on the Zebrano/Wenge body. Doing an all Wenge neck always has been on my list.....so bumping into this blank will probable set things in motion. I didn't load it in my car yet.....as I have to do some more measurements. Thinking giving the Zebrano/Wenge body a Wenge/Zebrano neck will be a great combo.

It's just the picture...here is another one.... I do tend to keep the ends of my necks square, and I have learned that is more of a hassle when routing the neckpocket. You need the whip out the chissel.....and that sometimes is a pain in the behind. In next builds......I think I will leave nice contour corner on the neck, so I can just route neck pocket with 1/2" bit and be done with it. In my future builds this will the way going forward, I think.

Neck connected:

With this one, you guys have to be bit more patient. My priority list looks like this: 1. JS-7 (still at painters) 2. Axxion 3. 540Pvii 4. RGT-7 QL RBB XL 5. RG-8 Fanned 6. RG-7 'Cocaine' 7. RG-7 'Darkside of the moon' 8. RG-7 J.Custom 'Bonnie Pink' 9. Maxxax MX-7 (still in planning stages) I did find a solution for my 8 stringer fanned bridge problem. And solving this problem is 80% of the battle in this build. Recently, from Dave from FretsOnTheNet.com I ordered a custom neck plate and a custom 7 string triple bucker pup ring. Quality is top notch, and based on the information I got from the Blackmachine website on the 884, I figure I can have Dave complete me a base plate for these graphite saddles. The bridge won't be grounded (using graphite saddles), but I figure I could achieve the grounding by also designing a custom metal string ferrule plate that will hold all 8 strings and connect a grounding wire to the metal piece and be done with it this way. I also have the uncut Ebony fretboard in the house, and bought a fretsaw, so i can get cracking on the most difficult part of the build. I will radius the FB using similar set-up Mattia showed some weeks ago. Although other projects take priority.....I will work on this one as I like, and will keep you guys updated, no worries.