Pekollio

Crafty, There are several great pics of the guitar on the Ernie Ball Music Man Forums, it just takes a little searching I found some nice ones that should be perfect. Rich Pekollio

Dave, I thought I saw some specialty screws on Stew-Mac for direct mounting. Pekollio

Crafty, I spent a good amount of time last night looking for the best picture of the Albert Lee in order to get accurate dimensions. I saw the basic body size listed on the EBMM website [12-11/16" wide, 1-3/4" thick, 36-9/16" long] and hopefully can use that as well. I rarely see a real one around here in any music stores so measuring one would be a reach. Let me know if you start one and perhaps we could share info. Rich Pekollio

Hey Folks, I'm looking to get the exact dimensions of the EBMM Albert Lee guitar body so that I can make my own version and not spend the $1100+ on a new one and modify the heck out of it. Any ideas where I can get this info? Pekollio

That cat makes a seriously good point

Hey Folks, I ordered a rear routed strat body with standard strat pickup configuration and 5-way switch set up. As I was attempting to get everything wired up this evening I noticed that when I install the 5-way switch and move the selector lever, when I go to the #1 and #5 positions, the little switch knob looks to be sliding off because the it's hitting the body. I was just wondering what I can do to fix this problem?

Check out the Sperzel website for more installation tips.

I hear ya, that's what I decided to do try both values of pots and see how I like the end result. Thanks for the information and tips folks, it's greatly appreciated, Rich ~~Pekollio~~

Thanks for the info. Now, despite the fact that Fender recommends using 1meg pots, the customer service person @ Fender told me that I could also use 500k pots if I prefered. Will this make a huge difference in terms of brightness? The body is made of Black Korina. Rich ~~Pekollio~~

Hello All, I'm in the process of building a Warmoth strat and will be installing Fender Hot Noiseless pickups. Unfortunately, the diagram that came with the pickups looks to be a 7th generation photocopy of a photocopy. I have plenty of diagrams from online sites but I do have a couple of questions. 1. Fender suggests using 1meg pots for both volume and (2) tone controls but because of the horrible diagram I cannot tell what cap to use, any suggestions? 2. Is there a recommended brand of capacitors? 3. I came across a Jeff Beck Strat wiring diagram and although it looks to show the exact pickups I purchased, it shows a 500k volume pot and two 1meg tone pots. Will this method make a serious difference? I have contacted the Fender Customer Service department and found it to be pretty worthless as it took them 20+ minutes to find out that the pickups I own are manufactured in the color 'vintage white'. I have some experience with the installation replacement pickups but this will be my first time attempting a complete wiring of a guitar, so please bear with me if these questions seem ridiculous. Thanks for the time, it's greatly appreciated. Rich ~~Pekollio~~

Craig, All I can say is outstanding craftsmanship. The gallery of work on your website showcases some truly beautiful art.

Hey Now, Just wondering which case manufacturers are recommended by the builders and craftsmen here. Any tips are appreciated, Pekollio

That foam seems like a great idea, although the amount that came with the singe coils I bought may not be enough. Looks like I will be off to a store that carries such foam, perhaps a storage facility or one of the 8 billion Office Depot/Staples locations. Drak Thanks for the tip on shielding the pickup cavity, I wasn't sure if I had to or not. That was going to be my next question for you hallowed veterans of guitar assembly thedoctor Thanks for the wood screws size, that will be a big help. frank falbo I like the idea of that bubble packing material. I've seen it before although I have yet to find it available for sale. I'm sure there is some internet site that carries it if I can find it locally though. Thanks again folks, this info will be a big help. I will keep you updated with my progress as soon as the parts get here. Right now I am just picking up some of the necessary tools I need to complete this baby. Pekollio

Thanks for the tips, I wasn't really interested in installing threaded inserts because I am already pleased with the pickups I will be using in this guitar. idch The woodworking comment I made was in reference to my placing an order with Warmoth for the guitar body, instead of trying to construct a body myself. VanKirk, Direct mounting the pickup was going to be my choice, it looks alot better than some guitars I have seen with single coil mounting rings installed (at least in my opinion.) n8rofwyo, Will I have to make any modifications to the pickup's screw mounting holes in order to use different screws? Here's another question for you folks, will I have to place some foam or something under the pickup to help with achieving the proper pickup height? Thanks again, Pekollio

Hello, Since my woodworking skills are still in the infancy stage, I decided to assemble a guitar using a body and neck from Warmoth. I ordered a rear routed strat body and want to mount the single coils directly to the body without using mounting rings. One guy I spoke to as Warmoth recommended having someone install threaded inserts into the body for the pickup screws. Are there other options that I should consider? Any help is appreciated, Pekollio

Hello, I have several scraps of some quilted maple and I am interested in trying to test out some strategies regarding this finish? Can anyone who is familiar with either the process or technique please post a few tidbits on their results?> Thanks alot, Pekollio

mledbetter, Thanks for the info, I had a buddy of mine locate some local gun shops that have the products so I just have to pick them up this weekend. I am probably going to follow your advice by letting the neck dry overnight in between coats. At that point, I will check it out and decide whether or not to add more coats or go to the wax. Oh yeah, the steel wool tip was something I had no idea ab out, thanks for that too. Thanks again, Rich Pekollio

So this gunstock oil is highly recommended for finishing maple necks? I have a 93 Ernie Ball Music Man Eddie Van Halen model and the wax/oil blend on that neck is incredible. So much so, that it has spoiled me and I almost cringe at satin or high gloss finished necks now. I have absolutely no experience in finishing a neck and was wondering what the proper procedure would be when using this product? Any help would be greatly appreciated, Pekollio

Hello, I am about to embark on building a custom guitar and was wondering who everyone would recommend for buying quality blanks through the internet. Also the piece I need will be unusual in size so hopefully the suppliers you recommend will be able to accomodate custom sizes. If it helps I am looking for Black Korina. I checked some of the links provided but would prefer to use suppliers that have an excellent reputation with dealings through the folks on these message boards. Any help would be appreciated, Pekollio

Hiya Folks, A buddy of mine just showed me the paint chip catalog/book for House of Kolor and I was blown away. Although this stuff is expensive, has anyone here used it for a guitar/bass finish? Thanks for the time, Pekollio

Hello All, After reading the responses from my previous post regarding using Koa, I decided to take the advice of the experienced and start off with an alder blank. I agree with you folks, that it would be a shame to ruin some beautiful and expensive wood on a first attempt. I do have a couple of questions and would greatly appreciate any help offered by anyone on this site. 1. When creating a custom body shape, how much does weight come into play in order to keep the guitar balanced? I've checked out a few custom builds and every once in awhile, the neck ends up being heavier than the body and the guitar will be awkward and unbalanced when on a strap. 2. Has anyone used a body blank from Warmoth? I noticed that they offer blanks routed in whatever pickup/tremelo configuration I would want or dream up. I may start off using one of the these and then craft my personal design with a good percentage of the wood working already done. Since I am just learning some basic routing techniques, I am probably going to use Warmoth. I just would like some input from anyone that has used them in the past. Once again, I appreciate any and all responses. Pekollio

In conjunction with my other post I am possibly going to try one of these Floyd Rose Speedloaders on this project. Here are a few questions for anyone who uses one; 1. Do I need a headstock? 2. Should I have someone pre route the nut area for this like Warmoth? Thanks

Hello, I am about to embark on my first project guitar and have always been a big fan of the look of flamed Koa. I was just wondering of anyone who has worked with this wood can give me some tips. I have not heard too much about the tonal qualities of Koa, except for the description posted on the Warmoth website. I am thinking of building an all Koa guitar body with a flamed Koa top. Any tips/info would be appreciated. Thanks.