Dugz Ink

1) No, you don't have to have the MIDI keyboard or drum machine. 2) Yes, you can replace the sound card with a different audio interface. 3) You can run your guitar straight into the pre-amps that are on Channel 1 or 2, but that won't sound as good as a guitar amp or DI. Some pedals are set up to work like a DI. Check dealer for details. Also, the mixer has "phantom power" which can be used to power certain types of microphones and DI boxes. I bought the Behringer "Ultra DI" 100 for a whopping $35; it has a ground lift, a pretty clean sound, it's rugged, and it runs off of my phantom power. 4) The ALT 3/4 "thing" is what we call an output "bus"... which allows you to send a different mix to a different set of outputs. This is activated by little buttons that say "ALT 3/4"... meaning "Alternate Outputs, #3 and #4". Meanwhile, your main mix is going to your "Main" outputs... which are Outputs #1 and #2. So, you can be playing your electric guitar, and singing into a microphone, while listenning to a music track that is playing through the mixer... and only record ONE of those things, by turning on the ALT 3/4 button for that specific source/channel. (You can also record more than one, by pushing the ALT 3/4 buttons on more than one channel.) NOTE: The Behringer 1202 does not have as many outputs as the 1204. The first two numbers (12) tell you the number of inputs, and the second two numbers (04) tell you the number of outputs... and that naming convention is an industry standard. And don't worry about asking questions. I ask some really stupid "guitar" questions, like "What's wrong with this Fender neck? It's longer than my Gibson neck." (Nope... I have never owned or built a Fender-style guitar.) D~s

It's this really screwed up process called the "Electoral College"... which could have worked, but then the federal government allowed the state governments to set up their own system for deciding how to split up the electoral votes. Now we have states where it's a "winner take all" policy, while other split up the electoral votes according to who wins which district, and now Colorado wants to divide up the electoral votes to match the actual votes... so there is no continuity to the process. So, getting back to your question, it's hard to explain HOW it works... and I'm not really sure IF it works. People just argue over the process and then scream when their candidate loses... and it's been like that for at least a century. D~s

Could we re-phrase the question? I don't really want any of them to win. Personally, I think it's a shame that those are the "best" candidates that they could come up with out of at least 10,000,000 qualified Americans. But what do I know? And, yes, I voted... against certain candidates. (The polls open early in Tennessee.) D~s

Here's a diagram that a friend of mine came up with... to help newbies set up a small mixer and midi gear. As you can see, Channel #2 is still open; you could plug in your effect pedals or DI to that channel and record your guitar... if you have all of the stuff that's displayed. (If you don't have that much gear, you'll have even more open channels.) Note the wires that are going from the BACK of the 1204 mixer (ALT 3/4 OUTPUTS) to the Audiophile inputs. These are very important, because they allow you to monitor your computer through the mixer while recording new tracks to you computer (to go with the ones that are on your computer)... without re-recording what is coming out of the computer. In other words, you will be able to hear everything that is going into the mixer, but the computer will only record what is (also) being "sent" to the ALT 3/4 BUS. And you still have a couple of Send/Return jack that can be used to send audio to effects boxes, compressors, an EQ, etc... then bring the modified audio back into the mixer. In short, it's a relatively inexpensive mixer, it has decent sound for the price, and it gives you some room to expand your equipment and your knowledge. D~s

1) The 1204 DOES have more outputs. 2) The 1204 has better components... like its 110mm faders. 3) The 1204 doesn't have large plastic sides that let in excessive RFI... like the 802. EDIT: I thought the 1204 had better mic-pres, but it looks like Behringer is finally putting their "good" mic-pres in the smaller mixers, so that's no longer an issue. D~s

That's interesting, because the 5 year old can (which I've used occasionally the entire time) doesn't look/act like a can of finish that has hardening agents in it. Do you know where I might look for more info? (Google hasn't found anything, and the can doesn't have a company address.) BTW: I'm NOT trying to argue; this stuff is thick enough that I really thought that it was 70-90% pure, with some added drying/curing agents and/or mineral spirits. If I was wrong, I would like to find out what IS in the Gillespie's tung oil. D~s

We also don't mention thinning paints/lacquers for use in spray guns in every post. Does that mean you use whatever you buy... straight out of the can? Probably not. I use Mineral Spirits, but I hate really thin "tung oil"... like Fornbeys. Can I tell you what IS in Gillespie's "tung oil"? No... but it's not because I haven't searched. However, I do know that it is fairly thick and very beautiful. When I have a piece of wood that has great "fiddleback" ripple in it, I pull out the can of Gillespie's... because experience has shown me what it can do to enhance the natural character of the wood. But, when it's time to something different, I can whip out the spray gun. D~s

It's not an oil/varnish mixture, but I can't find out exactly what IS in Gillespie's Tung Oil. But wood is still wood, regardless of the shape or use. I posted that pic because 1) it shows a rich, built up, shiny, tung oil finish, and 2) my first project guitar is not finished yet... but it will have an identical finish. I didn't mention it because the thread was about tung oil... not lacquer. If you want a burst, then it only makes sense to use a clear coat. I would agree with that completely. And you're right; if people want to be accomplished luthiers (who can use the right tools/finish for the right project), then they have to learn how to spray. A good spray gun (with the right compressor/tank/regulator/etc.) is a fantastic tool that can create pieces of art. Some projects look best with paint, or a burst under clear... but some need tung oil. If one product was perfect (and well priced) then there would only be one product. D~s

Understood, but in that case we're talking about a rival company. That's when lawyers try to blur the lines.

If you take a Strat, trace out ALL of the pieces, then build your own copies, and forge the Fender logo, you would be in deep trouble... regardless of how small you are. However, if your guitars just LOOKS like Strats, without being exact (dimensional) duplicates, then I don't see how they could say anything. Just tweak the body shape a little, give the headstock a slightly different curve, and you technically have a "new" guitar... especially if the pots/pickups are different than anything Fender offers. But that's just my opinion, which is based on limited reading of the laws. D~s

If you want Purpleheart to retain that "perfect" color, then you really need to put some finish on it. Otherwise, as you noted, it can loose some of it's purple tint. Also, some of the oil finishes will make it a very dark purple... if you can even get the oil finish to solidify. Purpleheart is so oily that it can be a trick to finish, depending on how "cured" it is. I would strongly recommend surfing the net for every article that you can find that specifically mention putting finish on Purpleheart, because (from my experience) it is a unique wood with unique qualities and quarks. D~s

I've built up numerous tung oil finishes, including this one: (Wish my camera was good enough to get in really close.) When I finish this first project guitar, I'll have another built up tung oil finish. But as I pointed out before, tung oil isn't for every project. D~s

Seriously... any petroleum/oil based products could make a mess of the adhesive. Acrylic as a sealante may be a much safer. But, as mentioned, test it first. You do have some scraps of duct tape, right? It can be so hard to buy. D~s

well here in tennessee we dont put no finish on ar duck tape - we just slap it on the pickup truck and let it ride buddy . by the way - I love that gitar - it wood go reel good with my mobil home and the kids home made braces YEEEEEEEE-HAW!!

That's very helpful. Thanks, again.

I didn't realize that there was a length difference. Now I undertand! So I set the bridge 25½" from the bottom of the nut on this neck. Thank you! D~s

I've been asking questions, and felt I was ready to map out where the pickups and hardtail will mount on the body... and I'm using the measuremants from my LP Jr as a guide. I pulled out the Fender-style neck that I bought on eBay, and I measured 24¾" from the bottom of the nut, and marked where the hardtail should go on the body... which left me less than 6" to mount the pickups. I re-measured the LP jr, which has 6½" between the fretboard and the bridge. So I measure both guitar necks. The new neck has the same number of frets as the neck on the LP Jr, but the LP neck has an 18" fretboard, and this new one is about ¾" longer. What the _____? Over. A rough estimate (using length/distance ratios from the LP Jr) says that I would put the bridge around 25 13/16" from the bottom of the nut that is on this new neck... but I can't find any info to verify this calculation. Is this right? Or have I lost what's left of my mind? Is it time to take up the tuba? D~s

I saw another post about using wood from Olive trees, and that made me think... When I was a scoutmaster, living in Missouri, we made bows (for archery) out of Osage Orange... also known as Hedge Apple. (That link has numerous other links, including one to an acoustic guitar that was made (partly) out of Osage Orange.) Has anybody tried building an electric guitar with it? If so, what tone do you get from it? Just curious. D~s

I'm working on my first project, which will have two humbuckers. I found some specs once (on the internet) for what were considered to be excellent mounting locations for humbucers... but I didn't bookmark it, and now I can't find it. I though about using the measurements off of my LP Jr, but thought I would ask before I start marking and cutting holes. (NEWBIE RULE #1: measure twice, ask advice, measure again.) On the Epi, the neck pickup is mounted as close as possible to the neck, with just enough room for the mounting ring. And the center of the bridge pickup is just about 2½" from the center of the TOM bridge... which is 24¾" from the nut. Do these measurements sound good, or should I do something different? Keep in mind, I'm not a great guitar player. I will just be using this for working out guitar rifts while I'm writing songs, and occasionally using it to record song demos... which don't have to sound as great as commercially released material. So I'm just trying to find some good measurements that will work for the average player. D~s

That's an important fact. (Where's the emoticon of me looking stupid?) This is with the bridge attentuators set to their lowest position. I figured as much, but I didn't know if I could start out with everything level and then pull the neck up with the strings/truss, or if I needed to have the bridge slightly higher than the frets before attaching the strings. D~s

I just stumbled onto this site, but I don't know if it has the exact answers you wanted. Eric Clapton FAQ

Okay, the hardtail bridge I ordered from Stew-Mac just arrived, and I took it out to the shop. I set the neck next to the guitar body with the bottom of the fretboard (joint between neck and fretboard) almost level with the surface of the guitar body, put the Hipshot "Hardtail" bridge on the guitar body, then laid a carpenter's level on the neck. The top of the frets are exactly level with the hardtail. So... how much difference do you recommend between the height of the bridge and the height of the frets on an electric guitar? (This is pre-tension difference.) My LP Jr has about 1/8" difference right now (with tension) and it feels pretty good... but that has a pretty crappy neck so I don't feel confident in using it's angle/depth/ect. D~s

Sorry I missed your response. The problem diminishes when the human body (as opposed to the guitar body) is grounded to the strings/bridge/guitar ground. However, the RFI is probably being picked up by the wiring, either directly (from the CRT monitor), or indirectly (from the human body). Honestly, the human body can pick up and "transmit" RF without actually touching a piece of equipment... just like an iso-coupler on an FM radio station's transmission line. Keep in mind, even when you touch a ground rod, the human body is not perfectly grounded. Human tissue is not a perfect conducter, and skin is relatively dry, so it has even more resistance than the internal tissues. If your fingers have been in water so long that they look like prunes, then you will reduce the resistance, but it still isn't "zero". To summarize, the human body is NOT a ground plane and it is NOT an RFI shield. Instead, it is the opposite; it is never completely grounded, and it is a source of RFI. However, based on what everybody has said, I am purchasing the necessary grounding/shielding supplies, and work it into this first guitar project. That pushes the project back another week, but I would rather take my time and do it right. D~s

Knoxville... Don't take anything we said as degredation of who you are; these are just accurate (but not very diplomatic) observations on your first guitar project. It's pretty rough... but it can be salvaged. And as some of us pointed out, our first projects were pretty rough, too. I have a definite advantage over evrybody; I'm working on my first guitar project after 20+ years of woodworking experience. However, if we include ALL projects in this post, then I had some early projects that were too ugly to photograph. The neck pocket is the biggest performance-related problem that I see, but that can be fixed, and the patchwork it will take to fix it can be covered up with better coats of paint. Just hang around PG, ask questions, and take your time. Or concede defeat and walk away from your dream. Personally, I don't see the latter as a viable option, because I refuse to give up. D~s

I think their point is that the neck pocket looks like it was cut out with a chainsaw. However, the rest of the design is intriguing. Will you leave it open behind the controls? D~s