javacody

Thanks for the fix! I have to say, I really like the newer control layout much better (on the Wenge guitar).

I Must Have Those! Thanks for the link, its definitely going to del.icio.us.

Craig, I understand. Art is a very subjective thing and I know artists will charge less for a work that they are passionate about (or even do it for free sometimes). No worries about your price, your work is top notch and you should be able to ask whatever you want without any feelings of guilt. These inlays are a one-of a kind creation. Is there any kind of wait? What is your process? Do you provide an initial sketch that you tweak with the customer and then provide an estimate?

I've read about re-tops at the les paul forum. I've also read about how some guys took the truss-rod condom off the truss rod because they thought it improved resonance.

Tex-Mex aren't really fancy pickups, they are $80 a set and made in Mexico. They are great pickups (in my opinion), but I wouldn't be worried about replacing one or two.

Try a magnet swap on that mighy mite. Try some alnico II, IV, and V magnets instead. I read something where Dan Erlewine has specific screw settings for PAF's and p90's, you start flush from the top and go up or down a certain number of turns and also, you never have the line on the screw line up with the strings. Not sure, but he swears by it.

Have you guys seen the guitar where the guy put a pickup under his trem springs? (I know this is way off topic, sorry) He mixed it in with his regular pickups for a reverb effect.

Yeah, besides the moisture issues is, I think thicker chunks of wood have the potential of holding some nasty surprises, like big knots, big cracks, etc. etc. inside.

Godin, it's mean to be such a tease. I'm really looking forward to seeing that beautiful guitar again!

I never liked explorers much before, but that is one class act! Great job!

I've found poplar that big, and it would be an ok tonewood. You might be able to find walnut that size locally too. I wish I could find a sawmill locally and talk them into selling me some wood.

Maiden, I think I may have not made myself clear: It seems you are under the impression that I think that type of wood doesn't matter? I've added the bold part for clarification and emphasis. The part about the pine guitar was that it was a prototype and pine is probably a good wood to practice on. Sometimes my points are hard to find (even for me), sorry for the confusion.

Yep, that treble bleed circuit is one of many variations, some use just a cap, some use a cap and resistor in parallel, and some use a cap and resistor in series. Should have a tutorial on it.

Wow, this post makes me feel tons better about my first in-progress attempt! Keep at it buddy. If you truly love guitars (and you probably do if you decided to build your own), you will only get better!

I agree, the smallest I would go is 3" wide.

In my opinion, the wood the body is made of does effect the guitar's tone, very much so. Lot's of people with tin ears will tell you differently. Also regarding softwood vs. hardwood, some of the "softest" wood is some of the strongest. Take spruce for instance, very soft, very resonant, and also very strong. Dan Erlewine created a one piece guitar out of spruce with no truss rod and the neck does not move with seasonal changes AT ALL (see Dan's forum in the Les Paul forum for details). I say go for it. Leo Fender made his first Telecaster prototype guitar out of pine. You may want to try and identify the wood species up front in case it turns out very well.

SOS all the way guys. People really just need to learn how to set up their guitars properly. I use vintage type trems and my tuning is fine for hours of light trem work. Often times I will try to make my vintage type strats go out of tune with the trem, and I can't. I use all 5 springs and 11's though, not sure if that makes a difference. Great workout though. LOL Where you run into problems is with too many contact points. The only reason floyd's stay in tune is because you have only two contact points and only two studs. On a vintage strat, you simply back off the four inner screws a couple of turns, lubricate all 6 screws, lubricate the saddles (and make sure they have no burrs), lubricate the nut (make sure its properly cut), lubricate any string trees you might have (or go with Sperzel staggered height tuners and eliminate the trees, I think they are one of the worst offenders in throwing a vintage type strat out of tune!) and you won't have any tuning problems.

David, where the heck do you get your wood? Figured Rosewood? I'd love to lay my hands on some of that! I'd love to see that fingerboard in sunlight.

I would think hot glue would get brittle over time, but I've had it hold all kinds of crap together. Fabric, pasta, wood, paper, metal, etc. etc.

My name is Cody, I'm 31, Married with two children, work as a Computer Programmer, and have been playing guitar since I was 15. I've modified several guitars, put together two from USA Custom Guitars parts, and am in the process of building my first. I have the body 50% done and realized I really need a bandsaw and drill press, along with a decent dust collection system. Also, I've decided that templates really aren't a waste of time.

All 4 guitars look very well built. However, I'm not a big fan of the metal look nor do I care for headless guitars. I'm not voting on the best guitar, I'm voting on the guitar I like the best. I have no idea which is the best guitar. I only know that after you build your first guitar, only then do you start to get an idea of how hard it is to build a quality instrument. Guys like Perry make it look so easy. Congratulations to everyone for having the courage to enter and for having the tenacity to follow through.

Reminds me of an Iceman just a little bit. The goldtop styling is done very nicely. What is that fretboard wood? It is awesome! I really like the flame maple fingerboard binding too. Very, very cool guitar.

To clarify, Tung Oil is a REAL oil. It's just that most things that say Tung Oil on them either have little or no Tung Oil in them. I personally only use Behlen's PURE Tung Oil. It is oil from the Nut of the Tung tree. Personally, I prefer a resonant instrument, and I've found very few poly coated instruments that are as resonant as my Tung Oil instruments. I'm not saying there is any magic to resonant wood, just that I prefer it.

That is beautiful. I'm not sure words can express how wonderful an inlay that really is! How much would an inlay like that set me back? (I probably can't afford it, but I can dream!)

A second opinion? On a maple fretboard? ROTFLMAO!!! [Wipes away a tear] Sorry about that. Man, please, go to some guitar websites like Fender.com and look around a little bit. You will be amazed at the information available if you use the resources available to you. No offense, but look around a little bit. Also, I'm 100% sure that is not solid maple. The fretboard is glued to the neck. Second opinion. LOL Still gives me the giggles...