javacody

I just got an Amana 1/2", 1" long template bit. Are these any good? It was $24.95 from the WoodSmith shop (here in Des Moines).

Thanks for the link Gemm012. This should do it, eh?

daveq, you got any photos or links to the jig you use? What type of blade do you use for this? I have to say that this thread worked out pretty well. We got to read about the evolution of your guitar building skills, kinda.

I'm surprised no one mentioned the sharpened spoon.

Listen to Rich. Your daughter could go into shock and die if shes sensitive/allergic and exposed. Its not worth it.

Other folks use CA (super glue) and epoxy to level, but I'm not sure Tung Oil will stick to this. I wonder if you could fill, spray shellac on top, and then oil?

I wouldn't refute his claims without trying them first. I like radiused boards, but classical guitars do have a flat radius and Todd isn't the first luthier to try these rods. I also believe that less mass in a neck is better (i.e. I like light tuners and a single action truss rod), but we're all entitled to our opinions, right? I've ordered Sperzel's from TK before, and he seems like a real good guy.

If the parts all fit the Fender specs, then they should be close enough to bolt together, no problems. However, if say the neck pocket and neck are different (say a standard fender neck pocket and a 22 fret neck with no shelf or the neck is a different scale), then there are going to be problems and measurements will need to be taken.

Yeah, with that heel, it looks like the rosewood neck is "growing" out of the body. Cool stuff.

Looks like snakewood?

xlr8, I've been waiting to see this beauty finished for quite some time! What a stunning work of art! Now that is how a Les Paul should be done. I'm shocked at how much that guitar appeals to me, as I'm somewhat of a traditionalist, but you've improved the Les Paul design while keeping its soul intact. Great, great job! I'm especially tickled by that sunken electrosocket jack cup. That is a nifty idea that I'm going to definitely steal.

Perry, I like the idea of thinner frets up high, especially if you've got fat fingers. What's the thickness of those higher frets? Also, got any photos of the speed shelf? Is that anything like the contoured heel where the heel is thinner and gets thicker towards the body? Edit, just checked out the the GOTM thread. Perry, that guitar is way cool. I love that cavity treatment! That is an amazing special touch. It seems like you outdo yourself with every new guitar! What's the trimpot for?

Yeah, in looking at the photo, I think it would also be tricky to blend the different layers of bleach. If there was some way to get a smooth transition that didn't require a small miracle, it may be doable.

I could be wrong, I admit, I just want to make sure we don't give someone wrong advice based on a lower res image.

I want to do a burst on a walnut and after seeing the following link: bleaching walnut, inspiration struck. Could I taper my bleach applications to make the Walnut progressively lighter into the center of the guitar? I'd really like to do this and add some yellow or amber dye to this. I'm thinking it could turn out pretty cool. What do you guys think?

I understand, Fender did the same, veneering the fronts and backs of the American Standards for finishing purposes, and they still do it on their MIM standards. I'm not convinced that is the case here. Look at the grain patterns, it looks like they match up. It's a little tricky to tell because it looks like the contours are pretty steep, possibly causing an illusion of the grain line not matching up. Edit: I saved the pic to my desktop and zoomed in a bit, and didn't help much, but it still looked like the grain lines were continous from the contours to the top. I wonder if the top still has some finish soaked in or sanding sealer in it causing the lines?

I wouldn't be so quick to say thats a veneer, look closer, the grain lines match up pretty well. They are fainter, but they match up. I'd reserve absolute judgement until I saw a higher res photo. If its a veneer, then they did a damn good job of making the whole thing level with the neck through portion and with wing wood that looks that good, why veneer? Also, when that back piece broke off, why didn't the veneer chip away? I had a piece of poplar that sanded much the same way, it left very distinct lines from the separate layers of wood. It also had mineral staining like that guitar. He wasn't talking about stain as in finishing product. Man, I hope you guys just didn't give this guy some real bad advice. It definitely is not real well suited for a clear finish though, perhaps an opaque finish, but maybe not clear.

USA Custom guitars necks and neck pockets fit like OJ's glove (i.e. tight). They are perfect. I have two USA Custom guitars "strats", both alder bodied with maple necks (one has a rosewood fretboard). Tommy (the owner of USA Customer Guitars) can also make the pockets tighter if you ask him to. He offered me this on my first guitar when he heard I was going to Tung Oil it (I turned him down, because I ended up going with minwax wipe on poly for the neck). I could pick the body up with the neck slid into place (not bolted). Not sure if my pics are close enough to give you any real detail, but you can see my first USA CG strat at USA CG Strat project. My site is a little slow, but I've got some pictures of the finished guitar and one of the body in process and one of the neck fresh out of the box. Edit: I hesitate to show this directly here, because I don't want to be made fun of for my (lack of) finishing skills and my dumb use of three nails tapped into where the pickguard would be, but here's a good picture that shows you the snugness of the pocket: And please, no crap about the decal, I actually use several Fender products on the guitar, although its not a Fender strat, and I haven't used decals at all on my other guitars. You'll note the Earvana OEM nut and a couple of tuners slightly askew (first time doing Sperzels). The fingerboard edges are worn-in a bit (I can't remember what Fender calls this, but Tommy added it to my neck at no extra charge).

I think the results with the Earvana nut can vary based on the string gauges used. It will never be perfect. Also, I notice a much larger difference on 25.5" scale guitars. I don't use Earvana nuts on my 24.68" scale guitars and I don't really miss it. However, it made a world of difference on my strats and tele, I do play with pretty high action though.

soapbarstrat, I understand your thinking, but from I can tell, all the parts are identical except for the height of the posts. On the 3x3 tuners, they are not marked for high E vs. low E, from what I understand. Couldn't hurt to email or call Sperzel to make sure though.

From what I've read and experienced, you want to wipe off any oil finish after about 15 minutes. Wipe on, let sit for 15 minutes, wipe off. Let it dry overnight, repeat. Now tru-oil may cure faster, but I'm pretty sure you still want to wipe it off after 15 minutes, otherwise, its going to go on way too thick and not dry properly. Before I started using oil finishes on guitars, I researched what gun owners do to their stocks, and the information is similar to, if not the same as what I presented above. Do the research anyway. Here's some food for thought: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...002/ai_n8892269 Another good resource is about doing a hand rubbed poly finish: http://www.frettech.com/info.html Another great set of articles on sealing, pore-filling, and finishing a gun stock with oil based products: http://riflestocks.tripod.com/seal.html

I got a johnson tele body on ebay for $25. It wasn't routed for the string ferrules.

This is what $2000 buys you from Gibson. No wonder they had to sue PRS. Obviously they can't compete in the area of craftsmanship. That top joint is most likely from a Standard.

Wow, for consistent templates, it must be pretty bad luck to ship a guy out two bad templates in a row, eh? I didn't see a public apology or an admittance of being wrong either? Good thing Alex showed up to straigthen everything out, otherwise I have the feeling that Helge would be out of luck. Helge, I'm curious as to the offer? I hope he's going to pay for the wood that was ruined because of the template.

What's knocked down mean? Is that some Scottish slang for falling off the back of a truck? LOL Just kidding, I assume that means when it gets replaced with a newer model?