javacody

It could just be that every piece of wood is a little different. Maybe if you hunt around, you can find a piece of rosewood that matches your description. On my USA Custom Guitars Strat, the Indian Rosewood fretboard has some pretty large pores, however, I've had other guitars that seemed to have no pores.

I got a cheap router on ebay for $40. I got a $29 black and decker jigsaw, and I have a $15 drill. I also have a real nice dremel that was given to me as a Christmas gift a few years ago. So far, I've made my body. I've made some mistakes along the way, but they were my fault, being too impatient, not from a lack of tools. However, I will say, that after the jigsaw took its turn cutting out the body, it took me over a week to hand sand the sides. After doing it for 4 hours. I finally went and bought a rasp and a file, and took as much wood off as I could, but still had to hand sand for another 4 hours or so. My point? If you are willing to put in the time, you can get a nice guitar for just a very small investment in tools. However, if you are one who is impatient, or willing to settle for "good enough", you will be disappointed in your end result.

How is it tonally? Where can I get a fingerboard with this stuff?

Drak, I'm itching to see these babies.

Walnut is supposed to be a bright wood. However, chambering would warm it up.

I've read a report on the FDP about a guy who has a hollow walnut strat, and he says its the best guitar he's ever owned.

Why don't you start with the tone you are looking for, and choose the wood you want based on that?

One thing to note, USA Custom Guitars necks are made with a fall-away from the twelth fret on up. This should help fight the hump that many bolt on necks usually get in this area. Not sure about the other makers?

I've had good experiences with USA Custom Guitars. Tommy is a good guy. There is a bit of a wait on his necks though.

The p90's are black. I'm going to be using BigD's varitone switch and plate.

The bridge is the mighty mite brass bridge. I have a machinist friend who I do web work for (pigtail music) who is going to copy this for me, but made out of hardened steel.

I'm using polymerized tung oil, because it seems to have less of that brown color you get with Pure Tung oil and I want the red to really show through. It should also be a better level of protection than Pure Tung oil, and I really want to protect the top of this guitar. I'm using the Pure Tung oil on the poplar, becuase it has some green to it (mineral streaking) and I would like that to be more of a brownish color (from the Tung Oil) and because in my opinion, Tung Oil produces a more resonant instrument.

The blueshawks. Fender made MIM Standard strats out of poplar until 2001, when alder went down in price.

Brilliant Scarllet dyed top with polymerized tung oil, natural faux binding on the sides (again with polymerized tung oil), and Pure Tung Oil on the poplar body and mahagony neck.

To see details on the guitar I am basically copying, see blueshawk.info. It will have sperzel open back tuners, regular p90's, 500k volume and tone pots, varitone, 4 way tele switch, and string through strat type bridge.

Travis, the most important dimensions would be:

• neck pocket location
  
• neck pocket depth
  
• neck pocket dimesions
  
• bridge location
  

You can find the depth here (search) and on the warmoth site. Once you have your neck pocket sorted out, then you just measure up bridge placement based on the scale of your fretboard. I'm pretty sure you can find the distance from the end of the neck to the front of the bridge here using search as well. What more do you really need?

Yeah, I shouldn't have used "grain filler" in my subject. I'm new to this too, hence a really stupid screw up. Doh! I've learned a lot just from this one body. Enough to feel like maybe I could tackle the neck myself. Well, all except for the fretboard. I think my old friend stew mac will be making that for me.

I've been thinking about ways of covering this up, and an inlay was my first thought. I was leaning more towards rosewood, but curly maple would look very cool, as I am doing natural binding. Throw in a couple of curly maple knobs, and the look would be complete. Since the mess ups are only on the sides, how do you guys think that just doing this on the sides of the p90 routes would look?

No photos, but I've drawn up in photoshop where I hosed it up.

It sucks too, because the f-holes came out very nicely and the top is nicely figured. Any idears?

Poplar is a good cheap wood and some makers (Gibson and Fender) have made/are making production guitars out of it. If it turns out good, great! If it sucks, you are out $2 per board foot.

rick, I'm not looking for grain filler, I'm looking for screw-up filler. The answer may be that it's just not possible. I can live with that.

What fillers will accept stain, even to some kind of degree?

I'm thinking about filling, and then using pieces of maple veneer glued on top of the filler.

I made some pretty good sized mistakes when routing the pickup cavities for my maple topped guitar. The guitar will have p90's and is a thinline type guitar. The top will be stained with a Lockwood's Brillian Scarlett aniline dye. I bought some wood filler that was supposed to be made out of wood flour, but it didn't take the dye at all. I'm not looking for a miracle, just something that won't stick out like a sore thumb. The two mistake areas are about 1/4" around.

If I can't find something good, I will just go with some rosewood or ebony pickup surrounds and matching knobs. I'd prefer not have to do this though.

Travis, I bet you know how to measure stuff real good. Why not head down to a guitar shop and check out a tele quick? If the sales guy gives you any guff, just tell him you measure every guitar before you buy!

I've thought of using it for a fretboard. It would probably really stiffen up a neck. I'm not sure how you would get the resin out of it to glue well enough though?

I've read Drak's tutorial on bleaching wood, I wonder if this would dissolve the resin in the top layer of the wood as well, at least enough to glue it?

I'm another guy who prefers vintage type tone and I don't play with much gain, so keep this in mind when interpreting my opinion. My experience leads me to believe that when a neck is under compression, it sounds much better.

While not being even remotely close to any kind of scientific evidence, I've had guitars that came with their trussrods almost completely loose, and they sounded much better once the truss rod was tightened down.

However, I'm looking forward to pics of your project and your experiences. You never know until you try.

Also the hardest and most resin filled. I've read that its used for wooden ball bearings.

I pretty clearly state that what I say is MY opinion. Here is what you said:

drak is right.the only thing you should be considering is structural integrity in this case

why does it always come to this viewpoint?i am telling you a tight alphetic resin glue joint transfers vibration just fine...i mean really the glue is almost nonexistent....

You presented your opinion as fact. That is why I suggested you prove it. I don't think I'm overreacting. I guess you missed some of the other posts in this thread.

But hey, whatever?

Yeah? Prove it. Until you can prove it, you are just stating an opinion, correct?

I've never seen a group of people overreact to folks stating their opinions, like in this thread. I thought a forum was about discussion? Open and free discussion? Not certain folks jumping all over certain other folks when they disagree?

Come on Drak, everything on a guitar effects its tone. It's just a question of how much. Although, I think you've made your opinion clear on the matter! LOL

Depending on the size of the block and the amount of glue, I personally believe that vibrations would be damped, somewhat. Maybe its a negligable amount?

Hook a peltier device to your strings. Hot for lowering, cold for raising! LOL I wonder how it would feel to have 150 degree strings one second and 15 degree strings the next?