rick_here

Thanx Mr. Guitarfrenzy, I remember you! Yep, that's what mine looks like except the gaps are noticably larger: 2/3rds making contact, 1/3rd not. Btw, I had this guitar initially setup by a pro in Memphis. He commented that it was "one of the nicest necks" he had seen in quite some time. (Later on I set the action really low...it plays very well...'cept I wore out the frets). I can't afford having a refret job done and realize it would take me something like "forever" to do it myself. One of these days.... Thanx again, Rick

Mickguard, I hear what yer saying about the bottom of the heel & body contact. This guitar's good & tight along these lines. Btw, I "looked under the hood" coz the frets are all worn down...I've been contemplating refretting this guitar...(otherwise, plz see my reply to erikbojerik, below). erikbojerik, First off, I bought this guitar new in '95...it hasn't been altered. The neck is butted up against the body but only about 3/4" meets the body "there." The corners of the body have these radiuses (where the neck doesn't make contact). The no-contact area is +/- 3/4" on either side with about a 3/32" gap. crude attempt at an illustration of the neck pocket (butt of neck meets body) : ( < these "corner radiuses" in the body | < where neck & body make contact....headstock is > that > way > ===::: ( < corner radius Don't know if that helps any. The thing is, approximately 2/3rds of my neck & body don't meet where it seems they should. Mickguard may be right. If I filled these gaps in it may not make much difference. I don't know (is why I asked)! Don't know what else to say but: Thanx, Rick p.s. Maybe I could just stick a few toothpick ends in there? (or something like that), lol

Setch, thanx much...I checked out yer blog. Nice lookin work too. Notes: -- Unlike your guitar, whoever scored around the bridge on my guitar didn't score deep enuf. (It looks like only about 0.15 mm! I can't find my feeler gauges right now). -- I'll route it out like you did: slightly larger. I figure this will give it more "grip." -- I still have plenty of wood to work with except for about a 3/8" diameter area that should get smaller after routing. -- I'll epoxy it, keeping in mind to prevent bubbles in this area. Perhaps I should level this area out first? (with epoxy)? -- Bridge wood? I'll probably use maple for economy purposes. I know maple is known for its sound quality...as with banjo bridges. But it might be kind of hard to dye. Would you recommend any other type of wood? My hunch is any kind of hard wood would be doable. -- I've never made a bridge but think I can, just take my time.... Admittedly, I still kinda like the idea of making a tailpiece for this old beater. Yet this could cause too much downward pressure on the soundboard, especially if I put steel strings on it. (I don't need any popped out braces)! Lastly for now, I might not actually get to this project for about 3 weeks. I have an old Kay banjo that was given to me...all tore apart & ready for several rehabs. Thanx again & be well, Rick p.s. Between what you gave me & the tutorial on acoustic bridge replacement; looks like I'm all set (I hope)!

Greetings, My 1995 Mexican Strat's body is (apparently?) designed to be able to accommodate a Tele neck (?). Sorry, no pics available @ this time. What is is...is...the body is routed with strange "round edges" in the corners where the heel of the neck meets it. This leaves gaps (on either side) with the stock Mexican Strat neck installed. Also, even if I were to put a Tele neck on, there would still be small(er) gaps. Questions: 1] Should I fill in these gaps? (as I'm sure it would improve the tone/volume output & "neck-to-body resonation"...noticably, I'm thinking. 2] If so, how would you do it? I've considered epoxy...sanding down to wood then filling in (using some kind of "mold" to hold the epoxy in place). Any ideas? Thanx, Rick

Greetings...long time, no post @ Project Guitar.... A few years ago I was given (what I believe to be) an over-sized classical guitar. The bridge was "missing" -- apparently, it ripped-off. I got a replacement bridge which fits the soundboard (same overall standard bridge size here). However, this guitar has a larger string-spacing which I estimated to be 2 & 27/32" @ the string thru holes on the bridge. I attempted to fix this by filling the existing bridge string-thru holes with a mixture of glue & sawdust (which worked) and redrilling the holes (but this didn't work as I didnt have a vice & correct tools at the time -- the holes aren't lined up right). Btw, this isn't an especially "nice" guitar. The manufacturer's decal is missing & it has a few dings & scratches. I've been told it's prolly Mexican made. But the neck is straight & it looks "playable." I should mention that I did try to glue the bridge on at one time using some kind of general purpose glue. But I immediately took it off (for reasons I won't mention). This glue I was using to fill in some missing wood from the soundboard as well as for bridge attachment.... So I have two repair issues: 1) filling in the missing wood (under the bridge) -- some of the glue is still there -- and, 2) "making" the right kind of bridge with the correct string spacing -- using this replacement bridge (?) Options I've considered: a] filling in the missing soundboard (which doesn't go all the way thru) with super glue, slow-setting, then sanding flat b] removing the "strings-thru wood" on the bridge and gluing on a replacement (which I could make with the correct string spacing) -- could bolt it on bridge also (?) c] making a new bridge (I've never done that but I have access to "the right tools" now) d] sand down enough of the "strings-thru wood" to make room for installing a tailpiece (which will be homemade...this guitar doesn't have to be "pretty" just playable)! Making a tailpiece seems the easiest. Yet I know this would change the guitar's tone/volume. But it's an "oversized" guitar...the volume should be ok, don't know about tone. A tailpiece would give me the option of using steel strings also, I'm figuring (?). One other thing is: would a tailpiece change the location of the bridge? (I really don't know). Lastly, if I wind up gluing the bridge should I use hot hide glue? These questions & ideas are sort of "complex" so I'll thank y'all in advance for your input. Will be out of town this whole weekend. Thanx, Rick p.s. didn't capitalize "Classical" (Bridge Repair)...doesn't matter.....anyway, thanxalot!

Can't remember if I "said where" or not....??? Sidney, Ohio USA Btw, it's kinda hard to find using an Existential Map (see below, LoL)....

J- Methinks you were maybe the 1st person I met @PG...(I'm also working on a Tele-Copy)..... I'll get with you later & someplace else re: tools, Thanx! I've become unemployed since joining & gotta go check on a Job-Poss & vote. Catch ya later, dude!

MurphC- It sounds like you & I have the same basic idea. I have an Ash Tele-Syle body and want it to be gray...with the grain showing thru. I bought the body from Musikraft in New Jersey and still can't tell if it's Swamp or Northern Ash. It weighs 4.8 pounds and is 1& 1/2 inches thick (1950 Broadcaster style) and sort of "heavy" for Swamp Ash. Musikraft didn't say what kind of Ash it is so I've "guessed" Northern (hard ash). In any event , my Project has been on-hold since I lost my job (which is beside the point). Other than that, I've been posting A Lot here at PG...asking the same stuff you are. There are several threads I could point you to. Actually there has been some disagreements on how "that" is done---and even "if" it can be done. This has more to do with individual experiences, personal tastes, and probably the individual character of each piece of wood that has been used as well. I have to go check on a job and vote.... But will be back later to give you links to the threads where we've been talking about "coloring (and finishing)" Ash (what you & I are going for). Here's the most recent thread: Bad Dye Job And prolly where we'll wind up picking-up. Matt's (GuitarFrenzy) Method is cool if that's what yer going for. Others have (and/or are) using his "tinted-clear" type of finish and say it's Great! I'm not so sure that's what I want...well, it isn't. So I'm currently weighing out other options. If ya wanna...tell me (exactly) what kind of finish you want here & I'll be back later tonite. (We could work-together on our separate guitars???). I've got the basic ideas on what can be done from other PG members but, Gotta git! rick ><>

Hey John! Yer on a level a bit past my area of expertise and...I don't have the right tools anyway. Just dropping by to say Congrats! (so far) and: I Wanna Learn. So I've subscribed to this thead. See ya around the neighborhood.

Ummmmm...... What does "WOD" stand for?

ooops, uh, yeah: BigDguitars.....has the Varitones..... (ya gotta love that editing feature & those friends who dare & care to be Honest)....

Wow (okay, thanx)!!! Um, I've used regular ol' Pure Tung Oil and have been reading-up on the Polymerized (considering: what possible applications?).... Poplar Body/ Mahogany Neck sounds "sweet" this way from a Wood-Tones perspective. I've been hearing how folks are using Poplar more, lately. Word has it that Poplar has the same basic Tone-Qualities of Alder.... "BluesHawk Copy," hey? (Not a bad choice, under any circumstances, imo). Regular "creme" P-90's then? Varitone; BigDguitars has some info/ makes & sells em himself!!! Strat-Type Bridge. What kind? Have you found a BluesHawk? If so, Plz Gimme a Link! (I coudn't find one). But I really like what I'm seeing here: (StewMac): HIPSHOT "Hard-Tail" Bridge and know of others who are planning to use them. I have one scheduled for a Tele-Copy. Thanx, some more.

I need some advice---just before I "officially start" a My Project Guitar Thread (about this specific guitar). For those of you have have been hearing about my "plans"...this is the same Telecaster-Type Body that I've been talking about since I joined PG (Rockt 2nd, this year). To Review & summarrize: It's my "first project" other than a Carvin Kit I "made" and is Pre-Routed (purchased from Musikraft, in New Jersey). Specs: 1950 "Broadcaster" style, 1 & 1/2" thick. Ash (and "looks" like it might be Hard Northern Ash, by appearance, Musikraft didn't say/ one way or the other). Weight: 4.8 pounds....(pretty heavy for Swamp Ash, I thought). Neck: One-piece Maple, a Mighty Mite. Pups: Two matched (@ 9K ohms) Kent Armstrong, Humbucking-sized, P-90's ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Observations & Questions: Trying to be as brief as possible; this is an experiment...(I'm new at this). And without going into all the details about my choices (above); I have some concerns about "tone." Ash and Maple both tend to accentuate the higher frequencies from all I've gathered. These Kent Armstrong Pups, going by all I've heard about them, will do just fine (as far as their range of frequencies (sound) go. Btw, I'm not going for any certain "Gibson-y" or "Vintage Tele" sound. OK. I said all-that to ask this. Both Ash & Maple are also noted for their Sustain-Capabilites. Coupling this with their known "accentuation of the highs"....I thought an F-Hole might contribute to an evening out along these lines, so to speak. Giving the body & neck "combo" an extra Chamber to allow more mids & bass to resonate. This "Project Guitar" is entirely theoretical, based on what I've read (and/or studied) and also heard from other people who have some of my chosen components. So will just one F-Hole make any diff in the sound (do you think)? The body will remain a solid-body, otherwise. Finally, I should also mention that this F-Hole might not really be one. I'm considering doing a "the fish symbol" kinda like this ><>....(except connected & stuff). My primary question is just about wood combinations & "their tones" and if anyone thinks an F or F(ish)-Hole might enhance the sound of the instrument. Thanx for reading this, (in any event) rick ><>

Javacody & y'all- So for purposes of Review and/or "context"; what we have here is a LP styled body with F-Holes...it's not an arch-top, right? (Thinlines aren't that). Whether there's any chambering (or not) probably doesn't enter into the equation as our problem areas, so to speak, wouldn't "be" where any chambering usually is.... And the P-90's are regular ones---not the humbucking-size that are now available. (I have 2 of those, btw). Javacody's P-90's are gonna be body-mounted (inside the routings, screwed-in from the bottom)....if I'm getting the picture right. Therefore, Pup-Mounting-Rings aren't needed, as such. You (javacody) mentioned doing some kind of Inlay-scenario which sounds cool & doable. Especially with the color-coordinated "matching set" of knobs. Speaking of "color"...what color schemes are we working on here? We'd have the body's and the neck's colors to take into consideration as well. Hmmmmm.... So. If the Pups aren't gonna need Pup-Rings...we're looking at a way to both surround (mistake-cover) and also enhance the guitar's overall look. The Pup's colors; we'd need to know those too. Chrome? Black? Gold? Sometimes it seems more fun to Plan Guitars than actually making them..... NEhoo, rick ><>

skibum- Naaaaa, no one's come across as The Big Expert (not to me NEwayz)....just diff approaches. Hitone- Great! Glad to hear you've chosen yer Method & thanx for the FYI. MikeB- Yeah, man! (can't wait to see that)...... So. Y'all take it easy. Till next time, rick ><>

Thanx, javacody....(I'm just learning here)...and can see I totally misunderstood what you meant. Would Pick-up Rings be a possibility? I mean, will this guitar have them? (and would they cover the mistakes).... In any event, Good Luck!!!

javacody- I don't have any answers but am curious about a couple things (so I can learn stuff). I'm wondering why you needed to fill the grain on a Maple Top? Was it unusually "grainy" for Maple? (obviously must have been). Was the dye you used water-based? or did you use denatured alcohol? Did you mix it yourself? (was it powdered)? Lastly; what kind of (brand & type) Grain Filler did you use? So you filled the whole top and just tested the dye on two small 1/4" areas...right? I'm not trying to "grill" you with questions, javacody! Just wanna find out How To Do Things! And if I find anything out; I'll let you know....

Sacred- A lady friend of mine does Nails...if that'swhat you mean? soapbarstrat- Yeah, Rik Emmett's one of em....

Drak & everybody- I only have one Tele-Copy "in the oven" (rilly all it's parts are sitting comfortably on the sofa). Anywayz, I'm gonna be needing some "help" with it soon. Will start a thread---with pix---about it as soon as I get the quirks out of my digital camera (bought used with no Instruction Manual)...and I can't program a VCR.... (go figure) In any event Drak, Why not get one more and do a Biblical Series: "The Twelve Disciples's Telecasters" or something??? Or, we could team-up & I could do the Doubting-Thomas Model... (since I don't rilly know what I'm doing)! LoL, whatever....... rick ><>

tuberman- That's a lot of filling-in you have to do there! One Project Guitar member posted this: How "Bear" Filled-In A Pickup Routing.... (I've never done anything like that, myself). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Brian also has this (from the PG Tutorials): Tremelo To Hard-Tail Conversion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What you have isn't exactly "like" either of the problems, listed and shown above. I'm sure something can be done, somehow. Perhaps a mixing & matching of both repairs, combining methods? I really can't advize you any further than this. Maybe someone else can? Is anything keeping you from just getting another body? Or is this a "challenge" for you? Good Luck! and keep us updated.

PS/addendum- Actually it isn't really an issue if Hitone used water-based (or not). I mean, he sealed the guitar first...which just about everyone is not-recommending. NEwayz, I hope he comes back and we can come up with "more" on these different methods for "coloring ash." Seems like Matt's (GuitarFrenzy's) method has been adequately covered. I'd like to know how MikeB's project turned out...or any other ideas from anybody else. Do we need a new thread to "cover" each of the methods step-by-step? or what??? You know, with all the variables....

I mask-tape the fretboard between the frets (since I don't have fretboard-guards/ for polishing)...and just use #0000 steel wool. I don't think I've ever heard of "fret polishing compounds" though they might be out there (?). I'd be very wary about using any kind of metal polish that could potentially get into the fretboard. Steel wool's always worked just great for me. Also a good fretboard cleaning job might help "polish" the frets. I've used both (Raw/not-boiled!) Linseed and regular ol' Lemon oils for this. Use an old 100% cotton t-shirt. Fyi, linseed oil may darken the fretboard (more than lemon oil will).... Finally, I clean my---non-finished---fretboards about once a year with linseed oil. Right about "now" (before winter-time when humidity gets real low where I live). Linseed oil is a "moisturizer" or protecter against dryness/cracking...and does a good cleaning and "sealing" job. Some folks are opposed to using it on fretboards altogether, btw. I have some fairly old guitars and have never had any problems with their fretbaords as far as (raw) linseed oil goes. enuf from me then!

It just occured to me that Hitone didn't say what kind of dye he used. Was it powdered? (and he mixed it himself)? Or was it one of ReRanch's liquid dyes? Also, Hitone didn't specify if he used a water-base? (or not)? Nothing personal, btw, Hitone! (Just curious on the details). Other than that what we have so far on this thread are disagreements and (opposing) chosen methods. Nothing wrong with that, imo. Depends on what you like & what you want. In the meantime, I think I need to study the replies here and actually take some *notes* as we have several side-topics going on as well. ...Hmmmmmm..... Now lemme see here....

Bill-Murray- I was recently given an old "Kay" banjo...which is just like the "Harmony" model. It's purple, right? (They're both made in Korea I do believe. And I just saw a brand new Harmony in a music store, looks just like mine top to bottom). NEwayz, I had set the thing up for this person (my cousin) and later, after he gave it to me; I can keep it with the agreement of: I have to teach him "how to play it." Still working on that....and he's gonna buy a real nice one some time later. In the meantime I'm having tons of fun with it! Banjo Set-Up from PensonStringWerks (thought this link might help you out) Btw, have you replaced the head? I ask this as the old head would have a (showing) "place" where the bridge "sat"---you'd be able to see it, where-it-goes. I know a couple tricks for banjo setups if you'd want em. Lastly, I've considered doing some "upgrades" on this banjo but anything more than a new head and an inexpensive Tone Ring (StewMac has some)....prolly wouldn't be worth it...for me anywayz. A good playable Learner Banjer is all I need right now. (Been doing some zeppelin on it, btw) as well as some Olde Neil Young---same place I started out on guitar. rick ><>

found at Iommi's Homepage: Tony Iommi Bio Btw, Mr. Iommi's left-handed and had the tips of his two middle(st) fingers chopped off, on his right hand. He started out putting sewing thimbles over them. My understanding is that now he has specially-made (graphite) prosthetics. Also I just saw where Jerry Garcia had half of his right index finger chopped off. I didn't know that till now and used to wonder "how" (and/or) "why" he held his guitar picks "that way"....I remember seeing him on PBS and going, "Boy, that's weird." This was back when I was still learning stuff like: how to hold a pick.