Batfink

Alex, i know what you mean but bear in mind the guitar is leaning quite far back in the photo. I've run a string on both E's and there's around 1/8" clear space on either side at the 24th which should just about be enough, although i admit it's tight. If all's not well i'll make a new nut or hang it on the wall and start again Jem Morning edit: I took the dimensions initially from a Hamer Centaura neck just because it was laying around unattached to anything. What i did find out when i received my SM Strat neck pocket routing template is that Hamer's, or the one i took the dimensions from anyway, are about 2mm thinner across at the heel than Fender's - Centuara's have famously skinny necks so no suprise there. Also the width of the board at the nut is actually 3mm wider than the Hamer and the nut itself at around 45mm so with the heel end at just 56mm the whole thing looks very straight. For my next one i'm of the mind to use a template rather than my rather blurry eyes !

Oh, just some quick specs: One piece scarf jointed maple neck Ebony fingerboard with 24 frets 25 1/2" scale Schaller 'Hamer' branded machine heads One piece Ash body ESP string through body bridge Seymour Duncan JB humbucker Single volume control Output jack will be edge mounted and upside down as per Hamer Californian ie: the cord will run parallel to the body over the strap button Finish will be trans purple / ultra violet'ish in nitro.

OK, thanks to the loan of an 8 1/2" Jet bandsaw from my nextdoor neighbour the body's been rough cut and i've done the back and front contour's with my trusty Surform and Microplane. Also the routing for the neck pocket and humbucker have been done all of which went suprisingly smoothly although there's still some material to come off around the neck pocket. With just the single volume control and jack socket left to route and the neck screw holes to be drilled hopefully this weekend i'll get some base coats on the body as winter's moving in fast and i have to do everything outside in the open. Jem Body shot Together shot

Wow, that's the best fun i've ever had with a keyboard ! Jem

I'm really not sure that's one of Larry Robinson's - the inlay's too fussy, he tends to have a more of a theme rather than inlay anything that moves. I'd also say that's nothing to do with the Taiwanese off the shelf stuff. I'd say that's it's a one off "in the style" of Alembic which again gives the Larry Robinson connection but i still have an overwhelming feeling it's nothing to do with him - there's just too much inlay on it. Saying that, when all's said and done it's a nice peice of late 70's early 80's guitar kitsch. Jem

Basically i kick myself for being so tight, i'm only 20'ish miles from David Dykes and i've known Jamie for a good few years from local bands, i was purely seduced by the pricing of CS which was a good part cheaper than DD's and Touchstones. Since my first purchases i've found a few more outlets and also learnt a lesson so as much as possible in future i'll pick my wood by hand and in person. Jem. PS: Oh, i'll look forward to what Simo has to offer - nice to keep it in the family.

Clean and uncluttered, a fine job and nice to see something a little bit different. Jem

+1 on Mattia and Setch with regard to Craft Supplies. I'm on a first build and was enticed by CS's prices but firstly the choice of what they had in stock as oppossed to what they show in thier catalogue was staggering - the choice was basically from only three or four woods for body blanks - and the wood i received was not as i'd hoped. The body blank was 2" so badly cupped that my local woodyard (Timberline in Tonbridge - fantastic for woodturners and acoustic instruments but Bob's not really fired up about the electric side of it) could only just get 1 3/4 over 80% of the surface and of two neck blanks one is so warped that it's touch and go that i can use it even if i scarf down as far as i can go. I think the moral is: if you can choose it in person then all well and good but if ordering by mail order you get what you get ! Jem.

Hmmmm...a bit difficult without seeing what your talking about and yes it's probably hard to photograph what your talking about. If it's rough or un-shiney (i'm sure that's not a word ) chances are your coats were too thin, you need to get a couple of tack coats on and then really load it up as rattle can paint has a lot less solid's in it than you'd normally get with a gun. Personally, if it looks like there's not enough on there or you've sprayed too light then i'd shoot some more over it but if it's just 'orange peely' i'd leave it as long as you can (if it smells of thinners it's still not dry) and then buff it up with 2000+ grit and some finishing creme. I'm sure some of the more experienced will chime in as the sun moves over the planet. Jem

Marshall amps are just about the only thing that's cheaper over here than over there - oh, and exploding buses ! Jem

If you have any trouble getting what you need - although you shouldn't - i use Gould's in Portsea, easy online ordering that only takes a day or two. Jem

Great work, i must have a go at this fibre optic thing in the near future. Where's the LED actually placed, between the neck/neck pickup ? Jem.

Ok, cheers anyway. David Dykes is probably best bet, but they dont accept my stupid card There are a couple of local places i could try. Cheers guys ← DoH - and i was down in sunny Horam saturday ! Jem

Well i'm just finishing off my first from scratch. Although there's been a few, ok quite a few, mistakes it's all gone reasonably well considering my total lack of woodworking experience and fairly limited tool selection. At the end of the day my tack was, i'm going to make mistakes but that's how i'm going to learn and when you take it as a neck blank £6, a pre-slotted fingerboard £15, truss rod £6 and some fret wire which was around £8 it's not so much even if you make a complete mess of it - not even a cheap meal for two ! As the weather's closing in it may take a while to get the body done so i don't know how good it will actually play but if it's that bad i'll just use it as a wall hanging and it's even cheap at that price ! Most scary thing: Actually getting started. Most fun thing: Shaping the back with nothing more than a microplane, surform and sandpaper - the most fun hour i've spent in a long time. I will just say that as it's not a clone of anything - sort of based on a variety of Hamer shredders - i wouldn't like to tackle a 100% LP rip off or simular where you have to be .00001 accurate quite at the moment thanks Jem

Oh, one thing Steven, you can't buy sheet stock from you're common or garden jeweller's you need to go to a bullion dealer. Seeing you're in London i'd try around Covent Garden if you haven't already got a supplier. Jem

Just quickly as i'm sure this is covered somewhere on here. You have too much spring tension hence the problems. Firstly i'd take a spring out, the one that's diagonal seems the likely candidate. If the base plate still isn't level - or near as damn it - release some of the tension of the claw (that's the thing that attaches the spring's to the body) by unscrewing both screws a turn at a time. Whilst doing this make sure the nut is unlocked and each time you make an adjustment retune. After a fair while of mucking about you should see your trem parallel to the body allowing for upward as well as downward travel. Jem

Sounds like a plan - keep us informed. Jem

"the grain naturally accents itself with the dye i have found *but* if you want it to go mad black or whatever use black epoxy (i cant find any in the UK yet, let me know anyone if you do!) to fill the grain." http://www.maplin.co.uk/searchpages/BLACK_EPOXY_RESIN.htm I haven't used it so can't comment but i may have a go in the near future as i'm quite into this black grain thing. Jem

Heh. Well, I was being charitable, since I've been happy enough (though not thrilled) with what little I've ordered from them, but I've heard plenty of 'horror stories' about them from others. If I'm after something very specific, Dave Dyke is the go-to guy in the UK, pretty much. ← Yeah well perhaps i'm a bit biased as i know Jamie Dyke from the local band scene. Of the stuff i've got from CS the body blank (i ran thorugh five different woods before asking what they actually had in stock- which was very little) was cupped to the point i only just got 1 3/4" out of it and out of two neck blanks one is so warped it's going to be touch and go if i can use it. Winge over ! Jem

"Craft supplies can be a little patchy when it comes to quality, honestly." Mattia, that's the understatement of the century - me, i go to David Dykes, like you said they are more expensive but it doesn't come cupped or twisted and they do tend to actually have the stuff in stock whereas i find CS tends to list lots but carry very little. Jem Oh yeah Simo, keep us all informed.

Depending on where you are in the UK you could try North Higham sawmill in Norwich. Although guitars aren't really their thang they do have quite a bit of 'exotic' hardwoods. Personally, as they're quite close to me, i'd give David Dyke's a call. Jem

Are you talking about a Kahler lock nut ie: locks after the nut rather than being the nut itself, there was a thread recently about Kahler going back into production. Jem

Errrr....what were you looking at, all of 'em sell shell blanks. 1mm > 1.5mm is the standard, it don't come much thicker unless you're after stuff for knive handles. Oh, and i'd just like to second the fact that shell does not cause cancer. Not that i'm a doctor or a chemist or something but i'm pretty sure shell is calcium carbonate which is pretty well what your teeth are made out of ! It is, like so many other things, just plain nasty in very much the same way that coal dust is. If inhaled it sticks to the insides of the lungs and it doesn't go away so if you were working with it 24/7 with no extraction or mask after a number of years it wouldn't do you any favours ! Jem.

Look in the suppliers list. Failing that 'google' it, there's a few suppliers around the world. Jem

I'm not quite sure where you got the idea that you can't get real shell blanks thick enough for inlay. True, some species are in short supply and shell sizes are getting smaller but there's enough to go round for guitar uses. Recon (stituted) stone is stone that has been crushed to an almost powder consistancy then glued back together in an epoxy mix (i think under pressure) to give a usable medium. It's MOH is less than pearl and cuts and sands quite easily.