Batfink

Well seeing as he's regarded as one if not 'the' top guitar inlay artist i think i'd let him off...just this once Jem

Well it's nice to see a post about using an alternative wood rather than the stream of questions about a certain woods suitability - although these posts are understandable considering the amount of 'black art voodoo' that's sometimes written about guitar making - a lot of it valid but some just plain pants in my humble opinion ! I suppose that it's easy for all of us to get unduely concerned sometimes about timber choice when, if we sat down and looked at it, the 'experiment' to actually use the wood in question may add up to less than a trip to McYuk's for the kids and if after making said neck for example you'd probably get a fairly positive or negative feel for it - whether it'll bend like a banana or not - before gluing the board on so you'll either lose a couple of quid's worth of timber or gain a whole new prospective on a perhaps more readily available and cost effective alternative. I'm mucho looking forward to your findings Melvyn as you, probably more than anyone else here, are the benchmark that we'd all trust seeing as you've held so many of our hands through your book. Jem Oh, and me: i make bolt on's with maple or sycamore necks so not exactly stepping out of the ring there am i !

I live in London you idiot. And i'm suppossed to know that - how about filling in your profile dick for brains !

I'm sure that if you had to pay 20.9% on everything that you got from a certain country the hand would be on the other foot so to speak ! Jem

Grimzors, wander into your local Radio Shack ( i think that's the US equivalent of UK's Maplin's) and tell the guy at the parts counter what you want to do and how you want to power it and he'll be able to just give you what you want - and for probably around $10-20 all in - then go home and have a play. I'm saying this because i don't fully understand electronics but when i've done a couple of projects for my son for school or whatever i've found it easier to work out with the gear in front of me (basically by trial and error) than stare at internet posts and diagrams. Jem PS: do NOT try this approach with ANYTHING connected to mains electricity !

Oh it's more than possible, Hamer did it in the 80's as an option on various guitars i just don't know anybody apart from Martin (Sims) that majors on retro doing it although i know some people on here have done it on new builds. Basically, and don't quote me on this as i've never done it, you install the face LED's much the same as position markers (from the back rather than the front) but i think the trick, so to speak, is how much of the top of the LED you can shave off to level it before it buggers it up. Sims site doesn't give a lot away as he always says that he doesn't take the fingerboard off and there have been various discussions about how he could actually do it without taking the board off. Hopefully someone may have saved the tutorial that was up or now knows where it's gone to.

Sorry, i never checked the link as it worked when i read the tutorial earlier this year'ish. Anyway, there's enough just reading the posts for him to get the jist of how it's done and to help him on his way and as Sambo said, LED's are available from any electrical hobby shop worldwide.

John, you won't need to fill it - sycamore being part of the maple family is tight, white and one of my fave's. Shameless self promotion ! Jem

Errrr.....well you could have looked first Pinned LED tutorial Jem

Wot, you mean this pinned thread ! Pinned EU suppliers thread ! Jem Best laugh i've had all week List much, carry little !

Have you compared the specs - post spacing, base plate size etc This pinned thread may be of use: Trem comparison thread Jem

Well, stone cutting tools = $10 jewellers piercing saw, not a large investment i think you'll agree. The stuff you want, if you decide to go the 'fill the cavity' route is called Inlace and for this check out woodturner's suppliers, you should find it cheaper than the link you posted. Turners use this stuff, mixed with epoxy, a hell of a lot and i must admit i'm thinking of using it for grainfilling one day.....don't ask me why, it's one of those 3am 'great idea' things Jem

Palm Bay, a British shredder company from the 90's used to scarf Mahogany headstocks to Maple necks as standard and although rare guitars at the best of times i've had a couple and know of a few people who have / had them and never any reported problems. Jem

Just a quick try - have you plugged your lead in to your amp and held the jack without plugging it into your guitar ? If the noise is still there then it's the amp and NOT the guitar. Jem

Just a point but the picture you said you wanted it to look like is a TOM but you've linked to a hardtail Strat type ?!?!? Why not use a TOM if thats the look you want - CH sells them too, check his shop.

VIP ? It seems to pop up almost everytime he posts, but by the sounds of it a pair of P90's are more to his liking Jem

I just wander down to my local Shell garage and use their free airline - get a few odd looks but who cares ! Jem

Dry and witty as usual Perry Jem

"WD is way over priced in my opinion. I bought a 7string TOM from them at $42 thinking it was betther than the one I got from Guitar Parts Depot and it turned out to be the same exact piece, all the stamps were the same... And I pay only $17 in GPD." +1 for that Maiden - WD are my last port of call due to their horrific pricing. Al, i'd say that the one from WD is the same as Axes R Us - i think it all comes through JHS. Jem

It is also the oil from the wood - overheat a fret before pulling one out of an ebony board and you'll see what i mean - totally by the by though as i think he's got the message from all involved that it's a pretty useless idea with a myriad of alternatives available.

If you really must go this route ie: filling a cavity rather than making one for a cut peice of material, i strongly suggest you use Inlace that woodturners use - Google it, it's readily available worldwide. Basically it's a metallic powder that you mix with epoxy and it'll stand 1000% better chance of giving you the result you're after rather than solder which i personally think would be a waste of time. Jem

PM sent dude

Behlen or Chestnut are suitable and used by lots of people - Behlen is aimed more at the instrument market but i use Chestnut purely because i've 3 outlets within spitting distance of home. Jem

Contact your local automotive paint factors - the guys who supply the trade - it's not the sort of thing that i've found in any local auto store although they'll have something simular but not the real deal. Also note that G3 is a sort of product name so it may not be known in the US as such. Ask your local factor, explain what you want and he'll sort you out. Jem

+1 for G3 !