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I would still prime over top the CA if your using auto paint. First prime, sand, then a tack coat, then a color coat, sand, (repeat the last 2 steps as necessary), clear coat, sand, repeat these 2 steps as necessary. I suppose sand and sealer if you applied enough coats would fill in grain ???

Ok scratch the tuners off the list. I just ordered a set of Satin Chrome Sperzels

K well I am still looking for a complete V-amp 2 in good working condition as well as locking tuners. Let me know guys.

I think a respirator is just one of those things everyone should have to be honest. When I am sawing wood I rarely ever wear a dust mask, but I always wear goggles. Like stated bondo should work better on more opened grained woods like mahogany. Also for making the grain less visible before sealing you could have raised the grain and sanded it back before applying sealer minimizing any show through.

Well I have applied bondo to wood and then primered over it and it works very well atleast in my case. The bondo has great adheres great to wood grain from my experience.

check ebay for some EMG les paul 25k pots. I see them go for 10 bucks a pair usually.

yes pics and dimensions please

I suppose, but still would be much nicer if they would sell half-pint or pint sizes of it.

the problem I see though is that the wood on the one side won't be even so by doing this you would probably end up with an angle in the wood. Hmmm that idea is kinda shot. Best thing I can think of is use a straight piece and measure along the wood exactly to the dimensions you want and run the router along the straight edge following the line.

ya but the thin series looks a little pricey for my tastes. Although for someone who does alot of guitars and is serious about there work.

I was thinking about cutting a channel straight down my 3x3 style headstock so there are basically two sides but I was worried about lessoning the strength. The again I am not removing across the grain I am removing with the grain so the tuners should still have enough strenth right? Not trying to thread jack just going along the same idea. Anyhow I love the headstock design and hope she works out for ya. Maybe you could add a laminate to the back to add strength or instead of making the neck and headstock one piece make the headstock seperate and go cross grain?

ya as long as the table surface your using is flat and the two risers for the router are the same height and flat.

a jig for a router to sit on and use a flush trim bit

to get the edges of a board straight you need to use a jointer. For large flat pieces (doing tops) you need a planer or access to either tool. These are rather large, expenisve, specialized tools so not sure if you want to go that route.

K I will give them a look(can't hurt eh?).

I bought a 9" GMC bandsaw at lowes and so far she cuts decently for a really low end saw. I cut 2" mahogany without a problem. All I did was cut reliefs into the wood in the thighter bends. Its got about 2 hours cutting time on it and she is still running fine. If you have the money though go with a 12 or 14" bandsaw second hand if you want a deal. I will be upgrading to a bigger one eventually cause I am amazed at what I can do with a bandsaw(resawing, cutting aluminum, plastics,etc)

Well I checked a local store and found them to be hidiously overpriced. Anyhow I am still looking for a set of emg 81/85 with pots etc(can be the new style or old as long as they are in working order), some locking tuners, and a V-amp 2. My b-day came up so now I have some cash to play with again lol. Really I only prefer to send paypal because of the fraudulent activities going on with checks and MO's in the mail.

so whats all left. Any word on the black lp body and neck or the emg-81? Prices??? updates??? Just curious. Might take a look about tomorrow at local shops (BLACK FRIDAY!!!!).

Ya thats a good idea as well going with the Melody Maker. Also you can route the wires under the top if you decided to add a maple laminate on top. For actually making the channel using something as simple as a dremel with a router bit and there base station(or you can jerry rig your own) would do more then a good enough job. As for a pickguard I plan to use some acrylic sheet I have laying around and hazing over the surface then backlighting it with leds for an ice effect because I already have to much polished aluminum on my project as it is lol. Plus acrylic is cheap enough to replace and scratches are easy to remove if you have some polish.

Well on most hardwoods I believe you want to use a sand and sealer before applying stain(not 100% about this so wait for someone wiser then I to answer thine questions). As for putting on a finish lacquar coat its a good idea because it adds protection to the wood, the finish, and also gives the guitar is gloss.

Not to be an arse but really that doesn't make much sense. You don't use the full amp yet you want more?

A jointer is for planing the sides of stock down so they are straight for making tight glue joints(its a planer for the sides of the stock). To make a guitar shape you can order plans from stewmac or you can do what I did and find some very basic dimensions and freehand your own design as close to the guitar you want as possible.

For tooling the basic things you should have are a bandsaw(or handsaw I suppose), lots of sand paper, a few chiesels, router with flush trim bit and 1/4 bit, drill press(or drill), and it never hurts to have a power sander (my fav is a dual action pneumatic sander which is how I contoured mine). That should get you a guitar. There are other tools I used like a dremel, but really you can away with far less tools then I mentioned I suppose. The price of mahogany isn't that much if you watch. I scored a 18"x2 1/4"x 23" piece of mahogany that was kiln dried and high grade from an ebayer (I didn't get it through an auction I just found his business and asked if I could order the piece). For I believe 53 bucks shipped he planed it down to 2" for me and thru in an extra piece of mahogany about 7"x 2"x23. If you shop around and know what your looking for you can score some nice deals. Good luck.

Well I think i have a means to power an amp from a beefy pc supply I have left over from one of my builds. I still would need MDF and covering material. For the modeling amp I was thinking of the Vamp 2 because of the added pedal ability and more features of the X vamp plus the cost is in between the X vamp and Vamp pro. Any input is appreciated.

Lol sorry I didn't mean easier then a bolt on I was going to say neck thru. I edited that post. Also I agree. Just about every thing you said you have or will have to do is involved in making your own guitar. Also if money is a concern for you making a guitar would save you some money if you can get the lumber reasonable. Also the main reason to do a custom build is you can go crazy with the design and customize in features to your hearts content (being somewhat reasonable so as not to screw up the tonal qualities).