Andy

Carvin make bass pups with a similar mounting alignment, you might want to look into those?

IIRC Alsa reccomends getting a perfect 2part poly finish on the surface to be done, then doing the chrome. (probably with black underneath the poly to make the chrome look better). Then another coating of 2part poly.

This might increase the 'mean time before looking bad'.

IIRC you're gonna have to buy the whole guitar to get one of the Ibanez ones, unless you're very lucky and reasonably rich, and snatch one up on ebay.

You could try asking at www.ibanezrules.com though they don't have the piezo bridges listed in the parts section.

From what I've read over at sevenstring.org Graphtech are currently working on after-market "ghost" saddles, I think they've gone into the testing phase, but I can't remember when or if there had been a date set. So you could try emailing the appropriate department at graphtech http://www.graphtech.com/

You could try and get some of this.

http://www.alsacorp.com/products/sheetingfx/shfx_price.htm

I'm not sure of its avaliablility in the UK, but it seems it'd do the job reasonably.

you can also get the ABM ones for slightly cheaper at universaljems

http://universaljems.com/cart/bridgent.htm (down near the bottom)

I'm a lurker over at 7string.org and I've seen your stuff, its really great, especially that V, its one of the few that I've liked.

Do you get your wood locally? I've just moved to the DFW area and I'm looking for somewhere to buy wood from.

A standard 25.5 inch scale will take an A standard tuning, even with realtively light strings. so if you used a 26.5 to 27.5 you'd get the added tension without the worry of excessive tension on the cheesewire strings.

www.craft-supplies.co.uk up in millersdale derbyshire, stock Behlens Solar Lux dyes, and a bunch more guitar/instrument stuff. if you get a chance to look around their shop its great. and I went and hand picked the wood for my project

On idea I'm toying with for a re-finish is a white basecoat, with a layer of varnish which has a load of Glow-in-the-dark or UV reactive pigment, (probably green glow) then swirling black over the top. The pigment I've got is white in normal light, so it'd look like a black and white swirl, until it got under the UV, and turned glowy green and black.

That Red/yellow swirl could probably do with a darker accent, like dark blue, or maybe black. Blue would be good as it would then have all 3 sides of teh colour wheel.

ByronBlack - if you're looking for wood in the UK, try www.craft-supplies.co.uk (on the front page, look at their Soundwoods catalogue), they've got the biggest selection of tonewoods I've seen in the UK, and their customer service is v.good too.

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And if you get a chance, have a look around their shop In person, especially the loft where they keep the turnery wood. Its great. But remember that if you're going to look at the instrument wood, you need to make an aapointment

I do yes, when I'm working longways.

But I then polish them with 0000 grade again afterwards.

I'm not one for startlingly bright frets. But they do get quite a good polish.

I've had a guitar with a boards like that.

I just went at it with some lemon oil (on a rag) and some 000 and 0000 grade wire wool.

I wiped it first, getting a thin layer of lemon oil, then wire wooled it with 000, then lemon oil with the rag again, then 0000 grade, then oil with the rag again.

Probably a bit OTT but it felt brilliant afterwards. Then my brohter borrowed it... and it's back in that state.

I've got no idea if this could work.. but could you use Piano wire for the strings, that'd surely be long enough, and if it doesnt have ball ends (which I dont think it does) then you could develop kinda a locking bridge or something.. Like a massive hard tail Floydrose, Or get some ball ends (possibly bass sized for alls trings) and wind the string around and solder it in place like it usually is..

How thin would you go for a body made from Perfectly flat quartersawn mahogany?

What I'm planning is a through-necked guitar with a three piece laminated neck, All Quarter Sawn Mahogany/Wenge/Mahogany and a very thin Quarter sawn mahogany body, possibly with the wings having a thin exotic wood laminate on them (rosewood/lacewood/figuredmaple). A fixed bridge and direct mounted pickups

Would the wenge be stiff enough in the neck (an inch wide laminate) for a thin, possibly JEM like profile?

Also to increase the glue joint strength, me and my dad had the idea of routing 2 thin channels down the side of each wing, and exactly corresponding channels down the body part of the neck and putting a strong wood insert, like cross grained wenge or strong plywood, to increase the strength of the neck/body joins.

How thick would the top have to be to adequately support standard pots?

Also would a tungoil finish be suitable for mahogany wenge and possibly a stained maple veneer?

I very much like the guitars here: http://www.blackmachine.co.uk/ and they kinda inspired me to throw this idea around back when I started wanting to build a guitar.

Chek each peice you use before you build a guitar, make notes and imagine the tonal outcome, and then compare your notes with the actual tone at the end of the project. You will learn an incredible amount this way.

Thanks! That's one of the best pieces of info I've seen here.

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Ditto, very useful its cleared up some hazy areas I had.

I just have to get around the funny looks I'll get when I'm holding wood and tapping it, listening and then writing stuff down.. Should be fun. OR I could just reply "Roy, my imaginary friend made me do it.. Honest"

Personally I feel that if you are doing one piece necks then you are wasting wood. I buy neck blanks and usually get 2-3 necks out of one neck blank. Much better use of rare wood. And the scarf joint in inherently stronger due to the grain direction (there is a reason why all thos LP headstocks break off at the head). Plan it out and get at least 2 necks plus some fingerboards.

Its only about 1 3/4" thick so realistically only a single neck blank will come out of it (thus the straight headstock rather than angled back) but possibly a few (1 or 2) fingerboard blanks from the area behind the neck

I would use something like mahogany or limba to warm up the tone a bit. Ebony will sound very bright and perhaps even harsh if you use too bright of a body wood.

Thanks that'll let me do some thinking, I should be able to get those woods quite easily

If your tools are sharp then you are fine. It is no harder to work than maple, oak, ash, or rosewood.

Thanks. I'll be sure to keep my oilstone on hand for blades.

The main thing I would think about is if an ebony neck is going to give you anything in terms of tone that you want. It would certainly be a cool idea but is it a good sounding idea? Tap tone will tell you a lot about your piece of wood. What does it sound like?

I dont quite understand the whole tap-tone idea, does it mean that if you tap a piece of wood and listen to the knock if its say "mahogany" it'll sound warmer and less.. erm.. "Sharp" than say maple or rosewood? or am I completely out?

I suppose I could also get it cut into either 1/4" or 1/3" and use it for centre laminates in multi-piece through necks though that would limit them to 1 3/4 in thickness. Which I dont suppose would be too bad if I choose the other laminates carefully.

Ok. So.. (like first proper post here)

I've got a chance to get my hands on a large amount of ebony, Quite cheap. Easily enough to make a single piece neck through with straight head stock (No scarfjoint).

Would it be worth trying or would I be simply wasting a nice piece of wood?

I understand from older topics that balance could be an issue, but as my design is a bit wierd (30 fret 27.5"), I'd need a long lower cut out, to even reach those extra 6 frets, so I could shift that cut out, and the bridge back (more so than normal), and the upper horn forwards, so the tip is at like the 10th fret, to improve balance.

Would that work OK or would I have to fiddle around with the back strap pin to rotate the guitar up a bit more?

What body wood would be good with it? (preferably something light)

And most importantly... Exactly how evil is it on hand tools? Will it require new blades for spokeshaves?

I'm going to buy it anyway if I can convince my parents to sub me the cash (I still owe them like £65 for my pod XT live) Cause if I'm too wimpy to make the neck I can get probably 6 Fingerboards (or more) out of it.

That looks like a damned Good guitar, especially for a first build.

Just a few questions.

How did you get the 4x3 Tuners? The rockinger site only shows 6 piece sets.

Also what type of nut did you use? they all seem very short.

Again. A Very nice Guitar

Hi its looking great.

Just a quick question though, What is the length of the neck blank from the beginning of the headstock angle to the bottom of the body.

I've got an old mahogany hand rail (Dont know what type just that its a type of mahogany)

If I cut it right I can get three lengths that I could laminate to make a Thru-neck. And all three would be practically quarter sawn (though I'd be using the best for the middle the second for the bass side and the worst for the treble). I'm also going to be adding carbon re-inforcing rods for added strength, and a double action truss rod of course, but..

What is the thinnest neck profile you would go down to with mahogany. my current guitar pretty uch a JEM profile... maybe a bit thicker. Would that weaken it too much?

The problem with Carvin 7 String pickups is I'm not sure if you can buy them seperately... Theya ren't lsited on their site (though many options for the guitars aren't listed either so thats not a sure plan)

And carvin pickups use different sized routs than normal (A bit smaller IIRC)

Holy.....

Those guitars are amazing The inlay is beautiful..

Did you make them?

And if you did have they been in the guitar of the month yet?

My statement about "strings hitting the body and pickups" was my attempt at stating the obvious without making Andy the newbie feel stupid.

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Nice.. That is one of the first derogotory comments against newbies I've seen on this site.. That may just be because its aimed at me.. or it might not.

But..

I quote..

"If you intend to use a fender style bridge with a Bolt-on or Glued-in Neck, it will probably be worth making the guitar without a neck angle and fitting the neck so that the finger board sits slightly proud of the face of the guitar, using the same dimensions as for Bolt-on Fender style necks"

And..

"Over the years I ahve seen Several Guitars that have been completed with the finger boad flush with the top of the body, as on many Gibson guitars, But with no neck angle. Some of these were fitted with Fender style Tremolo units which could not be lowered enough to get reasonable action. The assumption had been made that as Fender had no neck angle the new guitar would not need one either; the fact that the neck sits proud of the body, in order to give the right action, was completely over looked untill it was too late. In at least one case the Guitar was simply discarded, but others then have the bridge set into the face of the guitar to make up for the mistake"

(Quoted from pages 25 and 26 of Melvyn hiscocks "Make your own electric guitar")

And Quoted from the table on page 23 of the same book. (these numbers aren't to be taken as perfectly accurate)

"Vintage Strat Trem 12.7 MM"

I doubt that the finger board combined with the height of the frets is equal to more than a centimetre and so the neck wood has to be visible above the face of the guitar for there to be no angle.. unless you decide to use a really thick fret board..

On my previously mentioned Strat Copy the combined height of the Frets Fret board and neck stepping Comes in at just over 10 mm Leave in 2.7 mm of action. Where as just the fret board and frets combined total is 6 mm.

Maybe I didn't explain my words properly in the first post but i hope this clears it up

If you look at a strat from the side. you can see some of the maple at the side of the neck. this is because it is raised above the body by a small amount (to remove the need for a neck angle)

So for you to requre no neck angle and use a fender style bridge and no neck angle you'd have to workout what height above the body you'd need to put the fret board. (and so how high above the body the neck would be stepped) on my strat copy ther is about 2mm of maple showing. But that won't be consistent for everytuitar..

I'd suggest drawing out a full scale side on view of the whole neck and bridge setup to get the distance right.. Its Explained in Melvyn Hiscock's book "Make your own electric guitar"

Mahog/Maple/Mahog 7 string neck-thru.

Ebony/rosewood fret board

SS frets

Modified RG style body contours.

Multi-Step stained Quilt/birdey Maple front (already bought the veneer and I've got enough for two guitars with matching head stocks)

Basswood Body

Hardtail bridge

Dimarzio Air Norton 7 and Tone Zone 7 or dual EVO 7

Thru body stringing.

graphite nut..