skye

all things considered, I'd have to agree, for the most part, with the hose concept- as Dugz said, the splatter-factor of standard paintballs is just way too unpredictable; appealing as that randomness may seem, it also makes for highly impersonal impressions- slight blanks in the paint left by the chips of the ball, debri gathered in the air, thereby trapped under colour, and that possible damage to your guitar (even a resetting of your velocity puts a major risk here- there are always those moments, you know)... feel free to try... but it just doesn't seem "doable". perhaps give it a go on some really cheap blanks- if there's no impression left and you like the effect, there's a better chance (in theory) that it not be horrible on a good guitar.

well, I hadn't known about them before (a real shame now that I see) but glad you posted it- lots of inspiration to be drawn. however, I haven't taken a detailed look yet, but it seems they only ship to dealers? have I read that right?

okay, so, not unlike most everyone here, I absolutely love the designs on the body- made me think of... I can't say what the picture comes from but like a gothic Labirynth or an unholy cathedral or something. Like a previous poster, I can't say I know much about Buckeye (and after reading through, couldn't honestly hope to try it anytime soon) but that is truly wicked! awesome

okay, there was some part of an incomplete idea in there (maybe an article missing or something) but I don't think that's what I meant. I was talking about some other woods I know (the kind probably not recommended for guitars) ...and somewhere referenced good wood. As a matter of personal preference however, basswood, limba, and those exotic woods are far more to my tastes, tonally. But, back to the subject at hand, I'm defending myself unnecessarily (sp?), I'd just love to see this guitar's turnout. (And, off topic again, what kind of other easily-found woods might some of you suggest for guitars, just for my reference?)

southpaw baby! (leftie)

huh yeah... I tend to forget details like that (most of my hardware is typically from other guitar models and I base measurements on those models... but, yeah, your way of saying it sounds better)

well, if you're not too finicky about "sustain-for-days" and are willing to make some very subtle tonal sacrifices, go out and get some reliable cheap wood (ash, alder, maple if you can strike a good deal) and always get more than you need! You say you have a hand-jig and sander so jump on that body- if you build nothing else by yourself, that ought be it. Alternately, you could go totally round-about on this and buy all the hardware and get fittings on your cardboard sketch...

...live, I'd be w/o hesitation to say they suck. Majorly. And I'm typically only this hard on bubblegum punk pansies. But, regarding studio action, while I don't find any originality or innovation in what they're doing (and I'm disgusted that they're trying to play classic hard rock but ditching powerful, provocative solos) I think they've either got a great producer or someone in that band has a good ear- the recordings themselves, the simplistic and bare-bone aren't too bad. Plus, a lil cred just for playin Gibsons, eh? Overall, don't like.

oh man, jazz band, yes I so know what you mean. They don't have any slots for the elec guitar in mine, and the bassist is taken, but I get to listen to the guy teach a lot and I'd give anything to be in that. (am I mistaken or) doesn't Stanley Jordan have that very two-hand-tapping bass style as well?

Yo, Oct. '03, Guitar World mag. He gives a lesson on stillborn (and the next month), try and get your hands on the back issue. But yeah, in any case, he just rides that F (low E, fret 2, tuned down 1/2) pulling harmonics from the bridge to the neck (not the pups, but the actual parts) all downstrokes. Be sure to dig in deep, I'm sure you know. Also, the pre-chorus is just an E5 (or whatever lil bit that is after each verse) in that rhythm... and then the chorus goes F#5 (voiced on the EAD in 2nd pos), two PM'd open Es, D5overA (D5/A) and some sliding octaves (A and G strings, 2nd pos), then repeated. Hard to explain the chorus in just words... I'll try and scan a pic of the lil tab for ya.

dude, if you take your precious time through the song, and you've got a well trained ear, "Hollow/Dom" is a pretty simple one to learn. It's a great way to work some subtlety into your shred, as well as "This Love". (Vulgar Display Of Power is my fav Pantera album of all time btw) Dime's riffs, if you've got an ear for them, are all actually quite simple, but you really have to take it slow (almost frustratingly so) ya kno what I mean? Also, if you're willing to jump off Pantera, if you really want a jump in chops, check out his work with Damageplan (New Found Power, Elektra Recordings)... and work your way through the title cut and Moment of Truth- both are good lessons in simple riffing and restraint in soloing, particularly the latter.

Okay, first let me explain what I mean- cite off some of your influences and explain how they have crafted your style. Include what's shaped your tone, your fav gear, and your dream rig! To begin, I've been playing for two years but have only recently become moderately skilled enough to pay any kind of homage to my heroes but, my biggest influences have been (in order of GtL impact) Hendrix, Stevie Ray, Dimebag and Miles Davis (though he's not a guitar hero). Hendrix and Stevie ray brought to me that (inimitable) but subtle, round tone (that I have at long last coaxed out of my Peavey RAGE) minus the reverb that they used so beautifully in both the original and covered Little Wing and The Wind Cries Mary. Put simply, crank the tone on the amp all the way up, on the guitar, all the way down for the neck pup on your strat, and pour your soul into it. Dimebag showed me first that pentatonics aren't dead, but are, in fact, the coolest scales ever when you blaze on em. (Put some shred in your warm single coil tone and you'll know what I mean). And finally, Miles Davis, with his at times eccentric jazz, inspired a very open, improv-without-borders thought pattern in me, allowing me to see how outside tones (and relative major scales) work so well over minor romps (and vice-versa). And, in that last point, I would so love a Marshall JCM 800, no master vol but healthy, hearty reverb and a '57 Strat reissue (left handed if I can get it customized). R+R please!

well, I can dig the stain idea man cuz that would definitely enhance the natural beauty of this thing... but I also think, as this is a neck-thru, and thusly the body wings grain comes toward the neck grain at a dif angle... I think, in pursuit of being different, you could do heavy staining in brown/red at the center and it becomes less and less stained nearer the body's edges... In dim lights that would make the colours opaque at the center (near the joints) and very natural near the edges... I don't think I've seen that a lot before so it might look good. Alternately to the stain though, I think you could do that full on neck-wood opaque thing (where you cover it up in some beautiful colour with stripes along the joints)... maybe test these things out on a graphics prog and let me see if my ideas are total crap? Just some suggestions...

are those PRS pups in that first guitar? If not, what make are they? and regardless, about what's the list price and where'd ya get 'em? I just love the look of them and, if they are PRS or SD, I'm sure they have a divine sound! Could I get a clip if you have one? (maybe even play it through that nice amp - or have your son play - or anything to get a sound?)

yes yes, definitely keep us posted! I just want to ask, in case you've already planned ahead- how are you going to finish this? I love translucents but I just wanna pick your brain for a bit; also, what's your plan for the fun stuff (pups, hardware, designs, inlays, etc) just if you've thought that out already?

hmm... groovy man... LPs make my mouth water 'cause I won't ever be able to afford to buy one (they don't make ANY cheap lefties) ... but, just like all the other "done-yourself" LPs I've seen on this site, this is an inspiration to get started buildin mine. So, I'm quite glad you were so generous as to take developmental pics and show your progress on this... and do show finals 'cause I'd just love to see.

well, I don't quite have my pic yet... (cuz we're not done, me an my friend, yet) but, when I'll finish I can show you the mod-strat we did- to adjust to a southpaw thing, we cut the lower (for a right-handed) horn and sanded it to a smooth rectangular shape and sliced the upper horn down toward the contour; made for a very non-pointy, strat-contoured hornless blues machine (suited for rock as well with a hot rail, a single, and a bucker in the bridge!)... my guitar teacher (a blues-rock only kinda guy) likes it... I'll see if I can get a pic

oh dude, wicked!, you've got a southpaw monkey (*points at avatar*) anyway, this is an interesting tele-meets-evil body here... I do like it though I can't say I'd ever possess a model like that- but points for bein' different! waiting so desperately for the final pics.

yeah, i definitely agree that fretboard spike is kikaz... but I also have to say that baby would be SO SEXY in natural (or even translucent with a sad colour... ooh, I drool at the thought). But it's a bass- and you can't go wrong with a bass. let me say also, that body design, so simple though it is, is wicked! good job for a first, better than mine will be I'm sure. (edit, okay, I meant the pickguard there... since I didn't seem too clear, even to myself. But the whole thing in that "sad colour" might be groovy too- still, beautiful as is)

well, I just got on this thread today... and, knowing your rep, I read through the whole thing; it's truly amazing your attentiveness to detail (and your generousity in taking all those pictures)! I'm sure all the newbs like myself are going to find a thousand things to be learned from this account of your hard work. Viewing this (more or less) tutorial, and a few tales of creations with bare-neccesity supplies, has more than inspired me into building my guitar (I'm finishing up a restored Strat-ripoff guitar, highly customized); just seeing this makes me a bit more confident having to build my own Les Paul (lefties cost way too much factory priced). Thanks for the awesome progress thread man- I appreciate it! ~Dunte

all right, yeah man, I've seen the kind that have got my gears turnin (even got some sketches for bodies I'll hop on after my leftie Les Paul is done)... now, anybody happen to know (or be able to give me) a tutorial on changing this trem system?

man, i remember the day after, I had just got up and I flicked on the radio an' Jack Hammer (HH,TX) made the announcement and I thought this was one of his bad jokes... but after it was official... man, Dime influenced so much of my playing (and all his influences thereafter) it just made me break down cryin man... I was messed up. my parents almost never let me out to go to concerts but I was always sayin if there was ever a concert I wanted to see it was Pantera (and later, Damageplan, the first brand new Dime album I ever bought) and we even had plans for me to go over summer... AGH!! More than any words could ever say, Dime will be sorely missed and the legacy he has left behind for all of us is astounding. That was the only true guitar hero I ever knew when I first got into heavy music... to think of him dead just... just blows me over. If any good came of this, though, it's really got to be that now, so many people who, whether they've liked metal or not, have now been exposed to Dime, his music, his very being. If I ever get my sites up and running again, I'm opening a tribute site to all the guitar heroes with a focus on Dime just because he impacted me most- We all know Dime's partyin in the next world so here's to him!

Well, Al DiMeola is a must (full-time shred or not, spice up his licks even more and you win every time ...what about some more 80's glam guys? Rob Beach of Winger, C.C. DeVille (some songs more than others of course) Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and there's always a few of these new guys on the metal scene- they have skills... but it's more thrash metal then shred- Jon Danais (Shadows Fall) Doc Coyle, Dallas Coyle (God Forbid) and Mark Morton, Willie Adler (Lamb Of God) I don't know if all these guys would fit will with your repertoire... but I know they're all kikaz players and, you might just give them a chance eh? ~I smell... metal!!

Well, though all the guitars were absolutely beautiful, I really loved that natural finish (sorry, I really LOVE all natural finishes) on the Mushroom Proj... so it just had to be. Nonetheless, the EVH was outstanding- the "reversed" colour pickguard really accents the well-done paint job. Also, Metal Matt's proj really caught my eye- menacing, evil, awesome, all of the above, really. Finally, much as I dig "different", the sky-type paint job on the warlock threw me... I mean, it's done well, but it just seems a bit out of place to me. ~ja matta ne!

Well, I'm not really- my other guitarist friend and my drummer are both movin @ da end of the school year down here (a real drag) so the lil band we had (bass-less I might add!) is over. I'm just woodsheddin right now (Zakk Wylde and Van Halen mostly... but still fighting for my holy grail of all songs, "Red House" from the Isle of Wight Festival) until I can find some new guys to work with. There's lots of talent around here... but most of em are a buncha smokin, drinkin, generally messed up lot.