doug

Hmm...the pearl pieces don't match, or maybe pearl's not perfect for the guitar? How do you mean? -Doug

This is the first time I've put something here to show, so go easy on me :o) I don't get the spend much time actually making a whole guitar, but it's great to be able to sometimes. Here's a quick rundown of some specs: Mahogany Body curly maple cap carved dyed orange Polyester finish Set Neck with pau ferro laminates 24.625 scale MOP LP style inaly Sperzel locking tuners in nickel Body and neck black/white/black binding Custom Dimarzio nickel top Tone Zone bridge pup Custom Dimarzio nickle top Air Norton neck pup Standard 2 hum switching- maybe add coil taps later with push-push switches Gotoh 510 bridge See Pictures Here so let me know what you think, or where it can be improved -Doug

Sounds like you want to make the wings from a solid piece for each side? In your post you mentioned two pieces for each side. Well, look at the supplier list on project guitar. You'll find some I'm sure. If you decide to make the body from a different base wodd, then cap it with lace wood, I may have a piece to offer. I'm alergic to it, and won't use it for anything anymore. As for your 2 pice question, there's nothing wrong with multiple pieces, but it may look nicer if a single piece for each wing was used. IMHO anyway. Also, be sure to let your laminated neck "rest" for several days before trying to shape the neck. Keep it in a warm environment to let the glue dry and all the residual moisture escape. This reduces the chance of it warping. -Doug

Thanks MyKa! I build so many necks that I've barely enough time to make whole guitars. You're right, it does take a long time to get steady orders. -Doug

There are many in this forum, including myself that do. -Doug

the outfeed table is it. to adjust, well it takes some fiddling, but worth it. UNPLUG IT FIRST!! use a good straightedge setting on the outfeed table and have it resting over the knives. rotate the knives so one of them is at top of its rotation. the knife should just barely lift or drag the straightedge with it. i mean just a very little. this will be a very close setting. since i don't know what size you have i'll tell you what i do with mine. grab a 4 foot piece of planed hardwood and run it through. if it does not come out perfectly flat i adjust the outfeed side in 1000ths of an inch at a time. if the board cups inward in the center then the knives are too high, so you need to raise your outfeed table. if you have a bulge in the center then the knives are too low, so lower the outfeed table. just make very tiny adjustments. in a few minutes you'll be back in business. technique plays an important part too. don't dive the leading end of the board into the knives. keep the whole piece flat and tight to the table. this is especially true when there is an uneven edge. also, put the concave side down first. mill the ends then the canter will naturally progress to flat. if you start with the convex side down you'll need to mill the center out until the ends set flat. this is the harder way i think. hope that helps. -doug

be cautious about the sanding belts, most of the better brands have virually no bump. abrasives from Grizzly are poor. too bad really. try Supergrit, i buy almost all my abrasives from them. heavy weight cloth backed stuff for everyday use in big rolls, and their gold sanding disks last longer than most. they carry good brands so you don't have to worry about getting junk. -doug

so it may be an odd question, but for years i've used the wet/dry paper to wet sand only soaking it while i'm using it with no aparent issues. what's the reason for soaking it overnight prior to use? i've heard it said many times. -doug

do some more research on guitar finishing itself. this will help you figure out what to use. if nitro is your choice then a satin can be used, but you might want the body glossy so you might need both. or after applying the finish to the neck kinda thin like, use 0000 steel wool to give it a soft feel. some like a neck that has been oil finished so the wood is still sort of felt. no telling what saga sealed the neck you have with, maybe someone else knows, but you could try a little lacquer thinner on a spot to wash it off. were gloves and all that stuff of course. -doug

i don't get email reminders anymore. login is working again though. THANKS

silktoxic- they may be pretty close. there is no hard fast "standard" but 2 3/16 at the widest part of the neck heel is very common. that's why you can't really change what you have because it messes up the geometry. it's like a stack of styrofoam cups, if you lift one out, the smallest end doesn't fill the space in the opening. -Doug

The neck pocket is supposed to be like that because the neck tapers from the last fret to the nut. yep, you got the wrong neck. maybe someone else will have an idea how to make it work. some of the body has to be removed for the neck to be mounted closer to the bridge. this will also make the neck pocket effectively too wide as it is right now. set the neck on top of the body so that it lines up with the scale length. you'll see what i mean, and you can see how wide you might need shims. honestly, if the body is nice find a different neck and sell the one you have now. -Doug

do the line of dots going across the bottom mean holes through the body? if so it looks like a 'normal" surface mount hardtail bridge to me. Well I am tired though. go to stemac's web site and look at the "tele" style bridges. it might resemble one of those. -Doug

bushings are my preference. they're solid, and good ones lock in place. you can pull them back out if need be too. i put a chamfer around the top of the hole opening to keep the finish from peeling or cracking. they just feel more secure to me. but that's only my opinion. -Doug

GREAT JOB MAN! -Doug

as for westheman's issue can't say it's been a problem for me. they have their "quirks" though. LMII is in california, and i'm in new york state. every order has taken them no more than 2 days to be shipped, and of course ups ground is 5 days to here. admittedly, i don't like buying from them overall, but i don't let that stand in the way if they have a "better" product. specifically i like that flat bar type rod because i don't like the idea of a single point of contact, the arc of the top rod, on the hotrod style. second negative with hot rod is the larger area under the nut (neck/headstock joint) that has to be milled out to accomodate the larger brass chunk. in my opinion, this area of the neck needs to have as much wood as possible to maintain structural integrity in the even your guitar falls over or some other even occurs that might otherwise break the headstock off. my opinion is unbiased as to the 2 companies themselves. my choice, is based on experience with both types of rod. it's all opinion here.... -Doug

stewmac has a couple: hipshot, and schaller with rollers. the hipshot is for string through,and the schaller is for top mount and the strings go in the end like a bass bridge. they are also brass. Allparts has an even better selection. personally, i buy as much from them as possible because they are real nice people. what you buy depends on the look you want. your "thin" guitar is fine. i visited ed roman last summer in las vegas in he had 2 dozen "thin" body guitars for over $3000 each. i came to the conclusion that when a guitar maker is done, however thick or thin it is, doesn't matter. they key is to have fun! -Doug

dril them. then you don't have to cut the screws off. as for the wire tunnel, well that's done before the top is glued on with a router. if the top is already on then you're going to have fun with long drill bits. be sure to cover the body anywhere near the drill bit so as not to scratch it. -Doug

there are several real nice surface mounted bridges out there. some have the option of putting the strings through the body. those are a bit more work though, howver i did it on my very first guitar. came out okay too. you might have enough stock on the tail of that blank to shave an 1/8" or so off its thickness to effectively lower your bridge some. that way you don't end up with high action. you could do the same using a tremelo bridge. get your bridge though BEFORE you start cutting any wood and work from there. -Doug

Bill, it appears that many on this thread like the Hot Rod for some reason. If you've read their posts you'll see how it can be complicated and has inherent issues. A truss rod like the one from LMI has the hex inside and round outside, it only requires you to use a 1/4" bit, and is durable. Set it in a little silicone at both ends and in a couple areas along bottom of the channel and set it in. DON'T GET SILICONE on the wood where the fingerboard glues on! You'll need to hollow out around the adjusting nut of course, but you won't have to remove as much with this type of rod. Oh yeah, check that book out too. Good info within. -Doug

That rule sounds like something that should be written in a book! It's great. I don't ever remember following it though...Ha. I sort of abide by the measure twice cut once rule. Well...most of the time. -Doug

True enough Drak. Guess I took it for granted that compressed air is just a basic necessity. Besides, the only way to learn is to try it. Well, binding is a pain though even after doing a whole bunch. Godin, you could use white or cream. Still looks great when you're done and you need only a razor blade to clean it off. -Doug Just for the record though, show me the car and ramp, I'll jump in and try it out.

Forestner bits are ok, but they cut out sort of a bigger chunk. I like the drill bit because it cuts a very sharp edge that comes out very clean. It's true, you'll need to clamp that headstock to a "backer" piece of wood. This reduces that chance of tearout considerably. -Doug

The "trick" is top use compressed air to blow the dust out. It will come right out, and what doesn't will mostly be sanded away during the higher grit sanding pases. I have found that the dusts comes right off with air, and if any traces are left, lightly sand with 320 grit just the binding. No, it's not easy, but hey turn out real nice! I've done this many times and it comes out flawless if you're careful. -Doug

curious...what's the fixation with Hot Rods? you have a round surface that makes little contact with the back of the fingerboard. just sort of an edge really. plus it requires a deeper channel, and flexes around in it. ones that have a flat bar or some other flat surface to contact the fingerboard just makes more sense. also, the channel is more shallow and you can use a regular sized bit to cut it. I'm just not keen on the deep channel. I don't by mine from LMI, however they are the same. I've made a lot of necks, and these have proven themselves. -Doug