Supernova9

I visited zachary guitars. I do not whole heartedly agree with his philosophy however interesting it is, but he has knobs on this guitar that I have never seen before. They are Here. Does anyone know where I could find them? I like the two horizontal lines on them and the fact that it does not look metallic. I shot him an email, but as expected, I received no response. Has anyone seen these?

If I was to make knobs like that I'd do them in ebony - make up a stack with a rosewood slice and then chuck up that blank in a drill press and sand them circular. Or a lathe would be the simplest way to do that, but I don't have a lathe.

yeah, but they could wait 3 months to enter something special they have built and do we want the same person winning more than 4 times a year anyway?

Personally i have started self regulating my entries - rather than enter everything i finish i am sticking to the ones i think are extra special

Why have that delay though, with all the work it'll take for Brian to keep track of who's allowed to enter and when, when as from your posting the entries are somewhat self-regulating anyway. People remember who they vote for month to month, if someone enters four months worth of GOTM and wins all four, then hats off to them, because the quality of their build will be overcoming not only the competition but also people's memories that that person has already won three times previously (if that makes sense). If someone builds 12 amazing guitars in 12 months, I have absolutely no problem with them winning GOTM every month that year.

If you win, you should not be allowed to enter for three months.

Totally disagree with this one - it's like it's punishing achievement. Pretty much completely against the spirit of the competition - the best guitar should win, not the one that was allowed to be entered as better guitars were forbidden due to their builders already having won.

Numbers-wise, 1-2 guitars per month, maximum.

Also, one I remember happening before - no re-entering guitars in more than one month (unless HEAVILY modified, and I don't think a refinish counts)

Also, if it's an award on a guitar-building forum, I don't think commissioned guitars built by someone else should be allowed. All those entering should have a hand in the construction process.

As for the pro/amateur debate, let both enter in the same competition, gives us all something to aim for.

i still dont think its right. and how could the builder make his money back by charging 200 extra, when it went for over 1k?

and i still think the planes are a rip off.

Because he obviously will get more than one top out of this, so it'll be $200 x the number of tops he cuts. Besides, this probably isn't a guitar builder buying this.

How much do you sell your guitars for? I seem to remember you talking about doing that in your last couple of threads...

who the heck would pay over 1k for a piece of quilted maple that small? sure its a nice piece, but its not like its a whole tree worth or something. thats just wrong.

It's not wrong at all. Everything is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Ebay shows that principle more than most as it lets buyers determine the price rather than the supplier.

6/7 drop tops out of that by a pro luthier (probably slightly less than that but hey), charge $200 upcharge on the guitar because of the lovely figure, and you've made the money back on the lumber straight off.

To be fair though you couldn't understand why Karl Holtey planes sell for more than $200.

Another vote for the Zebra. in that light the goldtop looks more cream, and the pickups just don't stand out otherwise.

No, I wouldn't want to imply that right out of a CNC machine it would be perfect or inferior, either. I'm well aware of the tolerances in CNC machines not being 100% perfect.

But since there are surely other computer-controlled processes, I'm just saying that I don't know how you'd get that 99.999% flat surface by hand.

Hand lapping on a flat reference surface until the engineer's blue you apply comes off equally on all parts of the plane sole at a time I'd assume.

I'm really liking this, it really pushes my buttons in terms of the design....how did you do the top carve? I can see you routed the perimeter - what were the drill holes round the body for - depth markers?

A CNC machine in china could make millions in the same time, to the same quality for a fraction of the price

your just paying for this hype over the 'hand built quality' as if hes poured his life and soul into it and all that.

(I'm no doubter of hand built guitar but $15k plane? Are you serious???)

No you can't do the same in china for a fraction. Have you never heard the old rule - "You can get something done to a good quality, for little money, or quickly, pick two."??

This is more than just cutting bits out on a CNC and putting them together. Why you appreciate craftsmanship that goes into guitarbuilding but not plane-making is beyond me. Skill is skill regardless of domain. This is like getting a private stock PRS built by Paul Reed Smith himself. That's the equivalent of this plane. That guitar would cost you way more than $15k.

Maybe Item # 7723 at this link?: http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc...es/bt_sign.html

It says 120 degrees, so I'm thinking that would be 60 degrees from vertical.

It doesn't have a bearing, but you could get around that a number of ways.

That would give a 30degree bevel, which the OP has already said is too steep.

Hey all. It's been a hectic month, very unsatisfying. Been trying to get my unruly amp to cooperate (dunno what changed since I first got it...), sort out new pickups for build #1, constructing a recording booth, buying a mic, and finishing up build #2.

I realize sometimes that my theoretical knowledge sometimes outweighs the practical side of things. Take, for example, the volute I tried to carve today. Apparently, I can't think in three dimensions, because no matter what I tried, nothing came out right. Right now, it's a complete mess. I need to thickness the headstock because it's still too thick, so I'll be running it through the drum sander tomorrow. That will put the curve back on, at least.

I've read a lot about neck carving (which I still have a ton of trouble getting right), but really nothing about the actual CARVING of a volute. I don't know why I can't grasp how to go about it. I know one complication I'm having is that the "hump" is only on the part of the headstock that's in line with the neck, i.e. not on the headstock wings. That was a stupid mistake I made right from step one. But working around that, I still can't get it to flow smoothly.

Does anyone have any tips or techniques to help a brother out? Working on the project today has gotten me in a weird, depressed funk, and I really would love to put in some quality work tomorrow that'll get me back on my feet again.

In the meanwhile, I'm going to go watch Perry's construction videos on YouTube.

Thanks, everyone.

When I'm making a volute, I do it in two stages. There are two curves to a volute - the first is the hump that gives it thickness, running along the shaft of the neck. I cut this first when I cut the profile of the neck. The second curve is the one across the neck from left to right that then rounds it over. I cut this when I'm shaping the neck, gradually rounding it over until smooth.

I was watching Perry's build diary on YouTube and saw him using something to carve the top, forearm bevel, and the belly cut. It LOOKED like an angle grinder, so I went shopping. I couldn't find any heads/disks/whatever that said they were for wood; everything was for metal. So....

1) If it wasn't an angle grinder, what is it?

2) If it was, which head would be used? I'd think the ones designed for metal would take off wood way too fast.

3) What power tool do YOU use to make said cuts? I'm not interested in doing the heavy work by hand.

If you want to carve contours on a body using an angle grinder, you need some flap sanding disks.

Like these: Clicky!

I like the colour, and the overall styling, but those pickup covers look well outta place, they're way too chunky and don't look quite straight?

I really like the rest of it though, just that one detail. Good work, keep 'em coming!

i did read it. it makes absolutley no sense to me. at all. i dont get things unless i see them being done. it took me 4 months to get how to cut an glue a scarf, and the only reason i got it was because i saw a video for it. hmm. still confusing to me. i now get that the pin goes in the slot on the template, but other things still baffle me, and no matter how much i read, i dont get it. i am like that with everything. if you gave me a description of something ive done every day for my whole life without telling me what it was, i wouldnt have any idea what it meant.

Then maybe you should stick to buying pre-slotted fretboards. Seriously, there's a pin in a fence, the template is stuck to the fretboard, and everytime you cut a slot you move the pin from one slot on the template to the next. Repeat 24 times and you have a slotted board.

I've been to the States (Texas, Florida and California) and I live in the UK, and it's completely different - it's such a smaller country you're always a 10-15 minute walk or public transport journey away. Without driving I can be anywhere in the country within 4-5 hours (not flying either). From what I've seen of the US it's geared up for people to drive - LA was just big big roads/freeways, Texas is so spread out you have to drive.

I learned at 19 though, been driving 4-5 years now, love the freedom it gives me. Enjoy it

1. Stain the bare wood with the ebony black dye.

2. Sand back so that just the grain is black.

3. Apply Grain Filler

4. Apply Sanding Sealer

5. Apply one of the amber-like dyes on the Lee Valley site, maybe a yellow, not completely sold yet.

6. Apply Sanding Sealer

7. Do a light burst with a darker concentration of the amber, or a brown.

8. Apply Sanding Sealer

9. Wetsand with 320 grit

10. Apply Clear Coats

11. Wetsand and Buff as usual.

Does that sound right?

Erm I think you've gone a bit too complex there - instead of the first two steps, just get a black-coloured grain filler. That way, when you sand that down till it's only in the pores it'll give you that effect. There's no amber dye on that peice you link to either, that's just the colour of Ash.

well Ive seen these around for a bit and I cant seem to find much info on them other than they bolt up from under the pickup and they have no neck heel. Other than that I dont know much and I would like to know more

Gimick more than anything, the neck slots up into the bottom of the body and held by bolts under pickup. Because it's set so far back they can carve the neck like a neck-through. Pretty simple really.

As many entries as there are this month, it might not have been a bad idea to re-instate the two categories: pro & amateur.

Or maybe a cap to stop people entering 4 at once?

My vote came down between two - the Sorbera acoustic or Orion. In the end I went for the acoustic, I'm a lefty so it really works for me, plus it reminds me of my favourite guitar - a Larrivee acoustic I own and love. It's simple, without ostentatious decoration, but at the same time that just gives it a really elegant feel for me, and the details are great.

I want to see more leftys!

got the neck fretted. biggest stainless steel fretwire i could find. 28 frets, but that last fret might be pushing it. but i can guarantee no one else wil have one like this!

What's the thickness on that neck? Looks a bit on the thin side to me?

This looks awesome. Come Next month's paycheck I'll be placing my order

Don't finish the guitar. Leave it bare wood, you don't want anything covering over the woody smell! Don't take it out of the case too often, else it'll pick up the smells of the surrounding area.

The above is all sarcasm. Your guild smells more because it gets played less I'll bet. Every time you're playing your ES-335 for a while, take the guild out of its case. When you're done, put them both back. Bet the smell will fade soon.

Well your replies were 6 in the space of 30 mins That is a lovely bass, that macassar ebony is killer. What are the 9 strings of this beast tuned to?!

What makes his site annoying is his contradictory rants.

He blows it - real bad - when it comes to equal tension strings. He raves about them guitar strings and sells them, and rants about 25" Fender scale as opposed to the shorter Gibson scale but when it comes to his bass strings, it's ... hey...equal tension on what bass? Short scale? Long scale? Medium scale? Standard? There's no "standard" scale on bass and I do not think that there's equal tension on those bass strings put on any scale. One Size Does Not Fits All! And that Klon pedal thing he totally chainsaws to the ground. It's just annoying to read, very amateurish, and unprofessional and, frankly, un-knowedglable.

Want equal tension on any guitar or bass strings? Go for a Fanned Frets. Use (almost) any string set you like. Not until then can we start to talk about equal tension.

He seems like a cross between Yngwie Malmsteen and Ed Roman put in one person. I kind of like him anyway to put humor into the business. He builds guitars out of IKEA furniture desktop tables and living room tables too. Not everybodys sense of humor though. As for the head with increased mass and continues beyond the nut, people solved that many years ago. It's called headless.

As for the Harmony Central reviews, that Klon pedal has just as many 10's too. Even more 10's that there are pedals ever made! Go figure. Please don't give HC as a review measurement standard for any quality of any manufacturer. Z may make terrific guitars, and must have something going in spite of it all. But to me it seems sort of too niched and geared towards metalheads, hard rockers and posers. Granted, they should have their share too. He seems like a 30 something year old guy that used to smoke pot a lot in his teens, and stayed mentally in his teens regardless of he's 40 50 or even senior citizen.

/Honch

So you joined today just to resurrect a long-dead thread? I smell a troll.