marksound

Call me crazy, but I think the Micro Tilt may be the only "improvement" made to Fender guitars that actually carries on Leo's original intent: to manufacture instruments quickly and inexpensively and make parts easily replaceable. It may not be high art, but its functionality can't be denied. IMO, YMMV, blahblahblah.

It looks a lot like a Fender Lead II to me.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

"Fanned-Fret" is a registered trademark of Novax Guitars. Unless I'm more mistaken than usual, Perry would be practicing a little CYA, if not establishing a trademark of his own.

While that guitar isn't something I'd necessarily be comfortable playing, the craftsmanship is impeccable.

I'd say 1 per person per month is plenty. As far as "non-contributing pro" or "stock store bought guitars", I say if someone is well-endowed enough to go for it, cool. Like someone said, the membership is savvy enough to weed out the poseurs and riffraff.

I don't include myself in any of the above groups, except maybe the well-endowed riffraff.

For giggles I did one completely by hand with no compounds. I started wetsanding with 800 grit paper (& soapy water) and worked up to 2000, then switched to Micromesh pads going up to 12000. It only took about an hour and a half sitting in front of the TV. It turned out pretty well I think.

click

You can see the reflection of the bridge in the top.

That turned out nice, but isn't 800 grit a bit aggressive to start with?

Apparently not.

For giggles I did one completely by hand with no compounds. I started wetsanding with 800 grit paper (& soapy water) and worked up to 2000, then switched to Micromesh pads going up to 12000. It only took about an hour and a half sitting in front of the TV. It turned out pretty well I think.

click

You can see the reflection of the bridge in the top.

That color looks pretty close to Lake Placid Blue. You can get LPB in nitro rattlecans (plus everything else you need) from www.reranch.com. Keep in mind that the owner gigs a lot and only takes in as many orders at one time as he can fill in a day or two. If you get a prompt for a user name and password, the store is closed.

Another option: Duplicolor Ultramarine Blue in acrylic lacquer rattlecans. Don't bother with Dupli clear. You can use Deft, Watco, Rustoleum lacquer for a clear coat.

Here's a Tele I finished with Duplicolor and Rustoleum clear.

click

Cream rings, nickel covers, and for Pete's sake, stick a pickguard on it.

Seymour put out a P-Rails that has people's ears perking up. I personally have never ever played a guitar with a P90, but I didn't see it mentioned above, so I thought I'd throw the option out there if you hadn't heard already. Dunno if it would be too much versatility/overkill though.

that's pretty cool. I might have to build something like that sometime.

That is pretty cool, but ugly as sin.

Check out the video. Some members might recognize that guy. http://www.seymourduncan.com/movies/p_rails_videos.shtml

I've never been crazy about the P90 sound. It's ok, but I'm a Fender guy.

That said, for Tonerider pickups check with member rjhalsey. He's a dealer and will shoot you straight. I have 2 sets of the Strat pups and 1 Tele set and they're great.

Also, check out Curtis Novak. He's been under the radar for a long time but people are starting to "discover" him. I got a set of his Strat pups about a month ago and I've been flying high ever since. He's another straight shooter.

Clearing out the parts boxes. I might have something you've been looking for.

SOLD Gold Strat parts

Squier 51 Tuners

Gold Dome Knobs

SOLD Tele Pickups

"Economy" Tuners

Mighty Mite Strat Neck

Waylon Jennings did it ages ago. You don't get much badder than ol' Waymore.

Hi guys, this is the first time I've logged on to the site in ages I guess. Anyway, I didn't realize that you couldn't see the Making of a Strat tutorial anymore. I got it in a PDF format now, and I don't mind posting a link so people can download it. That is if anyone is interested in it.

I'm in.

I had a Prodigy a few years ago. The guard is sort of stratish, but not quite. You can have one made at Pickguardian, Jeannie, and probably a hundred other places online that I can't remember. Expect to pay $30 minimum. I had a plain black replacement made by a local guy for about $35.

You could always make one yourself. It's not that difficult if you have basic tools and lots of patience. There is a lot of info in this forum (search) and here's a couple of DIY pictorial examples. click1 click2

The original Klusons were called Saf-T-Post. I can't remember if that referred to the slip limiting feature or if it just meant that you wouldn't poke yourself with the string end.

String them up like regular tuners with no more winds than absolutely necessary. Look at the pic I linked to. That's what you should shoot for.

OR, like this.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?cp...226&index=2

Applied by the right people Catalized Urathanes and Polyester seem to be a wonderful finishes. Outstanding clarity, thin, durable. I have been looking over some of the Cat. Poly finishes that have been popping up at the OLF(not that they havent been around here for a while also). The thickness has been measuring out right about where Nitro winds up. The clarity is really impressive. The cure is fast UV or Catalized. I am itching to pull the trigger and have one shot for me.

Peace,Rich

"Applied by the right people." There's always a catch.

Tru-Oil doesn't need anything added to it to be hard and durable. Granted, it's not as hard as the polyester armor they put on a lot of mass-produced guitars, but who wants that anyway? Tru-Oil was designed for and has been used to protect gunstocks for years and years.

I've started finishing my guitars' necks with Tru-Oil. It couldn't be easier to apply, it cures much faster than lacquer, and I don't have to worry about guitar stands eating the finish. It feels great, too.

Happy Birthday!

The store's open now. Bill only takes in the number of orders he can fill and ship within a day or so, so get it while it's hot.

Well, it's like this.... The owner Bill is a gigging musician and travels frequently so the store does NOT have "regular" hours. Unfortunately for us Nitro heads, we sometimes get locked out and can't get supplies until he returns. You will know when the store is closed when you are asked to log in to your Yahoo! account. This means you are beat of luck and will have to wait it out. When will the store reopen? Know one knows, but the Shadow knows.

Patience, grasshopper. Bill sells paint as a sideline, something to pay the bills when he's not gigging (which isn't often these days ). If you just have to have something yesterday, you probably shouldn't be finishing guitars--especially with nitro based products--since there's a bit of patience required there anyway. Find something else to do until the store reopens.

OR, you can buy powdered dyes or liquid dye concentrates and mix in water, alcohol, thinner, clear, whatever suits your purpose and make the product yourself. It's not hard. Look at woodcraft.com, rockler.com, stewmac.com, etc. in the US. There are always alternatives.

click

ALL FRETWIRE IS SOLD IN NECK QUANTITIES

Warmoth doesn't say how many frets make up a neck (probably 24 like most everyone else). I'd give them a call anyway. (253)845-0403

My fingertips always turn black no matter what guitar I play. I don't worry about it, it washes right off.

My new Novak pups came in the mail yesterday and I installed them last night. I spent a couple of hours adjusting and playing and testing, and the initial verdict is in: me likey lots.

No affiliation, except for being a customer and loyal minion.

www.curtisnovak.com