orgmorg

OK, cool. I figured we were probably pretty much on the same page.

That does look really cool, I like it! To put an image from Photobucket in your post, just copy the image code and paste it directly into the text box.

My approach differs from Rich's a bit, but essentially achieves the same result. I actually do shoot for a target moisture content of 6-8% I find my wood maintains this MC well at 45% humidity. I have a room in my shop that is insulated and can be kept at 45% humidity. Also, I saw most of my own wood from logs, and dry it myself. After it is sawn ( with ends sealed ) it is stacked and stickered outdoors, covered, until it reaches 16-18% moisture content. I have found that that is the MC that most species of wood I work with tend to settle at in my climate, and generally won't get much dryer than that stickered outdoors. At that point, I dead stack the boards ( no stickers ) in a shed until I am ready to dry them further. I do this in the insulated room mentioned earlier. I don't have a lot of room in there, so I don't dry the boards whole, but cut them up into the pieces I intend to use, and stack/sticker them at one end of the room, with a dehumidifier. When the wood reaches 6-8% MC, I stack it on shelves in that room ( no stickers ) and it stays there until I use it. The moisture meter I use is the Lignomat mini ligno E/C, it was about $120, and from what I was able to figure at the time, that's about what a decent one costs. I also have the slide hammer probe for it, which can reach the middle of a 3" board if necessary. Rich- I would be interested to hear your feedback on this approach, partly because I am getting ready to update this thread: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...m+the+beginning You have been doing a great job providing info on drying wood here, and I would like to avoid conflicting with that, and possibly confusing anyone who has been following your posts. You have obviously studied this in greater depth than I, and I would value your input. Thanks.

Thanks! No worries on the saddles, the're all fully threaded on the screws. How does one post a sound clip? What sort of file/format is required, and how would I get it into that form?

Super Classy!

Got her all done and strung up last night: body front detail headstock front headstock back neck joint bridge Sounds and plays awesome!! Takes a bit of getting used to, but it's really a lot of fun. Nice and light, too. Balances perfectly!

Well, I'm certainly no Dr. Science either, but I don't know if the analogy he is using is really relevant. With the antenna wire, the other wires that he is laying his wire unparallel to are carrying different signals. In the pickup, it's all one wire/one signal, right? I'm not saying the scatterwinding isn't producing any improvement, but if it is, I don't think that's why.

Scott French did one that color, but without the shading around the edges: http://www.scottfrench.com/i/Finished%20Cu...cut%20Guitar/09 That has always been my favorite color for large appliances. Great guitar, BTW, Turned out real nice!

Well, probably not so much, from the other end of the stick. "visit my website" is the text the BB software leaves in the blank when you post a link. He just didn't rewrite it. He said he didn't have any pics to show. Not everyone takes pics of every step of their progress. Especially if they are 13 and building their first guitar unaware that they will be required to provide graphic proof that they actually did it. It is, however quite easy for cynical adults to decide a kid is lying and use their adult status to overrule any motions to the contrary. Did that never happen to you? He probably thinks you meant he bought it prefretted and such. Not all of us are that smart. I certainly wasn't when I was 14 and built the neck for my first guitar. That sounds about right, looking at that neck. I'll have to agree with the others here, that you are either not looking much, or defining original as something that has never been done before. Not everybody wants something that has never been done before. Some like a classic shape, but want to see it in a different way, Some want to combine different elements Some want to modify or pervert existing shapes to various degrees Aside from that, there are actually quite a number of truly original designs that have been posted here, and it is really quite galling to hear someone make a comment like yours. That may be what ruffled the feathers here. Anyway, I hope we can get past all this, and you keep posting pics of your progress. Usually when a guitar appears that people don't like the looks of, the commentary runs more along the lines of "not my cup of tea but.. " and such. Maybe now we can get back to that?

Hey, let's give the guy the benefit of the doubt. He says he built the neck-cool. What kind of trussrod did you use? How did you make the access hole for the adjusting nut? These are the sorts of things we like to talk about here.

Minwax makes a product called "Wood hardener" which is used for hardening rotten wood prior to rebuilding with bondo/epoxy in building restoration. Might be worth trying out on a piece of scrap. It's certainly cheaper than CA, but probably just as toxic.

Zeb- Don't worry about anything but following thru with your guitar, doing the best you can, and enjoying it. I think you're doing fine for your first attempt, at 13. My first was a complete dog, but I loved it, because I did it myself. Edit: deleted reference to posts deleted by mods.

Thanks for the replies, all! Setch, the licence plate may not translate well, it may be an "americana" thing. It's very common to see licence plates nailed to the sides of rural outbuildings, here Here is an extreme example: and a more typical outhouse pic of headstock Edit: changed extra pics to links

Correct, no finish on the top. Any sort of finish will darken it and make it look wet. Really kills the look. Everything else has danish oil with wipe on polyurethane ( satin ) on top.

The headstock is pretty plain, just a slightly tweaked tele shape. Never heard of sasafrass dust being toxic. The extract they used to use for flavoring was found to be carcinogenic, but that is in huge doses in lab rats, using the concentrated form. I use the same level of dust control I use for any other wood with it. As for hemlock- I think you are confusing the tree with the plant. Sassafrass is one of the most amazing smelling woods I have worked, along with port orford cedar.

Here's another of my rustic themed projects, this one drawing inspiration from the ubiquitous rural comfort station also known as the outhouse, with it's classic crescent moon cutout, and soapbar pickups for proper hygiene. The top is weathered cypress, from a fence, 1/4" thick, on a sassafrass back. The neck is sweetgum, with a mesquite fretboard. back side detail The control plate and jack plate came from an old license plate, and the knobs are clay beads from a macrame plant hanger, with abalone dots plugging the tops of the holes. The tailpiece is part of an iron strap hinge, like on the other one I did. Edit: changed extra pics to links

There are many many ways to make a neck joint more complicated, but it is highly unlikely that any of them offer any real noticable improvement over the most simple methods.

Cool! Nice work! Yep, theres plenty of us wackos out there That's the fun part about building instruments- you can make whatever the heck you can dream up. Are yours tuned in unison, or octaves? What scale lengths?

You could do that, but it wouldn't bookmatch, and you'd have to make a super accurate smooth cut to get those size pieces out of that 1" board. And, if it cups at all after resawing ( it probably will ) you will lose thickness there. Then, after you join them you will have to plane the back flat, losing some more thickness. Even if you get all that done with minimal loss of thickness, you will find that your thickest point ( by now 1/2" ) is in the very middle, and where the carve starts to top out is actually more like 3/8" thick.

Fretless electric baritone cittern. Love it!!!

Cool! Weaponepsilon- The discoloration in that neck looks to be some sort of water or rust staining on the surface that occured after it was carved. It may sand out, depending on how deep it penetrated.

Osage has the most incredible tap tone you will hear from any domestic wood, Black locust is a close second. OK, I know that's a bold statement, as there are a huge amount of species I have not played with, but it really rings out wonderfully. And yes, I am a confirmed cellulose addict. Tele kid: Thanks! PM sent

That's awesome, Jon! Love the way it blends into the plywood in that pic.

Where are you located, by the way?

I've done a fingerboard with it ( on the barnwood guitar I ran in GOTM a couple months ago ) and it turned out real nice. I plan on using it quite a bit in the future, and would love to get some more. I have a hard time finding it down here, as it all tends to die out before it gets any reasonable size, and what there is tends to be full of shake. Here's a pic of a few different woods I've been trying for fingerboards, The black locust is third from the left. To the left of it are fresh cut and aged osage orange, and to the right are persimmon, mesquite, and hickory.