reamer

Can anyone suggest a good video, book, or workshop (In Illinois) to try and attend that teaches airbrushing? I have been using one for several years now for basic models, and R/C car bodies, but that's about it. No major concepts of shading, or layering, or even masking... I know there are workshops out there that teach all kinds of things for beginners, and I have read many things that artistic skill is not the main thing involved. A lot of airbrushing has to do with the vision of doing things in layers, and shading, shadowing, etc... I am not looking to do portraits or anything, just cool stuff like skulls, flames, shet metal look, or LGM's latest on the Impailer, boiling blood. Visually, I can figure out how to do it, but I want some excersises of things to pratice to be able to actually do stuff like that. I do have artistic ability, so it's not like a Zero skill level asking to become a 10 over night. And any tech. info on compressors, PSI to be used, filters, paint, etc. I have an Iwata HP-C airbrush. As well as a badger, something or another...and a basic compressor capable of 100PSI from Walmart with a 1 gallon storage tank. Anybody's insight would be great...Especially Jeremy of LGM if you happen to read this! You do amazing work. I'm not looking for any of your secrets, just a good way to get started, and maybe info on how you learned... Thanks!

Timmons is a great player! His old band would never tell you so. Remeber the band - Danger, Danger - ?? He was the guitar player for that. There good ol' song "Let's get Naughty, Naughty". Back when Napster was first out, I would search for all kinds of obscure <sp?> guitar stuff, and came across his music. I actually used one of his songs at my wedding! Very cool stuff. I am pretty sure he has still got an Ibanez Signature guitar! This guy is great, and so is his music! If you have not checked him out, you guys should...I would just pass on the previous Danger Danger stuff...

I have got the POD XT Live and it is amazing! I sold my Carvin Legacy to get it, and am glad I did! I didn't need the Legacy for my basment, it was just too loud to use it's full potential. The XT live is amazing. And if I miss my Legacy, I just tune to the Legacy patch I downloaded from the Line 6 site...I am not sure how this compares to the one you are asking about, but I love it. And it's all in pedal form, and was $399. I will never get rid of this thing. It gives me the tone I have been looking for - for years!

I built one from those plans. And eveyone is correct, it is too flimsy. If you have metal working skills and can create it that way, do it! The pin router I have now is virtually the same, only metal, heavy, and stable! Plus to find all the little parts other than wood took me a good hour in Lowe's, just looking through everything! And the worst part, the pipe that screws into the base, doesn't always end up at 90 degrees. So it takes a lot of adjusting to get EVERYTHING perfect, and then as soon as you turn the router on, and start pushing wood through, things shift. It was fun to build, but I was too afraid something would happen and my hand would end up in it! Don't bother building this to try and make guitars.

RG550 or 770DX! Definately! Even the 560 series is great if you don't want to pay for a Jem. I actually like the 550's better than a Jem!

Then that's the way for you. Personally I don't like making templates. I want to dive right into the actual project! The templates are great though. It takes a lot fo the guess work out of things. Pickup placement, holes, etc, are all where they should be, so it makes the end product much more accurate, and there is less room for measuring error. Each to their own however...my way is definately not "The Way", not by any means. Hopefully you'll take some pics of the project.

By the time you buy the wood to make your own templates, and invest your time in making them, you could just buy them for $50. And I am sure your time is worth more than $50 an hour, you you know making your own is going to take more than an hour! The pre-made templates are well worth it. Especially if you have never made a guitar before!

If it's an RG420 from 97' it is most likely Basswood. Basswood is pretty much all they seem to use on those models. Even the Jems are Basswood. Some are others, butnot many. Usually the real high end ones will use Alder or something else. I could be wrong, this is just based off of several bodies I have owned and what they were...I am no expert.

Go to www.killerpaint.com and you can see some INSANE flame jobs! He is the one who came up with the "True Fire" technique supposidly. Or at least he brought it to the publics eye first. His stuff has been on Rides, Overhaulin, and Monster Garage. There are some samples of his flames on a helicopter, boat, and H2, along with others. And a cool looking Blue flame! Nice to have a tutorial of what he probably does on his $79 DVD that instructs on this. Hey LGM, do you have this DVD? Judging by other work I have seen from you, I would guess no, that you are just that damn good to have seen his work and be able to do it yourself without instruction!

You'll find it here...along with some other Ibanez guitars... http://www.guitarbuildingtemplates.com/electricguitar.htm

No problemo! That was a monster of a machine! I will most likely take you up on that offer of your current pin router. I will probably let you know for sure either tonight or tomorrow. Did the car make it in the garage? --Rodney

I had that EXACT same thing happen to me back in elementry school. Playing football and someone landed on my knee. Hurt a little at the time. It was at a birthday party and we were camping out. So after spending the night in a tent, in the semi cold weather, I woke up and could not move my leg. It was locked at the knee. Same thing though. It sucked! Eventually got better. Happened one other time in my life in Highschool gym class, wrestling, crawling around on the floor did it again. Luckly never again since then, and that was over 12 years ago! Got me out of wrestling at least, never realyl liked that anyway! Almost broke my arm too!

I hope I didn't miss this somewhere in here and look dumb. There is a LOT of reading however and I skipped over several. So here is my quesiton/scenario Guitar Body: Lets say I do want to start making and selling guitars. I like the shape of an Ibanez body. In order to be able to sell something like that, do I need to manipulate the dimenions. And if so, by how much. I mean, you can only vary a guitar shape so much without leaving the realm of tradition and just looking stupid. Is a body something they can even trademark? That's kinda like trademarking a circle, or the infinity sign. Do the courts allow it? Headstock: I can understand trademarking this. It's what I recognize a manufacture from. So again, I like the Ibanez headstocks the best. However, I like them better reversed. So same scenario, I make a neck with a reversed Ibanez looking headstock, yet I change the tip of it somehow. Is that enough? I am sure many can see my concern on some of this. As people, when we really like something, it sticks with us. When we go to create something that is original, it has influences in it from those things we like. This shows in eveyone. So I like the Ibanez guitar shapes. If I start making my own guitars, yes I am going to change these things, but there will be certain inspiration in my changes, and just things set in my mind. Where is the line drawn for me getting sewed? I have an idea of a guitar that I want to make that is shaped like a Les Paul but has some cutouts from the back of it, will have a Floyd Rose, EMG's, 1 volume, and one pickup selector, and a battery compatment routed out of the back. It will be a bolt on as well. So while there are influences in this guitar, it is my idea and creation. What would happen in that event? Any assitance would be helpful. I am just doing this as a hobby right now, but if it turns into something more, I want to have my bases covered. (no pun there, I'm making 6 strings!) -Reamer