dash

g'day and welcome.

you could build a guitar from just about anything, but whether it would be playable, sound good and be practical is another story.

check out this thread, alloy tele, the guy built a tele from an alumininum billet. the neck was not made from metal, it came from another guitar.

no sound clips, so don't know how it sounds.

cheers

darren

I was just pissed of reading all the crap he wrote on the site...and how if you're a doctor/lawyer you don't deserve his guitars...Or if you've got any physical disabilities....or if you don't prefer a tube amp.

+1.

the guy is a tosser. i notice he "quotes" mattia and russ on his main page, wonder if those guys know??

i for one wouldn't buy a guitar from someone who can't even drill straight for a string through.

cheers

darren

man this board ROCKS!!!

i love the prompt replies

thanks for the info mikro.

i assumed that would be the best way to go about it.

i'm really only concerned with the one goint through the tuner hole, the other is really only cosmetic.

cheers

darren

hi guys

i bought this crappy bass from a pawn shop last week so i could practice working on guitars before the "real deal".

as you can see the previous owner "customised" it by adding (very roughly) a neck pup.

i've already filled that, stripped it and primed it ready for a new finish (solid colour)

my problem is that the headstock has a crack through it where the glue joint is coming apart (that, and also the fact that it has 2L/2R tuners rather than 4 in-line). They are schallers though, might use them on a different project.

is it a matter of applying some titebond and clamping, or should i remove the wings (top one is coming apart as well, just not as noticible in pic) altogether and the re-glue??

the face of the headstock will have a solid colour when i refinish it (i may paint the entire neck, haven't decided yet)

any help would be much appreciated.

cheers

darren.

google "decoupage". probably won't get any guitar related sites, but you should get heaps of info re techniques.

cheers

darren

try searching craft sites for lead lighting, you can get copper tape from them, and i'm pretty sure it is a lot cheaper than luthier suppliers.

dunno where you get the idea that 1/4 inch is the smallest size bit (shaft maybe) but i know you can get a 1/16 inch bit, i even have one!!

i use it to make grooves for slot car racing tracks in MDF (another one of my hobbies that annoys my wife!!)

cheers

darren

i assume you mean this guitar, all other photos i've seen of billy with a tele is an actual tele which he has been playing for about 25 years!!

can't make out the makers logo, but someone may know something with a picture for reference.

cheers

darren

i really like the look of those endpin jacks, but i would assume you can't use straplocks with them, and i prefer straplocks. or am i missing an obvious way around this problem??

cheers

darren

hope you have a great b'day perry

get any good pressies yet??

cheers

darren

why not go headless??

cheers

darren

scotty

you've got me all excited, i'm going out to the shed and see if i can make my designs work.

i have bought so much brass stock in varying sizes for this project, but have no mill so i need to do most by hand/power tools. i think this is one of the reasons my project has slowed down so much.

cheers

darren.

scotty

you are a man after my own heart!!

i want to build a headless bass also, but can't afford the hardware.

i'm trying to design my own as well, theres a thread (very old) somewhere, but i have had no time to keep at it.

i'm assuming the threaded rod comes through the "tuning dial" (for want of a better term) part of the tuner??

good luck with your designing, hope you succeed.

cheers

darren

never seen that particular brand before, but my motto is "buy cheap, buy twice".

i have a hitachi router, been used and abused for the last 12 - 13 years, and no signs of stopping it yet.

course to replace it, i'd be looking at about $400 but as they say, you get what you pay for.

cheers

darren

for me, it doesn't connect. the body shape and the finish. I think the body calls for a little heavier distorted colors. I think you could get away with anything that could look a little evil, but white/black don't feel at home for that body. my (canadian) 2 cents.

+1. i think it would look cool with a muddy finish like this. i looks to "clean" for such an evil shape.

cheers

darren

have patience, brian is a very busy man, i'm sure within the next few day you should be good to go.

cheers

darren

i've got one of these babys.

it's an awesome tool, had it for over 12 years, and it has never missed a beat.

Drak, condolences and congrats. I love buying tools.

+1. i am in a hardware store at least 3-4 times per week. it's rare when i leave empty handed

cheers

darren

if it were me, i'd use a 100mm angle grinder, then clean up the edges with a file. angle grinders can be bought for less than $30 here in aus (cheapo brands), so they ain't expensive, and are pretty handy to have as well.

cheers

darren

finding a long enough drill bit would not be such an issue, just need some rod and a welder.

just wondering if he puts the drill bit through some type of shaft to keep it from wandering, similar to a hollow mortise chisel and bit setup??

other than that, i'm stumped (not hard to do by any standards )

cheers

darren

very cool!!!

i want to do a similar thing, except hook the LED's into the pup selector switch so that they are lit when that particular pup is selected.

have you tried it with pup rings on, it would be less bright (obviously) but would create a cool "backlit" glow.

cheers

darren

nick, comments like this

This is what I think some people are crazy for wanting to charge over $1000 labor

ahhh so you DO show up in photos!! (or is this some evil minion of yours similar to "thing" from the addams family??)

all jokes aside that is looking killer.

thanks for taking the time to really document a build, it helps newbs like me to really understand the processes more clearly.

cheers

darren

you could use aluminium like swedish luthier does, look cool too.

cheers

darren

are they actually LEDs under the fretboard, or fibre optics??

it would be obviously easier than LEDs, as there would be no wiring inside the neck

cheers

darren

edited due to stupidity (on my part)