shanter

yea im gonna use a volute.

btw, i didnt even realize that it would weaken the headstock.

oh and im also going to add an ebony veneer to the top and (maybe) back of the headstock so that should help a bit.

These are the aluminum knobs i machined. Gonna get them powder coated soon.

blurry image

ok finally got a digicam!

The SG's neck all clamped up.

My neck with HotRod Truss Rod and two carbon fiber reinforcement rods. also an ebony FB and the newly made headstock template.

And all the rest of the parts.

im not sure, but howabout using the steel wool and vinegar trick?

i know it works on ebony but howaout rosewood?

very good point idch.

now, gregP try to remember the alternative!

heh

what im really looking for is more of a stealthed (sp?) grain.

i want it so that if someone looked at the guitar from a few feet away it'd look like its completely black, but when they moved in closer theyd see that its actually stained. i just dont knwo if i could pull it off.

or

a completely 100% matte look like the esp urban camo

http://www.guitarsatbmusic.com.au/esp/read...gs/nomad_69.htm

i think that would look bad ass.

or

is there a way i could stain the guitar completely black (maybe a little grain show throught) and then put a good few coats of oil on it?....jsut an idea....

while we're on the topic.

is it possible to make your own conductive paint?

i dont think anyone here really enjoys coughin up 50 bucks for some stew mac conductive paint.

would it be sufficient if i jsut took copper and grinded it for a few hours until i got a nice pile of dust and mixed it up with paint?

would that conduct?

oh. damn. looks like i need some copper tape.

Yea exotic woods is not too far from me...id say 40mins-1hr away. I live in NE philly. My friend and i got lost for over 1 hour trying to find it. So the whole trip was about 3 hours or so but well worth it.

still trying to get a hold of a digicam...but i finished making my headstock template and now im in the process of designing a truss rod cover. and trying to figure out what sort of finish i want...

1. black stain with gloss clear

2. black stain with satin clear

3. black paint with gloss clear

4. balck paint with satin clear

5. black epoxy grain filler with a not-so-dark stain and gloss clear

6. black epoxy grain filler with a not-so-dark stain and satin clear

im really for the black stain but my guitar is two piece so the seams would be very visible.

any ideas?

you could also go to lowes or walmart and buy aluminum tape. it should be in the same aisle as the masking tapes.

it basically the same as copper tape but u can find it more easily.

THERES TOO MUCH TO READ ON THIS PAGE! I NEED A PICTURE OR 2!

oh wow, thanks for the site. ive seen it b4 but i completely forgot about it.

ok so i think im sold on the...pink mother of pearl. Here

i just wish it wasnt pink...i just love the way that it looks like flamed wood. here are 2 photoshops

preferred color

thanks Nouseforone. Im still contemplating wheather or not to actually carve those top areas.

ok so i got to some drawing today and sort of came up with what i want to inlay at the 12th fret. i had a different design that i planned to inlay on the fretboard but because i got a pre radiused board im unable to do such an intricate design.

heres my initial sketch.

heres a photoshopped version of how it should turn out. although, im looking for a different inlay material than abalone. something intresting.

that looks fantastic.

i love the leaves and how they pile up at the bottom.

genius.

Thanks thegarehanman, i bought two, they jsut shipped today.

So i dont have access to a camera anymore so here are some old pics that my friend and i took. I did finish up the volume and tone knobs, but now i have to make the pickup selector knob.

Here was the photoshopped version of my guitar

This is the preliminary drawing of what i wanted...i dont know if i want to carve the front anymore. probably jsut the arm area.

Heres the SG in progress, this was taken while he was carving it. You can see we used a huge rasp and two smaller ones.

Heres jsut a shot of the masking i did for carving the back of the guitar. But after i make the neck in going to recarve the bak so its a bit deeper.

kinda big picture

yup

You dont need to put a finish on the fretboard but its highly reccomended to put a finish on the neck itself...the finish actually helps prevent warping.

someone confirm this.

Actually Id prefer a 3-way rotary, I just couldnt find one..whered u get yours from?

Awesome, ill test it out on some scrap aluminum.

I dont know if i should post this up in electronics but im sort of opposed to the aesthtic nature of an LP style pickup selector even though i was going to use it on this guitar. So i was thinking about using the 5-Way Rotary Switch similar to the ones on PRS's.

So my question was can i wire EMG-81 and 85 with the 5-Way Rotary Switch? Ive never really seen it done before but i think it would look more pleasing to the eye if i could use one of these switches.

Yea, I wish I had a milling machine too. Thats just the realtively crappy one that's at his work. I go there at night to work on my guitar stuff if i need it.

Now if i do decide on painting the knobs what would you guys reccomend on using for it? I was thinking about just spraying on some high temp paint from pepboys. Preferably enamel paint...any input?

The wood is actually....Mahogony...you cant really tell from the way the pics exposed but yea its mahogny we went and bought from www.exoticwoods.com. Its close by so we drove down and picked up some wood.

the control knobs arent 100% done, im going to make them a bit thinner and modify them so that they sit deeper in the recessed holes. I was thinking about keeping them aluminum as they are but i would have to clear coat them because if they sta that way the aluminum would oxidize, not to mention, stain from sweaty hands. My intial intention was to spray them black so we'll see what happens with that.

milling...cheating? hm...in some manners, yes, but milling also requires alot of patience and time aswell and probably the same amount of set up as other techniques.

Some more images

Making the headstock angle. on a bridgeport milling machine.

Again

Recessed the knob area and made aluminum knobs. actually my dad made em for me.

Close-up

The pocket for the M-II hasnt actually been cut out. I left it really rough so that when it came time to pocket it i would have alot to work with. It's basically going to be a set through neck, going as deep as i can get it to fit.

for the flames, that was jsut my friend messing around with the design. were hoping on keeping a natural finish with a sort of ghosted flame. Probably spray on a lightly tinted stain or clear of some sort to give it that effect. we still havent really thought about it. were more concerned about the necks now.

ill post pics of the necks tomorrow...its pretty late now

NEW PICS ON LAST PAGE (8/18)!!!!!!

ok so its been about a month and a half now my friend and i have been working on our guitars. we bought a 10ft plank of mahogony and have so far done most of our bodies.

The left one is mine and its a mdified verson of the ESP M-II...similar to the Kirk hammet model. The right one is, as you all know, an SG...awesome nonetheless. all the carving for both the guitars was done by hand with different grade rasps.

Heres a bunch more pics for you guys to see. HERE!!!

We just got started on the necks and so far its been a bit of a mind bender but im sure we'l get through it.

Hope you guys like it!

you dont usually glue shims. im sure the force in which the string put onto the bridge hold the shims in place.

think about it, if you glued them youd be screwed if you wanted to change your radius.