Workingman

Found a 22" box plane in antique/junk store for $11. Its in fair shape. The blade could do to be sharpened. I will bring my stone up next trip. The kitchen knives could use some attention too. I picked the best of three that were there.

I am with you, but want to point out my theory on this. The strings vibrate the bridge and neck first . Then the body. To me sustain is in how well the strings can send the vibration through the bridge, into the body, through the body into the neck and back through the strings again, like a big loop. Energy transfer or loss between the group will dictate how fast the energy disapates/ ends. This version of a neck 'join' gets tighter as the strings come to tension, plus the neck heel vibrates dead center in the body, not from one end. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it. Very cool idea. Have you considered doing an otherwise identical bolt neck so as to be able to do an A/B comparison?

Keep an eye out for old amps in garage sales and the like. Most mail order companies and bigger music stores had house brands that they ordered from people like Valveco (Sp?). They can be had very cheap and are usually in the 5-10W range. Make sure to replace the power cord with a three prong grounded one though.

I don't have kids but if I did I would want to do things with them the way you are. The build looks good too.

Hey Scott. Customer had a cash flow issue so he figured he have to default on the build. But Its still going, just on an un-determined schedule right now. The guy paid his deposit so I see no reason to kick him while he is down & take his guitar from him. Im gona finish it over the next few months (may-june maby). If he cant afford the remainder by then, maby ill just wind some pickups myself, put on some reasonable tuners & a quick-n-easy finish for him. Been coming to me for years so I rekon I owe him. Iv been noodeling away at it a little here & there. I must put up a few piks. just of the rough body carve. I got that guitar back from the Customs department. along with a list of forms as long as yer arm to arrange to get it accross to the owner. if all goes well it should be out of here again by christmas. as to the paint issue. I got some good advice from one of the guys checking the forum, demonx I think He was spot on. its going groovey now. taking a while, but starting to work the way it should. Actualy, one of the guitars is the single cut with the rising sun on it. Or I should say it HAD a rising sun on it. hold on - your gonna love this The customer gave it a bang & managed to split the nut, break a tuner & damage the binding on the neck. So his tech rekoned it was an oppertunity fo fix a little problem with the way it played, seeing as he was gona have to make a new nut & screw with the binding anyway. this guy rekoned the strings were too soft when playing, not at the correct tension. & that the problem was due to the scale lenght being wrong. The owner tells him he has no problems with how it plays but this guy comes highly recomended so lets the tech go ahead & do what he rekons needs doing regardless. So this absolut fukwit proceeds to fix the scale lenght by extending it to 25.5 inch. (because the gibson 24.75 scale on it is inherently flawed according to this idiot) the neck angle was too steep aswell, @ 4.5 degrees (at the owners request - to match his early 50s les paul) So he REMOVED the neck & Took a fooking plane to my top & recut the neck plane. Luckily my mate was informed of exactly what was goin on before the muppet drilled new bridge post holes & glued the neck into some botched position. Anyway, the asshole was fired on the spot aparently, & I had the guitar a few days later. Ill post piks when its sorted. Im painting it to match his new car. A Shelby Mustang - lucky bstrd. What that tech did is obscene.

+1 Otherwise very cool!

I missed this thread when it started. I just read it from the start. It is an inspiring build. Good luck with the job and mold.

That looks good and I don't usually like camo guitars. Nice job.

Neet trick. Now I have no excuse for not making a cover for my fretless bass that has been without one since I got it three years ago.

Looking good. Beyond that they look good, what is the advantage to doing a fret job this way?

Nice

Thanks all. It looks like I am going to be spending the next few weeks getting ready to move (new apartment still in NYC). After that...

This has been a nice thread. I would be interested in knowing more about the camera, maybe a thread in the off-topic section?

I think you would have problems with the magnet in the pup supressing the vibrations of the string.

Good to see this here. I have been following it at the Matt board and on your blog. I think your simplifications make sense.

All the great instrument builds on this site have given me the urge to get past my repair and restore hobby to building something. I have limited power tools and was thinking that a solid body mandolin might be a good first project. My thinking was that it would be smaller and cheaper to make while still helping me develop some skills. It also would be fun to have and a can't really justify another guitar or bass at this point. What does everyone think?

Yep black. Looking very nice.

I have heard bad things about Taylor's customer support. Why not look for used?

Wow

As if we still have a choice in that matter. This is like a good book, you can't wait to see what happens next and there's no way you're going to put it down before the end. SR +1

Depending on the type of SG copy, you could make a new pick-guard that covered the old pup route and leaver it otherwise as is. That way you could change it back should your son choose. Practically there is no reason to remove the neck pup, just set it on the bridge and leave it.

+1 on guitar On bass I use Boomers. I like the sound of Rotosounds better but I break them when I slap and pop.

I don't know of any specific source. I bought mine from a local woodworking tools shop. Kerf specs are not necessarily specified, but I guess you can always ask before buying. Drilling the two holes on the blade was not trivial, very hard steel ! I used some kind of precision drill bit for metal that I bought from the local hardware store chain. It is a similar idea to the brad-point bits used for wood. More off topic: Is it possible to check the kerf with a mirometer. If so, what is the best way? Thanks a superb build thread.

You sound like you could do to buy and read "Making Your Own Electric Guitar" By Melvyn Hiscock, It will answer the questions you have as well as ones you have not thought of. I would also suggest staying away from some of the exotic woods on a first time build (note I am still in the early stages of my first build so if others disagree go with their thoughts over mine). The reason is not just economic but 1) The chances something will go wrong on a first build are high. Thus you could end up wasting some nice wood that could be used when your skill level is up to it. and 2) Woods like poplar and maple are more regular than many exotics and easier to work with.

Yes. Oak too and probably birch. But now I'm thinking about artificial materials. Marine grade voidless plywood?