Crusader

Are you concerned about appearance or more for playability? A lot of people find their plectrum catches on a middle pickup. For example I vaguely remember Yngwie Malmsteen saying he has the middle pickups on his Strats lowered right down and he never uses them First thing that comes to my mind is you could take out the pickup ring and put a piece of black plastic in there. Hold it in place by the height adjusting screws. Then put the ring back in place. That would solve the playability problem and the hole would be covered up but still won't look as good as a custom pick guard

If anyone owns one of these I'm wondering :- Does a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe measure 12 3/4 inches to the 12th fret? I'm wondering if they are like a Les Paul and don't measure half the scale length to the 12th fret

That's an interesting idea, thanks!

Then you gotta call it Oregon then, don't ya? LOL I've never heard it called anything else, see there are things even my father doesn't know! Well thanks for your replies, yes it is summer here according to the calendar but where are the 40 degree days? EDIT: in Perth that is

Hey I've got this chunky Oregon timber that must be like a hundred years old and wondering if it might be any good for a guitar body For a neck I'm sure it would be completely out of the question any thoughts cheers, Doug

Hi all, it was suggested I put this question in this sub forum rather than the Solid Body one so here goes I have this idea of putting an acoustic bridge with piezo pickup in a solid body guitar Has anyone ever done this and what are the results like? Obviously there would be the intonation problem to deal with but I've got some ideas on that

Hello everyone I'v been asked to set up a guitar but I think the nut is worn out. The Allen key just spins around 2 Questions Its an LTD ESP, anyone know what size Allen key they use? If its worn out are there any tricks to get the job done? cheers, Doug

Good question, I had to look up photos to find evidence! Started first with the Les Paul - Using a Template, Routered down as far as I could go with what looks like a 3/16 bit using the 1/4 shaft as guide (no wheel) then used Jigsaw. A bit of a bodgy way to do things but got the job done! And it is slightly oversized I think I did the oversized LP just with the Jigsaw, I vaguely remember it being very nerve wracking. This was like about 2 years ago LOL but I've had that Body Blank since 2010 And sorry no Photo evidence of how I did the next stage

Does anyone else do this? Trying to get the most out of this Body Blank A Les Paul, an oversized chambered/hollow Les Paul, and a modified ES137

I decided on a gallon of Mohawk as they say it is the same stuff as Behlen and according to specs has quite a long shelf-life. I haven't asked anyone but it seems this stuff is available in Australia, perhaps they are allowed to ship it ..... by ship ... (LOL)

Sorry this is a bit kind of late, but Wouldn't it be best to use a router bit with a wheel that Stewmac sell? with the correct depth to suit the binding If I were doing this my biggest fear would be the the trimmer tipping when going round the pointy end. I would make up a jig to support the trimmer so this can't happen. I would somehow secure the headstock to a board through the tuning peg holes and then screw pieces of timber the same thickness as the headstock about an inch away (or more, whatever keeps the router bit clear of the job) Use a good sharp bit as Norris said and go "backwards" with the router to avoid chipping, a little bit at a time. Don't router the full depth all at once, go about a third at a time. And the last time go in the proper direction to make sure its clean, no bumps I've might have photos to give a clear idea of what I mean and post them later

Also thought I'd mention on eBay there is a place that has some Behlen in 1 Quart tins and another that has a 1 Gallon drum of Mohawk. But by the looks of it once they are sold there won't be any more as it can't be shipped outside the USA, and what I'm looking for is something that can be bought again in the future

Wow kind-a pricey....but then I noticed "1960's" formula, which might make it worth it. I've just been reading all about this. The formula for Nitro has changed over the years and some are now a blend of Poly and or Acrylic and plasticisers and what have you. And the latest trend is toward Pre-catalysed lacquer which as I suspected, shortens shelf-life One story I read a guy says he is still using Nitro that is 20 years old. I don't think that applies to the stuff I was using today. I think it might be about 5 years old. It sprayed on okay for about 3 or 4 passes then blocked up. I cleaned the nozzle out then continued, and repeated this process until I decided to quit while I was behind (Luckily I'm not looking for a supa-dupa finish on this one as it is more of an experimental project) The back and neck aren't too bad but the front is a problem for another day. I started thinning out the lacquer hoping to get a better spray but did not work at all. The gun blocked up just as much or even worse. And because it was thinned so much it ran like an olympic sprinter

Thanks for that Norris, yes there was one place I rang here in Perth "Paint Place" that has it in spray cans too but I've never had much success with spraying that way. You get close to the end of the can and it sputters etc. I got a reply from Durobond today and it seems the go, proper Nitro. Some people use Mirocat 3220 but I'm not sure if it is Nitro or if it just sprays on the same

Thanks Scott, since posting the question I've done a ton of Googling and it seems the only way you can get Behlen or any other Nitro in Australia is in a spray can. It can't be shipped by air or outside the USA. The supplier where I got the Becker Acroma said they now sell "pre-catalyzed Nitro" and this seems to be the case for all other brands Since it is so flammable there has obviously been a law passed that it can no longer be shipped by air and has to be made locally Mirotone and Durobond are made in Australia but there isn't much info on their websites. I have contacted them and will see what they say hopefully tomorrow What I'm thinking is if it's pre-catalysed, wouldn't that reduce it's shelf-life?

About ten years ago I bought Nitrocellulose Lacquer in Perth made by Becker Acroma. But now the supplier only sells something they describe as being "partly Nitro" So before going ahead with that I wanted to find out if I can still get proper Nitro. I did a search and a ring-around and came up with these brands: Valspar, Hi-Chem, Behlen and Durabond But there was some confusion and It occurs to me manufacturers might be calling a product Nitro when its actually only partly Nitro or has similar qualities to it. Does anyone know?

Well the switches arrived today and they are definitely not the one pictured in their ad, so you're right there. However they seem perfectly alright and the price was quite reasonable

Hi I should have posted this page as well, this is where it says SP3T Circuit. When you use the Product Search and choose "on-on-on" under Switch Function, the "DPDT" option disappears from the Circuit list, and visa versa. However on the Mouser or any other website, any part number starting with 7211 is described as DPDT. I think it must be an error and this is one reason why trying to find things and figure things out can be so time consuming http://www.ckswitches.com/product-search/?Group_Rating=5A+to+<10A&Sealing=Unsealed&Type=Toggle&Switch_Function=On-On-On&Circuit=SP3T&Electrical_Life_Cycles=40000&Group_Circuit=SP&Series=7000&DC_Voltage_Rating=28V&AC_Voltage_Rating=120V&Termination_Style=Solder+Lug&Bushing_Thread=1%2F4+-+40&Panel_Cutout_Dimensions=Circular+-+6.35mm+Dia&Actuator_Length=10.16mm&Group_Mounting=Panel+Mount&Mounting_Type=Panel+Mount%2C+Rear%2C+Threaded&Actuator_Type=Standard+Round Yes absolutely, and another reason why this can take so long That is good to know. The reason I aimed for C&K was to ensure that I get switches with the same functions etc as the ones I had before. As it turns out I don't know if I'm going to get C&K in the order I made. The picture looks like them but as you said its no guarantee. As long as they are on-on-on I don't mind Also on topic there is a post on Harmony Central showing how to convert "on-off-on" switches into "on-on-on" Now that is something I would have tried years ago but my experience is I always louse it up and better to just buy the right product in the first place

Well I scrounged through a box of junk and found one that I had given it up for dead about 10 years ago. Cleaned it up with a tiny brush like an archaeological find and it works perfectly well! Then I did a bit of investigating to help anyone else looking for this item and I came up with C&K PART NUMBER 7211SH3ZQE Although there is some confusion between some terminologies. i.e. The Mouser website calls it a "DPDT contact form" and C&K call it "SP3T circuit type" and I don't know if "contact form" and "circuit type" are two different things. Check it out here, its a mine-field of information http://www.ckswitches.com/media/1394/7000toggle.pdf These things are hard to get right now, most places are out of stock for 10 weeks. I ended up buying from someone on eBay and they didn't give any part numbers or manufacturer so I'm keeping my fingers crossed LOL There is one place (Mara..?) that has one in stock. The picture looks exactly like the one I've got. it's $11 but the shipping to Australia is $150 There are other manufacturers though and I'm sure they are perfectly fine

Ah I see, momentary ... (mom) thanks for that cheers!

Hi thanks for your reply I would have thought these type of switches had more uses than for guitar. Yes come to think of it C&K rings a bell By the way another question; I've seen some of them called "(on)-on-on" and "on-on-(on)" What does the "on" in brackets mean?

Hi all For years I have not been able to buy these DPDT ON-ON-ON switches in local stores so I am forced to buy them online but I don't know enough about them to get the right ones. There is also a huge difference in price from store to store so I am also wondering if there is a difference in quality or are some people just ripping you off? So my questions are 1) What's the correct amp/voltage for guitars? 2) Are some better quality than others? Thanks in advance for any guidance, cheers

Thanks for your reply Yes I find a Bone or Corian Nut gives a sparkly "shimmering" sound about it when playing open chords (clean) Slowly strum and let it ring out Thanks for suggesting the Accoustic section yes I'll give that a go. Although what I'm planning to build is more of a chambered construction, sort of Semi Accoustic steering more toward Accoustic (but with my much favoured 57 Classic in the Neck) I have no idea how I would go about it, I'm not planning on using an Accoustic bridge. I know the intonation will be a problem but I have some ideas on how to dial it in, I will see how that goes cheers and thanks for your encouragement

Hi Everyone I'm planning on building a guitar with a chambered body/semi accoustic and I know the benefits of having a Bone Nut so I'm wondering why not a Bone saddle as well? Has it been done before and what is the result like? Pros and Cons? Any existing threads already talk about this? Cheers

A piece of wood like that will have grain changing directions either side of the knot so personally I wouldn't use it as you will have problems all the way through. Trimming the sides, shaping the radius, cutting fretslots. But if you're going to give it a go what I would try is very sharp blades in the planer and skim a tiny fraction at a time. If it still tears out then use the sander. Or just go straight to the sander Also I wouldn't try to eliminate the tear-outs completely just aim at an overall improvement. I've done things like this before (not on guitars) but I got it near perfect then one more skim and its back to square one again