ScottR

This is counter to your request since you specified pads, but I've done it many times using the regular sanding sheets and the foam sanding block. Oddly enough it seems to work better dry sanding instead of wet sanding. SR

Very creative and lots of depth. SR

It did indeed. It is. I use the screws in the pick-up waste area method too. SR

Smooth..... probably just semantics. SR

Org- a couple of questions about your neckwood on this (beautiful) guitar. Have you ever used that mulberry for a body wood? I was wondering how it is to work. I've got a few logs set aside for carving. That stuff has got some great reflective rays in it. Also, have you ever made a neck using a greter amount of osage orange? I'm thinking the properties that make that a great longbow wood would also make it a great neck wood. SR

What's your verdict on the "real" neck blank? Other than the huge pile of orange sawdust? SR

That's beautiful Allen. I'm glad you didn't give up on it. I checked back at the beginning to remember all the changes you had to make and saw that I'd totally forgotten that the router tried to eat your blackwood. Ican see no evidence of that at all now. Great recovery! SR

Excellent neck to body transition. I really like the cutaway scoop on the back. Something about the same scoop on the front keeps catching my eye though. The way the light catches the top edge of the curve of the scoop, on the horn side makes a visible line that makes you compare it to the curve in the cutaway. Those two curves do not look smooth together, they kind of pinch in a bit and it's the scoop carve that's doing it. I'm sorry I don't have the tools to point out on the pic exactly what I'm talking about. SR

I'd like to make one from bloodwood. It has similar working properties to jatoba, as well as weight and density. We already know it's bright, so I'd wager that it'd be a great neck material. And it'd look stunning with a matching fretboard and a white body. I have a pair of Rickenbackers I've had in the planning stages for about a year now. Both will have jatoba fretboards. It should make great fretboards. It tends more towards mid-ranges than bright IMO. Notyou had a jatoba top on his abused blues and it sounded great. Of course the charring might have changed its characteristics somewhat. SR

That finish is looking good, very warm. SR

Definitely, definitely cleaner than padouk.....definitely. SR

I've got about 3 feet left over from the Hook custom, but I'm not sure of the size (Hook bought it). I think it's roughly medium.... SR

I really like using jatoba for necks.....although I really should try something else sometime just for a comparison. It is super stiff and transmits sound extremely well. Those properties also allow for a very thin neck. It feels good. It is heavy....but once everything but the neck is removed, it's not bad at all. It sounds very good, some say mid-rangy. It drills and routes nicely-- with sharp bits. Dull ones will get hot fast. It is hard on jointers....at least the extremely rough cut pieces I've got are. I really like using the long tenon to get the strings tied to the jatoba at both ends.....more or less. The bridge screws anchor into it any way. Maybe that's voodoo, but it sure is a lively feeling neck. SR

Thanks... I've seen those side dots, they look like a real PITA. It's not like abalone is a new discovery or anything....but I was unprepaired for the fire and depth. Maybe you could put one dot on your truss rod cover or HS and never tell anyone what it's for. That should drive your bass players crazy. I thought you might chime in Nevin....FWIW, I happen to like all the bass players I know, and can't imagine music with out them. They are still entertaining to poke from time to time. SR

No,if it is thin enough to run the length it is thin enough to wick in to the wood.Just don't glue the frets in.I glue the ends after all of the frets are seated and rough filed and beveled with medium CA.It is thin enough to go a hair into the slots without running into the wood.Only reason I glue the ends is to seal out most of the moisture in the air I wick in some thin CA if I find a gap--otherwise no glue. As far as fretboard polish, it is just micromeshed up to 12000 so far. If you get something on it while fretting clean it up and re-sand the area in question. It's not impossible....even if it seems like it might be. Brett, I wasn't suggesting you put markers on top of your beautiful fretboards, that's the sort of thing that would make you wander around in circles muttering to yourself. On the other hand, most of the bass players I know do need some sort of special attention or something...... SR

That ended up very nice A. SR

I radiused the fretboard to a 14" and polished her up. The ebony is still fighting. I had to leach in some thin CA and re-clamp in a couple of places. Edges only-no structural worries. Ebony is brittle and likes to chip. When you re-set your slots after radiusing, be sure to pull the say to the center. It's a good idea to bevel the slots prior to re-cutting, again pulling to the center. Do yourself a favor and put some 220 grit around your triangle file when you bevel, and your file won't knock out any chips either. This is the first time I've used abalone. Oh my god that stuff polishes up like liquid opals. I WILL be using this again. I can't seem to capture the fire with the camera, but believe me it is blazing! Brett, I know it's against your principals to use fret marker dots or inlays.....but you've got to find a way to use some of this. Side marker dots maybe. SR

Continuing on the the headstock carve you can see that the spine from the volute to the tip carve that is normally present in my headstocks is reduced somewhat. I decided I like the midsize Gotohs better than the minis. These are the Deltas which are just like the 510s only with a 21:1 ratio. You can see that I had to carve a relief for the top tuner. Be sure to save all your offcuts until you are done assembling. They help everything fit in the vise. SR

I've wondered how these were going. I like the hardware combination.....but I'm on the fence a bit on the pickguard. SR

I think you will too. SR

Thank you. For me, there is something very satisfying about shaping wood by hand. It's very therapeutic.....a cacoon of peace sort of settles around me while I'm carving. Of course, beer and blues may have something to do with that as well. SR

Nice view! SR

You know........ My original plan was to drill the tuners before shaping. I went to get the drill over a week ago, and all they had was the floor model which they refused to sell to me. A new one was on the way...due any minute. A week later I found one in stock in a different location. And the head stock work had already begun. And the vise is the cat's ass. Way easier to get the work located and stable. SR

Thanks guys. I'm still looking at it thinking I haven't got to the point where there's anything very cool to show yet. Paulie, that's a seriously usefull trait to have in a mom. But can she cook? The changes I've made to this HS are not very visible in these shots....and they are fairly minor so they may never be too obvious to anyone but me, I guess. SR