Our Souls inc.

That color + that board =

I feel comfortable making this prediction based on views of your previous work.

Looking sweet.

I love being right.

Looks like you got the GOTM in the bag. Deservedly so ! Nice, nice work.

I can't believe I got any votes at all with this line up.

It's gotta be the novelty of the guitar and certainly not the build quality that gets them votes - this month and months prior. .......

but I never vote for myself and I do appreciate the votes I get - be they pity votes or not.

That said - there is no way on earth that the Zulu is a better guitar than Not You's entry.

This month I started off confident but all hope is gone after seeing the other entries.

Lots of head turners and oddities this go 'round.

Ok with that I think you should know why I voted for you.

1) I like that you are using found materials. It gives so many possibilites and chalanges that you would not face if you were using fresh wood.

2) You made great use of the carve. I like that it is on the back and thus there but, literaly, not in your face.

3) Related to the first point, the way you met the chalange of the control cavity is great.

4) I just like explorers

That said it was hard not voting for any of the others.

Thank you .

On a side note - has anyone ever catalouged (sp?) all the GOTM entries/winners? It'd be cool to be able to look 'em all over, one by one.

How bout a GOTM calender? I'd buy one!

I can't believe I got any votes at all with this line up.

It's gotta be the novelty of the guitar and certainly not the build quality that gets them votes - this month and months prior. .......

but I never vote for myself and I do appreciate the votes I get - be they pity votes or not.

That said - there is no way on earth that the Zulu is a better guitar than Not You's entry.

This month I started off confident but all hope is gone after seeing the other entries.

Lots of head turners and oddities this go 'round.

You are a patient man , my friend.

I make my arm contours with a belt sander........ 40 grit , then 50, 80, 120 and then 220. Makes it a quick and easy process.

Love the toolbox.

oh - and the look af the mock-up. Very nice, indeed.

If you can put something ( another clothespin leg ) in the tail of the clothespin , it'll add more pressure.

Beautiful lookig work so far ! I'm sure this'll be a beaut!

Time to put the hardware on the neck today. I drew out where the strings were heading and measured between them to get the anchor points for the string retainer.

I drilled guide holes on the drill press to make sure they were straight, took, Avengers' advice and reamed them out with the next size up drill bit, then Our Souls' advice and marked off the drill bit with tape so I didn't drill straight through to the other side like I did on the practice neck.

Then put on the machine heads, I never realised that the washers have an up and down side you learn something new

I'll take the stickers off when it's finished and strung up, it's a little ceremony, like taking the clear plastic off the pickguard.

Shaping up nicely . My gut feeling is to go for the PG. It just fits the build. *shrugs*

Keep it rollin' !

Yeppers - AANJ is the shizzle .

hey man, does it make you as crazy that I just wing it as it makes me that you make everything perfect ?

Love where you're taking this one. even the PG it classy . Love it.

If I ever run across any more carvings - you get first dibs. Pay the shipping and purchase price - I'll get it to you. I'd love to see some more barn siding / pallet / flea market type builds. Reduce , Re~use , Recycle.

original Titebond

measure the amount of extra screw height you have on each one.

mark that amount out on the BOTTOM of the screw.

screw them down almost flush with the top. ( leave a little sticking up - room for error / later adjustments )

Use a pair of diagonal cutters AKA dykes and chop off the measured amount from the bottom of the screws.

Dremel the cut part smooth with a grinding blade.

My $.02 - hope it helps.

Just a guess , but I imagine the tone has more to do with how many feathers that tree had.............

( i know I'm no help )

Also Titebond is a PVA glue.

I so am

Despite my watery emulsion nature, keep me out of the reach of children.

Dude, I love you,man !

Tite-bond *@&^!ng RULES.

Oh dear God.... are you sure ?!? lol

PM me whatcher thinkin of - I'll keep it on the DL.

completely and totally dig it.

shes all done sans cavity covers......

Not too bad for a pallet and some spray paint. .... lol , well .... in all honesty , the pallet is hidden under the Curly Cherry top and Birdseye Maple FB.....

and here's her backside.....

I suck at painting almost as bad as I suck at neck building... my weak spots.

I do hope to improve , but it takes practice , like anything else I guess...........

wow... no joke- at 6' and 185 ( all muscle lol ) I still have shoulder pain if I use a heavy guitar for too long. Years of gigging with an Ibanez Destroyer gave me this lovely gift.... that beast will surely hurt you in the long run.

How bout a guitar strap/vest setup? lol maybe with a built in back brace. .....

Awesome looking beasty though.

This is "Zulu" . If you don't know the story , here goes:

I bought a carving at a flea market, and it turned out to be African Mahogany. I wanted to keep the carving intact as a 'tip of the hat' to the original artist. This is the result......

Specs:

A.M. 1-piece-body

Padouk neck w/ recycled fretboard. I followed the tutorial on the main page and saved this FB/frets from the dumpster. The neck they were on was broken badly.

all gold hardware that I actually made money to get, as opposed to paying for them.

Side routed control cavities .

Teak oil finish w/ slight darkening of various places.

Total investment , including strings and strap-locks :

under $100 .

Pics:

more pics in the build thread : http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=43011

* Props to Chops1983 for a nudge in the GOTM direction. Thanks Chad! *

I think the animals will look stupid.

Hey... you asked.

sweet wood score though

I dunno- at first- I thought- ewwww- but then I thought- hell- I think that is exactly what makes this sweet. SHAKA ZULU!!!!

+1 on the wood score- always cool to find something and recycle it for something as sweet as a guitar.

Remember- no one has to see the back- I say leave it- when people say- nice explorer you can flip it over and say 'Shaka Zulu!"

Mr. Natural - "Shaka Zulu!", indeed.

Thanks !!

+1

The strat of the future !

That looks like something I did/1,000 times below your capabilities.

I say give up all hope.

*what were you thinking?*

I think it looks great.

You asked.

I really dig the inlays - but the wavy-gravy-grain looks awesome.

P-P-P-puuurrrdy.

lol - no worries.

Jose - have you looked at any good shipping pallets lately ? I made a good guitar out of one and there's another on the way ( just scored a new pallet today - *giggity* )

I'm glad people are digging the Zulu , I guess even a blind squirell gets an acorn , right? I do feel like it's my best work yet , but I hope to get much, much better. The side routs were a fun idea , I'm glad they worked out with no blowout , but next time I'll not go all the way through -front to back , but keep it on the side only , keeping them from showing from the front or back. I grain matched the covers, but the dark dye kinda hides it. by the time you get close enough to see the grain , you can see the not-so-perfect covers I made....

and as much as I like it - no GOTM for this. ( have you SEEN the competition this month ??!? )

Scott - This is actually a re-finish. I wrecked the first one . I dyed it black , wiped it back to a nice darkish color and rubbed it to a nice shine. ( pice above sans strings ) then the can of clear I sprayed on it sputtered a big glob of a$s-ness right in the middle of it.

sweet.

I took it all off back to plain wood and then re-darkened the whole thing , then oiled it. I like the way the end grain kept the darkness and blended it into the carving.

I sliced off a leaf from the leftover carved stuff and it'll make a fine TR cover.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...&hl=soapbox

I did one from molding-grade pine very recently. It sounds great and was super-easy to work with. The drawback is that it's really soft and every little bump or scratch is really exaggerated.

Bright? Dark? Middy?

Kinda warm, but not dull.

Full bottom with some definition left on top.

Just like my wife.

She reads that , you in the doghouse jack.

good solid advice.

As for drill bits - Rodman bits have no equal in my eyes. One bit can do steel , masonry , GLASS , tile and more. I absolutely love them , too bad I only have them at work and not home where I build..........