carpenter's blues

Jeez,what a ripoff...I was trying to buy some clear paper for a logo for the headstock of this one on Amazon and the seller wanted to charge $5 for shipping a 10 pack of $10 paper...

What, he can't just stick it in an envelope with a couple stamps?

Since I saw that orange guitar you just posted on I've been thinking of not using pup rings for the humbuckers on my next build because it's a clean and modern look- I like the effect. How are they mounted? Similar to a P90 or did you use a different method?

Really nice work btw.

One would think that guitars built (and perhaps wood obtained) prior to the 2008 amendment would be excused, but there is no language stating this clearly and so (unfortunately) it is up to US Customs and whether or not you get an agent that happens to be a zealot!

The crazy thing about this Lacey Act amendment - and it application to Gibson - is that India approved the shipments to Gibson and LMI, but the US is claiming that India's interpretation of World Trade Organization export codes is not correct. Basically Uncle Sam telling India they are wrong in how they export their own material! Talk about government overreach....

Since when do we interpret the laws of other countries and act unilaterally based on our assumptions? oh wait...

Obviously customs law is beyond me, but this all seems rather arcane. I should be able to buy "unfinished" wood products from other countries as long as they're not endangered or dangerous, and I'm not even sure about the endangered part. I'm all for sustainability (especially as I'm in construction- I use a lot of wood products), but I'm uncertain anybody should tell another country how to manage their resources. It's all very complicated. I think I'll clear my head by playing an illegal Les Paul for a while.

Hmmm... Guess I'll be a guinea pig. It wouldn't be the first time, usually for what turn out to be bad ideas

Hey everybody, haven't been on in a while- just been lurking (pretty busy), but I was wondering:

I've got some chunks of red heart that might make a striking top paired with a walnut body and neck for a solid body guitar I'm making templates for. It's going to be carved with a slug- shaped hole (instead of an "f") for the chambered body, and I was curious if anyone had used it as a tonewood. I didn't buy it specifically for this- long story- but it seems very hard and dense. I've seen it as an accent wood more than anything else. Any ideas as to sound? Seems to me it may be similar to padauk, but if anyone has any experience with it I'm all ears. Thanks.

Man. Looks evil and beautiful all at once. I'd love to make a top out of that ziricote if it weren't $50 a board foot from my local supplier...

Man, I'm going to have to build one with a redwood top after seeing these, they look awesome. I'm leery of it though because I've worked with redwood quite a bit in carpentry projects and it can be so brittle/ splintery sometimes. Oh, and those redwood splinters hurt.

Very very nice. I especially like the way the back of the body is contoured.