2005palehorse

I'll experiment with the edge cut. Thanks for the tip. Yeah, some guys can pick up a Gibson and play no problem but I could not fret the LP's that well. I heard PRS was once challenged to make an acoustic using a pallet. A skilled man can make anything when he wants to!!! What wood is used in a pallet? It has to be tough and I was guessing hickory. Tom

Hi. I've always liked the speed/ UFO knobs and found that a numbered edge helps if volume/ tone needs to change. Whenever friends come over and want to play one of my guitars it helps if V/T is indicated and they can set their own style (without asking for a tutorial on the controls). I'll try some standard push-on knobs. If there's any future problems it will come from someone pulling too hard on the pot. I'm anxious to get this project finished and won't spend too much time on knobs alone. Tom

My first project had some hurdles to overcome so I hope the lessons learned will pay off on project "TALON". So far the neck has been the only progress made but it looks to be a good start *you can check it out here http://s1099.photobucket.com/albums/g395/2005palehorse/Project%20TALON/ I'm never satisfied with whats available at the guitar dealer so I'm putting something together that suits me. I've always liked the Explorer shape but the Gibson scale felt uncomfortable to play so this will be done in Fender scale. This guitar will have a mahagony body and neck with a more aggresive headstock. I hope to finish the guitar in a trans red so the grain will be seen and complete it with black hardware. I had found a neck builder on Ebay who was willing to build what I wanted at a budget price (a little over $100). Ebony fret boards are rarely seen anymore and I thought it would compliment the black hardware. I specifically wanted medium fret wire and a more "metal" headstock to match the body. I couldn't get any markers other than the standard dots but had them installed offset for a different look (I had seen this done on another brand guitar but don't remember where). Aria had an Explorer type guitar with an unusual edge cut that I'm trying it figure out and apply to my project. This guitar is likely to be heavy but its purpose is to sound off power chords well. Your observations are appreciated. Tom

Update... Mr. Riggs has had a chance to inspect the guitar and will deepen the neck pocket for a proper fit. He mentioned that the paint shop had sanded a lot of material from the top of the guitar which worsened the flaw. He's offered to correct the pocket at no cost to me but suggested a proper set up be completed by a local shop thats near him. Both the neck and bridge are within tolerence and they have been excluded as contributing to the problems. I know the Chinese made neck was a foolish decision but the body, paint and hardware had my budget stretched to its limits so the idea was to get the guitar playable and upgrade later. After seeing the neck in its finished form, I couldn't see any quality problems and will keep the neck unless it develops issues. Both the paint shop and body luthier have stated the neck is solid, frets well and is holding the position set by the truss rod. I expect if any of the neck material starts to fail its likely to be the fret wire (unless it has a standard percentage of hard nickel). For now I seem to have a decent neck on my guitar but after some months/ years we'll see how durable it is. I'll spend the bucks and get a proper neck if the "cheapie" fails. I imagine rock maple is the same the world over so as long as the truss rod works as I need it and the frets don't wear abnormally, I should get my investment's worth. Sometimes your budget will dictate your direction. Tom

Hi. I'm building an "explorer" type guitar with three controls: 1V, 1 selector pot and 1T. The problem is that one pot is a push/ pull to allow for single coil configuration. I wanted to use a "speed" or "UFO" type knob that had the V / T indicated on top and numbered so I can set quickly. I think standard "push on" knobs will work loose after some use so a set screw is needed. Here's what I had in mind: 3 (set screw) knobs made from ebony (preferred) or mahagony in a speed or UFO shape with some sort of edge groove to allow better grip (for pulling). The volume and tone knobs need to be indicated on top with a V/T. I plan to use an indicator to show the level I'm setting to so the bottom edge needs to be numbered or painted in a widening pattern to indicate the intensity is increasing. I'm using a center d'tent pot instead of a selector switch to vary the pick up input so that knob only needs some dot or arrow indicator showing the middle position. the bottom could be numbered 54321^12345 or painted to show that the pot is increasing more for a bridge or neck pick up. I've considered having a B/N marked on top of this knob to indicate its purpose. Only one knob truly needs a set screw but I had a specialist to pre wire the guitar and have no idea which pot will serve that purpose (wiring hasn't arrived)so having set screws for all three is a safe bet. I would really like your thoughts on making these knobs. Your suggestions on who could do it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Tom

Thanks to all for the responses. I'll tinker with those recommendations and see how the amp reacts to the settings. I've not been disappointed with the V33 but felt it was more suited for country/ blues than other catagories. My father plays steel guitar and has asked me several times to loan the amp to him cause it reminded him so much of the Fender Twin Reverb he once had. Maybe in the future I'll invest in an amp with built in effects and give him the Crate since it works well with his Sho-Bud instrument. Thanks again.......Tom

Hi from the frozen tundra of northern Kentucky. I have a guitar with a satin (flat) finish (damn near military olive green). What can I use to clean/ protect the guitar? Unless I wash my hand right befor touching the guitar, the oils in my hands can be seen where the guitar is touched. Most products are intended to shine the guitar but that would defeat the intended "dull" look. Does anyone make a wax that will retain the flat finish? Thanks..........................Tom

There’s a plethora of guitar knowledge here covering every aspect of the greatest instrument (IMO) ever created (especially when electricity was added). Since the amp is an integral part of solid body guitars, why not cover a tutorial on the mysteries of this component? Many early bands created hits using basic gear and didn’t have access to effects until success made it financially viable. I wanted to list the equipment I have available and find out what settings are needed to dial in the “classic rock” sound (Bad Company, AC/DC, Foreigner, Led Zeppelin, Ted Nugent etc). Guitar: solid body 6 string, 2 HB, 1V-1T- 3way toggle. Amp: Crate V33-212, volume-gain-level-treble-middle-bass-reverb (push button switches: channel, boost, presence). I’ve tried to experiment with the controls on both the guitar and amp but have had no luck finding anything more than distortion and clean. Early rock seems to be dialed in in a more “reasonable” setting than just all out “death metal” crunch. Help me out folks. In what ways can I adjust the controls on my guitar and amp for some of that “70’s” sound? A Marshall amp would change things a bit but I’ll have to work with what I have. Thanks…………………Tom

Thanks. I appreciate that. It's a weird approach I know but I've always wanted a LP "like" guitar that had the comfort of a Strat. There's been some problems with the bridge width not matching the Fender scale neck but I'm replacing that hardware now. I bought Strat style bridge specific for humbuckers but it's a little wider in string spacing and the small E string is off the fretboard. There will always be some bugs to work out but as long as the BIG issues are thought about in the beginning (neck angle, scale etc) then the other stuff can be adjusted. What kind of a guitar project did you have in mind? Tom

Wow, this got heated quick!!! The body was $175 (if I remember correctly). By the time paint, hardware, electronics, shipping, etc etc....the tally came to $700 (combined total). The good news is that the body maker (J. Riggs) is willing to re-examine the body and make any additional cuts that are needed. I sent him pics along with the tech notes and his recommendations were to not try to reshape the neck heel (my possible suggestion) but that he can take additional material from the pocket and use shorter mounting screws. I like everyone who commented about this. You're passionate about guitars and I admire that. I have also contacted a pro neck maker and he said he could look over the cheap neck and (possibly) salvage it by tweaking and adjusting. He mentioned that even if the tuning machines were a "sloppy" install, that alone produces problems. He even offered to make the same neck for $110 (if needed). It would be worth shipping to me to send the guitar to these guys and let them work some "voodoo" on it. For this guitar I'm opting to let more experienced hands to fix the gremlins. I do want to experiment and tinker with a homemade guitar in the future but need some woodworking tools first. At my skill level its likely that I'll make matters worse to fix the problems myself. With the feedback from this forum, I've gained an understanding to what the problems are and how to deal with them. I'm close to having a quality guitar but I'll have to follow through with it. Maybe I am infected with the Engineer sickness (Engineers consult with specific experts and assign them to fix the problem). "Manage the process for the expected product" is what were told (and I think it lessens the trainee for it). I think guitar building will become a hobby for me after school is finished and I can afford a garage/ shop + tools. I should do these things myself but school consumes everything I would need to take on a project solo. I'll continue addressing the problem areas on this guitar and post a follow-up with the outcome. It has been a learning experience that I can apply to future problems. I do wished Mr. Riggs had wanted to have the neck for insuring all would fit accordingly. I think at that stage he may have seen that the Strat bridge saddles was going to strain to clear the P/U's and fretboard. Its a minor fix and I still think he did a good job regardless. Tom

I hadn't consider Kahler. I'll give them a look. On the list currently is the Schaller TOM with adjustable rollers and an Allparts TOM brand that allows saddle height adjustment. I could go with a (aftermarket brand) bridge with blank graphite saddles (and cut the spacing/ height myself) or the Schaller Tom with blanks (these are my favorite so far). The Fender scale neck is preferred cause I can play it more comfortably than the Gibson. Hey, how is everybody posting pics? Nice Ex WESTHEMANN. I wanted to do a red stain/ transparent myself. The neck for my project is being made by a builder in Michigan. I expect the neck to be a standard Strat spec. Thanks...Tom

Being an engineering student (1st year), I've been "fed" the precision and detail proceedures so when I started this project and opted to "outsource" the work I knew the error factor was high (when multiple suppliers were involved). When more than one person/ company or supplier was providing parts that needed to match instead of a single shop, it would have been a miracle that things meshed perfectly. I brought this up to the body maker (after being told that he wasn't making necks) and was told "regardless of where the neck comes from, as long as its to Fender scale (and curved heel), it will work. Tom these things are mass produced so much that it's no longer necessary to put much thought into it. My templates are the same that Fender uses and the Chinese probably also use the exact templates". So, I was doubtful from the beginning that there would be zero problems because there are just too many variables. Is everybody using the same templates? Who's using metric or standard measurements? Is quality control doing their job? Jim Riggs had done such a fantastic job on the body shape and contour but he's human and could be off a few thousanths of an inch. It really makes a difference. Making the body without seeing/ having the neck is over confidence in his abilities. If the neck is "out of spec tolerance", he could have adjusted the heel to avoid any joining problems. My choice in "vintage bridge" may have also caused it's placement to be "not exact" because everyone uses the four screw Strat bridge so the three screw plate takes some planning. Anyway, whats done is done. I'll invest in a quality neck later and I may even have the neck built to fit the body (avoiding further pocket work). Mr. Riggs was unconcerned there would be any issues but he didn't factor that the Chinese neck would be "close to spec" but not exact. When you deal with folks who are "subject matter experts", they are "numb" to any concerns after ??? years of experience. I wished it had gone better but the guitar is playable as-is but I'll probably spend more time adjusting rather than playing. Tom

Hi from Kentucky. My first project of combining a fender scale neck to a LP body turned out "below" expectations but the bugs are still being dealt with (pics below). http://s1099.photobucket.com/albums/g395/2005palehorse Now I'm gonna try something similiar with an explorer body + Fender scale neck. I know the radious of the fender neck differs from Gibson and since I want to use a GOTOH style bridge, whats gonna matter most: Use a Schaller and adjust string width to match the Fender scale neck Use an aftermarket brand (small posts) that allows saddle adjustment Based on what folks say here, thats what I'll depend on for the bridge. The Schaller would allow me to adjust string width and not worry that the strings will be out-of-tolerance to neck edge. The aftermarket GOTOH bridge would let me set string height to meet the Fender radious. Whats the better choice? Thanks.....Tom

Thanks to all for the advice. The neck itself is creating some havoc (along with additional material in the neck pocket that must be removed for a better angle). I've looked at the Carvin catalog and their parts are better quality and more affordable than others I've seen. I like the blank headstock so I'm able to have any shape option I want. This project has been a huge learning experience and I had asked the body maker to also do the neck but his shop wasn't offering necks. When joining two parts from different suppliers it's a coin toss to whether they'll mesh correctly (even if the parts are made to standard specs for that scale). In the future I would only buy body/ necks from the same source (maybe then they would be mated better). I have been thinking of solutions for these areas that are causing problems so until the neck/ pocket can be addressed, could I shim the bridge a bit higher and make it easier for the saddles to do their job? I know its best to have the bridge mounted directly to the body top but if a hardwood was used (or even metal), then the bridge could meet the neck better. I wished I could just "snap" my fingers and make the bridge plate X2 thick. What would be the disadvantages to shim the bridge? Thanks....Tom

I agree (with all the above). Warmoth gets expensive when you start requesting finishing, thats when the cost of a neck gets in the $300 range. I could clear-coat at home but the 30 degree weather wouldn't work. This problem may be fixed by having a deeper neck pocket, shedding some wood from the neck (pocket side), or both. Right now I'm considering getting in touch with a recommended "neck guy" and have a neck made that will work. I should send the whole guitar to the neck builder to be sure everything is right. This problem is my fault since I tried to go cheap with a major component that depends on precision. I would really like to keep the "vintage" style bridge but I'm willing to change it also if its creating problems. I bought a Russian made "oil" cap for this project and even that has seemed to "muddy" the sound. I may also change that later on. As far as the neck problem, I need to set a budget for fixing the problem and stick with it. The guitar is "playable" in its current set-up but the neck issue is something that will have to be dealt with eventually. I appreciate everyone's feedback and observations. If this project turns into a "money bucket" then I'll just leave it as-is. Tom