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mikhailgtrski

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Everything posted by mikhailgtrski

  1. mikhailgtrski
    I recently viewed Gibson's online tour of their Tennessee factory. gibson plant tour Check it out - nobody in the finish pics is wearing a mask of any kind. For their sakes I hope it was just for the photo op. Yikes! Mike
  2. mikhailgtrski
    I guess everyone's gone and upgraded to spray equipment? I think I'll go with Behlen's Topcoat Lacquer (not Jet Spray). Sounds like quality stuff, and a Deft thread post from Doc says it gives you a little harder finish than Deft. Mike
  3. mikhailgtrski
    OK, some of you like Deft, some Behlen's, some Stew-Mac... What's your preference and why? Thanks for the opinions Mike
  4. mikhailgtrski
    It seems to me it would be safer to pore fill first... talk of sanding thin sealer coats makes me nervous. I sure don't want to risk sanding through into the dye. But I'll experiment first on scrap mahogany. Thanks, guys. Mike
  5. mikhailgtrski
    Thanks, Drak. How does this sound? 1. Pore fill w/ tinted water-based filler 2. Dye the mahogany 3. Nitro sand/sealer 4. Nitro clear coat Thanks again for the expert advice Mike
  6. mikhailgtrski
    The fit on my Warmoth 5-string jazz was perfect... couldn't be any tighter, and just enough clearance for the pickguard. That was a few years ago, back when I could actually walk into their shop and get personal service. But the neck joint on my latest Warmoth guitar is good, too. I don't think you can go wrong with them. Mike
  7. mikhailgtrski
    Doubtful... you'd probably end up with an oily mess. Tung or other penetrating oils need something to penetrate. You've already sealed the wood with paint. Mike
  8. mikhailgtrski
    What do Drak & Co. recommend for mahogany? I was planning to dye the mahogany back a darkish brown, spray a couple of light coats of nitro lacquer, then grain fill with the Stew-Mac clear waterbased filler. But after reading the black epoxy grain fill thread I'm wondering if that would look better and give better results (flatter, harder finish?) Do I run more risk of sanding through to the dye with the epoxy method? Thanks for your input. Mike
  9. mikhailgtrski
    Drak, do you think your method would work with rattlecan lacquer? No way to thin that last coat, and more chance of orange peel? Mike
  10. mikhailgtrski
    Yes, I think it still needs the angle. There's not enough compensation built in for it to intonate properly without it, same as a TOM. Mike
  11. mikhailgtrski
    I was a little off... A google search provided this: "Early P.A.F. pickups as used on the 1956 lapsteels and 1957 Les Paul Standard had brushed stainless steel pickup covers (brushed to make them look nickel plated). This quickly changed to brass covers with a nickel plating. If the cover was gold, the brass was first nickel plated and then gold plated." Aluminum and brass are non-magnetic, as are certain types of stainless steel, i.e. Type 302. But, then, I tend to prefer the look of an open humbucker. To answer possum's question, the adjustable poles should (with most humbuckers) be to the outside... to the bridge side on the bridge p/u and to the neck side on the neck p/u. If you flip one of them around you'll put the pickups out of phase with each other. Mike
  12. mikhailgtrski
    My son put a Duncan '59 neck in his Epiphone LP. He took the cover off the Epi humbucker (it was double wax potted) and soldered it on the '59, no wax, no caulk. It sounds great clean, but it starts squealing if you turn up the gain. Interestingly, the bridge position Seth Lover (which is not supposed to be potted at all) doesn't have this problem. Maybe it's just a loose cover issue. BTW, I'm pretty sure most covers are nickel. Mike
  13. mikhailgtrski
    Both methods will work. The ones I've seen use the double-potted method. Whatever method you use, the idea is to keep that cover from vibrating.
  14. mikhailgtrski
    Very nice work, Godin! What method did you use? I'm assuming dark brown/sand back, then amber... details please? Again, great work. Mike
  15. mikhailgtrski
    Sure, but if you play loud or with lots of gain be prepared for some nasty squealing feedback ...unless you wax pot the pickups. There was a thread on potting not too long ago. Mike
  16. mikhailgtrski
    I refinished my maple soloist a few years ago, and the dyed, unsealed maple soaked up a lot of finish. Seems like I gave up after 6+ cans on getting a dead-flat finish. Of course, I didn't really know what I was doing and I'm sure I didn't prep the wood properly. No PG tutorials back then Mike
  17. mikhailgtrski
    Scalloped or not, if you press too hard you can bend the string out of tune, unless your frets are really low. I use the big (wide tall) Dunlop frets and have no problem, but I'm not trying to choke the neck either. You only have to press hard enough to make string-to-fret contact. Any more effort than that is wasted and can bend the string out of tune, not to mention fatigue your hand. I like the taller frets because they give you more fingertip room under the string - easier to bend (on purpose) the strings that way. But that's just my preference... your mileage may vary Mike
  18. mikhailgtrski
    All maple can sound good My main (as in only) electric guitar is a 14 year-old Warmoth soloist, Western maple back, quilt top. Reverse explorer (was really into George Lynch at the time) Birdseye maple neck w/ ebony fingerboard. Floyd Rose w/ Tremsetter, Duncan '59 bridge & neck + Duncan Vintage Strat in middle. Very clear sounding, but not overly bright, good sustain, very versatile. I get a lot of compliments on the tone. Definitely not a Les Paul, though Mike
  19. mikhailgtrski
    Very nice work... What's the neck angle? I wanted to build my PRS-ish project as a string-through, but I didn't think I could make the geometry work with a TOM. Are you going to recess the TOM? Thanks, you've renewed my hope Mike
  20. mikhailgtrski
    You mean like a PRS hollowbody, or an ES335? Good idea... go for it. Mike
  21. mikhailgtrski
    Do a search for "pink" and you'll find this thread: pink dye Mike
  22. mikhailgtrski
    In my experience, the less angle the better. I had a Washburn back in the early 80's that had a couple of extreme angles from the tuner to the nut, and I always had tuning problems due to the string binding at the nut. I tried graphite powder in the slots for awhile, but the only thing that solved it was retrofitting a Floyd Rose locking nut. Same thing with my reverse Explorer neck - it's fine with the locking nut, but a real pain without. My new PRS-style neck will have the nut-to-tuning post path as straight as I can make it. Mike
  23. mikhailgtrski
    Yes, you can put the nickel covers on. The originals are soldered on, although I suppose you could just let the pole screws hold them in place. You may experience some feedback problems if you don't wax pot them, though. The covers can resonate with high gain/high volume and start squealing uncontrollably Mike
  24. mikhailgtrski
    You can't go wrong with a Warmoth... real top quality stuff, and they back it up with a guarantee. All of their neck pockets (except the Gecko bass) are Fender standard, but I would highly recommend buying one of their necks. I've got a Warmoth 5-string jazz bass and that neck is rock-solid. You could find cheaper parts elsewhere, but you get what you pay for Mike
  25. mikhailgtrski
    You can leave it raw - no need to fill the grain. You can apply some fretboard finishing oil (stewmac or elsewhere, make sure the board is totally clean first) but it's not absolutely necessary. Mike
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