WarriorOfMetal

i made a colorized mockup of the body in photoshop....unfortunately, i'm not quite skilled enough with photoshop to make the bridge saddles chrome like they're supposed to be, but here it is anyway: click here to see pic

OFR and Lo-Pro Edge are both very good trems. Some prefer the Ibanez version over the original. Trouble is that Lo-Pro Edge is much harder to get a hold of. On top of that it's much, much more expensive. Best option is to get RG7620 from the bay and gut that guitar of most it's hardware. Route like that is very cost effective option. Just new Lo-Pro Edge could set you back $350 at music store. that's probably what i'm gonna do, because there's a lot i could use from the 7620 even if i end up going with the OFR

And just spend hours reading this site. It's amazing how much good advice is burried in here. And yes, it's a bitch not to be able to use short search terms.....like RG, JEM, etc... i've been doing a ton of reading the past few weeks, between Projectguitar, sevenstring.org, harmony-central, and a couple others, as well as doing some of my own research. i'm also still trying to figure out if it makes more sense to use an OFR 7 or Lo-Pro Edge 7, and if the OFR 7 can use the Edge's locking studs

perhaps, but the few threads that come up when i search (esp. considering you can't search "jem" without getting a "too few characters" error) don't answer the question that this thread was posted to ask about

yeah, this is gonna be a learning experience....something i've been wanting to do for a while. this is why i'm posting on these boards and why i'm also getting help with the project from a tech/luthier friend of mine. also when i said i don't know how to build templates, i meant more in terms of doing the smaller stuff like the control cavity cover....i'd seen the template blanks that stew-mac sells, and was more thinking of how to cut those and have them come out well. as far as the body and headstock shapes and such, i've got full-size sketches that i was intending to use to make mockups of on thin wood, to use as templates. besides, i've seen people on these boards who seem to know a lot less about instrument construction than i do, who want to do some pretty involved projects.....

yeah....the stock pickups are DiMarzios (albeit, not very good ones, but DiMarzios nonetheless), so the routs are shaped to match.

Somehow I get the feeling you haven't gotten the basics right. Read threads like these: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=9113 not sure i get what you mean by this part.....

also the pickup routs are different....here's a pic of my 7620 for comparison:

it doesn't loook anything like a Mockingbird......? definitely more along the lines of the Bich....or *maybe* a Stealth, but definitely no Mockingbird resemblance there...

just FYI, that's an RG7420 in the pics, not a 7620

Eh!....wrong answer......cause building a guitar is all about building templates. Know how to build templates, is knowing how to build guitars. Get yourself one of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=47937 I have one of those and it simply doesn't want to die on me, and I have thrown everything on it. It's cheap.....but dependable. For RG type guitar, that might be a bridge too far...... yeah you may be right about it being too difficult with a pickguard like that....mine is slightly more involved than an RG style anyway.... i bookmarked the page with that router though, since i'm gonna be needing one anyway. now how do i go about making templates?

Sweet, looking forward to it. I actually took another look back at the headstock and it's starting to make sense. It's a dragon's jaw, more or less, correct? Reminds me of the sketches in some of my D&D books (No, I'm not a geek...?) That'd work on the body, I think, to keep with the overall theme. One or two things: If you're keeping with the black-white scheme as well as the dragon theme, you could paint the headstock half-black and half-white with the design you had, to further define the dragon-jaw shape. Also, maybe if you moved the upper horn, or both horns, out a bit more, I think it'd make them look more wing-like. My suggestion, is all, but looking forward to your refined designs. Keep 'em comin' -Xanthus i don't think i'm gonna do the black/white headstock....i think the white/natural would look a little better....not 100% sure though. btw, i just noticed you're in boston...maybe you'll get to see this thing in person at some point \m/

mainly because i don't know how to make the templates, and i don't have a router (yet). in general, probably not a bad idea though, i suppose it could potentially save me some money on the custom pickguard too...

for the custom 7-string i'm building, i'm thinking about doing my output jack this way due to size and location of the control cavity i intend to use. that is, i'm planning to use the stew-mac cover plate, and i'm intending to have it cover what would essentially be 3 cavities in one (the controls, the batteries for the active pickups, and the access to the solder terminals for the jack). the problem is, if i put the jack on the bottom corner where they're usually placed, i have to angle the cover plate to properly cover everything. this wouldn't be a problem if i wasn't doing a trem-equipped guitar, where the spring cover plate would get in the way, and i think cutting the corner off of the stew-mac plate would end up putting a couple screws in less than ideal locations. suggestions/thoughts?

There's only one hand gesture I can give to people who actually PROFESS that they play power metal... \m/ >_< \m/ Had ya goin' didn't I? Good luck on the build, body looks awesome, headstock is a bit too 'busy' for my tastes, but all the more power to ya. In the name of Holy Thunderforce, -Xanthus haha thanx man the headstock i think will make some more sense when i get a better sketch of it....the one i have right now is fairly rough. i've also done a little more work with the body design and the control layout, i should have pics of those on the page in a couple days.

the guitar the color combination is based on:

i threw some pics of my sketches up and a backstory on a website here: http://prod.campuscruiser.com/cruiser/berk...ragonrider.html

yeah i'm well aware of that site.....but i'm probably gonna buy a used RG7620, use the parts i need, and then re-sell what i don't....although i may have to use ibanezrules to get the chrome saddles...

thanks to some people over at sevenstring.org i found out that they have them at www.guitarpartsdepot.com btw, pics tonight aren't looking too promising

I'm in the design stages of a custom 7-string guitar that I plan to call the Dragonrider. I'm doing this as my final project for my "professional music" major here at Berklee (for that major, your final project can be just about anything, as long as it's somehow music-related, and my interest in wanting to get into lutherie inspired me to give this a shot....and no, there are no lutherie courses at Berklee, currently). Anyway, it's going to have elements of a few guitars I currently own, combined to make something that will (hopefully) turn out really nicely. I'm planning to have doug build the neck for me once I've got the money for it, and then I'll make the body from a blank, and do all the finishing, assembly, and setup myself (well, with some help). Also, I'll likely be getting a custom pickguard from Terrapin Guitars. Enough rambling, on with the specs: Neck: 7-string 25.5" scale 24 frets Ibanez AANJ-style bolt-on joint Maple neck Ebony board Inlays: none Binding: white Frets: stainless steel custom dragon's head shaped headstock headstock finish: white Body: Alder (probably) superstrat shape with B.C. Rich Ignitor-inspired modifications rear-routed control/battery cavity pickguard for cosmetic purposes finish: white Original Floyd Rose 7 or Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge 7 double-locking recessed vibrato flush-mounted output jack Electronics/other: Pickups: EMG 707 (neck) and 81-7 (bridge) Controls: volume knob + 5-way blade switch (wired for use as a 3-way...I do this for the smoother feel when switching quickly from one end of the travel to the other) Hardware color: black bridge with chrome saddles, black locking nut with chrome locking pads I'm probably forgetting a couple things, but those are the main important parts. I've got some sketches of the body and headstock shapes on paper and posterboard....I'll try to borrow a digital camera and see if I can get some decent pics of them to post for thoughts tonight.

i spoke to my tech/luthier friend about this idea, he agrees with me that for some of the things i want, the work would be better left to someone else. also, i did some measuring today, the Charvel's neck is about 3/4" thick, and an Ibanez Wizard neck is 5/8"....i'm not sure if i'm gonna need to get a super-shallow channel for the truss rod with a neck about the thickness of the Charvel's or not....anyone have any thoughts on that?

Here we go again!!! Why don't you pick up some wood and give it a go yourself. i've never built a guitar before and the neck is one of the most important things to me when it comes to my guitars.....i'm not sure i'd trust myself to get it right on my first one.

ok so now the question becomes, who can do this for a reasonable price? i'm thinking 24 stainless steel frets, bound ebony board and headstock (maple neck), angled headstock made to a custom shape with a volute behind the nut, a top-mounted floyd style locking nut (possibly placed for Feiten system), and made to fit an Ibanez AANJ-style bolt on neck joint.

the main thing i'm wanting to know about, is how similar will the neck feel to the original if i have it made into a 7-string's width, and how i would go about getting the neck "cloned" and made wider at the same time.

i'm thinking of building a 7-string based on this guitar i currently own: i'm thinking of making some changes though....probably a white headstock, ebony board, bound neck, 24 frets, and obviously a 7-string....one of my favorite things about this guitar is the neck shape, and i was wondering if anyone's ever had any experience with getting a custom 7-string neck made, based on the profile of an existing 6-string neck. i'm curious if it'd still be comfortable, and if it'd feel close to the original. i'm also wondering what's the best way to go about doing that....where can i get it done, etc.?