komodo

I concur Prostheta. I'd figured heating the fret to be one of those "I've just always done it this way" kinda things. It makes sense if you are a guitar tech and you don't know if there is glue or not, so just do it by default. But to know that it also expands the slot, etc is just great info. It's STILL not an easy task.

that is first-class. Can you give us a brief explanation of how you dyed the veneer? Did you dye it or do you purchase it like that?

I heat them to undo glue, but didn't know it did anything for chip out. I'd think it would make it worse by expanding the metal?

Yeah, i might. What I'm interested in is some kind of individual string/bridge option for doing multi-scale. I'm planning a multi-scale 8-string right now, and some form of bridge would be nice to have. :-) There aren't many options and they cost a fortune.

Just did this tonight on a fretboard. The REAL trick is initially getting it under the fret. Some go easy, some are so tight you can't get under the at first. I'd like to hear some tips on how to lift them initially with any other tool? Also, no matter HOW careful you are it seem that you get some chips, esp. with ebony.

Your work is stunning. From the pictures, it looks like anyone would think this is a real PRS.

This BEGS to be fanned fret. Love the idea that this is "something that Gibson would do", esp. since that did that WHACKED out reverse V.

I do really, but I'll be gone for a week and half on vaca. Maybe I'll do some sketchin and figurin and be back with more steam. I'm more interested in going to watch the shuttle launch with my two boys at this point. wOOt!

:-) So now my wheels are turning and I, a child of the 80's (guitar playing teen), won't sleep till I guess that guitar. Right off the bat I'm going to say it's a Hamer Scarab. Damn those were cool. I saw Fernando Von Arb (Krokus) throw one down onto the stage off of a full Marshall stack. BAAAOOONNNNGGGGGGG!!!!! And if its not that, then I sincerely hope it's an Ibanez Voyager ala Reb Beach. If so, I want to show you a design I've been working on for years based on that guitar. Avenger - for all the negative juju I've tossed out about the design, the build off does have appeal. But for me, it's really a matter of available time and not derailing my other guitars in progress (one of which is my personal uber guitar). More power to anyone who is going to do this though. Nothing is more interesting than seeing several peoples solutions/ideas of one concept.

I'm already rethinking this and am going to rip off a couple of those sketches. I want Drak in just to see a coco covered Corvus.

I have a REALLY nice piece of Madagascar Rosewood, and it rang like a marimba bar. This made me second guess putting CF bars in it, as I didn't want to lose any of it's character. David suggested that the CF bars would not ruin anything but stiffen it, eliminate dead spots and raise the frequency to avoid wolf tones. Correct me if I'm wrong on this David. I decided to go ahead and put them in, and so far it's still an awesome neck.

I seriously considered it, but starting to think about hardware and starting a template — I looked at the photos again and decided 'NOPE'. I may do a headless something or other at some point, but not this one. I'm out.

1) says who? 2) Make it something better than what it is? Yes. Make it into something it isn't? No. 3) The interest was there, just from a different angle. Mythbusters proved that you CAN polish a turd. Literally. http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbuster...ing-a-turd.html

I don't think there has to be a winner. Just seeing the various interpretations is enough. If it was to be judged as the GOTM is, I still see no reason for there to be such constraints just as the regular GOTM does not.

exactly, the challenge isn't really about who can make the best or how quickly/cheaply they can do it!! the challenge is really to see who can take such a questionable design and make something worthwhile from it. From that perspective the body needs to be at least 90% the gibson corvus shape - whatever goes for everything else Though, consider if you will what we are saying Wes. Could you, in your right mind cut out that shape from a nice piece of XXXXX? I'm running through my wood stash in my head right now, and the thought pains me. Anyway, they can't stop us from building whatever we want . . . then again, I see evil at work here. Some demon seed of motivation to build this abomination has been implanted in us? What?!

I actually considered this for a second, just for the challenge of trying to make silk out of a sows ear. But with all the constrictions . . .MEH. It should just be 'build a Corvis', with any interpretations valid as long as it's recognizable as a Corvus (ie. original body shape intact). Who cares about budget, wood porn, headless, electronics etc etc. Back to the shop.

I have used my tuning fork mostly on tops, and once again unless comparing directly against another board you may not notice anything. I've got some maple tops where one will ring and another will resonate like a bell. What I wonder is that after dimensioning you might change the resonant frequency of a piece of wood and it may not have that same bell like quality? Maybe the tuning fork was hitting a resonant frequency for that particular piece of wood in its current dimension? My heart says no, as there are other inherent qualities to that piece of wood and why it rings so well. David we discussed his a bit over email talking about the piece of Madagascar rosewood I had for my personal uber neck. I decided to go ahead with the carbon bars and am shaping it now (I work VERY slow). It seems to have all of it's qualities intact, but maybe it's resonant frequency is raised? I did mess up a bit on fretting and cracked my inlay, but I'm not too worried. Jeff

If this thing is built, there should be a restriction as to what can actually be played on it. It'll have to be only stuff like "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams, and other such 80's nonsense.

Thanks for you insight David. I've used two methods, one by holding it as you mention and tapping with my finger to get a rough idea of the resonant quality of a certain piece of wood (in it's current dimension). But more useful is comparing two pieces of the same wood in similar dimensions (ie. two neck blanks), to give me a much better idea of the more resonant of the two. Some just sound dead, and some ring like a bell. The second thing I've done is to tap a tuning fork and hold the ball end to the wood to once again compare between pieces or even different woods. I've found especially with body woods, you can discern a lot about a hunk of wood and what it may do with strings attached to it. David, I have one question for you since you have far more building experience. Regarding the first method I mentioned, have you ever had two pieces of the same wood (lets say neck blanks) where one tapped very resonant and the other not so much - then after dimensioning or rough carving the tones changed dramatically so that the less resonant became MORE resonant? I have to think that there is an inherent resonance to a piece of wood that doesn't change to this degree.

Being in design myself, true 'good design' (and that which they DO teach in school) is to use form AND function equally, neither at the expense of the other. Both should be used to create the most harmonious design while using the least elements possible, and each element critical to the end design (ie. you shouldn't be able to take one element away without the design failing - everything is justified). It should look natural and effortless and just "right". Hopefully it creates clarity and enlightenment.

Yep. . . .and dip the bottom horn in red paint and let it drip and splatter down the body. You may have to sell this one to GWAR.

Thanks for that. lmao BTW, Formica tops have been done before. http://www.joesguitars.net/ The Diner model. IF you did this guitar headless, and IF you coolify it with an all black scheme or something, and IF you put in some futuristic electronics and cutting edge p'ups, and IF you change the shape of it . . .it could be OK.

+1, it's the epitome of bad taste and design.

This isn't from scratch . . . but this is sorta funny. I got some custom P90's made by Clint Searcy, and when they came in the mail I wanted to hear them real bad, but no guitar to put them in. So I took an old Charvel neck, and a hunk of construction grade pic (2x12) and hacked out a working guitar in about an hour. I laid the neck on the body, traced it then cut the neck pocket freehand with the router. screwed the neck on and routed one hole freehand where a pickup could go. Screwed a flat bridge on, even drilled through the body holes for the strings and used ferrules! Wired the pickup with a volume, and that was that. Unbelievably rough, but it actually sounded amazing. Pine is a very resonant wood.

Gah! That's so freakin' cool. Roadhouse guitar you can play and beat people with.