thegarehanman

In helping you determine what sort of bridge is best for this application, why not get a few measurements for us? How high is the end of the neck sitting above the body? Putting a straight edge on the neck, extending over the body, can you tell if the neck is parallel to the body or sightly tilted back with respect to the body? If it's tilted back, can you tell how many degrees, approximately(could be anywhere from 1 to around 5)? What's the distance from the fretboard side of the nut slot to the 12th fret? what's the distance from the fretboard side of the nut slot to the bridge side of the bridge pickup route? The more of those questions you answer, the better idea we can give you for what type of bridge you should aim for. As for ease of installation, a hard tail or TOM is going to take the win. The question is which one; that's what the dimensions will help us figure out.

Does the baby-v's output jack have the cable going out towards the tip of the v or the apex of the v? If it's pointed towards the apex, then it's a very convenient location, actually, because you can easily and inconspicuously wrap the cable around your strap.

Why not make a chamber with dual plastic or metal shells that have a vacuum in between them and as little material as possible connecting the two shells together? Sound can't travel through a vacuum, after all. Or maybe that's a bit unrealistic...

How about this, how about you just send me that huge slab of cocobolo, and instead of building 1 solid guitar, I build 2 guitars with set neck joints that sound the same as or better than some 1 piece guitar? eh? But seriously, in a blind test, I'd bet money that you couldn't tell the difference between the solid guitar and a set neck or neck through if it was the same wood from the same tree with all of the same hardware etc.

Ben, I like that design, perhaps too pointy for me, but a good design none the less. I'll have to disagree with wes on the control plate though. The way you've got it set up looks very cool and very intentional. I think it's the fact that the curves on the second control plate look like if they were extended, they'd meet at the tangent of the curves on the ends of the tele plate. On that note, I think you should make the tele control plate and second control plate the same color, to tie them together a bit better. peace, russ

Worked worlds better this time. Much less spring back and no cracking whatsoever. There was a bit of spring back in the cutaway, but that could be remedied with a little more time in the bender and some attention with the heat gun. Cool, time to finish up my mold so I can bend the coco sides and stick them in there.

I got some new batteries for my infrared thermometer and some 250watt heater bulbs for my bender this afternoon. The bulbs were bigger so I had to make a few minor modifications to the jig. Anyhow, I kept heating up the bender and I couldn't get a reading over about 150F on the thermometer. I knew this was wrong since any water that touched the metal quickly boiled and evaporated. I just figured out that the semi-reflective surface on the metal has been reflecting the infrared beam and giving me some sort of combination of the bender temperature and ambient temperature. I put some strategically located pieces of masking tape on the metal and now the reading are great. Even without the thermometer, it was obvious that those 250watt bulbs made all the difference. In about 2 or 3 minutes, the top of the bender was holding steady at between 320 and 350F(there are some hot spots) and after about 5 or 6 minutes, the sides start getting into the high 200's and cresting 300. I've got a piece of flamed maple soaking in some water and I'm gonna give this another shot in a few minutes. Wish me luck. peace, russ

The wood is at about .9". It's flamed maple. I imagine that has something to do with it cracking so easily. I've hand bent flamed maple binding and recall it reacting similarly. I did wet the wood and wrap it in tin foil and tape. However, I didn't put any butcher's paper in the sandwich to retain the water. Also, I've got 125watt bulbs(3) in the bender at the moment. However, looking on the OLF forum, it looks like people use 200watt bulbs. I'll need to get some of those. Chris, I got your pm, I'll get back to you in a bit.

Been doing a little work in the shop... http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/theg...ch/000_0285.jpg I wrapped my forms with some thin steel. Rich says it seems to distribute the heat a bit more effectively than slats alone, makes plenty of sense. http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/theg...ch/000_0286.jpg I originally just had sprigs to pull my "clamps," for lack of a better word, against the form. I decided that a turnbuckle/spring combo would be better in that it would give me a bit more control over how much pressure is put on the side. http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/theg...ch/000_0287.jpg My bandsaw isn't as accurate as I'd like, so I couldn't really cut a caul out with that. I had this spare schedule 40 pvc lying around. It seems to stand up to the heat just fine. I may modify it so that the wooden insert doesn't touch the bottom of the pvc, so that the pvc deforms a bit to conform to the form better. http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/theg...ch/000_0299.jpg Side bending test run...good thing I bought some scrap sides to do test runs with. I think the problem was that the side wasn't hot enough and that it needs to be thinned at the bends. I would've been using an infrared thermometer, but I bought the thermometer today and wouldn't you know it, the batteries were dead. Oh, and one other thing...

Glad you've got a new, inspiring place to crank out the geetars. Looks nice. You said that you share the building with some other artists? That must be cool. How's that dust collection system working for you? Is that jet unit strong enough to generate adequate suction despite all of the hoses and gates in the system? I ask because I have the harbor freight equivalent of that unit but haven't had a chance to run permanent piping for it yet. peace, russ

fire and probably paint stripper. What exactly are you trying to do, remove binding,make binding gap filler, or perhaps something more sinister?

Chris, I guess you haven't seen the bubbles that veneer gets when exposed to water. The veneer is not warped, it simply must be curved to fit into the tube. Actually, when you purchase large sections of veneers, it often comes in tightly coiled rolls, just like that. Bends aren't a problem, it's bubbles that you have to worry about.

Note that the veneer looks lighter in the center only because of the flash from the camera. The color is actually very uniform throughout the whole piece. Ok, I did a test run. I figured out that about 3 cups of solvent will give you about a foot of fluid height. Also, the barbed fittings don't make a perfect seal with the tube, but a little caulk around the end of the tube on the barb fitting does the trick. The pictures above are of flamed maple. I used 3 cups of lacquer thinner, mixed with 10 parts Stewmac Cherry red, 10 parts Stewmac Vintage Amber, and 1 part Stewmac Black analine dyes. After I figured out the combination of dyes, it took about 5 minutes to mix up the dye, put in the veneer, and then pull a vacuum. The best part is that I could have just dyed 10 times that much veneer and it would have taken the exact same amount of time. Once out of the lacquer thinner and dye, the veneers are dry in another 5 to 10 minutes. Something to remember is that you can save the mixtures of dye in mason jars or something else solvent proof, should you want to use the same color again. peace, russ

You probably will, and I have an odd feeling that you already did. That stuff is made from pulp, right? If so, it should absorb the dye pretty evenly. I just wouldn't use water, if I were you. I bought an 8 gallon drum of lacquer thinner so that I'd have enough to do a few test runs. I don't want to use water and risk warping the veneers. If nothing else, using a vacuum to dye veneers(all the way through, mind you) will yield more uniform, not to mention faster, results. I'll get back to you in a few days once I do some test runs. peace, russ

If it's a bfg, then he changed the knobs and added a varitone as well. Although, that would explain why he didn't make a pickguard. Nevermind, just looked at some bfg pics. The "figure" on the bfg is painted on, I believe. The gibson site says that the bfg "does not" have a figured top. So either it doesn't, or gibson's marketing department and production department had some major miscommunication.

If you use lexan, it's no more difficult to use than standard pickguard material. Plexiglass, however, shatters very easily. So if you can build a guitar, why can't you also make a pickguard? I've made 3 or 4 lp pickguards in the past, two of which were clear. It's easy, I promise.

10. Next, clean the inside and outer lip of one end of the 3" diameter PVC pipe(about 1/2" is sufficient). Also clean the surfaces of one of the test caps that will mate to the 3" PVC pipe. 11. Once the cleaning solution has dried, apply PVC cement to the cleaned surfaces and mate the test cap to the pipe. 12. Clean the inside of the 3" end of the reducer and the outside of the 3" pipe on the end that has the test cap glued on. Also clean off any numbers, writing etc. that's printed on the full length of the 3" pipe. Skipping this step will likely result in your first few batches of veneer having a tinge of the color of the ink used on the 3" pipe. 13. Once the cleaning solution has dried, apply PVC cement to the cleaned surfaces. Slide the 3" pipe section into the 4" section, test cap end first, and mate the two areas that just had cement applied. You'll likely need a rubber mallet to get these to fit together well. Pound the 3" section into the reducer until the 3"pipe is just about to come out of the other end of the reducer, as shown in the picture below. 14. Clean the outside of the remaining end of the 4" pipe and the inside of one side of the 4" coupling. 15. Once the cleaning solution has dried, apply glue to the cleaned surfaces and mate the coupling to the 4" pipe as shown below. 16. Clean the inside of the remaining end of the coupling and the outside of the cleanout fitting. 17. Once the cleaning solution has dried, apply glue to the cleaned surfaces and mate the cleanout fitting to the coupling. 18. Drill a few small(1/8" is fine) holes in the remaining test cap and cap the exposed end of the 3" pipe as shown in the picture below. This will prevent solvent from getting into the 3" pipe when you fill the vessel with solvent and dye. You do not need to glue this test cap in place. These holes will also insure that the pressure on the inside and outside of the 3" tube is equal, which translates into fewer areas on the vessel that have to deal with a pressure differential. The other advantage of this is that the suction of the vacuum is placed on the other, non-drilled, test cap, effectively sucking it against the 3" pipe, making the seal that much better. 19. (Note: this step only applies if you're using the veneersupplies.com male vacuum fitting) Now, drill a 7/8" hole in the direct center of the cleanout plug. To get the inner washer to fit into the cleanout plug, you'll need to grind a bit off of the perimeter as seen in the first picture below. Install the male vacuum fitting as shown in the second picture below. 20. Wrap the threads on the cleanout plug with thread sealant tape. I found that the cleanout plug alone did not create a good enough seal to hold a vacuum. A few wraps of tape is enough to get a nearly perfect seal on the threads. I let the vessel sit with a vacuum on it for about half an hour and my vacuum pump did not need to cycle even once. 21. Finally, make yourself a small metal rod to aid in removing the veneers from the vessel, as the gap between the 3" and 4" pipe is pretty darn small. I simply used a coat hanger that I straightened out. I bent one end of the coat hanger to fit between the two pipes as shown in the two pictures below. You now have a pressure vessel that's perfectly suited to dying veneers while using the minimum amount of solvent necessary. Yay you! FINAL NOTE: This pressure vessel is designed to be operated upright, as shown in the picture below. Operating the vessel on its side may result in liquid being sucked into your vacuum pump, thus destroying the pump. When operating the vessel, make certain that the vessel can not tip over or use a catch basin between the vessel and the pump to catch any fluid before it can get to the vacuum pump. I'll post some more pictures and tips once I get a chance to dye some veneer. peace, russ

Introduction: A few of the guys on this board have vacuum pumps. They're really handy tools. One variety hooks up to an air compressor and pulls a vacuum via a venturi. The other variety is a stand alone unit powered by an electric motor. Vacuum pumps can be used for a number of guitar related tasks. Some include vacuum powered work holders, vacuum attached routing templates, acoustic soundboard/back brace gluing fixtures, veneering, vacuum assisted wax potting(of pickups), and the list goes on. This tutorial will show you how to make a pressure vessel out of materials that can be found at virtually all hardware stores and at a reasonable price. This tank is meant to be used for dying your own veneers. Drawing a vacuum on the tank while dying the veneer removes(most of) the air from the veneer. This forces solution carrying the dye into the fibers of the wood. Another method, not covered in this tutorial, for dying veneers is pressure cooking. In this process, veneers are placed in a pressure vessel that is heated and in turn raises the pressure inside the vessel, thereby forcing the dye into the wood. That said, DO NOT, under any circumstances, try to heat the vessel described in this tutorial in an effort to dye the wood by the latter method mentioned. Heating the vessel described in this tutorial could possibly cause catastrophic failure of the vessel, sending steaming hot liquid and melted plastic flying upon failure. This vessel consists of several main sections: an outer pvc tube, an inner pvc tube(this is included simply to reduce the amount of solvent needed in the dying process), and solvent level sight tube. Bill of Materials: -(1) approx. 3' of schedule 40 4"dia PVC (avoid schedule 20, it will likely collapse when you apply a vacuum) -(1) approx. 3' of schedule 40 3" dia PVC (again, avoid schedule 20) -(1) 4" to 3" PVC reducer -(2) 3" PVC Test Cap(s) -(1) 4" PVC Male to Male Coupling -(1) 4" PVC Cleanout fitting with Plug -(2) 1/8" ID Barb x 1/4" MIP fitting(s) -(2) 1/4" FIP x 1/4" MIP elbow(s) -(1) approx 3' of 1/4" OD clear(it's actually only semi-transparent) polyethylene tubing(Avoid any other type of tubing as it may collapse under vacuum or dissolve when exposed to solvents) -(1) small can of PVC cleaner -(1) small can of PVC cement -(1) male vacuum fitting(the one used in this tutorial is available at veneersupplies.com) -(1) roll thread sealing tape. Tools: -Hand drill or drill press and drill bits -something to cut the pvc with, hacksaw, bandsaw, angle grinder w/ cutoff wheel etc.(avoid circular saws w/ woodcutting blades, they tend to make pvc tubes explode ) -dremel with sanding drum or spindle sander or half round rasp, etc. -1/4" NPT Tap -Rubber Mallet or similar Procedure: 1. First cut your two pieces of pvc to length. My pressure vessel is about 36" long, overall. You may want to make yours shorter or longer depending on the size of veneer you plan to dye. Remember that you can coil up the veneers inside the tube, so narrow, long veneers don't require long pressure vessels. Make the 3" pipe about 2.5" longer than the 4" pipe. Make sure that the ends of the tubes are smooth and even, sand if necessary. This is particularly important for the 3" tube due to the nature of the test caps that will be fit to it later. 2. Next, measure about 2" away from each end of the 4" tube and mark the tube in each place. The 2" is to accommodate the fittings that will go on either end of the 4" tube. Make sure both marks fall on a line parallel to the direction of the pipe. Drill a 27/64" diameter hole and tap it using your 1/4" NPT Tap. Only use about 1/2 the length of the tap as over tapping the hole will yield a loose fit. 3. Wrap the male threaded portion of each of the 4 brass fittings with thread sealing tape as shown in the photo below. With the threaded portion facing you, wrap clockwise around the thread to avoid unraveling the tape when the pieces are screwed together. 4. Screw each 1/8" ID Barb x 1/4" MIP fitting into a 1/4" FIP x 1/4" MIP elbow. 5. Screw the each barb/elbow assembly into the holes that were drilled and tapped in step 2 as seen in the picture below. When installed, the two barb fittings should be pointing at one another. You may find that the male end of the elbow sticks out about 1/4" on the inside of the 4" pipe. To remedy this, I sanded down the excess, after installed, with a dremel and sanding drum. However, you may wish to use a bench grinder or sander to remove the excess before installing. Leaving the extra threads protruding will make it difficult to put veneers into the vessel, once assembled. 6. Cut your polyethylene tubing to length. It should be able to be fitted onto both barb fittings while as straight as possible as shown in the picture below. This tube will serve as a solvent sight tube. It will show you how high your solvent is inside your vessel. 7. Next, you will have to remove the lip inside of the 4" to 3" PVC reducer. I did this with a dremel and a sanding drum. However, you may do it however you see fit. Be careful not to sand the inside of the 3" portion of the reducer. This may prevent you from getting a good seal between the pipe and the fitting. Before and after pictures can be seen below. 8. Clean the inside of the 4" side of the reducer and and one end of the 4" pipe(about 2" is sufficient). 9. Once the cleaning solution has dried, apply PVC cement to the two cleaned surfaces and fit the reducer to the 4" diameter PVC tubing, as show below. If you find it difficult to get the two pieces to mate, use a rubber mallet to force them together.

Some companies(the only two I'm certain of are kent armstrong and seymour duncan) make p90's that are shaped like humbuckers. I don't know of any mounting rings meant for p90's in humbucker holes though, that's pretty specialized. On another note, gibson used to make humbuckers that fit in a p90 cover. I remember seeing some on some old gold tops.

You may be applying heat too quickly. Try putting the gun on a lower setting or holding it farther away from the body. Also, have you considered a chemical stripper? They're quick and easy. Cleanup can be a bit of a hassle though.

great job, man. unfortunately, the singer in that music video has a mullet. i hope that doesn't hurt business by wrongfully associating your guitars with hillbillies.

EDIT: you beat me to it, mike I'm guessing it looks like you're getting a good mist, but you're either getting almost no material or you've got water in your line. Get some pipe cleaners, some spray gun cleaning brushes, and some lacquer thinner. Take your gun apart and give it a thorough cleaning, then try again. If you mixed the lacquer and pigment well, then you should not be having this problem. There's no way the gun could separate the lacquer and pigment inside the gun. Another possibility is that the lacquer looks sufficiently colored, but that's an illusion because it's several inches thick when inside the cup. It's possible that in reality, there's very little pigment in the lacquer and that it doesn't show up well when sprayed in thin coats. peace, russ

If you want any sort of tuning stability, you might want to consider a floating trem. They look the same as a standard strat trem aside from the two posts, so aesthetics shouldn't be an issue.

the 3/8" dia. bearing bit I use is the stewmac bit. I think the cutter is about 1/2" long, short by most standards. The 3/4" dia. bearing bit I use(mostly for neck pockets and routing out the body profile) has either a 1.25" cutter length, and a pretty long shank too...probably about 1".

Makes sense. To get around that I just make all of my templates out of 3/4" plywood or 3/4"mdf. If you need extra depth and the template gets in the way, just max out your depth with he template and then remove it and use the newly routed cavity to guide the bearing. I like this because it eliminates the need to have a short bit in the router to start out with and then a longer one in to finish a deep cavity off. I also keep some forstner bits and standard router bits(no bearings) on hand for taking out the bulk of the wood from larger cavities, just to make the pricier bearing bits last longer.