Guitarfrenzy

Yeah I've read those plans before.. neat idea.. but that doesn't look like the way stew-mac makes them. To me it just looks simply like they drew out the raidus on the top edge and bandsawed it... I might be wrong but I'm gonna try it... can't hurt anything.. lol...

We'll the first guitar will cost you alot if you buy all the tools you need to build one.. then after that it's not bad.. just the initial cost is what get you. Since KrazyDerek gave you baseline prices for the guitar parts etc. I'll give you a list of some tools you'll need: Must Haves: 18", 12", and 6" steel ruler' Sash Clamps C Clamps Shooting Plane Surform Feeler Guage Set Rasp, and other shaped files Pin Hammer or Fretting hammer Spokeshave Coping Saw Variety of Drill Bits Good Drill Gent's saw Needlenose Pliers Wire Strippers Diagonal Cutters Soldering Gun Sandpaper of Various Grits Paint and supplies Fret Slotting saw Fret Tang Pliers and bending pliers Fretwire Fret Crowning Files Fret End Dressing Files Radius Sanding Blocks Nut Slotting Files Fret Beveling File or Oilstone Plunge Router and router bits, etc. Allen Wrenches Basic Phillips and Standard Screwdrivers Titebond II Glue, hide glue, and a good epoxy resin glue Very good Respirator Spray gun.. unless you use Aerosol cans Foam Polishing Pads Polishing Compounds various types.. medium, fine, hand glaze, and swirl remove Inlays and tools for doing inlays Optional Tools(makes life easier): Drill Press Arbor Press with Fret pressing cauls Neck Jig (stew-mac) Dremel Fret Slotting Miter Box (stew-mac) Digital Calipers Buffing Arbor System (stew-mac) Planer and Joiner Scroll Saw Band Saw Electric Handheld Sander Fret Bender (stew-mac) Drum Sander Table Router I'm sure I missed some things .. but this is basically what you need.. lol.. don't faint.. your first guitar is gonna be expensive unless you have a good friend who has most of these tools.. which is a big plus!!!!

lol.. I'm just here to stir peoples imagination.. but I bet someone has one.. since I know you can also shred on an acoustic also.. just listen to Al DiMeola.. lol

Has anyone made their own radius sanding blocks? I'm thinking it shouldn't be hard to do as long as you use a bandsaw. My plan it to draw out the radius first on a piece of plywood. Then I'll cut it out with a scroll saw and use it as a template. Take a block that's 2 3/4" wide and 8" long and after it is planed and sanded real good; stand it up on it's end (with the 8" length vertical) and use the template to draw out the radius. Then take it to the bandsaw and cut it out.. sand down the radius part and that should do it. Will this plan work or should I just buy some.. lol

Has anyone seen an acoustic guitar that was done this way.. just wondering if anyone has tried it before.. Yes, Malmsteen used a scalloped neck after that I have no clue on any other popular guitar players who prefers that type of fretboard.. What's the best way to scallop a guitar neck anyway.. ?

And as far as Yngwie Malmsteen goes.. It would be a great show... Even though Malmsteen might not be the friendliest person in the world.. you do however have to give him credit, for developing his style that was completely different from anyones... Sure, all his songs might sound the same and his licks might be too fast all the time.. but he is one of the best guitar players out there.. you got to give him credit for that at least... Now if he'd just just learn some people skills.. lol

I drove all the way to Austin, Texas to see the G3 show which featured John Petrucci, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani... It was worth it because as a suprise they said," it's just not right to be in someones town and not invite this guy to the party".. and out came Eric Johnson.. I was really suprised.. they played Redhouse and it was awesome... I tell ya.. all of them was great but Eric Johnson was so dang smooth.. his tone also cut through great.. which they all had a great tone.. just Eric's tone was very cleaner.. distorted but clean.. lol... I should have been in Houston like 2 days before because one dude said that they invited Billy Gibbons to play that show.. and they said it was awesome also...

Always drill and route everything first.. test everything to make sure it fits properly.. then paint the guitar.. I made a big time mistake when I had a premade Neck and was going to use new tuners that I never checked to see if they fit.. I just dumbly thought, "all the tuners are the same size.." WRONG.. so I painted the headstock and had a great finish on it.. but guess what... when I tried to install the tuners they wouldn't fit into the predrilled holes.. so I had to drill it out to 10mm... and I chipped the paint on 3 of those... Yes, a very hard lesson... I had to sand it down and restart.. cost me about 2 days of extra work... Moral to the long story.. lol.. Is that you always prefit everything first to see if you have everything drilled, cut, routed, etc.. properly before you even think about finishing... actually the word Finish_ing should help you remember.. since it actually tells you what is does.. it's the Finishing of the guitar.. meaning the last step..

We have an abundance of Oak in the south... but I've never tried to build a guitar out of oak.. simply because it would be big time heavy.. but also I've heard that it's not much of a tone wood... only way to find out is try it I guess.. maybe someone else has worked with some of these woods before... I just saw a Yamaha acoustic that has Sycamore wood sides... so I know it has been used before... there is also a figured Sycamore that looks neat.. maybe could be used as a new style veneer.. but only time will tell...

I'm looking into this some myself.. you got my curiosity going here.. lol.. I say let's practice making some necks out of these woods.. If it turns out to be bad choice.. then nothing lost.. If it turns out to be ok.. then we can just wait to see how good it does later on under normal use....

Good to see great minds at work!!! lol.. keep up the good work.

ok thanks for the tips.. I'm gonna try out the turbine HVLP system out first since I can do that for free.. lol.. Then look to buy a compressor type air gun... I'm more than certain about getting a Gravity Feed gun, but I'm not sure on what brand to buy.. and also I'm not really hip on what kinda air compressor to use.. I've heard 5hp for HVLP systems... I know you said conventional guns do better.. but I want to try the HVLP types first since I've used them with other types of paint.. so I'm kinda already comfortable using them.. just not poly or nitro.... so I'm gonna have to have a different tip for those paints like you said... I've got the Dupont Nason Select Clear brand and am getting ready to try it out this week.. hopefully it works good.. also I picked up a really good respirator.. since I've heard of all the health issues.. and If it's worse than nitro.. I sure need one.. lol.. thanks LGM... Matt

First off... Welcome to the boards!! I've never personally tried taking a finish off to bare wood.. but I've heard alot of people who chemically strip the paint off the wood.. maybe you could check into that.. I think they used a product named Citristrip... not sure how good it does.. Maybe someone will shed some light on this product.. But anyway here is the link... http://www.citristrip.com/ Hope this helps out... Matt

Ok first off, are you gonna paint a solid color, transparent, or natural.. I'm thinking your gonna paint it solid by the way your talking, so with that in mind, you can use the sandable primer from Plasti-Kote for the primer.. just remember to sand it down good and level after a couple of coats... because if you don't it will cause all kinds of trouble in the final stages. Yes, it will seal the wood.. the only difference is it will be gray, white etc.. not clear.. .. and if you was sealing it would be for a clear finish, in which you'd want to see the grains of the wood (stained or transparent finishes). But since your gonna paint over it with a solid color this product will do great. Here is that link: http://www.plastikote.com/plastikote/auto/...=SandablePrimer Next spray the color coat.. acrylic lacquer,.. etc. Just stick with same brand.. if you use acrylic lacquer make sure you use acrylic lacquer for the clear coat also... And finally, the clear coat.. but before going this far.. please read the great article at the top of the forum from LGM that walks you step by step through sanding and polishing and painting.. Good Luck

Sry guys I'm with LGM on this one... I'd take a plunge router over a standard anyday of the week.... alot more options with a plunge... but to each his own... I don't know much about the Ryobi models.. but before you buy, look up stuff on the Dewalt DW 621 on the internet and see what other people say about it.. not just me.. Since your buying a new one anyway.. why not pay a little more and get a really good one..

I've heard that SATA digital HVLP guns rock.. but they cost alot.. five hundred big ones.. anyone have any preferences on spray guns for guitar work?.. mostly basecoat and clear coat work.. I won't have to buy one soon since I can use a CapSpray cs8100 3stage turbine HVLP... but I don't want to borrow that stuff forever... If it sprays good, I found a great deal on the internet for the exact model for $799 with an extra gun included.. sounded like a great deal to me.. hopefully someone will have some knowledge on these turbine type HVLP systems that can help me make some decisions as to what to use.. turbine or compressor type HVLP spray guns... Thanks Matt

I don't know if they sell it.. but the Dewalt DW 621 is a very good plunge router for a decent price... It has it's own sawdust vaccum that gets lets you see where you are routing and also don't have the mess.. lol.. also it can do the standard air blowing of sawdust.. either way, it's a great router.. but there are alot of great ones out there...

If it was quartersawn .. would the need for the carbon fiber rod even be necessary? Just curious as to how much tension that would add... probably won't matter using the new double action truss rods.. since you can put pressure either way.. but looks like on a regular truss rod too much resistance would keep the neck from allowing any relief at all.. but just wondering... Matt

No but I'm sure you're gonna try it out.. lol

First off, I hope I haven't made everyone sick of hearing about PRS paint system.. because there are many many, many ways to paint a guitar just as good.. and I don't work for Dupont... lol.. I'll answer that before anyone brings it up first.. And I'm glad some of you really took the time to read it for your own knowledge.. because we should always be open to new ideas.. That's why I look up to Brian alot.. because he's not afraid to try anything.. at least once.. lol www.performancecoatings.dupont.com If you check out the Dupont link I poste and go in as visitor.. and look at the ChormaSytem Technical Manual you'll find all the specs on it... Here is an except from that Manual so you can kinda understand the air dry times and force dry times.. Force Dry: Total Bake Cycle Booth Temp (F) *not substrate temp 15min @ 160deg F 13min @ 180deg F 5-10min @ 199deg F Note: If immediate delivery is not required, it is possible to reduce energy costs even further by performing a very short bake to get the clear dust free (5min-cyc time X 160deg F). Using this precess it is possible to sand the clear to remove dirt within 1 hour if needed. Air Dry: Air Dry @ 70deg F Air Dry Flash between coats: 8-10 min Dust free: 15-30 min Time to Handle: 3-5 hours Time to Polish: 3-5 hours Examples for Air Dry times to buff versus temperature: with ChromaClear G2-4507S activator 70deg F ------------- 3 hours 80deg F ------------- 2 hours 90deg F ------------- 1 hour ***As you can see from the above.. yes, you can air dry it and it's real quick... but if your trying to mass produce guitars.. you better get you some equipment... my guess is your like me and can wait 3-5 hours instead of 5-15 minutes from force dry... So as far as the specs show.. Yes you can get great results from just air drying.. but that also means you have to have a real good dust free environment... because it takes a bit longer to dry... It's nothing like lacquer.. Lacquer's waiting time between coats is very little (5-15 minutes) instead of Chroma's (15-30 minutes).. but that's the only advantage because the Chroma will cure out even air dried at no more than 5 hours and your ready to polish etc. etc. etc. Just remember to go to the bank for a loan if your planning on buying quite a bit of this paint.. lol

No problem Reaper.. I was just trying to pass on information that might help someone... especially since it specifies the exact paints that was used... I just hope it might help someone else out.. since it looks like I can only afford the Dupont Nason line for now.. lol... The ChromaPremier and ChromaClear isn't cheap.. lol And I was told by the saleman that the Nason Select Clear was just the same as far as clear coats go.. and that the polishing stage is after 10hours of dry time.. I think that beats Nitro Lacquer any day of the week.. lol... I'm gonna try that out first .. if it's not as good I'll bite the bullet and buy the Chroma stuff...

That's a killer guitar.. good job bro!!!

Finally... Here is the whole article: "Sounds good." "Plays well." "Feels good in your hand." Those are the words of electric guitar manufacturer Paul Reed Smith, but he's not talking about the instruments his company builds. He's describing the DuPontTM ChromaPremier® Basecoat colors and ChromaClear® G2-4500STM used on them. DuPont has been making automotive refinish products since 1924. In the 79 years since then, rarely – okay, probably never – have those products been praised in quite those words. And it's high praise indeed, because Smith is a demanding perfectionist. The founder, managing general partner and creative force behind PRS Guitars of Stevensville, Maryland, Smith has been called "the American Stradivari of the electric guitar," and a "deeply insightful craftsman who (has) absorbed to his very marrow the essence of the modern electric guitar." Smith began playing the guitar in eighth grade and soon became immersed in music, playing in local bands. By the time he was 17, he was sitting in with bands in Washington, DC clubs. In 1975, he built his first instrument for extra credits from his college music professor. That experience persuaded him to make guitar building his life's work. Not surprisingly, he struggled at first, producing one guitar a month at best, but he learned important lessons with every instrument. "Once a guitar was finished," recalls Smith, "I'd play it at a gig, field testing it in the purest sense. Every design change taught me something new about building guitars." By 1985, with the support of his wife, a New York City attorney, investors and some skilled assistants, he secured enough funding to open a professional manufacturing facility. Today, PRS Guitars employs 185 people, the majority of whom are musicians. The company is now the third largest U.S. electric guitar manufacturer, turning out 10,000 to 15,000 instruments per year. PRS products are the choice of Carlos Santana, Mark Tremonti of Creed and dozens of other recording artists. Wood that Resonates Smith oversees the manufacturing process to ensure that his precise specifications are met. Each component of a PRS guitar, whose average list price is about $2,300, is carefully chosen. That selection process begins with the wood. Brazilian or East Indian rosewood and South American mahogany are the core materials. "Mahogany rings like a bell," Smith says. "It's strong, easy to work, easy to sand. However, we still take a plane to every plank for necks before we buy it." Other favorites are maple, swamp ash and spruce, although PRS is perhaps most famous for its "curly maple" – a highly patterned wood with a whorled striped grain. Opulent Inlays Fingerboard inlays are made of shell, red and green abalone, gold, mother of pearl, coral, turquoise, and mastodon ivory. PRS inlays achieve maximum opulence in the Dragon models, five of which have been created since 1992. The Dragon 2000, introduced for the millennium, featured an outrageously designed inlay that included various abalones, pearl, shell, coral, onyx, gold and ivory. With a list price of $20,000 each, the run of 50 sold out at a single tradeshow. PRS's move to the Stevensville plant in 1996 signaled a major change in the company's operations. For one thing, Smith, who knows fret files and dovetail saws as well as anyone in his shop, stopped personally building guitars. And for the first time, many steps were computerized in the production facility. One of the most critical areas is finishing, where the famous PRS "dipped in glass" look is imparted. The new factory is equipped with one of the most sophisticated spray rooms in the country, with temperature and relative humidity maintained at 72°F and 50 percent, respectively. Despite these ideal conditions, Smith and his management team detected major problems in the finishing area in 2000. Painting Problems "We had tried all kinds of paint over the years," he recalls, "and we ran into every kind of trouble: adhesion, solvent popping, slow cure times, build thickness, runs and buffing ability." They thought they had solved those issues a few years ago when they began using a leading automotive finish. Then, says Tim McClaeb, quality assurance manager, "We experienced problems that made it impossible to achieve the translucent colors we needed. The paint company's reps came in and tried really hard to fix it, but they just couldn't make it work." The search for a new finish soon led them to DuPontTM Performance Coatings, the world's leading supplier of automotive finishes. PRS tried ChromaPremier® color coat and clear, and followed up with "extensive testing," according to McClaeb. "We surveyed the crew, especially the buffers, because we didn't want to hinder them and hurt production. Everybody liked it a lot." A DuPont mixing machine was installed, and the factory switched to ChromaPremier® Basecoat colors and ChromaPremier G2-4500S Clear. Says McClaeb, "The color and clear work very well together, and the system buffs well. We can machine sand the clear and get great clarity. We had to do a lot more sanding with the finish we had been previously using." PRS painters spray four to six coats of ChromaClear® G2-4500STM to get the smooth feel of vintage lacquer. The product dries faster than any other force-dry clear in the automotive refinish industry, and offers superb buffability. It increases productivity by maximizing throughput and minimizes energy consumption because it requires less bake time and lower baking temperatures. While the clear finish highlights the color and grain of PRS products, it's also tough. "It's a hard finish," confirms Smith. "And that's important. Remember, guitars take a fair amount of abuse. People are sweating on them, they're banging against belt buckles, and they get thrown around a little. The finish has to withstand all that." PRS is withstanding the economic challenges of the current business environment. PRS sales grew 50 percent in 2001, then jumped another 17 percent in last year's slow economy, which has Smith pumped about the future. "We're going to be substituting some different metals, different woods," he says, "and when we get the combination of all these things just right, forget about it! It'll be such a leap forward!" Sounds good, doesn't it? To learn more about PRS Guitars, visit www.prsguitars.com. For more information about DuPont Performance Coatings, check the Web site: www.performancecoatings.dupont.com, or call 1-800-GETDUPONT.

Ok.. I went and got the magazine and found out there is a way to look at it on the web, simply because it told where to go.. lol... so here is the link to the Dupont publications and they are in Adobe PDF format... http://www1.dupont.com/NASApp/dupontglobal...ions/index.html And make sure to right click the Dupont Magazine Number Three link ... It's quite a big download; so select Save Target As.. after right clicking on the link... and save the file to your computer... Desktop preferably... The reason I say this, is because I couldn't ever get it to load the correct way for me by just left clicking the link.... Hope you enjoy the article... I'll post the full article under this post when i get time.. so you don't have to download the 3.78MB file if you don't have time...

As far as I know that's the only kind of paint they use.. because they said something about how they had to change over to this new paint, which meant for them, new training, equip, etc. etc. But basically they use stain/dye on the figured tops and spray the Dupont ChromaPremier onto it... but not sure for the transparent finishes... maybe the whole article will hit on that subject some.. like i said.. I hope they will let me borrow it and scan it off or retype it... Matt