Nekul

I just bought a set of X2N clones to put in an old Yamaha RGX. They didnt come with wiring diagrams. Anyone know which colors are what?

Thanks, thats exactly what I wanted to know. I use Cakewalk GTPro for recording and have tried plugins with little success. I have recently been looking at Guitar Rig 3 as an option cuase I am not really fond of my Vox Vlaveltronix amp sounds. I couldnt find much info on using the GRig through a pair of decent monitors as opposed to my Vox.

Until now I have always gone through soe sort of effects unit then into the soundcard. I recently got a decent laptop and was wondering what the best way to go would be for carrying a reasonable recording setup in my laptop bag.

Any other thoughts?

Luke

This might sound stupid but....do these packages work in real time or only as plugins?

You lucky bugger. I bought a 302 windsor recently of David Hayes's brother and asked about his stash of timber. He told me David only sold stuff in slings. I would love to get into that shed to have a look. Maybe if I told him $500 on timber is on teh cards he might open it up.

So Mr K (aka Mike Kundicivic) is still teaching. He is an amazing player. I sat and watched him play Mark Knopfler solos note for note. He was hands down one of the best players I have seen. I cant believe he is still teaching. We had him for a few terms at Westport.

I would love to see pics of not only the guitar but the timber you guys bought. Is Mr K helping you out with the build?

Just out of curiosity, who is the supplier in Wauchope? I grew up in Port and when I started building my first guitar (it was a complete failure by the way) I got all my timber from Hastings Sand and Gravel (since closed). Everytime I go home to Port for the weekend I drive past that place and almost cry to think of how much Brazilian Mahogony, Zebrano, maple, walnut etc is still sitting in those racks and only for sale by the sling, if you are lucky enough to get the guys number.

As for the Sub teacher, there was a guy teaching music when I was in high school (15 years ago) who used to build guitars. He was a music substitute. I loved his lesson because my friends and I would listen to tapes of Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen etc (and the occasional Cheech and Chong tape) instead of working. We got good marks too. I saw one the music shops in Port had one of his guitars in their racks one time, not sure if it sold.

Sweeeeeet. I have been waiting for this to progress. This really fuels my desire to build a V. Especially with that headstock.

This is awesome! I think I posted a question about this a while ago. This is exactly what I needed. THanks a bunch.

Luke

Just a thought, has anyone actually done the maths to work out the difference in the height of the saddles between the OFR and the 16"? I mean, are the shims the exact right heigth or do you have to stack several to get them exactly right? It would be nice to be able to shim (or grind acurately) without the fit-test-shim-fit-test-shim process.

If someone has done the maths can you tell us please

Dont stress, I dont take anythign personally on the net, you cant get certain things across the right way at times. Im not that sensetive.

I agree though, Im probably not at theat level in terms of wood work (Im no expert there for sure) but I have made/modified about a dozen electrics over the last several years and I think it is time I stepped up my game. Like I said before, I would rather attempt something like this on free timber than on something I paid hundreds for. Hence so many questions. Just cause its free doesnt mean I am prepared to muck it up because I didnt have all the info.

So when I actually get this timber in the flesh I will post pictures of it for people to advise me as to wether or not the burl can be bent. I always figured that it wasnt a good idea because of the lack of grain structure but like I said, I aint no expert. So keep those comments coming and thanks for the advice so far.

Luke

Got it, no purpleheart. I tend to use lacewood (silky oak) for almost all my bodies because it is so common here and apparently it has similar tonal qualities to alder. I like the idea of making a cavity in the burl and laying the silky into to then regluing. It seems like a waste of the internals though. I might just try to get him to give me 2 10-15mm slices off the burl and use them as tops. I just want to keep enough on top so that the armrest doesnt get both woods in it.

I am thinking about using the epoxy rather than CA glue but was wondering, do you just flood coat both top and bottom then work your wy around the sides or do the top and sides at the same time then flip it over after that sets? I suppose I am asking if there is a way to have it smooth straight away or will sanding be inevitable?

Luke

THat looks nice Fraser. Kinda like an Ibanez S or something. I like it.

All things considered I will try to impress upon my new best friend (person who is willingly giving me nice timber) how it may be not be the best option. Maybe the idea of laminating it back and front over something more stable like purpleheart or mahogany. Any other ideas for a nice laminate combination? I am going to a timber supplier in Brisbane ina few weeks and may be able to get something suitable their.

At the end of it all I will give it a try if he really wants me to. THe worst that could happen is muck up a free piece of burl and say "we were warned." He still has a few more large burls.

Luke

I love your sense of humour, consultants fee, priceless!

I figured it wouldnt be such a crash hot idea to do a one piece burl guitar, it would have already been done. On the other hand I dont want to upset a guy who is going to give me beautiful wood for free. I will try to convince him that a more stable base would be better.

As for the type of timber, it isnt maple. He mentioned something about bloodwood but he said he has several burls to choose from. I will take some photos when I get a chance to go and see this stuff in the flesh.

Im kinda nervous though about doing the CA glue finish. From what a could find it is a really time intensive procedure.

Luke

I have been offered a 2" thick face from a burl by one of the local woodturners. I told him all I needed would be about 10-15mm to cap a guitar but he said he wants me to make the whole body from the burl to show off the wood. Are there any major drawbacks to using a solid piece of burl for a body?

Luke

This certainly seems like a hot topic for debate. I am going to laminate this neck, not to avoid laziness or because of the structural integrity but I really want to try something new this time. If I keep making the same old thing then why bother, right?

Luke

Great, thanks for the info. Seems to me like I scored big time with the free timber. Now all I need to do is get some freebies for the body.

What do people think about using Lacewood for the body with a sapele neck, tone-wise I mean? I also had the offer of some free purple heart but it wasnt quite long enough for using in a neck. I might try to get some larger pieces.

I am also a member of the local wood turners club and have had the offer of some burls large enough to cover guitar tops in one piece. I was inspired (like many others no doubt) by the Major Tom top and though I might give the CA glue technique a try. At least if the timber is free all I can possibly waste is my time, right?

Luke

I would like to keep this bass/guitar (whatever I end up using the timber for) as natural as possible. I am just starting to get the concept that using nice timber then hiding it under layers of plastic paint is really a waste. Dont get me wrong, I have my share of painted guitars but to actually see what the timber looks like, incorporate it into the overall aesthetic if the instrument not only creates a beautiful instrument but also allows people to see just how much work you put into building something.

So to respond to your comment, I would like to show the timber off.

Luke

I have been given 5 pieces of sapele, most are just over 1metre in length, 100mm wide and 23mm thick. I have done some searches on the net and found that lots of acoustic guitars have used this wood in their necks but I havent seen many electrics or basses use it. Is it a decent neck wood or should I just use it in laminated necks?

Luke

Hey UNIT. Good to see someone from the Mid North COast on here. I am originally from Port Macquarie, so I knwo the area weel. Man I miss the coast. I used to get a lot of stuff from David Hayes who owned Hastings sand and gravel. He had all sorts of stuff from all over the world, ebony, zebrano, brazillian mahogany etc. I know they shut down a few years ago but it may be worth ringing them up to see if he stills sells timber.

As for Australian wood, I am a big fan of silky oak. It looks nice, is easy to work and there is plenty of it. Woodworld is a good source but there are others as well. I just get mine from teh local woodturners club. I just got 2 slabs about 5inches thick, over a metre long and about 400-500mm wide. $20 BARGAIN

Luke

Man, I grew up watching Danger Mouse. All our ABC shows were pilferred from the BBC. That Penfold was a crack up. As for the guitar itself, Hamer Californians and more recently those Caparison Horus models are my personal favourites. This guitar is a masterpiece.

Luke

Couldnt agree more, there are limitless possibilities and I suppose thats why we build our own. At least you can get what you like. I still like the stripes as they are and I still think black hardware is the way to go.

THis guitar has seriously rekindled my fondness for V's though. I for one am very inspired.

What I meant was keep the black and white stripes but instead of going across the body just do thin stripes of black and white that are the same shape as the body. They get smaller as they get closer to the middle of the body. Kind of like Zakk Wylde's bullseye but in the shape of your guitar.

If this guy is doing mock ups for you why dont you try getting him to do thinner stripes but follow the outside contours of the body? Ive never seen that done before. Maybe even try morphing the stripes so that as they get closer to the middle they become less defined, leaving you with a black blob or triangular shape just in front of the pickup. Even have the area around the pickup black and working towards the body contours on the edges.

As for colours, that black and white theme is awesome. That black hardware brings the whole project to a new level. Told ya it would work. SWEET.

Luke

I found your floyd part on Ebay. This is the shorter 1 3/8 block.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tremolo-Block-Short-fo...1QQcmdZViewItem

If that link doesnt work then search for Item number: 7411642877

Hope this helps.

Luke

Man that thing is killer! I love the paint scheme. I would probably go for black hardware though. I just have a thing for black. Overall I would have to say I want one. Keep us posted.

Yeah, it was kinda cool to see the original line up. I still think John Bush was awesome. I have already made one guitar for my mate, a red LP with one EMG81 in it. He loves that thing. I made a black one for me at the same time (of course). I love mine.

You can see the black one here, plus a few other odds and sods.

guitars

google Zachary guitars, the guy on that site uses jumbo fretwire on the lower frets, then narrower stuff thats the same hight on the upper frets.

That way your fat fingers may fit between the frets easier

Cool. Perhaps my fingers should go on some crazy soup diet or something.