ryanb

Uh ... maybe I am missing something, but to get a 12-string TOM wouldn't you just start with a regular 6-string TOM with saddles that aren't slotted yet?

The Edge Pro 7 is an excellent trem. Period. As to whether it is better or worse than the Lo Pro 7, that is purely a matter of preference, as there are some minor differences. Some people like one better, some like the other. In a number of ways, the Edge Pro improves the design. The most common complaint about the Edge Pro is the lack of locking studs. That is a trivial fix however -- just buy the locking studs from Rich Harris and install those instead. Problem solved. The other common complaint is that it feels slightly stiffer when using the bar. The pros do use these trems. Satch usually plays an original Edge (that's his preference and what he is used to), though he has played an Edge Pro. Vai uses Lo Pro more than anything these days, but has played all of them. It's not that one is better than the other, they are just different. You should choose the one you prefer. Any of them will give you great performance.

I agree. This is not a good time to be impatient. Unless you already have good templates from doing that job previously, it isn't a good idea to do any routing on your project without the real parts in hand. But also, don't be suprised if you have to wait a lot longer than 2-3 months to get that trem. Ibanez is notoriously slow at such orders ... it could be three times that long.

Buy two 12-string bridges and a 7-string bridge, then swap out the saddles. It's not the cheapest thing, but a lot cheaper than having a custom bridge made.

I think you are doing exactly the right thing. Go ahead and practice on something you don't care that much about before working on the expensive instruments. Learn as much as you can. I don't think anyone is going to mind modifications to this guitar. Definitely measure the location of the bridge now. If the bridge location is correct, you need to find another explanation for things being off. I seriously doubt the bridge was mislocated that much from the factory (that's a big error, even for a cheap guitar). But this guitar may not have all original equipment either. Perhaps the bridge was replaced at some point and the saddle location isn't correct, or some other modification was made. But when you build your new body, be sure to place the bridge in the correct location at that time ... forget about where it is located on the old body. With your scale length and bridge dimensions known, you can figure out exactly where the bridge needs to be.

Tru-Oil should work about as well as any other similar product (tung oil, danish oil, etc.). It's not really much different than using it on the back of the neck. An oil finish would be better for bringing out the figure, but no oil finish is going to stand up to wear like a lacquer or poly finish. So maybe you have to clean and recoat it from time to time. Big deal. If that's the finish you like, go for it.

The Lo Pro Edge does come in gold. I have one here waiting to go on a project guitar. Ibanez used lots of them up till 2003. Might not be the easiest to find now though.

I think he meant the original EDGE or the LoPro Edge. It really just depends on which one you prefer.

You need the cavity for the trem to be there. That doesn't necessarily HAVE to be done with a router -- i.e. it could be done with a chisel and a lot of work, for example. The point is that there are ways to get it done inexpensively and with minimal damage to the paint if that is the issue, but you can't install a trem without a hole to install it into.

Yes. You pretty much have to reverse what the sun did before -- heat the neck enough to soften the glue and let it move back to the correct location. (This is one technique for dealing with this problem.) Since you say this is an inexpensive guitar, it might be worth a try. You will need some sort of neck jig or clamping arrangement to hold the neck in the position you want while the neck cools. I've seen it done using heat lamps, but other heating methods could work too. Be very careful with the heat, and protect the parts of the guitar you don't want to heat. Heat the neck evenly until the glue softens, make sure it is clamped where you want it, and let it cool in that position for several hours at least. You may not get it all out the first time, and you may have to clamp it with more backbow than you want to end up with. If the fretboard is glued with something like Titebond, you will need to heat it to around 240-250 degrees F. It sounds like your acoustic may be using hide glue, which wouldn't require as much heat.

Stew Mac does sell a .020 saw, if that is what you need. Part number 3598. I wouldn't necessarily try to match the slot to the tang width exactly -- you will probably end up with too much compression (maybe not if you trim down the barbs). But there are lots of techniques for doing fretting ... and lots of tools for making slot A fit tang B the way your want. Cut some test slots in scrap and do a test fit ... then you will know whether it fits right or something needs to change.

You can buy small bottles of the 3M compounds in any auto parts store.

If you want to spray two-part poly, you don't just need a spray gun and compressor. You also need a spray booth, a full-body paint suit, and a powered ventilation mask (not just a standard respirator mask). Those fumes can kill you if not handled correctly. Read the many recent threads on this topic and understand how to do it safely before you do it. The hardware store polys CAN be used -- lots of people here have done that. They just won't give the smae quality results as a two-part poly (namely that they will never get as hard). In general, you need a top coat that isn't going to act as a solvernt for, and thus dissolve, the undercoat (unless of course it is you intention for these layers to melt together ... frequently the case for non-graphic finishes using nitro). Test the finish first on some scrap and find out whether you will have any problems. Keep your initial clear coats pretty light and dry to reduce your chance of problems.

CA works well when you have generally close fitting inlays. You can put the inlays in place and wick the CA down around them. Level under them and fill around them with the ebony dust. If you have larger gaps or levelling to do, you might consider using epoxy instead -- which is another popular glue for inlay work. (You can tint it black too if you want.)

Are you looking for a routing template or a CAD pattern? StewMac 's Strat trem template is listed as working for Wilkinson/Gotoh and Hipshot as well. You can always just make what you need from the Hipshot installation instructions you said you already have, and measurements taken right from the trem. It sounds like a standard route should work. What exactly is it that is not the same? The position is wrong? The route is the wrong size? Etc.

Stainless steel is not necessarily a solution. 316 stainless is non-magnetic. Other stainless alloys are very definitely magnetic. 316 stainless is also much softer than other stainless, though it wouldn't make much difference in this case. Make sure your bolts are non-magnetic also, since the right inserts won't matter with the wrong bolts. As mentioned, just being stainless is not sufficient. Just use brass. You aren't going to strip them unless you abuse the hell out of them and way overtighten them.

Yeah, you definitely need some bevel there. How much depends on your fret wire. The underside of the fret wire, where the tang meets the top, is not a sharp right angle, but has some radius to it. If you don't chamfer the slots enough for that amount of radius, they can hang up there and not seat all the way down well.

I used nitro lacquer too (Deft), and the purple color hasn't changed at all (though it has only been a year). I agree with the sanding advise. When you cut or sand purpleheart, you lose some of the brillant purple color. That will come back if you let it sit a little while. Then you can preserve that color with your finish. Don't use polyurethane -- it will yellow things enough that you won't be happy with the color.

Lacquer is the best thing I have been able to find for retaining the color of purpleheart.

Looks like an older S series ... 470/540/550 ... something like that. Should be pretty easy to track down, there weren't many blue finishes.

Heat and steam, yes. Go very slowly. If it has only been 5 hours, it is far from fully cured -- that should help. The sooner you do it the better.

Spend some time on this site: http://www.airhand.com/ for info on how to design your system ... There are some good books out there too.

LOTSA AIR!!! Now you can try shaping a neck with a die grinder. Its the only way I do it. ← Craftsman is notoriously bad at inflating their specs. This is a 6 PEAK HP compressor ... which is actually more like 2HP for real. I can assure you from experience that you will not get 15scfm@40 psi or 11scfm@90 psi. Those numbers are very inflated. (You will get that until you have depleted the tank supply, which won't take long ... the compressor itself can't sustain that load.) It will probably be big enough to suit your purposes however. Craftsman generally advertises it heavily if the motor can switch voltages. The fact that the label says 240V and not 120/240V means there is a good chance it isn't meant to switch. Look up the model number and try to find the manual -- it should tell you. If you can't find that, pull off the motor cover and find out what motor is in there, and what it can handle. (You also might be able to call the Sears parts service and let them look up the motor part and tell you what it is ... which you should be able to do online as well.)

The Delta unit in your first link is a good dust collector FOR A SINGLE MACHINE. If you are willing to move the collector from one machine to another as needed, this is a good deal. If you want a collector you can connect to everything in your shop and not move around, you have a lot more work to do. The size you need depends on how many machines, what type of machines, duct length, size and type, how many machines you want to feed at once, etc. You have to design the whole system and do the airflow loss calculations before you will know how many CFM you will need. A collector in the 1100 CFM or higher range (like the HF one you mentioned) will handle a couple of machines, and can probably fit your whole shop if you install the ducts and blast gates correctly. (Be sure to properly ground your ductwork so you don't blow up your shop!) Dust collectors aren't exactly high-tech ... a blower and some sheet metal. The HF unit probably works pretty well. If you can afford the extra cost, I would recommend looking at the "canister" style collectors. They do a much better job of filtering the fine dust (some dust blows right through the cloth filter bags), and the plastic dust bags on the bottom are a lot easier and cleaner to empty/replace.

I know the feeling! Moving equipment sucks (unless you have a lot of football-playing friends who owe you favors).