ryanb

The Duplicolor enamels and the Duplicolor Engine enamels are not the same products. However, I agree. Do a test and see what happens.

That isn't going to work. If you have a duplicator follow the outer edge of your inlay piece, the size of the cutout will be oversized by the radius of the following pin plus the radius of the cutter. You have to get the outer edge of the cutter to the same place as the edge of the inlay. Using an inlay setup like those for wood where you rout the hole, remove the bearing, and rout out the inlay piece would work in theory, but would be rather wasteful and not very practical for pearl work. The size of the collar makes up for the diameter of the cutter.

Yes you can type in the dimensions/coordinates in Turbo CAD ... at least with the version I have (7.0 I think). I find it isn't as easy to use as AutoCAD, but it does get the job done once you figure out how to use it. They sell the product cheap with poor documentation and want to sell you an expensive training/tutorial package. It's a good deal if you can figure out how to use it.

Make a vinyl (or other) mask and just paint it with the same lacquer (or other finish) you are already using for the headstock ... appropriately tinted.

This shold get you started: Original Floyd Rose: 10" and 15" Schaller: 14" (maybe 12"?) Ibanez Edge series: 16" and 10" Strat-style: 7.5, 9.5, 12" Gibson: 12" etc. Floyd-Rose style floating trems have individual saddles that are shimmed with small brass or steel shims to set the desired radius. Strat-style saddles have individual height adjustment screws to set the radius. Standard nuts can be cut to whatever radius is desired, but locking nuts are fixed at whatever they are. You want to match the fretboard radius as well as possible to get the best action, and therefore the best playability. Generally I have found that it is best to start by deciding what radius (or compound radius) is desired in the fretboard. If designing a floating-trem guitar, next select the nut, since you need to find a locking nut that matches your size and radius requirement. That is the hardest part sometimes. Finally select the bridge, and shim the saddles to the radius you need. Strat-type bridges and standard nuts make everything easier because you just make it whatever you want.

I haven't used cocobolo in a fretboard, but have used it in furniture. It is a beautiful wood, is nice to work with, but does have a lot of oil that causes some trouble. It is much less brittle and splintery to work with than ebony. In fretboard dimensions, it should be perfectly stable once glued down. Gluing it IS difficult, because of the oil. What you need to do is wipe it down carefully with acetone right before you glue it on. That will clean off the surface oil and allow you to get a good glue bond. Once the gluing is done, the oil in the wood should actually be a good thing for a fretboard. Don't add any more fretboard oil to it (at least not much)... you might get a sticky mess. It does eventually dry out, but can take (literally) several months. Avoid knots. Wear a mask ... the dust is very fine and bad for your lungs.

This has mostly been said already, but ... Original Floyd Rose bridges are all 10" radius, except one model that is 15" (I believe). The nuts are also 10". OFR saddles are of different heights, to build in the radius. But they can still be shimmed to alter the radius. Schaller trems are apparently 14". I don't know much about those. Ibanez Edge series trems are 16" radius usually (or actually slightly flatter). The saddles are all the same height. The radius is set by the shims under each saddle, so it can be made to pretty much whatever you want. Nuts are a little harder, normally being 16" or occasionally 10" (like on the JS). Finding the right nut radius is the real trick, since the bridge can pretty easily be adjusted, but the nut radius is fixed. You might want to mix brands to find the combination you need. A 10" nut and 16-20" bridge makes a really good combination with a compound fretboard. Nothing unusual about that. With a 16" or flatter radius board, the compound shape is much less significant, so a 16" cylindrical fretboard works pretty well too. As mentioned, saddle shims can be purchased or made from thin brass, steel, or aluminum stock. They are cut to the shape of the saddle, and have a hole for the saddle/intonation screw. The screw holds the shim in place. The shims won't make intonation any harder unless you are doing something wrong.

I don't have one ON a guitar yet, but I have one sitting on the table in front of me here, waiting to go on one of my builds (a six string). It is very well built, low-profile, smooth cast body-- should be very good for palm-muting and resting your hand on the bridge. Should be rock-solid in place. Finish is nice. The saddles are cast, and have some rough edges. I wouldn't be suprised if a little filing was necessary around the string grooves. I think it is a much nicer piece than the standard Strat-style bracket bridge.

I agree with what has already been mentioned. I'd like to add another book to the list. "Electric Guitar Construction" by Tom Hirst. That is the best beginner book I have seen. While the samples are relatively simple, it covers the basics and gets you going. Then you can add the other references as you need them by topic.