guitar2005

What are the pickups you have in the guitar now? Its hard to suggest anything without knowing what's already in place.

I spray 12 of the EM6000. With the EM7000, the max I ever sprayed was 2. If you can't see the blue, that's great news.

with the EM7000, I understand that when you spray it on, you can't trust the color. I'm not referring to the wet coat. I'm referring to the dried and cured finish. On a dark color, there will be a blue tint. You'll see it with stage lights or in the sun. If not, then you are lucky and don't add any more coats.

The blue tint doesn't go away. I have a guitar that I sprayed 1 year ago and the tint is still present. I'm having to redo two guitars because of this. Apparently KTM-SV doesn't have the blue tint. IDK.

I tried the EM7000 and hated it. It doesn't flow out properly, clogs up the gun and yes, goes on thick but it has a strong blue tint in it. Its not useable for me. EM6000 is much better IMO. Lay it down @ 2-3 mil, wait 3 hours between coats in a dry environment and make sure you have the right pressure (under 18psi at the gun) and a 1.3mm tip. You also have to ensure the EM6000 is fresh or it will give you trouble. Still, with EM6000, the colour will have a blueish haze as you pile on the coats. 12 coats max is what I do. At 12 coats, you'll still have a shift in color. Its most noticeable on dark colors. I had high hopes for this finish but I think that I'll be going back to Nitro or even give french polish a try for the darker colors.

I like the color scheme. This guitar has very similar specs to the one I just finished. I entered it in the sept gotm: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/topic/47417-guitar-of-the-month-for-september/ For the ferrules, there is a trick to get those nicely aligned and straight. Do you have a drill press? If so, you're halfway there.

I've been a member here for while but never entered. Here goes. This is Ocean Pearl. Album Here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76789855@N03/sets/72157634910767669/ Some pics here: DSCF5538 by lydian2012, on Flickr DSCF5563 by lydian2012, on Flickr Specs: Body: -Ribbon Grade Honduran Mahogany with flame maple veneer top, bound in white ABS. The body is pretty much a 1-piece body with a small, approx 2” wide piece added to make up the body width. -String through setup with recessed ferrules on the back. -TonePros TOM T3BP bridge. Finish: - Waterbased Lacquer. Neck: -25.5” scale, quartersawn birch with flame maple fretboard with 12" radius. -Flat Headstock. -Abalone dots -ABS side dots (glued in with lacquer thinner - that’s why the black bled a little into the surrounding maple so the lines aren’t super crisp). -Finished in a thin coat of shellac. -Comfortable Medium C profile. Approx 21mm at 1st fret, 22.4mm at the 12th fret and 23.3mm at the 15th fret. -Nut width of 42.2mm -TUSQ XL Nut -Jescar FW55090-S Stainless Steel fretwire. Crown dimensions: 0.090” x 0.055” -Progressive fret end bevel for maximum playing surface while retaining a smooth feel. -9-46 GHS Boomers Strings. -2-way adjustable trus rod with headstock adjustment -Ebony, curved truss rod cover. -Gotoh vintage style 16:1 ratio tuners. Weight: -Total weight is 3.74kg (8.5lbs) Electronics: -Jon Moore Custom hand-wound pickups. They are a Gibson T-Top inspired pickup with an A5 magnet but with a little more output and coil split. The coil split sound very good and is definitely useable as opposed to most coil split pickups. This one sounds very convincing in single coil mode. Thank you Jon for doing such a great job on these pickups. They compliment the guitar very well. Check out Jon’s website here: http://www.tonefordays.com/ -500k volume control and push/pull coil split. Pulling the control splits both the neck and bridge pickups. The coil with adjustable pole pieces is the one that is active in split mode. -500 Tone Control with 0.022uf cap -Switchcraft Jack with football shaped plate -3-way pickup selector.

Maybe its because that neck is flame maple and some worry that it may not be as stable as regular maple?

That's pretty much what I do as well.

I'm about to give up on the EM6000. I've had many issues with it. 1) The final colour has a blueish tint to it. You don't see this over lighter colors but over dark woods and colors, the stuff just doesn't cut it. 2) Long term repairability isn't the best. They say 100% burn in. I tried to repair cracks that developed in the finish of two guitars and it just does not work. Two guitars have had crack appear in the finish and even when I fill them, its as if the repair doesn't do anything. As I sand back, the cracks re-appear. 3) Shelf life isn't the best. I might try it again for light colors but switch to Nitro for darker guitars.

Sold. Please Delete

Allen Guitars & Luthier Supply does this. http://www.allenguitar.com/fret_slo.htm 12.00 per board for 10+ boards when you supply the boards

Sold. Please Delete

Don't the higher end "proper" Wilkinsons have a set screw in the adjustable post like the old Ibanez Edge posts? The set screw helps with the stability of the post.

Is it possible that DAG wants custom guitar shapes i.e. models before taking new builders on? What did you guys do to get him to take you on?

Well, I tried the reverse wiring and that solved the phase issue, but its not hum cancelling. I think that I might have to buy a new, non rwrp pickup for the middle position to work properly with the split bridge pickup.

I setup a guitar with a Humbucker/Single/Humbucker setup and selected the middle pickup as Reverse wound. It seems as tough when I mix the middle single with the bridge pickup, the volume drops. If I select only the middle pickup, the volume comes back up. I think that the fact that I used a reverse wind on the middle pickup may be the cause of my problems. Does that make sense?

I agree with "NotYou" 100% but in saying that, building a full-on custom is a good experience if you have a decent customer. I've built two and they are guitars that I am proud of. The second one was more work because of ever changing specs. When I couldn't deal with the changes anymore, I refunded the buyer's deposit, completed the guitar and he bought it when he saw the finished product. I've refused a lot of custom guitar work but keep accepting the custom bolt on neck work. Those are relatively easy to do with little hassle. I've had ok luck in selling completed builds and I think that I'm at the point where I want to make my own model instead of variants on a tele, strat, gibson or whatever.

I've used rift sawn maple on necks with separate fretboards and haven't had any issues. Check that the grain is fairly straight along the length of the neck, make sure that the piece is well acclimated and seal the wood.

I always use the piece with the straightest grain for a one piece neck. If you have grain runout, one thing you can do is cut the piece in half and glue it back together so that the grain lines are opposite to each other (mirrored).

Is he still alive?

I know that this might sound crazy, but I've shortened blocks fairly easily with just a belt sander. You could rough cut using a metal saw and fine tune on the belt sander. I've done this at least three times.

I'd be scared of running steel templates. It only takes a slight change in angle for that to catch. I use MDF and it works well.

Personally, I'm not super thrilled with the GFS bridges aside from their SS saddles and trem blocks.

Nice. What are you getting for the ABR? I'm thinking of trying out the Callaham stuff.