mister honey

Thanks! I really appreciate your input! Mike

Thanks Thorn! The "splits" appear to narrow as the fret spacing decreases. Are all the MOP splits .055 wide??? Thanks again! Mike

Thanks guys! I looked at DePaule previously. His split blocks have abalone dividing the MOP sections. I believe (based upon web photos, etc.) that the RF/Esprit Ultra inlays are two separate pieces divided by a strip of the ebony fingerboard. Can anyone confirm this as fact? Thanks! Mike

I need to duplicate a set of the unique split block MOP inlays as found on the Fender RF/Esprit Ultra. I only have WWW photos and such to go by and the blocks appear to generally be larger than LPC style blocks. I've done a couple of CAD layouts, scaled up & down, cutout the paper inlays and arranged them on the fretboard for visual confirmation, etc. ...not quite satisfied with my results to date! I'm assuming that since the original Esprit Master Series guitars were built in Japan, the inlays are probably in metric, rather than inch. Do any of you folks have these inlay dimensions or access to an Esprit Ultra that you could measure? If so, please PM and we'll coordinate. I'm particularly interested in knowing the width of the "split" in each block inlay. An educated guess would be 2mm at frets 3-5-7, 1.5mm at frets 9-12-15 and 1mm at frets 17-19-21. Please let me know if you can help! Best regards, Mike

The Lee Valley drill bits are great in a drill press, but I find them to be very aggressive (self-feeding) in a hand held drill. Has anyone else had this experience? Mike

Hi folks! Long time lurker, first time poster! I have been intrigued by this thread and even ordered the sample pack from Precision Drum. I have a vacuum bag setup for veneering the drum covering to a contoured guitar top, but I think a hard setting glue, like epoxy or urea would be best. I have some concerns about using a contact cement as I suspect the plastic would retain some memory and eventually lift or pull away from the deeper contours of the guitar top. Secondly, what about pick scratches? I guess they don't damage a pickguard over time, but the drum covering is much thinner. Lastly, I assume a clear finish should be sprayed over the plastic skin; nitro or water based? Do you think the skin could be lightly sanded for adhesion without ruining it? Comments please! Mike