daveq

Incredible guitars hyunsu!!! I was thinking about what you said about your child's skin troubles: I noticed that you have built several guitars using bolivian rosewood - does it give you any skin irritation? It gave me hives for weeks (about 3 weeks) and all I did was sand it very lightly (just enough to remove a pencil mark). I know it's probably too obvious but I thought I would ask anyway - is there any chance that your child came in contact with dust from that wood? I hope it all works out for you. Taking care of the little ones is the top priority. I hope he or she feels better soon.

Great job Southpa! I'm not a Tele guy but I really like this guitar. Do you like the way it feels, sounds? I know a lot of people go running to the hills when someone mentions that they are considering building an all maple guitar - screaming "NOOOO!! TOO BRIGHT!!!". My experience has been that I actually like all maple guitars. Cherry is another wood that I like to use - it gives a very similar sound as hard maple.

I hope you end up enjoying building necks. I think many people are a bit unsure of it when starting out. I think it's my favorite part of building a guitar. One other thing to consider on that part that Matt was talking about: What I sometimes do is just leave it at 3/4 inch. That way, the scarf joint ends up being farther back in the neck (hopefully adding strength). For some people, it's easier to take off the excess peghead area before gluing and for some it's just as easy to leave it and remove it after it has cured. I've also done it another way - cut the peghead portion down to 5/8" (roughly) and then glue it to the neck stock. It's less work to do the peghead but the scarf joint is closer to the nut. I don't do it this way any more (actually I never used a neck made this way - they went to the scrap bin) but I have seen others do it this way. The 5/8 measurement varies - don't take it literally. When you buy an angled headstock blank from warmoth, you get something closer to the first method (and they take of some of the excess for you). I also like to rout the truss rod channel after the peghead has been glued on. Just my preference though. Anyway - keep the pics coming. I love seeing new necks being built! Looks good!

Matt - I haven't talked to you in a while. WOW - you've been busy! I'm so happy for you. After all this time, I'm still making copies of Fender, Ibanez, ... guitars and you've just kicked me in the ass to get started on something original. It's amazing what a pro finishing job can do also. It's so important to get that part right and he absolutely did. Now, when you're ready for some sinister LED skulls, let me know. (I want in on this action!)

You've got me inspired! I was reading over on another forum about the pro's/con's of doing an epoxy finish (although you painted over the epoxy, right?) and what I got out of it was that it was a TON of hard work but gives great results. Did you have any trouble with fumes or anything nasty from the epoxy? I'd take much pride in that if it were mine. BTW - I like abalone dots!

Hey AlgeeEater - What exactly are you saying? It sounds to me like you may be of the impression that I'm not capable of reading or searchinig. Do you understand that the basic premise is that describing how something sounds with words is filled with opportunity for error. The best way to describe how something sounds is to hear it for yourself. This way, you take out someone else's opinion, you take away their potential misuse of language, ... Understand? And yes, I actually do understand what this site is about. There have been many requests for opinions on how certain pickups sound and in particular how they sound with certain woods. This is a critical choice for people building solid body guitars. This was just a suggestion for helping these people out and potentially reducing the number of pickup sound threads.

I don't know if they ship outside the US (probably) but here's a great place for metal inlay material - I've used them many times: SantaFe

Ugh - yes I realize that it will sound different on different guitars. That's actually my point exactly. I just don't understand why someone would think that having a collection of sound clips could actually be of less use than a bunch of people throwing words like glassy, punchy, ... when those words may mean different things to different people. The more samples you hear (on various types of wood, ...), the better idea you will have for what to expect. It's probably time to close this one.

Actually, the last time someone asked about this, I read that the wireless systems are extremely complicated. If this is true, I'm guessing that's why there aren't many DIY's available on this.

Oh, OK, so there's some at the neck end and some at the bridge end but routed away in the middle. I think I understand now. I don't remember there being a minimum order at stewmac but then again, I usually have them back the truck up to my garage with each order anyway.

I've always viewed Tele's as among the ugliest guitars ever made but there are several builders here who really make them look incredible. It's such a shame that there can only be one winner - there are so many that deserve the GOTM. Has it been like this for the last 6 months? (I haven't been around for a while). Lots of work to be proud of in this group. Congrats to all!

Thanks Scott - that's exactly what I was worried about. Would you be able to tell if I took a pic of it?

maxx - Yes, of course I realize that. After playing for nearly 20 years and having built 7 guitars (all with Floyd trems), that's pretty obvious. As for not being practical, some people would disagree. I personally don't like having the arm stay in one place but I know there are some people who actually prefer it that way. What seemed strange to me was that the design of the arm was so that you would still see threads above the base plate just as you are begining to hit that point where the arm becomes tight. Due to the fact that the arm is most likely not the original arm that came with the guitar, I was wondering if the various types of strats used different arms and the threads showing might be an indication that I have the wrong arm. That combined with the fact that the arm sticks WAY out from the body (much farther than what I am used to with the Floyds), it made me wonder if something was wrong. All of that combined with the extra "Wobble" or play in the arm had me curious if I had been given a trem arm for a different type of trem.

Another very interesting guitar! I just wanted to ask if you were planning on angling the bridge pickup the way the drawings show or the way that strats normally angle them (they are backwards from eachother)? If you're going with the drawings, just curious what the reasoning is for this?

Have you tried stewmac for the side dot material? I don't think they have a minimum order but I could be wrong. The side dot inlay used to be in a strange place on their web site - not with the rest of the inlay material. They might have changed this by now though. The point is - it's there you just have to look hard. I like it when people try new things - especially with the older guitar styles such as that. I hope it turns out well for you. I have one question (not a criticism or complaint ) - did you end up routing away most of the dovetail joint? It looks like that may be the case from the pics but sometimes pics are misleading. Very interesting guitar.

Hey Frenzy - thanks for letting me know. I'll check that out. Some tools that I had in mind were the different stewmac crowning tools. They have several different types but it isn't exactly clear to me what the differences are and why I would want one over the other. I guess I could just call and ask for tech support but I think it's nice to be able to read other builders opinions/experiences. As for the pickup thing - no big deal. I probably wasn't very clear as to why I was interested in doing it. To me, reading someone's description of what something sounds like is similar to explaining what a color looks like to someone who has been blind from birth. Here's a very quick search I just did this morning to show you what I mean (this is for the SD JB Trembucker):

Yes, definitely - I have seen people do this but I can't remember who. Here's a skull that I did a while ago but it's not in the headstock: If you end up doing a skull, let me know. I have some tricks for you that may save you some time and frustration.

The fibers are just thin plastic rod (flexible but can't do sharp angles). You connect one end of them to a large (5mm) LED and the light shows up on the other end. I think they are ideal for neck-through guitars. Fibers on a bolt-on aren't so great although it certainly can and has been done. The fibers are pretty cheap and the installation isn't too bad (unless it's a bolt-on neck). You need to use epoxy instead of CA since CA usually burns right through the fiber optic material (maybe not all types). I hate using epoxy but not everyone feels that way I'm sure. Since the LED lives inside the control cavity, it's easy to swap out or change for a different color, ... There's no solder joints to worry about either (at least not in a place that is difficult to get at). But, like I said, the fibers need to be pretty small to get them to bend inside a fretboard. I don't know if I've seen a front dot fiber neck before but I have seen plenty of side dots. Just something to think about.

I guess we are looking at it quite differently. I viewed it as just a simple pinned thread but maybe that wouldn't work. Now that I'm writing this, I'm realizing that it wouldn't really be a review as in having ratings 1-10 but just a reference. A place for people to go to hear what the pickups sound like with certain woods, ... since we do get that asked almost weekly it seems. If there are other sites that provide this - that's even better. If you happen to remember one, please let me know - I'll pass it along next time the question is asked. The thing that got me thinking about this was the fact that people seemed to get pretty excited when Wes does his guitar reviews. I know you said that you like to use it but I find harmonycentral almost useless when it comes to things like this but I guess that's just my issue. Thanks for the little one on one - I guess the lack of interest in this post says it all anyway.

That's why I thought it would be much more informative if people posted sound clips along with info on the construction of the guitar. That completely eliminates the jargon that is so often misunderstood and misused on those other review sites. It would basically let someone "try it out" without having to buy it. I do understand that it would be difficult to say that the sound clips would be 100% pure and all would be easy to compare but at least you get to hear something instead of deciphering what someone else thinks it sounds like. I think it applies to guitar building since pickup selection has such a huge impact on the sound of an electric guitar. Even if you put aside the pickup reviews, you would also say no to having reviews on tools?

I know there are other sites out there that provide reviews for guitars, effects, amps, ... but I was wondering if anyone might be interested in adding a section on PG for this? Maybe it could be used for reviewing tools for building guitars (stewmac, ...), pickups (with sound clips so everyone can judge for themselves instead of using words like glassy, punchy, ...)? Maybe include reviews on guitars and effects as well? I think most of you have seen the numerous requests for opinions on pickups. Everyone eventually starts arguing over a couple of pickups and the person who asked gets no closer to understanding how it sounds than he/she originally did. Maybe it might be nice to have people post clips of their pickups - obviously, the more people that post for a particular pickup, the more the person will know what to expect. Each poster should list what type of wood the guitar is made of, and other things that would affect the sound differently. I'm going on about pickups since it seems to be asked so often and there seems to be very little on the web in terms of a sound clip collection for this. I also had one other thought - how about creating a place for people to detail their rigs. Show in detail how they arrange their effects, the settings they like to use, ... and once again - add a sound clip. This one may not be as helpful as the idea above but I've always been interested in seeing how others use their effects and it could provide a tutorial on how to get certain sounds such as EVH, satriani, SRV, ... Do you think it might be worth giving some of this a try?

Wo! soooo Evil! I'd actually consider going with fiber if you want LED type inlays. The thing that worries me about using the LEDs is that you can't replace the neck or fretboard as easily on a neck-thru as a bolt-on. You shouldn't have to do this but when you're building experience with LED inlay, there's always a chance for a mistake or something that will work for a couple of months and then go dead (loose solder joint, ...). I'd hate to see that happen on this guitar. With fiber, it either works or it doesn't. You'll know right away what you've got once you do the installation. The drawback (as I've mentioned before) is the size of the dots becomes an issue since it's much harder to bend the fiber. Don't let me discourage you though if you really want LEDs. Having the passion to have it just the way you want it is what separates mediocre builders from the best (or at least part of the equation). To sum it up: Fiber would probably be the most reliable but comes at a price of not being as large as LEDs. An added bonus is that you can change the color of any dot (or all) at any time. LEDs are a nice size and plenty bright enough but always carry the risk that something could fail at any time. If you are very good with a soldering iron and know what to look for when examining you're work - don't lose too much sleep over this. I think LEDs are quicker to install than fiber but that's just been my experience and probably due to my crazy schemes. Let us know which direction you end up going in. This one should be interesting and I'm really looking forward to seeing it! (maybe you could throw in some LEDs or fiber in the headstock too? - I've always wanted to do that) DaveQ

What happened to the idea of using Ethernet (or was it Firewire) for connecting guitars to preamps? I remember seeing Neal Schon demonstrating it on CNN over a year ago (maybe 2 years?) but have never heard of it since then. He was saying that it sounded better to him than wireless technology but I don't know if he compared it to a standard cable. Is this technology still in the works or has it been abandoned?

So, stop just before I see the levelling marks go away? (let the final sanding / polishing do that part?) Thanks for the info (if I understand it correctly).

I bought a new Strat recently (american - 50th anniversary if it matters for this question). The trem arm seems strange. It doesn't seem to screw in all the way - you can still see a small bit of thread on the arm where it screws into the bridge. Is that normal? Also, it seems HUGE!!! At least compared to my Floyd bridges. Did I get the right arm for this bridge? I was originally given a left handed arm and then another which may or may not be the one that actually came with my guitar. One last thing - the arm wobbles a little. My Floyds also do that but the Strat seems a bit more wobbly. Are these issues normal for a Strat?