vaxination

in the meantime, build more axes!!!

with all the adjustments, do these bridges install perpendicular to the center line (i am talking about post locations) or do these need to be angled like other tune-o-matic bridges?

yeah, thats a big plus for me. i often buy boards from ebay (mostly from a canadian supplier) and i end up planing, resawing, gluing up and surface sanding. however, when i need to get a project going right away (a build for someone else) where i don't have the particular woods in my own stock, i like to call mammoth because i can get quality pieces and all the prep work is done (planing, resawing, glue up and thickness sanded) at almost the same price that one would pay for rough sawn pieces. however, i have to admit though, that i often enjoy doing the prep work myself.

fryovanni makes a good point that you aren't able to hand select your wood. i live in hawaii and i don't have a good source for most tone woods so i rely on suppliers from the mainland. i once ordered a 5A maple top from a very popular supplier and i got a board that i could barely discern any flame even after wetting with naptha. however, i do have a couple of suppliers that i use that i can count on that will make great selections for me. in fact, doug of mammoth has "always" sent excellent wood to me. every piece that he has sent would have been something i would selected. i think he understands my situation and selects the wood as if he was selecting something he would use. he is a real pro. i haven't tried fryovanni's stuff, however, others have posted about his wood and they seemed happy. whoever you go with, just tell them to select as if they were looking for wood for their own project! again, doug at mammoth has done this for me and has been consistent.

i, too, don't grain fill alder. however, i shoot a couple of coats of sanding sealer (and lightly sand) and that seems to level the surface in preparation for my clear coats.

get something like this... click here or this... click here of course, the above are humbucker templates, however, there are templates for other type of pickups available too. $6 can save from making scrap out of good tone wood!

i have tinted my lacquer with transtint liquid dye in the past with great results, however, i was wondering if anyone has tried tinting sanding sealer (in my case, behlen's vinyl sealer). if so, were your results good? if there are any reasons that you folks think its not a good idea, i would be interested in hearing why.

the fretboard should be the right thickness when you get it. if not, sand the backside. if you just want to sand the top to a finer finish then use sand paper on a sponge block and make a few (very few) straight, long strokes. you should be okay.

i absolutely agree with doug. i have a prs mccarty that i just love. it has become my gold standard for tone and sustain. i also have a schecter C-1 that is a big time sustainer monster. both are setnecks. however, my last project was sort of cross between a LP DC and a prs except that it has a bolt-on neck (my avatar). this thing sustains like no one's business. it far out-sustains any axe i currently have (prs mccarty, schecter c-1, les paul, 57 strat reissue, variax 700, carvin ae185), including those i have built. don't get me wrong i also like setnecks, in fact, i am currently building one now. i think they are aesthically more pleasing. however, i feel it is a personal preference and has nothing to do with sustain. i find that i personally like bolt-ons though. in particular, i like the ibanez aanj design. i like the fact that i can change out a neck if it breaks or i want a different profile. as a matter of fact, i had an axe that i built where i wasn't totally satisfied with the neck i made so i made another and replaced it. take a look at what prs says about setneck vs bolt-ons (click here). scroll down and look at faq #8. gee, i think this discussion was about the invisibolt bc rich thingy. i hope i didn't hijack your thread. if so, i apologize.

i was cruising some old posts to get my fix and i thought i would bump this up to see if we can a get an update pic of the axe in its full glory with its finish and final assembly.

you can never own too many clamps!!! i use bessey clamps (just glorified bar clamps) to pull the edges together and cam clamps to clamp the top and bottom along the center line (using wax paper as suggested by thegarehanman). i also use a nice flat piece of quality ply under the bottom of the pieces of wood i am gluing together. the ply is about the length of my wood pieces and about 2/3 - 3/4 as wide. it helps apply the pressure evenly. oh, btw, i like to use a lot of clamps, but that's just me. anyway, just the way i personally like to clamp up.

i think i would have to agree with Pr3Va1L. this would be nice, especially if they offered different profile necks that could be swapped out.

i finished building a guitar that i need to use at a gig this weekend (ok, i don't NEED to, but i want to). i made a truss rod cover out of maple. i don't have time to spray nitro on it and cure it (ok, i know i should have made it before applying the finish to the axe). although the headstock is high gloss, i don't really want a high gloss lacquer look for the cover. i was wondering if it is common to use tung oil or boiled linseed oil on maple? i thought i once read on this forum that some have used oil on maple necks. i use transtint dyes. has anyone ever tried putting dye in the oil? ok, as an alternative, if i decide to dye and spray a finish, what kind of clear canned spray will cure in a couple of days. yeah, yeah... i know, its only a truss rod cover!

i actually did something similar to wezv's suggestion (although i still like mammoth's - he's given me great advice before too). anyway, i drilled the staggered holes to match the bridge, however, i routed a recess around the holes in the back to install an access plate. it was acceptable to the client and it covered the funny looking holes. btw, my client works part time in a guitar store and i knew the axe would be under the scrutiny of other GAS addicts so i wanted the axe to present itself well.

excellent idea! however, i came up with a solution that was acceptable to the client. i like your idea better, though, and i wish i had implemented it instead! hey doug, its me... ur customer in hawaii! btw, i should mention that mammoth provides excellent quality blanks and tops. living in hawaii where we don't have any selection in tone wood or tops (except koa, of course), i have to rely on mainland vendors to select my wood for me. while other vendors quality in wood have been hit & miss, mammoth guitars has always provided me with excellent quality tone woods and tops!

i was hoping for more of a technical answer than a business lecture. my client knows that i would like to make the ferrules line up nicely and is okay if i can find a solution for it. if not, he is fine with it being staggered. since he is fine either way, i don't think it is a problem if i want to try. btw, i found a great compromise and both client and builder (me) are way happy. making guitars is not my main source of income so i don't feel the great string ferrule problem will be putting my livelihood in any peril. that said, i understand what you mean about having the client assuming responsibilities and agree with you in principle. i am a software developer and i build to customer specs. as a professional, i may make suggestions based upon experience so that my clients can make informed decisions. in the end, however, i program the application as they request and they assume responsibility for its final functionality. so this is concept is not foreign to me. so can we get back to guitar building discussions now!

below is a picture of 12 string bridge plate that i am using to build a solid body 12 string guitar for someone. the client gave me the bridge that he wants to use. it will be the first 12 string electric for me. anyway, it has 6 string thru holes (the other 6 are top loaded). if you notice in the picture, the holes are not straight across. while it seems great for intonation locations, it doesn't look that great. i have to admit that i am a real freak about making nice straight string thru holes on the backside of an axe. i spoke with the client and he said it would be alright if the holes in the back are staggered, however, i am having a hard time doing it (**** retentive - help dr phil!). i want to exhaust all my options first. i had a couple ideas like drill the holes a bit oversized on the top about 1" down and then drill the holes in the back straight. 1" or so should give the strings enough room to adjust to the the straight-across string ferrules. i just don't know if will put too much pressure on the strings against the bridge holes when the strings angle towards the ferrules, causing them to break. the other option i thought of was making the holes on the back 3x3 with each set of 3 holes on a slight diagonal, trying to match the staggered angle of the bridge holes as closely as possible. this may give the strings a smaller angle for line up. ok, that was probably clear as mud, but the bottom line is that the staggered holes bug me and i am open of suggestions. here is the bridge plate...

since i have only done faux binding, i am now considering regular binding my next project (gluing body and top as we speak). so i did a search on binding to begin researching. i did a practice run on an old scrap body with routing the channel, forming and gluing up the binding. i notice that the "norm" is too route the neck pocket first then then glue the binding in place. however, during my research, i thought i came across a couple of posters that say they apply the binding before the routing the neck pocket so that there is a clean termination of the binding after routing the neck pocket. can anyone expand on this idea? how does the binding hold up when being routed? for those of you with binding experience, what is your recommendation? if you recommend installing after routing the neck pocket, what technique do you use to terminate the binding at the neck pocket (in other words, what do you use to trim)?

when i glue a laminate top over my body wood i usually wait 24 hrs before unclamping. i once heard that 2 hours is enough. since i am usually not in a hurry 24 hrs works ok for me. however, i am curious... how long do you folks wait to take off your clamps?

ok, wait a minute... vinyl sealer can be used under poly? i normally use behlens vinyl sealer, under my nitro lacquer. i suspect behlens vinyl sealer and stewmac's vinyl sealer is the same thing. if it can be used that is good news for me because i have a body that i sprayed with vinyl sealer and just recently i have gained access to a spray booth at a auto body shop. so i may want to spray poly over it. are you talking 2 part poly?

yeah, $40 is a great deal. heck, if i found someone who would only charge me $40, i wouldn't have to crank up my compressor any more. at any rate, even though the $40 is a great deal, it's the paint stripping and sanding that would bother me if anything went wrong. i guess you shouldn't have to worry about that since maiden states that there are some people here who have had good success with all the createx products. hmm... why would i want to see maiden stressed? ah, that wouldn't be entertaining to me! i think i would rather watch eric johnson cranking out some licks.

maiden... if you are referring to me, i only suggested that he take a sample piece to his sprayer for a test. if you were not referring to me, have a nice day. btw, you should really take it easy... life is too short to get stressed out!

your progress is going along well. i am looking forward to seeing the clear coats and the buffed finish!

kind of a late post, however, i use the same length blade and i have found a source... Click Here

the createx autoair stuff will work fine under 2 part poly. if that is the stuff you used, then your cool, however, if you used something else and want to be absolutely sure, spray a sample piece and take it to your sprayer to test with.