billsterl

I have been doing woodworking for all my adult life and have only been building guitars for a couple years. I admit I was surprized when I saw many guitar bodies made from basswood. In the woodworking world basswood is used for carving as it has little to no grain but it is very boring to look at and it is cheap. Poplar is cheap as well and is used for molding as it takes paint well. I think swamp ash has the best of both worlds because it is light and tonal but has the striking ash grain. It all comes down to if you want a painted or natural finish.

thanks for the info-does anyone have a source for swamp ash lumber? Or should I just buy a made up blank? Has anyone dealt with the www.guitarmill.com ? They sell several types of blanks at reasonable prices and have a interesting selection including pine.

I want to build a Strat with swamp ash. Number one what exactly is swamp ash? Black ash that grows in the north or is it a southern wood anyone know the genius and species? I am looking for a source to buy a couple boards. I have a jointer and planer so I can make up the blanks myself.

Hi-I want to make a long compass to draw arcs ot make contour discs. But I don't remember the formula. I took geometry 40 years ago maybe thats why I can't remember. Thanks in advance.

Do you guys make you bars or by fiberglass ones? I was thinking of white ash milled to- what dimensions?

Thanks much SwedishLuthier-also got and printed out tutorial you sent on side bender-great info

I want to build a go bar frame with plywood and black pipe. I have seen a couple but I can't really figure out how they are put together? Anyone done this lately. I assume the top and bottom decks are fixed and the center one moves up and down. I was thinking 30" square? Thanks in advance!

Thanks much- I printed it all out now I am going to try ro read and figure it out. I would like to see how many of my jigs I can build myself!

Hi-I need contour discs for sanding as well as clamping cauls. Has anyone ever made them or do you HAVE to buy them? I was scheming about make one on a drill press or lathe with a reverse sanding form.

That is sad to hear. I hope the Spiders are made with at least good quality control. I would imagine that overseas built models built poorly could crush a fairly new name to the larger markets like Babicz. Peace,Rich I got an email yesterday they are having a special sale. Award Winning Babicz Identity Series Dreadnought model: ID-DRW-06-ND SPECIAL OFFER -- only $688.00 -- with Fishman Neo-D Pick-up! For a limited time only www.babiczguitars.com

I had the good fortune of meeting Jeff Babicz at a local guitar shop in New Paltz, New York. He is a very nice guy and gave me the name of his local tonewood supplier. I have not had direct experience with his guitars but my guitar teacher plays one that is owned by a guy in his band. He likes it and I have a women that I work with that owns one also but she is a beginner. I am new to this so the design is not something that I can make a judgement on. They are pretty expensive and I would probably either build something or go for something more traditional. He is local his main office is in Poughkeepsie, New York. I think the Spiders are built overseas.

Looks good-what is overbend? Is it like the name implies? Thanks for your help.

I am interested in building a side bender. Maybe a Fox style. Has anyone done this? How hard is it to build? Or should I buy one?

Hi, Grizzly Tools has some curved plastic humbucker rings that are very inexpensive. If they don't work, at least you wan't be out much money. Because they are plastic, you also might be able to modify them somewhat. They also have a very thin metal ring that you could probably curve to shape. Peace and good luck, Dave : Yes Grizzly fits and I thought I would post this if anyone was in the same boat and needed rings for a chinese clone. I am impressed with the two things I bought a nice LP switch and the ring. Nice quality for the money.

Hi- I am new to the forum so I thought I would give it a shot. I have a Jay Turser Les Paul Clone I am upgrading and I am trying to find pickup rings to fit it. I bought a set of Gibson style and they are a tiny bit to small. I am trying to get parts through Turser no luck so far. They are for a curver top on the Les Paul. I would rather buy the right one and not have to modify something. Any ideas. Thanks in advance for your help.