zyonsdream

The sun's UV rays cause it to turn brown. You can use additives in your hard coat that will help to block UV and will slow down the browning. The guitar below gets a moderate amount of sunlight and it has retained it's color for a few years It's made of solid purple heart with a black walnut strip up the center. It's also got a purple heart fretboard Edit: sorry, didn't mention that it's coated with the UV additive and a flattener which is why it isn't all shiny As for tone- the body is smaller than the average explorer it is is as heavy as a Les Paul. The lacewood neck helps to add to the weight. To me this guitar doesn't have a tone suitable for blues as there is little low end response. A courian nut and Seymour Duncan's helped but it just doesn't sound the best. I'd suggest going with a purple heart top and a mahogany back. The top would act as a maple top. Interesting though: the guitar I just built is solid maple body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard and it has an excellent sound with balanced highs and lows- one of the best sounding guitars I've ever made so it goes to show that even though the properties are similar, it doesn't mean they will sound the same.

Boggs: I really like the Figured Purple Heart top on this guitar. I’ve built with it before so I can appreciate the time it took to build this guitar! Purple Heart can be a killer on your tools and elbows. Surprisingly for me the Cuban Mahogany worked with the bright top and over time when that Purple Heart browns it will blend in better. I’m still not sold on the usefulness of Stainless Steel frets and wonder how they sound on a bass. I was also put off by the Purple Heart cover plate. It seemed to clash being directly over the Mahogany. I’d also like to see a custom built neck over a purchased neck. Scottyd: This is one of the coolest crotch walnut tops I’ve seen in a long time: not overly busy but with enough figure to catch the eye! I’m a real sucker for walnut and even though I don’t play bass, I’d pick this one up in the store. I’d drooling over the matching covers and the lack of inlay on the board. These are all plusses for me. The scroll on the upper horn was also done with perfection and is one of the best I’ve seen. A lot of them look sloppy and contoured without attention to detail; this one is done to perfection. Although I like walnut sap the back of this bass doesn’t match the front in terms of wood quality. This was really the only drawback for me with this bass. Verhoevenc: Every month a person posts an acoustic that makes me want to go out and buy everything I need to get started. The wood choices and body styling are excellent and the craftsmanship is great too. I wish we had more people posting acoustics to warrant an acoustic GOTM and an electric GOTM. My eye always goes to the electric and I’ve never been able to keep an acoustic around the house for more than a few months so I guess that’s why I never throw my vote towards an acoustic. However, this was an excellent build. The only thing I didn’t get was the inlay on the fret board. Maybe the picture wasn’t clear but I didn’t understand it. Zyonsdream: This guitar started life as a neck through EVX and due to a router slip a salvage job was needed to avoid wasting the wood. I turned it into a bolt on and ended up thinning the body thickness and making the lines a lot sharper. I’ve heard feedback that organic bevels would look better which I agree with on the bigger EXV models but in this case, I was looking for an early 80’s metal monster and to me the geometric bevels gave this guitar that look. I’ve also heard that some people don’t like the reversed headstock… well, that was just my personal preference since I originally started this project for a personal build. On a side note and with the risk of not getting any votes, I will not vote for myself as it seems narcissistic and self centered to do so! Andronico: Finally! A travel guitar I would actually own and play. I love the tuners and the body stylings. It sort of reminds me of a Steinberger guitar which is a cool thing. The built in effects really make this thing rock. I could honestly seeing this guitar being a compeditor in the travel guitar market. The only thing I would prefer to see different is the knob placement on the face of the guitar but I can see how this helped out with wiring the effects so I can understand why they are the way they are. Keep up the good work! Boner: Being a fan of pointly guitars I could really sink my teeth into this build. It’s loud and sharp and would knock teeth out on stage! The pink color and matching pickup both do wonders for this and harkens back to the days of spandex and hair metal! I also like that it has more modern day specks like a baritone scale lengh- something that would have never happened in the 80’s! However, there are a lot of things wrong with this guitar too. You didn’t specify if this guitar was a bolt, set or neck through but I’m guessing it’s a neck through given how thin the pink looks under the beck pocket. That being said, that pickup should not have to be that far out of the cavity since you are using a kahler which needs very little neck angle. The angle is off which means the saddles of excessively high to comensate which means the pickup is on the high side. This is just a personal thing for me but since my main guitar is the neck through, I like to see it with the right neck compensation in the angle. Micguard: Dude, I really love how you blended a telecaster with a stratocaster; pure engienious! It’s the best looking hibrid I’ve seen to date. I’m being honest here: fender should buy this design off of you today! Simple as that. I’d like to see the exact same design with a Tele bridge since I’m not big at all on a folcrum style bridge. The binding is a good touch. This guitar just has a lot of class to it! Great Job! Oh, now just go load that with stacked rails or some stacked humbucker to get rid of that single coil sound! Jyrki: I like the wine red color and the semi acoustic design with the unique F hole but the pictures are really unclear and hard to see detail. Sorry. Hitone: Being a LOOONG time Devener Broncos fan I’ve always pondered having the logo turned into a guitar. This is an inspiration to me to get started on such a build. I’m guessing some Mavs fan will be super happy with this hanging on their wall. Hopefully they take the time to play it and not just use it to look cool in their fan room. I’ve got nothing I could crituque on this guitar. Just killer if you ask me! Jukkasil: This is a unique build with a lot of old school Gretch looks. Filtron syste pickups and about a half inch raised neck from the body. The guitar isnt really my style but it is obviously well constructed. The roller nut and Nashville bridge gives away its age alittle though. That sort of ruined it for me but I’m sure it helps the guitar stay in tune bettere. Rhoads56: White and gold = pure class in my book! You’ve won this competition 4 times and this is why. Understated elegance. The trans scale is a little beyond my playing ability but I can repesct its usefulness for the right player. It’s just a very clean guitar and is going to make a player very happy for sure. Orgmorg: I contunied to be in awe of your builds. The use of reclaimed luumber in an enviroment where the least bit of defect in a build leads to a glorified bonfire is a breath of fresh air for me. When my better half saw this build she asked if I could get one at guitar center! She seemed saddened when I told her it was a custom built guitar. One thing that popped out for me was the jack plate. That was just really cool looking. Your builds remind me of really old; well taken care of Danelectros or even old delta blues guitars that were built by the hands that would play them. If the price was right, I’d love to add this guitar to my collection which is generally a big key indicator of who I vote for. On a forum where everyone strives to build the most quilted, highly polished or inovative design, you go back to basics and use matereals that set you apart from the rest. I havent voted for your builds in the past but I feel that I should swing my vote your way this month, which is exactly what I did; congratulations!

http://guitarplansunlimited.com/ This dude should be able to help you www.guitarbuildingtemplates.com He might be able to help you but it will cost since it isnt on his regular list.

The landlord that owns the house next to me just cut down a huge maple tree (for no reason other than he didn't want to rake leaves) and I asked him if I could have it and he said no (for no reason I could come up with.) He didn't sell it and in fact paid someone to haul it away for him. From what I heard, the whole tree went into a landfill. I even have a guy who would have cut it and dried it. Would have cost me about $1.00/BF to have it cut and dried. Congrats on your score and for having a neighbor who doesn't suck!

I always get excited when I see that there is a new post in the GOTM because for the most part it's an interesting build and an overwhelming majority of them never have progress threads so it's cool to see some new guitar porn! It's one of my favorite spots throughout the month and lately we have been seeing a very large amount of guitars entered which is even more cool. I'd like to suggest one rule change to go into place for the June vote: When I enter a guitar into the contest, every one must vote for me!

Please, can we bring this back to a respectable discussion on how to maintain the integrity of the GOTM before this discussion causes the mods to scrap the competition altogether. I really like the showcase and enjoy ripping my hair out trying to decide which one to vote for. Everyone has their own convictions, reasons and motives for posting in the main forum and the GOTM and I think everyone should rely on their own convictions when voting. If you don't like the fact that the guy has 10 posts over a year then don't vote for him. It's simple! There is no reason to continue personal attacks. That's the reason I come to this forum: a lack of personal attacks between professionals (for the most part that is.)

I think we tend to govern ourselves when it comes time to vote. I can't remember a time where an entry with just 1 post in the forum won the GOTM and anyone who enters more than one just dilutes the votes they could get and ends up eliminating themselves from the competition. I'd support a thread in the "in progress" section before it can be submitted to the GOTM section. This allows everyone to become familiar with the build and actually will help out part time builders when it comes time for the vote. I'd also support a rule that disqualifies anyone who didn't build or significantly modify the instrument, after all, this is project guitar, not "vote on a guitar I bought and had little to do with the creation." If that's the case, the builder should be the one posting it for the competition.

hmmm, Guess I only looked for Spider3 cabs and not the Vetta cabs. I suppose they are all basically the same. Thanks!

This is really cool. I have the Spider3 150W head with 4X12 cab. I want to run two 4X12 cabs but I can't find a flat front line 6 cab as it seems they only make a slant cab. Two slants won't work since I need to stack them and I have three small kids and that would be a recipe for disaster. So, I've been contemplating building a second flat faced cab so I can run two cabs in 75 mono per cab. I also want to change the tolex to a different color on the existing pieces. Likely a snake skin with flat black grills! Your's looks so good it has me inspired to get started on that project!

The only close up picture of the headstock washed out. I'd shoot another shot but I have no way to get it on the computer right now, I just packed my docking station for my trip to Disney tomorrow. So, I took one with the trusty mobile phone! I used a 45 degree chamfer bit to to the bevels. I've done organic bevels on this shape before and it looks okay but I was really going for an early 80's style metal look; sort of retro looking. I wanted sharp lines to really make the stone paint pop and give an authentic look. The headstock got the same 45 degree angle (but this headstock always gets angled, as you can see in this picture) The paint is really no secret. I use Krylon stone paint (they make many colors) and then I shoot it with a matte finish from Krylon. Since it's textured, there's no buffing! Makes life easy and my customer base seems to love the finishes! But... my customer base is 99.99% metal heads who like pointy guitars...pointy guitars attract pointy guitar players! LOL

Nice top! I like the switch placement, same place I put them on my Teles

The Ibanez XV500 was in the back of my mind when I designed this, along with the explorer but the VXV500 is much smaller and much rounder in shape (at least in person) My take on the design gives a lot more mass and cleaner lines but that’s just my opinion!

I posted this for the GOTM but I'm really interested in what everyone thinks. I know this is not an overly large pointy guitar site but I still value everyones opinions and feedback. It's a redesign of my EVX model with a slimmer body and sharper lines. I was going to be a guitar for me so the specs are my personal favorites (minus the finish.) I started to finish it a flat black but a friend offered me a deal on it so it got the stone finish they were interested in. Feel free to rip'er apart. Wood: Solid Maple Neck: Maple with Rosewood board 25.5" scale 12" radius 24 Dunlop Jumbo frets Pearl Dots Schaller Tuners Dual action truss rod ZDG Bat Wing reverse headstock!!!! Electronics: Guitarheads active pickup flat mount jack Battery box Orange drop cap 1 tone, no volume Cover plate is smoked Lexan so you can see the electronics Bridge: Leo Quan Bass Ass bridge with Schallar fine tuner attachment This is why I used the locking nut. I wanted the ultimate in tuning stability and thought this would be a cool idea to try. Finish: Textured stone with a matte hardcoat On to the fun! http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/Stone_05.jpg http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/100_3874.jpg http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/Stone_06.jpg http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/Stone_03.jpg http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/Stone_02.jpg http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/Stone_04.jpg

This is the EVX II Dominator It's a redesign of my EVX model with a slimmer body and sharper lines. Wood: Solid Maple Neck: Maple with Rosewood board 25.5" scale 12" radius 24 Dunlop Jumbo frets Pearl Dots Schaller Tuners Dual action truss rod ZDG Bat Wing reverse headstock!!!! Electronics: Guitarheads active pickup flat mount jack Battery box Orange drop cap 1 tone, no volume Cover plate is smoked Lexan so you can see the electronics Bridge: Leo Quan Bass Ass bridge with Schallar fine tuner attachment This is why I used the locking nut. I wanted the ultimate in tuning stability and thought this would be a cool idea to try. Finish: Textured stone with a matte hardcoat On to the fun! http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/100_3874.jpg http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/Stone_06.jpg http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/Stone_03.jpg http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/Stone_02.jpg http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/ZDG...le/Stone_04.jpg

Beautiful guitar! I love a nice acoustic. Someday I will get around to building one myself. BTW, Shop safety 101: don’t buff your guitar with the strings on it! Sounds like your friend got lucky that they didn’t get pulled into the buffing wheel. Doesn’t sound bad until you live through a high speed but kicking!

I really like the lexan pickguard. Makes the guitar a shade darker but still lets the grain pop through! Nice! What's the weight like on it?

Yup, you should only trust your friends as far as you can throw them and trust your customers even less. I have four forms Modification form: Stipulates modifications being made to the guitar as agreed upon by me and the customer. It included the product name, part number and description of every part being replaced or added. It also has a disclaimer that I retain the right to keep any parts removed from the guitar unless otherwise asked by the customer for the return of parts removed. If they do request. Each part they request back is listed on the form. I write the SN of the guitar being modified. It then has a final price and a completion date (usually a date range) This is then signed and dated by me and my the customer. It also has my business information. I get the original copy and the customer gets a copy. On the back is a copy of my warranty. Custom build form: Outlines the shape the customer wants, specification on measurements, wood specification, hardware specification and finish requirements. I usually print the form with a copy of the design (theirs or my own) so it is actually printed on the signed form. A date range is specified and it's signed and dated by both. I also put a disclaimer on there that the date range can be modified at my discretion. On the back is a copy of my warranty. Vintage/classic waiver: Disclaimer that states doing any modification lowers the value or any vintage instrument and compromises the collectability of any instrument. It states that I am not responsible for the drop in value of any instrument due to changes requested by the owner. It also states that I am not an authorized repairman for any manufacturer and by me doing modification to the guitar it will void their warranty. Anyone having repair work or modification completed must sign this before work is completed. deposit form: I also require a deposit which always covers my costs (not labor) and once the deposit is paid they get a receipt which is up to my desecration on what they get back . The customer pulls out, they get what ever hardware- lumber I have purchased for the build so far or if I choose I will just refund the cash (if I like the lumber/hardware enough to keep it. This form is also signed and dated by the customer and myself. I live in the US- land of stupid lawsuits and customer's who change their minds and don't tell you until it's too late! Better to have a bunch of paper work to file to cover your butt! Oh and a good step to take. In the digital age, take pictures of the guitar before and after. Control cavities, new hardware- what every you do. Works nicely in court.

Well as my post said, I can't find any hardcoat that specifies it is "flat" and I'm looking for a product that is flat but thanks for your completely non useful smart ass answer. Since there was no actual useful information in your post, I can only assume you don't know of a product that will help me. Edit: answered my own question. Krylon makes a Matte Finish product number 1311. It doesn't say if it's acrylic or urethane but I'm going to test it before using it. I'm sure a search of thier site would tell me exactly what it is but I want to make sure it's flat enough for my needs.

I am accustomed to finishing with Nitro, acrylic and polyurethane, leveling, buffing and getting a nice high gloss finish. Getting a "flat" as in level finish is not a problem, just getting a flat (matt) finish at a level like Ultra flat black is baffling me. I've sprayed the ultra flat black already but when I got done with my hard coated samples it just seemed to have too much shine even though I used a satin polyurethane. So the urethane adds more shine than what I want. I guess what I'm really after is the technique for a very flat finish without just being scratched up or a type of hardcoat that will be just as non reflective or flat/matt as the ultra flat black I am using.

Okay, I used the search and didn't really find anything to help me. I want to get an ultra flat black finish on my latest build and I have a quick question about hardcoating. I'm using Krylon ultra flat black camofaluge paint and it looks killer on my guitar. However, when I use Satin polyurethane in a test piece it leaves more of a gloss than I'd like to have. It's not glossy but shiny I'm experimenting with flat black acrylic but it seems like it will not be as flat as the ultra flat I already have sprayed on the guitar. Is there a such thing of an ultra flat hardcoat or a way to get that really flat black look, almost like the hardcoat wasn't there?

Due to the very large list of entries this month I'm only going to critique the ones I really liked this month. I'll go by order of post. rsguitars: I really liked the shape of this build and the clean lines. The finish is great and matches the flame shape. I never shy away from voting for bolt on neck but I felt like there would be come clearance issues for lead guitarists. msherman: Orion build: All I can say is wow! The way you matched the pickup cover and back cover plates perfectly is a testament to your skills! Heck, I even PM'd you to see if the build was for sale! Minus the 8 strings you managed to put together all the things I like in a build! Even with two extra strings I want it! WezV: I always love your builds. The spalted top was really nice and reminded me of the last spalted guitar you posted. The Shape is great! I love the flat black hardware and the countersunk tuners but I'm not a fan of the lizard inlay. The green just kept taking my attention away from the top. Jyrki: I love a good ES335 and every time I go to the store I contemplate buying one and I even have a set of templates to build my own but never get off my butt to do it. From the looks of yours It would be enough for me to fork over the money. A clean finish and a classic look put this in my top list of guitars. Barth guitars: I have to be honest, this was not one of my favorite builds but I wanted to give you props. I wish I had been busting out guitars of this skill level when I was 15! You clearly took time to plan and design your build. I'm looking forward to see what you do next! Everyone did a great job and it's awesome to see so many builds. Several 8 strings, a ton of cigar boxes and even a really nice looking acoustic! I'm hoping to have one ready for next months competition. My vote has to go to msherman! Just an excellent build and if I was willing to fork over hard earned cash for it! It just has to be my vote.

every piece of zebrawood I've had the dubious honor to deal with has smelled like cow crap to me. Depending on how dry it is, the smell might change but I've noticed that the more moisture, the less smell. I cut my wood at 6-10% moisture and it always smells. Cocobolo always ends up smelling like fish oil once it drys.

I've been asking this question all over these forums. How accurate is that guy? I've heard some nasty things about him, especially with the tele templates. I'm looking at getting an RG template over the summer, but I've heard enough negative press about him that I'm reconsidering my decision. I might grab an RG body off ebay and make a template off that, then I'll have a template and a beater body to mess with as well. I've built several Telecaster shaped guitars off of his templates and the bass and ES335 all seem to be spot on to me. I've never completed comparison measurements but the necks fit tight in the pockets and everything comes out to scale. It does take him a while to ship though.

I like it, it looks clean. The rounded edges on the body are very clean. As for the cavity: I use a large cavity on all of my builds for one reason; less work when the customer wants to expand on thier electronics package. No routing, just a few holes.

http://www.guitarbuildingtemplates.com/teletemplates.htm I'm all for making my own templates but why do that when you can get a precision cut template for a good cost. When I decide to build a standard shape I just shell out the cash for this guy's stuff. I have his bass templates, tele and ES335 templates. All come with the correct positioning for the controls and really make life easier for me. The neck templates are great because they fit a standard fender neck so if you want to buy a carvin neck you can use this template with no issues. Edit: just realized the link is a double post. Sorry but I've used these and they are top quality templates.