Donnie B.

I'm wiring up 2 x P90's and a 3 way toggle with a single volume and tone.

Should I put the toggle between the pickups and pots or the pots between the pickups and toggle (like an LP)?

I think because I'm only using 1 volume and tone for both pups the toggle should be in the middle.

Thanks.

The body is Triplochiton scleroxylon and the neck is actually Spanish Cedar: Cedrela???

I'm building another solid body using cedar for the neck and whitewood for the body. Anything special I need to know about working with these woods?

My first guitar has a limba body and mahogant neck.

Thanks.

This is taking way more time than I figured it would. The saw I have only cuts in one direction and the rosewood

board I have seems to be awful hard. Any tips for making this easier faster?

Can I lube the blade with something that won't hurt the wood but will cut down on friction?

Thanks.

I'm about to glue my rosewood board onto the mahaogany neck and have a question. Should I be careful about getting too much glue on top of the trussrod or into the trussrod channel? Would the rod getting glued to the board impede it's ability to flex??

First time builder. Sorry if this has been covered somewhere else. Thanks.

I'm building a PRS style guitar with a hipshot trem and a zero radius (flat) fretboard. Anyone know if anyone makes a pre-slotted graphite (not bone or plastic) nut with no radius? Trem-nut doesn't seem to.

Thanks.

DOH!

Thanks!

Does anyone know where the route dimensions for a dimarzio or duncan humbucker are online? Thanks.

Back on topic. Just scored this baby second hand. Pictures don't do the finish justice. Mighty perty!

Why can't you just float the buckers you've got in there? You've already got the rings. Just unscrew the pickups from the body, get a set of mounting ring screws and screw the pickups to the rings.

From what he says, he step routes the cavity so that it matches the underside profile of the pup exactly so there's simply no room for play unless I wanted the pickup to get closer to the strings and if anything I'd want to move them down a bit.

I'll just learn to like the white/black thing. I always thought they looked cool on a painted top where they'd provide some cosmetics but not on a nice flamed or quilted guitar where I think they distract from the top.

At the end of the day no biggie. Thanks guys.

I just bought this 2004 McNaught for a steal and I really don't like the zebra look on such an elegant looking guitar.

I called McNaught after I made the above post and he says the routes are done custom to match the exact pickup he's installing. According to him all buckers are not the same physical heights so I may have an issue dropping in another black/black pup.

And I don't feel like shipping it across the country for him to re-route the cavitys to accept a floating pup so I'm gonna have to get use to the zebra's I guess.

If there is no tonal difference I wonder why builders just don't float them all so that people have the option of adjusting the heights if they need to or swapping out pickups!

UGH

What would be the tonal difference between direct mounting a humbucking pickup vs. having mounted traditionally using the screw/spring float method?

Thanks.

I just Measured the hipshot trem I have here and the block is 1 5/8". Add this to the thickness of the spring wire and subtract the amount of recess for the trem spring cover and I'd say no thinner that 1 3/4" for the body thickness unless you mill the block down

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Thanks Scott. Appreciate the feedback.

Do you have the trem? Make full size drawings, that will tell you all you need to know.

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Trem's been bought but won't be in before I'm rough cutting the body. I guess I'll just measure the PRS and strat gits I have now with trems and hope that Hipshot is no deeper. Would make sense that they wouldn't be if they are a replacement part.

that depends on whether or not you're going to recess the trem

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No, the trem will not be recessed but I'd like to recess the plastic cover on the back of the guitar. Thanks.

I'm building a solid body guitar and plan on using a Hipshot Trem unit. What is the minimum thickness the body needs to be to allow for a flush trem cavity plate?

Thanks.

Did you use ferules for the neck screws, or just let the screw heads go into the wood? My old Strat that I refinished has been taken apart enough times that I can put the screws into the heel and shove them through with my thumb. Is this what you're talking about?

L8R,

Matt D.

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Yes, being able to lightly force the screws thru the body holes and not having to "thread" them thru. And the screw heads seat on the steel neckplate.

There is no major resistance against the screw threads from the body, only the neck. This way when you apply the torque to the screw you are pulling the neck against the body as tight as possible.

I've done this to 3 guitars now and it really makes a difference in regard to improving the tightness of the joint and increasing the guitars sustain and resonance. I wonder why more makers don't do it this way from scratch.

On 3 of my strats (and the PRS I just bought) the 4 neck screws are threaded thru the body first and then into the neck. By drilling out the holes in the body (just enough so that the screws can be passed thru the body holes with some mild force but without having to be threaded) the screws can really super tightly clamp the neck against the heel pocket.

Anyone else tried this?

I have a 1996 Warwick Corvette standard that is cool cause it has the older 100% wenge neck (a beautiful deep rich dark color - almost black). 96 was the last year they made them this way cause they found the workers who did the neck shaping were getting ill from the wenge wood dust.

They now have changed to an ovankel (sp?) neck with just the fretboard made from wenge.

Oh, and it's currently on Ebay btw..........

The 1991 guitar I just bought doesn't have any obvious shorts, opens, or intermittent solder joints but I was wondering if it wouldn't hurt to reflow all the joints just to insure 100% electrical conductivity. Can a solder joint over time turn a bit "cold"?

Should I reflow the joints or leave them alone unless an obvious problem surfaces.

Thanks.

Those little nicks and dings are what activate the mojo. You wouldn't want to mess with the mojo, would you?

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I'm getting the same responses from people in the PRS forum too. Much like my own grey hair and wrinkles I guess the nicks are keepers!

In all honesty they do add a bit of cool factor and considering she will be 15 next year she's in damn fine shape. Thanks!

Thanks to Kevan for the invite here and the finishing tips. Thought I'd toss this out to the rest of you here. Just bought this 91 CE24 which is more than sweet. Only real issues are are couple of large laquer dings on the outer edges (one to the lower left of the bridge and another on the right parallel to the bridge). There's also a pinpoint ding on the face to the lower left of the bridge pup.

Anyone here done a complete refinish (clear coat only) of a PRS? Or should I just sand down the current top coat a bit to blend the dings and then add a couple of new coats of fresh laquer?

Any ideas, tips, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.