Drak

Totally agree on that. I have always really disliked anything chrome or nickel and in 25+ years (maybe 30 now) have never built a guitar with silver hardware, ever. Typically nearly everything I built was with gold, but have nicely adapted to black hardware too in recent years. So, I feel ya. What I did to adapt was to learn to shoot finish (since I seemingly was born with a spray gun in hand) to adapt. For small pieces, I use an airbrush with thinned lacquer, larger pieces get the pint gun (I never use a quart gun for anything). I have faux sprayed all kinds of hardware to adapt to the situation at hand. You name it, tuners, bridges, tailpieces, knobs, pickup pole pieces, pickup covers, etc. Pretty much any piece of guitar hardware I've shot it to adapt it. Even real (new) gold hardware I usually clearcoat with an airbrush to keep it fresh. I can usually shoot a light layer of brown over cheap gold hardware to make it look more like real (deep) gold. I've got guitars over 20 years old with gold hardware that looks absolutely brand new due to a thin layer of lacquer. Here's a pic of a set of Bill Lawrence L-550's that I sprayed the (silver) blades red to match the guitar with an airbrush. I think I replaced those silver screws with black ones after this pic. Which is one of my 'metal' guitars that I usually keep in some version of dropped tuning. So, this is your way to adapt, I love it when people are pushed to adapt their own way and am looking forward to see what you come up with.

I thought I remember Ola (Strandberg) from the MIMF, which I used to belong to before I came here. Musical Instrument Makers Forum. I could be wrong...

I think I see what you did there. Should I now post a vintage Freddie YT in his black/white man-0-tard?

If I had to pick one from those days, it would be Michael Schenker and UFO. They could do no wrong in my eyes. And I built a Shark V as a 'Michael' thing, tho he used standard King V's. But the pickups I put in it were totally to hit that particular mark, and it does. Funny tie-in there between them... Michael had that Black/White V (that Rudy suckered him out of). And Freddy (in that period) was wearing that Black/White diamond leotard. Through the 70's into the 80's, his hair grew shorter and shorter by the year. It's kind of funny to Google him by year, you can see it go from long to short, to shorter, to shortest. This is the Freddy I saw in 1977, not long hair, not cropped short, in between. 1980:

I agree on the Styx thing, but if they were opening for Queen (being the openers)... They couldn't have been 'hitting their peak', when they would be the headliner. So, maybe more '77 than '78... Damn it was bugging me so I looked it up. They were touring on The Grand Illusion (I remember that much) Which was released in the summer of '77. I can't remember what Queen was touring on, but I'm pretty damn sure it was News of the World. Which was also released in '77. The girl I took I remember from sophomore year, which was '77. And we were in school, so it wasn't summertime. So it probably was a fall/winter '77 show, everything lines up like that. As much as I like Brian May, I must say Freddie Mercury was just blazing on fire, that I do remember. His energy levels and performance were off the charts. I actually did go back and start reading the whole thread and saw the mention of purple-black. Good on you that I can't tell for sure, which means it's not too heavy-handed and obvious, but delicately delicious.

I had never heard of Buster Scruggs until you said that, so I YT'd it and laughed my ass off for an hour. But, this is actually and really the kind of music I use it for, I now have four nail file boards. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would have a nicely manicured set of right hand nails, I would have never believed you. Well, Yngwie plays a little classical now and then, so I guess I'm in good company. Natalia LaFourcade - Soledad y El Mar

Komodo, I'm glad the thread popped back up (too lazy to search y'know) It may already be mentioned up-thread somewhere, but I wanted to know what dye color you used. It looks like what I know as 'Silver Gray'. A dye I have had in the packet for many years but have never used on anything as of yet. Gorgeous build, beautiful color. But I'm dying (pun intended) to know specifically the dye color(s) you used on it. Fabulous work! PS, I saw Queen, around 1977-1978. I think Styx was supposed to open for them but canceled out and we got Golden Earring (Radar Love) instead...

OK, the Gaucho Trigger glamour shots and I'm outta here. You have to kinda look close at the back, I distressed it by (purposely) sanding through my colorcoat. Where you 'think' you see reflections of both brown and red, those aren't reflections. It's really brown and red, just as it appears. I love it. I shot the back just like I did the front and sanded it back until I was happy with it. Then cleared it. Just like the front. And the new waterslide rosette matches the new look so much better than the original, which I really disliked. Adios Amigos!

Let's see if I can remember everything: Body and neck sanded raw, a little distressing added, then dyed. New waterslide soundhole rosette added (that original one was fuuu-gly) Body and neck shot clear. Body finish color (front and back) distressed via sand-through to taste, , then clearcoated. Bridge and fretboard dyed black Headstock veneer (flamed Maple) added, multi-colored dyed, then sprayed Gold w/black buttons tuning machines added (which really sets everything off if you ask me) Took it to my local luthier for a proper setup/bracing evaluation. He found and fixed a minor bracing issue, plays and sounds like a dream now.

So...I lied. I really don't feel like posting dozens of progress pics . So you get before and after, and I'll explain everything I did in between. I do have progress shots if you want to see anything in particular. Before: Humdrum looking, everything is BROWN. Variations of brown. Who knew there were so many brown variations? OK, OK, I get it, brown is your thing. Wellsir, it's not mine. And I am about to 'jack it up' <cue Willie and the boys playing Pancho and Lefty>

Camphor Burl is the most awesome smelling wood I've ever worked. It's nearly like incense.

That's Jesus diving down the Portal To Hades to give Satanion a little what-fer. Either that, or its the Shroud of Turin folded in half...text a pic to the Pope, see what he says.

Typically, I don't much care for relics and relic'ing, I just have to get that out of the way. I don't disparage others who choose to do it, I just personally never liked it. But, Color me Guilty of Transgressions, for I surely have transgressed. I can't remember exactly when or how, but a few years ago I stumbled onto Eastman acoustics, which led me onto a journey I won't go into here. But that story isn't this story except it's the lead-in to me buying my first classical/flamenco/Spanish guitar. And I loved that one so much too, and got such a great deal on it, and it played so well, I bought another almost just like it. I hadn't owned an acoustic in over 25 years and didn't want one either. And so, one of those guitars is what this story is all about. If you've seen my other 'Cowboy Sunset' guitars, you know 'that southwestern sunset look' I love so much. Unless I'm doing metal guitars, but that also is another story, another category, and not for consumption here. So, I had a 'theme' in mind of what I wanted this guitar to look like, and you may find it funny, I did. I don't know where the theme came from (my mind has many murky passageways, you know), but it is what I used to guide me along the way. My theme was some old, cool Gaucho dude was found dead of purely natural causes in his small comfortable shack. And when they found him, they found an old guitar (his, of course, well-worn and well-used) laying in the corner. That was my working theme, and I think I totally pulled it off. Toss in a teaspoon of Willy Nelson's Trigger for good measure. Next posts will be the pictorial outlay of the relic process before, during, and final finished shots. I finished it about a year ago, more or less, it's totally up and running now. Personally, I absolutely love it, it's Exactly what I wanted and what I imagined, maybe even better.

OK, I think I did pay about $50.00 for this set. This was done with (probably) the same basic colorset as the first pic. I don't think 12 layers, probably 7-8 using the same basic recipe. If you can't tell, I love southwestern and what I call 'Cowboy Sunset' color schemes. Didn't do such a hot job on the final buffout, see all those finishing scratches on the bottom of the pic? Bad Drak, Baaad...

This top I almost got for free, it was nearly a throaway set to the seller because the flame only went halfway. If you saw it in the raw, you would probably have agreed. I said fine, give it to me and I'll show you what you can do with a throaway set. I think $15.00 plus shipping. Yes, the wood is important, but what you can do with it is far more important.

12 layer sandwich (IIRC), counting clear coats as 2 of 12 because there are two separate 'sections' of clear. Several layers directly onto bare wood, clearcoated and leveled, then several shader coats on top of the leveled finish. And there is sandback, but it's not black. Why does everyone always think sandback has to be black? That has always mystified me, I use all kinds of colors for sandbacks. And that bookmatched top cost me +/- $25.00. It wasn't much to look at raw, which I have pics of.

All you have to do is shop e-Bay. There are dozens and dozens of guys who supply whatever you want at very reasonable prices. Bracing, tops, pre-bent sides, backs, necks, it's all out there a la carte menu style. Just go shopping, it's that easy.

Ahh, check. I've got that peaceful easy feelin' back again now.

Komodo, I loved the first pic and didn't know where you were going with it. Then I see the second pic and I say, What the hell, joe! This is my '73 LPC. I bought it in the mid- 80's for $500.00. We used to buy equipment through the local Want Ads back then...that's how I found it. It's the only electric I own that I didn't make, sold the rest off years ago.

I've been listening to bluegrass for over 40 years, although I don't play it. But...I'm hard-pressed to recall ever seeing or hearing a 12 string in bluegrass music. Did I miss something along the line?

I don't know what the exact size is, I've had my bit for +/- 25 years and switch slots are all it ever gets used for. I think I bought it as an inlay bit, for routing the cavity for inlays, so probably a downward fluted spiral thing. Maybe 1/32? It is -really- small, But more to the point... I use the aforementioned bit on the Dremel with the router base attached. I use the flat edge of the router baseplate and either tape or clamp a steel square laid flat to the top in parallel alignment with the slot. Exactly how you would line up a rip fence on a table saw, more or less. I would never go at that slot with a drill, drilling multiple drill holes, even the thought of that totally creeps me out. Then take multiple passes until it's through, then do final dressing with some tiny files.

Mother of God that thing must weigh a tankerful of trucks if it's Maple. And...did someone say FIRE? () Oh yes, I'm in. But...on to more important business... The pickups, the Bill Lawrence side. Are they gray cable or red cable? I'm a huge fan of 'da Stitch', have tons of those old Lawrence L-500 series pickups. Gray wire is original deal from the way-back machine in Tennessee. Red wire is the imposter dude fella. Your blades (I think) look like the 'thin' ones (red cable impostah) I'd like to know the specific models too (usually a label on the underside).

Have you ever considered taking one (or two) of them to a luthier in Albuquerque? I would take it to Pimentel and Sons maybe, seem like pretty cool peoples from the YT's I've seen. They've been luthiers for ~40-50 years. Maybe a just a few short months ahead of you... In other words, turn your Problem into an Opportunity.

Happy to oblige, on the house this time. You get one point (+) right off the bat for having a heightened awareness for noticing my psychopathy. What came to mind first was an agreeable-minded 'Can't we all just get along' personality. The repeated 'I would say yes' is couched in a very agreeable way, so as not to create conflict. (Of course I understand we're on a forum with rules and etiquette, I'm stating this as if it were person-to-person, which this is not). So, the personality characteristic...The flip-side of that type of stance (usually) is conflict avoidance. This doesn't work when the other person has no fear of conflict and will engage to win at all costs. Purely goal-oriented, zero sum personalities (I will win, so you will lose) will steamroll right through a 'can't we all just get along' person. And they are most definitely out there, and I kind of enjoy dealing with them when I run across them. I am not conflict avoidant, nor do I believe in a zero-sum mentality. I would also throw in (my healthy cynicism at work) that anything written by someone in the field with product to sell is marketing. So anything they say that would promote their sales or their Image, I find heavily tainted (with taint) and would cast it aside as kompromat. Nothing exists in a vacuum, and there is meaning behind everything a person says or does as a sum of their exported actions out into the world. Most people just don't take the time to look for it or acknowledge the (usually obvious) meaning implied. They want to keep their 'map of the world' intact, tho it may be a very outdated (and sometimes over-innocent) map that needs some updating. So PRS, running a company-for-profit, venerating on guitar tone attributes, I chalk up to his future sales and personal public image enhancement. And so wouldn't take it seriously. Predatory? Possibly. Goals-Oriented? Probably. Image-enhancing? Definitely. So it's all about him in the end, not you. This all taints the core information (for me) as indigestible. On a funnier side-note... Your paragraph where you pose the question then provide your answer made me laugh. It reminded me (not implying you at all here, it just reminded me) of people who end every sentence in a vocal 'upswing'. As if everything they say, they're not making a statement, but posing a question, even when they're making statements.. I was watching a YT a few months ago about car soundproofing where the guy did it every...single...sentence, for half an hour. He is telegraphing to the world that he is extremely unsure of himself and has very little (if any) confidence in himself. People who exude natural personal confidence either hold a very even tone or end sentences on a downswing. That includes women. It cuts across all genres, ages, races, etc. Like they're landing the plane with every sentence, not taking off. But it's natural, they don't even know they're doing it. On the strangely opposite side of that spectrum... This year, (usually on political shows), I have never heard people begin sentences with the word 'LOOK' like I have this year. Like they all (recently, too) went to the same marketing promotional school or something. Used sporadically and naturally, it can be effective and evokes confidence in the listener that the speaker has confidence in themselves. But when it is used to start every sentence (and I have heard it done) it becomes obvious that it is being used as a (cheap) manipulation tactic. And then, to me, makes the person look like a complete moron for not being able to formulate their own clean sentences. It elicits the exact opposite effect they were trying to achieve, that they don't have confidence and need to rely on 'gimmicks'. Now about those 21 tone tips...

I will tell you a thing... I've been on various guitar forums for probably ~30 years (that's a bit of a long time, I do agree). The question you posited here I've seen asked over several hundred times in those years. Is it fact...or fantasy? Is there really something to it? Where is the meat on that bone? Can we use Inductive Reasoning to form genuine conclusions...or is it merely tasty pixie dust sprinkles on a Unicorn's pure golden ass? This question is like the High Priest of Rorschach tests for anyone who has ever strummed guitar strings. So what I started to do some decades ago when someone would ask this question... Is to use it to psychoanalyze all the responders on the thread for their psychological / behavioral makeup. And sometimes I've seen these threads go over 50-60 pages with dozens of responders, ...tho probably not here... Cuz...part of my professional life is sales, and part of what I do is figure people out, and rather quickly. And I've seen people just explode at each other and ridicule each other and spew violent typographical vitriol, Over ink blots! Personally, I don't much care about the ink blot picture because I paint many of them myself. And when the ink blot picture is finished, I say 'Yes, there's something there of interest'. But what each person sees and the lengths they will go to, to prove their vision (whatever it is) is the 'correct one' and why that is true... Tells you everything you need to know about them as a person, and how they typically conduct themselves as a human being, generally. And so, I have no answer except to say 'Yes, that is an interesting picture, don't you agree?' With tongue firmly planted in cheek, and broadly smiling that we can both appreciate a good ink blot picture.