a2k

On 3/22/2018 at 2:10 PM, Mr Natural said:

looks like you got jiggy with an octopus. 

Now that is funny!

It's the answer to all guitar questions.

Q: How do you get that killer tone? Where'd you learn those hot licks? Have you considered playing bass instead?

A: Paduak Influenced Sound Sub-Overtone Frequency Filter

10 hours ago, charisjapan said:

P.I.B. (Padauk Intensifier Block )

Better put in for the trademark on that! In fact, go for a patent ("Technique for Using Paduak Intensifier Block to Improve Overall Guitar Tone Awesomeness"). Could be a game changer.

Looking great!

I've been quietly lurking along with this build CJ. It's turning out great. I might have to come back to Japan just to see it in person.

(By the way, our stuff is finally scheduled to arrive next week after three months of transit. That breaks down to 2 weeks of transit and 10 weeks waiting for the customs inspectors to clear it - good thing I didn't send back a bunch of rosewood. I'm looking forward to getting my basses and starting to set up my shop so I can get back to work.)

I've been lurking along as we pack up. This is looking incredibly sharp. The pin stripe binding and brass filled markers are going to be really nice. 

Here's an interesting video showing a bass Prince commissioned just before his death:

Looks like a really interesting combination of materials and some top-notch craftsmanship. The maker built a guitar for Prince as well - it was the last guitar he was photographed with playing live.  http://www.gusguitars.com/product.php?model_id=16

29 minutes ago, pan_kara said:

motorize it so that its periodically going back-and-forth - like some sort of phaser effect

It could oscillate like a Leslie cabinet or you could connect it to a foot pedal. 

On 6/9/2017 at 9:30 AM, charisjapan said:

Next week?

Btw, tomorrow I practice with Chinaberry Two for Sunday gig ... Yay!  (and hope to find out if I can hear any difference by changing the tone cap)

Hey! A family emergency has taken me back to the states. I'll be back on Wednesday, but on Friday we are heading to Hokkaido. Let's find time for a Shinkiba field trip as soon as I get back to a normal schedule. Besides the wood wholesaler that I've been buying from, there's also a retail store that has the most mind blowing selection of exotic figured woods to check out (look at the pics at the bottom of this post).

13 minutes ago, charisjapan said:

Japan just doesn't have enough guitar builders to make the import of common wood. 

I need to introduce you to my wood guy in shinkiba. He might be able to get you some more options. And he plays bass. 

Did you re-do the template? I don't notice the lower horn width on the most recent pictures...

I vote for beveling the body instead of rounding it over. The angles of the multi-scale need some company. 

I cant wait to see this come together. You have until mid July. No pressure!

17 hours ago, charisjapan said:

The Saturday I strung it up, was gig night for a2k, so I was happy to find that this fit perfectly inside my Tele gigbag. He can tell you more about his night overall, but I will share here that he was kind enough to plug Chinaberry Two in for a few songs, and rocked (blued?) the house. 

Thanks CJ for coming out on Saturday night! It was a fun night for sure. Getting to see, hear, and play the Chinaberry Two was definitely a highlight. It is in every way a beautiful instrument - photos do not do it justice - and I can confirm that it feels and sounds as good as it looks. 

Here's a group shot of the Chinaberry Two hanging out with my Koi Bass and one of the Piccolo 6's.

This bass looks even better in the flesh. CJ stopped by my 'hood today and I got to take a close look at the chinaberry 2 bass. So many nice details and the quality of work is absolutely top notch. Really inspiring craftsmanship. The oiled cherry neck feels absolutely amazing, the inlays on the fingerboard are very cool, and of course Fuji-San. The red tinted filler & urethane finish on the chinaberry body is mesmerizing. Can't wait to play it!

I got a sneak peek at CJ's next project too... it's gonna be cool but I'm not going to spoil the surprise. 

Woohoo! Good to see another build started.

I'm moving to the other side of the pacific to a land where I no longer have access to a massive $1/hour wood shop. For my next build, I will likely be joining you in the old school land of hand tools. 

2 hours ago, Prostheta said:

You've got something stuck in your finish.

It's a ghost!

12 hours ago, Prostheta said:

Too many damn strings on those basses, Aaron! hahaha

Totally. And the frets are WAY too close together for my fat fingers.

On 4/24/2017 at 2:52 PM, charisjapan said:

Hey a2k,

Just WoW!    

Great looking pair of (ahem) guitars, and you made it on time.  Sean is very talented, makes that sound like no bass I've ever heard.  Singing and camera work are fine, too!

Very happy for you to pull this project off.

On 4/25/2017 at 0:36 AM, Mr Natural said:

very cool A2K. great job on both axes. 

bonus points for the video. 

20 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Great job, @a2k   They both look fantastic

Thanks for the kind words! I'm still riding the high of pulling this off. Now I just need to get Joe on video playing his single cut ax. 

Here's where things stand...

Tru Oil is magical stuff. Now the lil' piccolo basses are hanging to cure for 12 days while I head back to the states for work. When I get back, I'll have a day to level the frets, install the hardware and electronics, and get everything set up before the big "reveal". 

On 3/31/2017 at 9:50 PM, Mr Natural said:

Now that is a rasp- my kinda tool!

The only tools I really use are a rasp and a set of cabinet scrapers. All of those routers and saws are just to speed up the rasping and scraping. 

Almost there! This is the most heads-down focused I've been on a build. Amazing what a deadline will do. Necks and bodies are shaped, frets installed, bodies stained, necks set, and now I'm going to spend the next few days applying coats of truoil. I actually might finish these in time!

-- BEGIN PROGRESS PHOTOS ---

Neck pre-carved. I used the facets approach which seems to work well. I'm learning - the initial facet can be used to determine the shape ranging from a "D" with the line closer to the edge, then a "C" a little closer to the center. Move a little closer to the center and it's a "soft V", and then a hard "V". 

A little too "D" shaped, so I worked it down after this.

The single-cut as a cool heel.

Working on the bodies. I did a hard bevel on the single cut and a rounded bevel on the double cut. 

Filing away...

Starting to look like guitars.

I did a black stain and sand back on the double cut, and a brown stain and sand back on the single cut. The black looked really cool - I almost kept it that way.

Necks glueing in. At this point, I wasn't very happy with either color. I woke up this morning determined to cover the yellow with black and just go "stealth guitar".

But after I saw what a coat of oil did to the blue, I changed my mind with the yellow. The truoil adds a little yellow to the blue to darken it and make it richer, plus the way it brings out the wood is just ridiculous. Here's the blue after one coat of oil:

And the yellow. I tried to do a faux binding on it, but the coloring difference between the top and sides of the maple isn't very apparent. 

Now they are quietly drying. I'll be putting on two thin coats of oil a day until Sunday morning, when I leave for a few weeks while they sit. When I get back, I'll have a day to install the electronics, get the hardware on, and get them setup before the big "reveal". 

That's awesome!

1 hour ago, curtisa said:

What you need is someone with a CNC 

What would I need to do to bribe such a person into making a couple of "ten/eleven" switch plate covers for me? I can offer some pretty crazy Japanese kit kats. Or cash. But seriously, the kit kats are better than cash. 

33 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

You could even pop a Gibson 'Rythm Treble' plate on...they are big enough to cover many sins  

Now you've got me thinking. I wonder if I can get a plate etched with something besides "rhythm/treble". I'm thinking "funky/sexy", "country/western", "rock/roll", "yin/yang", or maybe just "10/11".. This might even be the place... 

Grrrrr... freakin' tear out. I was drilling the pickup selector hold and probably (definitely) was going a little too fast. Just as the bit made it through - blam - a chunk of the top went flying to who-knows-where. My fault, and a major bummer.  

The repair plan is to fill it and then just use a washer as a mounting plate for the switch to hide the repair. 

Any other ideas?

Otherwise there are lots of good progress  updates to come once I regain my spirits from this screw-up.

I've got a deadline. Our vocalist is likely leaving Japan at the end of next month, so my band's last gig is probably April 15. And I'm traveling from for the first two weeks of April. So that means I've got to get these finished this month. Hope I can do it!

I have been making fairly steady progress. The necks are all glued up and ready to be shaped next week, electronics cavities routed, and I've done the pacman cut on the pickup cavities. 

Here are some photos:

Headstocks have been laser etched:

fingerboard and headstock plate aligned with pins so they glue on straight:

New toy - laser beam!

Heal glued on the double cut neck:

Fillet ready to the truss rod channel:

I have learned my lesson and used a fence to make sure the side markers all lined up:

Dots on the board and holes on the side. I love the way the abalone looks on ebony. They glow. 

Glueing the fingerboards on:

And finally, the electronics cavities are routed. 

I'm hopeful that I will get the necks shaped, fretted, and glued in next week. Then I can finish the week after and give it two weeks to cure while I'm away. Next week is gonna be a big week!