charisjapan

5 hours ago, Prostheta said:

Worst comes to the worst, ask the question of Hipshot. They have made up mixed finishes before, so if you can't do it with these tuners there is still a possibility.

I did just that, though I had also asked the question over at MyLesPaul Luthier's Corner. Here's the thread, just for posterity.

http://www.mylespaul.com/threads/hipshot-tuner-dismantling.400307/#post-8425585

I will make another post with the results for the sake of this build!

7 hours ago, Prostheta said:

I can't stop looking at this....

So which tuners are going into here?

Hipshot Grip Locks ...

Got two pair, hoping to mix and match some parts to match the TV Jones Chrome+Black ... asking Hipshot if the locking wheel can be removed.  (looks like a little 6mm open end wrench will do it, but don't want to break anything)

10 minutes ago, Prostheta said:

Thumbs up all round, definitely. Do the strings pass through the bridge correctly at that angle, without hanging up or rubbing?

I sincerely hope so!!! 

The holes in the bridge are 3mm, and the angled holes I drilled with a 3.5mm bit are oval, so should have a bit of wiggle room ... maybe 1mm fore and aft. 

8 hours ago, Mr Natural said:

tucked away on a bottom shelf, some nice old swietenia macrophylla and some quilt maple I almost forgot I had. 

... people do that!?!  Forget they have exquisite wood tucked away?!? 

Looking forward to a personal build! 

15 hours ago, RestorationAD said:

I really love padauk... too bad I have become allergic to the dust.

That is tragic!! I've really come to love working with Padauk, and find the smell pleasant.  But having very sensitive skin (a recent , sudden development) to some other things, I know what it's like to be denied.

6 hours ago, Prostheta said:

Anomatopoeia! I love them. "Gluck" is a favourite in English, which is the blopping (not a word) noise of liquid coming out of a container that is trapping air. The best ones that spring to mind in Finnish are "kröhöm" (same as "ahem") and "käkättää" which is an evil cackle.

Language is fun!   "kröhöm" makes me want to clear my throat!!

7 hours ago, Prostheta said:

Splendid! Well, I have to say that your incorporation of different materials and contrasting colours looks very in keeping for say, a lacquer box or other pieces of Japanese/Korean craft work. Is this coincidence, subtle influence from your surroundings or completely intentional?

Thank you!  Well, the materials are not very traditional Japanese, but I'm certainly influenced by "Hakone Zaiku" woodcraft.  That is an area just east of Mt. Fuji (and only about 2 hour drive from my home)  that is famous for multi-colored wood inlay and patterned veneers.  They are also famous for the "Magic Box" craft.  I've been a fan of that stuff for 50 years.  A lot of then methods are secret, but most of the master artisans have passed away.  Young folks of the area just want to got to Tokyo and work for a big company ... idiots!

Not precisely a guitar build, but this happened in the middle of this build.  

You may recall I had some Padauk lying around, and my daughter found out. They just bought a small condo in Hawaii, and "needed" a small shelf near the entry for "pocket junk." and "just-got-home" junk  ... AND a key hook, AND a coat hook (technically, nobody has coats in Hawaii, so jacket/hat/handbag hook).  She and her hubbie also had a LONG list of "Daddy-Do" chores, many of which were to make their little place easier to live in with their new baby, my grandson.

Here's the preparations in Japan, the adjustments on-site, and the finished products ...

The last two pics are a table ornament I made for my older daughter's church in their home.  The lettering was freehand with a trimmer/router, and the backside was with a template using a dish bit on the larger router.  Finish on the home accoutrements was 2-part waterbase urethane, the church ornament was wood oil I got from @a2k.

Hey @Rizh, 

Looks like a great project.  I also got into building so as not to pay 💰 for the guitar I could not afford ... but soon ended up with my own design instead. But you seem to know what you want, and that's great.

One suggestion ... since your guitar is a three-piece "sandwich," consider chambering the center piece.  As has been mentioned, plywood is heavy, so cutting out some of the unnecessary areas of the middle piece will lighten the body, and might even add a bit more musical quality ... plywood can be a bit "dead" with the added glue.

Just a thought! 

Cheers

11 hours ago, a2k said:

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.)

Hey a2k, good to see you here! Sorry to hear bout your household goods ... boats are relatively fast, then there's bureaucracy.

Good things on your home, and hope you can get building again soon. 

Come on back any time, there's a place to stay, as long as you're good with the dogs bothering you. 

Very interesting concept!  Am I correct to assume the guitar is (ahem) "form fitting?"  (it would be, on me! )

What kind of bridge?  And low-profile pickups, I would imagine ...

love that snakewood, but never seen it here in Japan.

looking forward to the build.

Nice bend! 

Just now, Prostheta said:

Body blanks at the most! Single-piece guitars are a bit silly in this day and age. The last good one that I saw was a single-piece Ziricote 8-string by Oni. Google it....at least I think it was a single-piece instrument. There's zero real use of a single-piece instrument other than bragging rights I guess, and even then, those aren't that useful. haha

This Padauk is poisoning my monitor.

 

I know, I know!  ... but bragging rights are legitimate desires!   

That said, I will most probably use this for a body blank, and maybe 4 necks ... if I actually build 4 more guitars with Padauk necks.

Sorry 'bout the monitor, hope it doesn't totally saturate all the pixels, then leak into the PC and cause Blue Screen Of Death!!

Btw, this is the block for the table ornament ... 

Back to the Limba 6, I started playing with the neck carve up at the headstock.  It's not a "V" yet, but I think the headstock transition might look something like this.

Went down to the heel, and found that I got over-exuberant on the router table.   It's about 4mm beyond my mark ... guess I wasn't paying attention.  After looking at things, I think I can salvage the situation by just carving the body back a bit.  That heel area was kind of undecided anyway, so ... Shhhhh .... don't tell anybody!

Indeed, Padauk has become an obsession ... 

Had a nice slab to make a thin (38mm) guitar body, but my daughter "appropriated" it as a gift from me, and "commissioned" me (gratis, of course) to make a shelf in her kitchen, and while I was at it, a matching keyhook and coathook.  There were a few pieces left over, so my other daughter asked for a carved table top decoration.  Seeing as my kids have granted Mrs.Charisjapan grandkids  (which she dotes on), how can I refuse?!

All this has to be done in a week, so that I can bring it to Hawaii ...

After having a precious piece of Padauk "stolen" from my stock, this gorgeous, gargantuan plank came up on auction, and nobody else bid!  About $40.  I'm not promising anything, but doesn't this look like a one-piece guitar blank????? 

On ‎9‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 3:28 PM, Prostheta said:

The orange evil has stained my tablet screen. Damn you Padauk! Those oils even contaminate the Interwebs.

It's ALIVE!!!!!