Pariahrob

Ok. Time for me to reap the rewards of all your combined knowledge. 

The neck and body on this build are sapele and such doesn't need much actual grain filling but I think it could do with a light coat of sanding sealer. 

My problem is that I want an oil and wax finish and not sure if this will be ok?

my plan was to do sanding sealer (Liberon), followed by finishing oil which has a tiny bit of brown stain, then finish up with a light coat of renaissance wax. 

Something is nagging me about this but no idea what. 

Many thoughts?

oh and the maple top will have the same oil and wax but will be stained my in a caramel whiskey colour (water based). 

Thanks all!

Well they aren't magnetic but I don't it's brass as they are very light. This design is different to many and it's really just a cap that screws into the stud. The studs themselves are brass. 

I may may make some but for now I'll leave as is. I haven't made huge progress due to a big animation job but it's now fretted, which feels like a big step! A final polish and they'll be good to go. I did the whole nipped tangs and filled ends for a smoother look on this one.

@Prostheta not sure about either. I'll check when I get in. Hadn't even thought to check with a magnet! Thanks!

Question: I have a tonepros avt2n for the semi hollow and wonder what the posts are made of? I know the studs are brass but no idea if the posts are. Does anybody know? 

If they are I'll strip the nickel as I think bare brass would look great along with other brass details. 

Thinking about it, same question for the saddles!

They all look great but I love the turquoise one. Just lovely. Also nice to see the ring fret markers. I've just done some and will def do more. Think they look great. 

That t style is v cool. I'd like to see a cap where the bevel exposes the body wood. 

I particularly like the two recessed neck bolts. Nice detail. 

32 minutes ago, Polymaker said:

Is there a special name for that kind of tubing? Because I also planned to make side dots like that.

I just got it on eBay. 2mm brass tubing but I've seen it in hobby stores as well. Not sure if it has another name. 

1 minute ago, Polymaker said:

Nice looking fretboard!

May I ask how do you level the brass tubing flush to the fretboard?

Because I'm planning to do something like this on my single-cut build but with stainless steel instead (I'm aware that stainless is a bit more hard to work with than brass)

I was thinking diamond file maybe....

I started out cutting as close as I could with a cutter on my dremel. I tried a junior hacksaw first but the dremel meant less worry about knocking other areas. 

After that I actually used my fret bevelling file in its 90 degree slot which meant it was easier to make sure they were perfectly flush. 

Mill go over the whole board with some finer abrasives before I put the frets in. That'll get rid of tool marks and I'd have done it anyway, to polish the ebony. 

Using brass is fine as it's soft and ebony is pretty hard. You might find it harder work with the steel but a little time and effort goes a long way. Plus you'll get a bit of a cardio workout!

On 30/04/2017 at 4:28 PM, Prostheta said:

I love the raw nickel finish. Very cool. I'm sure it's a great pickup, but I often wonder how much of that money goes into covering the (ultimately useless) packaging? I'd be happy receiving the pickup rolled in foam in a Jiffy. That's just me though. I'm sure that people expect no less of me in this regard. 

I'm going to visit them soon and film an interview plus install. I'll see if I can get an answer. 

Small progress today. Managed to get my fret markers in. Brass tubing with ebony dust filler. 12th fret on the board still needs a layer of filling but looking nice. Then time to polish the fretboard and get the frets in. 

Brass circles are a theme for this. Brass washers for machineheads, pointers for controls etc. 

Today was a good one. I got a lovely package from Monty's guitars. This is the set of gt500 pickups for the semi hollow. I've been chatting Matt for a while now and think these will be just right. Not cheap but think they'll be worth it. 

What gorgeous attention to detail. lovely packaging and materials look second to none  

Now to finish the thing so I can hear them!

Great design and wood choices. I agree about the fingerboard. Keep the fancy blank for another build. 

That's gorgeous. Looks both wild and nicely balanced. 

I decided I'm fed up of only being able to tinker when in my studio, so, seeing as I have a good spare room that I use mostly for chilling out and sketching storyboards, I'm making it into second workshop. 

Got myself a cheap and cheerful first bench...

Next up I'll be building a sanding station and maybe getting a bandsaw in here. 

Just been asked to do a build for a local guitarist and started collecting bits up. Bookmatched quilt maple top, tulipwood body, maple and wenge three piece neck. Black hardware and either a faded blue burst or natural oil finish. 

Also about to glue the top onto the semi hollow. 

37 minutes ago, Prostheta said:

Perhaps once the YouTube videos have established themselves and the ProjectGuitar.com Patreon support covers it, definitely. I'd be happy to do a field video at David's with his blessing!

Oh interesting. I'm an animator and film maker by trade. I'd happily help out there if it's useful. Be glad to help out and film a tour. Or anything else for that matter. 

4 minutes ago, Prostheta said:

I wish I could do the same. I've always wanted to rummage through David's wares.

It's worth the trip. Lovely people and David is so helpful and knowledgable. I think you can get lost for days there. Take a lot of spare cash!

@Prosthetaoh good idea. Black walnut would work. I think I even have a .8 veneer lurking somewhere!

Id love to learn how you do that, if you have time to share the process. 

Im taking a trip to see David soon so will try to stock up then. 

Question. 

Im thinking if having a thin dark laminate between body and cap and wondering what to use and where to get it. 

Many suggestions in the uk? 

Thanks @Mr NaturalI'm pleased and so is the new owner. I actual got the calipers out and measured my N4 authentic, then made a template. That said The extended section is just a quarter of a 10" radiused circle, stuck onto the side of the neck. I think the curve where it follows the horn makes it look more complex than it really is.

Go for it! Tele style guitars definitely benefit from this kind of neck joint.

Right, now off to joint and glue this top but I do have a question for you all. Should my hole be a more classical based one, or something more contemporary? I could go either way at this point but I'm quite a fan of the eggle wave f hole.

Just got my quilted maple tops in. One 14mm for the semi hollow and a couple of 6mm drop tops, all from the same piece. 

What do you think? Will eventually be stained an amber/brown burst and oil and waxed finish. 

14 hours ago, 10pizza said:

nice tuners!

 

where'd you get that dremel router add-on? I'm interested to get one as well. And what dremel router bits do you use if I may ask?

good luck with the inlays

Thanks!

I got it from eBay but stewmac do them too. I use a variety of mini router bits and etching bits. Depends on the job. 

Cheers. I'll post some photos as I go. 

Seeing as I'm putting a lot of effort and learning into this build I thought I should treat it to some goodies. 

Just took delivery of these gorgeous grandtune tuners from schaller, with snake wood keys. Couldn't help but test fit even though I stupidly drilled for 10mm pokes and had to dowel and redrill!

Plus I got a precision router base for my dremel, to help me with the inlays. 

What a beauty! Love your approach but more than that your design. Those shapes are just right. 

Back from a week away but might not have huge amounts of time this week, as have to animate the brain of an addict. Oh what fun.

I still haven't posted pictures of the Nuno N3 so thought I should, while the kettle boils. Here we go...

Loved building this almost as much as playing it. Pickups are SD hot rodded pair and they suit it perfectly. The Bill & Becky XL500 would have been too shrill for me with the maple fingerboard. They may not as accurate but they sound great.

Congratulations!

glad to hear it's all going well