mistermikev

19 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

I'm just getting greener...

Nice job as always! Time to not enter the GOTM...

secretly crossing my fingers that you won't as I'm pretty sure I wouldn't stand a chance.  Your latest is outstanding.  Honestly don't know how I have ever won with the amaz-balls guitars that folks around here post.  I'm  not worthy.

1 minute ago, ScottR said:

 

Aw, humor is the lubricant of life.

I could write paragraphs expounding on that.....with many metaphors and multiple entendres....but maybe I'll just not.

SR

hehe... he said lubricant of life.  side note I did some research on the origins of ladies being referred to as 'broads'.  ranged from hardly offensive to incredibly offensive... on the less offensive side it was suggested it might have something to do with the term 'abroadwife' which was a term used to describe slave wifes.  (yes, that's the less offensive side). 

Just now, ScottR said:

It's not your tele.......it's your Broadchaser!

Love the name, btw.

SR

hehe, I'm glad you said that because lately I've been wondering if I'm a jerk for naming it that... I mean... I'm a jerk no doubt... but am I jerk for naming it that!  so cramped in this head of mine!

4 minutes ago, ScottR said:

That's really well done, Mike.

It's a whole bunch of sweeeeeeeet with a bit of awesome sprinkled on top.

SR

thank you thank you thank you scott.  on the one hand "it's just a tele" on the other "it's MY tele"!  thank you for the response and support as always!

5 hours ago, Prostheta said:

As part of our software suite, we have a "Blogs" software function which would allow you to curate and manage your own page. In all honesty however, I think it would make more sense to keep the site cohesive rather than fragmenting it into several different (and attention dividing) sections. Perhaps a sub-forum in the builds section for threads curating member's build histories might make sense. This is however @curtisa's remit as forum manager, especially given that management of such a section likely requires additional consideration and workload on moderators, etc.

right on... I suspect the biggest problem would be acceptance.  iow, if it involves effort and/or knowing about the feature... all is lost!  I do appreciate that you take me seriously and humor me.  probably the idea has already garnered more attention than it deserve... but I thank you for that.

5 hours ago, ADFinlayson said:

I agree with Prostheta - To me it would make more sense to be able to see what threads a user has started in their profile, you can easily find a members previous builds if you can see a list of threads they have started. The Crimson forum had the same feature and I was able to see previous builds from a user and do exactly as you describe Mike - vet the advice given based on their experience/builds.

yes but that would require reading (ewww)!  haha!  was more thinking it would just be something you could 'hover over' and see a quick scrapbook.  I freq go back and look at prev gotm winners and enjoy that quite a bit... but I suspect there is a whole world of builds I haven't seen.  so basically would like to treat myself to more guitar porn!  that my real agenda here!

4 hours ago, Prostheta said:

It seems to go hand in hand with members that contribute. Signature size alters by member group, so including more there linking to threads that one has written seems logical. Again, let's wait for our forum manager to weigh in instead of tying his hands with too many ideas to bat down or sift through!

I have to agree that unless it could be done without being sectioned away from the flow of the site too far... it wouldn't be that valuable.  I suppose signature is a good way to do that... putting thread links there... hadn't considered.

anywho, was just me dreaming. 

also maybe if you had a feature/ideas thread (doh!)!!!!! sorry, should have been in there.

first, let me say sorry for having the audacity to think my idea is even worth writing down.  I know, I know... everybody has one.  you can totally take my thoughts here and ball them up into a big... well ball, and toss them... but I just wanted to suggest it.

so was thinking it'd be really nice if it'd be possible to have a page for each member... that is a quick snapshot of their builds over time. 

it'd be problematic to get acceptance to having members submit pics of their builds to their own page... but I was thinking it'd probably be possible to take one random photo of every entry they had in gotm - winner or not... and put that on their 'greatest hits' page. 

a number of benefits:

you could see how you or someone else has progressed

often times I think it would help me vet advice.  I don't mean that I wouldn't take advice from person x... but I imagine (for instance) if I saw 10 or so build pics from andyjr or scottr or the great prostheta... I would weight their advice heavier, esp if I saw that their build history had a lot of relevance to my question. 

it might encourage more folks to enter gotm... (wait the last thing I need is more competition!) just entering would put your guitar on your 'greatest hits' album.

for those who are sellers it would be easy for their customers to see a bunch of their stuff... and for those who send a friend over to the site to check out their builds it'd be a sort-of shrine to their journey.

ok, I'll shut up now.  I know a change like this would be an investment... and I don't expect purchase of my idea... i just wanted to suggest it.  I don't even require a response.  just spit balling here.

On 1/24/2020 at 5:14 AM, Prostheta said:

It's not that good. The best bits are the stamped metal plates which these days would be a sticker. It's also labelled in a mixture of German, Finnish and English. Also, the load balancer between front and back is screwy, so it raises the front a little ahead of the back, causing the platens to shear and smear parts by around 10-12mm. You learn to live with its idiosyncrasies. 

right - stamped plates.  looks like some crazy cold war missile control (sorry, my imagination runs wild pretty easily). 

"projecta oy".  no idea what that means... but sounds cool!

28 minutes ago, willliam_q said:

What technique did you use to get the checking? 

all of them!  hehe. 

to be honest I'm not sure what worked for me but I'll try to tell you as best I can what I did. 

I put it in the fridge for 24hrs... then I pulled it out and used my heat gun on the lowest setting.  seemed like the hair dryer wasn't hot enough... and the heat gun would bubble the paint if turned up any higher... so I kept it moving pretty good but tried to warm up one area at a time. 

tried this a few times and still wasn't seeing much.  in rhetrospect the cracks were only visable from the right angle so they may have started earlier than I saw them. 

each time I'd pull it out of the freezer and warm it up... then I'd let it sit for an hour... then warm it with the heat gun and get the surface temp such that I could feel it was warm... then blast the shizzle out of it with the air can turned upside down. 

I've seen folks do this before and get big checks... and I was thinking I'd love to have lots of little checks everywhere but figured I'd see how far I got once I started getting a few big checks.  big checks never happened... just started seeing light small checks... so then I took rit dye (moca) and wiped it all down... let it sit for until it just started getting dry then cleaned it with min spirits. 

I only had checks in one area (behind the bridge) so I put it back in the freezer and waited 24hrs again.  pulled it out, did the heat gun, then did can of air + heat gun, then another round of dye.  I could see I got a number of new areas.  from there I started to target the lighter areas and the sides.  few more rounds and I was pretty satisfied. 

you can't really see the checks from a ways away... but up close it looks great to me.  the headstock has even smaller checks that wouldn't take dye.  to be honest I would have liked a little more but my decal started to soak up the dye so I stopped there.

have a lot to learn but pretty satisfied overall and the body turned out better than I had even hoped.

============01/25/20===============

got the binding on the tuxedo...

got some inlay done... but funny thing happened.  turns out this 25.5" scale length fretboard has fret slots from a 24.75".  the must have put the slots in the wrong one... (or perhaps I ordered a 24.75sl board.  oh well.  could order a new one and some new inlay... but this is an opportunity to try a 24.75sl on a tele... so think I'll go back to my orig blank and make that work.  (mmmm, lemonaid).

gold mop on granadillo and white mop on ebony... 780.24 kB · 0 downloads

also, finally got my broadcaster to check... check please!  remember, it's not the size of your check that matters...

so... one question... have you noticed an increase in sustain since recessing the jack?  if so, I might try it!  looks good.  nice job.

9 hours ago, willliam_q said:

Only got around to working on this guitar again today.  Have been busy with life stuff.  One of the projects the wife asked me to do was fit sliding doors on our wardrobe.

now that’s done I’ve bought myself a bit of time to myself

sorted the control cavity cover, I think it’s the best one I’ve done yet.  It slots in and out very easy but by the time I add oil to both cover and guitar that might swell out a bit and make the fit too tight.  I might have to make it slightly smaller.

 

I’ll have to drill for the screws and counter sink.  I don’t think I’ll go with magnets this time.

I did not enjoy doing magnets myself... pita... but I have to admit... it's nice when I need to get in the ctrl cavity.  anywho, you cover looks nice and tight.  I'd stain it and go light on the edges.  can always sand them a bit after.  be a shame to take a chance on ruining the great job you did there.

for some reason I'm really attracted to the dials/controls on old machines like that.  I find them very pleasing to the eye.  We have some crazy 50's printing presses at my work and the chrome labeling, bakelite dials... very stylish, have been meaning to take pics sometime. 

thanks for this...

19 minutes ago, Norris said:

Bad news. I'm (currently) a smoker

is this a competition?  race to the grave is on... vaper, had heart attack, and have diabetes... and doctor who can't be bothered.  (what do I win?)  I often think of my remaining life in terms of how many guitars I can build!

anywho, I commiserate with you regarding fretwork... man I dread it.  that said my most recent - I did thin frets... man was that a quick/easy job compared to jumbo.  someone needs to design an elec fret crowner.  "I don't care what it costs... I'll take it".

nice recovery!

interesting.  not a violin guy but def will enjoy seeing this  built.  I imagine building another instrument (other than guitar/bass) probably would involve some valuable and translatable lessons.  do you play?

nicely done.  you really turned it from trash to class.

once again I'm out of likes... so I just wanted to say... I like this!  thanks for sharing.

18 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

That f-hole looks like it must have been a pita to bind, looks great though. It'll sound mean with a neck p90 too

thank you AD!  yes, total pain.  one strip spontaneously combusted... literal flame coming off of it from the heat gun at med setting!  was tricky because I had to get the binding really soft to do those circles at the end... probably within a few degrees of starting on fire!  thought about trying to build a channel to bend the binding then apply but I don't plan on using the same f hole over and over so... I just winged it.  thanks again for the reply.

47 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

Absolutely no expert on this but I was watching some youtube vids from PJEggle and others that do aged finishes, they mentioned freezing for 24 hours before getting them warm again. 

I've read that too... but I've also seen vids of guys using a blow dryer for 5 mins followed by canned air for 3 seconds and all sorts of checking immediately.  I will take that and try an overnight stay in the freezer just to see.  thanks for the reply.

============update 1/19/20===============

note to self... next time separate the builds into a post each... pretty hard to follow 3 disparate builds!

finished and bount my les flawes headstock.  got a couple little spots at the points that will require some attention but pretty solid.

got the top on for the tuxedo... the f hole is fully bound, top trimmed, binding channel cut just after this.  working on adding the body binding now.  On the radius for the top, I left a flat spot for the tele style trem king... was concerned I'd have little gaps as it transitioned from flat to radius (I broke them lightly) - but it turned out good.  have 1 little spot where I didn't get glue squeeze out because I was a little too conservative with glue but pretty minor.  took my pickguard and heat bent it over the body no problem.  routed out the neck pocket (little overhang on the pickguard) and the p90 slot for it.

so sitting watching paint dry on the broadchaser I'm building.  cannot get the laquer to check.

i've finished it first with two coats of mohawk white, then 4 coats of mohawk blond, then 4 or 5 coats of watco lacquer clear.  generally 3hrs - 24hrs between coats.  the last coat I put on med thick all others were med thin.  been about 10 days since my last coat. 

I absolutely cannot get this thing to check.  I have read on tdpri and a few others that watco is supposed to check easily and even within a few days.  I waited and have tried the freezer + hair dryer, hair dryer + canned air upside down, left it outside in the sun then hit it with the freezer... the closest to check I got was w hair dryer and heat gun but there were really only micro checks that went away while I watched.  pretty dry climate here in az. 

so... here is the label... lots of stuff listed and nitro is last so... does this mean a lot of plasticizers?  will this check if I let it dry longer?  Is it ever going to check or am i going to have to go the razor blade route?

thanks in advance for any/all thoughts.