mistermikev

43 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

Routing is a lot safer hand held than it is on a table - Your arms take the shock of the kickback so it's a lot easier to manage. My little triton router has so much clear plastic covering that the top of the router is pretty much sealed, so there is nowhere for projectiles to go other than down towards the ground up the dust shoot. I'm not saying I would route through a nail hole, I wouldn't, but I avoid router tables as much as I possible can

right on.  while lots of folks swear by a router table... for me, I just don't care for them.  There are some cases where admittedly they can be more consistent/better in some ways... but I am just more comfortable with holding the router as opposed to the workpiece.  safer - I don't think I'd go so far as to say one is overall safer than the other, but in certain scenarios - def. 

for the record... I'm not as concerned about nail holes as nails. 

very much appreciate your input AD.  Hope you are feeling better too (I lurk).

so was bull spitting with some folks on facebook about a blank of old wood this guy was going to use as a neck blank.  he was showing pics of tons of holes in it and how he had pulled out vintage cast nails - some 3" long.  setting aside the fact that this neck blank potentially has voids in it... would you feel comfy running a router through it? 

I have done some dangerous things with a router... not proud - had some scary close calls.  Not saying I'm mr safety... I am far from it.  This however strikes me as insanity - but I could be wrong.  I know folks run routers on metal all the time. 

going from low density to high density wood with a router can choke it, slowing it down, and basically turning the blade into a baseball bat hitting that wood and throwing the work piece.  As woodworkers we encounter this all the time with figured wood and tearout. 

transitioning from wood to metal unexpectedly, with a router, to me seems like a great way to add dodging lethal projectiles to your woodworking activities.  I have never actually done it, but I have accidentally bumped a piece of aluminum with my router bit on my plane jig... just barely touched it... and it def got my attention.

ever happen to you?  would you run a router through a piece you pulled nails out of?

20 hours ago, Wildman Guitarist said:

Ok, so took the first step today and purchased some Poplar wood for the first build.  This was the only type available in my area.

I have 4 pieces  (18 inches long x 11 inches wide all together).  An inch thick was the only option available.   The width is shorter than usual- but this is mostly a project for learning- is that width a problem?  Should I glue more?

Any way I’m attempting to glue all four pieces together for the body.  Anything I need to do before gluing?  Just regular wood glue?! (I apologize again- as I am really venturing into an area I know little about.

 

As usual, any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

 

thanks!

just one suggestion - I don't thin anyone mentioned (if so - sorry)... might want to use a couple screws or nails or what not to keep the slip sliding to a min while you glue up.  also on that poplar... usually the edges are tore up or rounded from the store... might want to trim them with a straight edge b4 glue up to get a clean joint.  also... if it were me... I'd try to grain match them as much as possible and then do a frontside/backside cut of each set of two to get a perfect seam.  just some thoughts.

wow some impressive and ambitious stuff for someone with apparently little background - good for you.  comeing along nicely.  I can see everything fine so... "It's good"!

not to correct but most pedal analog chorus is not true stereo.  ce2 was just mono and pretty sure (depending on version) the cs9 is too.  the dod versions that use the mn3007 chip were sold as stereo chrous but really just have a dry out as with most pedal chrous.  I thought that in the priceton and peavey classic chorus amps they were actually flipping the phase of the chorus and getting true stereo chorus but I could be wrong on that. 

Either way... I have tried a lot of chorus both digital and analog... from sad512 based eh memory man to dod performer 512 based, dod performer mn3007 based, ce2, dimension c, ce2b, cs9, eh small clone, ada mp1/2, mxr micro... etc.  analog chorus is a whole nutha animal in that it's dirty(beautiful) and lots of warble... the princeton/peavey of that era is very clean and while I've not seen the circuit - I'd be really surprised if it wasn't digital. 

all probably more than anybody cares about!

something that may or may not help... if you take a pot and take a variable resistor (ie trim pot).  if you start with say a 500k pot... and you wire in a variable resistor across lugs 1/3... you can change the resistance of that pot.  so if you take a 500k pot for instance, and put a 6k resistor in parallel with it... you effectively convert it to a 6k pot.  So with a trimmer pot in parallel... you could adjust the trim to zero in on the optimal value.  might come in handy.  So, in theory, if you had a ganged pot... you could effectively get different resistances on either.  You can alter the curve of resistance as well by placing the resistor between lugs 1/2 and 2/3 vs 1/3. 

57 minutes ago, Crusader said:

I haven't even thought about it but doesn't a panner have full volume for both inputs at centre position?

I dunno... yes/no/maybe?  I know this is a common issue with bass blends.  a pot reaches it's max/min at either end of the rotation... not the middle.  so typical blends tend to not give you 100% one or the other at either end.  In the middle either pickup will be at something a little less than full vol but evenly mixed because you are (in thoery) doubling the signal.  In reality it's a lot more difficult to get worked out perfect.  either you don't have a good blend, or you don't get either pickup isolated.   But I'm guessing that this would be fine for 90% of people so I probably should have just kept my big mouth shut and not opened the can of worms.

that said... I could see two individual volume pedals working pretty well.  You could toss a boost in front to get equiv full volume of both at the 50/50 mix point. 

2 hours ago, Crusader said:

Under the saddle same as an accoustic which was all due to a mistake when I carved the neck angle. It turned out too shallow for a Tunomatic and it wasn't enough for a Bone Saddle, so I made one out of Rosewood!

I've often had the idea which stemmed from a Les Paul Axcess I had for a while. That had Piezo's in the Tunomatic but there's a LOT of wires and I thought a Piezo under the saddle is so much more simple

The previous guitar with a Piezo has a make-shift bridge but also has the option of a normal Tunomatic. When using the Piezo on this one it doesn't sound very "convincing" So I will probably install the Tunomatic and leave that permanent

Something that came out of all this is; I don't notice any difference in sound between the Tunomatic, Bone or Rosewood Saddles

Wow those f-holes are big!

some interesting stuff there.  very cool and I appreciate you sharing.  

nicely done.  those are as shiny as.... well something real shiny...

6 hours ago, Wildman Guitarist said:

Hello All,

I’ve played for several years and finally would like to attempt my first guitar.

Its a Les Paul style guitar.  However, I would like to start with some cheaper wood for my first attempt.  Anyone have any idea of what type of wood is a good choice for a first run?  Something that’s cheap but would last for a while?

so... have you assembled a partscaster before at all?  do you have any experience with a router?  these kinds of things can all give you a leg up on the common issues for a first build.  Some folks just jump right in and do fine... up to you to decide if you are that type.  Something you might consider: assemble a partscaster from guitar fetish to get your feet wet.  You can get bodies for $30 sometimes and necks for just as cheap.  Not great stuff... but great stuff to learn on.  If yer diving in to building from scratch: study some videos and even build threads around here like that mentioned above.  afa wood... one thing I'd suggest - as a beginner you might want to snag something big enough to get the whole guitar out of so you can minimise the learning curve (joining wood can be done, just a bit more involved).  guitarwoodexperts has some pre glued up bodies for $40ish.  you can find them on evilbay from time to time too.  look fwd to seeing your progression.

Just now, Crusader said:

Yep it sure is. I've tried it on a previous guitar and it works quite well. I hope I can get the lacquer out of the slot!

Thanks for the words of encouragement, I started sanding the top again today. It really bugs me at first but I'm getting over it and I'm sure I will get a good job done in the end. Hope your project works out!

right on.  so... how is the piezo held in place?  I'm just curious as I've got a build in the wings where I've got some ideas of putting a rope piezo near the neck joint.  I was planning on building a decorative piece to hide it there.  what are you using for preamp?  I've got a couple layouts I've done but anticipate using a clone from the ashbory bass (proj is for a bass).

well if it makes you feel any better... I'm fighting with nitro a bit myself right now.  seems it doesn't like two things: the grain fill I used, and the ca glue and dust I used.  got it on the run now, but every time I would sand it up to a perfect level surface... spray nitro and all of the sudden I'd get little spots where the finish would 'sink in'.  I guess that's just the down side of nitro... I still love it!!

guitar has a lot of potential to look killer so... just keep chasing it.  btw... is that slot what I think it is?  piezo?

3 hours ago, ADFinlayson said:

Glad that's improved it. One thing I found really helped my little triton thicknesser was buffing the bed with machine wax, it helps the wood glide through and thinner pieces are less likely to get stuck under the rollers.

good tip.  I haven't done anything thin on it yet, and the in/out feed are so clean that they seem pretty slippery, but I'll keep that in mind.  things actually used to get 'stuck' a lot more with the crappy blades... that problem has completely gone away now but I also used acetone to clean up my in/out tables so... might have been that more than the new blades.  (also before I was taking super small cuts... which causes the rollers to be under less tension).

the other hand... my sawhorse on the outfeed could use this.  keeps wanting to tip over because when you send a board thru that is long it bends down... so i need to put a bevel on it and wax it.

I like the 2nd one.  something about a 90deg angle on a lower horn... never see a guitar with that I don't like.  No idea why that really appeals to me, but it does.  when I ask for feedback I am always looking for more than "It looks good" so I'll try to give you that here.  I love the lines of the guitar, esp that spot at the tail where the top 'red part' ends.  I'm left feeling like it'd be really nice if there was an equal point like that on the headstock.  I like the headstock as is, and you kind of almost have that point right now where the red meets black at the front... but if the black was less pointy there and sort of matched that delicate rounded part from the back. 

just one aholes o.

15 minutes ago, curtisa said:

The easier option would be to buy a panning pedal. Electro Harmonix make one that claims to be able to "... blend two inputs to one output..." which sounds exactly like what you're after. I'm sure there are other options out there.

I'm guessing with a panner... you are going to have issues with the center not being a full vol mix of either pickup... but if that still works for ya... then yeah.

59 minutes ago, ScottR said:

Good report Mike.

SR

thanks sir.  wish I'd have done it sooner!

I would look into diy optical wah simply because it would be more difficult to work out w a mechanical pot, let alone the physical limitations.  In theory if you can setup an optical wah, you can setup an optical vol... and from there it would seem like setting up two leds/ldrs would be pretty doable.  Have no experience doing this other than various circuits that use led/ldr.  Have seen some threads with an led/ldr seperated by a thin piece of metal that tapers... as the pedal is lifted the obstruction between the led/ldr is lifted and resistance is altered.  Other than that... I don't know much about it... but just thought perhaps a keyword would push you in the right direction.

so a while back I bought a craftsman 13" planer from craigslist.  It ran very loud and in fact terrifying, so had considered just replacing it instead of pouring money into new blades... as it doesn't have a chip port anyway... but the other day I decided I'd take a $50 risk and ordered some HSS V2 blades from globaltooling.

Had to do some work to break the screws free (wd40 and sit for 20mins then one or two broke free so repeated several times and finally got all 12 out).  Cleaned the machine up really good and oiled the raise/lower mechanism. 

Got the new blades in and ran some flamed maple thru it - was like a revelation.  Very quite and smooth to the point it startled me that I wasn't hearing a lot.  wetted down my flamed maple and made a few light passes and they came out the other end with zero tear-out and zero snipe despite being 5' long.

Just wanted to share my experience on the off chance that someone else is in the same place afa thinking about buying new or contemplating replacing blades.  World of difference. 

cool build!

pretty sure all the stuff from china uses 5140 steel... that's how they keep the price down (hehe).  if the inserts are replaceable that's def a step in the right direction (In my friends case they weren't, but this was a while ago)... but at that point you start questioning the threads that hold that nut in.  if that insert starts to wobble... your guitar will explode at high speeds!  further the threads on the posts/studs, the threads on the screws holding the string blocks, etc.  my exerpience w china is that they are anything but precision afa threads are concerned.  their metal in general isn't great ime, but I have had some positive experiences too so... ymmv. 

I'd steer you towards gotoh.  I'm told that suhr prefers them to new floyds.  I have an orig floyd (1980ish) and it's solid as a rock, but I'm told the new ones tend to have burrs altho once massaged are good.  schaller anything is always a safe bet.

the chinese floyds... I'd avoid.  You can find all sorts of horror stories for them online.  the biggest problem with inexpensive 2 point floaters is the metal where the studs meet the baseplate.  that needs to remain sharp or it will stop returning to pitch correctly.  had a friend with that issue, but have never owned one myself.

just 2 cents.

Just now, D_W said:

Nailed it right on. The mosfet actually sounds like a marshall, and the higher you can get the levels on them, the more they sound like a real marshall. I'm not gigging and haven't for years, so never should've bought this amp (who could stand the volume in a closed basement if you tried to turn it up) - the fact that it doesn't work right is probably a blessing. I have a marshall TMB chinese clone and will put the speaker in a cherry cabinet and see how it sounds. If it's no good, I'll find a suitable 12 and dump the G15B-100 on ebay. 

The princeton chorus is a little bit dated, but the chorus with two separate power amps is otherworldly. It could almost make you sick and disoriented if you sit right in front of the amp. Clean is transparent, but usable (better with compressio) - not nasaly. Unfortunately, most of them have a pot or two off and they quickly become unrepairable based on value.  The gain channel is suitable for a 1980s flashback for anyone who grew up then (I did). 

so mojotone then? right on.  have oft considered getting into one of their kits or similar... but I'm an airhead so keeping one hand in my pocket seems unlikely. 

well... 80's... we must be about the sm age.  yup... def scooped mids on that one, def something to envy if yer stuck using a crate solid state w dod thrash master for all your tones (good times).  I agree... the chorus on those is really delightful.  takes me back!

1 hour ago, D_W said:

Good eye! I like the 80s Marshall solid state stuff, and that's actually a mosfet 100. But it's dead and waiting to be taken apart to steal the speaker and reverb tank. 

I like fender's princeton chorus,  too (teenage nostalgia for me),  but the majority of stuff in that large mess is tube.

 

must be a lead mosfet 100 then?  I really kind of like those.  miles ahead of the valvestate imo.  have built a pedal based on that amp and it really screams... going into a tube amp that is!  haha! 

well... the princeton chorus does do two things pretty good: clean chorus, and a sort of oversat lead chorus.  not very versatile... but those two things would be worth the price of admission. 

that said... long live the tube!

nice clean builds.  like the dark wood choice.  I really like that you did an s1 w 4 way - cudos for getting interesting w the wiring.  am gonna have to ding you a point for having what appears to be a valvestate (hehe).  look fwd to seeing more of your work.

cheers

thank you for that!