thrasher!

Hopefully this works as I've got a Kahler trem unit for my project because if it's good enough for Slayer...... In my ordering haste I didn't realise the string lock didn't have a nut, doh! I thought it was like a Floyd locknut, so now I have a graphite nut, and then the string lock will sit behind that. Not convinced it's the best way to go but hey, as long as the thing plays at all I'll be happy The Jeff Hanneman ESP here looks like it has a Kahler + Floyd-Rose type locknut Jeff Hanneman Signature

No browser is 100% secure but in my experience IE is the worst for security. Not quite so bad now but it wasn't updated for years before Firefox starting nipping at its heels. Having been the victim of a couple of drive-by ActiveX installs and Java virii I made the switch from IE a couple of years ago. Being a software engineer who deals with security issues on a regular basis I wouldn't recommend IE to anyone - seen to many people with major malware problems. Now I only do a spyware sweep anually Of course, not using Windows is the best security of all

One of my guitars is a Squire Strat and it plays absolutely perfectly, nothing wrong with it as a beginner guitar. I use mine for playing any non-thrashy/metal stuff. I find the pickups can sound a little 'twangy' but maybe thats because all my others instruments have humbuckers? In any case I would gladly have sold some of my internal organs to have learned on a guitar like that 15 years ago instead of the plank I used to play

Thanks, just wanted to get a rough idea to make sure mine was on track

That is one nice guitar - can't wait to see it finished. Similar to my first proj ! I'd be interested in the dimensions of the body - I've based mine on the King V but the wings seem to be on the small side, not sure if I've got the right dimensions

I haven't start building my first guitar yet so I may not be best qualified to answer but here goes (just yesterday my spanking brand new Kahler 2300 was delivered ) Assuming it's the type with the string-rollers, they would need to be positioned at whatever your scale length is e.g. 650mm. As the saddles adjust forward/back for intonation the bridge would need to be positioned so that there is enough room for the necessary adjustment. Once you know that then the unit should just be seated squarely in position and the holes marked & drilled. Some careful drilling with the appropriate sized bit should be enough to correctly install it. I have the template that came with mine - I could measure the dimensions for you if needed.

Not sure about volume/tone controls, but I wondered about tuning pegs. I noticed you can get left/right handed tuning pegs. As my soon to be started first build is to have an upside down headstock, does it make any difference which way the peg turns??? My feeble brain cannot compute this silly conundrum

Ha ha, me too.....but I was off work for 3 months and had to get extensive physio as I couldn't hold a mouse or use a keyboard for more than about 10 secs without getting excruciating pain shooting up my arm Funnily enough that was the only thing that triggered it, but scary when your whole livelihood is on the line Nothing managed to stop the metal though

Have you checked your posture, if your left wrist is curled round too much that won't help ! I'm a relatively young 31 (playing since 16 but with a 5 year break until 18 months ago), and I still get a sore left hand sometimes trying to pull funny chords that I'm not used to, I guess it happens to everyone at some point. (Not to mention a sore right arm from playing too much Slayer ) However as a sufferer from RSI (tendonitis in right[mouse] hand, I work in IT) I have to be careful, but luckily it doesn't seem to have affected my playing. Anyway back to the point, I use the sprung hand-grips you would get from any sports shop (or a tennis ball would do) to increase my grip strength and get the tendons working. Any slack time i.e. sitting in traffic, watching TV is time to get the grips out. Not only does this help me keep myself in my chosen occupation but I reckon it increases 'playing stamina' too. Obviously if it starts to hurt you should stop playing - tendons are a lot more delicate than you might think Hope this helps !

My thoughts exactly !

I don't have a scanner for posting sketches, but here is the real mccoy: Jackson King V Mine will have a different trem unit/pickups

This sounds like one of those question with a really obvious answer, but I'll ask it anyway When I'm playing, I tend to hit the middle pickup with my pick. It doesn't affect my playing but it doesn't do pickup surrounds much good. I play a Jackson PS-1 and a couple of Strats and they're all the same. The Jackson is now 12 years old and the pickup cover is a mess ! To be honest I only noticed recently because of the amount of chips and dents in the plastic. As I only use the middle pickup very rarely I adjust the height as far into the body as it will go i.e. flush, to keep it out the way, but it suggests I'm doing something wrong. Any ideas?

Hey guys, I'm about to embark on my first guitar build, and just wanted to set out my plans, in case I've not thought anything through fully. It's called project 'Flying G' (G being my first initial, it was either that or the 'G-String' ). Some parts are already on order so hopefully it will commence in a week or two The design is based loosely on the original Jackson King V, but with a few mods. Neck through design - single piece of Rock Maple 650mm scale length (25.5") 22 frets (never seem to use the other 2 ), inverted headstock with Gotoh mini-tuners (keep the weight down), simple MOP dot inlays. The body is Mahogany. The bridge will be the cam-based Kahler 2300 tremolo unit - haven't actually used one before but they get good reviews, and also it's less wood to hack out (1/2" deep route) as one of my concerns of a 'V' is balance. (One of my friends had a BC Rich Warlock but the neck had to be supported due to the weight distribution making it unpleasant to play, and I wouldn't want to suffer the same problems) Pickups are EMG-81/85 for bridge/neck and their PA2 20dB gain booster. I'm also thinking about an unobtrusive on/off switch to kill the power as I'm lazy & don't usually unplug the cable after playing. There are no full scale drawings yet, just preliminary sketches & measurements as I need to wait for the trem unit to arrive before the neck angle etc. can be calculated. I'd value any constructive feedback at this point....before the first bit wood gets cut Once it's underway I'll keep regular piccies posted with progress.

Kahler do a floating trem that will fit onto a carve top Note I've never used a Kahler but have one on order for my project - I hope they're as good as the hype!

Fellow newbie here with a similar design I've started planning a guitar based loosely on the neck-through Jackson King-V, but with an inverted headstock. I already play a Jackson PS-1 so I can get some good measurements from that. I'm going for 22-frets, as I don't want to run into problems with the front pickup cavity being too close the end of the fingerboard. Even though I play a lot of things like Slayer/Metallica solos (badly) I hardly ever use 23rd/24th frets anyway ! For hardware I've ordered the EMG-KFK set (EMG-81/85 with pre-amp), and for the bridge a Kahler tremolo system & locking nut. So I suppose it's a cross-between a Dave Mustaine / Kerry King type of rig As far as inlays are concerned I'm sticking with dots as I don't want to screw up with anything more complicated, I might be wrong but I think the shark-fin inlays require neck binding which for me is too much for a first project - check the Inlays section. I sincerely hope you mean the Iron Cross for inlays rather than the Swastika - I recommend you do some research to find out what each symbol means, rather than using something because it looks cool. I call it Project 'Flying-G' (G my first initial) Anyway good luck with your design, I know I'll need it for mine

Hey all, Been keepin an eye on this site for a while now, getting ideas for building my first guitar The amount of info and experience on here is fantastic, I've got a couple of books which I've been studying but there's nothing like speaking to the folks who heve been there & done it! I've just started ordering the parts for my project, so expect to see a lot more of me round here