Bizman62

You sure have the right tools to view your ideas in beforehand!

In the limited size of the images it's still difficult to determine which one looks the best and I really can't tell ivory from gold there. Further, is that just an outline dividing the two in the lowest image instead of a thin black stripe?

Each of those looks like the headstock would benefit from the same sort of binding.

For food for thought, think about where the instrument will be played. If you're going to wear black and have a dark background on the stage, a wide light coloured binding will better show where the guitar is. Vice versa against white clothes in a well lit stage the black outlines would better emphasize the instrument. It's all about contrast. Don't know if you've heard the history behind the TV white/TV yellow colour, anyhow according to one story it was invented to show the guitar as white on a black and white TV instead of an overexposed lump of pure white.

19 minutes ago, mistermikev said:

I see all sorts of things I don't like... that is the curse side of this hobby!

Wiser words have rarely been said.

What adds to knowledge adds to pain.

Waiting to hear how she sounds, and I'd also like to feel the neck.

Anything I can do to help a fellow builder

23 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

Firstly - everything wrong with it: 

Not everything... The low E tuner is slanted.

Dusting off just the guitar only spreads the dust airborne and while you put the rag back in the cupboard and get your camera it will land again on the shiniest surface around. Hoover the entire house and wipe the sofa and the carpet with a damp rag before wiping the guitar. Your wife will love you for that!

So many well thought of details!

I once saw someone argue about having binding with a rounded edge. In this case hell yes, definitely!

Well done!

That's starting to look like an interesting project to follow.

Outstanding! Reading the previous page and trying to understand all the diagrams would have made my hair grow grey if I had any... Well done young man!

Less is less and more is more but which how much is too much?

Gold on black looks always good but what colour is the actual binding going to be? If it's cream like it seems to be on the bass, then no gold purfling for me, thank you. A dark binding matching the top with a gold purfling sounds yummy. But of course this is just my opinion.

Ivory/cream and gold can be a good combination as well as can be seen in some luxurious estates featuring golden faucets on a marble sink, marble tiles on the walls and floor, golden mirror etc... But there's no black in those I've seen.

Do I read the image right? You're going to rout a cavity to the bottom for the headstock? That definitely looks neater than the headless SG with the headstock sideways at the edge and it also features straighter string pull at the bridge which is always a good thing.

What raises the most concern for me is the six posts right under your wrist. Cut the strings carelessly so the ends stick up and you'll end up slashing your right hand radial artery.

9 minutes ago, mistermikev said:

I get the impression I'm about to be an idiot but I don't get that one?  hint? 

I had to google for that one as well... Apparently it isn't an upside down thing.

6 minutes ago, Norris said:

Do the initials mean the same in Finnish?

Although one might think so by reading the current company names here, that one doesn't mean a thing in Finnish. I've seen TIS-517 which can be read both ways and means 800-8135

Gotta love your natural wood!

I've heard about using silicone hose for the pots: When it fits tight over the shaft, the outer diameter matches the threaded part and guides the pot right up and the nut can be slid over the hose. That wouldn't work for jacks, though. Maybe a hose fitting inside the jack would allow better handling in guiding the jack through the hole? And possibly the hose being slid over the hook end of the tip connector to prevent catching?

Sei, that's a lovely bass there.

Wish I could show you my workbench, guitar related that is... There's an armchair behind me, loaded with a huge bag full of offcuts, sandpaper and hardware plus some tools, and the current project in a gig bag.

Is that an orbital 90 deg disk sander?

Ooh, that makes me want to add pickguards to my builds! Such a beautiful contrast and simple yet dynamic shape.

1.125" is quite thick... I would combine the ideas of ADFinlayson and curtisa and saw quarter inch slithers off each for drop or flat tops leaving thick enough bookmatched slabs for a carved top with sumptuous curves.

Love the headstock, you succeeded way better in combining the Gibson moustache to a PRS headstock than I did!

There's one thing I've noticed in several guitars regardless of the builder. Is it a "thing" or just tradition? I'm talking about carving the body for easy access and leaving the neck rectangular. Does the symmetric shape eliminate warping or something like that? Is there a reason why builders don't carve the neck round up to the body?

54 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

That is a reflection, there is however a rough spot between the pups

Hey, don't worry about that! You'll be wearing D- and G-strings over that spot.

Wow, shiny! And red, and flamed! Looks like a ***** magnet!

Is that a rough spot or a reflection between the neck pickup and the switch?

*****= drool. Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Last course for the spring. I managed to get the headstock shaped and the frets leveled. When it's sunny and I have some time to spare, I'll sand it and start the oiling process. Here's how the headstock came out:

16 hours ago, mistermikev said:

tablesaw caught fire... what the devil? 

Well, apparently the dust vacuum hose was loose. There was some dust inside the saw and a younger and less experienced me was splitting a very hard piece of maple with the blade too high. The friction made the sawdust glow and... When smoke arose, someone got the fire extinguisher and emptied it into the saw. After cleaning no other harm done, "just" some flames in the sawdust. Two lessons learned in one go!

End of digression.

I bought a mask from Banggood. On the positive side there's granular activated carbon in the filter which was a nice surprise for $6.50 or so. On the negative the exhaust vent is facing ahead just like on the one shown in the picture. The moist of the exhaust breath condensates and spreads drops all over the place. And since it's Chinese, it doesn't quite fit my European chin.

The workshop they keep our courses in has a professional dust collecting system as well as a painting wall with suction. When the big table saw caught fire I learned that there's fire extinguishing sprinklers in the pipes so the dust collector won't burst into flames.

Oooh! The (not so) Secret Agent!

This subject didn't leave me overnight, so here's some thoughts. Notice that I'm by no means a Master of the dark Art of Finishing or anything like that, this is just logical thinking based on elementary public school physics...

13 hours ago, mistermikev said:

you might try warming your can prior

Great wisdom there. Any liquid becomes runnier when it's warm and obviously a runny fluid levels faster than stiff.

Warming a rattle can servers another purpose as well: The gas within expands and causes higher pressure at the nozzle, thus lowering the viscosity of the lacquer and slamming each minuscule droplet flat on the surface with a higher velocity.

Speaking about viscosity, the product used for finishing should be runny enough to fill any pores and gaps for good grip and level finish, yet it should be stiff enough not to run off the surface to be finished. Further, especially with instruments, the layers should be thin enough not to ruin the sound. Thus the instructions for a glass smooth resin finish done by pouring don't apply here. It's either spraying or wiping, and sanding in between and after that we have to do to achieve the results we want. Thinners are used for controlling the viscosity.

Air is in a significant role in the drying process as is the evaporating surface versus thickness of the layer. When sprayed, the surface area of the lacquer is at the largest in its mist form right before hitting the surface. Thus, the farther away you spray, the drier the mist is on the guitar, in warm/dry conditions even more so. That may be one reason for the bobbles, another being the slow spraying speed and high viscosity caused by a cold rattle can.

Yet another thing to consider: As we know raindrops need a dust particle to form. Just how much microscopic sanding dust do you have in the air of your workshop? Imagine every mist droplet of finish coming through the nozzle having a dust core! Bobbles...

Short (hopefully) summary:

• warm finish runs easier through the nozzle and levels better on the surface
• high pressure lowers the viscosity of the finish as well
•  a thick layer of stiff finish causes orange peel since the bubbles bursting on the surface don't level - add thinner or heat the lacquer for lower viscosity
• a longer spraying distance causes the finish partially harden during its flight through the air - bobbles
• a longer spraying distance also allows more dust to attach to the sprayed mist - more bobbles
• high temperature and dry air while spraying make the finish cure faster, partially even when it's still in the air as mist
• microscopic dust attached to minuscule lacquer mist droplets can cause issues

So the recipe for a good sprayed finish is to use warmed lacquer sprayed at the right distance considering the temperature and humidity of the surrounding atmosphere.

I may be terribly wrong here and there as my logic may fail. Please correct where necessary!

15 minutes ago, mistermikev said:

nice neighbors.  if it were me... I'd put a package out there with dogshit in it and I'd rub the outside of it with urine.  leave a note telling them you have hep c too... you know... send a message. 

mikev, you're a mean person!