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radrobgray

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Everything posted by radrobgray

  1. Is it possible to change my user name? I can't figure it out. I'd like it to match all of my social media handles. Please let me know if you can or if it's even possible.

    1. ScottR

      ScottR

      Hey Rob,

      I'm pretty sure that can be done. I've passed it on to Prostheta and we'll see what he can come up with.

      Scott

    2. radrobgray
  2. I've been itching to build a multiscale and I've never personally owned a 7 or 8 string. I decided to give them a go in one build. Some of the details are, as of yet, undecided. So far I have: 27.5"-25.5" multiscale 29 frets, Dunlop 6100 Seven Strings, I'll probably do the ABM single string bridges Instrumental Pickups, some sort of custom set Alder or African Mahogany Body Curly Maple and Black Walnut Neck Indian Rosewood or Birdseye Maple Board Painted in some sort of Dayglo color. I have the neon green, red, or yellow. First things first. I drew my full size plan. I also drew an additional 6 string plan that is not pictured. The "straight fret" is the 9th fret. The body is an offset dinky. My apprentice and I picked up some quartered hard maple, flat sawn curly maple, african mahogany, and alder. Ran it though the thickness planer, ripped it on the table saw and got ready for some glue ups. For the neck I ended up doing a seven piece laminate alternating curly maple and walnut. I rotated the maple to orient the grain to quarter sawn after I ripped it. Glue shot: While the neck blank was drying I hand planed three alder body blanks and glued those up as well. Purchased that No.5 Stanley on eBay for $25. As far as I can tell that plane was made around 1910? After all that jazz I ran the neck blank through the thickness planer. I have to make some big decisions. Birdseye or Rosewood board? Later this week I'll build the compound angle scarf jig, the table saw slotting jig for the fretboard, and maybe get to my body template squared away. I'm still on the fence about the body material and if I want to order a figured top and do a burst instead of a neon color. Thanks for looking.
  3. @Prostheta the body had some crazy cracks because I used some scraps. I filled said cracks with bondo. Then I did 3 coats sanding sealer, sanded p220. 3 coats primer , sanded p600. 2 coats base. 1 dust and 3 heavy full coats of clear and let it cure for 4 days. It was hard foam blocked from p1000-p2000, then buffed with some meguires.
  4. @Prostheta I am very impressed with how quick and how nicely the 2k worked out. I've actually had the system for a few years and never tried it because i was unsure about the skill level required. I am for sure going to make that my primary finish type. This time around I used a mask worth the proper carts, but that's for sure not a long term solution. I need to upgrade to a air fed mask. @KnightroExpress and @djobson101 I'm so stoked to have a new guitar. I haven't built or gotten a new one in a few years. I have 3-4 projects that are ready for fretwork and paint that I'm going to buckle down and complete. Thanks for checking it out!
  5. Complete. I went with all black hardware. Did final setup and intonation today. The trem is hard to the body and the saddles are shimmer to a 16" radius. One of these days I'll post a video with nice audio. The pickups are custom wound by my buddy Ethan at Instrumental Pickups.
  6. I've been away for a few years building my business at the repair shop and getting caught up in life (house, wife, band). I'm finally to a point where I can get back to building! I haven't had a new guitar in a few years so this build is for me. It originally was to be a evh frankenstrat style build. As much as I like Eddie, with that paint job, I wouldn't have played it out. Here's the run down on specifications and the pictures so far: 25.5" scale, maple neck, 10-16" compound radius, with Dunlop 6100 frets and a two way rod. The body is alder and is routed for a bridge hum, volume control, and a non-recessed OFR. I've been using nitro since I started building. This one is my first shot at 2k automotive finish. I'm done spraying and I can't kelp but think about why it took me so long to switch! Prepare your eyes for the blazing color! The neck is carved to an asymmetrical profile .825" at the 1st fret and .925" at the 15th. Did my feet work. Pre radius the wire, hammered them in, and filed the ends. I did a full level, crown, and polish. The neck is finished with tung oil and wax. I'll snag sme picks of the completed neck tomorrow. Full shot before the fretwork or paint. Here it is prepped, primed, base coated, and cleared. I used the PPG Omni paint line. Omni has a 2k high build primer, acrylic base, and 2k high solids clear. It was quite cold so I kept the paint and guitar inside before spraying. I also used fast hardener. The color code is PPG 2128. If you're into muscle cars it'll probably look really familiar It'll have the bwb pickguard and all black hardware. Tomorrow I'll cut, buff, and hopefully assemble.
  7. Thanks for looking. I could go either way with painted or oiled in terms of feel, but, I wore through the paint on the neck on that first build. I can really feel the trandition from paint to bare wood so I opted for oil on this one. It is tru oil and I put enough for a film finish, easier to touch up. I will look through my camera, I'm positive I have progress pictures somewheres.
  8. Alright so I haven't posted since '08. But that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. I got my start on this forum for my very first build back in '06, was inspired enough to persue further education through Roberto-Venn and now am doing repair and custom builds full time. It's basically come full circle as I finally had some extra $$$ and time to build essentially the updated version of the first guitar I built. This community is a great place to be a part of thanks to those who helped me get started. So my very first build was: Nitro finish Alder body Soft Maple 3 piece neck Rosewood fingerboard 25.5" scale length 24 frets Stewmac 2-way trussrod Mystery tuning machines Original Floyd Rose 2x Bill Lawrence USA XL500 pickups The new gutiar is essentially the same idea but using the best materials and parts. This culminated in the RIP Custom Guitars KV. There are more pictures on my web site: http://www.ripcustomguitars.com/instrument/kv Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish Alder Body Maple Neck-Thru Oiled Neck 2-Way Truss Rod with Graphite Neck Reinforcement Asymmetrical Neck Profile 1 5/8” Nut Width 25 1/2“ Scale Length Ebony Fingerboard, Bound in Ebony and Red Veneer 27 Frets, Dunlop 6100 Jumbo Fretwire Locking Nut Gotoh 510 Tuning Machines Original Floyd Rose Tremolo System Custom Instrumental Pickups Set (he is on facebook and instagram @instrumentalpickups) 2 Volume and 3-way Switch Recessed Dunlop Straplocks
  9. Reminds me of Rocko's Modern Life, LOVE that cartoon. I think if you use the same colors as his shirt (blue and purple) it would be even cooler.
  10. i just drew 2 lines for the bevels and took a rasp and file to it, custom hand job!
  11. Thanks a ton guys, means a lot. Tomorrow is graduation day, then I'm outa' here! BTW the Tele and Exploder are for sale, gotta pay for school somehow right?
  12. Don't be so quick to go on a witch hunt, I referred him here, so essentially its my fault if your going to point the finger. He's a friend, I saw his guitar and thought to myself "that would be a cool GOTM entry". If there were progress pics I'm pretty sure he would've started a thread. I'm gonna go out on a limb assume that the definition of "Pro" is a person that makes and sells guitars for a career. Although thats the goal (for many of us) he has not sold a guitar, thus (under the assumption of the definition of "pro") would not include him.
  13. its pretty different, i like it a lot. that x2n is a sick pup i love it! Troy sent some pics to kahler hopefully ill get to be in one of their news letters. have you seen the D-Activator X? it looks like an X2N, with slightly lower output, and even has a lower output neck pickup version, i'm probably going to be replacing the dual x2n's in my 6 with the d-activators, see how i like them. blasphemy! lower output i want more, MORE, MORE!!!! jk.. they might be a nice different flavor, i like that they make a specified neck pup tho. I almost painted the tele Neon Green to appease the need for a racer xish guitar*spandex not required*. But, I didn't because someone pointed out that it had a very Jason Becker (peavy) vibe. It's just a schaller roller TOM/Gotoh Stop tail, they sell em at Stew Mac, nothing fancy. As for the Kahler its a sweet trem for, sure just different than a Floyd, I like them both. but out of familiarity I would still probably go with Floyd. We'll see as I'm really digging the tele it may convert me!
  14. its pretty different, i like it a lot. that x2n is a sick pup i love it! Troy sent some pics to kahler hopefully ill get to be in one of their news letters.
  15. More progress, I finished the exploder. I also finished scalloping the the "tele" neck and assembled it. I still need to put my logo on the headstock. The tele is finished with satin wipe on poly, neck and body. x2n in the bridge, vol/mini 3-way, random lipstick in the neck, gotoh minis, kahler pro. Scallops Exploder 1 Exploder 2 more/all pics @ Distorted_Frequency
  16. I'm going back to Utah, we had a reasonably big following for my band and I don't want to leave that. Hopefully I'll get a job at a shop doing repairs while building my reputation as a custom electric builder. I figure there are plenty of musicians/bands in SLC so I could someday do builds full time. i already have 3 more builds lined up back home so that'll keep me busy for a few months while I find a job. although, i am really thinking about going to MI to get a AA-guitar. i have a friend who's there right now and hes having a good time.
  17. yeah there are only a few that are actually building dedicated 3rds(not just finishing the tele form the tool seminar). if i had the cash id build my self a pair of neckthru king vees; one neon green w/ black bevels and one red w/ black bevels. thats the 3rd neckthru i've built and i will agree they are quick and easy to build. that one only took me 5 days to build and get into paint, on Monday ill be putting the final coats on and hanging it up to cure. how deep did you scallop? i was thinking 3/32 for mine, but, I have only played one scallop(fender YJM) before and its was brief.
  18. RR, is going to have a 81TW so they will both be splitable. They have an amp class but i did not take it. i ordered an amp from else ware and did it to keep busy on weekends. the amp class they have is a slightly modified 8x84 Hi-octane kit. As for the body shapes i made all of them my self, the only templates they have are tradish shapes. The RR is slightly bigger, but not as big as the ESP ones. I built that RR in 5 days minus paint. The EXP is similar to a ESP lawsuit explorer from back in the day. Yes they give you some pretty decent prices on stuff.
  19. I'm still there (here?) i graduate in 2 months.
  20. Reuter...at roberto-venn, $35 top that is there.
  21. i am currently enrolled at Roberto-venn spring 08. heres some of my builds: Exploder specs: Mahogany body Mahogany neck (.850"-.950" neck carve), PRS style neck joint Ebony head cap and fretboard, pearl inlay 1/4" Bubinga top 24 5/8 scale 24, Dunlop 6100 frets Schaller bridge, Gotoh stop tail, all black hardware Seymour Duncan Dave Mustaine set Finishing up buffing this one out, then level crown and polish. done. ill post more pics after the weekend. EXP, Before paint EXP, Full RR specs: Mahogany wings Maple neck thru, Ebony head cap and fretboard, pearl inlay 25.5" scale 24, Dunlop 6100 frets OFR, Gotoh tuners EMG 81b/89n, Pa-2 boost Black with yellow bevels Flatsanding and final coats needed on this one. will get a full pic when clear is all done. RR, Front RR, back RR, headstock RR, Front Painted RR, back painted Tele specs: Alder body Maple neck, bolt on Birds eye maple board 25.5" scale 22 scalloped, 6100 dunlop frets Khaler 2300, Gotoh tuners Possibly a Green Dimarzio X2N need to finish carving, fret and scallop neck. then pick a color for the body. T, Full shot Acoustic specs: Indian Rosewood back and sides Mahogany neck Sitka Spruce top Ceder reversed kerfage mossman back strip ebony fret board and head cap Walnut binding/wedge w/ maple purf shaller tuners Flatsand and finish clear, design bridge and what not. A, Box A, Wedge and mitres A, Top Bracing A, Back braces A, Inside kerfed/side strips Amp that is unrelated to RV: 2ch fender style clean, marshall crunch 2x6v6 power tubes 4x12ax7 fx loop Oversized 112 lopo cab with V30 will be sitting in with amp class to build a head shell for it soon. Amp, Guts Amp, full w/ sick green cab g'devening to all. remember more pics to come, comments welcome, rob
  22. i ordered one today and i just realized its going to have a 220/240v PT. I don't have it yet but when I get it can I just substitute the 220v/240v with a 120v PT with out a ton of trouble? Do they usually have the same specs short of the input voltage? i assume the fuse values will be different. I haven't received the schematics yet so i cant say whether or not the PT has 120V taps. i have some electronics experience, but not a ton, I've built a few pedals, etched some pcbs, and can read Schematics. This will be my first amp kit build any tips for stuff i should read up on, especially safety. heres the site Madamp its on the right side. thanks for the help, Rob
  23. Can you tell me exacly how you bent the top? You wrote that you used water and heat, how exaclty? How glued it on the body, did you use only clamps? Thank you ;-) P.S.: very nice work, I like it! i used a spray bottle with distilled water and a cloths iron to heat it. while it was hot i bent it to shape (took about 1.5 hrs) and then i clamped it with NO glue. left it for a few days, unclamped, added glue and reclamped with a board on top to more evenly distribute the pressure. i used about 25 clamps, it was a pain and i probably wont try that again until i get a vacuum bag system. BTW, i shortened the end of the fretboard and routed the pup cavities. i will probably fix the miss drilled tuning peg hole and rout the electronics cavity tomorrow. i also decided on just having a H-X-S pup config. then i'm on to fretting, final prep and paint!
  24. you say in your present situation you dont have time to learn to use a hand plane. if you dont have time for that how do you have time to build a guitar? if you going to build a guitar do it right. do it right the first time and it'll be alot quicker and more satifying then building nothing more than a few bits of random wood glued together. if you dont have the patence to learn to use the tools why have the patence to build something that may or may not play decent. as far as im concerned you have no place around guitars or asking for advice that you dont listen to. if you have so much "passion", why cant you learn to use the tools properly and take the time to really build something properly? i have no sympathy for someone that turns a cold shoulder to good advice with excuses like "at present, I really don't have the time and patience to go through all this handwork again." it's not like all these people are blowing smoke out their @$$3$. if its that hard for you and you arent going to be proactive about your situation (i.e. learning to use the tools properly, finding a way to get proper materials, being patient) then DONT build simple as that. on the other hand if you'd listen to peoples advice there would be a much friendlier attitude twards you and your posts. i honestly would love to see you build a successful guitar, but if you refuse to do it right why bother? in response to Fryovanni, its mind boggling to me as to how someone could blatantly turn a cold shoulder to great advice like that.
  25. Or do both like the Suhr Badger. make a head and make a cab, then make a combo. then you could just put the chassi in watever one you want.
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