al heeley
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Everything posted by al heeley
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Prs Body And Top Thickness Question
al heeley replied to tubescreamer's topic in Solidbody Guitar and Bass Chat
The mahogany body is about 35mm thick, and the maple top varies from 5-6mm at the thinnest (by the neck and sides) to about 12mm max at the bridge -
So you don't want to put the pigment into the Rustins? I should think it would be fine for overcoating as long as the top is thoroughly dry after dying, otherwise the Plastic Coating can be turned a bit cloudy.
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Really lovely work, loooking so cool, though I'm still not convinced about those superb wood pickup covers on the bass, I'd be happy to have half the skill to turn out an instrument like these.
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...the gash on the back that looks like its been attacked by a great white, maybe? J/K, beautiful work, they are pure class, really nice finishes and I want them both.
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I'm just finishing off a prs-type build at the moment, I bought an ebay les paul-type neck to bolt on to a solid walnut body. I did exactly as you suggest in the post. The tuner holes in the headstock have been dowelled, ready to redill now I've reshaped the headstock. I went for more of a Warmoth head shape than a PRS shape but both are similar, tapered and needed the big square paddle of the LP head doctoring. To finish off, the ugly dowel holes will be covered underneath a walnut veneer I will stick to the face of the headstock to match the guitar body. I also went with a wilkinson wraparound bridge, but if you already have the holes for the tailpiece stud you will have to be very clever at hiding them.
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Di Marzio's website says the Fred has red, black, green and white wires. http://www.dimarzio.com/media/diagrams/4Conductor.pdf Green is ground, the pdf says there should be a bare too. If it is missing, try just using the green. There are various schematics on the site too and all the wiring info. Di Marzio pickups have different wire colour codes to Seymour Duncans so you have to make sure you substitute in the correct colours
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Very nice looking guitar, far far better than my first effort!
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I made 2 identical guitars as first projects, both using the same piece of mahogany for a body, the second one had a maple cap added, about 5mm thick. The mahogany bodies were about 40mm thick. Single cut, bolt on neck. Same circuits, same pickups. They sound quite different in the mid range. The maple capped one has a lot more depth of tone, warmer, deeper bass and also stronger top end sparkle whereas the uncapped one has more mids. I reckon less of this difference is down to the maple cap and more down to my learning from earlier mistakes and making the second (maple capped) one with a far better neck pocket rout and neck joint. So many variables to consider!
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But if you have really good ears you can pick up 3 or 4 identical strat models in a guitar shop and each will have slightly different tonal qualities. This may be down to construction differences or wood density/porsity, neck differences or setup.
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Danish oil is very similar to Tru-oil, a mix of polymerised linseed and other oils. Both give a good, hard wipe-on finish, then can be buffed to a soft sheen, not high gloss. Finish off every now and then with a rub of furniture/beeswax polish. I like to use Colron neutral finishing wax.
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What's The Best Way To Shaoe The Sides Of A Neck ...
al heeley replied to fyb's topic in Solidbody Guitar and Bass Chat
I was recommended a long straight edge clamped to teh top of the blank, and a top-bearing router bit. -
Probably the most important things: Good, straight, true and stable neck. Great level fret job.
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its superb work but the shape of the dark brown reminds me of a cartoon man trying to punch his way out of a pillowcase sort of thing. This could have been an exquisite mix of woods and flowing lines, but the odd shape spoils it for me. Lovely work though.
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Here she is with some reprofiling of the upper and lower horn cutaway. The neck is actually fitted into the pocket now, rather than the last pic with it lying on the top. I think a bit more cut-out in the lower one and she will be reasonably playable. Surprising how the headstock reshaping helps improve the dimensional balance too. The original shape was a big gibson paddle
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very wise! I think the warmoth approach may work, I'll scallop out the cutouts considerably, leaving a tongue or half a tongue for the neck to bolt to, that will improve top fret access a lot. I appreciate the fresh eyes and the feedback
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Erm,..........yes http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...st&p=293293 they are already routed. there is a chance I can increase the carve depth where the neck hits the body. Worth a look. There's so much to learn from earlier mistakes, I ought to know loads by now...!
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Sealer implies it seals the wood to stop subsequent overcoats of paint or varnish getting sucked into the wood. The wood is sealed. Does that not do the same job as a pore filler or grain filler? -or is this just a physical levelling of the wood surface by filling the pores with a putty or slurry that then sets hard, as opposed to reducing the porosity of the wood to absorb less lacquer with a sealing primer?
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I thought it acted as a grain filler. So you use either/or.
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Not sure how to start modding this at this stage. Would it have consequences for the pickup positions? How do Warmoth build their VIP body? THat's thie PRS-clone isn't it?
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My First Project (in Progress)
al heeley replied to travismoore's topic in In Progress and Finished Work
titebond do a PU glue, sets real fast. Love that body wood, Travis, that's going to be a hell of a bass! -
I have to agree. At the moment my experience is limiting me to using oem replacement bolt-on necks for my project until I feel confident enough to have a go at making my own necks and maybe a set-neck instrument.
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Here is an early mock-up. GFS Hot PAF Zebras, wilky wraparound bridge, oem LP neck off an ebay shop which will very soon undergo some headstock reshaping. The small hole just by the bottom of the bridge will be a little red LED which lights up when the guitar is plugged in. Just for the fun of it The pic doesn't show too well the stripe inlay along the body glue line, a thin sandwich of wood strips taken from an unfinished wooden boat kit.
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Aha! http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...mp;hl=blend+pot
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On a variable pot, the two outer lugs are the resistor, and the middle lug is the slider, the variable part. If you remove the wire from the centre lug and solder it to the outer one, then the knob will have no effect, the resistance will be full on all the time (or off, depending on which outer lug you solder it to).
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So instead of being switched 100% to earth by a toggle, it would go via a variable pot to earth, I suppose. Interesting if it works. I wonder what max resistance would need to be to ensure none of the tap gets to earth, for full HB mode...?