ihocky2

I like it with the ash, but you are going to have to be choosey with your lumber. A straight grained piece of ash is not going to cut it as well. If it was me, I would lose the pickguard. Even with it being transparent, I wouls still go without it. I would also go with a matching headstock instead of black. I wish I had that much skill in Photoshop. I have training in Inventor and some in Solidworks, but I would really like to get good enough to do work that cleanly in Photoshop.

Very nice looking so far. I really like that top.

This is one of the things i love about your work Wez. You are not afraid to add color to burled or spalted woods. Everyone screams when people do it because they think it should be left natural. But I love the look this gets with the blue on it. Very yummy.

You are correct to an extent. You are paying extra for the Guitar Paint to be slapped on the can. But all nitro's and acrylics are not created equal. Some nitro's yellow a lot, some not so much, some are water white. Some spray better than others and some hold up better over time. I can't comment on acrylics because I never used them. As an example, Deft is a water white, non-checking nitro lacquer that is not supposed to yellow over time. Sprays nicely, polishes nicely. But the stuff is very brittle. On a bad day it will chip by giving it a dirty look. So there are some that are better than others.

That might be usefull if you're playing on a Tommy Lee type rotating platform.

Take a look at Andy DePaule's site. I agree on the Gold MOP instead of white. Andy has a lot of nice shapes that you can get in sets that are pretty easy. Or you can go with some of the individual shapes and make your own unique set.

For rock I have to agree on Slash on Appetite. For metal, I'm partial to Richard Z. Kruspe of Rammstein, especially on the Reise, Reise and Mutter albums.

The black and white really looks sharp. I do like the idea of using the vinegar to darken the wood to keep the natural feel. But without any finish I would worry about warping in the future, at worst a lot of truss rod adjustments throughout the year as the weather changes. How does the pattern on that sprayer look. Some rattle cans have a nice fan pattern some are round. I've used the Preval sprayers, and they were round but just never sprayed nicely.

That is one of the draws backs to stain versus dye. Stain will only ever reach a certain color and that is it. No matter how much you apply you can't darken it to match the end grain. Dyes can be applied numerous times and will get darker each time.

Automotive poly's don't change the color. Another one that has a growing fan base is Sherwin Williams conversion varnish. Basically anything listed as water white is not going to change the color. Even then it is only to an extent. It will always change the color slightly, raw maple with a water white finish will look like you wiped it with mineral spirits. Ever so slightly darker and more definition to the grain.

Unless you are dead set on a maple fretboard, I would go with something that does not need a finish, like rosewood or ebony or bloodwood. Then you can concentrate on a durable finish for the body and back of the neck.

Better is very subjective. There is a lot that contributes to a guitars sound. All of the woods each add flavor, some pieces more than others. But you have to decide what you prefer. I like the tone of mahogany with a maple neck, I am not as big on all mahogany though. But there are plenty of Gibson lovers out there who prefer all mahogany.

Only took a month for progress. Control Recesses Neck Carved Cavity Covers Electronics Trial Fit-It is a success

Bondo is a brand of autobody putty used for filling dents and leveling areas. But Bondo gets thrown around as a generic name for body puty. The good thing about it is that it doesn't shrink back over time like wood puties do. You won't go to jail for it or face a fine, but you may spontaneously combust for angering the guitar gods.

The search function is not the best, but I can usually find anything I need on it. If you click on the Advanced Usage Help it gives you options to really refine your search. I don't want to come off as condescending, but the information is there. A lot of questions newbies ask is already in tutorials, they just don't want to look for them. How many times do you see posts referring people to the tutorials. We get asked at least once a month how to determine neck angle and not only is there a tutorial on it, it is a PINNED tutorial. What is the purpose of creating new tutorials when no one reads the ones that we already have. USMC, I'm only pointing this out to make a point about the newbies in general and not specifically towards you. An earlier post of yours just works as a good example, so please don't take it the wrong way. But a link was posted to to the Guitar Electronics site, and you replied that diagrams are not always the easiest to read and a pictorial would be better. What they give you are point to point pictures. Same as Seymour Duncan or Dimarzio, they can't be made any easier. I can't read schematics well and I can follow those just fine. A lot of the newbies on here are used to this modern age of instant gratification and don't want to work for answers themselves. Look at who is the largest user of the search feature, Perry Ormsby. That tells you something about the information that is available. The biggest suggestion that I could have would be to change the layout of the board slightly. Create a new category at the very top. Label it Information For First Time Members. Put the tutorials under there. Put a topic with a link to each of the pinned topics. Make it so obvious it hits you right in the face. Everyone posts into this section of the forum because it is the first they come across. Whether it is a finishing question, progress pics, electronics or general questions. So put the tutorials so they are the first thing you hit, not in the middle of the page.

What type of color are you going for? Reranch sells spray cans of vintage amber nitro lacquer. Tough part is catching the online store when it's open. I am a big fan of using shellac for amber tones when I can. I would recommend using dyes instead of minwax stain. They are easier to mix your own colors and penetrate deeper.

Let's hit the brakes and slow down a minute. If you are diving right in and adjusting the "Truss rod Thing", but admit you have no idea what you are doing you are already in over your head. I admire the enthusiasm, but working on guitars takes patience. The parts on a guitar are all a balancing act, if you adjust one thing it affects numerous things, so they have to be done in the correct order. I suggest spending some time reading a few books on guitar setups and repairs to get a better understanding of how everything relates and what their functions are. The information you gain will be invaluable and will help you define more specific questions that you need help with.

I vote for a "How to Use The Search" tutorial.

I've had that happen before. You're right, emotions at that moment block at rational thought. The worst part was that I was right next to it and saw it happen and everything was in slow motion. My hands were there, they were moving towards it, it bounced out of them and then THUNK. I picked it up, saw the damage and my first thought was "I will make you suffer for what you have done" and was ready to let it intimately meet the brick wall. Luckily I set it down, had a few beers and a cigar and came back to it a few days later. The damage was not as bad as I had thought and was pretty easily repaired.

Spraying right over the frets is fine, in fact I prefer it, less work masking. Tru-oil on the back of the neck will be fine by itself. On the fretboard a film finish would be a good idea, but kind of defeats the purpose of the Tru-oil. Under the abuse of the strings Tru-Oil will wear away very fast and the board will get grimy. I am not positive what will stick to Tru-oil properly, but I know it has been discussed on here before. But if you are going to apply a film finish, what is the point of the Tru-oil. You'll just be covering it and feel the film finish. It'll be like the Tru-oil was never even used.

Search and ye shall find the answer. It gets covered almost once a month.

Pine is usually used for cheap lite pallets. Anything that take decent weight is usually poplar or maple. And like said, a lot of times they are whatever is cheap at the time. The company I work for is a steel fabricator so they destroy pine pallets around here in a day. Hardwoods are a must, but it is usually junk wood.

I'll take the river that feeds into the ocean. Shade and good fishing, but still have the beach and the surf fishing. I don't need the mansion though, just lots of acreage for horses. Says the man who lives in the mountains. I am all for the hand built work and would find it tough to do anything else. But if I get enough orders at a time and build up the funds to, I would invest in a laser to do inlays with. I find inlays the most time consuming, and generating them on the computer will allow me to do more intricate designs. Plus setting them into the wood would be faster and easier as well.

I am one of those that really admire and look up to Perry. He is doing exactly what I dream to one day. In the course of the last year I have to started to take steps to try and position myself to get there one day. While I have my head in the clouds about building guitars for a living one day I have kept my feet on the ground knowing how hard it can be to reach that status. But I will be more than happy if I only ever do it as a hobby. If I can make enough money to maintain and occasionally upgrade my tools, and to build a few guitars for myself I will be very happy. It is all about the enjoyment of building still. As for price, I do not consider myself a pro by any means, but I know how much it is going to cost in parts and time so I start base packages at $800 with upgrades available. I do not list prices for upgrades, simply because there are too many and market prices vary. I won’t rip anyone off, but there are just too many variables. I start full custom at $1200, but that price usually climbs very quickly. My current build is over double that price, but I am making very little money on it. I have $1000 into the electronics alone, and about $800 into the inlays, so my profit margin is very slim. But I am willing to do this build at such a low price because it is going to be an eye catcher and the type of work that I can really promote myself with. Some things go farther than money, and good publicity is one of them.

I really like the explorer. They both look great, but that one just speaks to me. The recess for the bridge really adds a nice dimension to it.