Newc of the JCF

If all you're doing is thin pinstripes, I'd say go with some automotive pinstriping tape in a shiny chrome finish (AutoZone, etc). This stuff is easy to apply, and easy to remove. You can clear over it if you want it to be permanent, as well. It'd be a lot cheaper and easier to do it that way, but if you wanted mirrored bevels instead of pins, then yeah I'd go with the plexi-mirror. You should be able to find those kinds of mirrors at any Dollar Store or Wal-Mart or something.

Thanks all

I'd just recess the bridge a little.

I used Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Glue on a headstock that was broken completely in half from between the 3rd and 4th tuners to the opposite side under the 2nd tuner (Jackson headstock - thanks UPS) and it held with no trouble under full tension (9's). I even shipped it to a friend and it didn't pop loose (so far), and it's been like that for about a year.

I searched several ways but didn't see any titles specifically mentioning Mirror Tops (Cracked Mirror, etc). I've got some mirror tiles and a body to work with, but what's the best way (i.e. how do the manufacturers do it)? Should I shave the top of the body down the thickness of the tile to keep everything level? Do I need to use grout or can the mirror edges be beveled? Anyone here ever done one? Thanks all

The first pic is digital - last pic is how it comes out. I'm thinking I'll need to use some thinner adhesive than the glue, as the ink smears if you don't use just the right amount. I've also just got in some 8x10 waterslide decal sheets, so I'll try making it in those as well, then sealing them to the body. Newc

Ok, since I'm almost done with it, I may as well post pics Jackson Dave Mustaine sig King V Pro in Snakeskin All I got left is to do the sides and give it a coupla coats of sealer/glue, then put the hardware back on. It took me about 6-8 weeks to get this far with it since I wanted to think about each step before committing to it, unlike with the Zebra Star where I halfway thought about it and changed my mind after the fact. But anyway, doing a neckthrough presents an interesting challenge - the neck heel. This one is really curvaceous (as opposed to the early neckthroughs that had a larger set-neck or bolt-on-sized heel), so getting the fabric to conform to the neck AND still be attached to the body section took a little doing, but it's done. The back is all one piece of fabric from the head to the wingtips - no patching. I'll have to add very small patches near the heel (for the relief cuts) but those won't be bigger than 1/2" at the widest point, and maybe 3/4" long at most. I also converted it from the original Kahler 3310 fixed bridge to a stopbar/tunamagic bridge Anyway, of course I didn't take progress pics (silly me ) but if anyone's got a neckthrough they want done, drop me a line if you need a hand getting that heel area done I'm also working on a neat trick to cutting a straight line to remove the excess fabric off the neck sides, but leaving a smooth seam next to the binding. One screw-up on that part and I'd have to strip it and restart since it's impossible to patch but I WILL take detailed pics of that part Anyhoo, thanks, Brian, for posting that tutorial on Fabric Refins - you've saved me literally thousands in refin costs (and no, I won't send you the money I've saved ) Newc

Hey, anyone know how to place a Tunamatic bridge where a Kahler 3310 or flatmount trem used to be (as found on 80's Hamers, Charvels, and Deans)? A downloadable/printable template would be very nice Newc

Mix a little Borax with Fantastic, Comet bathroom/tile cleaner, or 409 Got sensitive Guvmint documents that can send you to Federal Poke-Me-In-The-Booty-Prison? Put them in a bowl of warm water with some Surf laundry detergent (liquid's good), Spray-N-Wash, and 1/4 cup of Borax laundry booster, swirl it around for a few minutes with your hand, and then pour the dissolved paper down the drain More secure than a paper shredder, and less messy than burning or burying them (which, the FBI can recover burnt paper unless you mash the ash, but the smell of burning paper is a dead giveaway - especially in an office ) Seriously, this combination ate one of my paychecks AND the envelope it came in - all that was left was the cellophane window of the envelope Newc

Yup I love them old WWII fighter/bomber graphics Here's my USA Jackson Warrior in "Pearl Harbor" Warbird (the only "Pearl" I've seen - most are East Coast/West Coast with a Redhead or Blonde in a black nighty - this one's a Hawaiian babe in a tropical Sarong) http://autumn-frost.com/Warbird/warbird-body.jpg Not the prettiest face ever painted, but it was airbrushed when it should have been hairbrushed IMO The Flying Tiger I used came with a Testors model decal kit - there's a CD of clipart in the box. Newc

As promised, here's the whole bag o beans Ok, I started with a PaintShopped image I did: Ok, set the printer's options to Poster printing, 2x2 (2 sheets high x 2 sheets wide). This will spread any image over 4 sheets of paper (enough to cover a standard Strat-style body). Also I set the orientation for Landscape, the print quality to Best, the paper type to Other transparency (since I wasn't using HP's overpriced trans paper ). You might also want to make sure your image will print in the proper direction. I had to mirror the original image in Paint Shop to make sure the inked side would be in the glue and the image would face the right way. This time, instead of putting the glue on the paper, I put it on the body (in this case a Charvel Model 2) in the general area of where I wanted the first page to go, and spread it around with a brush while I waited for the first sheet to come out of the printer. I used a pretty good amount of glue, not a thin coat. Once the first page came out (and the second started automatically) I placed the sheet ink-side-down onto the glue and pressed it down with the edge of my squeegee (the same trem cavity cover as before). You'll have to hold the page by a blank edge as you run the squeegee, but do NOT touch the back of the graphic itself or you'll smear the ink. The squeegee can run over the back of the graphic all day long because it's wider and flat, but your fingers are round and will leave faded dents in it - trust me Also, if you do print your image using the Poster function, you'll have blank areas on the edges which you'll want to trim off before you place the first sheet down, unless you want Exacto marks on your guitar body Trim off the edges where the next page's part of the graphic is going to meet the first page's part, then place it on the glue and squeegee it out. Do the same for the next 3 pages. I squeegeed the excess glue towards the areas where the following sheets were going to be placed, and spread it around with my brush. This conserves glue (which conserves money). Ok, here's a shot of the first two pages on the body: Ignore the pickup. I didn't take it completely off. I thought I could eyeball the necessary cut to get around the wire. I was only fooling myself for about 10 seconds, and then I had to race against the rapidly drying ink to clip the wires to get the pickup out. It's a Gibson Dirty Fingers pickup, which means it's got a metal braid, which means it was soldered to the pot, and my soldering iron wasn't plugged in, which means I had to get rough Anyway, I ripped it right out and smeared the glue around (spilled it on the floor as well ) and slapped the page down (after I trimmed the blank edge off). Squeegee out the excess as before, raking it towards the location of the next two sheets. You'll notice the eye in the Paint Shopped image is almost off the body. I cut that eye out of the sheet and placed it a little farther into the body and closer into the top horn. Trim the last two sheet's edges as before and line them up, give them a good squeegeeing out towards the back edge (not towards the other sheets) and let it sit for about an hour and a half. When the hour and a half (or more) is up, peel off the transparencies. If you used enough glue (heaping globs) you should get a nice transfer. If you got it too thin (like I did) anywhere, you're going to have a gap. Now, mine came out screwed up because I got the glue too thin in spots and because I squeegeed the pages towards each other, which means the other pages moved slightly and I didn't notice it. So remember, squeegee from the inside to the outside, and not towards an existing sheet. That spot on the lower horn in the last pic is actually coated quite well, the camera flash washed it out. The beauty of going over a polycoated body is that you can take an old credit/auto club/phone card (or the trem cavity cover) and scrape it all off and start over, which I'll do later tonight, as I wanted the graphic lined up like it is in the Paint Shop image Newc

It's actually pronounced "wee ya" - the name Ouija is half French (Oui) and half German (Ja) - both mean "Yes", so it's a YesYes board Newc

Didn't some of the Washburn Nuno's have a Jackson-style scalloped heel (like on the Soloist) but as a bolt-on where the neck bolts were in an arc? Newc

Sure thing, soon as I win the lottery and have a house and a shop built and pay off my car and buy all the equipment and supplies Newc

I'm going to start on "the real thing" this morning, and I'll take the progress pics (gotta get my plan together first ) Newc

Ok, Dr Newcenstein was bored again and decided to try something totally off the wall. Referring to the thread about logos and transfer paper and rub-ons and decals and all that, I was at work the other night and thought "surely, someone somewhere has a tutorial on how to make your own rub-on transfer paper?" So, I decided that when I got home from work I'd look around the 'net and see if I could find such a tutorial. Well, call me lazy, but I didn't Instead, I thought it out myself, and while it's not a proper rub-on, it still tranfsers nicely. Here's what I did: I found a small simple graphic (red, black, white - no not an EVH ) and printed it onto some window decal paper (Walmart has some stuff called "Invent it! Window Decals" - works with ordinary inkjet printers). I set the printer for the proper paper (HP Deskjet 842C, using the Other Transparencies paper setting), set the ink volume for maximum, print in color (cuz the picture has red in it), and had the printer scale the image to size. I wasn't worried about pixelation (since the pic was very small) as this was just an experiment to see if it'd actually work. I only did one test so far, so I can't say how altering the print settings will work - you probably COULD use a lighter or standard ink volume, but I leave that to you Anyhoo, as soon as the page comes out of the printer, pour some Mod Podge on the image (directly on the ink, not the unprinted back side) and spread the glue witha brush to cover the entire graphic - I suppose you could use some spray-on adhesive is that's what ya got, but I don't got that so I can't say if it'll work. Anyhoo, once the graphic is coated, slap it glue/ink-side down onto your guitar. I use a plastic trem cavity cover for a squeegee - it's flexible enough but also stiff enough - perfect Anyhoo, squeegee all the excess glue out from under the sheet BEFORE the image begins transferring. You'll end up with very lightly colored glue as you squeegee, but since you're being quick about it, most of the excess ink is staying on the sheet (remember, I used heavy ink volume). Now, once you've got it good and smooth (about 2 minutes or less of squeegee time) lay it down for about an hour or so. After an hour or so, squeegee the image again (now the ink is REALLY soaking with color) and peel off the transparency. This should leave 90% or more of the ink on the glue (and on the body). Here's a funny thing: wash the glue and leftover ink off the transparency! Warm water and gentle hand-rubbing will take it right off! You can even soak the transparency in a large enough pan of warm water to get the rest of the glue off (as some will have dried to it during the hour or so set time), but you can re-use the same sheet later! Anyhoo, don't do like I did and poke the paper before you do the second squeegee - you'll get a finger dent in the image and it will NOT be fixable. Also, make sure you've got a firm grip on the sheet when you do the second squeegee, as one slide will warp the image. This might be good for doing swirls, though, but since I wasn't going for a swirl, mine was toasted So, once you've got the transparency paper peeled off, let it set for another coupla hours to get good and dry, then clear it over. NOTE: You can apply this over an existing poly finish! That's what I did, and I test-poked it and it did not scratch off easily like I thought it would. I'm sure it'll come off with a little more force, but just a simple light grazing with my squeegee didn't put a big gash in it, or even a tiny scar. Sorry, no pics, because it's a neat-ass graphic and I want to wait till I do the final version before letting the cat outta the bag THEN, I'll spill the whole bag of beans and take pics Newc

The store knows what sells - tobacco burst and black (trans or solid), however, that doesn't mean a green, blue, or red trans won't sell, it's just that traditional Gibson/Fender colors will always attract customers to try a new guitar, then if they like the playability/tone/etc, they'll look to see what else you have. Human nature would be to grab the most familiar-looking guitar - a tobacco-burst or Fender-style 3-tone burst guitar shaped like a bottle opener will have a familiar look to it, and SOMEONE will try it. If they like it, then the physical difference becomes more appealing to them and they are more comfortable with stepping out of their "Gibson/Fender" color-schemes as well as their "traditional" body styles. Definitely do trans black and tobacco burst, but don't just put those two in the store - put a red or purple or green in there as well. Maybe have the tobacco as a display only, not for sale? That way, if the color does catch the eye despite the shape, they can be directed to one of the more exciting colors and still be mentally open to the new experience. Newc

For those who may come in later and see this wondering the same thing, here's what I did to remove some OFR bushings from a Warmoth Star body After trying to be gentle with a pair of pliers, I grabbed a small rubber thingy that came on one of those WalMart-special ratcheting screwdrivers with the interchangeable screwdriver bits (the rubber thingy is for the convenient storage of the bits when not in use). Since the rubber thingy has a hole in the middle, I placed it directly over the insert/bushing. Next I rounded up a few knob washers (the thin ones you find under a volume or tone knob), put the washers on the trem post, and then screwed the trem post into the insert. The washers would not go past the top of the post (but remember this was an Original Floyd Rose, not sure if it will work on an Ibenhad or other trem - might work on a Jackson). So once I had the washers on the post, I put it through the hole of the rubber thingy and into the bushing, then grabbed an allen wrench and tightened the post until the rubber thing had compressed all the way down, then the bushing started coming up with each turn of the wrench I caught hell trying to get the bushing off the post, though, as by the time it came out it was cranked all the way in. Probably shoulda added some more washers as it started to come up Newc

That's a good thing, though. It keeps people from getting away with selling Warmoth or Hondo phonies as the real thing. Despite the "honest intent" of many people to only use legitimate logo decals for restorations or their own personal beaters, there are literally thousands of people who would jump on the chance to duplicate official logos and try to pass off crap to the unsuspecting public - those who are NOT vintage enthusiasts and who do NOT have all the info required to tell a real '57 Strat from an '03 Warmoth kit. Newc

Ok, I won this auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...gory=41407&rd=1 last week and didn't realise it was a lefty till I opened the box, even though the pics are very clear in that regard Sooooo I'd like to sell it for what I paid - $175 + $15 for speedy USPS shipping, OR trade even for a righty OFR in similar condition. This thing is dead mint. If it was in better shape, it'd be just an idea in Floyd's head Seriously, it's never been used. When I took the bar off it made a vacuum-sealed pop sound. Comes with everything except the guitar - L2 nut (lefty R2) with through-the-back screws, woodscrew posts, retainer and screws, claw and screws, springs, collared bar, and box. I can do partial trades (bridge & nut for bridge & nut, etc) as well. PayPal verified and Ebay member (both names striker@ecsis.net) Newc

Actually I have an idea that I've been planning to put a piezo transducer on an OFR. Once I get it worked out (and functioning) I'll probably be offering to do it for others (for a small fee, of course ) So far, the "test model" I have sounds great - very realistic acoustic tone Newc

Sweet! Newc

How does Dying a figured top work? What do you do, get a bottle of that RIT dye and coat the raw wood? Some of the dyed tops Warmoth has look beautiful (Green, Blue, etc) and I thought about trying something like that if it was painless and simple (like me) What about putting food coloring or some of the aforementioned RIT (clothing) dye in some clearcoat (brush on)? Anyone ever try it? Newc

Ok, well, thanks to this split-personality of mine, I went with the Jackson AT-1 neck instead The Baritone woulda been nice, but since it's so much longer, and the Star is already not the most well-balanced body design ever made, I had to go with a regular-length neck. Plus can you imagine trying to find a case for a Star with a bass-length neck? Stringed up and rocking now, and while it still dives, it's tolerable with a cotton DiMarzio strap I'll just have to get another body for the Baritone neck later Newc

Anyone ever try the half-sheet decal paper kit thing from Testors? I bought one of the kits but haven't printed anything yet. Says it works with Inkjet printers. It's the waterslide decal style. The kit comes with 2 sheets - one clear background and one white background - and a can of spray adhesive. I tried to find full-size sheets of the decal paper, but all I found was http://www.decalgear.com/DG/ and they only have the half sheets. [edited] HEY! I found THIS! http://www.decalpaper.com/inkjet.html You can get Inkjet AND Laser full-size waterslide paper Newc