Xanthus

Cool, thanks for the advice, guys

So I'm already thinking about planning build #2, and I want to do my own neck for this one. Since I already have a sweet guitar to play, this is just going to be a fun project, no need to rush anything. I'm thinking about building the neck over the summer to fill some time. My plans: 2 to 3-piece maple through-neck, rosewood fretboard, 25" scale, black plastic binding, white side dots, Earvana LP-style nut. Since I'm still a poor and thoroughly inexperienced bastard, I'm going to get a StewMac preslotted fretboard. Here's the question: What order should I assemble it all in? I was thinking: -Build neck -Attach fretboard -Route for binding -Install binding -Install side dots -Scrape binding, sand top -Clean fret slots -Press frets -35-degree cricket-chirping and the like However, I was thinking that if I wanted the binding flush with the back of the neck when it's painted/cleared (probably just clear, less thickness) I should install the binding after it's all painted. So therefore, would it be best to build the neck, attach the fretboard, route the binding channel, then paint the neck? I'd have to wait until the whole build is done, since it's a neck-through, but I think the final product would come out nicer as far as the neck-to-fretboard transition goes. Just need a real quick answer here, thanks for your time, all

Sweet job! I love it, the whole thing came out awesome! I had a question about the wiring, though. I've heard a lot of people say that not having a capacitor/tone knob plays with the sound a bit. What do you think, is that the case? Also, how would one go about wiring EMGs without a tone knob? It's a little late for my explorer project, but I NEVER use the knob, I just didn't want to have to dissect or change anything around as far as wires go, any more than I already had to.

Huzzah! Shark inlays! So guitar building, the G3 tour, AND The Edge? I'd totally pick up a copy!

If one were to screw the stewmac battery clip into the control cavity after the shielding has been laid down, would the metal-to-metal contact (battery-clip-shielding tape) do anything funky to the electronics? I'm wiring up today, don't want to blow anything up, ya know? Thanks!

Just for the sake of decency, I'm not going to comment on the result But as a side note, that modified design looks AWESOME!! Maybe you can fill a few of the more gaping holes and make it something like that. Oh hell, I might as well just get out a block of pine and do it myself, I really like the look of that body!

I agree with both parts of this. The way I look at it, if you're using a mahogany core and regular neck, with all the parts on it, I'm thinking the bass is going to nosedive on you. Yeah, if you're keen on using plywood, then try to take into account balance issues before you build. As for plywood not affecting the tone, I'm sure there must have been a reason for everyone building guitars out of hardwood all these years, eh? Plywood sounds like *** no matter which way you cut it. If you're going to put the time and effort into building a body, why skimp on wood? You're going down to Home Depot and whatever, buying a sheet of plywood, look around for hardwoods when you're there. ANY real wood will sound better than plywood. It works easier, sounds better, paints better, not to mention I'm taking a wild guess and saying that breathing in that glue dust is probably pretty bad for ya. Hardwood isn't all that expensive, really, and the construction time is far less carving a one or two-piece body than sandwiching plywood and gluing it all together. Well, in either case, let us know how it turns out.

I've played on a ton of guitars with every type of string, played a few gigs with drop-C tuning, 7 strings, the whole shebang. The way I see it, the rig/amp/pickups you're playing through has more to do than how thick the strings are, when looking for low-end chunk. I've got a beefy low-end out of a Squire with 8's, so I'm saying that there are a lot more factors going into getting a thick chunk than string size. What everyone WILL tell you, though, is that thicker strings are a must for downtuning. If you're only going down to Eb, normal strings are fine, I've got my Carvin set up in Eb with 10's. My advice regardless of what gauge string you pick out is to have the guy set it up the way you want it. You're dropping some decent cash to have a guitar professionally set up, have it done exactly how YOU want it. Pick whatever tuning is useful; if you're going to have to tune up to standard a lot, why not just have it set up that way? As far as string sizes go, if you want heavy strings for EAD, get power slinkys or skinny top heavy bottom. I've used both of those tuning to standard with no stress problems. Of course, it was soon afterwards that I learned to play more than just heavily distorted power chords :-P But to each his own. Zakk uses 60's because he's actually a demigod; there's no way I could play like that on strings that thick. If you're tuning to standard D or below, look into getting thicker strings all around, not just EAD strings. Beefy or not even slinky is great for D or below.

As a related question, I just finished the final (let's hope to god, eh?) clearcoat on Sunday, and I'm planning on getting the rest of the finishing done by the end of the week. I'm going to be using Meguiar's Fine Cut compound and then polish it out with Deep Crystal polish. Specially formulated for dark/black colors or some such. Anyways, how much of the orange peel/general imperfections will the fine cutting compound take out? The clear went down awesome aside from being a little peel-y. Would it be better to fully sand down the clear until the orange peel is completely gone, then compound, then polish? The reason I'm asking is because I've never used a cutting compound/buffed anything out before, and I don't know how abrasive the compounds are.

I agree with that one. If you ask me, perhaps the antithesis of metal, in my opinion, is Fender. Unless said Fender is in the hands of Adrian Smith As for turning the binding route into a bevel? First, mark a consistent depth around the side of the body, unless you want them graduated like on an RRV or the ESP Explorers. Then, mark on the top how far into the body you want them to come. Next, and this is entirely personal preference, is to take some sort of straight carving tool like a rasp and hack away (carefully) until you've reached the desired depth on both the side and the front. What I did, because the rasp I had wasn't all too great, was wrap the rasp in coarse sandpaper and sand away the bevel depth. Other people use spokeshaves, sandpaper, or straight up axes for maximum metal. I'd be interested to see someone's Iceman-with-bevels design, I think it might look pretty sweet! I'm not a huge fan of 3 humbuckers or tremolos really, but it ain't my guitar. And yes, if you want the stereotypical metal guitar, flat black and EMG pickups are the way to go Good luck! ::EDIT:: Actually, looking at that body again, the binding channel looks pretty huge. I dunno how you would go about shaving off wood for the bevels without taking off a SIGNIFICANT amount of wood :-/ Hmm... In that case, I'd say to just leave the body as is and go black with a white or silver binding, or white with a black binding, so long as the binding on the body is consistent with the binding on the headstock/fretboard, if any. http://ai.pricegrabber.com/product_images/...3847261_640.jpg /\ see pic. It looks pretty good to me.

Hooray! My first double-post!

I used a bottle of premixed candy apple red from HoK for my project. http://public.fotki.com/Xanthus/build_1/0115071222.html That's it right there, after a coat or two of clear. Regardless of what brand you get, be sure to strain the paint before you spray it... I figured that "premixed" meant "ready-to-go" and apparently not. Now I've got this speckled effect on the entire red. Not that it looks BAD per se, I just wasn't going for a textured look.

That's a very nice looking guitar, Hector! I'm looking forward to its completion. The carved top looks very good, something I don't think I have the patience for... yet Keep up the good work!

Just copied this from another thread: "One thing about that website; He doesn't say how to get the cover OFF. I took sandpaper and a AA battery (Man, even with only AA you should see the flame figure on it tongue.gif) and carved a little pinky-finger-notch in one corner of both the cover and the body. Came out pretty good! I'm wondering how you'd get the magnetic cover off without a finger notch." /\ Carved should be read as sanded, though. Is that what you meant? Because otherwise, I'm confused too haha

Well, what I gathered from the linked site up there was that he used one magnet for the cavity and one for the cover. I just snipped the heads off of a few nails and carefully pushed the heads into the body at the right places, but your idea seems like it would work better cosmetically, Wes.

http://www.tremol-no.com/ Fixed link, minor spelling mistake

What about a fixed Floyd bridge? http://floydrose.com/fixedbridge.html I dunno really what the benefit of buying a Floyd nut and a fixed bridge as opposed to a TOM or flatmount or something. I realize that the strings are more taut because of the locking nut, and some people might prefer the feel of their palm resting on a Floyd bridge. I personally like the feel of a nice stiff string, but I don't think I'm about to go buy a fixed Floyd bridge because of it. And I agree with fookgub, practicality ftw. Food for thought, in any case.

Hahaha, yeah really. Well, if you're thinking like 5 for the cover, 5 for the body, that's enough for 10 guitars. So it'll last if you build one guitar every three years Sorry if I killed your funny I saw someone do magnetic covers on one of their projects, and I was immediately sold! It was a bit of a last minute change, putting them in on my guitar, and it didn't come out perfect, but now I know, haha. One thing about that website; He doesn't say how to get the cover OFF. I took sandpaper and a AA battery (Man, even with only AA you should see the flame figure on it ) and carved a little pinky-finger-notch in one corner of both the cover and the body. Came out pretty good! I'm wondering how you'd get the magnetic cover off without a finger notch. I wish I were making a guitar with a trem any time soon, a recessed, solid trem cover would look super sweet, and probably easier than properly finishing the trem cavity so you don't have to have a cover on it. If you were really cover-obsessed you could even drill the ferrule holes into a channel and cover the ferrule holes with yet ANOTHER cover! In my book, the simpler/sleeker the better.

WOW is that a beauty! That's quite some awesome work there man, pat yourself on the back! One question, though: Any reason the control cavity isn't shielded? Other than that, I can't think of anything to say about this that hasn't been said before

Why do I find that very hard to believe...? =-o EDIBLE GUITAR! GENIUS! With licorice strings and chocolate bar pickups! Hi, I just got back from Candy Land. But think about it, what's MORE metal than lighting your guitar on fire or picking with your teeth? Taking a big ol' bite out of the upper horn during a guitar solo. Back on topic, the Floyd's SAY licensed under FR blahblahblah on them, so I dunno. But aren't the Schaller's and other brands the same? I take it nobody's used the FR Pro's then. Hmm... seems enticing, but people will sell anything on Ebay now, eh?

I was searching around Ebay waiting for my auctions to get done, and I came across the Floyd section. This just purely baffled me. Go type in "floyd pro" in Ebay. There's low-pro floyds sitting there for 50 bucks! At that price, I might even consider getting one for the next project. I mean c'mon, as much as I can't stand them, everyone loves to add some "trembalo" into their solos. Any reason why this is? I mean, buying a Floyd from StewMac and Warmoth will cost an arm and a leg. This either has to be a godsend or some reason that I completely missed

Hmm, I take it the foam would be too thick to cover the walls with too, then? I don't see why you couldn't just get some flat black rattlecan paint and put a quick dusting on the cavity. If you do it that way, you probably wouldn't need to use the foam method, no? The foam is really helpful if you pull up on the whammy a lot. Just make sure to tape off the entire guitar, no matter what you do. That darned overspray can get into places you never thought

http://projectguitar.com/tut/cavdress.htm Hope it helps.

http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/a...ler/output_html PaintIt, is that the Trizact you're talking about? The only other Trizact I could find on the 3M website is the abrasive belt. I'm interested in probably going your way, because there are definitely less steps involved than the way I was going to do it Which type of Perfect-It did you use, if you don't mind me asking a whole buncha questions hahaha.

Does anyone know if the "ingredients" in Jehle's tutorial are compatible with poly?