Xanthus

Oh wow, great work on the inlay! Came out fantastic, really. I was thinking of doing a design on my control cover, taking all the logos of bands that have influenced me and putting them on in silver paint over black... Then I decided that it would be way too tacky. Aaanyways, awesome work!

I know Carvin sells replacement/project one-piece necks for 6 and 7 strings, and I haven't heard any complaints about their stability. I don't know how much of an option they are for your situation, but that is my $.02 http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?...7&CID=GTR/K

Oh, totally, I love my XT! I'd love it better with tubes :-x but that's another story, haha. And honestly that rack is far too complicated for me. Hence my affection with the XT Live, hooking it up to the computer and all, nice and simple. I play mine through headphones, hahaha. I've got a Gibson L5 (BB King, anyone?), but playing it through the amp, even the effects return, just makes it sound... odd. Takes away from the crispness of the tone. Luckily (read: unfortunately), I don't have to worry about playing out, so my headphone setup works fine for me.

Sorry I can't answer as many questions as I'd like to, Matt, but if you're looking for a decent grain filler, I just filled my mahogany body with some stuff from Benjamin Moore. http://benjaminmoore.com/wrapper_pg3.asp?L...ctid=64#article It seemed to work out really well, although I haven't put a second coat on it yet. Turned the mahogany (and maple as well) something beautiful! Yeah, I filled the maple just to be consistant, and surprisingly, it took pretty well, and now looks a nice light amber! Just barely perceptable. If you want the grain to show through, you might want to dye the filler darker, just because it didn't really make the grain pop a great deal, but it's a nice creamy color Re: Drak, I never knew about adding orange to black Thanks for enlightening me! I got to thinking, and I believe that a deep piano black would look awesome on my Explorer, with the candy red accents I'm planning on putting on. So, to cut to my question: Would I be able to procure some "piano black," or perhaps make some myself? If so, how? Has this type of finish been done on a guitar before? Thanks for the comments in advance. ::EDIT:: So I was searching the BM site I linked to /\ and found that they have poly clear stain in pints or whatever. For some reason, I was under the impression that clear, and most all finishes, should be sprayed on. Wouldn't brushing on the clear coat mean some serious sanding afterwards? You've gotta be leaving huge waves even when being careful. [Note: I know next to nothing about finishing. When my project reaches the final stages, expect a huge thread of questions.]

I know it's just me, but putting a strap jack (man, that really sounds dirty) on an electric would just look funky. I prefer the added sense of safety (actual safety factor? probably nil) of plugging in my ol' 90 degree 1/4 inch and sticking the cord inbetween the guitar body and the strap. Or wireless. I'd much desire wireless... All the more reason to start buying rack equipment *drools* just as a VERY aside comment, I've been drooling over this rack setup for a while. http://jamesleemusic.net/pictures/5_big.jpg I've been trying to persuade him to give it to me. You know, for free. In exchange for my XT Live. Thus far, no dice.

Cool! Black tele looks really sexy, I don't think I've ever seen curves like that on a tele. It's like my motto: The only thing that would improve an instrument with the word Fender on it would be painting it black.

Also, you don't have any of the hardware/electronics/paint on it :-P My Explorer is VERY light, and I'm laughing at myself for thinking so; it's going to be one heavy mother once it's assembled! Looks good, though, my advice would be to look at more RG customs and get inspiration. There are some sweet bodies out there! Oh, and of course, gimme back my headstock!

i found some similar to what he's talking about at wd music here's a metal version metal covers and here's what i think are the plastic onesplastic covers Ooooooooooh.... pretty Not that I know anything about the mechanics of pickups, but wouldn't putting a metal cover over a magnet... Wait... Nevermind. *is all nonchalant about almost aking a stupid question* Anyways, Thanks for that website! I'm surprised I've never visited it before.

Sweet! picspicspics!!! Btw, where would you get said pickup covers? There is nothing better than a nice sexy EMG pickup housing, in my opinion. I haven't come across any in my travels across the interweb, heh. Not that I'm planning on buying any more pickups at this stage, haha. But like you said, maybe... ...for the next guitar I've been toying with the idea of a RRV with the Laiho hand cut and a Ken Lawrence headstock. Just wish I was better at drawing these things, hahaha. Looking forward to everything, good luck!

Nice and clean, as always, RGGR *is jealous* So is that the neck that's going on the body, or is it just for the visual? I'm thinking that you could combine the headstock designs into a good-lookin' product. One question, if I may. What was the purpose with routing that huge channel around the body cutout? Or was that just you getting the body to final shape? Because the first thing that came to my mind was " Damn, that's going to be some huge binding!"

I was actually thinking of a solution to the pickup-wire problem (But I'm sure someone else has thought of it already). With my neck-through ESP Explorer (no crazy pickup switch to worry about ), I mauled the corners of the two pickup cavities pretty bad, trying to get a hole between them. I know that I could have routed and filled a channel, but I didn't *feel* like it, hahaha. Anyways, I was thinking that with a neck-through design, to route a channel through the middle of the bottom body wing. Like, estimate where the pickup cavities are going to fall, and route maybe a 3/8" dia channel through the middle of the wing, like taking out the middle of a sandwich. Then it would be very easy to run the pickup wires to the cavity without using a pickguard. Hell, if you wanted to, you could then drill a hole to the proposed area of the control cavity before gluing the wings on! The only thing you might have to worry about is the glue seeping in the channel and blocking it. Pretty genius, if I might say so *pats self on back*

Wow. Yep, that's pretty much it

Ouch, sorry to hear about your slip-ups, mate Depending on where it is on your body, as well as what finish you use, the minor mistakes can sometimes be fixed with wood fill/Bondo. On my Explorer (first build trying to make it "shine" as much as possible, given the circumstances) the beveled tip on the rear horn chipped pretty bad. I filled it in with wood filler, because I'm going to be painting it black. It'd look pretty funny if I stained it, hahaha. Reason I say this is that I also fixed some irregularities where I had my own router problems, pickup pockets in particular. I can't rightly see all that well where you messed up on the pickguard route, but it's an option to keep in mind, if the damage is that severe, minding that you're going to be painting the body. Best of luck, as always!

First off, welcome to the forums! I trust you'll find it an overall friendly community Secondly... *Cracks knuckles* The list. -Eyeballs, to read a TON of tutorials. Everything on both the forums and main website is valuable, free information. I'd start with reading as much as you can, though if you've been thinking about building for 3 years, chances are you've been visiting the boards as well, if not posting in them. -Templates. Oh dear lord, do I wish I had a few templates when I chopped into my mahogany, hahahaha. http://www.guitarbuildingtemplates.com/electricguitar.htm <--- Check that website out to see if your prospective guitar is on it. It'd be well worth your money and time to get a set, if your model is there. Stewmac also has templates for many different things, including pickups, bridges, and neck angle. -Write every last part you're going to need: Body wood, neck wood, fretboard, frets, fret markers, tuners, truss rod, nut, bridge, pickups, jack, knobs, switches, wiring, capacitors, insulation, binding, paint, strap buttons. I'm sure there's stuff I missed in there, too. -Then make sure it's all compatible, and price it out. -I'd go to www.warmoth.com and figure out what woods you want to use. Depending on how adventurous you are, picking up a preradiused, preslotted, prefretted neck may in fact be the way to go. I did it Warmoth, Carvin, and Stewmac all have necks predone, as well as many other websites. -"Make Your Own Electric Guitar" - Melvin Hiscock. I personally have never read the book, and I'm doing quite fine, but many many people swear by it. -A really good straightedge and ruler -Sandpaper, everything in common grits from 40 to at least 1000. The sawdust shall flow in the streets. -Lots of glue, and lots of clamps -A drum sander would be good for getting the sides of the guitar -An orbital sander for making tummy/forearm cuts, or a spokeshave -A series of rasps and files for making all types of sexy curves -Check the dimensions of all your parts, and make sure you have the correct drill bits to drill holes -While we're at it, a drill press, and a nice clean, level work area -And a moderately-temperatured work area. The less weather/pressure changes, the better. -I used a nice flat wood block to do my flat sanding. the more area you can cover in one pass, the better. -Wood putty. I needed a bit of it, and chances are, most first-timers and even experts make booboo's occasionally. -If you're ever unsure of anything, type some keywords into the search area. If you don't find your answer, start a thread in the area you need assistance in. -When it comes time for finishing, make sure you have compatible products for your woods, enough product, a well-ventilated area, and the right steps. There are a TON of finishing tut's on the forums, you should have no problem finding a lot of different ideas. -And scrap wood! To test finishing options on. If you get a prefab body and neck, then you won't have any scraps, obviously Did I miss anything? Other than the steps needed to actually build the damn thing, of course. Those are on the main website Others can fill in anything I might have missed, which, if I know myself as well as I think I do, may be a significant chunk. Good luck!

I might be taking a stab in the dark here, but didn't Glenn from Priest have a Hamer reverse-explorer-type guitar? I could have sworn... *ponders* ::EDIT:: http://www.judaspriest.com/photo/newshowph...asVegas/063.jpg AHA!! I win! Not quite an Explorer, but it's what came to mind. Have you thought about a V shape? Maybe a reverse Rhoads?

Ooooooooh, hahahahahahaha The simplest of answers. It all makes sense now Love that wood you got for the body, and an awesome job on the perimeter cutout, too! Ya know, if you don't drill any holes in it, there's still time to make it right-handed...

I like it! The project is coming out pretty good, but... Is that most recent picture reversed?

Wow, really really really nice build on that there bass! I really need to get around to playing a fanned fret anything one day, in hopes that I'll be converted if only my GC carried "fun" instruments... My only comment is that I would do something with the end of the fretboard. There's a wee bit too much wood left at the end, fanned frets and all, but that's just my personal taste. Nice work!

*whistles* Wow, what a nice burl! Very nice and woody and shapely. I'd also like to commend you on your skill at utilizing accent lines. They really compliment the whole piece. I take it this is going to be a string-through, seeing as I don't see stopbar holes anywhere. Pardon if this has already been mentioned. On a similar note, there's quite a large tree RIGHT outside my dorm hall. It's big, tall, wide, and VERY burl-y. I just don't know what kind of tree it be. And the guitar builder (nay, amateur guitar hobbyist) in me wants to sneak outside late at night. And chop it down. And carve it up. And haul it away. I just have an inkling that someone will get mad at me It's too bad, really.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=25344 /\ I started a similar topic a while ago. Basically, the conclusion we came up with was that it's all personal taste. The other guys on the thread go into more depth about the characteristics of each pickup.

Mmm, I like the drawings you came up with, Matt. As far as a finish, what would you think of doing a transparent black, so the nice figure of the grain still shows through? I mean, I'm biased towards dark dark guitars in general Just my idea. I'm looking forward to what you come up with for the headstock. If it's any consolation, the headstock on my Explorer build looks almost exactly like your current sketch (as well as LGM's, too ).

Wow! Awesome find, man thanks a lot for the link!

Good luck, Des, sorry to hear about your board

I agree, maple for the neck definitely. I myself bought a premade neck, saved me a ton of hassle (if you don't count the 6 weeks it took to get to my house) http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=25304 Check that link for the thread on my own ESP-style explorer, if you're interested.

I'd say that the TOM is recessed no more than 3/16. Even 1/4" would be pushing it a bit. I wish I had the guitar with me to check, but it's back at the house (I moved back into the dorms yesterday). And yes, I called up the guys at carvin and talked to them over the phone. Basically, their deal is whatever option you want on your neck order, you just have to call them up. The prices are the same as the ones listed on the guitar options section, so my low-wide frets cost me $40. I still need to get calipers out and test them, because they don't feel all that much different, or look different for that matter, from my other guitars. No inlay option was free, though!!! And thanks for the comments, RGGR, I've made a promise to myself to step up the quality with my next build, and do it more myself. Basically, this project was a lot of plan-it-out-and-then-tell-a-more-skilled-machine-operator-what-to-do. I want to be more hands-on with the next one. I'd rather make mistakes on my own, than have someone else do it for me