Prostheta

Sorry Perry, no 3D models for you on this one - just 2D. The body is going to either be an Ibanez RG shape (as per the RG2228) or the LGM Leviathan shape. I was considering either a BC Rich Mockingbird or Jackson Warrior shape, but the balance issues put pay to those. Usual "typical" eight-string hardware and pickups (Hipshot, EMG45-DC) apply so nothing special there. The neck is designed to be bolt-on for which i'm going to fit some recessed ferrules a la Ibanez. The construction is a central laminate of zebrano (thanks Will!) and two outer laminates of wenge (thanks Will!) with oak and wenge veneers between for the pinstripes. The fingerboard is going to be wenge with no fret markers, with more wenge and oak veneers underneath. The headstock is a piece of wenge scarfed on at some angle which escapes me right now....probably 11°....the headstock has also been backstrapped with a layer of black poplar veneer and a covering veneer of wenge. The scale length is 30" over two full octaves per string. back of the neck shot I have a big ol' body blank of maple right now, but I really don't think it'll be a good idea to use it due to the weight issues. Failing that, i'm hoping to snaffle a couple of sapele blanks off Simo or some alder from Luthiers Supplies....if the month treats me right however, then a wenge/zebrano body could be on the cards....

First dibs on the sapele, Simo. What dimensions are we talking? I need back wood for my wife's semi-hollow Les Paul and this sounds like it'll do the trick nicely. If you've got a second going then i'll have that too for an RG body build....

Great work Perry! You're safe, because as you know - hell doesn't exist unless you consider Brisbane in the running there.

Go over to a mirror and paint a thin white line over your retinas, and look at your guitar at the right angle.

If you're going to charge a fee for a custom build, you should already have enough experience to understand the time, labour and least of all the material costs plus margin on the top of that for noodles and rice. Expand on the question because it's very vague.

I guess you could, but you'd have to put a lot of work into the finessing of the shape. I would use a CAD file printed out 1:1 over many sheets of A4 with reference marks, glue them over MDF and spend time making a good template. That means using a router or robosander against a straightedge to achieve the straight lines, and carefully making the corners either by hand or using washers (without milled edges) epoxied together as "round corner templates" etc. All part of the process of learning and making solutions out of whatever is to hand. The other option would be to buy a template (they tend to be Gibson shape Explorers however) or get one laser cut from a CAD plan. I could probably make a decent amount of cash to support my guitar habit by selling EXP templates! :-D

I'm really wondering whether to add neck pickups to my eight strings. If I do, I might pop in an EMG-J to suck it and see. I don't think the EMG-J5's i've got in the post will do the job.

A big ol' +1 on that! I work out mine using CAD by running strings over their nut positions straight over the headstock template, and aligning the tuners (taking into account string widthand half the tuner post width) along the headstock that way, perhaps with a little design refinement necessary. This is going down the avenue of straight string pull however, as a 3x3 LP headstock branches off to the sides. This is a good example of the result: As mentioned previously, it's generally a better idea to mark out the distances from the side of the headstock if you are using an existing design so the tuners don't foul the headstock or each other.

For red, I really like Ford Pepper Red which is a metallic. Not pink or brown - just a nice deep dark red. Halfrauds will mix you up custom colours at the counter though if you're feeling naughty. I'm tempted to flip paint a guitar one day.

+1 on the letting the coats cure well. Don't try and achieve the can colour within the first few coats otherwise you're going too quickly. Three or four coats should start to develop the end colour.

Cocobolo is a rosewood for sure, and is a majorly nasty irritant along with it! That stuff really blows me up. It takes a great mirror-like shine and works very well as fingerboard stock with no need to finish...polished well enough you can almost get a mirror look to it. Awesome stuff, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Unless you're a sawdust snorter in which case, AVOID!!

Is the tuner button slipping on the shaft? Sorry if this sounds like an obvious thing, but when obvious things are overlooked you tend to blame crazy stuff instead, like Gremlins™ or solar winds. This happened on my Washburn acoustic when I changed to ebony buttons from stock, and the metal insert joining the button to the shaft started slipping.

I agree - they do look a little nasty, but hey - another one of Leo's lack of corners!

Drag it in the direction of the grain using a knife blade or similar. I use black CA for grainfilling and it works wonders. A little goes a VERY long way. Just clean your applicator with a rag and acetone.

Well, you only have five options to select so your options are surprisingly limited ;-D Do you have a list of sounds you want to achieve, or are you wanting the guitar to have an available palette taking into account that many of the things offered by that palette may be redundant or just plain poo? IIRC, the Red Special has a lot of redundant sounds which Mr May probably has no use for, but the flipside is that most things can be done to all three pickups.... To answer your question in Post #18 "yes."

I've never liked 3/5-way switches personally but given good thought, a LOT of options are possible. Am I right in thinking there are some multi-leaf blade switches out there say, four pole instead of two? They would open up a LOT of options. I love writing LOT in capitals if you haven't noticed.

Plus it's easy to create redundant sounds you'll never use. A switch to series/parallel the two singles would be interesting....wide humbucker vs. two singles as an option.

As opposed to inflatawood?

Well, one of them is based on the (now pretty much defunct as builders) LGM Leviathan shape. I love that thing. The other is a tossup between the Jackson Warrior shape or a Mockingbird. I've a lot of deciding to do because of the obvious balance issues. The headstock is my favourite bit of "designing out" which i'll go through in good time :-D Sorry to threadjack.

I'm trying to keep the design under wraps before somebody steals it, or abuses my choice before I finish :-D

In that case, if you're considering adding additive components inside your guitar which increases the gain beyond unity then definitely shield, as gain will also increase the apparent noise level. Just to be on the safe side. Plus it's good for the whole experience thing and cheap practice! :-D Best of luck.

To answer your original question with another question: "Why *shouldn't* you shield the cavity?" It won't detract from the instrument, it will only improve it although the degree won't be as great as with a passive system of course. Oh, I should read the thread before I write I guess...oops...I agree with Greg and suicidecustoms pointers!

You say it like there's something wrong with that....where's your inner Jimi? My inner Jimi is kicking out blues with my inner Jim Morrison and inner Robert Johnson.

Excellent link. I believe the ESP MX-250 shape (original Gibson "Metallica" Explorer) is marginally different and went through a few changes but not anything out of the ballpark by any means. http://www.guitarsatbmusic.com.au/esp/read...lcon_eetfuk.htm http://www.guitarsatbmusic.com.au/esp/read...06alcon_exp.htm As you can see, the original design is a little less "sleek". http://www.guitarsatbmusic.com.au/esp/read..._rx_mx250ii.htm

I believe Fedeman666 is referring to the lawsuit EXP shape (MX250) as opposed to the new EX style.