Prostheta

Sounds like you could be SOOL!! http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/readart...icles_525.shtml Opinion is that it won't stay purple unless you refinish it every once in a while, or chemically treat it. I prefer it for it's mechanical stability in neck laminations.

Ummmm. Please read the rules - one picture per post, no larger than 640x480 and no linking to commercial site's images as this leeches their data transfer which they pay for. Anyway - guitars. I would recommend buying a couple of books on building solidbodies so you have a working knowledge of why things are built the way they are. You'll need to understand truss rods and the different types (if you're going thin/flat you need a shallow rod), neck specifics (laminations, wood grain orientation, scarf joints, glueing, fretting...) and then the difficult bit. Making the neck stick to the big blunt bit. At the right angle so you get a playable adjustable action all that good stuff. First plan of action would be to buy/acquire these things as a first priority. None of these will help you to build a guitar: - 6"/15cm steel ruler - 30"/762mm steel ruler - small retractable tape measure - pencils - angle protractor - calculator - Make Your Own Electric Guitar by Melvyn Hiscox - Stewmac catalogue (for drooling over before you get the right ideas easily, and then learn how to buy them cheaper elsewhere as you get better) By this point you will be able to measure an instrument up and figure out important dimensions such as balance points (top button) neck angles where the body meets the neck (check out a TOM bridge on a Les Paul or something) headstock angles (check Ibanez', Jackson, Gibson, then Fender/Squire....) Read HEAVILY into tool safety, specifically chisels, routers, bandsaws etc. Wouldn't want you to not be able to play your guitar now would we? Oh hell, just read HEAVILY. Building the 'ker is just 1% of the work. No more. 99% planning and knowing what you're going to do and WHY is far more important, and will take up way more time!

A 9v battery isn't guaranteed to be flat and it's got a relatively small surface area. A small glass block would be a much better proposition. Something with 1/2 to 2/3 of the surface area of the headstock, otherwise it's to easy to give into temptation and concentrating in one area.... Given that's it's rattlecan paint, you should ideally let it dry for a LONG LONG time because the paint is most likely to still be partially plastic and will move over time. If you sanded it flat and buffed it to a polish and then decided to install the tuners, you'd find the bushings sinking into the finish fairly soon! Trust me....I did this with a BC Rich Mockingbird respray and had to chip out the neck plate.... Baking the headstock at a Texas temperature would speed the curing process up somewhat, but i'm a little shady on the timescales. Just my two pence worth.

I wasn't sure if you guys changed anything. And yeah, that crunchy F from destinstitution sounds a bit lower than standard. Looking forward to hearing the new stuff for 2007! Leave it natural! The tuning or the bass...?

Yes it would be, because you might as well keep your €1500 and invest it in something that might make you a better return! If you want to spend €1500 on your own guitar then cool - we've all done that before - but to do it with selling it in mind....just Paypal me your money instead and believe me, it'll go to a better cause and you'd get the same return ;-D

I think I might leave this bass natural, given the awesome piece of central mahogany and the wenge. The black CA I have might work well as a grain filler under an oil finish....

Oh yes - here's a diagram I roughed out: Basically, the yellow line indicates the trench sunk by the round nosed bit which extends to the ends of the collars. This needs to be snug to the rods, but not tight. The green line indicates the larger flute bit which you square off to house the collars. Again, snug so the rod doesn't rattle but loose enough to it doesn't seize. The white line indicates the "tunnel" from the headstock to the rod which the adjuster goes through. The red line show the "opening" of the headstock so the adjuster can be accessed without it being awkward to work with.

I use a combination of round-nose bits and flute bits for truss rods cavities, since I primarily use dual action rods which don't need a curved trench. The round nose bits run the length of the rod from collar to collar leaving a nice rounded trench. The smaller flute opens up and squares the bottom of the ends for the collars - you can then neaten and square the recesses for the collars with chisels or a corner punch :-D You then drill into the headstock at 90° to create a hole for the adjuster to emerge, and then using the larger flute bit to extends the trench where it emerges over angled headstocks for access with adjustment tools. To a degree, a lot of these steps are unneccessary, but this is probably the furthest you'd want to take it for completeness. I didn't go that far with my current bass build - I just ran the round nose bit the entire length from the far collar, over the headstock and then opened up the trench at the headstock end for adjustment. The rod was installed with a couple of drops of silicone under the collars to stop em moving.

I think i'd prefer to go down the lines of laminating, because getting a small batch of green clearcoat together would probably equal it in cost terms. If it turns out I won't be able to laminate the photoluminescent plastic, I probably won't have a choice however. Thanks Russ/Tom!

Have you tried a Strat-style neck? Tele pockets have a tighter radius in the pocket corners AFAIR. If you have the cash to splurge, get a custom neck or check eBay for necks going on the cheap. Failing that, make one :-D

Thanks man. I checked out their site before I posted with no luck. Seems I have too many specific ideas in my head as opposed to what is actually out there *~%'/ Such are the issues of a idealist/perfectionist!!

Thanks for the offer Russ man. I think I should be able to find someone in the UK with a vacuum press....

Standard E! You don't need to detune to be heavy....Destinstitution on our Myspace often makes people ask what tuning we use....hahaha :-D

UPDATE: Received the black CA today, as well as the cocobolo board precut by HuntinDoug for the ES-335 style inlays...glued up, re-radiused and polished!!

I've been searching high and low for laminated black/green/black (green, not mint!) to make a custom pickguard. There are a few auctions on eBay for JEM pickguard and headplate sets in the right material, but I can't seem to find the source or a suitable replacement. The only other choice I have I guess is to make my own using 1mm plastic sheets and laminating it myself with acetone. Before I consider this option, has anyone got any leads? Many thanks in advance :-D It's going to a good cause (my T-Bird). EDIT: Agh, just noticed that the ideal material i'd prefer to laminate into the pickguard is solvent-resistant....

Cool. Received ten bottles today as well as a set on inlays which i'm installing tonight. I'd say it's the equivalent of medium viscosity CA so it should fill the gaps in reasonably finished inlay cavities nicely given a good chemical curing period before sanding. Excellent product! PM sent, Setch.

UPDATE: Shaped and routed the headstock. Need to ease the volute a couple of mm to accommodate the tuner locating screw. The back of the tenon needs easing a couple of mm also as the top is a little too tall compared to the wings. Other than that - good to go! SHOT 2 SHOT 3 SHOT 4

My choice would be something a little hotter like EMGs to drive the front end a little. I've had awesome tones out of Tone Zones, Super Distortions, EMG81/60s, etc. I would agree on Motherbuckers also. Hot and ballsy!

Play on man!! Tone is a journey, not a destination :-D ^- how silly does that sound? Despite being true in essence.

Ummm. What amp are you using - ie. solid state or valve? This makes a huge difference IMO.

Totally on there Marksound :-D The analogy of an author applies also - whatever the name on the front of the book, the quality of the print or the paper it's printed onto, the content shines through. Better gear does help develop technique through the whole "feedback in learning from the sound" to a degree, but not as much as general study and practice of course.

Ummmm. As much as I hate to say this, but David Gilmour's tone isn't purely down to EMGs....a lot of it is down to him being David Gilmour! Tone is in the fingers as much as it is in the instrument. As for replicating the items in question - it would be cheaper and far better just to buy them.

Order placed. Will advise everyone on receipt. 10x 20g bottles of THIS BLACK CA on the way....

Thanks Postal - we have an order going in today.

Hahaha...no worries there Jon! I've been playing fives for a fair amount of time now, so going back to a four might have a learning curve! As you can see, i've deliberately gone for the "traditional" Gibson style three-point bridge so I might have to put a little bit of a neck angle in there.