strangegrey

Brand new, in the box, never mounted or soldered.

$110 plus shipping.

Brand new, never mounted, never used, I removed it from the packaging long enough to photograph it, and it's back in the bubble wrap.

$130 plus shipping. This is pretty much dealer cost....the project I had intended for this neck is getting scrapped.

Fender USA VIntage Tremolo Assembly. This unit was mounted brand new on a guitar for approximately a month, but the guitar is getting parted out. $45 + actual shipping (should be no more than 5-7 bucks)

Hey folks,

I've got parts to a Les Paul build that's been sitting around for eons and I've decided I'm going to abandon it...The following parts are being sold as a package:

* 1-piece mahogany body

* 1-piece mahogany neck blank (neck template shows that you will have enough wood to make a 1-piece neck)

* sufficient wood for ears of above neck

* tunematic bridge (nashville, nickel) from stu-mac

* Stop tail piece (nickel)

* 24 fret 24.75 scale rosewood fretboard

* set of Mother of pearl trapezoid inlays

Pictures:

$100 for the whole shebang (not including actual shipping costs). Please contact me via pm to discuss further!

Thanks,

Frank

Sold, Thanks guys!

Brand new, in-sealed-package Gotoh floyd Rose tremolo.

Includes top mount r2 nut, set of allen keys, posts, bolts, brass shims (for nut), tremolo block and bar.

I would rate this tremolo right up there with the Schaller and OFR. It's that good folks. Same exact tremolo that's on the Ernie Ball Axis.

$99 shipped to continental US. message me for details.

got some picture of the body? thx!

Yes, I'll be glad to send anyone a zip file of pictures...just pm me your email address.

Ah I forgot to mention...thanks.

I'll gladly ship internationally...however, I need to review how much it'll cost on a case by case basis. So if you're interested in something, shoot me an email or a PM and we'll figure out shipping.

Thanks,

Frank

Hey folks,

I've got the following items for sale from a superstrat project that is getting abandoned.

All brand new:

* Allparts SMO strat neck. It's brand new, no drill holes, never played, tag still on the headstock, etc. This neck is the SMO, it has a maple fretboard, 12" radius, 22 medium jumbo frets. Direct from allparts they're $160. New from a dealer, closer to $120. I'll take $95 shipped to the CONUS.

* Gotoh schaller-style guitar tuners. Chrome, 6-inline, brand new, still in the package. See part number #1951 on this link for reference. $25 shipped to CONUS.

* Gotoh Floyd Rose Tremolo. Chrome. Brand new, still in the packaging. Comes with R2 floyd nut, allen keys, tremolo, bar, shims for nut. This is the same exact floyd rose on the MusicMan Axis guitar. See this picture. The bar and nut are included with this, but not pictured however. The best quality licensed floyd out there. I have one on my evh strat and it is as good as an OFR. $95 shipped to CONUS.

* I also have a half finished HSS superstrat guitar body that you can have for $10 + shipping. The bodywood is 3-piece Alder. The body has been routed for HSS, rear control cavity, non-recessed floyd (mounting posts aren't drilled yet), regular strat neck and the countours/sides are not shapped yet. I will include a handful of goodies with this particular body, if someone grabs it. I have 4 black recess neck mounts, 4 black 1.5" neck screws, chrome 1/2" self mount guitar jack, control cover back plate, etc. I will be glad to provide pictures of the body. The router bit chattered a tad during routing of the single coil routes, so there are very small epoxy repairs right at the routes. If you end up doing a sunburst, you will likely have to go a tad heavy on shading right around the pickup routes. Solid color, you're fine! If you are interested in doing a recessed Floyd Rose, I can also include floyd templates for you.

I will also entertain trades for new or good condition telecaster or stratocaster pickups. Seymour, Fender, Fralin, etc....let me know what you have and lets talk.

Thanks,

Frank

Hey folks, I have an Allparts SMO neck for sale. It's brand new, still got the tag on the headstock.

The specs on the neck are as follows: 12" radius, 22 frets, maple fretboard, walnut skunk stripe, medium jumbo frets, kluson holes

These necks are fantastic values....the only thing really needed (as with all brand new allparts necks) is some sanding sponge treatment on the fret ends to soften them.

I'm looking for $90 for the neck, plus shipping. Allparts lists them at $160 and you can get em new elsewhere at close to $125. So this is certainly a deal.

you took a big chance there...just clamping stuff willy-nilly like that you run a tremendous risk of your top cracking...you really should have straightened it first.it's like punching a cow...sometimes the cow just looks at you..sometimes the cow tramples you...and then as you are picking yourself up off the ground and limping off you think"i can't believe i was stupid enough to punch a cow"(yes...that story is based in reality...never punch a cow)

you are not out of the woods yet either...it could still crack...though every day that it stays in one piece lowers the chances of that

Yup, I realize that....at the time, I *knew* was taking a chance...but something in me said "#$% it" and I went for it. This build is progressing so slowly anyway, that if the top cracks I wont have been too far into it...granted I will have lost what time I put into it...and the wood....but so far so good.

I definitely wont do this again...but this one time, I decided to take the chance.

I know I'm going to get a reprimanded by some here...

But I ended up just clamping the living hell out of my top and when I held my breath, undoing the clamps, it came out great...

My top was slightly cupped upward, meaning the center of the top was flush with the mahogany back...but the sides showed a small amount of space. Less than 1/8" each side.

I glued up the pieces, used alot of extra clamps and went to town. It's been almost 3 weeks since I loosened the clamps and things look ok.

-F

Postal and Setch,

Thanks for the advice....in both cases, it proved very useful. I was able to avoid issues relating to fret slots by keeping the scraper at a 45 degree angle....and I was able to remove a great deal of binding material, clean and straight, with the radius block.

I've got it down enough to start thinking about how I'm going to do the inlays....but this hump is over thanks to you guys!

-Frank

Ahhhh....Postal, thank you for the clarification...and Setch for the initial help!

That makes alot more sense....

I've removed *most* of the material already with sandpaper...so a final hit with the radius block should do the trick....and then scraping

Alright, I'm scrubbin up and goin in! Be back to you guys with my results....

How much excess? I usually remove the bulk of the binding with a plane, either a block plane or one of my little wooden ones, then scrape the very last bit flush.

Sanding works well, but if you have a pale wood binding it will dirty it a bit.

If you scrape or plane, ensure you angle the tool towards the centre of the board, so your strokes tend to push the binding towards the board, not away, or you can pop the glue joint. With the scrapere you need to work with the scraper at about 45 degrees to the centre line, or you'll drop into the fretslots and make low spots in the binding.

Hey Setch,

Um. It's regular standard stew mac cream binding. It didn't occur to me to trim it before gluing it. So it's at it's normal size, on the side of the fretboard. I would say that at most 1/32"-1/16" tops. It's enough to certainly make the fretboard not look or feel right. Regardless, I think I'm going to sand until I got close and then try to scrape it with a razor blade the rest of the way...that should get close.

what do you mean staying 45 degrees to the center line? I'm not sure I follow you. I've been thinking of simply limiting the scrape so that it never gets near the rosewood....

I dunno, I feel like such an idiot....granted your website has most certainly educated me a bit!

-F

Hey folks,

This might seem like a really stupid question. I bound my first fretboard last night. Now comes the job of trimming the excess binding material. I need some advise here.

Should I sand down the fretboard using a radiused block? Or should I do the scraping thing. I've never really used a scraper, so is there anywhere I can find a tuturial or advice learning how to do it and what to do it with?

Thanks,

Frank

I have an earlier generation of this stewmac binding guide....It's a certifiable waste of money. I remember having trouble with it years ago, and it collected dust in my drawer....until my LP build demanded that I give it another chance.

So I took it out and tested on a few pieces of scrap wood....and the results were the same. It's tremendously hard to maintain an exact 90 degree angle on the wood....and what happens is that you not only get an uneven channel....but if you're not *extremely* careful and the angle to the wood your cutting draws closer to the body, you can actually eat out more wood than it is intended for. The end result is that you have a binding channel that is shallow in some places and too deep in others.

It also is very prone to tearing and spitting....probably due to the fact that you're using a weaker dremel instead of a real router.

This actually strikes close to home...because I had forgotten how error prone this unit was.....as I had plans to bind both my LP body and neck with this unit....and now I cant. The only way I can do a binding channel now, is to spend 50 bucks on StewMacs rabbet bits.....I really wish I could find a less expensive alternative!!!

Hey folks,

Im the middle of a Les Paul build. I wanted to ask some general and specific questions that have been concerning me...as I move through this build. So far, I've got the mahogany body completed...control cavity, switch cavity, channel between the two, etc done....but before I trudge on, I wanted to ask these questions. I thank anyone in advance for responding and offering advice:

1. Neck joint angle questions

The way I see it, I have a few options in order to create the neck angle on the body. I could either run the entire body through my tablesaw, with the blade set at an angle (ive seen this done online, but it seems the chances for mistake or an inacurate cut is high) I could create the angle with a belt sander....or I can build a router jig similar to what Setch did on his site.....Can you guys offer some insight as to what the best option or advise me of another option?

2. tennon / neck pocket questions

Two options here. Build the angle into the tennon and route a flat pocket. My templates (from Ronnie at GuitarBuildingTemplates.com) seem to be built around this concept....OR...build a straight tennon and route the pocket at an angle. To me, although there are more angled cuts, the flat pocket with the angled tennon seems to be easier to accomplish....as getting the angled pocket right, seems tough. Am I wrong....any advice or other ideas is welcome!

3. Routing block inlays

This is the first time I'm doing any inlays beyond that of regular dot inlays (which I just use a drill bit for). In this case, my fingerboard is already radiused from StewMac....so I see a few problems with this. Tracing the inlays would be a less exact process as the inlays would be wobbling on an already radiused board. Then, routing would be problematic as the dremel router base would follow a radiused board (Unless I make wings to temporarily attach on both sides of the fingerboard so that the router base is steady and flat....Any suggestions here?

Thanks for any and all help regarding this.

-Frank

I would start by just shimming the neck angle back a tad. Might allow you to get low enough action right away, as you're technically only about 1/8" off.

There is some debate as to the kind of maple on LPs and PRS instruments; if its quilt then its western, but if its flamed then it could be anything really.

Thanks, this is more the info I'm looking for....what does Gibson and PRS use in their stock...I guess it could be anything....

-F

Hey folks,

what's the difference? (other than the obvious geographical one)

Which is more commonly used for maple tops on LPs, PRSs, etc??

Thanks for any clarification...

-Frank

Fancy posting some pics of the amps, sounds interesting.

Certainly, will do. I need to clean this basement first. It's a darn mess, Not exactly great picture taking conditions down here....But I plan to straighten up this weekend...and when I do, I'll be sure to snap some shots.

Hey folks,

I had a thought...and let me preface by saying NO, I AM NOT ADVOCATING TAKING A ROUTER TO A GIBSON LES PAUL...

I'm curious if anyone has built a les paul (or similarly carved top guitar with 1 3/4" body with an additional 1/2" of carve or so)....with a floyd rose.

Any considerations here? I assume that the spring cavity has to actually be routed deeper than normal, given the fact that the bridge will be higher than the normally expected 1 3/4" from the back of the guitar?

Thanks,

Frank

On the hand, there's no rule that says you have to build YOUR guitar exactly the way someone else builds their guitar. No reason you can't use a PRS style neck joint on your LP.

Very good point, hadn't thought of that.

I just don't understand trying to build an exact copy of a guitar that already exists and is still in production.

I can give you an answer there...and it's not because I want a Les Paul and thought I would build one to get it. I already have a real paul here, so thats not the intent.

My opinion on this, and some can certainly disagree if they like doing it another way....But I like starting out and learning on a known entity. By building a Les Paul or a PRS copy, you end up learning the basics of building on a design thats proven and tested.

In this case, I've built a handful of bolt on guitars....but in this case, I've never built a set neck, carved top guitar...and that is the goal for me. I don't want to further confuse the effort by building a guitar that isn't something that's been done before....perhaps the second guitar will be unique...but this first guitar needs to be something I can relate to...

I equate it to amp building, something I've been doing for the past 4-5 years. My first 2 amps were clones....First one was a Carmen Ghia clone...and that particular amp was as close to a real Z as you can imagine. Every component I used were the same components I saw in all of the gut shots on the net. Even the amp case looks like a Z. I needed a point of reference. The next amp was a Z-28 clone. That amp is far from being a carbon copy of the production amp....with the skills I learned from the first amp, I set forth to build this new amp...and once I did, I modded it to my satisfaction. Third amp was an 18watt TMB. That amp is unlike any 18watt out there...I've modded the crap out of it...and it is only an 18watt TMB in basic framework...the amp is very much my own thing. My latest amp was loosely based on the JCM800...but it sounds and looks nothing like one.....the design is more my own than marshalls....

In the above sequence, I slowly grew more independant of actual designs, when I got more confident in my abilities...

With this carved top set neck guitar...I need some hand holding...I need something to relate to while I build....this'll give me the ability/confidence to strike out on my own down the line...

hope that clarifies...

-Frank

Well, thanks for the opinions guys...but I was more asking what you guys think from a building point of view....

what design has a better heel? easier to carve? etc...

I am partially leaning towards the PRS singlecut because the neck joint looks easier...no tennon has to be carved...well, not true...but the PRS tennon is simply an extention of the neck shape...

the LP, you have the tennon to worry about, making sure the neck angle on the body is perfect as the fretboard rests on it, etc...

The PRS, you can get away with a less than stellar neck angle built into the body....so long as the neck angle itself is correct...

I dunno....am I talking out of my arse here guys? or am I onto something?

-F