Unrealize

Very neat, I like it! love impossible shapes....

Or you could just sand them to the shape you need....

Yeah, paint it white and then throw paint at it and let it run...

Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me a second, I mean, who makes something compatible these days...? I have a friend working at a place with a cnc machine, I'll have a talk with him and see if he could be able to help me out..

Thanks a lot, I'll measure it up as soon as I get home from work...

Hey. I have just a quick question, I did a search here, but I found nothing that could answer my question. I have the Stewmac miterbox and saw for my fret slotting, however, they don't offer that many scales in their templates. LMI have quite a lot more to chose from, but I'm not interested in banging out another 300+$ for their slotting system. Do the LMI templates work on the StewMac miter box..? cheers!

Alright! Finished! Not the best picture, but I guess it will do for now. This turned out to be a really heavy axe, heavier than I would have expected. I am utterly unhappy with the finish, it dents from a hard look at it, and I had severe problems getting it smooth, it was way harder than I expected. Next guitar will definitely find it's way to a pro painter, it will be easier, cheaper, faster, and a lot more durable I think. This dissappointed me to the point of almost giving up on the damn thing, and it was close to jump in the fire... Now, to the good things: I have managed to create my first guitar, which I would never thought that I would do. I am glad that I actually finished it and put the strings on, cause I learnt that IT PLAYS GREAT! No fret buzzing, intonates great (Better than my two Jacksons), it has great sustain (again compared to the Jacksons), low action, no noise from the electronics. All these things make me see through the imperfections that I know are there, and I will have this guitar as a testimony to my feeble start in guitarmaking. I have learnt an enormous amount about guitars, about woodworking, about my own skills, and my patience, and I think that I am now ready to venture further into the world of lutherie. I have a couple of ideas that I will make a new thread on soon... The circle is complete, begin another!

ok, so I should be safe with scuffing the black with a leveling up to 800 grit then, and then clear from there.. good...

guitar2005: Thanks alot man. Yeah, I have learn't my lesson, and I won't do it again. I am only going to finish this guitar now, and and I think that I will eventually scrap it. There are some issues with it that I'm not entirely happy with, and it nags on my pride.. hehe. I have learnt a lot tho, and the next one will be a lot better... What irritates me is that I spesifically asked for paint that would cure totally solid, but I don't think I got it right. I think that next time I will paint at a pro painter tho, it will actually turn out cheaper than what it will cost in cans in the end.. hehe.. cheers!!!

hhmmm, but won't you see the scratches from the scuffing through the clear coat then? I must say I'm a little bit in the dark here, I don't see how you can get a shiny finish if you sand the black and then clear coat it... But in general sanding up to 12000 like I did is way too much then...

Hey. I'm in the process of finishing my Explorer at the moment, and I have been layering quite a few coats of acrylig car paint from spray cans. I have been struggling with dust and runs and what not, but I have learnt a lot too. I'm also struggling with getting a uniform flow while spraying, some parts of the guitar seems really nice, some have more of the orange peel. Now, what I'm curious about is how much do I have to sand the finish before applying clear coat? I have my neck sanded up to 12.000 grit with StewMac's micro mesh fingerpads. I can still see the some fine scratches from the sanding tho. Is it too much? too little? Should I buff it before clearcoating it..? I would much appreciate some guidelines here, thank you!!!

Hey, good to see that you are still working with this. I'm nearing completion on my own Explorer too, in the painting process at the moment, harder than I thought, but I think that I'm getting there eventually. Personally I don't like ferrules that much, I like the TOM setup, but going for it I would agree with Xanthus, make them flow with the back, I think that would be the best option... cheers!!!

That sucks!!! I used Sperzels on mine, and I had no problem fitting them at all. Good luck with it!!!

Alrighty, it's been waaaay too long now, but finally I'm back. I have gotten a lot done in this puppy and for the first time today I just had to put some strings on it. First thing I noticed was that my neck angle was a little too steep, so I had to raise the bridge to unknown heights to get it to play, I guess I need to shim the neckpocket a little to get it down to a more normal level. Could anyone give me a hint on what to use to get this done properly? Wood, or some other material? Should I shim the whole pocket and drill holes through the shim, or..? Other than that it is coming together nicely, pretty much only sanding left, and fitting the magnets for the cavity cover. Then color it, and get ready to play some thrash.... Anyway, here are some pictures of the new progress... Diamond Plate Cavity Cavity / Batterybox Tuner holes Body Tune O Matic

So you couldn't keep your hands away from it?? I'm very glad to see you back at it Rista. Make sure to keep your progress pics coming!! I'm just about finished with all my studio projects for now, just released an album a month ago, and another is scheduled to be released in late September, so finally I can have some time to work on my own Explorer. It's been way too long since I touched it, but next week, I'm gonna get some work done! Nice to have you back!!! Cheers!

Just inlay the plate and its just fine. I have inlaid a couple of diamondplates on a couple of Jacksons I have. Worked out all fine, except they are heavy as hell. But I play heavy f*******n metal anyways! Just file or sand the edges slightly, and it's no problem. Cheers!

Hey folks. Thanks a lot for all the answers and suggestions. I really appreciate it, and wow, never guessed I'd get so many. From all the variety in here I don't think I got much closer than what I were in the beginning, but there are many sorts that I have ruled out. I'm left with the feeling that it is Ash of some sort. I read somewhere that the bark of ash can be really similar to oak, and judging from a couple of oaks I have around my house, that seems pretty close. Anyway, it isn't toooo important anyway, I'll just get it chopped, and start the drying... And thanks again!!

Hey folks.. I robbed my job for a couple of small logs as they were expanding the business, and had to cut down some trees. Some people told me that it was maple, but I recognise the leaves on the maple, and it is definitely not that, but aside from maple and a few select others, I have little knowledge when it comes to trees, so... can any of you help...? I'm thinking Ash, but I don't really got anything to back that up with.. hehe.. Another thing, what should I do with this wood. I know I must let it dry for a very long time, but should I cut some planks from it, or just leave as is..? Here's some pictures... More wood Leaves Thanks!!!

I don't remember exactly where just at the moment, but I have seen it on other guitars/basses. The deal really is probably just to draw it out, see if you like it or not, and decide to go for it or not... Good luck!!

Mee? Graphics junkie...?? noooooooooo....

Probably the tool that you are most comfortable with is the best tool in any case..

You can do the exact same thing in Illustrator, and not have the hazzle with export import...

Illustrator would be way better. *10

I'd definitely go with the top one, but that's just my taste, you should go with the one YOU feel right about, if not, you will regret it in the end... Good luck!!!

Hmmm, so it seems that I should stay clear of this then. seems like I should go for the big one. Does anyone have any suggestions for some good presses out there, preferably none that will blow my creditcard to pieces....