Flon Klar Guitars

A direct quote from the Wikipedia entry for "Gibson Firebird": "The Firebird line of guitars had four guitar models and one bass model, the latter known as the Thunderbird." So as long as Gibson doesn't start making a bass called the Firebird, I won't have to prosecute them for copyright infringement!

I believe Gibson makes a Firebird guitar, but since my Firebird is a bass, I think I'm OK. Re: the small horn: it's actually small enough that I can reach OVER it to get to the upper frets! And- If Prince wants to order one, I am fully on board THAT train!!

Just to throw in my $.02: Setch is absolutely correct; the 1st pic (which was never meant for publication!) shows a very rough unfinished cutout, while in the 2nd I have indeed clamped together and sanded the 2 halves. So, after I did the original layout for the Viszikon guitar, I decided to see what I could do based on the "V" style for my own bass. Introducing the Firebird...

Thanks Devon. That's my logo, the Flon Klar Spider.

Thanks. No, it's on the side opposite the hand, so it doesn't interfere at all.

WORD!

Hey, there's an idea! I could walk through the dark alley behind the club after a gig, carrying the bass, and I'd be perfectly safe- 'cause I'd be armed!!

Well... I don't know how "right" you are, but I'm glad you at least thought about it!

Thanks Matt. I don't know if there's necessarily anything to "get," so don't worry about that, I'm just getting expressive with whatever comes to mind!

To Terry and Wez: You'll both be happy to know that I just purchased 2 of the correct tuners for the treble side, so that problem will be corrected shortly! Wez- Took a look at your website. Great work, man! Love your finishes!

The perf nut functions as a string retainer as well as a nut, to control string alignment. Granted, the stainless is a little harder to work with, but you can file the bottom of the hole to adjust the depth just like any other nut.

ditto that I like everything about it personally... except the body shape , this one just doesnt do it for me. That said, its still a lot more interesting than yet another les paul clone And THAT'S the type of reaction I was hoping for!! Thanks Ben!

Thanks Frank, glad you like it! As for myself, I enjoy playing my own "abstract" creations, but I draw the line at "definite shapes": instruments shaped like rifles, axes, cars, outlines of countries, etc. (Although, I do like Mike Anthony's JD bottle...)

Might as well throw this one out there too! It's still a work in progress, but I took these pix last week. #3 is the Angel, a 4-string fretted bass: curly maple top; black walnut back; 5-piece bloodwood/cherry/walnut thru-neck; 26-fret bloodwood fretboard; Kent Armstrong P-J pups with a Demeter 18-volt 3-band eq/preamp; gold tuners, bridge, knobs, straplocks; brass nut, inlays, side dots. This one's coming along real well, I think!

Thanks bro. Yeah, the plan from the beginning was all about originality of design. It's very playable and well-balanced, and it's quite light-weight, about 8 lbs. fully dressed.

1) It's a plug to cover up where I inadvertently sanded down to the dowel. 2) So far, the handle feels fine (crosses fingers). 3) The tuners are spaced badly because I made the mistake of measuring off the arc, which is not a true circle. 4) One ferrule is off because, as it turns out, drilling diagonally is a real bitch! 5) I keep meaning to order 2 left-handed tuners for it... 6) The result of oversanding. 7) Precisely- "Flon Klar." 8) Thanks. 9) Yes, it's my 1st build.

OK then, here's my #2 model, the "Eruption." It's a 4-string fretless bass: bubinga top; curly cherry back; 9-piece bubinga/cherry/maple thru-neck; curly maple fingerboard with a Mirror Coat epoxy coating; Bartolini soapbars with a Bart 9-volt 3-way eq; graphite nut. It has a much rounder, darker tone than the Slasher, but I'm not sure I'd do the epoxy coat on the fingerboard again, as it definitely takes away the "woodiness." http://www.dropshots.com/photos/166367/20060822/172336.jpg http://www.dropshots.com/photos/166367/20060822/172338.jpg

I have seen luthiers do this by making a seperate body and neck, and doing a set neck style build. Then between the body and neck, they change the woods up and glue it inbetween the neck / body. Pretty crazy looking! No, it's a neck-thru design. To do the offset, I simply cut a gouge along the edge of the shoulder, cut and shaped the offset pieces, and glued them into the gouge. Just thought I'd try something different!

Hey All- This is the first model from Flon Klar Guitars, the "Slasher." It's a 35" scale 5-string bass: body and headstock wings are Honduras mahogany; extra-wide 5-piece thru-neck of purpleheart and hard maple with dual truss rods; 26-fret cocobolo fretboard; Gotoh tuners and string-thru-the-body bridge; the perforated nut and all inlays are hand-cut from stainless steel; EMG 40-DC (neck) and 40-J (bridge) with 18VDC BQC System eq, Neutrik locking jack. Hope you like it! http://www.dropshots.com/photos/166367/20060822/170838.jpg http://www.dropshots.com/photos/166367/20060822/170839.jpg http://www.dropshots.com/photos/166367/20060822/170840.jpg http://www.dropshots.com/photos/166367/20060822/170842.jpg http://www.dropshots.com/photos/166367/20060822/170841.jpg http://www.dropshots.com/photos/166367/20060822/170844.jpg http://www.dropshots.com/photos/166367/20060822/170843.jpg

I use masking tape to pad the channel if necessary, which it usually is, since I generally overcut the channel by a few thousandths.