funkle

I just painted a guitar with products from my local auto paint supplier with great results - I will post pictures and a step by step after it's all rubbed out and assembled. It the mean time here are a few thoughts that may be helpful:

Find a supplier with helpful salespeople that will spend some time helping you choose the right product, and explaining how to use them. The guy I talked to had painted guitars before.

Paint products that are available in one region may not be available in another, because of local environmental laws, so it is tough to recommend specific products. Im in an urban CA city, and the VOC laws are pretty tough here. Different (more volatile) products are available just by going out of town.

A good (expensive) pro quality clear coat will spray better, dry quicker, rub out better, look better, and be more durable than a cheaper alternative (like a spray can or a bargain clear coat)

When using auto body primer to level the wood, seal the wood first to prevent the primer from soaking in (I used conversion varnish)

Spray in an area that is as free as possible from dust, and curious passers by as possible. (The booth I used was clean, but a shop employee walked into the booth the check out the guitar, and dropped some of his cigarette ash on the still wet clear coat - GRRRR!)

Think safety - Breathing the fumes can case injury or death, so get a good canister mask and use a properly ventilated booth. You don't want to get this stuff on your skin - particularly the catalyzer.

Some people will have you believe that you cannot buy automotive paint in small quantities - this is not the case with the supplier I bought from. They will mix your color to order on the spot in pints - just look through the car color catalogs and pick your color!

I ended up using acrylic paints - a metallic color coat, and a 2-part (conversion) clear coat. The result is stunning, but it was pricey - about $150 for a pint of color, and a quart of clear and the reducer and catalyzer that are required).

Thanks Fender, but I wasn't planning on making my pickguard out of drywall BTW, you can get a drywall bit for you r dremel that works great - it is a straight cutting bit with a smooth bearing on the bottom, so you can cut drywall while using a stud or outlet box as a guide.

For the guitar, I did use a router base and a straight edge the first time, I think the wandering resulted from the bit flexing and pulling to one side when it bit into the wood. Actually it turned out pretty clean, it just took a lot of cleanup with sandpaper. There has to be a more straight forward way to go about it.

Can anyone recommend a clean way to cut the slot for a blade style PU selector switch?

The last time I did it, I used a dremel with a 3/32" router bit. It was very hard to get a clean rout, because the narrow bit tended to flex and wander around (this was in a wood top) and I had to do many shallow passes. Can any of you pros tell me how to get pro results here?

Thanks!

You can find answers to your questions at ibanezcolloctors.com. Do a keyword search on "tri sound" for lots of info. And you can post a request for the wiring diagram in the "Captain Ibanez" section - he's an Ibanez employee (in Australia) who has all the old wiring diagrams.

KTL,

That's really an impressive piece of work. Did you have that aluminum plate machined?

Is there any relation with your design and Spalt Bass

I think I need to wait until next month to enter my first attempt

Hey, that looks great. I really like the design of the one on the drawing board. Very pleasing shape - looks ergonomic.

-sven

It's generally not good to buy from allparts unless you have no other choice, or you have a Dealers License. The prices are way too high. BTW I'm pretty sure Brian get's them from Allparts but he has a dealer license so he can set the price.

Yeah, I've always stayed away from Allparts, because it looks like they have the full retail price listed. I ended up buying 2 sets from Brian - great price, and it's nice to support someone from the site.

Thanks

-Sven

Brian Has them Here!

Sweet! Great price too. Thanks Scott

Marcel,

I noticed that Allparts has them, but I believe they sell only to dealers, is this not the case?

-Sven

You can get em from Warmoth here

Just go to the tuning machines link.

Thanks, but those aren't the locking version.

Anybody know where I can find Gotoh 3+3 locking tuners in chrome?

Bosch angle grinder

Palm Pilot

Sonic tape measure

Pulp Fiction - collectors edition

Shirt

Restaurant guide

Berkley has one

http://www.berklee.edu/summer/default.html

They're in Boston, and probably the best one for contemporary music.

BTW, Frank Gambale's book comes with an audio cassette... well it did when I bought it years ago, anyway.

It's a CD now

I can't believe no one mentioned Gambale!

Snork, Frank Gambale is the king of sweep picking. He's more of a jazz/fusion player than a shredder, but he did play on the famous "truth in shredding" CD, and can play some dizzyingly fast lines. He is credited with developing the technique (it already existed, but he developed it into a usable system, that could be taught learned and full applied. And is the first to really maximize it).

There are at least 2 instructional videos on his site that cover it.

Monster Licks and Speed Picking

Chopbuilder

and 1 book

Speed Picking

Here's the description:

"In this book Gambale explains the concept of Sweep Picking. The best place to get this info is from the man who created the style. This book contains many musical examples and licks and compositions which will help you improve your picking. As Gambale says " I've never met a guitar player who doesn't have a problem with their picking". Sweep Picking builds maximum picking efficiency. It shows you how to sweep and not waste any motion in the picking hand. "Playing fast is easy with Sweeping..........when you get it! So what are you waiting for??". Just listening to Gambale play proves that this technique works. Until Gambale came along, everybody thought the technique was not practical or impossible. Just goes to show you how wrong people can be."

all available on the site. Maybe it's not to late to put in a Chanukah request

-Sven

Yeah, I almost got one of those DG stomps when they were $169 at MF. When I was ready to buy, the price jumped back up to $299 . I think Yamaha discontinued them and are now making the MagicStomp.

They've stopped making the DG line, but they're still widely available on eBay. I hear Yamaha is developing some new amp products that should be killer.

Has anyone had luck with the grider/buffers that regularly sell on eBay for less than $100? I'm thinking of buying one, but not if I'll just have to replace it with a better one. Any experience with these?

-Sven

http://www.toenungsfolienshop.de/index.htm...g_7/items30.htm

My idea: mounting this over a black guitar body...perhaps I'll try some day

so long

ace

Every one will say "that's the coolest Hologramm-Tönungsfolie Laser für Heckscheibe guitar I've ever seen!"

1. Fill grain with a grain filler (water...oil? i dunno!) does this still need to be done if theres a veneer on top?

2. Some ppl appear to spray alittle clear coat to seal (or is this actually a special type of sealer?)

3. Do the colour bit....anyone know a good reliable brand for staining veneer, maybe something with a website i can look at?

4. Spray clear coats

5. Polishing....which do you guys think is best, finish with something like 2000 grit and then use the stewmac abrasive polishing compiunds or just use that micro mesh stuff?

6. Buy the Stew-Mac Shopguide series "Guitar Finishing Step by Step"

Very good explanation of compatibility, and different approaches to grain filling. All the major finishes, equipment and techniques are explained, and there are several finish schedules, or "recipes" for duplicating the classics.

You forgot to put G.E. Smith 

The Saturday Night Live guy?

Yep, one of the most gratuitous, and widely televised guitar faces in history.

I have a new found love for Teles.

-Sven

You forgot to put G.E. Smith

Wilkinson made their trem's for Carvin a while ago where the trem would lock into a hardtail when the bar was perpendicular to the strings (facing the floor) and would unlock when used paralell. But I haven't seen any mention of the unit on Carvins recent trems.

Wilkinson was sued (by Gibson?) for some kind of product infringement, and as a result, they no longer sell the bridge, called the Convertible, in the US, but you can still buy them overseas, (and maybe in Canada?)

hey funkle, so whats the porn site? lol

While not strictly a distortion stomp box device, y'all should check out the V-Stack. Listen to the clips on the "SAMPLES" link. I couldn't find sound clips of the "King of Tone" on it's website so I can't compare. I liked the sounds that the analog V-Stack produces... in constrast to all the different DSP's (POD, V-Amp2, etc.) "sameness" (which admittedly still sounds pretty good.)

Not to bad sounding.

Man, for tube tone I just love my Yamaha DG80 modeling amp. This is the only modeling amp that i've heard that sounds decent to my ears. Both Frank Gambale and Allan Holdsworth are using this amp now, and they both have decent tone . There is a pre-amp/effect box version of it.

My approach to signal processing is to really good rack gear for time based effects, tone and noise reduction (all in moderation!), combined with either amp tone or stomp boxes for distortion. I like stomp boxes for adding specific effects like vintage analogue flangers etc.

i believe kirk hammett uses one of these

I don't think this one is in production yet, and it is not a very high gain box it - shapes your tone rather than clobbering it. A little whimpy for hammett.