OM Guitars

I don't know anything about them, but it looks to me like your specs go to Shamray and he farms it out to whichever Russian builder can get the job done.

Thanks... who exactly is Shamray? Know anything about the quality of their guitars?

Anyone know anything about these guys?

http://TheGuitarCustomShop.com/

I'm thinking of having them build a guitar for me, haven't found much about them. Their forum seems to indicate their legit.

Any help would be appreciated. Mods, if this is in the wrong place, please move it as appropriate. Thanks!

Wood's softer than metal, and it lasts fine, and there are tons of alum bridges out there that have zero problems with wear and tear.

Aluminum it is, then. I suppose I shouldn't be really worried about wear and tear, since I'm getting a fixed bridge.

Easiest for me would be matte or semi-glossy black anodization, or natural aluminium colored anodization, because I now have the connections with a company that can do it. It is also possible to get it chromed or gold plated, although I would have to find a supplier first.

Matte black would be preferable, though I could do semi-gloss black as well. Assuming a great warranty, I could do $350; my only concern is durability, since aluminum is a relatively soft metal. (Not to complicate this more, but have you thought about brass? Brass also has a nice tone.)

I'm interested in a fixed-bridge version.

If you ever end up selling something like this, I'd be interested

+1, for the fixed-bridge version.

There really aren't many choices available as far as headless guitar bridges, and none as elegant as the Strandberger bridge. Transtrems and S-trems are very heavy, and have a substantial effect on a guitar's tone; they also require special routing for installation. ETS makes headless bass bridges, but do they also make headless guitar bridges? Didn't see any on their website.

I currently use ABM headless bridges for my projects, but the Strandberger bridge looks really nice. If you can produce and sell them for a reasonable price, I bet you'll have several potential buyers right off the bat.

The final product!

Enjoy...

Some other pics here

Very lightweight. I miss these one

Philippe

Wow. Just... wow.

Body looks REALLY close to those Zachary Guitars...

Chris

Yup. The Zachary Z2 was one of the primary influences on design, as well as the Kubicki Factor.

http://homepage.mac.com/sanjit8/OMG1Projec...ign/Design.html

Great job! That's an awesome piece of mahogany too. What's the finish? What's the neck material? The black neck looks really striking with the mahogany.

Thanks, it really is quite a beautiful piece of mahogany. I've detailed finishing information on the "Finishing" page:

http://homepage.mac.com/sanjit8/OMG1Projec.../Finishing.html

The neck is carbon-graphite, by Moses graphite. They make the necks for the Steinberger-USA guitars and basses.

Very, very nice...got a few specs on the neck for us? I've got one headless under my belt with the same ABM hardware (although I just use single-ball strings), and I'll soon be starting a second commissioned one, similar but modified design, using ABM's single string headless bridge units and going full-on fanned fret.

Thanks, Mattia... I think it's pretty appropriate that you replied first, considering all the instruction you gave me on how to finish using tru-oil (check out the "Thank You" link at the bottom). Neck specs can be found on the Moses Graphite site:

http://www.mosesgraphite.com/cgi-bin/moses...itar_Necks.html

(Click on NS-27 S-Style)

I've also included some more information about the neck, headpiece, and nut on the "Completed Guitar" page:

http://homepage.mac.com/sanjit8/OMG1Projec.../TheGuitar.html

I'm very intrigued by this idea of a fanned-fret headless... care to share any design pics? BTW, I used single ball strings as well, the ABM headpiece has the single-ball string adaptor built in.

Hey all,

Just finished putting together my guitar recently. I made a website dedicated to documenting the build process, with plenty of descriptions of the process. Lots of photos too. Feedback and comments appreciated...

http://homepage.mac.com/sanjit8/OMG1Project/OMG1Home.html

BTW, if you have any questions about how the guitar was built, or dimensions, finishing, etc, please click on the appropriate Subheader link... it's probably covered.

-Sanjit

Hey all,

I'm currently working on my first guitar, and I'm at the stage where I have to decide whether to use pickup mounting rings or not. Supposing I do use the rings, will I need to drill holes for the ring mounting screws, or should I just turn the screws into the wood? (The wood is mahogany, in case that matters.)

I'll also need to do the same for the cavity control cover mounting screws.

Now supposing I decide to forego the mounting rings and mount the pickups directly to the body, what type of screws should I use to mount them? Do I need to use springs? And once again should I drill pilot holes for the mounting screws?

Thanks very much!

O. G.

Sorry, I just noticed the topic near the bottom of the page regarding satin necks... my bad. Guess I'll be going with Tru-oil as well.

But my other question about the risk of warpage with a Warmoth neck still stands. Is Tru-oil considered a hard finish?

I'm thinking of getting a Warmoth maple neck, and need suggestions on how to finish it. I'm going for the satin look... should I just use Tung oil? Should I use a spray? (Any health issues I need to be aware of with sprays?)

Warmoth states on their neck-finishing web page that in order for their warranty to be valid, the neck must be given a "hard" finish by someone. Considering that they charge $75 minimum for any of their finishes, I'd prefer that someone be me. What exactly qualifies as a hard finish? And how serious a risk of neck warpage do I run if I don't use a hard finish?

Thanks in advance...

I'm thinking of getting a Warmoth maple neck, and need suggestions on how to finish it. I'm going for the satin look... should I just use Tung oil? Should I use a spray? (Any health issues I need to be aware of with sprays?)

Warmoth states on their neck-finishing web page that in order for their warranty to be valid, the neck must be given a "hard" finish by someone. Considering that they charge $75 minimum for any of their finishes, I'd prefer that someone be me. What exactly qualifies as a hard finish? And how serious a risk of neck warpage do I run if I don't use a hard finish?

Thanks in advance...

Sounds great. Would you please share that information once you get it?

Regards,

Rob

Will do, Rob. I'm fairly new to this board... is there a repository of this type of information? I figured maybe the "guitar-parts" thread, however it seems to be more a set of links than a repository for specs.

check with Warmoth whether they'll even do that (drill for custom bridge) first.

I did, and they said they would. They just need the specs.

I e-mailed Mammoth, they got back to me already. They've put in a request for the dimensions.

While investigating headless guitar resources, I contacted Moses Graphite about their necks. During those discussions, they indicated that the ABM bridge is compatible with Strat type necks. I wrote about it - here

An Allparts dealer can get you the ABM bridge. In the past I've dealt with Mammoth Guitars and was very happy with them. (Mammoth Guitars also participates on Project Guitar, btw.)

Regards,

Rob

Rob, would you happen to know the exact dimensions on the bridge? In particular, the spacing of the screws, and the length of the tuners? I'm having Warmoth build the body, and would prefer to have them drill the holes for the bridge.

Thanks...

I did a search on this forum, googled, and e-mailed ABM Muller. No luck... ABM Muller said the best thing to do would be to "make a sample order to check out everything." I'd kind of prefer to have the specs before I ordered the parts... anyone have them, or know where I could find them? I primarily need the length and width of each part of the ABM Headless bridge for the guitar, as well as the position of the screws.

Thanks for any help...

Yes it will work. I've seen several examples of its use with several different approaches to headless designs:

A Spanish guitar builder (Cotta Guitars) used it with a Steinberger bridge on a Klein electric clone.

Luthier Todd Keehn uses a locking nut in combination with "conventional" tuners mounted at the bridge side (Steinberger gearless tuners on his personal guitar. I posted about it on my blog back in September - Alternative Headless Guitar Design- TK Instruments. Personally, I think this is a great solution that frees you to use a wider variety of bridges, necks, strings, etc. I'm looking at this for a future build. My current build uses a Steinberger bridge and headpiece.

Regards,

Rob

I would highly recommend Steinberger gearless tuners. My alternate plan to the headless design is to use a conventional fixed bridge with the 'berger gearless tuners. I have them on two of my guitars, and love them. Aesthetically pleasing, very smooth action, very stable. The shafts are somewhat delicate, so be sure not to overtighten the nut when installing.

Thanks for all the feedback so far... any other pictures of these Headless + Floyd Nut guitars?

Figured I'd start a new thread with this question. I'm considering building a headless guitar, with a Warmoth neck. Using the Floyd Rose locking nut would allow me to have a wider nut (as most head-pieces for headless bridges have a narrower nut), would allow me to use Warmoth for the neck, and would allow me to have a small, aesthetically pleasing head. Additionally, I would not be constrained by having to use a proprietary type of string (i.e. Speedloader, double ball-end).

All that being said, will this combo work? Are there any limitations?

I got the idea from this picture on an eBay auction for an inexpensive headless guitar:

Pearl River headless, locking nut

Thanks for the help...

PS I'm planning to use an ABM headless bridge and tailpiece.

okay...cool.

last i heard they were going to make a fixed bridge speedloader...seen that?it is very very nice...if it is now in production(i have been off the net for over a year)

whoa...flatwound?what the heck for?i thought those were a thing of the past

the floyd strings are not very "scratchy" sounding,if that is what you don't like about roundwound...i have a guitar with a speedloader and the strings are super nice

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but the Floyd website seems decidedly lacking. Are those tuners on the bridge just fine tuners?

yes...fine tuners.but you set the tuning inside it on the initial setup i believe...after that you never do anything but fine tuning...even after string change.

Thanks... did a quick search on "speedloader," and good old Wikipedia had a nice article on it. I definitely don't want to use a bridge system that limits the types of strings I use. I personally believe pretty strongly that the type of wound strings one uses is very important to tone. For examply, for the vintage-type sounds, I simply have not found a better string than DR Pure Blues... and as far as the flatwounds, I just like the tone for certain types of music.

On my 'bergers, I was not impressed by either the Steinberger or La Bella strings available. Then again, IMHO, 'bergers were always primarily about technology and engineering versus musicality and tone.

how will you tune it?did you read my post about the floyd speedloader?it has a special nut that just mounts like a regular floyd nut

check out the speedloader system...it is BY FAR the best way to go for what you are doing

Regarding the Speedloader system... is there any place I can find more complete documentation on the bridge? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but the Floyd website seems decidedly lacking. Are those tuners on the bridge just fine tuners? From the website, I gather that you need to use custom Speedloader string sets with the bridge. This would pretty much rule out the bridge for me, as I plan to use custom sets that include flat-wound low E, A, and D strings.

how will you tune it?did you read my post about the floyd speedloader?it has a special nut that just mounts like a regular floyd nut

check out the speedloader system...it is BY FAR the best way to go for what you are doing

I did read your post, and have briefly perused the Floyd and supplier websites. I'm currently planning to use the ABM headless unit, which is the same one on Mattia's guitar.

I don't need a tremolo bridge, and don't want to have to route too much wood out of the body. The reason I've decided against a Steinberger bridge is because I've owned 'bergers in the past, and believe the fact that their bridges are so massive affects the tone negatively. (I generally feel the same way about Floyd Rose trems... I base this on comparisons of nearly identical Ibanez guitars, one with a Floyd, one with a strat-style trem. The Floyd sounds "tinnier" to my ears.)

So... speaking of this special nut for the speed-loader... is it functionally any different from a standard floyd nut?

Ok, so the consensus seems to be that mahogany is fine for a headless neck.

(The reason the question even occured to me was because of something I read on the Kubicki site,

Kubicki.com... note about halfway down the page, in the section "The Laminated Neck.")

Next question about making a headless... can I simply use a Floyd Rose locking nut to lock the strings at the nut? I.e. no specialized headpiece. I saw something similar on an eBay auction, here's the link to the pertinent photo: Headless, locking nut

My plan is to include a small headstock for aesthetic purposes; also, I plan to have Warmoth build the neck. This way, I can simply have them build their standard neck, with a Floyd Rose nut installed, and simply a smaller headstock. Voila, a "headless" neck from Warmoth. Please shoot holes in this plan if you can, I want to know now if it's not feasible, rather than after I've ordered parts.

PS Another advantage I'd see of using a Floyd locking nut is that I can use a wider nut. The two headpieces I've seen (the ABM and Steinberger) are I believe both 1 5/8" wide at the nut... I prefer a wider nut, and plan to order the 1 3/4" wide Floyd locking nut.

mattia, that is BEAUTIFUL!

Amen. I've already requested more pics from him... how about it Mattia? I like the ABM headless bridge too. Looks really understated.