Southpa

Thats what happens to the laquer finish used during that era. The same thing happens to ivory strats and it turns Lake Placid blue strats into green guitars. Its a sure sign of an original finish on a guitar because the laquers used don't have any UV protection, hence, the yellowing. Thats why lots of manufacturers are going with poly finishes that have UV protection these days. As far as whether to refinish or not, its your guitar, do what you want. It will definitely depreciate the guitar in the eyes of a collector but for most folks, if it still says Gibson on the headstock it has some value.

As far as bits go, I made a great score the last time I visited the dentist. At the unbelievable rates they charge these days I try to make sure I get something out of it aside from a $700 crown or whatever. Ask the dentist for any used bits they have put out of commission. The last dentist I visited gave me a whole bag (at least 200 bits!) of 1/8" and 1/16" shaft bits, all sorts of sizes and types. You can buy different size collets to fit these bits in your dremel. They are great for hand shaping etc. and are the best quality.

I've done lots of bridge repairs and rebuilt a few tops but never one from the ground up. I've heard good things about StewMac's resonator guitar kits and hope to order one sometime in the new year. Their first line of Delta resomasters was such a big hit that it sold out. There is more specialized equipment needed in cutting and forming the base pieces of an acoustic. It depends on what floor you want to start on. You could buy precut wood to the right thickness or cut it down yourself if you have access to a thickness planer or large sander. Then you have to steam the wood and form it on a mold. I guess you could use another guitar for a mold and end up with a slightly larger guitar . The rest is assembly, glueing and clamping. But there is an exact science in producing a good sounding acoustic. I recently played my friend's Martin and said, "yep, these guys definitely got a good recipe " That guitar just booms! in comparison to my Fender acoustic of the same size.

Most autobody supply stores carry the glue you need. Just ask if they have any "disc cement", I use a glue manufactured by a company called Pro Form Products Ltd., based in Milton, Ontario, Canada. It remains tacky and is used specifically for bonding paper or cloth backed sandpaper or discs to sponge, rubber, wood, metal, whatever you want to carry your sandpaper. You just spread it evenly on the block, allow the solvent to evaporate (about 5 min.) then press your paper firmly on. Paper won't slide and when done just peel it off and slap on a fresh one. One application of glue is good for several sandings. There are also a few varieties of spray on adhesives that do the same job. 3M company makes a few and I've also used a product called Air-Tac II. I prefer to do this kind of sanding by hand. Its so easy to mess up those smooooth curves with power equipment.

I'll probably wind up using everything at least once. I did a couple already in polyurethane. The next one will be clear automotive laquer on mahogany. I used tung oil on an oak toilet seat once. Its good for woods that have really well defined grain, like oak, but I wouldn't use it on mahogany.

Geez, I don't know. The only thing I can dream up is either it somehow got damaged on the way home or , and this is a long shot, your guitar has really low output pickups and the signal just isn't strong enough to activate the Vox circuit. I'm assuming you tried the wah out on a guitar supplied by the store. If you brought your own axe in to test out the wah then the only answer is it got broke! Bring it back along with your guitar and show them. At least you will know for sure which one is at fault.

First off you need the proper sized router bit to cut your slot. I think the Hot Rod calls for a 7/32" slot which is the width of the brass blocks at either end. The Hot Rod doesn't have to be anchored in so you only need to decide on where you want your access for adjustment. That depends on a few things, eg. at headstock or base of neck as well as the way you are attaching the neck to the body, ie. bolt-on, set neck or neckthrough. It also depends on where you plan to install the fretboard. If the guitar is going to be a neck thru w/ access at the base of the neck you have to add a little length to the slot and widen it for swinging an Allen key or other tool, depending on what style of adjustment you have. Personally, I hate guitars that you have to take apart for truss rod adjustment. I like to adjust w/ the strings still on so I can see the results right away. I leave the shaping of the back of the neck for very last. I find it to be a more stable platform for routing the truss rod slot, clamping the fretboard and setting the frets when its still square.

Welcome to the board! If I understand correctly, you want to make the sides a perfect 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to the top. You could make a couple sanding blocks, one w/ a concave surface and the other w/ a convex surface. Just make sure the radius of the concave one is larger than the largest curve on the guitar. Glue sandpaper to the surfaces of the sanding blocks. I usually start with 80 grit then work to 320. It depends on what stage the wood is at, 80 is for fairly rough wood, you can always begin with a finer grit. Make sure the sides (adjacent to the sanding surface) of your sanding blocks are perpendicular to the surface holding the paper. Lay the guitar down on a flat surface and use the convex block for the inside curves and the concave block for the outside curves.

Heres a great site I just stumbled on the other day. Shows exact positioning of pickups on many well known guitars. Distances are rated in % points ie. distance/scale length X 100. The site also has the most wiring schematics I've ever seen in one place. http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~dgb/index_e.htm If you are in tune with reading frequency response, this cool site might help you narrow down your positioning for the best results. http://www.till.com/articles/PickupRespons...Demo/index.html

Wow, where do you guys manage to get your hands on a laser? I just bought some perfect 3/8" (~5mm) Mexican abalone dots from a place called the Rockhound Shop, 25 cents each.

I figure you'd spend just as much time, if not more, making curved wooden templates as you would carving the actual neck. I take LOTS of measurements and mark everything out. The rest is just shaping and sanding until it feels right. If there is a certain neck that you'd like to reproduce over and over again you might make a template out of some sort of formable material like fibreglass. Put a heavy layer of wax on the neck, lay on the fibreglass and then let it cure. There is a new process being used in the boatbuilding field called vaccuum infusion molding. After the material is laid down a plastic bag is put over the piece and all the air is sucked out with a strong vaccuum. Wax should prevent the mold(s) from sticking to the wood. You could then cut your mold into sections and check the progress of your shaping with each piece.

Best buy I ever made about 5 yrs ago. I found a garage sale that was selling a Jackson-49 tube tester, 5 BUCKS! Sure, its old but then again so are vaccuum tubes. Anyway, you got some troubleshooting to do. There are several possible causes for the distortion you are hearing. Check all tubes with a transconductance tube tester. Remove each tube in turn and see if distortion goes away by putting a known good one in its place. If you still have distortion after checking all the tubes then check the filter capacitors for leaks or shorted/open circuits. These are the little buggers that store a charge, even with the amp unplugged. At this stage I would definitely recommend taking the amp in for a check up. Those caps can knock you on your ass if you aren't careful. Another quick check is to test the output transformer for shorts or opens. Distortion could also be caused by bad plate, cathode and control grid resistors. You have to know what you're looking at so if you haven't a clue when it comes to reading schematics then bring it on in to the doctor.

I found the bi-flex "hotrod" does everything they say it does. You don't have to anchor it in, and it can correct backbow as well as warp. Just put it in the slot with a dab of silicon on each block and glue the fretboard on. Its very sensitive. I can tweak the rod a quarter turn and actually see the strings move up/down off the fretboard as I turn. There are also other designs out there. Rickenbacker uses a dual truss rod as well, except its laid horizontally to correct twisting. Hagstrom also used their own unique style. Its a single rod but has little wings anchoring into the wood on either side. Thats how they got away with turning out very slim and shallow, but stable, necks.

I gave my father a Morley volume pedal and he modified it for me. He "customized" a Crybaby wah circuit and installed in the Morley shell. I got 3 guitar tone range settings for the wah; bass, mid and treble. Works like a hot damn.

I see the favorite seems to be Ibanez, null for me, just wanted to see where everyone was at. Well, have any of you Ibanez fans seen and played guitars put out by that company when they were just beginning? Unbelievably, cheap Fender and Gibson knockoffs. I can remember one axe they had that was made of solid clear acrylic, must've weighed about 20 lbs! It took them about 20 yrs. to finally work out their own designs and start producing quality guitars, then Joe Satriani did the rest. Anyway, nothing against Ibanez. Most will vote for the guitar brand(s) that they own. I see no one has mentioned Hagstroms, yes, I own one. Original designs, for the most part, from the getgo, slimmest and fastest neck ever built. Definitely an underrated guitar. But not my total favorite. I guess I'm just a Fender man at heart.

I'll bet its NOT a "Ki sound" guitar. Look closely and see if there might be a few letters missing. Its very likely a guitar called a "Kingsound". Found a review for a Kingsound stratocopy at this site: http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data...at-copy-01.html

I've tried a few different tools. Started using a long, fine bastard file but its only about 1" wide so you have to be careful at maintaining your fretboard radius. Stewmac carries sanding blocks with a variety of fret radiuses (radii). They are handy if you are worried about compromising curves. But I found that the sandpaper clogs easily. I finally settled on a 6" long stone with coarse on one side and fine on the other. Its about 2" wide so there is less lateral movement required.

Definitely a tough business to break into. As for me, I look at it as a retirement dream for when I can't shovel sh*t anymore. I do a few repairs for money here and there on the side. Been doing that for a while now and only for friends. Building and selling is a totally different animal. Its too bad that the whole marketing scheme is jaded by the big companies like Fender and Gibson. A lot of beginner guitarists figure a guitar isn't worth owning or playing if it doesn't say Gibson or Fender on the headstock. If you wanted to make money by selling volume then you have to work mighty hard at churning out guitars and competing with the name brands. You have to buy hardware at wholesale costs and design some sort of assembly line procedure just to stay ahead. That totally hinges on whether or not you have someone who will carry your merchandise. I've heard that most small businesses don't show a profit for the first 2 or 3 years. Thats a tough road. Another alternative is to get good enough at making a custom work of art. Exotic woods, inlays and high quality hardware going into a guitar will drive up the unit price. You have to be versatile and flexible. There ARE people out there who want a guitar that nobody else has. Another alternative is to design something unique and patent it. I think this would be your best chance at making a business out of building something that nobody else can provide. Novax fretboards come to mind as an example. You just need that "hook", but its also sort of like trying to reinvent the wheel. PBM, if you really want to make a career out of this then I would suggest going to school. Get whatever Luthier's certification there is out there. Try to get into some sort of apprenticeship with a prospective employer. Find someone who has a name established for themselves and is willing to be your mentor and latch onto him.

Yeah solos! Take it Southpa!! "Take what where now?? Oh yeah, ROCK N' ROLLLL!" (End result sounds like that fabulous guitar solo in Dr. Hook's "Cover of the Rolling Stone")

Wow, awesome work. Any of you guys have pictures showing how to go about cutting and shaping your inlay materials? I'm having a tough time making pieces look right.

Someone once mentioned coating with baking soda and then boiling in vinegar/water makes them sound like new again. Regardless, there is still wear and flattening of the windings. That can't be cured. And even then, once taken off most electric guitars (cept my Hagstrom) the strings can't be fed back thru those tiny holes without any undue stress . But heres a good tip and I'll bet that people in your household will definitely support this action. Get off your ass, go wash the dishes then pick up your guitar. It cleans the hands, and limbers up the fingers.

I've got 5 working guitars (3 electrics and 2 acoustics) and usually end up having to change ALL about every 2 months. I really should get in the habit of wiping down after each session. I might be able to add a few more weeks.

When I first heard about this I laughed so hard I damn near shat myself. Apparently, there are people walking around downtown with EMPTY guitar cases, just to look cool. That really takes the cake! Next time I see one I'll ask if I can see his "air guitar" and if he can play it for me.

When you fit the neck to the body and drilled holes, did you make sure you got it positioned right for intonation? I was messing around with spare parts a few years ago and decided to try a maple Ibanez neck (from a Roadstar) on my Hagstrom III. I had to move the bridge back a good inch to get proper intonation. It worked fine and the end result was what I called a "Haganez".

Glue a long piece of 80 grit onto a surface that you KNOW is square and flat. Then set up a straight, long piece of wood about 6" high (clamp it, nail it, screw it, whatever, ) perpendicular to your sanding surface. I call it a sideboard. Lay the wood you want to sand on the paper and run it back and forth making sure it doesn't leave contact with the sideboard. Check your edges now and then with a square.