GuitarMaestro

Three things make the Horsie Wah the best wah in my opinion: 1. It is switched on by only placing the foot on it, which makes it way easier to use for short prhases, bends, etc. in solos....way easier then hitting a switch first 2. It has no pot, but works optically which makes it invulnerable....should last forever.... 3. It sounds aboslutely GREAT for playing solos with high gain It never owned a Cry Baby so I cannot comment on the differences, but I suspect the Cry Baby might sound better for clean funk rythm work....but for soloing the Bad Horsie sounds killer....

I cannot deny that the folks at Warmoth are kind people, but if you want the slightest modification on what they offer you wont get it from my expirience. I cannot count how many simple things they could not provide and I have the feeling that they could easily do what I wanted but are just not motivated to sell other things then their stock parts. Just some examples: 1. 24 fret neck without fretboard overhang -> NO 2. Neck with tilt-back headtsock made from figured woods -> NO 3. Custom Peghead that is a little wider than their standard paddle peghead -> NO 4. Custom body shape -> No way....still listed on they site although they stopped doing that years ago 5. Neck through neck -> NO 6. Pre radiused and slotted fingerboard with compound radius -> NO 7. Getting a picture of the wood they'll use for a order (even offering a payment for that service) -> NO .... I dont have anything against them but they are a stock parts supplier and customization or special orders are impossible with them....

But the common grain fillers are easier to level I think and will leave a thinner layer not dampening the wood as much. What's your reason for choosing the epoxy? Super tough finish?

Great looking project Wes! Just one question: What is the epoxy good for? Usually you use it to enhance the grain and then sand back after applying. Judging by the pics that's not what your going for though....do you use it as a primer/grain filler?

That sounds right , but I doubt the expansion and contraction of the dots would be different enough from the fretboard wood to cause any trouble. The dirt thing might be a problem, depending on how much care you take of your instrument though. I just think that an oil finish will be enough and maybe look better, because if the fretboard is unfinished and the dots are it might fall apart in terms of visuals.... Did not really want to question your argument.....as your route is definately the safest....just wanted to offer some other possible solutions....

Only if you dye the dots then you'll have to finish them, because otherwise you will wear of the dye over time. There are several guitars on the market with unfinished or only oiled maple necks. While these are a little more likely to warp, your dots won't deform....

The design looks nice, but as others have already said, you want to be able to put the stripes on by simply masking them. Not possible with your design. You will have to: 1. Spray Red 2. Put tape where the red lines are supposed to go 3. Spray White 4. Mask everything except the locations for black stripes 5. Spray black Step 4 will be very hard to do cleanly I think. Especially in busy areas like above the bridge pu. Aside from that why don't you come up with your own design? I always found EVH's paintjob way to original and personal to rip of and I would definately consider a player with such a guitar kinda copy cat, except if his playing blows EVH away....

Thanks for a helpful and great post Frank!

Several comments: - That neck joint crack could very well be only in the finish by the looks of it. And even if it is not, I doubt you HAVE to repair it. The guitar should work great anyway. Look at some heavily used guitars, a crack like that is not uncommon. - Concerning adding a new top. If the new top is proper wood dried for luthier use you have nothing to fear(humidity of about 6%). Or do you think all our hand built guitars crack over time? - Bending the top of the forearm contour is an annoying task. It's not that difficult, but expect to invest some labour here to get it right. (Info can be found in the tutorial section) I doubt you can hide it very well with a clear finish. If you do a solid finish: no trouble. I would however as I already wrote bend the new top over the contour instead of doing a half-assed solution. But I would not add a top at all: I would repair/replacel the wood of the cavity and fill/repair the other chips and then do a solid finish in the end, so the guitar will look like new if done right.... Hope to have given you some ideas, MK!

Yep....I should try that next time! I also suspect the wood I used at the time was especially suited to cause this kind of trouble....

Thanks for your answers! I wonder how sanding alone is supposed to help though. I guess you have to use the stain very carefully in order for that to work. At least I once had stained headstock, wehere I wanted the edges to be clean of stain and in the end I had to accept the slight discolorations, because removing even more wood would have altered the shapre too drastically. What I want to say is: The channels in the figure took the stain and transported it deeper in the wood and to the sides causing "dyed little spots". I cannot see how sanding sovlves that, because this happens everywhere, not just on the edges. Thanks, MK!

I really wonder how to do this right. I know from dying tops that it is very common for the dye to come out of the pores at the side of the top immideately. This has to be avoided for a fake wood binding at all costs. The question is how? I heard that some people simply seal the edges with clean laquer, but I cannot see how this is supposed to help as the dye travels to the edges from the inside and the laquer will not run very deep into the wood I guess. Any ideas? I found a good picture for reference....

I am still looking for a Wolfgang. Only difference: I have decided on the exact model. I want a USA Made Wolfgang Standard or Special with Flame Top and Tremolo, finished in Amber or Sunburst. If anybody has any info concerning that one besides ebay(which I monitor), lemme know. P.s.: Chris Guitars has one on hold....maybe I'll get that one if the customer decides otherwise....

To me these guitars are VERY similar to begin with. The differences are really small. What makes the Peavey a little more attractive to me is: 1) Neck is reinforced with Graphite 2) The Peavey has great sounding EVH humbuckers, the MM has just common DiMarzio PU's which are not better or worse, but different and I prefer the EVH humbuckers 3) Archtop available which makes the guitar somewhat more comfortable to play 4) The headstock 5) Peavey's outstanding quality and workmanship which NEVER dissapointed me so far. Everything they build, aside from the cheap stuff is so high quality and solid. You would for example have a VERY hard time damaging one of their amps.

Thanks for the info! Great guitar and price! Terrible color though! Let's see what he has in stock when he's back!

@Hughes: Thanks alot! I already look through the bay for Wolfgangs every day though. Problem is: At the moment they are sold way over price there because of the hysteria that they are no longer available and *COULD* become collectible. I bet they will be back to normal price soon though: In my opinion they will never become really collectible. Peavey made a huge number of them. Ernie Ball made only 5.000 EVH guitars and they still are not above original price level now. @Scott: I am in no hurry. As long as he answers sometime it's great.

Depends on the condition and color, etc.! Hard to say without looking at an actual guitar. I am mainly interested in a new one or one that was not really played and is still in new condition. Do you have something like that?

Did that....lets see! Thanks dude!

Thanks....but he only has a modded hardtail left....

Hi! I was always looking at getting a Peavey Wolfgang Special Flametop with Floyd, made in USA. I would also consider a Standard Wolfgang made in USA if the price is right. Now that they are no longer made I have to buy one or I will never have the chance again....Does anyone of the dealers here like Vwall, etc. have some in stock? Thanks, Marcel!

Very nice axe! The wood choice and shape is great. Looks very cleanly done. Only thing I don't like is the neck joint: it looks kinda "un-smooth" and hard and does not flow as nice as it could. What does that cut between neck and body come from? Aside from that this thing simply rocks! Congrats!

Great answer Frank!!!! And great tutorial by Frenzy! Exactly what I wanted to know....this place always surprises me. The knowledge in here is simply awesome! Thanks alot!

That neck jig is interesting. It simulates exactly what I suspected the pro's do: Levelling the frets when the neck is in it's strung up state. Maybe this is necessary because the neck bends and twists unevenly under string pressure?

I know there is more to a fret job than just the levelling/crowning, as you know I already built necks myself. But there is alot of talk and rumours surrounding the process. Moser for example claims that he did 100+ fret jobs before being able to do it well. For me it always worked easily so I wonder if there is something more to it, I don't know of. P.s.: The beast looks very nice so far....congrats!

Hi! I still wonder what the best way for levelling frets is. I usually level the frets with a neck that is adjusted to be perfectly flat. However when setting up a guitar the neck is supposed to have a "slight" curve and not be perfectly flat. Additionally the neck might bend a little uneven after strings are installed. Wouldn't it improve the action even more if you would level the frets in that "final" position somehow? How do the pro's do it? Do they just set the neck as straight/flat as possible and then level the frets to be perfectly even in height? Or are there some tricks involved like making some frets a tad lower/higher to somehow increase playing comfort or account for the final state of the strung up neck? I mean if the aim is just to level and recrown the frets to be perfectly uniform in height why are perfect fret jobs always discussed as beeing so complex and hard to master? And all this talk about magic involved and years of expirience? Perfectly leveling a surface is something most metal-workers learn in the beginning of their education and is more or less a matter of patience.