daddy ray

i've had a run of problem necks to deal with lately

without exception the thing that brought these guitars to me was that the truss rod had been over tightened in an attempt to correct an original problem & had ceased to have any effect on the neck thus creating a more serious secondary problem...rendering them unplayable

(these were all single action rods)

these have all been nice guitars that warranted repair vs. being discarded for one reason or another

most of the guitars in my collection were bought real cheap because the previous owner threw up their hands in frustration & decided they'd rather buy something new (maby they were just looking for an excuse to buy)

i currently have a seagull acoustic in the neck jig that was previously put out of commission by a "repairman" that thought he could correct an excessively high action by continuing to crank on the rod...when what the guitar actually needed was a neck reset due to "settling in" & bridge that was rotating slightly

so it's getting a neck job as well as a truss rod

i always strongly suggest that an owner opt to have carbon fiber rods installed when the fingerboard is off as they add tremendous stability to the neck & i use them in all my necks as well

the mahogany necks seem to be somewhat more flexy & tend to benefit more from the carbon fiber than do the stiffer maple necks

after the fingerboard is off the neck i jig the neck solid in it's static condition (i want a perfectly straight neck to perhaps .010" backbow when the strings go back on so the only task for the truss rod is counteracting string pull)...do my mill work to correct neck to bridge angle...shim w/maple & remill the trussrod channel (the double action rods are narrower than the s.a. rods & need a snug pocket to sit in) ...& mill my carbon fiber channels

at this point i clamp the fingerboard dry to the neck with a couple of appropriately sized pieces of fretwire installed...lay feeler guages over that to simulate string height & check with a long straight edge to verify where the strings will contact the bridge...i'm shooting for the bridge to need .010/.015 shaved off to achieve perfect string height

if it doesn't fall within specs i do a little final alignment work with a long sanding block...recheck...etc till i'm happy with what i see

i use 1/16" drill bits as locater pins in holes drilled through fret slots prior to fingerboard removal when rebonding the fingerboard to insure proper location for intonation

once the glue is dry if the fingerboard is out of specs for straightness ...i block it flat once again verifying angle to the bridge

all that's left at this point is refret & final setup

when stringing a neck that i've been this deeply into i usually pull everything to pitch gradually letting everything settle in adding truss rod as needed...give it a day or two to verify stability & then give it the final setup

if the guitar is someone elses i'll let it set for another couple of days to make sure before i send it home...want it right the first time...i hate comebacks

study it as a science/practice it as an art

thanks for allowing me to share this with all of you

dr

i have contemplated an ebony nut for a non trem guitar

that's whats on violins & they have quite a bright strong sound...

& ebony's pretty hard

dr

My suggestion is don't buy it. I had one in a 60 watt studio and my friend had one that was 100 watt 4X10.

The transformers in mine melted down after about 6 months(rarely had it above 4). My friends melted down in about the same time. I've also heard that they go through tubes like crazy.

Crate does make good solid state amps though.

i didn't get it

another guy got there first

you could be right...i heard that the guy who got it

took it to a gig & it went down on him during the show

thanks for the reply

dr

going to go with an avatar 4x12 cab for my new rig

i have been somewhat intrigued by the celestion 70/80 speakers

as described on avatar's website

these are described as a versatile speaker with good all around sound...

hi's/mid's/low's

they say say they sound fantastic clean or crunchy

i play several styles of music from outside the box dissonant jaz stuff to

power chord riffage on the bottom end and was thinking perhaps a more

all around speaker would be a good choice

i know the v30's are somewhat of the standard & want to make sure i

am pleased with what i finally purchase

what do ya all think

thanks

dr

another guy beat me to the blue voodoo

am currently considering a gallien krueger 250RL

they are a 100w stereo...50w per channel head

the one i'm looking at has a factory installed 200w upgrade

anyone ever experienced this particular amp

lookin fer feedback

thanks

dr

After doing three basses in the last 4 months I decided to do a strat. What decided it was a guy ordered it and he had money

Anyhoo, I have had no prob's to this point until I went to put the trem in. The body is 1.5" thick and the trem is designed for 1-5/8. No problem, I hacked off 3/16" from the bottom of the trem and mounted it up. When I put the springs on the keep popping out of the trem! It seems like I have to rout a little deeper in the body for the spring plate to get a deeper angle, but it's not making sense to me why they just don't stay in. I've tried setting the spring hook angle (the "L" that hooks in =to the trem body) and had some success but after a few tugs on the trem arm the springs work loose again.

Here's the trem I'm using:

Wilkinson Tremolo

Any ideas????

the holes in the trem block for the springs to hook into are drilled at an angle to insure they stay in place

when you reinstalled the trem block after shortening it you may have reversed it

the holes would be angled towards the front of the guitar thus allowing the springs to easily slip out

happened to me once when i had to shorten a block to accomodate a rescess rout i did for a guy once

drove me crazy till i figgured out what i'd done

also on this one i had to drill the spring tip holes a little deeper to get them seated to their full depth

hope this helps

dr

I've tried the blue voodoo in the past and liked it very much.  To me it sounded more like Marshall than Mesa but the gain was a bit more more metal than r-n-r.  Beware-the original blue voodoos had clestions in them but then when they became a little more popular they broke the cabs and heads into two seperate groups.  The upper ones which kept the celestions and birch cab.  Then the budget minded ones with crate speakers and cheaper ply or MDF cabs.  The more expensive cabs had the big crate letters in gold centered on the grille.  The cheaper one had the crate logo with the rectangle around it similar to the Red Voodoo which is pretty much a different colored blue voodoo.  The original heads were 120 watts I belive and then they later made a 60 watt version I think.  But like everyone else said try it out and decide for yourself.

thanks for the feedback

over the weekend i read a bunch of user reviews on harmony central on this amp

a couple of very negative reviews

however most of the comments (about 30) were very positive

one guy said he'd been gigging with one for about 5/6 yrs & no problems other than a tube or two which is normal

says he plays everything from jazz to death metal on it & would buy another if he lost the one he has

the one i'm considering is the 120w with celestion v30s

(in my original post i said it was 100w...sorry my mistake)

i haven't seen it yet

not sure what year it was mfg.

i'm doing a neck reset for the roommate of the guy who owns it

he says it's like new...been used very little

i'm really anxious to take a couple of axes and check it out

dr

a $5.00 yardsale cort ferrari II that a friend of my son's bought cause it had a new looking duncan invader in one of the pockets

he removed the pickup for his own use

my son got it put a paf in the empty hole & loaned it to a kid who was taking lessons from him

it got passed to me when i started lutherie about 5 years ago & was used as my classroom guitar

i did my first refret & various other procedures on it

we all got our moneys worth out of it

dr

Sounds like you mainly play through the clean channel and look for a jazzy/bluesy sound....I think the Crate is not for you then....Why use a 4x12 Box and a heavey head if you can wonderful clean sounds out of the much smaller Fender &  Mesa Tube combos? You can read alot of reviews on the Blue Vodoo here.

not so

i like the jazz note selection but the sound is rock/metal

a metal jazz if you will

the buttery sound gets real old with me real quick

distortion pedals...wah...etc are always on when i'm jaming

imagine robben ford playing his miles davis stuff

with zack wilde or someone similar doing the rythum stuff

i'm thinkin the crate might be just what i'm looking for

the little practice amp i've been using at home for years went t--s up on me this past sunday right in the middle of an afternoon jam with a living room full of people & gear

so i put the word out i needed something

i'm ready as a player for more sound & i really want a tube unit

i only yesterday became aware this one might be for sale

i haven't seen or played it yet

my style of play is abstract/out of the box jazz stuff on the top end

with a lot of heavy 5ths w/an octave power chord stuff below

i like a real gritty sound with an edge to it

i'm thinkin the blue voodoo might fit that quite well

i did some reading on line & the cabs have celestion 30's in them

the word is the guy will sell the entire rig for about what the head alone will cost new...

i may have a chance to buy one of these used...100w head w/ 4x12 cab

lookin fer feedback on quality etc

thanks

dr

try this page maybe

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/diagrams.html#oem

lgm:

thank you for the response

much good info on that site

? answered

dr

in rearanging my shop i have misplaced my notes on the dis-assembly of my jackson professional

one of the pickups (humbuckers both) is a j-80c with individual pole pieces

the wires are slightly longer on this one & i feel it is the neck unit

the other has no sticker on it thus no numbers

it has bar magnets that extend the entire width of the pickup my son thinks perhaps a j-90...

both are 4 wire + ground

i am seeking color code info

it is being wired through a schaller 5 position e series megaswitch which offers taps & splits without additional switches

i just finished polishing a new set of dunlop 6000 (.118/.058) frets + a body refinish & am beginning reassembly & real hot to play it...but i can't find my notes...anywhere

i've also added a hipshot tremelo stabalizer to help with the floating bridge

any help on this will be mucho!! appreciated

dr

i have a seagull acoustic that has a l r baggs saddle transducer pickup

the action is higher than acceptable but not bad enough to warrant re-setting the neck in my opinion

yet it is high enough i don't want to merely file the saddle down

is the baggs saddle/transducer removable from the bridge in a normal manner so i may rout the slot in the bridge lower to get the desired string height

is any glue normally used in the placement of a saddle of this type

any info from someone who has experience in this area will be greatly appreciated

thanks dr

i was recently looking at the major benefits of a 7 string. however there are no pickups for a 7 string that are comparable to the holy grails blues and sound wise. at least that i'm aware of. can someone please direct me to a site with great pickups for a 7 string? please dont post something sarcastic like google. if you dont know dont post.

check with dimarzio & duncan's custom shop

i have heard they are reasonable in cost & will build you what you want

i have a 7 string baritone in the works & plan to go this rout when i'm ready for pickups for it

question: how do i get photos on the forum...i see them frequently...but can't seem to figure out what's required

i'm not up to speed on some of this computer/internet stuff yet

i have shots of several in depth projects i've done that may be of interest once i learn how to post them

I use THIS. Totally free, not sure if there's a limit to the volume of pictures, but I've got lots in.

thank you...i'll check it out...will it instruct me as to how to get photos from that site to the forum?

thanks to all who have responded to this point

the volume of insight provided by your individual experiences & comments are most illunimating & helpful as i consider where things might go for me from here

question: how do i get photos on the forum...i see them frequently...but can't seem to figure out what's required

i'm not up to speed on some of this computer/internet stuff yet

i have shots of several in depth projects i've done that may be of interest once i learn how to post them

        PS, Congrats!!!!!!!!!          

Yeah, why I asked.

50% up front helps weed out the 'not-so-serious-I-might-back-out-at-anytime' flakes.

They give you that much up front, non-refundable, they're serious and in it all the way.

And if it's a custom application you have the right to ask for it to cover yer butt.

yer right

this one comes with excellent references due to his friendship with my son

someone not so close to the family...it's a different story

plus if he don't come back i still have his STUFF

Congrats buddy. I just sold my fifth, which also happpens to be my second commissioned job to a repeat customer. You can see this one being built in REAL TIME in my pinned thread.

"he's bringing cash before i order anything...on-going"

You mean like as you need to order materials he gives you the money? In the future I would start asking for a downpayment of at least half, more on instruments with more "goodies", and also have a reciept system of somesort so you both know and understand how much is paid/owed.

no problemo on the ledger work...my lovely wife has a background in corporate management

they will be at cornerstone music festival in illinois next summer

i'll have 2 of em on stage

Where's the festival? I'm in Wisconsin and it's a short hike for me to be there.

I'm going to meet with a band tonight that has a 9 stop tour this spring with Atlantic Records and see if they are willing to play one of my guitars and a bass on the tour.

i'll get all the particulars & get back to you asap

Congrat's Man!

The first one is the advertisement for all the others............I hope he has a big mouth and likes to talk.

Word of mouth sells my guitars.

they will be at cornerstone music festival in illinois next summer

i'll have 2 of em on stage

Your story is quite an inspiration to me. All I've ever done is tech work for friends, and my only payment has been beer or

I've been wanting to build my own for a long time now, got lots of original ideas, but I allways figured that I wouldnt make any money to justify all the work thats needed, and to cover the investment in tools and such.

I'm very happy for you, and I hope this starts up a trend for you as well!

if it's what you want to do...set your mind to it & never settle for less

it happens slowly, that's why i still have a day job...but as your competance in your craft progresses it will happen!

luck...what happens when preparation & opportunity intersect!!!

he's bringing cash before i order anything...on-going

he's in a band with my son, has a good job, no wife or kids...very responsable young man

labor is open ticket to be paid before i release the guitar

i've been doing this for several years now

started out learning how to set-up, install nuts, etc on yard sale cheapies

the first one was a cort ferarri II i believe

then on to fret work

i've got stew/macs neck jig in my shop along with all the other goodies needed to do quality work

i've built & done repair work for friends & family

all of the items in my collection (strat, 2 teles, early '80's kramer baretta, epi les paul w/chambered body & f-holes....) have been bought needing something to allow them to play well for the class-room opportunity

i'm to the point i'm currently building for myself a laminated (maple/purpleheart in the neck, mahogany/maple/purpleheart in the body wings) neck through 24 fret 7 string baritone on a 30" scale length

i don't yet have all of the heavy woodworking tools needed to be productive on scratchbuilts so i'm carving it out by hand...router, files, sandpaper,etc

finally last weekend a guy, after checking the work finished & in progress on my own stuff commissioned me to build one for him

it'll be a mahogany tele with reverse rout, fixed bridge & humbuckers (yet to be decided on), strat style switching

neck will be maple w/tele headstock, boat neck profile, 1 3/4" nut width (the guy has huge hands), 6100 fretwire

quite a rush finally after all the study & head scratchin to finally have reached the level where someone is willing to pay...cool!

once i learn how to load pictures to the forum i'll post a few as it comes along