Denis

+1 for Zpoxy. I have just used it on a mahogony body with a maple cap. It not only filled the mahogony grain like a dream, but it popped the maple grain beautifully. Really easy to apply too, although my credit card won't work in the ATM for some reason. Denis

I have seen a technique like that used to make boxes. If I remember correctly, it's all about using templates with the right offset router bits. I will try and dig out a reference to it. I think it's another of those techniques where 90% of the effort is in the planning. To be honest, I prefer a simpler approach, which is why I am vague on how it works. If I find the reference, I'll try to post the salient facts Denis

I am trying to put a tele together, and it's not going well for a number of reasons. I need some basic help, please. It's very conventional electronically, with single coil bridge and neck pickups and a "normal" control panel that I bought in. I wired it all up before finishing it so that I could check it was OK, and because I am an impatient kinda person, and wanted to hear it. I have not shielded any of the cavities with copper yet. When I switch to the neck pup, it sounds OK (ish), but there's a residual hum that goes when I touch either the bridge or the control panel. So I guess that I need to ground the bridge and shield the cavities? When I swich to the central or bridge position, there is an almighty hum, and that's all. No sound from the strings. My first thought was that the pup was faulty, so I have taken that direct to the jack, and it works as well as the bridge does. I know that the switch is OK as I checked that as part of working out how to wire it up. Where do I do from here? Thanks in advance Denis

FWIW, as far as I know, a Tele is just 12" wide, so I can't see the problem with a body an inch or so less than that. Dunno the dimensions of the Bo Diddley Gretsch, but it looked a lot narrower than a Tele to me. Denis

I seem to remember a thread that said PC could be applied over just about anything, but can't find that thread. Why not just spray a test with your rattle can in the way that you want to do your guitar, let it dry/cure and then try a few coats of PC and see what the result is? Denis

Neat solution, and a nice looking Tele. Thanks a lot Denis

Mick - I just wasn't thinking. Of course mounting in the way you describe would make the whole thing more doable. Thank you!! One of my concerns was mounting the screws for the pickup so close to the route. If I don't need to do that............ Denis

I am starting to build a tele. Mahogany body with a maple top. Until I got the top jointed and sanded, I was just going to use a pickguard, but the maple is just too pretty to hide. Personally, I think leaving the neck route showing just doesn't look right, and the pickup is one of those that mounts thru a pickguard (i.e. the pup is suspended from the guard in the same way that a humbicker is attached to a ring). so that woudn't work anyway. I am thinking about making a "ring" out of an offcut of the maple - maybe thickessing it down to about 4mm (3/16"") or so. I have tried searching, but can't find any reference to doing something like that on a tele as opposed to a HB. Can anyone offer any experience of doing this please? Thanks Denis

Pete. I missed this thread too - only just caught up with it. I can't imagine seeing it wrecked like that. It would have broken my heart. I just adored it as a natural finish. I have just started a mahogany body/flame maple tele and was dithering about whether to stain the maple or not. You have made up my mind for me - natural wins. Thanks Denis

I could never see the point in buying a router table. I used a 2 foot square piece of kitchen worktop (counter top), some 2 x 2 softwood for the legs. added a mounting plate from Trend and use a homemade fine height adjuster on my Makita 3612. It sits on top of a workmate at exactly the right height for me so I am not bending over it and doing my back more damage. Fence is made out of 18mm MDF with a hole that takes my dust extractor hose perfectly. Must have cost me all of £15 ~ $30 Just can't see what else I need a router table to do right now. When I do, I am sure that I'll just add it to what I have got Denis

Thanks BUT can I ask the obvious question? Why? Denis

I bought some pre cut frets from this guy. Denis

Never bought from him, but this guy often has some great looking maple Denis

Finally, I have gone valve (tube). Sold my Marshall 100 watt solid state half stack - bought as my contribution to the mid life crisis stakes - loud but a very restricted sound palette with no real richness to the sound. Found a guy near me in the UK who takes clones of the Epiphone 5 watt and makes them work really well. He made me one with Marshall voicing which is very nice, although the 8 inch speaker makes the sound a bit cramped. I acquired a couple of 1974 Celestion G12H 30 watts in great condition and I have built a 2 x 12 pine cab for them. The difference is outstanding. The sound is so full and deep, it's the best noise I have ever made. Currently the cab has no back at all. I am playing in a small room - don't have any plans to gig with it. Where do go from here? Stick with it backless or put a full back on it? What's the difference in sound likely to be? I am playing blues - SRV, Hendrix style (he said with delusions of grandure ) Any opinions greatly received. Thanks Denis

There's a whole load of stuff on Cabs, fitting Tolex and grill cloth Here. Denis

Sorry. I should have made that clear. I have an LCD monitor. I just tried the amp with the PC on and the screen off, and the hum was still there, at the same intensity, so it sounds like the PC rather than the LCD. Denis

Help !! I just sold my Marshall transistor stack and bought a 5 watt tube amp that is just wonderful - except when I have my PC switched on, and then it hums like hell. They are both plugged into the same mains circuit (grounded) in the same room. With the minimal amount of knowledge that I have, I feel that the PC needs to be shielded on some way. Does this make sense? If so, how? What else might it be, and what should I try? I really want to be able to use them both together, as I like jamming to tracks on the PC. Thanks in advance Denis

Thanks for that, Woodenspoke. Hmmmmm! If I take that point by point, then... I assume 1 - misting the surface is to counteract the effect of the adhesive on the back to curl the veneer. Makes sense. I don't understand the use of the notches. The problems had with my very first attempt using the tutorial on veneer that used a bag of sand failed miserably because,among other reasons, I believe that I didn't have an even spread of adhesive over either the body or the veneer. So, using a notched spreader, I wouldn't have an even glue surface either?!?!? The waiting an hour and then using a hot iron fits what I read in a book I bought on veneering. All in all, that sounds like someting to try. I think I did say in an earlier post theat I had chickened out of using a veneer on this project and got a drop top instead, But I am determined to do bird's eye maple veneered body eventually, so I'll add this to the other couple of suggestions I have had. BTW I can't reliably get FWW this side of the pond. If anyone could get a copy of the article to me in some form, I'd really appreciate it. Denis

+1 In my own VERY limited experience, I agree completely. If you are spindle sanding, you need the absolute minimum of excess wood, otherwise it's just much more work. If you are going to route to a template, the less excess you have, the less likely you are to get tearout. Go on, ask me how I know? Denis

I had never heard of Dragonforce before I stumbled across this thread, so I looked on YouTube and found some song or other, and It's just finished playing. I feel sooooooooooo relieved when it stopped. It just ain't anything that I'd want to listen to again. When I was a teenager in London, I was really into the Stones. My Mum would shout me down every time they or the Yardbirds or the Pretty Things were on the radio or TV. My Dad didn't understand it at all, and used to say "That's not music!" I am rapidly turning into the grumpy old man that was my Father. Scary, innit? Denis

I do not believe that Axminster sell it. I ordered mine here Denis

I just Googled it. There's one here Denis

Yes, I am saying EXACTLY that. When you download the image, print it out and then do the math based on YOUR printout. It isn't going to be 100% exact, but I'd bet on better than 99% if you do it carefully. You could do the same with the MIME plan as a cross check. Denis

Your link to the veneer says: "Having a hard time finding the right veneer for your project guitar? One that is flexible enough to conform to the arm rest contour of your guitar body without having to slice the top of your guitar off?" I agree with the others who have posted. Having tried to veneer a flat body and nearly committed suicide in the process, I decided I needed a lot more practice on scrap wood before I would even think about doing it for real. It's a skill I just don't have enough of yet! BTW, I just received my drop top. Guess who's going to be in the shop tomorrow tuning up his jointer? What a beautiful piece of maple :D Denis

I haven't got a link for routing, but the search facility should help you find one if it's here. For plans for a Strat, try here. Ok, you don't get the dimensions, but you do get a scale plan of most if not all recent Fender guitars. All I did when I had downloaded what I wanted was to take the scale length off of the printed out plan, compare it with 25.5 inches, take my printout to a copy shop and get them to scale the drawing up by that amount. In my case it was near an makes no odds 400% if I recall correctly, but I have no idea whether all their drawings are to the same scale and I just saw this. Hope this helps Denis