ToddW

http://www.warmoth.com/hardware/bridges/br..._humbucker_tele Tele bridge with HB cutout Just another option.

Cool idea. Not being a tele person, I hadn't ever considered that. Also, I wasn't sure G-Axe was planning to build a tele. Todd

Hey G-Axe, Not sure you need a humbucker, but I wouldn't use a stacked one unless it's because you can't fit the standard type. You'll have twice as many places you can get a single coil sound if you do split it, and sensing a slightly greater portion of the string will give you a slightly thicker sound. I'd use a DPDT switch and wire it so you can have the humbucker go between series and parallel wiring. If parallel doesn't give you the right tone, you'd can always try split, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Call up Becky at Bill Lawrence and see if they have something that'll give you the tone you are after. They'll wind you the pickup of your choice in the inductance that'll give the tone you want. Luck, Todd

MescaBug, You are brave to use that much Jatoba. It is hard! That said I didn't find it hard to resaw into 4 x 1/4 inch laminates, and my 12" miter saw cut's 8" 4/4 well enough with a good blade. Slow, but very clean and I don't recall burn marks. I find it to be a bit harder to work with than even Bubinga, which is pretty darn hard, but at least it smells lovely! Still, WAY WAY WAY to heavy for me to consider it for a solid body! Hope you have a good router and a way to sharpen those bits. Todd

Wow, 44 views and nobody has an answer. Was my question unclear? Todd

I have routed the chambers into the top and bottom of my upper wing, using dowel pin holes to make sure the top, bottom, and template all line up correctly. This is a neck through build. I've left 1/8" or more on the body top and bottome, outside the template, that I will remove after I glue the top and bottom together. Today I shellaced the inside of the chamber for protection, and tomorrow I'll probably run both top and bottom over the jointer once or twice and then glue it together. What I don't know is if I should cut the sound hole opening now because it will be easy to drill a hole and cut with the scroll saw, or, if I should wait until the sides are together and attached to the neck, to make sure I like the placement and shape. It'll be more work to do it later because I'll use a hand saw and files and such. When would you do it? Oh, it's a stretched teardrop opening on the rounded upper horn. Not an f-hole or circles. Similar to Gadow's hollow body ( http://www.gadowguitars.com/joomla/index.p...8&Itemid=74 ) but the cut out will be longer and my top will hopefully have a gentle curve / taper towards the edge, not a carve like the Gadow. Gadow is local to me and makes some beautiful guitars btw. Thanks, Todd

There are many materials you can use to patch wood. Will the area be under an opaque finish. If it will and you are concerned the area will be subject to getting banged up a lot, then maybe a two part epoxy might work as a filler. Anyone know how well paint would stick to that? It'd be easier to offer suggestions if you included more information. Todd

Carvin sells one. Do you want a contant radius, or a compound one

One isn't better than the other, but if you are painting it, you might want to consider something a touch lighter than those two. If your going to leave it clear, then both maple and walnut can be beautiful.

It's a tough wood, so you can make great drumsticks or baseball bats from it. McKnight guitars offers it as an acoustic guitar back. http://www.mcknightguitars.com/tonewoods.html but I haven't seen it used in a neck or body yet. Do you have access to a kiln? Todd

It'll probably work. You'll just have a tougher time shaping it because it's so hard. If you use it in the neck, choose one of the straight grained pieces! Good luck, Todd

Well, you don't want it to be too neck heavy. Bubinga weighs a lot, (but I'd still avoid pine unless you want a 15string bass.) A Purple heart and Maple laminate might be nice. Purple heart is stiff and pretty stable, but there are lots of options. Todd

There are some good articles here: http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/index.php The index on the left should help. Todd

I've been thinking about this. If you are planning to play with an orchestra, and can afford a guitar that only sounds good in a few keys, it seems reasonable to get one that is tuned and tempered to fit in with the orchestra. Segovia would probably have loved this, and I'd like the idea of using it on a classical guitar. And even thought we're not talking about a classical guitar here, Billy Joel's, Elton John's, Alicia Keys' pianos are tempered. Perhaps we've finally reached the point where technology will allow this to be done for a guitar. Then again, a piano isn't locked into a specific temperment, and "equal temperment" may not be the best sound for say J.S. Bach's Well Tempered Clavier" pieces. It's sure not what Bach was composing on/in. Todd edit: Just notice they offer different temperments, including one for that ^ exact collection, so I sent an email asking if they'd consider selling just a fretted fingerboard for a classical guitar.

At one point I actually stumbled on a fretboard maker who would sell you fretboards slotted in scales with almost any temperment....can't find it now. I think he laser cut his slots (trivial once you've got the math down). But Bill's method is simply altering how you tune the guitar by a few cents, so the temperment is adjusted to the key you are in. It has nothing to do with fret position. Seems like we're discussing intonation and temperment interchangably. Todd

Not something I'll ever consider. Anyone ever try alternate temperments for guitar instead of Equal temperment? Say Equal beating victorian temperment by Bill Bremmer or something like that? Todd http://www.ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech/2000-May/064705.html

Wish I'd thought of that before I glued up the first time. I used multiple gluing cauls instead. I do have a support on top also, but I think it's the bench that's keeping the two pieces flat right now. Todd

I have a 1/2" quilted maple top for the project I'm working on, and I wanted to laminate it to a piece of 3/16"purple heart before attaching it to a chambered back. The top is cupped, but I had no trouble flattening it out when I simply pressed it to a flat surface. But then I glued it to the purple heart, which curved to the cupped top, after which I couldn't flatten it anymore Several trips through the planer removed the purple heart, after which I glued the top to a new piece of purple heart, but this time I clamped both to the work bench surface which is holding it flat as it dries. I figure after the first attempt, to flatten it I had to either stretch the glued surface of the purple heart, or compress the unglued side. This time, I'm hoping that to return to cupped, the maple will have to stretch the purple heart. Has anyone tried this, and do you think the glue will hold up? Pressing it flat before laminating was pretty easy, but even that slight pull of the maple away from the edges, if it is constant for years, seems like a bad thing. . . . Thanks, Todd

Are you sure. I thought that would only have an effect if you used metal harvested from those gas rings surounding certain white dwarf stars. More seriously, I'd think there are too many other variables here to try and come up with any reasonable answer about how the metal affects the tone (effects or affects? hmmm, think that's affect) But it seems like it might have an effect on a bridge's durability. Do aluminium or brass bridges ever fail? Can't imagine any steel alloy being weak enough to fail, but again, design . . . Todd

That's why I posted the grizzly link. These are simple leaf spring switches, so I figure they should all be about the same. BUT, if you're spending hours and hundreds already, and stewmac makes you more confident. . . Todd

Well you live in Australia, the purpleheart trees are cut in my backyard!!! hehehe yet they are as expensive or more as the stuff exported to the USA and you get to choose the cuts and all, here i can choose the boards, but it's not until i plane the boards that i know exactly what i'm getting... Don't feel too bad, the stuff I buy at 4.30/bf is not planed, so I can't see the grain until after I buy it. But the price issue is strange!

Have you actually seen color fading in modern aniline type dye? edit: Forgot to mention these: http://www.veneersupplies.com/advanced_sea...words=transtint They are also excellent, although the bottles don't re-seal that well. Todd http://www.rockler.com/tech/RTD10000274AA.pdf (pseudo tech sheet)

And since you'll clearly need some new tools too, , you could always save some money and get switches from Grizzly when you place your order there. After all, isn't every project supposed to be an excuse to buy more tools? http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2007/Main/380

Hey Andy, They do have an awsome supply of lumber. I haven't bought much figured stuff, but when I ordered a few 10sq feet of 1/4 bubinga on a web special, they sent me a beautiful swirled "waterfall" type pattern of 10" by 4' sequentially cut. Pretty amazing score for $30 including the resaw, planing, and s&h. I actually thought they'd be closer to you and 40 minutes. I'm in Hillsborough and they're 30-40 minutes from me, while you're about 45-50. Must be a triangle even though we both would use rt 85. Todd

I think I pay a bit less. A board 200cm by 15cm by 5cm would = about 6.5'x 6" x 2" so 6.5 board feet. That'd cost me $28 here in NC. Price is $4.30/bf if I buy over 6 board feet. Less if I buy 1" thick. Odd that you pay more. I actually ordered a 75x20x2.5cm piece and paid about $12 with shipping because I was too lazy to drive for a piece that small. Gotta love the hardwood store on NC!!!!! Todd http://www.hardwoodstore.com/specialty.html