ToddW

They also have a chopsaw and bandsaw coming out.

http://www.sawstop.com/products-future-products.htm

hmm... bandsaws are pretty safe as far a power saws are concerned. They should be working on a SawStop jointer... talk about a finger muncher.

too . . .

They're all good ideas!

I personally wouldn't drive a car with the airbag on a hair trigger, especially if it ruined my brakes when it went off in my face :-D

Reasonable, because an airbag could hurt you or cause an accident. the brake on this saw can only ruin a blade, and if you want to turn the feature off to saw wet wood, you can.

As a physician who saw too many tablesaw, shaper, jointer injuries back when I used to work in the ER, I can vouch for the cost effectiveness of this if it protects you one out of ten times it fires. You get a bad cut, but the injuries are soooooo much less severe than they would be without the brake.

The only reason it's not the only saw on my list is that I like sliding tables.

Todd

Wow, that is a lot of work, but I don't think Jeff will have to do nearly that much.

I just noticed the guitar isn't yet signed, so he can scuff it up first. That's good.

Also, that guitar in the link was signed with a paint marker. I wouldn't try the cotton swab method on sharpie because the sharpie ink is so much thinner. Jeff's piece will also have a lot more letters.

Makes me think of two points.

one: Don't forget to scuff first Jeff.

and

two: Does it have to be sharpie, or can you get a paint marker? that might be more run resistant.

Either way, I'd still go with the shellac dusting coats. Hold the can far away from the guitar, lightly mist it, then go watch TV for 10 minutes or until the next commercial break. Much faster than a Q-tip.

Just did this recently. Shellac as a base is fine, but the sharpie will write on anything so I don't think it makes much difference. I'd just scuff sand the current coat where you plan to sign it.

It's the wet coats you put over it that are the problem and anything will make the sharpie run except water. So you won't find a spray can clear coat you can simply spray on. Sorry.

I solved the problem by putting on 4 or 5 super light "dust" coats of spray shellac first. Pretty much dry spraying the first time. Shellac dries so fast that I could do all those coats in half an hour, and then I started putting on slightly heavier coats. Lightly sanded the shellac after I had a thin layer built up to protect the writing and put the lacquer over that.

Good luck.

Todd

Don't forget to check your local library, it's an invaluable resource. In addition to Flexner's book, I found Larry Robinson's Inlay Techniques book and Frank Finocchio's 9 hour-long acoustic building videos

(Just make sure to return them when they're due -- pet peeve of mine)

You know, I had 4 hours to kill a couple of months ago in Seattle, so I went to your really cool 9 story library to look for luthier books, and you'd checked them all out

The Flexner book in that link is the one I have. There isn't a whole lot that's going to go out of date unless you're looking for equipment recommendations. For under 20 plus S&H, I say go for it

+1 on

Awsome book, and cheaper than a couple of cans of lacquer. Put it on your christmas list. (or your Hanukah list, or kwanza list, or . . . . )

I have that book for a project next year. Doesn't he use laminated sides? If so, that should take care of any warp issues that remain after you bend the sides.

The back is a touch trickier, but I'll bet you can use the same method of you have access to a thickness planer and you can't flatten it with steam/heat and some Supersoft2 spray. Pretty wood, so I'd try that first.

Keep us informed on how it goes!

Todd

Henries is henries I think. The resistance you measure may change at different frequencies, that's basically the point of the inductor, but the inductance of the coil shouldn't change. Any EE's who can help confirm that? Inductance won't change with frequency? Maybe impedance will?

Either way, you have a 1.8H inductor.

To put the notch of your filter at 454hz, put the inductor in series with a .068uf cap. That's close to A440 with a standard value cap.

To put the noch at 578hz, use a .042uf cap.

That math doesn't account for the resistance of the inductor, but I'm not sure how significant a 500 ohm resistance is.

Let me know how it sounds if you try it, I'm curious since mine isn't wired in yet. Heck, I just re-sprayed the guitar today after my first try checked, so I'm still a few weeks away from hearing it.

Best,

Todd

I built a simple test board to be able to switch caps in and out. The best result I got was with a 5nF cap (or really 10 50nF in series…) but that still didn’t shape the treble the way I would like it to do. It looks like the inductor is right for me as the low mid cut off frequency sounds right. But I cannot get enough treble. Possible I need a steeper treble cut of part of this band pass design. Isn’t it called a two pole filter or something like that? You can really tell I have no real clue of what’s going on…

For now I’ll have to either find an alternative schematic or try what ansil suggested. I just have to get those parts.

Peter,

Did you use the transformer from the torres circuit? IIRC, you have one of those, right?

I have two of those mouser/xicon transformers, I think the TL018 and TL218. Using on 10k winding should give me about 1.4H, using two in series should give me about 5.6H

I plugged those into a spreadsheet formula and the 4 filters I'm starting with are a .042uf and 1.4H for 650, a .022uf and a 5.6 for around 450hz., a .042 at 5.6H at around 320hz, and a .1uf and 5.6H for around 200hz. Position 2 will actually be a "Q-filter", and position 1 will be a standard .022uf. Easy to wire with a 6 way switch and a 500k/DPDT switch to cut the circuit out completely. That's just math, and obviously I'll tweak by ear.

I think .068uf and 5.6H would give you a freq around 500hz. If you use the TL018 you'd get more like 5.3H so it'd be a little higher frequency. If you decide to play around with this, the transformers are only a couple of bucks from Mouser, but S&H is around $7 I think. Course, that's in the US . . .

Best,

Todd

I guess I need to state that I have never built one of these for a guitar. What I gave above was from a filter design book from my filter design class. If there is something easier that someone else has already developed, then go for that, I am just thinking from a purely electrical engineering standpoint. Though you wouldn't have to wire it up for a pot at all, you could just hook it up to a push pull pot (or toggle switch) where the switch simply engages the notch filter (if you get it to sound how you want). Though I guess a pot would let you choose your cut amount. Lots of options.

Hey Ripthorn,

I looked back and he did say he wanted to simply switch it in and out. Missed that, figured it'd be on one of the tone controls. My bad.

Best,

Todd

If you can get the number off the xicon inductor, you should be able to look up the resistance at 1khz, I think that's what's on the data sheet. Also, that schematic seems to have left out the pot that's in series with the cap and inductor. This is getting wired like a tone control, right, so one side of the pot to the hot, and the wiper to the cap, then to the inductor (+/- a resistor in parallel like the Bill Lawrence Q filter) to ground. The other end of the pot isn't grounded.

Anyway, to me, you're going about this wrong. You know the values from the formula, and what it sounds like now, so why not use your ear at this point. If the current torres values cut too much treble, try a smaller cap. If that doesn't cut enough mids, you can go back to the same cap and use a bigger inductor . . . or both sides of the transformer xicon mini transformer.

I don't think you'll find your sweet spot with the formula, but I am very curious to hear how it works out.

Todd

PS) I have a 6 way rotary switch wired up with 3 different cap values and two different inductors to give 6 different tone control choices on the guitar I'm working on now. Two are standard tone controls with just a cap, the others are different notch filters. Almost at the point I can wire it in.

PPS ) http://guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.c...3605&page=1

That site with the pre-made notch filters is cool, but if you want to do your own:

http://www.mouser.com/catalog/636/998.pdf

Seems cheaper and easier than winding your own, and they're tiny.

Best,

Todd

OK, somebody should check my math, but I think the 42TL018 using both sides is about 5-6 H

which gives a notch a little below 500 hz with a .022 uf?

Sorry this isn't my field, we need an Electrical engineer, not a physician doing this math

I wonder if it was the Wenge or the Purple heart that reaked so bad when I was sanding a few weeks ago? One of them was bad! Bloodwood does smell nice, so does Jatoba, but with a really good dust mask on and the dust collector running, I don't notice any of them. I think that's a good thing!

Todd

Cool computer work. But I don't like the pick guard. The bottom edge doesn't follow the control plate or the bridge. I think if you could tweak that I'd like it a lot more.

Best,

Todd

So pearl gives that shimmery effect over a solid color, not a 3D sparkle effect when you put it over a figured wood.

I had thought that Candy colors were just a clear or tinted lacquer with pearl particles mixed in to give a metalic look. I need to study this more.

Thanks,

Todd

Hey Perry,

I have no idea what your method is, but I have been planning to order some pearl from this site: http://www.paintwithpearl.com/pearlstore.htm

They describe a multi layer method in their tips sections which seem interesting, and if I'm feeling very brave I may try it. No idea if it's similar to your technique.

My question, however, isn't about that, I'm just wondering what size pearl additive you'd use? They list 4 sizes: http://www.paintwithpearl.com/pearlstore.htm I was leaning to the actual pearl, as opposed to the satin or shimmer.

Thanks,

Todd

If you need to order transtint, you may save some money at veneersupplies.com. They also sell supersoft2 if you're bending sides or ever decide to bend a top or a figured headstock laminate. Nothing against Stewmac except they're about the most expensive guys around. They do have wonderful stuff to make up for their prices.

Best,

Todd

I didn't see any bubbles, but the checking was bad enough. I've almost got it sanded off. Just the edges are still coated, and I'll have to sand those off by hand.

It was a good learning experience

I've never used pre-cat laqcuer - it is a nitrocellulose product like regular lacquer?

Hi Erik,

I think it's basically a mix of some nitrocellulose lacquer and a conversion varnish. The nitro makes it act like acquer, and I would guess helps with adhesion of multiple coats. I think it also means you need to let the lacquer thinner flash off before you cover it with more varnish. I probably went too thick and too fast.

Live and learn . . .

Well, I think I figured it out somewhat. In sanding it off outside dusted up easy, but once I got through the outer part, the finish underneath was soft and still had a solvent smell. To the point where I'm letting it cure overnight since it is too soft to sand off easily.

So . . . guess you can put one or two coats down after an hour, but clearly I exceeded the maximum thickness. I'll sand off the top, the back and sides are thinner so I'll see how that goes, and then I'll re-coat. But clearly I'll let it cure much longer between coats!

Todd

Help please.

I sealed the solid body guitar I'm finishing with a couple of 1# cut coats of de-waxed shellac and sanded it to 320. Then I put down 3 coats of pre-cat lacquer each an hour apart per the instructions, sanded to 600g after each. I then repeated this the next day. 3 days later I sanded up through 12,000 grit and was planning to buff it later.

That was about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I worked a little on the electronics yesterday and it looked fine, but today I saw what looked like deep linear dents in the finish radiating out from the tail piece studs and a couple from the tone control holes. The feel like dents too, but I think there's a very fine crack in them.

Any idea what caused this? Clearly I have to sand to wood and redo this, but I'm clueless on the cause.

Thanks,

Todd

I personally don't like that tutorial. That method seems to be the best if you want the guitar to look good in pictures, but not if you want the 3D effect to move with the guitar.

Was it Perry who put a tutorial inside a thread on this?

Todd

Hey, nice to hear some positive feedback. Did you go with the rod set, or the pricier track set?

Todd

Found this thread during some searching and figured I'd add these links:

http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/LM/Kit7956

http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/LM/Kit7429

Those were the lowest prices I could find and seemed to be less $$ than what others spent. Can't speak to the quality yet. Will try to remember to update this when I get around the this project.

-Todd

Just make sure the circuit breaker is turned off before you do anything. And leave it to a pro if you don't feel completely comfortable tackling it yourself.

I'm more neurotic than that. I open the main before I run any wiring unless I need the lighting. In that case I use a tester. Cheap insurance to buy one for 5 or 10 bucks.