OpenG Capo4's 2012 Challenge Build Thread -- COMPLETED

It's happening. Still undecided on what materials or hardware I'll be using, but I'll have something picked out by tomorrow to show with my "proof of life" photo.

Congratulations on being the first to enter! :smile:

I'll be an innocent bystander this year, but I'm anxious to watch the mayhem. :lol:

Congrats! I'll be joining you in 3...2...1...

Welcome and good luck!

Glad to see ya' in, good luck :grin:

Dave

Here's my official entry:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/418527_10101160258913680_4937231_66727048_99448900 3_n.jpg

Entry form didn't quite come out in the big picture (low res cellphone camera), lets try this again...

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/417131_10101160266937600_4937231_66727120_62730739 _n.jpg

Thats a little better, at least.

Mahogany blank with some nice ribbon grain to it, and Mesquite for the top, Walnut for the neck, and Osage Orange for the fretboard. Still not set on pickup configuration or hardware. I'm thinking:

24.75" scale with as many frets as I can fit on a regular length neck (22 or 23?)
Bridge relocated forward to compensate for shorter scale length
LMI 2 way truss rod
Wilkinson half bridge
Electrosocket
All black hardware?
EVO gold frets

Still undecided on pickups. Maybe p90/p90, or something off the wall like Teiscos.

Orange slice, anyone? Cut this off on the table saw, there was about a little sliver in the middle that the tablesaw blade wouldn't reach I had to saw out by hand.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425351_10101160695418920_4937231_66729237_18187924 8_n.jpg

This stuff is really, really yellow. It will turn to orange and eventually brown as it ages, with exposure to UV etc.


Crosscut the Mesquite on the table saw. Note the custom handle on the blade height adjustment:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/416889_10101160699690360_4937231_66729256_18221097 91_n.jpg

Squared up the jointer and then ran the mesquite across it. Best to get a good edge for joining now that to run each piece through when its split:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/422594_10101160707779150_4937231_66729291_73969938 6_n.jpg

Ripped it on the tablesaw on both sides. The tiny sliver in the middle after running it through the tablesaw was no match for the mighty Craftsman bandsaw/sander.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/428676_10101160712609470_4937231_66729302_92540294 4_n.jpg

Pretty nice bookmatch. Gonna try to run all this stuff through the planer tomorrow.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/429663_10101160742988590_4937231_66729346_21467222 25_n.jpg

I'm gonna try to run all this stuff through the planer tomorrow, and maybe get the top guled/clamped up. The template for chambering is screwed to the Mahogany blank so that might happen tomorrow as well, and if I'm lucky I might also get the neck blank cut out on the bandsaw.

Osage orange and mesquite? And I thought mine was going to be indestructible :lol:

Nice progress today

How do you keep that stuff on the counter? Oh I see, its stacked on the fridge.

But really... Mesquite is one of my favorite woods - beautiful stuff. O Orange is right up there too.

Good luck & carry on - you're doing a heck of a job.

The Mesquite is really nice stuff, and I'm saving the shavings to use to smoke some BBQ:

Behold my state of the art collection system:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/P140312_1753.jpg

:lol:

Brisket usually goes on sale the week after after St. Paddy's day. :cool:

Go, fellow georgian, Go!

glad to see that I'm not the only one that saves shavings and cutoffs to throw in the smoker...

Behold my state of the art collection system:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/P140312_1753.jpg



:lol:, mine say "Food City" on them :lol:

Your off to a great start man Best of luck to ya!

Go, fellow georgian, Go!

Second !

Hogged some cavities:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/430992_10101165612475100_4937231_66751097_68600665 2_n.jpg

Routed 'em:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/423770_10101165618712600_4937231_66751145_20839130 73_n.jpg

Planed and glued up the top. The dark streak is where the bar clamp rubbed against it. It got rained on a bit because I left it on my porch this evening and went out to dinner and it started raining before I could get back. But only one side got wet and it wasn't wet but about 30 minutes. I think it'll be alright:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/417364_10101165622390230_4937231_66751171_10781192 06_n.jpg

I also ran the fretboard through the planer, and its looking awesome. I still need to run the neck blank through, as well.

I'll probably cut the body outline tomorrow morning and then thats probably it for the weekend. My friend's band (Soylent Red) is playing a show tomorrow night in Atlanta so I'll probably go out to that and spend tomorrow visiting family and recuperating.

Next week is a busy week as far as my day job goes, and I'm working on finishing the extended scale commission build as well. I'm gonna try to get all the time in I can for the challenge build though.

Interviewing 2 candidates for an open position at work this week, and all sorts of other craziness.

And I'm trying to get all my paying work wrapped up as well. Gonna try to get the body cut out to shape and the top glued on this week though. The days are getting longer so I have a little more time to work.

Get your paying work wrapped up first?! Come on, man, where are your priorities:lol:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/319835_10101172399344160_4937231_66801900_35457174 0_n.jpg

Cut out and ROSS'd close to the line. Will route the perimeter tomorrow.

Haven't decided if I want to put a F-hole in the top or not. I'm leaning towards not.

As a whole I'm still pretty undecided on pickups / hardware. I might as well just wait until payday to make that decision because it ain't gonna happen before that anyway.

I was thinking Teiscos until I saw Maricopa's post about Kay "Zippos". I found some nice sound clips on youtube. Unfortunately, my E-bay results were ehh... less productive.

The idea has been put forward by my friend to wind a pickup inside an actual Zippo casing. The main concern is it might be too narrow. But I would assume theres probably a Zippo knockoff out there that would be big enough. If only I had a winder....

If only I had a winder....

that's never stopped anyone before!:lol: find a hand drill. i use a sewing machine i got at the salvation army for $13. check on craigslist, it doesn't have to sew, you only need the spinny end. heck, scatter uses a fishing reel. there are many low cost options out there and tons of thread in the main forum that will help you figure it out.

looking good, btw. i've been wondering about mesquite... interested in seeing how it turns out.

Open G,

Looks awesome! As for pickup winding, check out Adirondak5's recent winder build. It's the best and cleanest I've seen. I believe it's in his thread "A build for me". Making and winding pups is addicting. You can also check out my thread called "Sharpening your challenge build skills..." or something like that. I went about things a little different than normal but what I did could work for your Zippo build. Good Luck!

Barncaster

Got a minute to work on the challenge build today. I pretty much had to work against my router table and templates the whole time. Only two little tear outs I was able to clean up on the ROSS. But for some reason, the template wanted to let the bearing wear a groove in it, which gimped up the body in a couple places. I was able to smooth these out with the ROSS but it's now "under the line" in a couple spots.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/480299_10101177451529540_4937231_66827831_53249211 1_n.jpg


http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/538082_10101177457876820_4937231_66827850_19773242 25_n.jpg

I got the top leveled down. Ran the orbital sander down the middle to even out the joint, then put on some hashmarks and sanded with the leveling beam with 150 grit paper until all the marks were gone. Two runs down the Y axis, more marks, then two runs down the X axis. Repeat until all the pencil marks sand out. Check with the straightedge. Looks good.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/529948_10101177483126220_4937231_66827988_18076477 62_n.jpg

I did the body surface this way as well, before I glued the top on. I'm trusting my power tools less and my hand tools more after reading about "Mr. Snipes" etc. This top definitely lays flatter on the body than all my previous tops have so the glue up should come out great.

Here's the top bandsawed out:

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/548283_10101177495266890_4937231_66828044_28317957 3_n.jpg

Its liquid hide-glued together and clamped onto the body now. Pulled every clamp I own into service, I'll let it sit in the clamps overnight.

Next on the agenda is leveling the other side of the top, as well as the back. May flush trim the top with my handheld router tomorrow. And maybe dimension and bandsaw out the neck and fretboard blanks.

I have a feeling a better router table will be in my future before I do much more routing, especially on the neck.

About to get at it again this afternoon. Gonna try to build a router table today. The little aluminum-topped Harbor-Fright quality unit with a Black & Decker router jury-rigged to it just isn't working for me anymore. :lol:

The plan is to build a nice birch ply cabinet and fit my Bosch inside it. Then perhaps a Triton or something with thru-the-table adjustment when the budget allows (aka probably never :lol:)

Got my digital camera working again so now I have better pics:

The Mesquite top:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/563098_10101180559521100_4937231_66840151_4794173_ n.jpg

The Mahogany back:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/547693_10101180560094950_4937231_66840153_31042924 2_n.jpg

I had enough Birch ply left for a couple neck templates, and also a new cavity routing template. I'll probably work on those tomorrow, after I finish the table and flush trim the top to the body.

I got pictures of the router table on my phone, will upload them tomorrow. The top is 18x24. But I got it on a little crooked (was in a hurry to get it on before the sun went down) so I'll probably trim it down some to square it up later. The most important thing is that the top is at least level, and the cabinet is as solid.

My one concern with it, is that the router collet is sunk down under 3/4" of plywood. I am thinking I can remove the plastic baseplate on the router and just bolt the metal base to the wood. That should get my collet a little closer to the table top. Close enough for the bearings on my bits to meet the templates anyway.

If I weren't in a such hurry to get the table ready to use for the challenge, I'd probably cut it out for one of those plexiglass router mounting plates to mount the router on (or fab one from aluminum or something). I suppose I can still do that after the challenge.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/470332_10101180820797500_4937231_66840954_13221771 32_o.jpg

No build challenge thread is complete without a reptile sighting.

:lol:

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s320x320/553823_10101180827394280_4937231_66840993_11755699 83_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/471689_10101180828167730_4937231_66840995_19818817 37_o.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/477966_10101180828876310_4937231_66840997_16501089 53_o.jpg

Still need to use a hole saw to cut the opening in the top for the bit to protrude through. I did put a straight cut bit on the router and plunge it through the top, so I have a hole to center the hole saw on.

Good job on the table. I've been going back and forth on whether or not to get one. Some people say they aren't needed while others say they're a key tool. I'll probably break down and get or build one because, hey, it's another tool. :mrgreen:

take the plastic base plate off the router and use it as a template to mark your screw holes on the top of the table. the 3/4" offset is a bit of problem but i've gotten by for years with something similar. i keep saying i'm going to take the router and shave a 1/4" off the inside where the router sits but i haven't gotten around to it. then i'd need shorter screws. you are going to need new screws btw. tape the old screws to the baseplate so you don't lose them.

I had a buddy use one of those cheap, "out of a box" small book shelves, the stuff made
out of prettied up cardboard, to make a router table and it actually worked out pretty good.
He used the router and carved down about 1/4" on the underside (the router side) to be
flush. It was neat because as furniture it was pretty much worthless, but for a router
table it was fine. Had wheels and everything (I'm about to go steal it I think now that
I've remembered he has it).

Doing good work thus far. Your chamber routes are nice and clean. However, I'm not so
happy that you got a digital camera as I was counting on yours and one or two more threads
to keep from making my crappy iPhone pics look so bad.

I definitely like guiding the body around the router better than vice versa. And being able to see the cutting happen is good too, easier to spot the potential for mistakes. :lol:

I'm glad he got his camera my neck was getting sore:mrgreen:

It takes AA batteries but they have to be 100% charged or it own't even power up. So a pair of batteries is really only good for a handfull of pictures. I tried the special digital camera battery (the one thats molded in the shape of 2 AA's) but it didn't last very long either.

Now I have a growing stockpile of AA batteries with 99.5% of their charge left. :lol:

It takes AA batteries but they have to be 100% charged or it own't even power up. So a pair of batteries is really only good for a handfull of pictures. I tried the special digital camera battery (the one thats molded in the shape of 2 AA's) but it didn't last very long either.

Now I have a growing stockpile of AA batteries with 99.5% of their charge left. :lol:


Have you tried eneloop rechargeable AA's by Sanyo? They are unbelieveable. Hold a charge forever. A bit pricey, but well worth it, IMHO.
This is my A set (also have a B set) with charger. My camera takes 4-AA's.
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/1224/medium/IMG_4776.JPG

Also PBS is running B52s 35th reunion show taped at the Classic Center in Nov., I think. Made me think of our Athens contingent. Didja catch that?

I have a set of rechargable batteries but they're Energizer and they worked ok for a while but I think they've lost their zap over time.

I didn't get to go to the B's show, I keep telling myself I'll catch them one of these days.

Going to the High Museum of Art tomorrow, I just found out its "Pay what you wish" day. So where a normal adult ticket would normally be $18, you get to choose how much you pay.

Hopefully I'll get the extended scale build wrapped up soon. I did a few coats of TruOil on the body and neck over the course of the week, I'll probably wetsand and buff it Sunday, assemble it early next week, and then I can devote my full attention to the challenge build.

...
Also PBS is running B52s 35th reunion show taped at the Classic Center in Nov., I think.
...

Dang. We didn't get that up north. Off to grab the blu-ray this morning. Thanks for the tip! I missed their concert here last year as I was out of town which was a total bummer. Who knows when, if ever, they be back this way...:cry:

OpenG - your building is coming along nicely and looking good!

Today was a busy day...

Started out with the orbital sander to even out the seam in my top joint:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1413.jpg

The the leveling beam to get everything leveled up:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1414.jpg

Hashmarks starting to disappear:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1415.jpg

Gotta clean up this little bit of glue squeezout so I can route the top flush a tiny chisel will chip it off, followed by a little sanding:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1416.jpg

Took the plastic baseplate off of my router to gain a little more clearance:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1417.jpg

Finishing off my router table by sawing a hole in the top:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1418.jpg

Flush trimming:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1419.jpg

Getting a start on the neck by bandsawing out the blank. We'll start with some relief cuts:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1420.jpg

Snapped a blade:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1421.jpg

Its a good thing that blade snapped so I took it out to put on my other one. Which is a 1/2" so I can't cut as tight of corners but I should be able to get through the challenge with it. I found this inside the bandsaw:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1422.jpg

Could mama bird have picked a worse place to build her nest? :lol: I took it out into the bushes and set it up, hopefully she will find it.

That was about the time the camera batteries died. I have more pics on my phone so I'll do another update in the morning.

Dang. We didn't get that up north. Off to grab the blu-ray this morning. Thanks for the tip! I missed their concert here last year as I was out of town which was a total bummer. Who knows when, if ever, they be back this way...:cry:

OpenG - your building is coming along nicely and looking good!

B's always put on a good show. They were plugging for the local PBS station's "pledge break". I normally can't stand to sit through the blah-blah-blah of the breaks, but for the B52's, well, . . you know. I wish I had known about the show, Athens is only about 35 miles East of me. And yeah, they're getting a bit long in the tooth (aren't we all?), so who knows when they're going to hang it up?
(Apologies for the mini-hijack)

OpenGCapo4, seriously, man, try a set of the eneloops. I was skeptical about them until I tried them. They come fully charged--100%--they're just about impossible to kill.

I had some stupid bird build her nest in my tractor's tool box. Meanwhile, front field is growing up, neighbors are talking, small children and pets are disappearing in the overgrowth, my wife is like, just cut the damn grass. But I'd go out there to pull the nest, and it's not eggs anymore, it's 3 cute baby birds. I didn't have the heart to yank them out of there. Finally everybody left, and I got things back on track.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/476695_10101187552297520_4937231_66883994_53130548 4_o.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/469382_10101187553180750_4937231_66884002_14390347 62_o.jpg

Made a new neck template and a new template for the neck pocket, using the Jack Wells method. This particular neck will be 2.25" wide at the heel. Same as the GFS necks. I made a couple bodies last summer with a set of templates based on GFS' heel dimensions and thought I'd buy a few more of their necks, but now that I can make my own I'll just do that.

And the new neck template is also 1.75" nut width so having a little extra heel width keeps it "tapered".

Gonna try to get the truss rod in this evening. It'll be a double action heel adjust.

Nice progress! Question: I've got exact same bandsaw as you. What blades are you using? I am using 80" bosch from Lowes, but for some reason they are leaving some nasty burn marks on the wood. I don't see that yours are as bad as mine.

Nice progress! Question: I've got exact same bandsaw as you. What blades are you using? I am using 80" bosch from Lowes, but for some reason they are leaving some nasty burn marks on the wood. I don't see that yours are as bad as mine.

Craftsman, 1/4 x 80" 15tpi

Its just the "general scrolling" blade. Does a good job cutting outlines, but it does leave burn marks on maple sometimes. I cut outside the lines to compensate for this, and bring maple closer to the line on the ROSS (which can also burn it if I'm not careful).

I have a 1/2" blade in it now which cuts great but doesn't scroll much. So finishing the scrolling cuts on that neck blank I had to take material off in little bites.

Today I installed the truss rod.

First we mark the neck with center lines. Front and back. I also marked where the channel will start and stop.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1424.jpg

Then the neck goes in the slotting jig. Held down with double sided tape. Theres a centering line on top for the heel, and on the bottom of the jig for the headstock (which is why I have to do a centerline on both sides)

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1425.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1427.jpg

Note that the jig has two sets of rails. The Oak pieces are straight rails. I can take those out and there is a set of curved walnut rails behind them. :mrgreen:

The jig also has cleats on the bottom that hold it in place straddling the table saw top:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1429.jpg

I line up the bit with the marks for the end of the channel, then clamp a little block on to act as a stop for the router:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1430.jpg

After the channel is routed with a 1/4 bit I need to go back and route the last inch or so with a 3/8 so that the adjustment end can be inserted into the hole in the heel.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1431.jpg

The pics of me drilling the heel didn't come out for some reason, but I just clamped the blank to the porch rail drilled it freehand with the cordless.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1432.jpg

Measured the Osage out for fretboard blanks:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1433.jpg

Cut one off and laid it out to get a look at the progress. I like it.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1434.jpg

Then I added 2 dabs of clear silicone to the truss rod channel, dropped the rod back in, and glued the fretboard blank on with liquid hide glue. Its got about 20 clamps on it now.

I'll get a pic of the clamping setup tomorrow AM before I head out for work.

Hopefully tomorrow evening I'll at least get the fretboard flush trimmed. I won't have as long to work on it tomorrow as I had tonight. :sad:

Really looking good. I'm gonna steal your idea for the truss rod router box, if you don't mind--(probably will, anyway, but if anybody asks me, I'll credit you:lol:)
The grain on the Osage orange is killer. I've only seen bits of it before, I think bow (like bow-and-arrow) guys build with it, so I've not seen a wide slab. It's pretty wood. How is it to work? I'd think it would be kind of tough and springy.

Love that fretboard. I get tired of seeing just Maple or Rosewood on necks and think ideas
like yours really set a guitar off. Nice jig, btw, for the trussrod.

Nice work. It's looking really good.

The grain on the Osage orange is killer. I've only seen bits of it before, I think bow (like bow-and-arrow) guys build with it, so I've not seen a wide slab. It's pretty wood. How is it to work? I'd think it would be kind of tough and springy.

The Osage is really a joy to work with so far. But all I've really done to it at this point is plane it and saw it. But it seems to be very closed grained like Maple. And from what my untrained ear could tell as far as tap tone, its a little shrill compared to Maple. The Maple sustains longer and has a more "musical" tone to it, the Osage is louder, but doesn't sustain the tone as long.

The cool thing about the Osage is that it darkens over time with UV exposure. right now the fresh cut sides are pretty yellow, but they will eventually go to orange and then a rich brown.

so I've not seen a wide slab.

The guy I bought it from tried to sell me a whole trunk but he's since moved out west. I've got a new line on some locally, the seller is calling it "yellow locust" but I'm pretty sure its Osage.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/P270312_0623.jpg

21 clamps to glue on a fretboard, using an old neck template as a clamping caul. Overkill?

Nah. :mrgreen:

No overkill - of course you need one clamp for each fret position! :razz:

Ok, I'm calling that one over-kill, lol. But, as they say, it's better to be safe than sorry.

I still had clamps left over. Probably could have put a few more on. :lol:

The more work I do the closer I get to having to make decisions about the hardware.

Options I'm debating...

H-H with Wilkinson half bridge

H-H with TOM and stop tail or Bigsby

Tele bridge with neck HB

Dog ear P-90 with half-bridge

Dog ear P90 with TOM and Bigsby.

Of course, the Bigsby would complicate things because I'd have to order it and wait for it to ship, and I've only ever done one "post style" bridge and angled neck pocket and I'm only about 90% happy with how it turned out.

Theres a "vintage guitar" swap meet thing in town on Saturday, maybe I'll find an unusual piece of hardware there. :?:

Bandsawed the fretboard in close:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1435.jpg

Going for a spin on the router table:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1436.jpg

Fretboard flush trimmed:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l314/erose999/100_1438.jpg

I tried to get pics of the headstock being thinned but they didn't come out. Its a bummer because I came up with a cool way to cut off the end of the fretboard at a straight line. Basically, I clamped a square to the fretboard and used it as a fence to guide the saw.

Then I ran the peghead through the table saw, and finished up the little bit the table saw couldn't get with a hand saw.

Tux couldn't be bothered to pose for the photo this time. :lol:

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/528738_10101194559964100_4937231_66914403_20737637 76_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/404100_10101194582683570_4937231_66914566_16121708 6_n.jpg

Tomorrow, I'll do the transition on the ROSS and maybe even get it slotted.

I still had clamps left over. Probably could have put a few more on. :lol:

The more work I do the closer I get to having to make decisions about the hardware.

Options I'm debating...

H-H with Wilkinson half bridge

H-H with TOM and stop tail or Bigsby

Tele bridge with neck HB

Dog ear P-90 with half-bridge

Dog ear P90 with TOM and Bigsby.

Of course, the Bigsby would complicate things because I'd have to order it and wait for it to ship, and I've only ever done one "post style" bridge and angled neck pocket and I'm only about 90% happy with how it turned out.

Theres a "vintage guitar" swap meet thing in town on Saturday, maybe I'll find an unusual piece of hardware there. :?:

Unless some really tasty morsel pops up at the swap meet, I'd vote for the Tele bridge and neck HB. IMHO, it would be cool to have a split-wired HB at the neck, switched with a traditional looking mega switch, with which you could make all the traditional selections, plus either of the HB coils, and if there's terminals left over on the switch, reverse phases on the HB coils, too. Best of all worlds!

Great progress. Gotta get my a$$ in gear.

BTW, where is the vintage swap meet on Saturday?

Athens swap meet made me think of the J&J center. Here's how fricking old I am, I haven't been out there since they had rasslin' at the J&J when I was in school in Athens. Surprising how many co-eds thought it was a really fun date to run out to Jefferson or Arcade, pick up some brews, and watch the wrestling at the J&J center. (Had to leave the brewski's out in the car). Some interesting folks came into the big city for that. I'm sure some of them were models for Deliverance characters, but it was part of the entertainment factor. Of course, ole R. Strat thought the perfect end of the date would be a bit of rasslin out at the trailer on Mars Hill Rd, but rarely did that part of the evening come to pass. :cry:

Well heres what I read in the Flagpole (Athens music scene newspaper)

http://flagpole.com/events/2012/mar/31/1088/

What I had in mind was kind of like a gun show for guitars. But from all accounts I read on the internet earlier today, and what my friend was telling me earlier its a scam. Its just a group of pickers who are out to target people who don't know anything about guitars and give them lowball offers for their vintage gear.

I think my friend and I are gonna try to build a pickup winder and make sort of a Charlie Christian / P90 hybrid. Basically using a dogear P90 case, bobbin, and magnets with a blade instead of polepieces. Wound with 38 gauge wire to about 4k I think.

I'll be scouring craigslist for old sewing machines soon. I figure an old sewing machine would net a nice motor with speed control, and probably a shaft and some bearings as well. And the process for making a counter with a reed switch and a digital calculator seems well documented.

That is gonna be one pretty neck.

My wife just scored me this old montgomery ward sewing machine on craig's for $15.

http://i.imgur.com/AZYVS.jpg (http://imgur.com/AZYVS)

The lollar book says you really need a sewing machine with a belt drive not a gear drive. Not sure how to tell without taking it apart but I'm guessing the old ones are belt drive.

It also uses an oscillating fan motor to move the wire back and forth so you don't have to do it by hand. I recommend the lollar book, it's a really well thought out diy winder.

Hey All,

Check out Herb's latest winder build. It's all you need to know.

Barncaster

The lollar book says you really need a sewing machine with a belt drive not a gear drive. Not sure how to tell without taking it apart but I'm guessing the old ones are belt drive.
.

The motor is where the power and foot pedal plugs plug in. Open it up there and you should be able to remove the motor.

My wife just scored me this old montgomery ward sewing machine on craig's for $15.

http://i.imgur.com/AZYVS.jpg (http://imgur.com/AZYVS)

The lollar book says you really need a sewing machine with a belt drive not a gear drive. Not sure how to tell without taking it apart but I'm guessing the old ones are belt drive.

It also uses an oscillating fan motor to move the wire back and forth so you don't have to do it by hand. I recommend the lollar book, it's a really well thought out diy winder.


Just bought a sewing machine and ordered the book. Prob run out of time for the challenge but there's always the next build

Build is looking great.

I've decided to use tortoise face dots. I'll punch them out from some pickguard offcuts. Need to come up with some black plastic rod stock for the side dots.

I keep looking at my old sewing machine and thinking about pickups. Problem is, I have no
idea where to start so I'll grab some popcorn and patiently wait for your upcoming tutorial.

.....tap, tap, tap, tap, tap......

I keep looking at my old sewing machine and thinking about pickups. Problem is, I have no
idea where to start so I'll grab some popcorn and patiently wait for your upcoming tutorial.

.....tap, tap, tap, tap, tap......

E,

Go look at Adirondak5's thread called something like "a build for me". I believe that is where he documented his latest winder build. Its as good as anything you can buy and is half the cost.

Barncaster

Yeah his winder thread was what inspired me to want to build one. My friend was about to buy a sidewinder.

My sister said she has an extra sewing machine. She was given one by my grandma thats sort of a family heirloom (made a lot of clothes and quilts, etc for us when we were little). I didn't want to use that one. She said she has a different one without any sentimental value attached to it.

I've decided to use tortoise face dots. I'll punch them out from some pickguard offcuts.

Do some testing on what you glue them in with. Years ago I did a MOTS lapsteel fretboard the same way and the Duco cement made them melt and shink back when they dried.

Do some testing on what you glue them in with. Years ago I did a MOTS lapsteel fretboard the same way and the Duco cement made them melt and shink back when they dried.

Good to know. I wonder if one could just put them in with acetone the same way some people install binding? Or if I could use the Stew Mac binding cement?

I also have a few different types of CA at my disposal. Not sure if liquid hide glue would work.

If they're real celluloid then acetone will almost certainly melt them because that's the only way it can 'glue' things together. I'd try the CA.
Be interesting to see if a tortoise paste could be made by dissolving them in acetone and then filling the hole, but I'd guess you'd lose all the swirly effect and just end up with brown. BTW I used picks for my dots.

One thing to think about would be to back up the tortoise with something white like paper. I've done that on biding before and it really brightens up the tortoise.

Why not just a dab of epoxy?

Epoxy is a possibility but every time I've used it for various tasks in the past its always come out wrong. Choosing the right kind of epoxy, mixing it up, etc.

I'm more a fan of JB Weld as far as general purpose adhesives go. :lol:

Well heres what I read in the Flagpole (Athens music scene newspaper)

http://flagpole.com/events/2012/mar/31/1088/

What I had in mind was kind of like a gun show for guitars. But from all accounts I read on the internet earlier today, and what my friend was telling me earlier its a scam. Its just a group of pickers who are out to target people who don't know anything about guitars and give them lowball offers for their vintage gear.

I think my friend and I are gonna try to build a pickup winder and make sort of a Charlie Christian / P90 hybrid. Basically using a dogear P90 case, bobbin, and magnets with a blade instead of polepieces. Wound with 38 gauge wire to about 4k I think.

I'll be scouring craigslist for old sewing machines soon. I figure an old sewing machine would net a nice motor with speed control, and probably a shaft and some bearings as well. And the process for making a counter with a reed switch and a digital calculator seems well documented.

Guess I'll skip the vintage swap meet. Nothing I have I want to sell, especially not cheap.

FWIW, I got a sewing machine for pickupwinding purposes at a Goodwill Store. $25. I'm trying to find a simple circuit for a counter that won't overload like the magnetic switch/calculator mod does when you wind fast. What's the point if you can't wind fast, I say ??

Tortise dots will look super on that neck.

Did the transition today.

Put a fence on the ROSS:

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/553153_10101197063267460_4937231_66925309_17080393 74_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/560711_10101197073706540_4937231_66925414_20601691 81_n.jpg

You really have to be careful and not try to take too much off at one time, and feed it in slowly and hold on to it. Because the ROSS drum wants to pull it in and wedge the drum in a bind.

I suppose I might have had better luck feeding it in the other way where the roller would be pushing against it... but that would probably be even worse because it could kick back and throw the neck at you.

Thats about it for today's work on it. Taking off from work early tomorrow to get some guitar work done. Probably finish and setup work on one of my commission builds. It'll be good to get it out of the way and have the patron pay the balance on it so I can focus on the challenge. He says he's got a studio project in mind for it next week.

http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/images/40U/40U-3624_pickups.jpg

One of these is on its way courtesy of E-bay. I figure it'll be a neck pickup and then I'll do a regular Tele in the bridge. I'm mostly a bridge pickup player, so even if I end up not liking it, it won't be the end of the world.

Cool! I was going to use one of those also but the deal fell through. Going with some Teisco gold foils instead.

Who makes zippo pickups. Looks really retro and cool.

They are retro. :mrgreen:

Love that neck, looks awesome...Hey, I think we have the same Craftsman bandsaw. I put a 3 tpi Timberwolf blade on mine and I love it.

The Zippo pickups are from a Kay "Value Leader" guitar. Very snarly, brittle single coil sound.

Saw the North Mississippi Allstars last night. Lots of good Burnside and Kimbrough covers.

Went to the flea market today and got a couple of old corded Black&Decker drills, hoping to use one to make a dedicated pickup winder.

Got the radius on the board, today, hope to get the face dots in tomorrow. Gonna order tortoise side dots from LMI. The 5 day wait for shipping from the West Coast will be worth it.

Also got a 5lb. brisket sitting in a dry rub in the fridge for tomorrow.

Tried punching out some tortoise dots today. The pickguard material I have is too thick to punch. The plug cutter in my drill press either melts the dots or chips the edges, and punching them with a hammer and a punch makes them oblong and slanted.

So I placed an order to LMI this morning. 2 sets of tort side dots and markers, a couple of fingerboards that were on clearance, etc etc.

Brisket should be done in a couple more hours. I'll get some pics of the smoker setup when I go out to mop it the next time in an hour or so.

Have you tried running your plug cutter as slow as possible? It may cut the material without melting it. Just a thought.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/459204_10101205253249670_4937231_66973556_11295568 15_o.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/479368_10101205254761640_4937231_66973559_16741405 76_o.jpg

Every build contest thread needs some sandwich pics. :cool:

And Preb's influence echoes on :grin:

Great....now I'm hungry

Dots should arrive Thursday, then I'll be able to finish the work on the fretboard and neck.

The Zippo pickup should also arrive soon.

I'm working frantically to get the extended scale build done so I can work on the challenge guitar. Just need to finish the nut slots and re-spray the top. I decided to lacquer the top with some rattle can poly and when taping the top to mark a center line a big chunk of lacquer came off with the tape. Should have sanded the tru-oil a little so the lacquer would stick to it better I guess. :roll:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/558118_10101207618300090_4925444_66989057_25086117 3_n.jpg

Seen this band last night... Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. The Newport sounds really good (he said its a clone, I didn't have time to ask if its an Eastwood or if its one somebody built), he's also got a National resonator that looks to be original.

Here's an option - I could get all Teisco on it. :lol:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/554710_10101211678218980_4937231_67008556_15261667 10_n.jpg

Thats an original Teisco bridge to the best of my knowledge, the vibrato tailpiece is from GFS.

The Teisco bridge is stamped steel, and just floats on the thumbscrews. Probably not the best for sustain. I've also got a tune-o-matic, and a MIJ '52 re-issue tele bridge. I'm sure it will come to me eventually.

Evil, just evil.....:twisted:

Barncaster

Looking good. I dig the wood choices. I'm building a one piece osage orange neck with a mesquite skunk stripe and plug.

Got the dots in and the neck fretted yesterday.

LMI tortoise dots. The 6.35mm just fit my 0.24" brad point bit.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/478523_10101223397069310_4937231_67089318_16727937 37_o.jpg

Set up a fence for the drill press:

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/476665_10101223399035370_4937231_67089344_17050871 42_o.jpg

Drilled for the side dots. LMI 2.5mm. Drilled the holes with a 3/32" bit. It was a tight fit, had to press them in with a little pressure.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/471740_10101223398167110_4937231_67089334_14445723 08_o.jpg

Leveled:

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/472750_10101223399968500_4937231_67089353_26463684 5_o.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/466113_10101223401819790_4937231_67089372_70905949 7_o.jpg

LMI gold wire:

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/459376_10101223404449520_4937231_67089404_17320027 39_o.jpg

End nippers for a clean edge:

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/456657_10101223406849710_4937231_67089429_19508442 23_o.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/464360_10101223408012380_4937231_67089442_18894790 31_o.jpg

Pressed them in:

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/414494_10101223409145110_4937231_67089457_16055938 69_o.jpg

I'm happy with it. :twisted:

My Bosch 1613EVS finally quit on me... the flange for the screw that holds the stop plate on holds the collet while you change bits is snapped off. I may be able to tap the motor housing for a larger screw, or find a way to use 2 wrenches with it. We'll see.

In the meantime I caught a sale on the newer Bosch set with the fixed and plunge bases. Gonna mount the fixed base to the table today.

http://toolselect.com/tsimages/Bosch-1617EVSPK-Image-Full-1.png

The fixed base has thru-the-table depth adjustment. The footprint on the plunge base looks to be the same as my 1613 so I should be able to use the new router with my truss rod jig :cool:

Ooooo, gold fret wire!!!

I really like the contrast of the gold frets and the tortoise dots. Nice combo.

Oh, and congrats on the NTD (new tool day)!!

I'm in the process of gluing the ends down and filling the fret slot ends with Osage sawdust now. Should have a nice look when its done.

There are 2 little dents in the wood from where I was trying to hammer the fret ends down. I'm hoping I can steam them back up without causing the fretboard glue to come loose. I'll get pics of that when I have access to my real camera and not just my phone.

We'll start on the profile by carving a facet on each side of the neck with a 45deg. chamfer bit. I marked some start and stop lines short of the transitions. I do these facets now while the neck is flat and untapered so it will run flat across the table.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/540429_10101230659215910_4937231_67133451_95425836 0_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/582329_10101230666780750_4937231_67133475_21066233 00_n.jpg

I switch to a steeper angled bit and run it higher to cut another facet:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/542992_10101230674879520_4937231_67133496_82921866 2_n.jpg

I don't know that you can see both facets clearly in this pic but they're there:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/575566_10101230686950330_4937231_67133540_39593035 9_n.jpg

So now we rasp out the transitions. Start by rounding off a section at the first fret, and one just ahead of where the neck tapers into the heel:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/575389_10101230710513110_4937231_67133671_20973305 78_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/p480x480/577391_10101230743816370_4937231_67133868_17454121 13_n.jpg

Then we use the rasp to blend them in:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/559939_10101230722259570_4937231_67133760_20225068 81_n.jpg

Thats all the pics I got tonight. After that I rasped the facets down until I had something close to round, and then worked some 100 grit paper across it in a "shoe shine" motion. Cleaned up the transitions with an 80 grit HOSS (hand operated spindle sander) roll.

I'm compiling an order for hardware from Bezdez now. In keeping with the "cheap '60's guitar" (Kay/Harmony/Tiesco etc) theme for this one I've got some 6-on-a-plate tuning keys picked out.

Thats about all I got tonight. I have a build I'm currently working on with a deadline of the 21st so I'll probably be working on that the rest of the week. It's an Esquire that just needs the final sanding, finish, and assembly. Probably just gonna do some Deft sanding sealer followed by a fast curing rattle can lacquer.

Oh, the WoodRiver router bits are currently 30% off at Woodcraft. I ordered up a a 1/2" bowl carving bit that should be handy for chambering, a 1/4" core box bit for installing truss rods, and a 3/16" roundover that will probably see action on this build very soon.

Looks great - I really like the gold frets, and I'm not usually a gold hardware kind of guy. You just have an awesome combination of wood for it.

Roundover bit should be in today. Probably gonna get the neck pocket, the roundover, and the output jack drilled this weekend.

I'm normally not a fan of control plates, but I'm thinking of doing one in engine turned aluminum for this guitar. The Kay "Value Leader" and "Style Leader" guitars that the Zippo pickups were used on both had a textured aluminum panel that served as both a pickguard and a control cavity cover.

https://www.usedguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/1963-kay-value-leader.jpg

Mine won't be nearly as big as that, if I do end up following the idea through.

I went by Woodcraft last night and picked up a new bottom bearing trim bit. Thanks for
the heads up.

That aluminum could look really cool, btw.

Roundover bit should be in today. Probably gonna get the neck pocket, the roundover, and the output jack drilled this weekend.

I'm normally not a fan of control plates, but I'm thinking of doing one in engine turned aluminum for this guitar. The Kay "Value Leader" and "Style Leader" guitars that the Zippo pickups were used on both had a textured aluminum panel that served as both a pickguard and a control cavity cover.

https://www.usedguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/1963-kay-value-leader.jpg

Mine won't be nearly as big as that, if I do end up following the idea through.

That's pretty cool looking, really goes with the theme, and the Zippos. Will you buy already engine-turned metal, or do your own? I've seen it done with a drill press and small wire brush, also, for very fine work, with a pencil in the drill press, eraser down, with valve grinding compound smeared on the eraser end. Seems tedious, but can be done.

Yeah I plan on making my own using aluminum. The plan is to use an oak dowell in the drill press and some valve grinding compound... or maybe just rubbing compound (like you'd use for paint) to save me from having to spend any more $$$.

Just did the angled neck pocket and I think it came out really well. Not quite the "pick up the body without any screws in it" tight, but once its got finish on it it will be a tight fit. About to do the pickup cavity and drill for the bridge studs, and route the roundover and binding channel.

I have thought of using different angle router bits to the neck shaping, but this is the first time I see that done. Haven't found suitable bits, but now I see it's possible. Nice work on the neck.

Clamped on my template and routed the neck pocket:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/534623_10101238904197900_4937231_67176644_10632675 7_n.jpg

Used my angle gauge to set the angle:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/548300_10101238911553160_4937231_67176661_59115272 5_n.jpg

I'm happy with the fit. Once theres finish on the body and neck this will be super tight:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/535849_10101238917286670_4937231_67176694_11505503 83_n.jpg

Laid out the pickup cavity:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/551872_10101238944028080_4937231_67176973_55759526 3_n.jpg

I always start a P-90 route by drilling the 1/4" holes for the corners. the 1/2" bit I use for template work can't get into that tight of a space:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/531222_10101238948264590_4937231_67177026_21393114 39_n.jpg

Hogged it out:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/578994_10101238954671750_4937231_67177081_70001217 7_n.jpg

Routed it:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/528087_10101238962890280_4937231_67177159_56725494 5_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/522776_10101238968803430_4937231_67177214_15458534 81_n.jpg

3/16" roundover on the back:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/485790_10101238974402210_4937231_67177264_14227869 94_n.jpg

Binding channel on the front:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/562115_10101238979417160_4937231_67177289_80539086 6_n.jpg

My Ryobi cordless is dying on me, so I'm now using this old B&D. Very short cord so I'm having to connect it to my drop light. :lol: Put on a long bit to drill the wiring channel for the bridge pickup:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/577517_10101238985669630_4937231_67177328_13327129 28_n.jpg

Now I'll drill the hole for the jack. It looks off in the picture but I had already drilled the hole and was just setting up for the picture here. I lined the holesaw up with the lines on the template:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/563786_10101238991018910_4937231_67177376_79023537 4_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/558675_10101238997745430_4937231_67177443_14953929 15_n.jpg

Got the binding glued on last night. Gonna see about making one of those scraper contraptions today, and drill for the Tune-o-Matic studs. It's definitely coming along.

It's definitely coming along.
Yes it is, and a really fine job as well! :grin:

Yes and it's coming along very nicely. You weren't exaggerating about a short cord on that
drill were you, lol?

Nice work so far. The neck pocket looks like it came out very good.

Thanks for the compliments guys. I've been feeling sick lately and haven't had much energy. I've about got the other guitar thats due the 21st finish sanded and ready for Tru-Oil now so I should have time to work on the challenge guitar soon.

I got the 29/64" (0.45") bit for the TOM studs yesterday. I might get a minute to drill for them while I'm waiting on Tru-Oil to dry on the other guitar tonight.

I have always found, if you have a short cord on your drill, you should use the longest drill bit available. :grin:

Looking good!

Beautiful job on the pickup route--clean and perfect. You made it look so easy with the angled neck pocket, round-over, and binding channel, too. First thing I thought of with that plug that came out of the jack socket hole is champagne cork! Your hole saw looks just like my Milwaukee set, except yours surely cuts more cleanly than mine! Come to think of it, you should go uncork a bottle of the bubbly, for excellent work to date!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/485701_10101274185638610_4937231_67278880_15128758 23_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/528845_10101274194725400_4937231_67278918_14787560 87_n.jpg

Got the tune-o-matic posts drilled. I set the bass side post back 1/8" because I like the look of a slightly angled bridge. I tested it with the neck in the pocket to check the action height, and it looks like I have it very close to where I want it. Perfect action height should be achieved with very little turning of the thumbwheels.

Of course, I'll have to pull those bushings back out for finishing, and to drill the hole for the ground wire. :roll:

Got the holes for the vibrato tailpiece laid out for drilling tomorrow. Probably knock out the fret leveling and cut out the nut slot and drill for the keys as well. Exciting stuff :cool:

I am really liking this. Are you going to angle the neck pocket or recess the tune-o-matic bridge?

Alex--
Check out post #95 above.

One of us knows all about "pulling the bushing back out to drill for the ground wire".
I'd prefer we'd not "name names" so-to-speak. No since embarassing the fellow, right?

I did an angled neck pocket. Basically I used my flat neck pocket template and just wedged some shims under it to provide the angle, which I measured using the angle gauge. I had to put the shims in several locations to keep the template from flexing as it was clamped. But it worked great. :cool:

I got a reprieve on the comission for the limba/mahogany guitar I was supposed to have done yesterday, they moved the event up to the 12th. Pretty much all it needs at this point is wiring and the action adjusted so it should go quickly.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/534805_10101276786566330_4937231_67300490_34330223 0_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/536384_10101276797738940_4937231_67300638_52878392 1_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/537945_10101276857589000_4937231_67301271_71859345 4_n.jpg

Also sawed out the nut slot, now I just need to file the bottom flat. And I worked on leveling the frets today as well. Gouged some of the pretty bad with my beveling fine so I had to remove a bit of material to get them smooth. But it should be nice when done.

That is some really clean work on the tuners. The headstock looks great!

I really like the 6 on a plate. So much easier than fumbling around with 6 individual tuners, bushings, washers, screws, etc.

I have a set of 3-on-a-plate tuners I might use on a snakehead or Junior sometime soon as well.

I'm gonna have to try them. That makes about 28 new things I have to try in builds. I think I might have to add an addition to my house for all the guitars I have plans to build.

Haven't really thought much about how I'm gonna finish this one. I'd really like to just do a Danish Oil finish. I have the "cherry" and "golden" varieties in my possession now. "Golden" looks stunning on walnut, not sure how it'd go over on mahogany and mesquite. Might try it on some offcuts tonight.

I think the cherry would look good on the mahog and mesquite, but a red body would really contrast with the yellow fretboard. :lol:

I may end up getting the walnut variety of Danish Oil as I would think brown would go best with a yellow fretboard.

Or I may mix red and yellow and try for orange. :lol:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/414994_10101283649198560_4937231_67337635_13006619 19_o.jpg

Drilled for the ground wire. Tense moment, as the bit just barely made it through with enough length. I was afraid the chuck would scratch the top if I got to close to it.

I also drilled the mounting holes for the pickup, the holes for the output jack plate, and strap buttons.

I also did the holes in the body for the neck joint, and sculpted the heel a little bit. Gonna make a nut tonight and get a couple strings on so I can line up the neck to drill it.

I also had a minute to wire up the Kay "Zippo" pickup and play it. Just wired it to the Korina Esquire I made with some tape, and soldered the leads to the controls. :lol:

I like it, pretty chunky lows with glassy highs, but it hums badly. And because its a surface mount I'm not real sure it'll fit under my action unless I shim up the neck or something (and I already have one shim in it as it is).

I really like the 6 on a plate. So much easier than fumbling around with 6 individual tuners, bushings, washers, screws, etc.

I have a set of 3-on-a-plate tuners I might use on a snakehead or Junior sometime soon as well.

Those tuners are great. Really in keeping with "the look". :grin: Did a great job lining them up too. I'd have had one off just enough so the whole damn thing wouldn't fit!

I don't guess you could replace the zippo's leads with some shielded wire--might not help anyway, but just a thought, zippo's "can" might help shield the coil if it was grounded to a shield.

Adding a shield is a possibility. I have some braided shield I got with a P-90 kit I ordered from Stew Mac. I'd also like to move the wire to exit from the bottom of the pickup instead of the side of the housing, just for a cleaner look.

Things are going well. I had to laugh when I saw your drill because I had a few of those at work in the late 80's.... Kind of pain to have to use an extension cord with them. I liked your router bit rough shaping too.

Things are going well. I had to laugh when I saw your drill because I had a few of those at work in the late 80's.... Kind of pain to have to use an extension cord with them. I liked your router bit rough shaping too.
I just saw the matching jig-saw at my friends house the other night.

I got an old B&D jigsaw too, the cord on it is really long. Its a bit older than the drill. Haven't tried it yet. The drill is variable speed and reversible, but its loud.

Nothing much to report, got the nut slot fine tuned and trimmed out a nut blank to fit in it last night. All thats really left to do now is make a control plate, fine sand/polish the frets, drill the neck for screws, finish making the nut, put some sort of finish on it (probably just Danish Oil) and then wire it up.

Going up to Cartersville to my sister's place today to plant a garden. Gotta get my maters, squarsh, oakree, bell peppers, jalapenos, and habaneros in the ground.

Also plan on hitting up woodcraft while I'm on the road, as well as Guitar Center. I looked thru my stockpile of control pots yesterday and didn't find anything I could use. I'll also need some strings.

Sunday night its Dick Dale at the Earl. He's pushing 80 and still touring and playing as hard as ever. Maybe that will inspire me to get in gear and finish this project.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/389716_10101295519934510_4937231_67396999_97637157 9_n.jpg

Didn't make it to Dick Dale. Before we could plant it took us about 3 hours to pull out all the rocks (including some pretty big boulders) and roots and get the plants. Tomatoes over in the shade, squash, okra and strawberries in the middle, peppers on the end in the sunlight. So after a night spent sleeping on a couch, a day of garden work, and the prospect on a 2 hour drive back to Athens I passed on going to the show.

I did find time to pick up a 5/16" spiral upcut bit with a 2" cutter length and 1/2" chuck. So I should be able to cut bodies in one pass now on the router table. Probably should have gotten the 1/2" instead of the 5/16, but I got a killer deal on the 5/16".

That's going to be a nice garden. My wife planted a small one in the backyard about 3 years go with cucumbers, cayenne peppers, and a couple other things. The cayennes were the most prolific and we just now ran out. It's a shame too, becuase they were awesome.

I've got cayennes, habaneros, serranos, and bell peppers. I also found one (just one) "chocolate bell pepper" plant. I was intrigued so I had to get it.

If I'd have had more space there would have been poblanos and cowhorns and bananna peppers. Maybe next year.

Its been about a decade since I last gardened, but the last year I did I had cayennes and habaneros in November. With the warmer winters like this past one, I wouldn't be surprised if the cayennes could go year 'round with a little tending during the frosts.

I'm hoping to make my own hot sauce this year. You'll probably notice a bottle of hot sauce in just about every one of my pictures that were taken in the house (and even some of the ones outside :lol: ). I go through a lot of it.

I got the neck mounting holes drilled last night and bolted the neck on. Checked it against the saddles with a straightedge and it looks like the bridge placement is good. Also got the nut cut to shape and started the slots. I'll go down to the music store and pick up some strings on my lunch break today, and try to get in a proper update with pics by Friday.

Mounted the vibrato and made a nut. Marked off slots with Stew Mac nut scale, and started them with nut files. Put on on some Ernie Ball .052-.010 strings:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/471566_10101337037058860_4937231_67546621_10569193 34_o.jpg

Did the nut slots by filing them until I could hold a Fender thin pick on the first fret while fretting the third fret. Set the action height with the thumbscrews.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/464551_10101337034858270_4937231_67546615_42564839 1_o.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/464776_10101337035881220_4937231_67546619_71342466 1_o.jpg

Wired the P90 straight to the output jack and plugged 'er in. Sounds good. Think Junior meets 335. The shorter Gibson scale on the 1.75" wide neck is different but I really like it.

The GFS "Hofner style" vibrato... it does alright but not nearly as good as a Bigsby style. The cool thing about it is that you can get a little up-pull on it. The bad part is that since there are no stops it might not always return to exact pitch.

Lets see... so far I've got

Reptile sighting
Food
Pets

What am I missing?

Vacation
Kids

This one ought to cover those. Recently I went to visit my sister and see my two neices, Haliegh (left, age 8) and Hannah (right, age 7).

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/549255_10101295528726890_4937231_67397114_15878678 55_n.jpg

Still got some fret polishing and fine sanding to do on the neck. And I'll have to trim the neck shim I made for it, make a control plate, install a string tree, install the Zippo pickup in the neck spot, wire up some controls, and try to get a finish on it by the deadline.

I feel good about it though. It may just have a couple of coats of Danish Oil for a finish, but I should at least meet the requirements for a finished build. :lol:

looking good!

Nice work !! Looks like your close man, you will make it. Looking forward to hearing it sing.

Everything looks good. I like the direct approach you've taken with it.

nothing quite like a dogear P90 in a tele...love it

Thanks for the compliments guys. I'm gonna try to get some work done on it this evening, even though the forecast calls for rain. I guess I'll probably make the control panel and try some engine turning on it today, seems like that can be done on my back porch shop even if it is a little wet out.

My friend played this one at their show Friday night. The screws on the high E saddle must have vibrated loose during the drive to the show, and thus it had a little buzz and he was only able to use it for one song. Sounded great though. I may need to experiment with some sort of threadlocking compound on my saddle screws.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s320x320/577657_10101285051388560_4937231_67342663_15080639 2_n.jpg

I'm thinking I'll do the control panel with a volume and tone for each pickup. Les Paul style so to say. The P90 is bright and the Kay pickup is pretty dark so it wouldn't make sense to have them on the same tone pot. Not sure if I'll have a selector switch or not. I always found them redundant on guitars with a volume for each pickup.

I used the selector switch on my LP clone to basically act as a lead boost. I'd dial in the tone on one pup to be really close to the other and then set the volume up higher. When it came time for a solo or whatever, I'd just flip to the other pup. Since I didn't have a volume pedal, it worked perfect.

Sawed off a piece of aluminum:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s320x320/559534_10101339531400180_4937231_67557834_52973038 9_n.jpg

Cut off the sharp corners and rounded the sharp edges with a file:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/479195_10101339532173630_4937231_67557849_10590532 60_o.jpg

Supplies for engine turning: an Oak dowell, some rubbing compound, and a drill press:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/476725_10101339532752470_4937231_67557851_10004648 03_o.jpg

You just touch the dowell to the workpiece for about 5 seconds, then do another one that overlaps it. Its time consuming, but you end up with a "Spirit of St. Louis" look.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/476254_10101339533515940_4937231_67557854_19778006 17_o.jpg

Not super happy with the turning here, I set up a fence on the drill press to try to keep them even but its off a little bit. Also the surface of the aluminum stock wasn't flat and so there were low spots that didn't get turns cut by the dowell. I started sanding it down flat in preparation to do the turning again.


Here's the progress so far. Those are genuine Daka-Ware knobs, but they're not for a solid or a split shaft control pot. They have some kind of wierd spring clip thing in them. I will have to come up with a way to modify them to fit a knurled/split shaft pot.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/469539_10101339537263430_4937231_67557860_16112670 56_o.jpg

This panel will have an individual tone pot for each pickup, and a volume for both.

That's really cool. I never knew how they did that. Hey, nosmo, make sure and put this in your notebook so we can use it again later :grin:

Looking good OpenG. You'll make it no sweat. Weather's great for finishing, too, at least for a couple of days. As you discovered, aluminum extrusions typically don't have very flat surfaces, to get a good, even engine turning, you'll need to flatten it with sandpaper, and be sure your dowel's end is perfectly parallel with the surface of the aluminum.

Hey Open G,

I had an old aviation mechanic friend years ago. His secret to engine turning was to chuck a pencil, eraser down in a drill press, and apply the abrasive to the rubber. The rubber follows irregularities much better than a dowel would. I've never tried it but maybe it will work for you.

Barncaster

I reckon if I were to use a pencil with a rubber eraser I might have to slow my drill press down. One other thing I haven't tried yet is valve grinding paste, which might be more abrasive than the "rubbing compound" I used yesterday.

Very cool idea!

Hey Open G,

I had an old aviation mechanic friend years ago. His secret to engine turning was to chuck a pencil, eraser down in a drill press, and apply the abrasive to the rubber. The rubber follows irregularities much better than a dowel would. I've never tried it but maybe it will work for you.

Barncaster

I'd heard the pencil thing, too. One advantage (I"ve read--have no personal experience) is supposed to be that the abrasive particles partially embed in the rubber eraser and stay put longer than they would on a hard surface such as an oak dowel. Not sure about the speed thing, though. Unless it's going so fast it would sling the compound off, it doesn't seem like it would make a difference. And if it was going too fast, it would have slung compound off of your dowel already.

I've heard of guys using corks for engine turning, but I've never done it myself...

I've heard of guys using corks for engine turning, but I've never done it myself...

I think with a little more practice I'll have it. One idea I have is to get a rubber "bottle stopper" from the local "home store" and affix it to a dowell, making a sort of mandrel I can then put abrasive compound or self-adhesive sandpaper on

Love the shot of your nieces--as the oldest of 3 brothers, I see the older sister is doing just what older siblings do--has her little sister in a headlock! No doubt because she wants to wrest that bottle of beer away from her !

I think at this point, I'm the drag on the Georgia contingent--As soon as my pictures upload and I can get an update post done, I'm back to the shop.

I've had a busy week/weekend so far. I work at the UGA library, and I've been trying to interview/hire/train new people in my section, as well as working on a committee that does our semi-annual employee recognition awards ceremony. I'm putting together an employee art show that runs the week of the 21st thru June 15th.

About to get started on routing a cavity and mounting the control plate. Decided that the finish will be just some "light walnut" Danish Oil to both stain and fill the grain a bit. Might have time to get a coat of Tru-Oil on and let it dry as well, lets hope so. Like others have said my hands might stick to the guitar while playing it but I'm determined to finish on time, haha.

Neck heel. You can see the shim poking out between the neck and the body. Still need to trim this:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/559453_10101345678626090_4937231_67588407_16800961 82_n.jpg


Hogged:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/401685_10101345632957610_4937231_67588072_20191886 47_n.jpg

Routed freehand & drilled for screws:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/537536_10101345640492510_4937231_67588135_26689466 6_n.jpg

Control panel installed:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/559415_10101345636375760_4937231_67588102_13613605 11_n.jpg

Mock up assembly after one coat of "medium walnut" Danish Oil on the top:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/555357_10101345664953490_4937231_67588343_12459389 12_n.jpg

I just did a coat on the mahogany back and sides and sanded it in with 320 followed by 600. Looks really nice. I'll leave it alone and let it dry until the morning.

I'm in the home stretch. Pretty much all thats left to do is drill the mounting and wiring holes for the neck pickup, level and polish the frets, get some sort of finish on the neck, and wiring and assembly.

Got some finish on it, got it wired up, and got some of the dings steamed out;

Before:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/149480_10101347507476060_4937231_67602583_19838567 73_n.jpg

After:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/551002_10101347510884230_4937231_67602624_20675768 61_n.jpg

You can't really see the difference in the pics, but I was able to pull this one about 90% out, and whats left is hidden by the dog ear of the P90.

My repair on the fretboard is a bit more visible:

Before:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/554398_10101347515714550_4937231_67602703_87511015 _n.jpg

After:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/534909_10101347518344280_4937231_67602748_48841819 6_n.jpg

Wiring:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/523036_10101347522106740_4937231_67602797_15798294 30_n.jpg

Gonna hold off on doing the engine turning on the control panel, I'm pretty much just concentrating on getting it put back together after doing Danish Oil and letting it dry last night. I'm gonna try to get my video done tonight and have my thread "completed" either late tonight or early tomorrow.

Awesome glad to see you pull it together in just the nick of time. Cool looking control plate, I like it.

I shot a video tonight using my cell phone. Only got about 2 minutes before the memory ran out. Not the greatest quality either, but it should at least meet the requirements of the challenge.

I might try again a little later with my roommate's Iphone.

I shot a video tonight using my cell phone. Only got about 2 minutes before the memory ran out. Not the greatest quality either, but it should at least meet the requirements of the challenge.

I might try again a little later with my roommate's Iphone.

I'm in the same boat--not enough memory on my camera's card, poor quality, dim lighting, not to even mention the "playing" quality, but hey, it's together, it played through an amp and has a finish on it. :cool:

Congrats. You did a good job on steaming the dents out, also. The fretboard one looks like it's pretty well gone. Nothing a gigged axe wouldn't have after a month or so of service anyway. . .

Hopefully the second attempt at a video will be better. Got to play in all 3 switch positions on it at least, haha. It seems a little herky-jerky playing it on my computer but I think that might have more to do with my old computer than the video file itself. I'll know for sure when I load it from the zip drive onto my work computer tomorrow.

F5BbK0cDxGE

Lets see if this works.

Lovin' it, man. Sounds good, too. At least you got 3 switch positions, my middle one doesn't work, but I think it was Meat Loaf that said "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad". :shock:
That whammy bar is fun, ain't it? Glad to see you made it to the finish in good time. Be sure to let Paul know you're done.

The guitar looks and sounds good. Nice build.

Congratulations Eric,

It looks and sounds great!

Rob

Be sure to let Paul know you're done.

Well I've still got to pick my one photo of the finished product for the judging. So I'll probably snap it after work today and then I'll be done.

I'm carrying this one down to the buzzer. :lol:

Well done, man, it sounds great!

Love the look of it too!

Nice! love the sound!

Fantastic finish! Great job.

You appear to be completed. Now you have until tonight to put in the final post info and contact me to close the thread.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/2012-tdpri-tele-build-challenge/326277-final-days-every-contestant-please-read.html#post4150195

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/2012-tdpri-tele-build-challenge/326378-contact-me-when-completed.html

Well I've still got to pick my one photo of the finished product for the judging. So I'll probably snap it after work today and then I'll be done.

I'm carrying this one down to the buzzer. :lol:

Man, you sure are. I'm sweating bullets here for ya. Don't have a car breakdown or accident or anything !!!:shock:

LOVE the control plate; that's a nifty idea, there. Turns it into a first-rate design feature.

Well I went out at about 7pm tonight to take some photos, the lighting was perfect, had a nice green backdrop of Kudzu for the guitar to stand out against. It was great.

Then the pictures didn't show up on the SD card. :rolleyes:

So after much cursing, wringing of hands, frantic swapping of batteries, and threatening to bandsaw my camera in half... I got a couple more pictures, using my refridgerator as a backdrop because it was already dark.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/521541_10101351362285990_4937231_67633597_29897371 4_n.jpg

F5BbK0cDxGE

So having submitted my final photo and video, I think we're done here. :razz:

Don't forget to email Paul

Excellent job. I like your pickup selection for this one.

I'm going to experiment with some different capacitors and pot values and see what I can come up with to fatten up the tone. I have a friend whose an electronics guru I need to call up.