What's on your workbench today?

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Lefty Luthier

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Feb 19, 2025
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Okc
@chaosman12 Thank you, really appreciate that. Yes it's a 1/4" top. I left the edges natural with a 1/4" roundover. I'll try to get some edge profile pics tonight for you.

What kind of tips are you looking for? Happy to assist. I do my own milling from billets, so ask away.
 

Lefty Luthier

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Feb 19, 2025
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Okc
Here is a shot after I milled the body blank and top, before I glued the bookmatched top to the body.

20250605_223335.jpg


This top had several cracks and checks in it that required epoxy filling. I used West Systems Epoxy and added a few drops of black and amber dye. I did the bulk of the epoxy fill before the resaw for bookmatching. Then planed everything down to size. I then went back over both halves to fill in any low spots with more epoxy. Planed everything flat. Glued the two halves together with the same epoxy, then epoxied the top to the body blank.
 
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TwoBear

Friend of Leo's
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Mar 31, 2020
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2,920
Location
oc. CA.
I just got finished gluing up a basswood body blank for a pre- prototype body that a fellow designed and wanted made. I want to see how it all works before I buzz out the final product out of maple which will be a little harder to work with and harder on my tools.
Picking away slowly on my Micro-Frets Signature... very slowly. Been tied up with some fishing and getting my boat ready for the season.

Tonight I had a couple of hours to finish the tuner replacement. The original 1974 cheap open-gear strip tuners were toast. Skipping, knobs spinning on the shafts, and no stability.
View attachment 1374303
View attachment 1374297

My goal is to keep this piece as original as possible, so I did a ton of homework to track down vintage tuners that would fit well, work well, and look vintage. I found a strip set from Kluson that was right on the money.
View attachment 1374299

Just a slight ream for the new bushings and a fill/re-drill on only 2 of the tuner screws.
View attachment 1374301

After that, I did a full clean and buff on the body. Still a lot left to do but it felt good to hear those tuners just slide so perfectly into the bushings, so I'm calling it a win for tonight.
The guy that was Eddie Van Halen‘s tech is a collector of those micro fret guitars. We had a used & vintage store and he became friends with my buddy who owned it. They definitely have a fan base or whatever you call it… dedicated collectors! I knew nothing about them, but I saw some interesting models. Definitely a hand crafted look to some of them.
 

TwoBear

Friend of Leo's
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Mar 31, 2020
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Location
oc. CA.
I got a spinning speaker Cordovox out there, it’s taken apart, but easily put back together. It’s two speed, and the spinner will go around about six times or so with a good push-I don’t know if that’s well lubricated or not but it runs OK. I think it would benefit from a rewire-simplify that mess, good to a good home. Where someone’s not afraid of mercury switches. It took me a long while to find out one of the thin factory wires had shorted inside It’s wrapping. I’m in Orange County California.

If No takers (maybe a couple hundred bucks) I’ll list it soon as a project and get ideas from you all -just adding a couple foot switches, May be on a J box on the floor, Probably a simple, 1/4” Jack to plug into, a screw in fuse, bypass that goofy crossover…
 

hopdybob

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May 28, 2008
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3,641
Location
netherlands
today at last i had the time to work on my 'ukulele' electric mini guitar.

it is a tricky clamp attempt to get that little fat neck to get some relieve without tension.
it has a little backbow now and the old frets are out, new frets will risk a further back bow
In the flow like a dutch soccer trainer said: de dood of the gladiolen, death or gladiolas i tried this.



it is a desktop workmate and has from the topview.
i will let it rest for some days
 

Blazer

Doctor of Teleocity
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Dec 2, 2003
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The Netherlands
Using my Washburn live, I discovered that the bridge humbucker doesn't like stage volumes that much and that the stock selector switch has a mind of its own when it comes to letting me use the neck pickup.

So, I replaced the switch and the humbucker for some more substantial units.
20250713_210717_mfnr.jpg

Yes, that would be a DiMarzio Dp100, aka a Super Distortion. Can't go wrong with a classic.
 

gentrywhite

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Jan 6, 2022
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53
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Australia

tonepoet333

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Apr 25, 2013
Posts
836
Location
California
Using my Washburn live, I discovered that the bridge humbucker doesn't like stage volumes that much and that the stock selector switch has a mind of its own when it comes to letting me use the neck pickup.

So, I replaced the switch and the humbucker for some more substantial units.
View attachment 1392461
Yes, that would be a DiMarzio Dp100, aka a Super Distortion. Can't go wrong with a classic.
Nice job on a good looking guitar.

@Blazer said: "DiMarzio Dp100, aka a Super Distortion. Can't go wrong with a classic."

It's all a matter of individual taste, but the DiMarzio that rings my bell in the bridge position is the DP103 PAF or the DP223 "36th Anniversary PAF Bridge" Yee-ow, I like the way that pickup distorts an EL84 amp!

tonepoet
www.jackshiner.com
 
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