BIG RED

[bagman67]

Mike Lull's a cool guy, in my experience.  I hung out in his shop for a little while one day back in 2002ish - good times.

 

[Great Ape]

Nice work; you've made that truly strange ol' headstock about as attractive as it can get, and great detail choices for the rest of that neck, too! You oughta wind up with a really cool ODDBALL when it's completed.

 

[Jet-Jaguar]

Are those SD Staples? I have some phat staples in a Korina strat that sound beautiful. I think you're really gonna like them.

 

[Slackjaw]

Are those SD Staples? I have some phat staples in a Korina strat that sound beautiful. I think you're really gonna like them.

Yep... SD staple going in the neck! Bridge will retain the 1980 Lawrence L500...  ccasion14:

 

[Slackjaw]

Just got a call from Mike Lull... BIG RED IS DONE!!

I did not ask, but he mentioned that the staple P-90 in combination with the L500 sounds PHENOMINAL.  :hello2:

Can't wait to see for myself tonight!!  :guitaristgif:

 

[Slackjaw]

As another side note, he said some extra work had to be done... as Warmoth did not use enough glue on the frets??

Hmmmmm....

 

[Cagey]

No worries. The glue is more of a filler than anything else. It makes things tight and secure, but it doesn't really behave as an adhesive because you're talking about a metal to wood joint. So, the frets will sometimes move as the neck acclimates to its environment. Expansion, contraction, stress, etc.

I go through a lotta necks here, and they're never perfect to start with. If somebody is checking to see if they are, they'll find problems even on better parts like Warmoth sells. The problems are usually small, but they're there. So, you grind 'em back a bit, recrown them, dress & polish them and call it a love story. Chances are they'll never give you any problem later, outside of any wear you inflict yourself.

 

[Slackjaw]

:cool01:

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Gorgeous!  I'm kinda curious about the hole on the back, though - is that the sole access to the controls & what not?  What's the cover for that look like?

 

[Slackjaw]

Yeah... that is the access hole for the wiring. Originally it was covered by a black plastic disk, but that has long been lost. So now it just acts as an extra sound hole... (HA!)

 

[Great Ape]

Pretty cool! It's kinda 'Retro-What-The?'. Well done!

 

[Cagey]

Yeah... that is the access hole for the wiring. Originally it was covered by a black plastic disk, but that has long been lost. So now it just acts as an extra sound hole... (HA!)

Making cavity covers is a major-league pain in the shorts. I think I'd rather take a beating. Plus, for some reason I'll never figure out, the raw material is surprisingly expensive. But, there are companies out there that'll do it for you if it becomes an issue. Terrapin Guitars up in Oregon gets called out a lot for that sort of thing.

 

[Slackjaw]

Pretty cool! It's kinda 'Retro-What-The?'. Well done!

YES... the desired effect! And it sounds and plays FANTASTIC! I have played this thing on-stage, in high-volume/high-gain situations and you would think it to be a feedback monster, but it really isn't (at least in my hands). This with a completely hollow, cheap-@$$ plywood body. LOL...  :guitarplayer2:

 

[Slackjaw]

But, there are companies out there that'll do it for you if it becomes an issue. Terrapin Guitars up in Oregon gets called out a lot for that sort of thing.

Indeed! I am already going through Terrapin for a custom engraved truss rod cover for my STUMPY project.

 

[Re-Pete]

But, there are companies out there that'll do it for you if it becomes an issue. Terrapin Guitars up in Oregon gets called out a lot for that sort of thing.

Indeed! I am already going through Terrapin for a custom engraved truss rod cover for my STUMPY project.

Yeah, I think with Terrapin, if you send them a fullsized tracing of what you want they can make it. I don't think a circular plate with holes in the right spot should be too hard for them. :icon_thumright:

 

[stubhead]

That headstock belongs there moreso than on a "Mooncaster", for sure. Among the many odd facts uncovered by plugging guitars into things was that cheap, non-resonant, anti-frequency-enhancing plywood works a lot better at high volume that the "musical" stuff. Next week, we explain why it now takes $350 worth of careful craftsmanship to best imitate the original godawful $29 P.O.S. fuzztones which were, one remembers, designed to sound as obnoxious as inhumanely possible to un-stoned ears. :glasses10: