Chambered Korina Paulocaster Jr

[swarfrat]

I was kidding about dyeing the fingerboard. I did almost spec jet black ebony, but I couldn't bring myself to pay the upcharge. When I ordered, I mentioned I'd considered it, and wasn't asking for hand picked, but something from the stock pile that was more or less dark and uniform with any figuring to be subtle. I don't know if it did anything but make me feel good, but what I got was just perzactly that. Pretty uniform / dark with just the one beauty mark running the length of the fingerboard.

I don't have it strung up - but just holding the neck in my hand makes me think I'm really going to like the Fatback profile. That was the one thing I was most nervous about... if I'd like the profile. I felt like my favorite guitar had a slightly chunkier than normal neck, so I hoped but... This thing is definitely in the 'Could double as a weapon' category.  It's just absolutely beautiful - especially for a Dark Chocolate lover. As beautiful as the body was, to finally hold the neck, it's just exquisitely beautiful. I don't know if it's just an emotional aspect of dragging this thing out over 12.5 months, or what, but to finally hold this beauty in my hands is quite emotional.

I've been planning to string it with my standard string gauge, D'Addario EXL140, but after watching Phil Collen I've been tempted to take it back up a gauge. I used to play 11's, but went through a phase where I wasn't playing much, and it was difficult to jump into 11's when you're not playing regularly. I'm considering going to a D'Addario EXL116 Med Top/Heavy Bottom. But my other guitar is set up with EXL140's and I have a decent stockpile so...

 

[swarfrat]

Somebody help me! I'm considering slapping a battery box in the back. I think the Ghost system warrants it - way too much stuff to be messing with pickguard removal on a semi-regular basis. I have access to a full size router, but I'm considering getting the HF laminate trimmer for guitar work. My Zion strat might get a box too after this is done, so I can flip the jackplate back (it's problematic and relies on heat shrink to keep the tip from grounding out).

All worthwhile projects, but ... its projects... and we're definitely headed into calendar year three on this project.  :sad: Really? Oh wow. But it's getting close  to done now.  If I can just find my tools since moving. (If I didn't sell em all at the monster garage sale 2 years ago before moving to MD)

 

[Cagey]

Sooo... whaddaya want help with?

 

[swarfrat]

Talk me out of sidelining the guitar while I go down some rabbit trail.

No I think this is the right way. Route the battery box. Enlarge the control cavity to hold the hexpander/acoustphonic board out of the way of the magnetic wiring.

I think I will spring for the template even though I'm capable of making one, its another set of rabbit trails. I don't have a table saw to cut the MDF down, yada yada.

HF lam trim, 1/2" bearing template bit, battery box and the template. And I know I'll use it at least once more.

 

[Cagey]

I can't talk you out of it - your mind's made up. I can tell <grin>

Buy the battery box(es) first, so you can get some real-life dimensions. Make the template. Anything you'll use twice is worth that much effort, and the results are almost certainly going to be better. If you already own a router, you already know you aren't free-handing this thing, so just bite the bullet. Take your time, cross your Ts, dot your Is, etc. It'll be fine.

 

[Updown]

swarfrat  :redflag: .... Not sure if you have seen this ..
http://www.guitaristjeffmiller.com/guitars18.htm
Along your lines, but using a Tele.

 

[swarfrat]

Harbor Freight Trim Router for Christmas! Will have to run by Woodworkers Supply on Monday to get the template bit.

Now that it got a router I may just do the traditional Ghost 13 pin install after all.

 

[swarfrat]

Drilled and installed tuners last night. Had a scare when I drilled one of the locator screws off (bumped the key and didn't see it) but was able to fix it. Thought I was in a real pickle there - how do you fix that? I was able to "mill" a second hole with the drill bit - first time overlapping holes ever worked.

Chose a poor location for the battery box (to put it under pickguard) and got into the chambering. Got ugly for a bit but it'll work with no visible scars. I built up a wood/superglue shim under the battery box, will install it tonight. 

 

[swarfrat]

Just FTR - putting a battery box in a chambered body is nerve wracking and not to be recommended. But it turned out ok.

 

[Cagey]

That turned out really well! The gold looks great against that body, too!

Apropos the battery box thing - there are boxes that have the mounting screws on the flange, rather than inside on the bottom...

For future reference, you can get them here. That's what I used to fill the battery box hole in my white Strat's body. It doesn't need batteries, but it had been routed for a holder, so...

The screws are exposed, but at least with those you don't have to worry about shimming the base so the top flange sits on the body surface tightly.

 

[swarfrat]

I shimmed the bottom with carefully selected tonewoods and super hard high tech adhesive that sets up crystalline so as not to dampen any vibrations. (Popsicle sticks and super glue).

I debated using black pickguard screws, and really didn't believe you guys until I saw it. My idea was that pickguard screws are a distracting detail rather than a feature like the rest of the hw.

 

[swarfrat]

Had reservations about template security on the body edge so I drilled and x-acto'd the traditional ghost side install. The chambering actually made this part easier.  I now have all holes routed and drilled, tung oil drying (had to sand down on back side where double sided tape pulled up finish when routing battery box) I installed the side jack and it looks good. Tomorrow I'm going to wire up my pickguard, but I'm still waiting on a replacement 2x8 ribbon cable from Digikey. After finish is done I just have to wire it up, install the neck, then I'm taking it to someone local to install and final cut the nut.

On a related note - there was a Roland GI-10 on ebay tonight that had no bids until recently. I was already over toy budget for the month, and knew it'd be a fight, but I couldn't let it go for opening bid ($80 - no one else bid besides the two of us). Someone else got it, but I made sure he paid a fair price for it.  :evil4:

 

[swarfrat]

And I just scored a Yamaha G-50 Guitar to MIDI converter. Don't see many of them floating around, but they're much cheaper than the Axon's and still use the early reflection tracking. I'm pumped.

 

[swarfrat]

Wired up everything but the 13 pin jack tonight and screwed the neck on after doing a brief function check on the magnetics. Yamaha G-50 came in today as well. Still waiting on my replacement interface cable (hexpander to 13 pin board) - I tried to 2nd source it, but the graphtech stuff is 2mm pitch rather than 0.100" pitch, and what I ordered was wrong. Looking sweet, but trying to take pics tonight with the flash they all sucked, so I'll wait for tomorrow and daylight. 

It's soooo freakin awesome just to see it sitting in the rack with my other guitars and not parts laying in boxes or wrapped up in towels. Cannot wait.

The nut I'm planning to take to someone who's done it before. Maybe next guitar I'll buy a set of nut files and a bunch of blanks.

 

[swarfrat]

Setup and intonation pending - taking it to someone else for that since I don't want to mess with the nut.  Went with the traditional 13 pin installation after all that fussin and worryin.

Thanks for your patience, and especially to DangerousR6 for the really schweet neckplate. A nice neckplate really sets off a project, don'tcha think?

 

[blackofe]

:headbang: very nice! looks country and.. natural! :rock-on:

 

[m4rk0]

very nice!! one of my favorites!!

 

[stubhead]

Front side. It's easier to clean epoxy off metal than it is to dig blue clay grain filler out of pores. DON"T USE CLAY!!!!

I think it comical-to-mental to get all hyper-sniffy about a thin nitrocellulose finish -  sprayed over a half pound of river mud.  :icon_scratch: If a solidbody guitar needs to "breathe" a la the nitro supremacists,  doesn't filling up it's pores completely to a mirror smoothness asphyixiate it? Pretty much spray anything on top of that, you done killed it already.

 

[swarfrat]

The clay wasn't grain filler, it was a futile attempt to keep finish out of holes and hardware. And unnecessary at that.

If you ever wonder how deep the pores go in Korina, the answer is "all the way". After carving out the 13 pin board socket with an x-acto push knife, I'm almost surpised you can't see daylight through the pores if you held it up to a light.

 

[swarfrat]

Update : The Hum - Anti-hum Quantum Decoherence Engine!!

Think this one is ready for the fab house. It's my first board, so I'm excited/nervous. Also first attempt at SMD. The circuit itself is simple enough. I have another set of boards related to the hex pickup breakout that are next - once first pass at that is done, it's off to the fab house. (Cheaper that way).