Guess what I'm making
- Thread starter mayfly
- Start date
Well, that "quality" part I have to differ on... how many necks and bodies from USACG have you built guitars out of? Obviously the website is weird, and the barter idea is a good fix, but you're the only person I ever seem who "knew" that USACG makes inferior-quality parts. If you were to spend a bit of time over at TDPRI or the musical instrument makers forum, most people treat them as equal but among the competition heads - the guys who just have to rank any and everything - there are more USACG fans than Warmoth. A lot of the high-end builder like Ron Kirn and Bill Crook use their necks and their OEM business is big (as is Warmoth's).
I think they both have their strengths, but I keep ending up with USACG necks because they will carve you any shape or combination of shapes neck. Say you want a neck that starts as a 0.880" thick super-soft vee at the nut and flares out to a "D" shape 0.950" deep at the heel - with the threaded steel inserts you provide installed. Ummm... I'd say an infinite number of neck sizes is pretty "diverse." In Warmoth's current business model, if it's not in the CNC machine, it can't be done.
But both business models work for what the owners intend to do - would you really want Warmoth to keep expanding, obviously assembly is the next step, then the selling of complete guitars, then the full-page color ads, then licensing their own Oriental knockoff brand,
Warmoth: The Fragrance....
Johnny Depp can play Ken Warmoth in the screen adaptation, stalking around South American jungles, peering at the bark on trees with a jeweler's loupe -
And you can sit in your cave surrounded by 20 exotic-necked Strats (none of which will play "Freebird" by itself) and mutter "I knew him back when..."
Mayfly:
O.K.! :hello2:
reluctant-builder
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Hey, Stub. I just want to reaffirm that I made no statements impugning the quality of what guitar parts USACG makes. All I said is that their website is a piece of crap, which it is, period.
They may well make great -- the greatest -- stuff, but I will never know because I don't want to use the very user-unfriendly interface they've provided. If anything, that's a lament, on my part. I'd very much like greater access to quality guitar parts. I might also like something that grows only in the midst of a horrid, thorny bramble, but since I know I can get essentially the same thing without thorns and agita, I opt for the path of least resistance.
Trevor ... show us more Junior!
They may well make great -- the greatest -- stuff, but I will never know because I don't want to use the very user-unfriendly interface they've provided. If anything, that's a lament, on my part. I'd very much like greater access to quality guitar parts. I might also like something that grows only in the midst of a horrid, thorny bramble, but since I know I can get essentially the same thing without thorns and agita, I opt for the path of least resistance.
Trevor ... show us more Junior!
mayfly
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So when I got the boys home from school yesterday, there was a box waiting at the back door:
Boys wasted no time getting it out of the box:
and then they dragged it into the house:
and then I found that the latches are not really child proof:
They were very excited - as am I! :headbang:
Boys wasted no time getting it out of the box:
and then they dragged it into the house:
and then I found that the latches are not really child proof:
They were very excited - as am I! :headbang:
Cagey
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Now that I can see what it is...
That is one gorgeous piece of work! I especially like the darkened neck joint. Nice touch. I think if it was me, I'd put a pickup and some strings on it, though. Maybe a little support hardware. For as big a pain in the shorts as those things can be, they really enhance the appearance and utility of the thing.
That is one gorgeous piece of work! I especially like the darkened neck joint. Nice touch. I think if it was me, I'd put a pickup and some strings on it, though. Maybe a little support hardware. For as big a pain in the shorts as those things can be, they really enhance the appearance and utility of the thing.
mayfly
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More Stuff:
So, let's bolt it together. First, let's put the pots on.
I carefully used a sharp reamer to remove the finish build up around the pot holes. This is my first time with a pure nitro finish, and I found it was fairly fragile:
But no problem for an old pro like me:
Next, let's wire up the output jack. I had some exposed shielded cable left over from a super reverb amp rebuild (for the reverb tank), so to be authentic I used that:
and here's how it goes around the jack:
Soldering up the cavity was a piece of cake:
What's interesting is that with this stuff there is no need to worry about shielding the cavity. Soldering to the jacket worked very well. BTW - no bumble bee caps for me! That's a good old mallory. I think it was 20 cents (expensive).
The pickup cover went on at the same time. I used a transfer punch to mark the holes:
So far so good. More later.
So, let's bolt it together. First, let's put the pots on.
I carefully used a sharp reamer to remove the finish build up around the pot holes. This is my first time with a pure nitro finish, and I found it was fairly fragile:
But no problem for an old pro like me:
Next, let's wire up the output jack. I had some exposed shielded cable left over from a super reverb amp rebuild (for the reverb tank), so to be authentic I used that:
and here's how it goes around the jack:
Soldering up the cavity was a piece of cake:
What's interesting is that with this stuff there is no need to worry about shielding the cavity. Soldering to the jacket worked very well. BTW - no bumble bee caps for me! That's a good old mallory. I think it was 20 cents (expensive).
The pickup cover went on at the same time. I used a transfer punch to mark the holes:
So far so good. More later.
Tonar8352
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Thank for your kind words Trevor they are deeply appreciated! It is always a pleasure to work on guitars for you!!!
I'm glad you like it, I had a blast doing the research on the vintage JR's to come up with the correct way to reproduce the finish you were after. I cannot begin to tell how many variations I found on the guitars that were done over the years at the Gibson factory.
DMRACO, I get the edges on the head stock so clean by taping it off before I shoot the black lacquer and then when the clear is shot over it all melts together nicely on the edge. On the burst at the edge I spray only from the center out and directly down at the edge of the face. There is some over spray but the dark brown burst color blends so well with the color of the brown color of the mahogany that you don't see it. Waterslide; I have to say like Schultz on Hogan's Heroes, "I know nothing".
I'm glad you like it, I had a blast doing the research on the vintage JR's to come up with the correct way to reproduce the finish you were after. I cannot begin to tell how many variations I found on the guitars that were done over the years at the Gibson factory.
DMRACO, I get the edges on the head stock so clean by taping it off before I shoot the black lacquer and then when the clear is shot over it all melts together nicely on the edge. On the burst at the edge I spray only from the center out and directly down at the edge of the face. There is some over spray but the dark brown burst color blends so well with the color of the brown color of the mahogany that you don't see it. Waterslide; I have to say like Schultz on Hogan's Heroes, "I know nothing".
Cagey
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Just as an aside and maybe a lesson to others...
Did you notice the condition of Trevor's hands and nails? Clean, well-trimmed, and buff. And those are shots of his left (fretting) hand. Plus, he's a pro who plays live gigs on TV and in Vegas and has several CDs to his credit and a band who's garnered some acclaim, not some whiny basement wannabe who wears mascara to make a "statement".
Maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine and nobody here needs this kind of thing pointed out, but in my experience, most players do. You hear guys complain about their frets or sticky necks or string spacing, etc., then you see their hands and you know why. It's not the poor guitar's fault, it's just that their hands are getting in the way of their playing.
Keeping your hands clean and your nails cut/trimmed/filed is crucial. You don't need to follow your wife/girlfriend to the salon for a weekly mani/pedi, but a little attention to those issues is a Good Thing.
Did you notice the condition of Trevor's hands and nails? Clean, well-trimmed, and buff. And those are shots of his left (fretting) hand. Plus, he's a pro who plays live gigs on TV and in Vegas and has several CDs to his credit and a band who's garnered some acclaim, not some whiny basement wannabe who wears mascara to make a "statement".
Maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine and nobody here needs this kind of thing pointed out, but in my experience, most players do. You hear guys complain about their frets or sticky necks or string spacing, etc., then you see their hands and you know why. It's not the poor guitar's fault, it's just that their hands are getting in the way of their playing.
Keeping your hands clean and your nails cut/trimmed/filed is crucial. You don't need to follow your wife/girlfriend to the salon for a weekly mani/pedi, but a little attention to those issues is a Good Thing.
mayfly
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Hi Folks,
Well, when I was installing the tuner ferrules, I got a lesson on just how fragile Nitro finishes are. I did the same trick that I did with the pot holes to remove the finish build up in the holes, and very carefully pressed the ferrules in using my drill press. On 5 out of 6 tuners, it worked out great. On the sixth, this happened:
Oh. Crap. I felt terrible - not because I damaged an otherwise flawless guitar, but because I know just how much work Tonar puts into this kind of finish. It must be hard for him to see his work get mangled by some careless Yobo.
But nothing for it but to move forward. And move forward I did. Some of the finish got into the bridge stud holes, so I used a drill tap to clear it out:
Starting to look a bit like a guitar!
Well, when I was installing the tuner ferrules, I got a lesson on just how fragile Nitro finishes are. I did the same trick that I did with the pot holes to remove the finish build up in the holes, and very carefully pressed the ferrules in using my drill press. On 5 out of 6 tuners, it worked out great. On the sixth, this happened:
Oh. Crap. I felt terrible - not because I damaged an otherwise flawless guitar, but because I know just how much work Tonar puts into this kind of finish. It must be hard for him to see his work get mangled by some careless Yobo.
But nothing for it but to move forward. And move forward I did. Some of the finish got into the bridge stud holes, so I used a drill tap to clear it out:
Starting to look a bit like a guitar!
Cagey
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Lacquer can provide a very fine finish, but it's not very robust. Won't take any time and you'll have a "relic'd " instrument. It's like putting a thin glass finish on something, and very nearly as fragile. Chips on a whim. Then, before you even realize it's happening the salt in your sweat will abrade it to a satin finish with a milky tinge.
On the plus side, you can recover it with a buffer and some rubbing compound. Just ignore the chips.
On the plus side, you can recover it with a buffer and some rubbing compound. Just ignore the chips.
Cagey
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Mayfly said:Cagey said:
I actually think my nails look pretty crappy in the photos! I mean - look at those cuticles!
Cuticles aren't nails and don't get in your way unless you're tempted to tear one back and bleed all over the place while putting yourself in a world of hurt. To prevent accidental tear-backs from reaching into a tight pair of jeans for your car keys or cigarette lighter, a good sharp set of jeweler's flush cutters make quick work of those little rascals...
I don't know. Maybe it's just me. But, it seems like more often than not guitar players have chewed-up bear claws for fingertips at the same time they wonder why they have buzzy frets, dead strings, unexpected ghost notes, broken strings, excessive wear, wrecked finishes, etc. You tune their guitar up, play a few changes, and it's fine. Hand it back and all the problems return.
