Holy Guacamole Batman

[vikingred]

Initial pics.  Sorry bad quality pics.  This is Black Korina on Black Korina chambered, Bloodwood neck, and Ziricote Fretboard.  Insane:

Comments, thoughts, suggestions?  I am totally BLOWN AWAY.  Speechless.  I just held the neck for hours last night, and the body too.  My wife was really trippin' on me, like wondering wtf was wrong with me.  It's just the most incredible exotic thing I've ever seen, and I am committed to taking my time and making this a beautiful build.  So so happy!

 

[vikingred]

Oh, and that area that appears to be a "nick" or split at the nut slot area is just an artifact of the color of the ziricote.  It'll be covered by the nut anywho.  Ya'll this guitar is special.  I'm tellin' ya.  It's crazy fine.  I think my wife is rather jealous.  Ah well.

 

[Great Ape]

Man, that is INSANE!! :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:

 

[dmraco]

wow.
I need to go change my shorts.... :doh:

 

[vikingred]

wow.
I need to go change my shorts.... :doh:

Yah.  Me, too.  You know it's bad when you can't even concentrate on your work because you can't wait to get home to start on the build.  So many things to do and consider.  Square jack plate or football plate?

 

[Cagey]

Gorgeous hunks of lumber you got there!

 

[vikingred]

Gorgeous hunks of lumber you got there!

Thanks Cagey!  I've got burnishing on my mind.  Gonna go re-read your thread, and probably start tonight.  Got all the wares.  Tell me this, how far up the sides of the neck do you go?  Do you allow the sandpaper to hit the fretboard and the frets or do you stop just short of that?  Do you focus mainly on the back of the neck? 

Also, with the decal, I've decided to go head and finish the burnishing first before I start all that business.  To be honest it scares the hell out of me to shoot shellac and lacquer on the face of that headstock.  But, I'm gonna do it.  Slow, slow.  Light coats.  Over about 2 weeks, from what I've read, is best.

 

[vikingred]

On the glossy humbucker rings.  They just don't quite look right in glossy.  I've searched everywhere for flat black THIN rings, and can't find them anywhere.  Plus, these were ordered directly from EMG, so they fit perfectly (not sure if all humbucker rings are the same dimensions).  Any ideas on how to tastefully, and safely remove the gloss look from the existing rings?

 

[bagman67]

Synthetic (or real) steel wool may very well be the ticket to dull down those pickup rings.


Beautiful parts ya got there, son.

 

[Cagey]

Thanks Cagey!  I've got burnishing on my mind.  Gonna go re-read your thread, and probably start tonight.  Got all the wares.  Tell me this, how far up the sides of the neck do you go?  Do you allow the sandpaper to hit the fretboard and the frets or do you stop just short of that?  Do you focus mainly on the back of the neck? 

I go all the way up the sides. No reason not to. I gotta level/crown/dress/polish the frets anyway, so it's not like I'm going to make a mess out of what's already there.

 

[dmraco]

Thanks Cagey!  I've got burnishing on my mind.  Gonna go re-read your thread, and probably start tonight.  Got all the wares.  Tell me this, how far up the sides of the neck do you go?  Do you allow the sandpaper to hit the fretboard and the frets or do you stop just short of that?  Do you focus mainly on the back of the neck? 

I go all the way up the sides. No reason not to. I gotta level/crown/dress/polish the frets anyway, so it's not like I'm going to make a mess out of what's already there.

Yep.  Same here.  I actually cupped the neck at times.  It was not a severe are a rolled fretboard but the board was nicely rounded and fret ends were nice, smooth, and shiny.

 

[stratamania]

That's a lovely combination of woods.

After the waiting it must have been cool opening up that box.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Vallhagen]

Too bad the fun part is over. The best period is the waiiiiit and to looooong for the stüff!

...  I think my wife is rather jealous.  Ah well.

Buy her a guitar too?

**

Happy build man! The whole thing looks pretty damm fine!

 

[vikingred]

That's a lovely combination of woods.

After the waiting it must have been cool opening up that box.  :icon_thumright:

Thanks man, it was a rush.  I've got another one coming, too.  It's going to be downright rare and brilliant when finished.  I'll bet it sounds like a house a fire, too, with those EMGs.  That 57/66 set is smokin.  Thinking about either sending it to Cagey or Philtone for final fret level, dress, crown, and polish.  Philtone has that plek machine thing.  I dunno.  We'll see how close I can get it.

 

[vikingred]

Synthetic (or real) steel wool may very well be the ticket to dull down those pickup rings.


Beautiful parts ya got there, son.

That's what I was thinking.  I've got some 0000.  Wonder if that would be rough enough or if that'd just make it more shiny.

 

[vikingred]

Too bad the fun part is over. The best period is the waiiiiit and to looooong for the stüff!

...  I think my wife is rather jealous.  Ah well.

Buy her a guitar too?

**

Oh, no the fun part is the building.  I'm an electronics guy and love projects.  Also the playing will be super fun no doubt.  I didn't buy the wife a guitar but she did ask me "can I have that old black stratocaster, and maybe we could play together sometime, you could teach me?"  I said, "Sure, baby."  :glasses10:
Happy build man! The whole thing looks pretty damm fine!

 

[Cagey]

Plek machine ain't got nothin' on me.

 

[vikingred]

Plek machine ain't got nothin' on me.

PM Me your charge for level, crown, dress, polish, with extra time, love and care.  Plus shipping.

 

[Vallhagen]

Oh, no the fun part is the building.

Oh absolutely. I was really just joking, been lurking around your posts about toooo loooong delivery time etc. You'll have a good project putting it all together

(and yes, I love projects too. Not sure if its correlated to me-being-also-an-electronic/engineering-mind, but so it is).

Cheers

 

[vikingred]

Oh, no the fun part is the building.

Oh absolutely. I was really just joking, been lurking around your posts about toooo loooong delivery time etc. You'll have a good project putting it all together

(and yes, I love projects too. Not sure if its correlated to me-being-also-an-electronic/engineering-mind, but so it is).

Cheers

Burnished the neck last night, and it's like glass.  Incredibly cool.  Worked a deal with Cagey to level/dress/crown/polish frets.  Very reasonable deal, and from everything I read, he's the bomb.  Gonna start the decal process tonight.  SHELLAC!!!  AND LACQUER!!!  Ugh.