Thanks Bitcoin!

[BigSteve22]

Sweet look'n! Keep them pix coming, I like too watch........  :icon_jokercolor:

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I seem to remember that I once took a threaded tip and pressed it on a trem arm that were supposed to accept the press-on version, ie a blank non-threaded arm. Because of the threads inside the plastic tip it fit perfectly. Never came off.

Could be worth a try.

I had tried that but it didn't seem like it was going to happen. However your comment helped me to remember that a little piece of plastic is just a little piece of plastic  :tard:  Zipped a drill bit in-and-out a couple of times and Bob's your uncle. Thanks for the sanity check!

 

[Logrinn]

No problem.

Glad it worked out

 

[Verne Bunsen]

The piece de resistance! Many thanks to our local metallurgical wizard DR6 for helping me to give this guitar a nod towards the reason it gets to exist  :icon_biggrin:

 

[rgand]

Very cool plate. That should look good on it.

 

[Axkoa]

You should've got something like this on your neck plate...

 

[Logrinn]

Awesome! :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin:

 

[DangerousR6]

:headbanging:

 

[Verne Bunsen]

You should've got something like this on your neck plate...

Ha! Fortunately I haven't been bitter in some time  :icon_biggrin:

 

[fdesalvo]

Love how aggressive this project is.  Can't wait to hear those pickups!

 

[Verne Bunsen]

Yeah, it's kind of a "Dream Guitar" build for me. I've been nursing an infatuation with a double bound candy apple red thinline with matching headstock for a very long time, but it's always been the guitar I couldn't let myself have, if that makes sense. It was just WAY too indulgent. So when circumstances allowed for a build that, in a manner of speaking, wasn't out-of-pocket, I knew exactly what it had to be!

I just finished winding a new set of pickups for my Nashville; the twin humbuggies for this build are next up on the project list. The real world beckons me back out of town in a few days and I probably won't get on it before then, so it'll be a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to hearing them myself! [looks at calendar, starts counting weeks...]

 

[Axkoa]

I think winding pickups would be a decent start for me, and a step towards building guitars. One day I will.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I wanted to avoid waterslide decals this time around so on the merit of what I've seen around here I ordered metal headstock decals from Morning Print, the outfit that made the Warmoth decals that were going around some time ago. They did a great job with them.

I did a test application on the backside of a GFS neck that I've had laying around for a while (front side already has a waterslide), just to get a feel for the procedure. Getting it where you want it is a finicky deal, but ultimately you just have to hold your breath and commit. My crappy picture taken in crappy light doesn't do it any justice, it looks really sharp. I was impressed!

It was my hope that it wouldn't look "cheap" or "chintzy" on there, and it does not. Assuming they are reasonably durable, I'll go so far as to say that from what I've seen I might actually prefer them aesthetically over a waterslide decal buried in finish. I certainly like the application procedure better...

 

[Axkoa]

Those decals look pretty cool. They have a nice 3D effect.

 

[Logrinn]

I agree. That looks stunning!

 

[rgand]

Those are outstanding. I like the way they look. Good idea.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

Thanks guys! I'm very happy that they are as nice as they are, I don't feel like I'm "settling" for a lesser aesthetic in order to avoid the waterslide circus, which was a concern.

Expecting the arrival of some odds and sods, still need to wind those pickups, otherwise just waiting on that Warmoth shipment notification!

 

[BigSteve22]

Those decals look great! I wouldn't ever think that you were "settling for a lesser aesthetic" by using them, in fact, just the opposite!
Very cool.......  :glasses9:

 

[Verne Bunsen]

Thanks BigSteve! I'm inclined to agree with you now. I have a tendency to do things the hardest way possible just because otherwise I'll accuse myself of being lazy  :icon_jokercolor:  In this case, the easier approach happens to look quite nice, so there is no need to engage in self-loathing... yet...

Speaking of the odds and sods, this little guy came in today:

I actually ordered a few. After using one on my Jazzmaster I decided I needed them on my Strat and Teles as well. They're nice and smooth, very little surface area to create drag, and I approve of their funky looks.

I reckon it is now down to me finding time to wind pickups and Warmoth shipping the boxes of joy... I'm still trying to settle on the specs for the pickups, total paralysis-by-analysis on that front.

 

[BigSteve22]

Those Mastery jobbers are some nice trees. I ended up putting one on my Strat. Kinda costly, but worth the extra bucks to me too! My Jazzmaster doesn't need one, probably because of Cagey's "Magic Neck Mastery". :icon_thumright: