The DIY thread

[surfpup]

What do you think.. Binding or no binding?

 

I think bound

[Rabs]

I think bound

Hmm.. ok I will then :) (I hope I have some or I will have to order and wait)...

[surfpup]

Hmm.. ok I will then :) (I hope I have some or I will have to order and wait)...

 

Just round it then. It's gonna look great regardless. Binding is a pain anyway.

[Rabs]

Just round it then. It's gonna look great regardless. Binding is a pain anyway.

Haha, we will see.. You see I have trouble deciding too :unsure: :)

[Rabs]

So heres what I was talking about a bit earlier...

 

Its a small trick ive picked up along the way.. Saw it on youtube (surprise surprise :))

 

And for what I just did, its a perfect solution..

 

So it seems how ever many clamps you use, getting a top to sit solidly (unless you have a big press) is really hard.. But I found this way of filling small cracks or gaps in this case...

 

Most of it was fine as you can see in the above post. But there were two areas that needed some help...

 

So all you do is add some wood glue and just smear it on with your finger

 

Then get a sander, an orbital sander is good for this but you could use any sanding method. Just run it over the area a few times till any excess glue is gone

 

And poof.. its gone :)

 

And heres the other one where I got a good close up so you can really see

 

Right on the top of the horn area (always a pain area)

 

So add some glue

 

Here you can really see where is being filled

 

And its gone :)

 

Heres a close up

 

So there you go.. just a little wood working tip I thought id share with you all :)

[Dub-T-123]

That's a classic trick indeed. The downside is that the glue/putty/filler tends to resist a stain compared to the wood around it. But what are you gonna do..

 

The problem is probably not your clamping, but the two pieces are most likely not perfectly flat where they meet

 

So heres what I was talking about a bit earlier...

 

Its a small trick ive picked up along the way.. Saw it on youtube (surprise surprise :))

 

And for what I just did, its a perfect solution..

 

So it seems how ever many clamps you use, getting a top to sit solidly (unless you have a big press) is really hard.. But I found this way of filling small cracks or gaps in this case...

 

Most of it was fine as you can see in the above post. But there were two areas that needed some help...

 

So all you do is add some wood glue and just smear it on with your finger

 

Then get a sander, an orbital sander is good for this but you could use any sanding method. Just run it over the area a few times till any excess glue is gone

 

And poof.. its gone :)

 

And heres the other one where I got a good close up so you can really see

 

Right on the top of the horn area (always a pain area)

 

So add some glue

 

Here you can really see where is being filled

 

And its gone :)

 

Heres a close up

 

So there you go.. just a little wood working tip I thought id share with you all :)

[Rabs]

That's a classic trick indeed. The downside is that the glue/putty/filler tends to resist a stain compared to the wood around it. But what are you gonna do..

 

The problem is probably not your clamping, but the two pieces are most likely not perfectly flat where they meet

Hmm maybe.. Or maybe I didn't get equal pressure all the way around...??

 

I donno.. And yeah I know its not a new thing but a good trick if you need it... And I find that when its such thin gaps like this the finish thing isn't a problem.. However on some of my early builds I tried using that trick for the neck joint area where I hadn't got it quite right and yes, that those areas certainly didn't take the stain as much..

 

But that's why we learn and perfect these things..

[Dub-T-123]

Hmm maybe.. Or maybe I didn't get equal pressure all the way around...??

 

I donno.. And yeah I know its not a new thing but a good trick if you need it... And I find that when its such thin gaps like this the finish thing isn't a problem.. However on some of my early builds I tried using that trick for the neck joint area where I hadn't got it quite right and yes, that those areas certainly didn't take the stain as much..

 

But that's why we learn and perfect these things..

The way that you overcome the problem of the putty resisting the finish is by mixing the stain into the putty before you apply it.

[Rabs]

The way that you overcome the problem of the putty resisting the finish is by mixing the stain into the putty before you apply it.

Yes, good point.. But I think this will be an all natural guitar anyway.. The wood is interesting enough..

 

Im still considering the binding

 

I am going to try using grain filler on this build though.. Hopefully that will come out nice...

[Dub-T-123]

That top looks awesome dude. I really like how you book matched it. Definitely would look nice in natural

[Ryan H]

Could go with a natural masked binding. Tape off the edge of the guitar, stain, remove tape, sand a little stain away on the top edge (just a couple mm) and clear over that.

 

-Ryan

 

Edit: Could use a roundover bit with your router with a very small radius to get the top edge of the "binding" showing.

[Rabs]

Could go with a natural masked binding. Tape off the edge of the guitar, stain, remove tape, sand a little stain away on the top edge (just a couple mm) and clear over that.

 

-Ryan

 

Edit: Could use a roundover bit with your router with a very small radius to get the top edge of the "binding" showing.

That would be a cool idea if I were staining the top, but its quite dark as it is, if I put a stain on it would probably go black :)

 

But yeah I like that method.. I would work especially well with a light coloured top that has a dark stain on it...

[Dub-T-123]

Moonrock fuzz

 

This is a great upper octave fuzz which can also do an interesting delayed attack reverse tape + fuzz sound. Sounds really nice. It's less buzzy than a Superfuzz but capable of some evil sounding power chords, psychedelic shreddage, and also very responsive to dynamics

 

I posted my layout here if anyone wants to build one

http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/2016/02/wyllie-moonrock.html?m=0

 

[Dub-T-123]

Built this yesterday too. It's a an Ace Tone FM-3 clone, which is a Japanese Big Muff clone from the 70s. The creator of Ace Tone later went on to found Roland and Boss. This has some unique modifications to the Big Muff circuit, including a foot-switchable boost mode with it's own volume and tone controls. Sounds great!

 

I need to get two more knobs for it :P

 

[Dub-T-123]

I made yet another Big Muff variant

 

This is based on a '78 Big Muff which is unique because it used op amps instead of transistors for amplification. It has a really nice crunchy and huge saturated fuzz with endless sustain. The original had a tone bypass switch, which allows you to bypass the tone circuit in order to achieve a nice boost in mids and output. I included this feature a second stomp switch which is kinda fun to play around with.

 

[bluesguitar65]

Excellent work as always Dubs Your wire management skills is an art in itself, clean and flowing.

[surfpup]

I made yet another Big Muff variant

 

Nice.... symmetrical 1N914 clipping diodes?

[Dub-T-123]

Excellent work as always Dubs Your wire management skills is an art in itself, clean and flowing.

Thanks BG!

 

Nice.... symmetrical 1N914 clipping diodes?

Yeah as you can see it's 3 1N914/1N4148 in series in each anti-parallel string. Sounds amazing! I can just riff around for hours nonstop with this pedal. It makes any riff sound badass!

[Dub-T-123]

I did a little speed build after work today :P This is a jfet/bjt overdrive. Not a ton of distortion on tap but a very nice clear crunch and boost. Perfect for an already overdriven amp where you might not want to add much more compression

 

[merciful-evans]

This is not my DIY, but from the luthier I use.

 

Earlier this year my Hagstrom Deuce tumbled out of its case and I was left with a cracked headstock. It still played perfectly, and it looked ok too. However I could feel the tiny arced crack at the first fret position. I tried sanding it away, but it didn’t go away. Obviously the string tension was opening it very slightly.

 

Eventually I took it to my luthier and he repaired it by squeezing glue into the affected area from within the trussrod cavity. It was painstaking work as he had several tries until the glue reached the fissure. It saved him having to ‘break’ the neck join completely, and it worked well.

 

I was expecting ‘my sanded area’ to remain because I told him I wasn’t bothered about the look & finish of it. However, it was beautifully finished with a clear gloss that blended with the rest of the neck. He said he didn’t use Clear Cote but superglue, which buffs up entirely clear & clean!

[Dub-T-123]

Wow that's an interesting trick. I don't even want to think of the horrendous mess I'd make attempting that

[Dub-T-123]

I've been getting plenty of soldering in this week! Just finished up a DeArmond Square Wave which is basically an MXR Distortion + clone.

 

[surfpup]

I've been getting plenty of soldering in this week! Just finished up a DeArmond Square Wave ...

 

My first ever pedal (15 years old). That thing roared through my Sear's solid state amp.

[Dub-T-123]

My first ever pedal (15 years old). That thing roared through my Sear's solid state amp.

I remember you had either this or the Univox Square Wave. Do you still have it?

 

It is lots of fun to play through!

[surfpup]

I remember you had either this or the Univox Square Wave. Do you still have it?

 

No I sold the DeArmond quite a few years ago. There was a time where I was using an original Butler Tube Driver and nothing else so I sold a lot of old stuff - including the DeArmond Square Wave and an old Distortion+ which apparently had a similar circuit.