[Opinions on replacing a pcb with aftermarket]

Personally if I were going to replace a PCB board it would be with normal wiring and soldered pots rather than another board.

 

But thats me...

[DIY 2.0]

Cool!

 

What has to be done?

Well hes got some new tuners that he wants me to install.. no biggie there.. The main issue it seems is that theres a rattling coming from the bridge area.. Couldn't see anything obvious but will look properly tomorrow. Something may reveal itself when I take the strings off. Ohh and the intonation is out too.

[DIY 2.0]

Interesting service job I just got

 

 

[DIY 2.0]

Nitro is actually relatively easy to repair because the finish contains a solvent which will melt the coats together. I wouldn’t want to do it because of the liability with such an expensive guitar. Scary!

 

Hopefully the customer can accept that as a part of playing a guitar, it happens sometimes. Just gotta roll with it

 

Of course Dan makes it look really easy. I have the stuff to do it myself but would be afraid to touch such an expensive guitar

Ohh yeah.. Ive seen MANY vids and I think I could do it BUT im really not sure.. And in theory black is black so should be easy to do.. but still that really would be poop my pants time :)

 

I guess it would be worth me buying a cheap guitar to practice that sort of thing.. Its those sort of jobs on expensive instruments which you can get a bit more money for but is a really specialised thing to do.

 

[DIY 2.0]

Damn dude you did the final steps of that quick. Congrats on getting another one sold. Seems like the customers are coming faster huh?

Yup, but that's cos I finished on the weekend so ive been saving the build until it was delivered :D (this build came from one of the shows I did in October) ... And yes the work is coming now not so much with the builds (yet) but ive been getting random service work, which is actually what you want more as its more frequent.. But yeah man, heres hoping.. The last one I had told me he was recommended to me by someone im not even aware I have met before :)

 

Actually the very latest thing is that someone has asked if I can fill or buff a scratch out of an black Hummingbird... Ive watched many videos on the subject but think for now I will actually have too turn that down.. Im not going to even risk screwing up someone's beloved guitar if theres even a tiny doubt that I actually have the skill to do it,

[DIY 2.0]

I also just made a vid of this build which is in a much more condensed form :)

 

[DIY 2.0]

So this will be the final post on this build...

 

When I use ash I tend to fill the grain with ebony dust which helps highlight it

 

And let the oiling commence :) (always an exciting point of the build)

 

All ready for full assembly

 

And all assembled :)

 

Probably the most important picture of all.. the guitar having its first play by its new owner :D

 

So there we are all done ... On to the next one :)

And then I got just a few seconds of footage of him playing cos it seems to put a lot of people off... And indeed as soon as he looked up and saw me filming he made a mistake which is why I stopped filming. But its better than nothing..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NT0pvZc_S0

[DIY 2.0]

Ok so heres some more

 

Giving the fret ends some shape

 

Wiring holes

 

Control cavity

 

Back plate

 

Final sanding

 

All ready for its oil

 

Headstock decal

 

Wiring ready

 

More below :)

[DIY 2.0]

Are you going to route out a solid back to make the one for your friend hollow?

Yup... Steaming and bending veneers is a bit out of my reach at the moment id have to get a WHOLE load of other equipment for that :)... Plus ive always said id rather have a 336 than a 339 just for that reason cos I think it will make a more rocking guitar.. Even though its going to have some kind of Piezo system which im still working out which is going to be the best way to achieve that.

[DIY 2.0]

Lookin cool Rabs and I like your concept for the Walnut guitar on the last page (the one that’s like an LP special esque body with SG-like bevelling)

Yeah we will see what comes next.. I will probably do the guitar that I have promised to a friend of mine.... :)

 

THEN will be the all black walnut double cut..

[DIY 2.0]

A through neck! Does that mean using smaller pickups? And will you allow the centre section to show through after finishing?

 

That neck radiusing must take an age. Looks like ebony .

Yes its all natural.. I love the natural look :)

 

And yes that's Ebony.. Radiusing the board is one of the most boring jobs and if you just go at it like a mad man you will end up with an unlevel board... you have to make sure you use the same pressure with each swipe and measure the sides to make sure that its all the same height..

[DIY 2.0]

Fretting

 

Neck shaping

 

Then I did my filling the fret slots thing

 

So that's all for today.. I will update with more pics tomorrow :)

[DIY 2.0]

Then the fretboard goes on.. You tape the top of the channel up so you don't get glue all in there and mess the rod up

 

Fretboard inlays (MOP dots)

 

Radiusing 9.5"

 

Even more below :)

[DIY 2.0]

Okye Dokey....

 

Back to this again :)

 

So that guitar I posted above that I was working on is now now finished and with its new owner (just today) so I will post some of the pics from the build.

 

So this was the last mock up I did before I started work on it (very rough mind you)

 

And here is the wood.. Black Walnut neckthrough with Ash wings and an Ebony board

 

Truss rod in

 

Neck to shape with the angle cut in to the body

 

Wings glued on

 

Body cut out

 

Then the guy didn't want binding so instead had like a roundover with a small ledge on the top and a normal roundover on the back

 

More below

[Anyone Know Why Gibson Is using Hybrid Gauge strings now ?]

I think they are doing it cos they are awesome.. (I didn't actually know they had switched too Hybrids).

 

For me anyway you get the slightly fatter strings for rhythm work and the slightly lighter strings for high bending lead work... Best of both worlds in my view.

 

Ive been using the Ernie Ball Hybrid Slkinkies for the last year or so.. LOVE them.

[Les Paul Stop tail adjustmenbt]

Talking about tone is utterly and totally pointless, well if you expect to come away with some definite answer anyway.. We all hear and expect to hear slightly different things. Then theres just a matter of taste which is also different for everyone. Even a persons mood on a day to day basis (or even hourly for some people :D ) changes which can effect what you think and can how you feel about what you are hearing....

 

Like ive had days when I love what im hearing from my guitar.. then a few days later I play again on the same settings and its not what I want to hear that day.

[The "Just got in from a gig" thread.....]

Awesome to hear man, and good on you for not giving up... Inspiring.. (well not enough for me to get off my arse, but great to hear (it would probably take Hendrix rising from the dead to motivate my playing these days )

[Les Paul Stop tail adjustmenbt]

Well as I said before.. Im not that convinced that theres that much difference either way... Certainly not enough to worry about and I don't know that much about physics where I could prove it either way with numbers.. So for me its a choice of having the straight down pressure of the strings just touching the saddles or have pressure from that and the back of the bridge too. In which case as I said if anyone asked me id say to not have the strings touching the back.

 

Maybe its that forward diagonal pressure that can cause a bridge too collapse.. Im not sure. But what I do think is raising it so the strings don't touch the back cant hurt.. Which is why id go for that option.... I don't think theres any real reason to have to put the tailpiece all the way down unless someone just wants it that way for what ever reason, in which case I say go for it.. You can always replace the bridge should anything actually happen as a result of it (which it probably wont).. really not a big deal either way..

 

Unless someone can actually prove it improves sustain/tone :unsure: :P (which is the only real reason I can think of why anyone would even care).

[Les Paul Stop tail adjustmenbt]

I've lived a long time now not giving a frig about whether it touches or not, I am certain you will too.

 

rct

You know this is the funny thing.. I set guitars up and will do what I think is best if they don't know exactly what they want.. When it comes to my personal guitars I couldn't even tell you if they do or not apart from one I re-strung last week and checked only cos it had been talked about and it was touching (shame on me ) . So I did follow my own advice and turned each screw just once so it was a tad higher... that's all it took.

 

Ohh the tone, the sustain... Was exactly the same :P (not that I actually checked)

[Les Paul Stop tail adjustmenbt]

That is sound advice. I read that keeping strings off bridge is the best way. I break this rule though. I like to low-ride my stop piece.

Well that's the thing about all of this. Theres no real right or wrong just what ever you like or want to do with YOUR guitar.. :) Factory specs, phhffftt do me a favour..

 

The thing about keeping the strings off the back of bridge for me is I just think it puts less pressure on it.. As has been said bridges can collapse so its just an extra way to help stop it.. And even that is not actual fact, its just what I think.

[Les Paul Stop tail adjustmenbt]

I have seen collapsed bridges....

 

But I would also say that its better not to have the strings touching the back of the bridge.... So just raise it a bit until there is a tiny clearance between the strings and back of the bridge. That's what id say to anyone who asked me anyway.. As always opinions vary.

[DIY 2.0]

Thought id give this thread a bump..

 

Not been doing much lately... Been busy with family stuff...

 

BUT I do have a custom build on the go which should be interesting. Its going to be a black walnut neckthrough with ash wings.

 

Something sorta like this

 

Then I still have the second African walnut guitar that's waiting to get a few finishing touches before I can oil

 

THEN I am doing a guitar for a good friend of mine.. He likes his glam style so its a bit out there for my usual taste but should be cool.. Its going to have a piezo bridge too which should be interesting.. Something sorta like this

 

I have also had thoughts about making it just a bridge pickup and piezo and then I can have the usual controls and switching and the piezo wont need a separate volume (it would get crowed with more knobs)

 

When I got the neck through piece, which I found in an actual proper timbre yard, I had to buy a huge bit of it which is actually long enough for two neck throughs (or maybe a huge double bass :) ) I also found some of their off cuts which are big enough for two bodies also black walnut.. So I am looking forward to getting cracking on those :)

 

 

 

At the moment I have two ideas for an all black walnut guitar

 

 

So that's lots :) Hopefully I will really get going again soon and can post some interesting stuff here ;)

[Vintage Gibson watches Help]

Yes I have seen those they're little cheapies nothing like my watches I have I will get some more pictures of the back where it shows stainless steel 50m water resistant Swiss Movement and these watches are very heavy you can tell they are quality the one with the leather straps actually has Gibson printed along the back all the way down both straps and the one with the leather straps has mother of pearl inlay in the center on the face of the watch

Who actually made the watches? Is there a makers name or just Gibson all over it?

[Vintage Gibson watches Help]

Hi, these are legit and nice timepieces but are not quite up to the fancy level as the one posted by Rabs. These were part on a one-time purchase and distributed by our Gibson Gear division roughly 8-9 years ago.

By the way during my search I found these obvious fakes.. Have you seen these awful looking things?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Wristwatches-Leather-USFSL145-Gibson-Guitar/dp/B0183MJRKK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512239307&sr=8-3&keywords=gibson+guitar+watch

 

https://www.amazon.com/HSS050-Gibson-Guitars-Instrument-Sport/dp/B010O7UJLS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1512239307&sr=8-4&keywords=gibson+guitar+watch

[Vintage Gibson watches Help]

There you go