ShredAstaire Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Dude you are such a guitar ninja!!! I love what you're doing here...very inspiring!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Wow! I never knew how much of a pain in the Arse it would be to get the headstock looking right!:blink: Starting out without a good template didn't help matters and if I wasn't O.C.D. before I am now for sure. Trying to mirror image the left and right side can drive you crazy. Especially the top "Mustache" . Then trying to get the veneer to match and now I will have to cut about 4mm off around the veneer so I can attach the binding. I might be crazy before I'm done[crying] The veneer is a weird plastic/wood/paper substance and is hard to work with. So here's what I ended up doing. I started out with the rough shape of the headstock. I used my old veneer as somewhat of a template but since the new headstock is bigger to accommodate the binding I had to kinda wing it a bit to get things a bit closer. Then I used the "Best" side of the headstock as a template for half the veneer. Once I got half the veneer matching the "best" side I flipped the veneer over and used it as a guide to mirror image the other side of the headstock. I went back and forth a few (Thousand it seemed like) times this way. Each time adjusting both the veneer and the headstock until I got as close as I could. At this point I had the headstock looking pretty good and half of the veneer. So I then traced the headstock on the other half of the veneer and rough cut it with my scroll saw. Then I went through the same process to refine the whole headstock and veneer to match by shaping and flipping while compensating a little on the headstock and a little on the veneer.... I could probably spend another 8 hours on it as things that are mirrored or that should be symmetrical drives me crazy if they don't match! I could probably go until it ended up looking like a Steinberger. Well that's my rant... here are the pics!! ( It still isn't perfect... ) Starting with one side... Flip it and work on the other side ... Repeat until headstock and half the veneer is right Then rough cut the rest of the veneer and repeat the same procedures as above This is about a close as I'm going to get I think... I'm gonna make some extra templates of the veneer before I cut it down to add the binding... Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinner 13 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 lookin' good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 You know. I was just talking about my old basket case 78 Gibson Ripper project that's been sitting in my shop for a while. Seeing your work has got the gears turning again. Great looking work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 You know. I was just talking about my old basket case 78 Gibson Ripper project that's been sitting in my shop for a while. Seeing your work has got the gears turning again. Great looking work. Go for it man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 So I hacked together a bad concept pic in photoshop of how i think I am going to try to do the headstock inlays. I wasn't planning on having the "Custom" Diamond but after looking at it with just the RR and the Gibson Logo it looked kinda plain. So I was thinking about making the diamond and incorporating the RR logo in gold pearl for some contrast. Any Thoughts? Obviously the gold pearl isn't as yellow as this . I also plan on using the newer logo... Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschory Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Had a thought looking at the larger Rolls Royce logo. How about something like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Had a thought looking at the larger Rolls Royce logo. How about something like this: That would be cool if instead of Rolls Royce it said Randy Rhoads. The problem would be cutting the small lettering. Doing the two R's is going to be pretty tricky... Thanks for fixing up the pic...! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitargreg1993 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 So I hacked together a bad concept pic in photoshop of how i think I am going to try to do the headstock inlays. I wasn't planning on having the "Custom" Diamond but after looking at it with just the RR and the Gibson Logo it looked kinda plain. So I was thinking about making the diamond and incorporating the RR logo in gold pearl for some contrast. Any Thoughts? Obviously the gold pearl isn't as yellow as this . I also plan on using the newer logo... Andy awesome!! I like how you incorporated the RR into the standard "custom" diamond inlay... very original, and it works well!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigh Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Amazing. I finally had a chance to read everything. Andy, you are Merlin. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The RandyMan Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 awesome!! I like how you incorporated the RR into the standard "custom" diamond inlay... very original, and it works well!! I agree! two thumbs up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I agree! two thumbs up! x100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 So after some approval here and from the Girlfriend I am going to do the RR inside the Custom Triangle. I got the Rolls Logo Cut out and looking pretty decent. I will probably tweak it a tad more before I'm finished. My new Gibson MOP logo should be here any day too! Hope to finish the Triangle and RR logo inlay tomorrow. Pics: Started by gluing two pieces of Gold mop together so I could just cut it out once and have a matching piece. The pearl color difference is pretty different so I might try the Coffee or Tea Stain trick to try to match them up a little better or might just leave it as it is . Next I cut out the middle sections so I would have something to hold onto while I sawed. I was aslo hoping it would reduce my chances of breaking the piece. and here they R[biggrin] Just for some contrast After cutting... It's a pain to try to get the pieces lined up. Gonna tweak them just a bit more and then glue them to some paper or something to keep them lined up. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockman82 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 You sir are amazing. I can not wait to see the final results. Seeing your work in these pics was exciting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitargreg1993 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 gluing the pieces together to get the R's perfectly matched was a brilliant idea!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 You sir are amazing. I can not wait to see the final results. Seeing your work in these pics was exciting. gluing the pieces together to get the R's perfectly matched was a brilliant idea!! Thanks to both of you I really appreciate you saying these nice things but want to stop here in my progress reports to say a few words to the people that are viewing this thread. 99.9 % of what I am doing and how I am doing it can be contributed to something I have found or read out on the internet. There is not much really new or original here in what I'm doing other than some of the design concept. So I would like to take a minute to provide some food for thought for anyone considering a DIY project of any kind. I have also been described as "fearless" on here and that I will except to some degree only in the fact that if you are going to do something like this or anyt DIY project you better be prepared to fail or ruin something. I didn't have much money wrapped up in this guitar and I was and am willing to lose what I have invested in the guitar and other pieces that are not salvageable. In the case of this project it is purely a learning experience for me. In the end this still might end up as an unplayable piece of crap. I'm willing to accept that. I am also not ashamed to share my failures/mistakes with you guys as it is a part of the learning experience and inevitable. I follow the thought of "If you strive for perfection then you better be prepared to accept your failures in the pursuit" I have always torn things apart for as long as I can remember. My favorite thing when I was a kid was a hammer so I could get into things and see inside. Obviously my methods have advanced since that time but the curiosity is the same almost 42 years later. I did my first "Fret job" on my first harmony guitar when I was 12 years old. I had heard somewhere that you should level your frets with a file so I took a wood file and damn near leveled them down to nothing. Needless to say that guitar was a loss and I learned something. I learn by doing, I learn more by making mistakes and I learn the most by teaching others. I also want to share some tips with you guys who do this or have been thinking about doing something like this. Don't try anything I am doing in this thread on something that you are not willing to maim, or destroy completely. If you are not able or willing to throw what you're working on in the scrap heap or see irreversible damage then don't do it! Also be prepared that you might spend twice as much money or more than if you just had someone that knows what there doing do it for you. If you are going to work on something or build something it is always best to have the tools made for the job. This will increase your success rate significantly. Read and Research as much as you can about what you would like to do before you start into it. There is not much out there that hasn't been done before and with the internet there is a huge pool of resources with people who have been kind enough to share their experiences. Also check out multiple resources for what you are doing. Sometimes you can combine a little from all resources to come up with a way that works well for you. Sometimes I even check out things that might not be directly related to what I am doing and just keep these things in mind for stuff I do in the future. Something else I always do is look in whatever store I am in ( clothing stores and others might be an exception) is go down every isle and end cap and look at what they have. I am making a mental inventory of who has what, I also get ideas for tools and materials I could use at some point for something down the road. I even do this at CVS. Tractor Supply, all the hardware stores, electronics stores, harbor freight, craft stores, hobby shops, department stores, wal-mart etc... It's just helpful to know where you can find stuff. Be prepared to buy twice or more of the materials and consumables you need. As an example so far I have about 40 bucks wrapped up in that RR logo. I felt confident enough to do the glued pieces at once from what I learned from the 2 failures I had before. Be prepared to do things over and over until you get it right or at least acceptable for you. Be prepared that you might have to change your plans or ideas of the outcome. When I am finished with this project I plan on making a summary of what I would recommend doing, not doing, approximate costs and tools involved for each modification etc... I will start this now by saying is what I am doing worth it for this guitar?? No but I knew that going into it. To me it is a small cost for learning and experience when I do future repairs, modifications and complete builds. That's why I chose to do it this way because I not only faced the challenge of a guitar build I also faced the challenges of working with pre-existing issues that I knew I would have to fix or change. In summary I would like to say thanks again for the compliments and encouragement but also want everyone to know that I am replicating a lot of stuff that I have picked up from other people so there is no real genius or brilliance here just determination to do something I thought I could do. If you are willing to sacrifice, fail, read and ask questions anyone on here can do anything I have done so far. With that I am going to get busy on getting something done so I have a progress post for this evening. I thank you all for your support and interest in what I am doing and have to admit it gives me cause to keep going and makes it a bit more fun. regards, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 So, can you turn a '69 Dodge Dart into an R9? And why did you make it a Richie Rich guitar?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 So, can you turn a '69 Dodge Dart into an R9? And why did you make it a Richie Rich guitar?? At last a Chanman Post on the thread! Now it is complete! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilpanda Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Andy hurry up! whats the progress so far? Ive been checking the thread for days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitargreg1993 Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Andy hurry up! whats the progress so far? Ive been checking the thread for days! haha don't you get the notifications when people post?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Andy hurry up! whats the progress so far? Ive been checking the thread for days! haha don't you get the notifications when people post?!?! Sorry guys. Been a tough week with work and have been beat... I did make a little progress on the headstock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilpanda Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Sorry guys. Been a tough week with work and have been beat... I did make a little progress on the headstock ok Andy as long we know theres sonething going on with the build. cheers, hope it gets easier through the week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 OK so I got a little bit more finished... Here is how I trimmed down the headstock veneer to be the correct size for the binding. First I used the veneer as a routing guide to make a 1/2" MDF duplicate template of my headstock.. ( After I traced some copies on extra veneer just in case) The other cool thing is I can test out my tuning key holes on the template before I drill them out on the headstock[thumbup] Then I used the MDF as a base template and used a binding cutting bit to cut the veneer down to the correct size taped to the headstock... I also got the pearl cut for the diamond inlay but no pics... Sorry... And Hopefully MOP Gibson logo will be here any day. Also got the binding made for the headstock. Sorry not much of an update but it is something... Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57classic Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Great job on the headstock. I'm glad the technique worked so well. What did you use on the top of the headstock at the v of the open book? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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