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Post by frets on Jul 30, 2022 19:56:17 GMT -5
Hi Guys😺, Im in the middle of a build for myself (built the body and neck), Strat style, 4 controls, Ive mentioned it recently; and I’m starting to look for parts for it. Usually when I build a guitar, it’s for sale, so I go with the most guitar snob parts in the Universe. But for this one for me, I want nice parts, but not budget breakers. I have a set of Fender American Deluxe Locking Tuners laying around that I’m going to use. My fellow luthiers give them a bad rep but I think they’ll be fine unless one of you has other opinions. Got a good deal on Seymour SSL1’s, but am not convinced they are right for me. I know I started the title off with the bridge, but I’m waffling on all the parts. First the Bridge. The Schaller 3D-6 has caught my eye at $95. I would think it’s intended competitor is Hipshot. So, does anyone have an opinion on the Schaller 3D-6? Does anyone have a top loader hardtail that they love? A competitor brand in the $100 or less range? I’d be interested. Now onto pickups, the SSL1’s I have are traditional vintage and I’m thinking I could save those for a sale build. So what I’m looking for is a beefier set with a fuller tone that won’t break the bank. Say $150 max for the set. Your opinions mean a lot to me and you can kinda get a feel for my budget of around $250 for pickups and a top loading hardtail. I will say the guitar is turning out to be stellar. I want something different for this build especially the bridge and pickups because I’m always buying Babicz and Seymour’s. They’re just too expensive for a guitar for me. Any thoughts or reviews would be welcomed. Help me make this guitar a winner for me.
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Post by thetragichero on Jul 30, 2022 22:51:28 GMT -5
i don't know if the roller saddles are really needed but they shouldn't do any harm. looks like a decent enough bridge for the 150 bucks or so you should be able to get some pickups wound to your desires from a smaller winder like gemini pickups in newburgh, ny. i've been happy with the pickups he's wound for me and had him rewind the proto-p90 from the 40s gibson lapsteel. he does some interesting things with like square-shaped pole pieces
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Post by stevewf on Jul 31, 2022 1:28:23 GMT -5
TLDR: I didn't like the roller bridge I tried. Static saddles were better. No experience with that particular bridge, and not on a Strat-style. But maybe my experience still applies. I replaced my Tune-O-Matic style bridge with a similar bridge but with roller saddles. It changed the guitar's sound a lot. I didn't like it, so I swapped it back out. This was a hollow body guitar (except that there's a small block right under the bridge, through to the back board). It has a Bigsby style vibrato, so I wanted to keep things in tune with a roller bridge. With the roller saddles, the tone of each string was, well, compromised. It sounds like when a nut is done wrong. How can I describe it? Instead of "Beeeeeeeee", you get "Beeeeerrrrrrrfffff", and a dramatically reduced sustain. I didn't try to investigate why. It was a cheapo bridge, not a Schaller, so poor quality may have played a role. In any case, I hated it so much that I put back the junky TOM bridge, and it turns out this forced me to work* on the bridge and the vibrato, and in the end it all stays in tune now. Lucky. The TOM is also no Schaller. The crux: for me, I'll now need convincing to try roller saddles again because of the change in tone and loss of sustain. As for roller saddles being able to stay in tune, I'd still try to fix static saddles first (unless that Beeeerrrrr tone is deliberately being sought). Me, I'd choose beer stains on my shirt rather than beerr sounds and no 'stain on my guitar. *work included deburring the saddles and slightly rounding the string channel on the back (toward the vibrato hardware) side. The bridge tilts quite a bit in response to using the vibrato due to play in its mounting, but the strings are also now able to slide smoothly across the saddles. On the B-700 type vibrato, the front roller was cramped, so I had to file it shorter it so that it could freely spin; world of difference.
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Post by gckelloch on Jul 31, 2022 5:27:54 GMT -5
I don't have a suggestion for the bridge. Saddle rollers can buzz, but graphite lube can solve that. I assume you need rollers for the trem system?
Beefier and fuller can mean different things to different people. Gemini might be a good option, but my impression with using subjective terms to get a specific sound is that the terms may not mean the same thing to a vender. They will suggest something, and the customer will agree whether it's what they really have in mind or not. Let's try to define more of what you want. You want something with strong output, but not thin sounding? Something with reduced highs? You want standard poles, screws or rails?
FI, the -$110 Wilde AlNiCo Micro-Coils have small fat coils of very thin wire. They have a bit stronger lower harmonics and a lower Q than typical Fender SC's, but they are only 1.4H. I would call them very full sounding, but not necessarily beefy because they can get highs out to at least 8kHz with a low capacitance cable. The poles are a type of high permeance A2. Output is relatively strong, but string pull is low. You could try modding them (or just the bridge) with Steel baseplates, or galvanized Steel nails taped under the coils to increase output and reduce the Q a bit for a more punchy fat sound without losing high end extension. Caps and resistors can also be used to lower the resonance peak or just reduce high end extension.
Again, I would also consider something from Tonerider. The AlNiCo II Blues set might be just what you want. They should be like the SD Antiguity Hot Texas. The lower inductance Surfari set sounds warm and sweet if you don't mind the lower output of A3. Neither set are as versatile as the AlNiCo Micro-coils, and have weaker lower harmonics.
Be nice if you could find something with A4 poles, but they are rare. A4 poles are even higher permeance than A3, and just slightly higher Gauss than A2. My experience is the SC pickups I have of at least 4H have notably reduced high end with 250k pots and my 160pF cable, but my 2.8H Wilde Micro-coil bridge pickup (with the replacment pole screws) is the fullest sounding bridge SC I've ever used. I just turn down the tone knob for a warmer/fatter tone (less highs), and I have a 2nF cap on the knob so I can get a variable 1.5~2kHz peak when it's below 5. That's something you could try with any pickup.
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Post by sumgai on Jul 31, 2022 11:19:00 GMT -5
Rollers on a hard-tail? Is someone kidding me? Gedouddahere.... Can't say anything about a hard-tail bridge, I've always been a Trem-o-Leo kinda guy. But for sheer quality in both build and resultant tone, you might check out www.callahamguitars.com. More than one player around my neck of the woods swears by his parts and pieces. On the topic of pups.... I should talk, but here in the NutzHouse, no one has ever had a harsh word to say about GFS pickups, from www.guitarfetish.com. Nearly everything they offer is in your price range, might be worth a look, who knows. HTH sumgai
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Post by thetragichero on Jul 31, 2022 12:11:41 GMT -5
Callaham makes a fine bridge, have one of their tele models. only complaint is that the inside was unfinished steel and rusted in the Florida humidity. cleaned up easily enough with a wire brush but annoying nonetheless
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Post by b4nj0 on Jul 31, 2022 14:01:43 GMT -5
Another thumbs-up for Callaham. I have one on a Schecter/Warmoth with SSL1s. It's wired Mike Richardson. The Callaham bridge is a fine bit of engineering compared with the Fender and its many clones, but the main reason was because they do a narrow string spacing variant and I've always struggled keeping the unwound "E" on the fretboard. Also consider the various Wilkinson takes on a Leo bridge, but go for the premium range rather than the wallet friendly ones that also sport the Wilkinson logo. I have three of those and they're easily as good as Callaham but perhaps not quite as "original" in appearance. Trev Wilkinson was responsible for some pretty good hardware and left brain spot-on designs. See how extraordinarily simple he made perfectly functioning "locking" machine heads for one example. I have two 1980s Leo Trem bridges here some place that the Wilkinson and Callaham replaced. I don't see them getting any action anytime soon unless some magic mojo decides that they will become worth selling.
でつ e&oe ...
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Post by gckelloch on Jul 31, 2022 16:19:38 GMT -5
Just wanted to follow up on a few things. I have several GFS pickups I like very much. I think the Lil Killers would be the most "beefy" for the inductance of any SC they offer. I wired up a Strat pickguard for my brother with a 10k Lil Killer in the neck, an SD stack in the middle, and a full size SD HB in the bridge -- all per his request. The Lil Killer was a good bit louder and warmer sounding than the SD Stack -- although all three pickups had a peak of ~4.2kHz with my 160pF cable. That would mean the Lil Killer must be wound with fairly thin wire considering the inductance increase of the Steel blades. You could go for one of those in the bridge and use the 6k versions in the middle and neck (which should be more Strat-like), or use all of either version or whatever works for you. They are plenty loud, punchy, and beefy -- warmer than the SD Stack, anyway. I used a 500k pot for the volume and a 250k for the tone, and they all sounded nicely balanced. Very nice sounding pickups if you don't mind the twin blade look, but definitely a bit darker than an equivalent inductance pickup with AlNiCo poles. That's why I used the 500k volume pot.
P.S. If you can go up to ~$188, you could get a hum-canceling Wilde NF set. The L298S set is pretty "beefy" at 3.2H/3.2H/4.9H. There's no real definitive description of how they sound compared to the lower inductance L280S/L290SL set. From the video the ladies made, the L298S coils look fatter and shorter:
That may make them less mid-forward? The L298's were developed after the L280's. The internal magnets are A8 (C5 in the L280/290 set?), but the pole pieces may actually be the same alloy. The L200S models have relatively high permeance A2 poles (which increases efficiency over older A2). The coils look thinner and taller than the L280 coils. They have a bit weaker lower harmonics than the others but sound really nice in the neck and middle. You might want to use a 500k volume pot with either of those sets so you can get enough 4kHz+ sparkle on the bridge pickup. You can turn the tone knobs down or wire over ~500k resistors on whichever other pickup if too bright.
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Post by roadtonever on Jul 31, 2022 19:49:14 GMT -5
Modern tuners are great but the weight increases the risk of neck dive which is worse. Either bridge mentioned is better than the plinky sounding fender style hardtail. SSL1 does exactly what a you would expect from a strat pickup, not beefy but it works in the neck and middle positions if you want to keep some selections for cleaner tones. A good strat pickup that's really beefy is Dimarzio Pro track. A popular moderately beefier Strat pickup is Fender Texas special, many would argue it's still a traditional pickup that favors clean tones and I agree. You can also use a clean set of pickups as a base together with caps and resistors on switches to gain versatility. PRS does that in production guitars: guitarpickupdatabase.com/prs-tci-pickups-explained/ Let's assume you decided on SSS set per the first post, do you want a plug and play solution or do you want/need the extra versatility? How many percent of the time do you spend on clean vs. overdrive vs. high gain?
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Post by cynical1 on Aug 1, 2022 13:48:57 GMT -5
This style of Schaller bridge is on all of my guitars and basses...unless I haven't screwed with them yet...
IMHO this is one of the most versatile and solid bridges for the money. No noise and once you dial your string spacing in it doesn't move.
eBay is the place to look, by the way...
HTC1
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Post by frets on Aug 1, 2022 23:27:03 GMT -5
Hi Fellas😸😸😸, I just wanted to thank you all profusely for taking the time to write up your thoughts and recommendations. I am researching all your recommendations and you all have given me a lot to think about. I did buy the Schaller bridge and we’ll see if roller saddles on a hard tail top loader cause any buzz. Supposedly, their design of the saddles is supposed to prevent this. I do wish I would have remembered the Callaham; but, I can always send the Schaller back if I don’t like it. As to the pickups, I am considering and checking into all of your recommendations. I have enough now to make a good decision. I’m intrigued by the Lil Killers and have been looking at Tone Riders, Alex Pribora’s and Bootstrap’s (even though they are dirt cheap, I think they sound great). I’m a bit concerned about my tuners. I am typically a Schaller girl but had these Fender American Deluxe Locking Tuners on hand. One fellow luthier said they were made by Gotoh so I figure they have to be decent. I sure hope so. I finally finished the top coating and think it turned out okay. Excuse the lint on top of it as I was wiping it down. And the white on the front edge is just a light reflection. One piece Ash. Not the best body I’ve built and that was one reason I kept it for myself. Shout out to Crimson Stunning Stains as they never disappoint. I did have to sand down the neck pocket to get the neck to fit after all the top coating. I imagine I may have to do the same with the pickup pockets. I have built the neck for it, Canadian Maple with a Spalted Maple fret board and Dunlop Jumbo Frets. Ill put up some pics when I get it finished. I’ve got three builds going on but because this one is for me, I’ll put up pics. Thanks to you all again. You’re the best.
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Post by thetragichero on Aug 2, 2022 8:57:41 GMT -5
could just be the reflections but it looks like you may need to do some level sanding on the clear coat. you did grain fill before applying the clear, right?
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Post by cynical1 on Aug 2, 2022 9:38:38 GMT -5
Ash was a popular wood for electric guitars because it was cheap and readily available. It is a course grained wood that really requires a grain filler to achieve a flat level mirror finish. Fender used Fullerplast in the early days. If you haven't heard:
I have seen guitars where the finish is applied directly to the wood and the grain is left clearly defined.
It really comes down to what type of finish you want. The guitar will still sound the same either way...
HTC1
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Post by gckelloch on Aug 2, 2022 13:11:56 GMT -5
I like the raw grain look on the body. Gives it more of a handmade vibe. I will say that spalted maple may not be a good FB choice, though. It's a very inconsistent and unstable wood. Hopefully, the frets don't sprout up. Not sure there's anything you can do to stabilize it at this point. At the very least, it could damp various notes and frequencies at the weaker spots. The hardness and density of the FB wood do have some effect on the string tone via damping. You might think about that if you need to replace it. The Warmouth wood tone scale graphs are probably a good gauge of that. Wood can vary a lot, but the harder tight-grained woods should be pretty consistent. Personally, I find Indian RW absorbs more high-end detail than I like. I have two guitars with Pau Ferro FB's I like a lot. It's almost like Ebony, but a tad more "woody". From what I've heard, Ziricote and Purpleheart are generally tonally balanced. Figured Ziricote looks stunning if you can find a good piece. That would look cool with that body. Alex Pribora makes some bold claims about his pickups. Should be nice if true, but I think he is mistaken about the CBS era wire. I think it was all poly insulation by '67, but I dunno. The PE insulation would need to be baked shortly after winding to patch any cracks around the bobbin edges. It should actually sound like the poly wire if done correctly, albeit with lower internal capacitance. Otherwise, there can be unpredictable results. Anyway, I'd go for a set of the Wilde NF I suggested at those prices -- noiseless and warmer sounding, but clear and without the high-end loss of older stack designs. You might also consider the magnet stagger. The Pribora sets generally have a vintage stagger designed for a wound G. The Tonerider and some of the GFS sets have a modern stagger with the lowered G pole. The Wilde NF sets are all flat poles. It makes little difference on a modern FB radius, whereas the middle strings may be a bit too pronounced with a vintage stagger. Becky used to offer a modern stagger option on some pickups, but I'm not sure she still does. One thing about the Wilde NF series is 0.015~0.03" thick Aluminum shielding under the pickguard (or pickup brackets: spaltking.com/pickup-rings) will reduce the upper mids, as with any "true" single coil, but it will not work on a twin blade or Zexcoil design pickup. You may want that with those thick Steel saddles.
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Post by frets on Aug 2, 2022 16:14:33 GMT -5
No guys, I did not do a filler. I wanted the rough grain. I call these my “campground guitars” because I’ll use any decent piece of wood and show off all its flaws. This one is swamp ash. I prefer swamp ash in guitar builds. I’m more into a boutique look. But typically not on the ones I sell. They look like stock guitars with nice wood. They get filler. But overall, I like wood that has character, the more bugs that have bored through it the better.
I’ll admit I did not know that about Spalted maple on fretboards. It seems just fine. But I trust you know what you’re talking about. I’ll probably go with it and if it’s a problem, swap it out for Pau Ferro, which I really like as a fretboard wood.
I wish more of us would post the guitars they are working on. We hear about the wiring but only occasionally see the final guitar.
I’m buying new saws and a new lathe to up my game a bit with building the bodies and necks in guitars I sell. More wood combinations and patterns. And a higher attention to detail like ssstonelover’s. My old equipment is on its last legs and I can’t do the things I want because I don’t have the proper tools.
I will post a couple more of my campground guitars in the future. I usually give those away to friends. I’ve donated a few to veterans with ptsd.
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Post by frets on Aug 2, 2022 16:18:15 GMT -5
Oh, and gckelloch, Thank you for all your insights.😸😸😸
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Post by cynical1 on Aug 2, 2022 16:22:01 GMT -5
I'm with GC on the spalted maple fretboard. Spalting is caused when a fungus gets into the wood and while stealing nutrients from said tree it leave the discoloration...which everyone pays extra for. Not having seen the piece of wood in question I can't say what I'd do with it. One trick is to clean out the discolored portions enough to allow epoxy resin to be poured into them to allow a hard flat surface to be obtained. It can be dyed into some pretty cool colors...including metallics... You normally dye the epoxy to match the body color...but hey, it's your guitar..go nuts... It is a b h to sand, so use just enough to fill it...and maybe a couple drops more. Your fretsaw may or may not like it. What I look for in wood for a fretboard is a smooth tight grain, At least as hard as sugar maple and some clean graining. Honestly, as long as it's stable with no flaws or inclusions and can be glued...with acetone at worst...to the neck...it'll work... As I recall Brian May used oak from an old mantle piece dyed with leather dye for the fretboard on his red guitar.
Wood color was typically a customer preference. A trip to LMII will give you a very good selection of wood to pick from. I believe they can still cut the fret slots and radius it for you. Just tell them the scale length you want. I have never been disappointed. I loved Bill Lawrence (the real one) pickups. Only have one bass with his old P Bass pickup. I'm waiting for the covers to turn to dust... HTC1
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Post by gckelloch on Aug 2, 2022 16:52:09 GMT -5
I'm with GC on the spalted maple fretboard. Spalting is caused when a fungus gets into the wood and while stealing nutrients from said tree it leave the discoloration...which everyone pays extra for. Not having seen the piece of wood in question I can't say what I'd do with it. One trick is to clean out the discolored portions enough to allow epoxy resin to be poured into them to allow a hard flat surface to be obtained. It can be dyed into some pretty cool colors...including metallics... You normally dye the epoxy to match the body color...but hey, it's your guitar..go nuts... It is a b h to sand, so use just enough to fill it...and maybe a couple drops more. Your fretsaw may or may not like it. What I look for in wood for a fretboard is a smooth tight grain, At least as hard as sugar maple and some clean graining. Honestly, as long as it's stable with no flaws or inclusions and can be glued...with acetone at worst...to the neck...it'll work... As I recall Brian May used oak from an old mantle piece dyed with leather dye for the fretboard on his red guitar.
Wood color was typically a customer preference. A trip to LMII will give you a very good selection of wood to pick from. I believe they can still cut the fret slots and radius it for you. Just tell them the scale length you want. I have never been disappointed. I loved Bill Lawrence (the real one) pickups. Only have one bass with his old P Bass pickup. I'm waiting for the covers to turn to dust... HTC1
I was going to suggest attempting something Bill Lawrence once mentioned about how he applied finish to his L-6S guitars to address the spalted maple issue. It might be worth looking into to get an edge over other necks. You might be able to find a tall thin vacuum canister setup that you can fill with a thinned lacquer of your choice. Put necks in there and vacuum out the air. Let it sit for maybe ~1/2 hour, and the lacquer will seep into the wood to ~1/8" depth and rigidify the structure. That may do the trick for the spalted Maple, and it will never need refinishing. Not sure where such a tall vacuum device can be purchased, though. There are surely mixed reviews on Bill's Wilde NF pickups. Some may assume the relatively darker sound from the stronger lower harmonics and less-pronounced/more-rounded peak means they are less dynamic, but the opposite is actually true. The dense thin wire coils actually makes them more sensitive. One can simply replace one or two 250k pots with a 500k for a peak more like a standard Fender SC pickup, albeit with stronger lows.
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Post by cynical1 on Aug 2, 2022 17:06:02 GMT -5
If you're going to go to all the trouble to get a vacuum bag\chamber, you might want to look at this stuff: I've used this stuff a few times. I've never found anything that doesn't stick to it as a finish or filler. Lacquer will work, but as it dries so thin it might not give you the result you want in a reasonable amount of coats afterwards...and not all grain fillers like lacquer as a base coat unless you're willing to let that base coat sit for a few months or bake it... HTC1
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Post by gckelloch on Aug 2, 2022 17:26:32 GMT -5
If you're going to go to all the trouble to get a vacuum bag\chamber, you might want to look at this stuff: I've used this stuff a few times. I've never found anything that doesn't stick to it as a finish or filler. Lacquer will work, but as it dries so thin it might not give you the result you want in a reasonable amount of coats afterwards...and not all grain fillers like lacquer as a base coat unless you're willing to let that base coat sit for a few months or bake it... HTC1 Looks like a good choice for this. I suppose it could be done with a vacuum bag system. Just make sure to shut off the motor b4 any liquid sucks up into the motor. That might be worth trying to save having to replace the fretboard later. BTW, the FB on Brian May's original Red Special had a thick lacquer finish. He opted to forgoe a finish on the clones.
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Post by cynical1 on Aug 2, 2022 17:45:30 GMT -5
Yeah, that would suck. Pun intended...
HTC1
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Post by frets on Aug 2, 2022 18:35:19 GMT -5
I looked at the neck again, it’s ambrosia maple, I’m always getting the two mixed up. Same hardness problem as Spalted?
And thanks for the wood hardener tip😺
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Post by gckelloch on Aug 2, 2022 18:47:20 GMT -5
I looked at the neck again, it’s ambrosia maple, I’m always getting the two mixed up. Same hardness problem as Spalted? And thanks for the wood hardener tip😺 Even birdseye Maple can be chancy. Master luthier Ken Parker warned against it. He also said the early one-piece Fender Maple necks always needed fret repairs. Ambrosia is likely worse. I've never heard of it used in necks or FB's. I'd think the vacuum bag/wood hardener plan should make a substantial difference in stability and tone.
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Post by ssstonelover on Aug 3, 2022 3:11:33 GMT -5
I've used the Schaller bridge. No issues and he ability to change spring spacing was fine, as is the general construction.
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Post by cynical1 on Aug 3, 2022 10:07:51 GMT -5
I looked at the neck again, it’s ambrosia maple, I’m always getting the two mixed up. Same hardness problem as Spalted? Well, this time it's not a fungus causing the discoloration...it's just a beetle... Hardness would not be my first concern. It's the compromise in integrity that would disqualify it for me. The hardness is fine. It's when you start planing it down under 3/16" will it still maintain its integrity...or warp and move on me? I don't know...never used it for anything on a guitar. It may work fine. I've built a couple instruments for the Hell of it to test a theory. Nothing wrong if you can absorb the loss...or the time in doing it twice. Sometimes you learn more than the guitar was worth. IMHO, if you want a fretboard that truly awes, you really need to use snakewood: Sure, it's hard has Chinese algebra, nasty to work with and endless to shape...but it looks amazing. It sure makes anything else an attractive alternative to work with...but nothing looks better once it's done... You're welcome. I first used it on an old Dean a guy wanted stripped and painted. Well, low and behold, this icon of metal guitars turned out to be plywood... He was not happy, but said go ahead with the respray. I was concerned about the exposed layer coming through on the finish, so I tried this stuff without the vacuum. It's as viscous as thinned lacquer, so it absorbs quickly. It's essentially a plasticizer. It smells awful, but dries overnight. I gave it a week, then sanded. Eventually I just sprayed lacquer on it and was surprised at how well red covered with this stiff as a sealer, in essence...with the benefit of improving the overall shell of a softer wood. Here's another free tip. Satellite City HST-7T Special T thick CA glueIf you ever have a deep flaw or repair than needs to be leveled either before or after the hard finish has been applied, this is your best friend. It fills almost anything in one pass, dries mostly clear (will haze if too deep), sands like a dream and in most cases is invisible once the finish is buffed out. It doesn't seem to care what finish is there, or what comes after as it has never reacted to anything I've used it on. Can't say that about all CA glues. Happy Trails Cynical One
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Post by frets on Aug 3, 2022 12:55:25 GMT -5
Hi Cynical et. Al. I’ve decided to pull the fretboard. I would have used the hardener but I don’t know how that would turn out on this ambrosia. The neck itself is a nice flame maple I made. Hopefully, I can whack the fretboard off and put the Pau Ferro down. If not, I’ll just build a new neck for it. I appreciate all of you guys warning me about this as I did not know. I just decided one day to try it. A wild hair. All because the ambrosia was pretty. Ha! Cynical, thank you for all of your knowledge. I use a similar product from Starbond “CA” to do my repairs with. But I will try your brand. ssstonelover, thank you for letting me know about your experience with the Schaller. I’m really looking forward to trying it. For $95, it’s an experiment well worth it. I also hope to become as proficient one day with the woodworking as you are. You amaze me. I just need more tools and more talent 😺😺😻 I’ve started to finish another “campground body” to sell. I’m TruOil’ing this one. It’s Peruvian Mahogany. An expensive piece of wood. I have made a Honduran Mahogany neck for it and I know that mahogany is a bit softer than ash. Right? I’m good at picking out nice pieces of wood but not as knowledgeable as to their properties. Although I was trained on guitar electronics, I’ve learned my guitar building from watching videos and am self taught. I am trying to learn more and more.
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Post by ssstonelover on Aug 3, 2022 13:32:15 GMT -5
Hi Frets,
Mahogany machines very well, and is reasonably light weight. My experience is mainly the African type (or something like that from Home Depot LOL), not Honduran....and it has some slight splintering/chipping at the edges (of course if your round over edges they disappear). I know you've made the neck already but in general, and you may not face this, stay away from short grain. Do either a scarf joint or Fender type construction instead of a Gibson type construction and you should be fine.
Tru-Oil: I just got some.... have not tried it, but would likely use it for necks mainly. Bodies: Usually I slather on medium 2P-10 superglue, sand it flat (I use it as a pore filler), and then finish using 2K paint. This hardens nicely and makes dings and markings less likely. Looks like you are going for an open pore look (like I have on a store bought Ibanez SR400 bass) and that should be quite attractive and Tru-Oil should get you there. Good luck on the rest of the project!
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Post by gckelloch on Aug 3, 2022 14:50:47 GMT -5
All great recommendations here, AFAIC. Mahogany necks tend to absorb more upper mids than Eastern Maple. I believe it's a substantial difference in the tone of a Gibson vs Fender (besides everything else ). I don't suppose there's enough difference in the Mahogany types you mentioned to determine how either will affect the tone, and each piece is of course different. Personally, I would consider that gorgeous Snakewood or something equally hard for the FB for attack clarity. Pau Ferro is very nice, too. I don't understand why guitar players think it's an "inferior" wood. Some are turned off by the light color. I use something called Howard Feed-N-Wax on raw woods. It's just Orange Oil and Beeswax, and inexpensive. It cleans and leaves a nice silky feel. I just got a bass with a Blackwood FB. It's listed on the W-DB as denser than Ebony. It feels really smooth -- maybe waxier than my Ebony FB guitars. Might be a good affordable option if Snakewood or whatever else is too expensive. So many good hard woods will respond so similarly. However, even very hard woods with large open pores, like Wenge, will tend to absorb more midrange via resonance. Again, you could check the Warmoth neck wood page for ideas: warmoth.com/guitar-neck-woodsI just finished my first (and only) guitar body. I used 1 can of 1K semi-gloss Acrylic. It came out fine, but with a few subtle drips. It's a very hard finish and only took a few days to complete. I did 6 light coats after brushing on 3 colored coats of Polycrylic. It needs ~4 weeks after that to fully cure, but can be used within a few days if you don't use polish or lay any plastic bags on it. I second Tru-Oil on the neck. I only did 2 coats on the baked-Maple neck because I wanted to still feel the wood, and it's very silky. I use the Feed-N-Wax on that too. I used the finer grits of the 3M pads sold by Stew-Mac to smooth between coats and do a final buff. I wanted more of a satin look, and it's pretty good for a first try. You could Tru-Oil the body, but that might take a few weeks for enough coats, and then a week to cure. 7~9 coats might be fine, but some prefer a lot more to give the grain more depth. I suppose it depends on the piece of wood. Of course, wear proper masks with all this stuff.
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Post by frets on Aug 3, 2022 19:04:15 GMT -5
I would very much like to try out the snake wood and will look online for it. It may be what I’ll use depending upon the price.
ssstonelover, I use superglue on necks all the time but have never done a body with it. When you say “slather” it on, what is exactly your technique? I would very much like to try this. Also, how much glue are you using? Thanks😸 P.S. My necks always use a Fender construction. I’ve only made Strat type and Tele type guitars. Just the easy stuff. I would very much like to extend to Les Paul and other styles.
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Post by newey on Aug 3, 2022 20:33:14 GMT -5
OK, so now we've reopened the "Tru-Oil the neck" debate. This has been an issue that engenders strong opinions on both sides. Everyone likes what they like. I suspect cynical1 will have something to say on the subject . . . I've never used an oil finish on a neck so I don't have an opinion one way or the other. But the last neck I refinished I used Cyn1's method and it came out better than any of my prior efforts.
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