Have you thought of something like this for the neck pickup?:
Have you thought of something like this for the neck pickup?:
Yes! AAMOF I order one yesterday.Originally Posted by ILRGuitars
Have you thought of something like this for the neck pickup?:
My original plan was a black pick guard and chrome hardware. That's changed. The new plan is no pick guard and black hardware. That means I'll have to exchange all the stuff I bought (tuners, bridge, pickup ring etc.) but it'll be worth it in the end.
I found the perfect font for my guitar. It's called Bulletproof. I'm having trouble uploading a sample at the moment and will share asap.
My plan has always been to do a simple Tru-Oil finish over the quilted maple veneer, similar to this guitar. Recently I began to wonder if it would be possible to do a very light, water based stain to help bring out the beauty. Has anyone tried this and if so what were the results?
Last edited by TZK321; 21-07-2019 at 06:49 AM. Reason: forgot to add 'similar to this guitar'
Here's the font for the decal.
I also did a bit of research regarding staining maple. From what I've read an oil based gel stain is the way to go. I think I'll just keep it simple and use only Tru Oil. I've heard that over time the color will change and hopefully add some character to the quilted maple.
There are plenty of us that have "popped the grain" on a veneer. So there is plenty of info available. Remember to always use a test piece of wood first to get your technique and colour level right. Tru Oil will yellow over time so don't use a blue stain for anything as it will eventually turn green.
I use a very diluted black ink to pop the grain and then add more if required. Apply lightly with a clean, lint free rag, a very light sand afterwards to smooth the grain, then it's ready for a stain or finish. Be careful not to get the veneer too wet as it can loosen the glue and bubble the veneer. It's better to add a little at a time, cause you can't take it back out!
Here's what I have planned for the headstock. The headstock is quilted maple also. So I don't want something in the middle to hide it. The shape is (I hope) unique. I'm not going for a replica look. Nothing wrong with that, of course. It's just not for me.
Yesterday I picked up a can of Old Masters gel stain. https://myoldmasters.com/product/gel-stain/.
I want to accentuate the grain without changing the color of the wood so I got the natural stain (no pigment). According to their web site "this tone highlights woods true beauty by gracefully brightening woodgrain."
I'm back from vacation and that means I can start work on my kit. I requested that the factory drill most holes for me. I want to make this first build as easy as possible. I screwed the neck into the body to inspect. There's a very slight gap on one side. Is this something to be concerned about.
Next I screwed in the bridge and checked that the neck was straight. It looks fine to me but I'd appreciate your guys' opinion. Honestly I'm not sure I'd be able to tell if there was a problem.
Lastly I checked the scale length. I hadn't noticed before that not all of the adjustment screws are the same length. I might need to get some longer screws to properly intonate. Some of the screws are at the limit - if I unscrew much more the saddles will fall out.
I'd check the squareness of the neck heel, then check the coners of the neck pocket for burrs or little remanants from the routing.
Sometimes there can be a little step in the corners that props up the neck to leave gaps like that.
You may also just want to check that the fllor of the neck pocket is even and level and that the radioused corners of the heel and the pocket fit properly, particularly in the very bottom of the pocket Radii.
FrankenLab
Hand crafting guitars, because Death Rays are expensive.
That's much better now. No modification required. It was just a matter of tightening that top-right screw first.
Does everything else look ok?
I think I'm ready to customize the headstock.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote