I decided that after looking at it for a few weeks that I absolutely HATE the way the top looks. It's the sum of the parts. The carve didn't go the way I wanted it to go, the canary isn't as colorful as I wanted, and there's something intangible that's completely wrong about the whole thing. I can't put my finger on it, but it's just not right.
I've made enough guitars that I'm unhappy with that I know if i finish it up, I'll never want to play it, so there's no point is going forward.
So we'll have to wait and see what happens with the whole thing. I've always wanted a Mockingbird, so there WILL be another in the future. But that's the only thing that's set in stone. Right now, I'm leaning heavily towards a quilted top with a tiger-eye dye job.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Project: Super-Thin, pt4
The neck & headstock routed to the template. The end of the headstock will need to be "sharpened up" to match the horns, but that's no biggie. I figure to put the 24th fret right on the carve line. This gives you total access to the first 22, and at least availability to the last to. This also places the strap button at the 12th fret, so that ensures no balance issues with the lack of weight in the body. I'm also going to extend the bevel in the forearm area into the body a bit. It's too shallow as it sits right now. The pencil line is where it will end up.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
King Of The Hill
I know this has nothing to do with guitars, but this is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. The adult elephant kicks the baby down the hill! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
"Experts" at Guitar Center
No, not the employees... the customers. From craigslist, Birmingham, Al, 4/12/2009. This about sums it up!
This is a special thanks to all of the guys that put on a free concert at guitar center everyday, we appreciate everything you do for our community.
Like when I go in to actually purchase something, you come sit right next to me and play your "top shelf" ibanez through any solid state monster in the store, and show me how fast you can tap.
Or like when I am asking someone a question and you stepped up to the plate and instead tell us all how incredible your band is.
Another reason I am so impressed by you guys is how you find time to come to guitar center every day when you're always out on the road touring. It's already pretty hard to sift through the wealth of knowledge available behind the counter, but when you add your countless years of experience in to the equation, there is no end.
Another way that you guys have changed my life is through my use of equipment. Over the years I've always thought that boutique pedals and custom tube configurations really contributed to my overall tone, yet you proved me wrong. Just from watching you play both measures you know from Free Bird, I learned that all I really need is a digitech floor board or a line 6 product to get the job done.
Just hearing you guys really shred on your speed metal makes me wonder why people still listen to bands like The Beatles, Coldplay or U2.
Thanks again for all you've done for me personally, you've really taught me that everything I thought I knew must be wrong, I am forever in debt to you. Because of this, I am now looking for a new drummer. Currently my drummer plays with a metronome and is way too solid and tasteful, consider him gone!
If you are one of those guys in the drum dept. that knows that fast double bass is so much more important than keeping time, you're the one for me.
So what if you don't own a drum set and therefore never practice, who needs practice when you're a prodigy?
Who cares if you came in 7th place at last years drum off, the judges were conspiring against you.
Last but not least, I am also holding auditions for a bass player. Currently my bass player plays through this stupid little ampeg 8x10 cab & head with a few vintage fender basses, and all he knows how to do is stay with the kick drum.
Who cares that he's never made a mistake, or that he could write a book on music theory, what matters is that he can't slap. If there's one thing that can make any passionately slow song sound even better, that would be slap bass.
So what if these pocket bass players like Adam Clayton are living in mansions and you're working at the mall, you know that slap bass is what's gonna bring in the big bucks. don't worry, you'll get your chance, the world won't know what hit'em.
This is a special thanks to all of the guys that put on a free concert at guitar center everyday, we appreciate everything you do for our community.
Like when I go in to actually purchase something, you come sit right next to me and play your "top shelf" ibanez through any solid state monster in the store, and show me how fast you can tap.
Or like when I am asking someone a question and you stepped up to the plate and instead tell us all how incredible your band is.
Another reason I am so impressed by you guys is how you find time to come to guitar center every day when you're always out on the road touring. It's already pretty hard to sift through the wealth of knowledge available behind the counter, but when you add your countless years of experience in to the equation, there is no end.
Another way that you guys have changed my life is through my use of equipment. Over the years I've always thought that boutique pedals and custom tube configurations really contributed to my overall tone, yet you proved me wrong. Just from watching you play both measures you know from Free Bird, I learned that all I really need is a digitech floor board or a line 6 product to get the job done.
Just hearing you guys really shred on your speed metal makes me wonder why people still listen to bands like The Beatles, Coldplay or U2.
Thanks again for all you've done for me personally, you've really taught me that everything I thought I knew must be wrong, I am forever in debt to you. Because of this, I am now looking for a new drummer. Currently my drummer plays with a metronome and is way too solid and tasteful, consider him gone!
If you are one of those guys in the drum dept. that knows that fast double bass is so much more important than keeping time, you're the one for me.
So what if you don't own a drum set and therefore never practice, who needs practice when you're a prodigy?
Who cares if you came in 7th place at last years drum off, the judges were conspiring against you.
Last but not least, I am also holding auditions for a bass player. Currently my bass player plays through this stupid little ampeg 8x10 cab & head with a few vintage fender basses, and all he knows how to do is stay with the kick drum.
Who cares that he's never made a mistake, or that he could write a book on music theory, what matters is that he can't slap. If there's one thing that can make any passionately slow song sound even better, that would be slap bass.
So what if these pocket bass players like Adam Clayton are living in mansions and you're working at the mall, you know that slap bass is what's gonna bring in the big bucks. don't worry, you'll get your chance, the world won't know what hit'em.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Project: Super-Thin, pt3
I forgot to tale a picture of the final body shape. Here's the beginnings of the carve, though. It's realy not so much of a carve as it is a bevel. I'm taking the time to do this entirely by hand with only rasps and files.
I also finalized the fretboard: makore, or African cherry. I've never seen it used before, so I did a little research on it. You want a fretboard to be reasonably hard & durable. Makore is actually a bit more dense than maple, so I don't see any issues with it whatsoever. The warm, reddish-brown color of the wood will match up well with the turquoise body and abalone inlays. I still haven't decided on whether I'll be using ovals or stars.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Project: Super-Thin, pt2
Moving small pieces of wood like this has a number of advantages. The big three in my book are reducing waste, the pieces are already the EXACT thickness needed, and with wood like this, it's color/grain matched already. Once it's shaped and sanded, the glue lines will be virtually invisible.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Project: Super-Thin pt1
The idea is to see how thin you can make a guitar and still be functional, good sounding, and good playing. A good friend of mine is working on a surface-mount pickup, taking design inspiration from an old Teisco pup I sent him. The hardware will be mini-pots and a hard tail bridge.
The piece of white limba I have for the body is EXACTLY 1" thick. It's just barely not wide enough to have a 1-piece body, so pieces from the blank will have to be glued onto the widest parts of it. I'm going with a traditional Strat-like shape. With the body being so thin and lightweight, I figure to need the strap anchor pretty far forward. Under normal circumstances, the 12th-15th fret is the target. As it stands right now, it might fall near the 11th. We'll just wait and see on that one.
The neck will need to be pretty lightweight as well. I picked up a 2" thick piece of Spanish cedar. It's used in acoustics, so the strength should be fine. It's also stupid-light. The body blank uncut weighs about the same as the 2" thick piece of cedar. No neck dive on this one.
I really wanted to do a back-bolt on this one, but it's just too thin. The surface mount pups would eliminate the normal routes taking away material for the bolts to go into. However, the body itself will be too thin. Oh well - a set neck it is.
The edges are going to be beveled, though not very deep. The body will be getting dyed turquoise. I'm not positive about the type of finish yet.
It'll be getting a white pickguard into which all of the electronics will be mounted. This will save depth in the already shallow body.
The headstock is going to be very similar to the Parker Fly.
The piece of white limba I have for the body is EXACTLY 1" thick. It's just barely not wide enough to have a 1-piece body, so pieces from the blank will have to be glued onto the widest parts of it. I'm going with a traditional Strat-like shape. With the body being so thin and lightweight, I figure to need the strap anchor pretty far forward. Under normal circumstances, the 12th-15th fret is the target. As it stands right now, it might fall near the 11th. We'll just wait and see on that one.
The neck will need to be pretty lightweight as well. I picked up a 2" thick piece of Spanish cedar. It's used in acoustics, so the strength should be fine. It's also stupid-light. The body blank uncut weighs about the same as the 2" thick piece of cedar. No neck dive on this one.
I really wanted to do a back-bolt on this one, but it's just too thin. The surface mount pups would eliminate the normal routes taking away material for the bolts to go into. However, the body itself will be too thin. Oh well - a set neck it is.
The edges are going to be beveled, though not very deep. The body will be getting dyed turquoise. I'm not positive about the type of finish yet.
It'll be getting a white pickguard into which all of the electronics will be mounted. This will save depth in the already shallow body.
The headstock is going to be very similar to the Parker Fly.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Mockingbird: An abrupt right turn
GOOD LORD!!!! It's been 8 months since I posted any kind of update! Well, THAT wasn't supposed to happen.
So I finished up the mockingbird and didn't like it. It sounded OK, but it was damn heavy and the action was really high. Since I had over 15 guitars at the time, I decided that there was no reason I should ever have one that i wasn't 100% happy with, so I disassembled it and began making another.
Here's where I am right now. It's a Sapele base with a carved Canarywood top. I'm not completely happy with the carve as it stands right now. I'm in mo hurry though. I can let it sit for a while and look at it until I figure out exactly what I need to do to it.
Man, Sapele and Canary are both great to work with. Sapele machines like a hot knife through warm butter. I've never had any tear-out, it sands up easily, and looks fantastic. Canary is like maple in hardness and texture, but it smells fantastic and is gorgeous to look at. Yellow with orange & red streaks flowing in sometimes unexpected directions.... wow.
I'm debating whether to use the old neck or to make a new one. I'm not sure the maple/purpleheart pinstripe will look good with the body, and I KNOW the headstock doesn't fit in. I made a bubinga/canarywood neck a while back, so maybe I'll put it on the 'Bird.
So I finished up the mockingbird and didn't like it. It sounded OK, but it was damn heavy and the action was really high. Since I had over 15 guitars at the time, I decided that there was no reason I should ever have one that i wasn't 100% happy with, so I disassembled it and began making another.
Here's where I am right now. It's a Sapele base with a carved Canarywood top. I'm not completely happy with the carve as it stands right now. I'm in mo hurry though. I can let it sit for a while and look at it until I figure out exactly what I need to do to it.
Man, Sapele and Canary are both great to work with. Sapele machines like a hot knife through warm butter. I've never had any tear-out, it sands up easily, and looks fantastic. Canary is like maple in hardness and texture, but it smells fantastic and is gorgeous to look at. Yellow with orange & red streaks flowing in sometimes unexpected directions.... wow.
I'm debating whether to use the old neck or to make a new one. I'm not sure the maple/purpleheart pinstripe will look good with the body, and I KNOW the headstock doesn't fit in. I made a bubinga/canarywood neck a while back, so maybe I'll put it on the 'Bird.
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