Grateful Dead Music Forum

by **milobender** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 12:08 pm

It makes noise! Sounds great, but has a few bugs still... the neck pup tone control doesn't work, and the TS works for a minute or two, then quits??? I may have hurt it handling it so much... anyway just small bugs, plays good, sustains good, and sounds fine. It's amazing how much difference moving the pups makes! I think I'm going to make custom dual single coils/humbuckers for the bridge and mid pups, as they sound so much different (both with unique character) moved as far forward as possible, and back as far as possible... And I have to finish the set up/nut, everythings just functional... I had to see if it worked :smile:

I'll put some more pics on the website later today.

Oh, and the cover plate isn't finished yet... the circle will be very dark - it's walnut burl. I'll get it finish sanded today...

Brian

by **High Peaks** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 12:19 pm

Brian,

It looks great. Can't wait to hear a sound clip!!

by **Shooster** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:47 pm

Whoa , sign me up for one of them...

by the way milo, you live in Laramie? I spent some time there over the summer as it was were my van's engine decided to blow up on me... beautiful country though.

by **Chuckles** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:02 pm

Oh lordy...

LOVE that brass!

by **Tennessee Jedi** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:39 am

Thats really sharp looking.
Looks like you did an awesome job.
You gotta let us hear it !
Keep posting ! :smile:

by **broomhead** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:22 am

thats an absolutely beautiful guitar. Really elegant.. The brass work, knobs, the design everything fits together so well.

I'm really impressed! you have a great eye for design aesthetics.

If it sounds anywhere near as good as it looks, she must scream.

joe

by **milobender** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:08 am

Thanks for the compliment Joe,I've done quite a bit of sculpting as well as woodworking... You look at a guitar body and think it's such a simple shape, but when you get into it, it's not as easy as it seems :shock:

The bugs are all worked out, forgot to put a ground wire to the pickup shielding, wrong connection on the selector switch (bad assumption that the back lugs are a mirror of the front lugs... gotta watch those assumptions!), and the winner for the day... an intermittently failing, brand new, 3pdt switch

That took a while to figure out...

The only thing left undone, is the final adjustment of the nut/action (it's still too high) and the finish on the cover plate. I have to put a coat on, wait 12 hours, and do it again... it will take a few more days to finish.

But it plays great, sounds great, I'm really pleased. :cool:

I'll put the finished pics up soon, and sound clips as soon as I figure out how to do it...

I've played it at least 6 hours already and I'm really happy with it. I wish I had a bigger variety of amps to try it out with. The clips will be thru the '67 Champ, with only a bit of Real Tube reverb added. The mikes I have aren't great, so there's a bit of the real "quality" of the sound missing. But you'll get the idea...

I've just finished the stereo cable for the effects loop... gonna try that today.

Brian

by **milobender** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:09 pm

It's finally really finished! :smile:

Weight is just under 9 pounds, onboard TS with true bypass switch and LED (gotta have lights with the knobs!), Waldo's UGB, effects loop and bypass switch, complete active electronics bypass switch, 2 tone, 1 volume, and 5 position switch, Schaller wrap-around bridge, Grover locking tuners, and homemade Strat type pups.

I'll try to get some audio clips up tonight, if not tomorrow...

by **Tennessee Jedi** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:18 pm

Dude
What a beautiful guitar !
WOW!!!!!!!!
:cool:

by **Mick** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:52 pm

That is really sweet looking! I love the way the neck fits on the body, with the contours of the body seemingly perfectly continuing into the neck, even though it is a bolt-on!!!

Speaking of the bolt-on, I am also impressed with the countersink on the top two bolts, right at the edge! Looks like there was more than ample opportunity to mess that up, but it looks perfect!

by **milobender** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:06 pm

Yep, I was sweating bullets during that phase...

There wasn't a 1/32" to spare... it was ALMOST too narrow. But it worked, and it's amazing how much more comfortable this design is compared to the regular Fender block-cut. You get several more frets higher in comfort.

by **strumminsix** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:57 pm

Wow! She is beautiful! Congrats!!

by **caspersvapors** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 3:38 pm

dude make a youtube vid of you playing it

by **High Peaks** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:44 pm

Beautiful!! It must make you giggle every time you pick it up to play it!!! :cool:

by **spacehead333** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:08 pm

Great guitar man. Just curious as to what you made the neck/headstock out of?

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