# Maple, Black Limba, and Ribbon Mahogany Builds



## skate (Dec 24, 2012)

I'm starting 3 new 7-string builds. 

Specs:
Guitar #1
Body Wood: Ribbon Stripped Mahogany
Top Wood: Flamed Maple
Neck: Flamed Maple
Fingerboard: Ziricote
Pickups: Bareknuckle
Bridge: Undecided 
Machineheads: Hipshot
Scale Length: 27"
Total Thickness: 1 5/8"
Finish: Dyed black, Water based Laquear 

Guitar #2
Body Wood: Black Limba
Top Wood: Spider Burl Maple
Neck: Indian Rosewood
Fingerboard: Royal Ebony (katolax)
Pickups: Bareknuckle
Bridge: Hipshot 
Machineheads: Hipshot
Scale Length: 27"
Fingerboard Radius: 16-20
Total Thickness: 1 7/16"
Finish: lite green that matches the black limba, Water based Laquear 

Guitar #3
Body Wood: Ribbon Stripped Mahogany
Neck: Ziricote
Fingerboard: Macassar Ebony
Pickups: Bareknuckle
Bridge: Hipshot 
Machineheads: Hipshot
Scale Length: 27"
Fingerboard Radius: 16-20
Total Thickness: 1 7/16"
Finish: Doghair (dyed black with a white pore fill) Water based Laquear 

On to the pics!!!!


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## EOT (Dec 24, 2012)

Cool man! I've been interested in how Ziricote would work for a neck for a while now. Let us know your thoughts on it.


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## skeels (Dec 24, 2012)

Way to do it- three at a time!
As always, classy woods man! 
Just where do you source out these great pieces?


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## Watty (Dec 24, 2012)

That fingerboard with the sapwood is SICK....love that transition from the pale white to the red and then to the dark brown. That should looks amazing when it's finished!


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## Polythoral (Dec 24, 2012)

That ziricote neck and the katolax board look insane, wow.


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## LolloBlaskhyrt (Dec 25, 2012)

Cool! I love Ziricote! Merry Xmas


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## Kroaton (Dec 25, 2012)

Those fingerboards look amazing. Good luck on the build.


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## theo (Dec 25, 2012)

Wow, nice bits of wood you have there, It's going to be cool watching these builds progress


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## skate (Dec 30, 2012)

Gluing fretboards on necks, routing neck pockets and taking side to side measurements!!


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## Watty (Dec 30, 2012)

Hot damn does that Katalox board look nice with that body. You keeping the body natural to match the sapwood?

_And thanks again for agreeing to sell me one of the other pieces!_


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## ThePhilosopher (Dec 30, 2012)

Katalox is win, glad to see someone else using it; hell these builds are all win.


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## skate (Jan 6, 2013)

Its been cols and rainy here but there has been time to do some body work!! Lots of Routing has been done this week. Neck Carving is next followed by setting the neck with epoxy!!!


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## capoeiraesp (Jan 6, 2013)

Great choices of woods dude. Each one is unique in its own right.


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## skate (Jan 12, 2013)

I have a small update for ya. I carved the horns of all 3 guitars today!! I use a 1" and a 1/2" chisel on all the bevels that I do on the guitars. I feel it makes things look a lot cleaner and there is less sanding to do on the guitars at the end of the day. As most of you probably know, using a router on maple tops can leave burn marks on the maple if you don"t go around the guitar fast enough. You can always sand off the burns but it takes longer (and I'm not one for a whole lot of sanding).
















I wanted this guitar to be very fluid. So I sanded most of the hard lines out. 










This mahogany guitar, I wanted to have the hard lines, so you could see the bevels on it with no problem. When the white pore fill goes in, it will look crazy!!


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## Syrinx (Jan 12, 2013)

Damn those look nice!


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## Levi79 (Jan 13, 2013)

Wow you've got some choice woods there dude! Work looks great too!


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## Navid (Jan 13, 2013)

How do you get the body bevels done?


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## skate (Jan 13, 2013)

I use small Ibex finger planers on the outside bevels and chisels for the inside horn bevels. When I bevel the outside of the guitars I work on, I make sure to look at the lower curve as well as the upper to make sure that the lines are crisp and even and don"t wonder around. 

When I bevel the inside horns, I use a nice sharp chisel. Typically, 1" or 3/4". I flip the chisel over so that the flat part is facing up, and I move the chisel into the wood and flick it up, taking a piece of wood with it. Its almost the same technique that you would use to scallop the tone braces of an acoustic guitar top.


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## Danukenator (Jan 13, 2013)

Man, that Katalox is so beautiful. Love the look of it.


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## skate (Jan 19, 2013)

Neck Carving!! I'll get some more shots of them soon.


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## PureImagination (Jan 19, 2013)

Thats some classy wood, how many guitars have you built in the past?


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## skate (Jan 20, 2013)

I have built... several seven string guitars, several six string guitars, one or two basses, and a lot of acoustic guitars. For my next few builds, I am going to be making some 8 string guitars. 

More neck Carving pics!!!


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## Xifter (Jan 24, 2013)

Nice!!


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## Navid (Jan 24, 2013)

Please tell me where you have found the wood!


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## Watty (Jan 24, 2013)

Damn that neck looks sexy!


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## skate (Jan 28, 2013)

Time for another update!! 

Fretboards have been prepped for fretting and 2 of the necks have been set to the bodies. Also, neck heels have been carved and boards have been fretted!!
















Start of the heel carve.

























If weather down here turns better, I think these will be in the spray booth by middle to end of February.


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## skeels (Jan 28, 2013)

Looking sweet man!

Also, your garage seems so clean and well-lit!


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## skate (Feb 2, 2013)

Got all the necks epoxied in and started to place the bridges as well as do some dying!! Hipshot Bridges are so easy and nice to use. If anyone has not seen their custom shop fanned fret bridge on one of the new rusty cooley models, they should check it out. Anyway, here are some pics.


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## Watty (Feb 2, 2013)

First pic of the heel looks really interesting...and comfy!


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## skate (Feb 6, 2013)

Its been an interesting color week!!


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## theo (Feb 6, 2013)

wow...


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## Tristoner7 (Feb 6, 2013)

Wow, thats killer. Do you or have you ever considered making builds for people/customers?


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## DoomJazz (Feb 7, 2013)

Wood? 
Yeah.
Wood.
*wood*


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## skate (Feb 8, 2013)

Got the neck on the black flamed maple stained. I think it fits the body color well. And these 3 7-string guitars are ready for the spray booth!!


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## a curry (Feb 9, 2013)

Wow that flamed neck!


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## Snewgle (Feb 10, 2013)

Holy **** those guitars look so damn amazing I seriously dropped my jaw. That flamed neck indeed!


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## Xifter (Feb 13, 2013)

Are these for sale? What's the story?


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## skate (Feb 24, 2013)

I am going to sell these when they are done. I'm thinking about putting them in the market place. 

Well, I finally got a good stretch of weather this coming week and I was able to get into the spray booth. I'm doing a water based lacquer on these 3 guitars. Vinyl sealer coats, pour filler then lacquer.


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## IkarusOnFire (Feb 25, 2013)

So you decided against green for the katalox fretted one? While green would be an kinky move, I think that reddish amber you got going will look awesome with the katalox. Nice work man!


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## skate (Mar 4, 2013)

I thought the green would go well with the black limba at first but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Anyway, these guitars are starting the curing process today for about a week or two.


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## skate (Apr 11, 2013)

Finally!! An update. 

"The Ghost" 7-String guitar. 
Hipshot Hardware
BareKnuckle Nailbomb Set
3-way toggle, Master Volume, Kill-switch


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## Watty (Apr 11, 2013)

Looks pretty good man; though I think I'd constantly be pressing the killswitch if for no other reason than it being a giant red button...


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## muffinbutton (Apr 11, 2013)

skate said:


>



Damn that is sexy. Now I REALLY want to get back to work on my guitar.


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## BlackMastodon (Apr 11, 2013)

Yowzah! I love that neck!


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## pondman (Apr 12, 2013)

Beautiful work


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## parksed24 (Apr 12, 2013)

You sir, are very talented. These are turning out awesome!


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## Kharem (Apr 12, 2013)

Eh.


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## the_heretic_divine (Apr 12, 2013)

Good God,I WANT THAT GHOST!!


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## mcd (Apr 14, 2013)

the_heretic_divine said:


> Good God,I WANT THAT GHOST!!



too bad gonna be mine


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## the_heretic_divine (Apr 14, 2013)

mcd said:


> too bad gonna be mine


AGH!!!! Did that scare you off? No?? Damn it


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## nutsock (Apr 14, 2013)

damn thats nice!great work!


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## onetake-jam (Apr 14, 2013)

Awesome builts, delicious woods and colors, great work. Thanks fro sharing your creations.


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## Webmaestro (Apr 14, 2013)

Yowza. That's beautiful. Question: do you hammer your frets in, or do you use a press?

Seeing all these amazing guitar builds has me looking at woodworking classes at the local college. Something I have absolutely NO time for, heh.


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## mcd (Apr 14, 2013)

the_heretic_divine said:


> AGH!!!! Did that scare you off? No?? Damn it



I just sent him payment for the ghost7....I will be doing a NGD and review when I get it.


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## skate (Apr 14, 2013)

Webmaestro said:


> Yowza. That's beautiful. Question: do you hammer your frets in, or do you use a press?
> 
> Seeing all these amazing guitar builds has me looking at woodworking classes at the local college. Something I have absolutely NO time for, heh.




I have been hammering my frets in but I will be switching to pressing them in in the next few builds to see how it goes. From all that I have seen, pressing them in with a cal on a drill press is easier, faster and more accurate then hammering them in.


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## teamSKDM (Apr 14, 2013)

It would have pickup rings. Anyways, very daemoness-ish!. Love it!


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## the_heretic_divine (Apr 15, 2013)

mcd said:


> I just sent him payment for the ghost7....I will be doing a NGD and review when I get it.


Haha,congrats! Looking forward to the NGD thread!


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## F0rte (Apr 15, 2013)

Dyl, is that you?

These builds are insanely well done.


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