# 7 String Walnut Super Strat (3rd Build)



## RickyCigs (Apr 1, 2013)

I figured I might as well start a thread for this now even though I haven't started building yet. But since I've already finished two, I have confidence that it will get finished. Anyway, the specs are as follows:

Neck thru
27" scale
RG body shape
ESP reverse headstock (7 degree angle)
Ibanez Wizard neck profile
Walnut neck and body wings
Steel reinforcement rods (warmoth)
Fretboard will most likely be ebony, but still haven't decided. 
Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient pickups. I figure these will be officially released by the time I'm that far into the project. 
Gotoh fixed bridge
Gotoh tuners
1 Volume/3 way switch
Flush mount strap locks

I think that's about it for now. If anyone thinks anything I've listed is a big no-no, please feel free to tell me. I'm pretty sure I've learned from the minor mistakes I made during the first two builds, but second opinions always help. 

Also, if anyone knows where I can get carbon fibre reinforcement rods, please let me know. Warmoth has the weight listed if the steel ones and it seems minimal, but lighter would definitely be better. I want as little neck dive as possible.


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## Levi79 (Apr 1, 2013)

Stewmac has reinforcement rods. 
STEWMAC.COM : Carbon Fiber Neck Rods

The specs sound great except I'd put more of an angle on the headstock personally.


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## RickyCigs (Apr 1, 2013)

Levi79 said:


> Stewmac has reinforcement rods.
> STEWMAC.COM : Carbon Fiber Neck Rods
> 
> The specs sound great except I'd put more of an angle on the headstock personally.




I may go as much as 10 degrees, I'm not totally sure yet. I went with 13 degrees on my last build and I needed to add some to my 2" thick material. I'm trying to avoid doing a scarf joint if possible, but once again I'm not set in stone on it. 

Thanks for the heads up about stew Mac having those rods! I've gone over their site and never noticed them.


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## OfArtAndArsenal (Apr 1, 2013)

Just curious: why do you not want a scarf joint?


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## RickyCigs (Apr 1, 2013)

OfArtAndArsenal said:


> Just curious: why do you not want a scarf joint?



Only for the sake of less work. I'll be planing by hand for this one and I guess I'm just being lazy lol


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## skeels (Apr 1, 2013)

RickyCigs said:


> Only for the sake of less work. I'll be planing by hand for this one and I guess I'm just being lazy lol



Mossy cave? Planing by hand? Lazy?

This is right up my alley!


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## RickyCigs (Apr 1, 2013)

skeels said:


> Mossy cave? Planing by hand? Lazy?
> 
> This is right up my alley!



It's hard to get power in a cave. I can only ride my bike powered generator for so long....


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## RickyCigs (Apr 3, 2013)

Here's a thought that just crossed my mind, 

Black or Gold hardware? I think the gold might be pretty sexy with the amount of dark woods involved.


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## Anonymous (Apr 4, 2013)

Gold hardware is pretty sexy with dark woods . I'd go with it.


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## RickyCigs (Apr 4, 2013)

I think gold hardware is the way to go. I tried to visualize it, and black doesn't doesn't seem as good. Not to mention that gold is only a tiny bit more. I think I'm even going to do gold frets now. It only makes sense. 

Today I bought myself a coping saw, a rasp and a couple clamps while they were on sale. Every payday or two ill try to get something else. Unless I sell my last build, then I can pick up a few things  

I'm actually thinking that I might make this build a two piece body/neck. There will be quite a bit more for off cuts, but it will be less planing, and I won't have to buy a table saw just to cut the center strips. 

I'm sure someone will tell me not to, but I think I'm going to go with just carbon fibre reinforcement, and no truss rod. This will make my headstock joint a little stronger since there won't be any cutouts, as well as I won't have to make a truss rod cover this time. Not to mention that I'm pretty sure 3 pieces if carbon fibre will weigh less than a truss rod alone.


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## RickyCigs (Apr 17, 2013)

Very small update. Started buying some clamps that were on sale. Bought a router bit with the bearing on the top for templates, made a pickup template, bought a coping saw and a meter stick. That's a yard stick to you yankees. 

I'll keep slowly accumulating tools until its time to start with the actual building. I actually have a buyer lined up for my last build, so when I sell that I can buy at least one bigger item.


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## DistinguishedPapyrus (Apr 19, 2013)

Sounds real good so far... pics please!!! But one piece of advice: make VERY sure the bearing is securely attached to the router bit when you use one like that. I had a round over bit before that had a bearing on top that the screw came loose and the bearing popped off while cutting... the thing took a dive straight sideways into the block of wood and ruined the whole project. Just check the screw before each use. (I have never had a problem however with a flush cut bit I have thats got the bearing in the middle, between the shank and cutter, its made by Bosch from Lowes)


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## RickyCigs (Apr 19, 2013)

DistinguishedPapyrus said:


> Sounds real good so far... pics please!!! But one piece of advice: make VERY sure the bearing is securely attached to the router bit when you use one like that. I had a round over bit before that had a bearing on top that the screw came loose and the bearing popped off while cutting... the thing took a dive straight sideways into the block of wood and ruined the whole project. Just check the screw before each use. (I have never had a problem however with a flush cut bit I have thats got the bearing in the middle, between the shank and cutter, its made by Bosch from Lowes)



That's what this one is. The bearing is between the shank and the cutter, so it only has the risk of moving towards the base of the router. 

I'll be sure to upload pics of every step of the way. I may even just upload a pic of my template for the time being lol


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## RickyCigs (Apr 27, 2013)

Another very small update. 

Bought a decent router for a killer price today and picked up a small cheap drill press. I know a cheap drill press won't give me the utmost precision, but it will be a million times better than free handing it with my giant 18 volt cordless drill. 

I also worked some more on a pickup template, but I can't get it perfect or even as nice as I'd like it, so I decided on a decent one and figured I would use pickup rings. I don't normally like them, but the rings will always look better than a poor routing job. 

I think my next payday I'll order my carbon fiber neck rods and possibly my fretboard. For the fretboard I'm ordering from lmii so that I can be sure it will be accurate. Pretty soon it will be picture time!


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## RickyCigs (Apr 28, 2013)




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## RickyCigs (Apr 28, 2013)

Finally some pics lol

Made a side profile template for my center section as well as set up a work area. 

I thought I would post a pic of my $65 drill press as well.


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## RickyCigs (Apr 29, 2013)

This is a little jointing test I did with some scrap. I used a router and a straight edge for this and it turned out fairly well. Anyone disagree?


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## penguin_316 (Apr 29, 2013)

A scarf joints adds greater stability at the necks most likely break point. I recommend using one...and yes, they are somewhat of a bitch to do haha.


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## RickyCigs (May 10, 2013)

Another small update. Bought myself a small hand plane for smoothing the faces a bit as well as two more small clamps. I just need to pick up a few more bigger clamps and I'm ready to start building. 

The only problem is that I'm having trouble sourcing wood where I am without paying a ton of shipping. Right now it looks like it will cost me an extra $60 shipping to get my walnut. 

I'm waiting to hear back from a local place that carries black ash, but I don't know how I feel about using it for the neck as well. Hopefully I can find something else from one other local supplier. If not, I'll just suck it up and pay for shipping on the material that I really want. Why make sacrifices right? 

Also, I practiced my finishing technique a bit on the piece of scrap that I jointed and posted earlier. Very smooth and shiny  I'll try and get a decent pic to upload.


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## RickyCigs (May 10, 2013)

Alright, one more minor update for the week. 

No one has any reasonably priced walnut that I have access to. However, I found some maple at a place that's about 10 minutes away for even less than I paid when I bought it through the cabinet shop I worked at. So I guess I'm doing another all maple build. 

Other than that, the only other changes will be that I will paint it a bright green and laquer it. I also may rethink my pickup choices as the Duncan's seem to be best suited for darker woods as well as not many places have the nazgul and sentient yet. 

So as it stands right now my choices for the bridge are:
Dimarzio Crunchlab
Dimarzio D-activator
Seymour Duncan distortion
Or if I find some money in my couch, Bareknuckle painkiller or nailbomb. 

For the neck I'll be using the dimarzio liquifire to go with any of the above options. My all maple V that I built has a crunchlab in it so I know that it's not too bright, but I almost want to stay away from it. As well as I have an ibanez 7 with it also. 

Can anyone give me a reason NOT to go with the duncan distortion?


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## RickyCigs (May 10, 2013)

Also, since I found my material close by, I'll be starting to build by Monday or Tuesday!! So it'll be picture time! Lol

I don't have any hardware ordered yet though, so I won't be able to finish it too quickly.


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## RickyCigs (May 13, 2013)

No pictures yet, as I didn't get a whole lot done today. Things are a lot slower when your using mostly hand tools... 

Also, I discovered how much more frustrating jointing with a router is on larger pieces. Since my material is thicker than my bit is long, I spent a bunch of time pissing around trying to get my neck and body pieces totally flat. My only other tool for the job is a no.4 plane which helped, but obviously not enough. 

Tomorrow I'll tackle it again and post up some pictures.


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## RickyCigs (May 14, 2013)

Got things flat and glued up today. Had to just use my router and a straight edge without the plane to get things perfectly straight. I will definitely be getting some more tools before my next build. 

Tomorrow I'll plane the faces flat and redraw my template on. Not looking forward to cutting out the shape with a coping saw.... However, it will be a very satisfying feeling when it's done  I may use my router to trace the edge a bit so that I don't have to cut through the entire thickness. That will definitely speed things up.


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## RickyCigs (May 16, 2013)

Did some planing after I took it out of the clamps to get my working surface nice and even on both sides. 

Decided it would be smarter/faster to route out the pattern and then cut the remaining material with the coping saw. I used my template bit and did about 6 passes. The last two using the bearing at the top at to guide it. 

Then I realized that I could just use my flush trim bit to cut the remaining material. However, the bit I got in my cheap set was so dull after just a couple uses that it burnt the wood almost instantly. So I'm getting a good one tomorrow to go with my good template bit as well as my nice 1/8" straight bit that showed up today  

If you live in canada and aren't close to a store that sells what you need check out TheToolStore.ca | Hand Tools, Woodworking Tools, Garden Tools, Power Tools they have quite a selection and have a flat rate of $12 for shipping on all the smaller stuff. Which they use purolater to ship. So I got my bit in two days. $12 is a bit much for really small stuff, but if you order some other things its definitely worth while. 

Anyway, I'll probably post some more tomorrow. Hopefully more than just one picture and some real progress.


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## RickyCigs (May 16, 2013)

Changes and more changes... For simplicity sake, I'll be going with no headstock angle. Normally I wouldn't be a fan of it, but I'm working with too few tools for this build and if Strictly 7 can do it, I'm sure it's fine lol. I've also decided to not use a neck pickup since I don't play live so I don't have the need for fast switching as well as it will keep the strength near the heel without an extra hole routed. 

At first I was a little bothered by making a bunch of changes, but the way I'm looking at it now is if I don't try it, I'll never know what works best or what's easiest for me. 

Anyway, picture time. 

A big pile of sawdust and shavings. A little bit from a couple previous small projects, but mostly the guitar.





Main shape rough cut.





The neck thinned closer to my starting point. After I sand all my edges I'll start profiling it.





Started working on the heel. I figured it would be better to do before I sand down the edges so if I nick or gouge the inner horns I wouldn't have to re sand. And chances are that will happen since its a tight spot to work my rasp.





That's all for today. My arms were tired and I needed a break. I'll work some more on it tomorrow as usual.


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## RickyCigs (May 17, 2013)

Worked on the heel some more. Still not totally finished, but I got the flat edge worked out. Tomorrow I'll plug away at the forearm and tummy cut as well a bit more on the horn cutouts on the front. Nothing too extreme, just enough to make it pleasing to the eye and comfortable on the hands.


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## RickyCigs (May 19, 2013)

Busy day today. My back is killing me, but it was worth it lol






















My router bit wasn't quite long enough so I had to get a little welfare so that my Liberator would fit. I have a 500k long shaft pot, but I wanted to use this instead as its better quality and a lot easier for wiring. 

Tomorrow I'll finish sanding the outside of the body. Then I'll pretty much be on hold until I order my hardware. I may have to finally get a US mailbox so that my warmoth order will only take a few days instead of a few weeks.... My house is literally 2 minutes from the Canada/US border, so it's quite convenient.


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## MontaraMike (May 20, 2013)

Wow! AWESOME! This is a great reason for not making new patches.


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## RickyCigs (May 20, 2013)

MontaraMike said:


> Wow! AWESOME! This is a great reason for not making new patches.



Thanks!


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## RickyCigs (May 20, 2013)

Did some more work today but forgot to take pictures. I'll finish some more tomorrow and take some pics. 

I'm also basically at the point where I need my hardware, so I'll be bored for a couple weeks lol


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## RickyCigs (May 23, 2013)

I was finally able to order my hardware today, but unfortunately that didn't include my fretboard. So in the meantime, here's a few more pictures of what I've worked on. 

The black marks on the neck are from the grip of my sander lol 





















That's it for now. I'm still putting off doing any more with the neck until I get my fretboard glued on. I don't want my clamps to mess up anything. 

Also, when I get a little further and things start really coming together, I'm going to start taking pics with my wife's camera instead of my iphone. Realistically I should have done that from the start, but hindsight is 20/20.... 

Needless to say I'm getting pretty anxious to get to play this thing!


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## crazygtr (May 23, 2013)

That neck transition looks great, you can shave a little extra on the back of that treble horn for better acces when playing down there on the bass strings.


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## MontaraMike (May 23, 2013)

Wow looks sweet! Wish I had the time, skill and tools to build a guitar.


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## RickyCigs (May 23, 2013)

Thanks guys!


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## pondman (May 24, 2013)

Looking great


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## RickyCigs (May 26, 2013)

Not totally related to this guitar at this point in the build, but I'm bidding on a small bandsaw in a local online auction that's only at $15 right now and it doesn't look like there will be any other bidders. That will definitely make things easier for future builds and projects


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## Pikka Bird (May 27, 2013)

RickyCigs said:


> ...no headstock angle. [...] ...if Strictly 7 can do it...



And, you know... Fender? 

It's gonna be fine, don't worry about it. Strings trees will sort you right out.


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## skeels (May 27, 2013)

Nice! 

You're pushing me man!


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## RickyCigs (May 27, 2013)

Pikka Bird said:


> And, you know... Fender?
> 
> It's gonna be fine, don't worry about it. Strings trees will sort you right out.



Lol very true. I almost forgot about them since they're such a small company


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## RickyCigs (May 27, 2013)

skeels said:


> Nice!
> 
> You're pushing me man!



Thanks


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## RickyCigs (May 27, 2013)

Bastards bid that bandsaw up to $40 at the last minute. For that much I might as well hold out for something bigger and a bit more expensive. Oh well... I needed it more a few weeks ago anyway.


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## Necromagnon (May 27, 2013)

Is there any particular reason for the very large timber used for the "neck", and for gluing everything before working on it? It's a very weird order, but seems to turn out ok.

There's one thing that caught my attention, is that the top of the guitar and the fretboard joint plane are exactly same. Are you sure your fretboard will be thick enough to have a good action? Or you're gonna recess the bridge? Still, I think that this kind of "neckthrough" like construction makes a HUGE amount of waste. With the wood you got, you had enough to build this one and the neck for the next one... :/


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## RickyCigs (May 27, 2013)

Necromagnon said:


> Is there any particular reason for the very large timber used for the "neck", and for gluing everything before working on it? It's a very weird order, but seems to turn out ok.
> 
> There's one thing that caught my attention, is that the top of the guitar and the fretboard joint plane are exactly same. Are you sure your fretboard will be thick enough to have a good action? Or you're gonna recess the bridge? Still, I think that this kind of "neckthrough" like construction makes a HUGE amount of waste. With the wood you got, you had enough to build this one and the neck for the next one... :/



Yes it is a bit of a weird order, but I'm improvising with the tools I have. It is a bit more wasteful, but I made sure to save every scrap that I did cut off for other little projects. 

I was originally trying to joint two smaller pieces for the "wings" but I could not for the life of me get them straight enough. So rather than smash things or pull out my hair, I used larger pieces. I decided that until I have every single tool that I need, I'll only make bolt ons. 

I made my last guitar with the fretboard plane the same level as the rest of the guitar and the action ended up fine. I did plan on recessing the bridge on this one though. Mostly for looks, but I think it will turn out better overall and most likely be more comfortable. 

I'm really realizing how good I had it when I worked in a cabinet shop and had every tool I needed at my disposal. However, there's extra satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from building a guitar with mostly hand tools


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## Necromagnon (May 28, 2013)

RickyCigs said:


> I'm really realizing how good I had it when I worked in a cabinet shop and had every tool I needed at my disposal. However, there's extra satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from building a guitar with mostly hand tools


Agree!

If you have the experience of cab making, that might help a bit.


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## RickyCigs (May 28, 2013)

Necromagnon said:


> Agree!
> 
> If you have the experience of cab making, that might help a bit.



Oh it definitely does lol


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## RickyCigs (May 31, 2013)

Small update so you guys don't think I gave up on this guitar.

I used one of the tuners from my last build to do some test fitting. All I needed was a tiny bit of sanding in the holes on the one end to account for the taper on the tuner shaft. 

I also marked out my bridge position as well as where the pickup will sit. I'm still not happy with my pickup template, so I'm going to try again with the actual pickup as a reference. I decided that I really don't want pickup rings on this guitar. 

It's also a good thing that I double checked with the stew-Mac fret calculator as it has a guide for exactly where to place the bridge for the specific scale length. I would have lined up the front mounting holes at exactly 27" and it turns out I need to have them at 26.735" 

That's it for now. Hopefully my hardware shows up sooner than later as I'm going to be a dad again any day now and don't want to be using power tools and waking up the baby (or my tired wife)


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## RickyCigs (Jun 2, 2013)




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## Pikka Bird (Jun 2, 2013)

A rather decent fit, I'd say. I am very excite!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 2, 2013)

Pikka Bird said:


> A rather decent fit, I'd say. I am very excite!



I thought so! I traced the template from the pickup, then routed it close to the lines. Then I used files and sandpaper to shape it until the pickup base fit. The base is just a bit larger than the bobbins so it still has a bit around the edge. Then I routed the guitar with the template and my template bit. Fit like a glove! 

I got a notification that my hardware cleared customs into Canada, so hopefully this week I should get a package. I'll also be ordering my fretboard this week, so I should have everything ready for it by the time it arrives  

I'm pretty anxious to paint this thing. I think it's gonna look hot as hell! Lol


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## Pezshreds (Jun 3, 2013)

Subbed! NEED TO SEE THE END OF THIS
looking sweet so far dude, I love reverse headstocks haha


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)

Pezshreds said:


> Subbed! NEED TO SEE THE END OF THIS
> looking sweet so far dude, I love reverse headstocks haha



Thanks! I do too lol I find them a pain in the ass for tuning, but I love the look.


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## mcsalty (Jun 3, 2013)

i've been following this thread since the first few posts without even realizing you live in the same province as i do, woah
summarized: i have nothing of value to add here


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## Pezshreds (Jun 3, 2013)

I had a jackson reverse dinky which had the reverse headstock (Bet you didn't guess that from the name haha)
I found after a good 3-4 tunes that I got used to it pretty quick haha. All my guitars are normal esp horizon heads othe rthan my 8 which is 4 a side


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)

mcsalty said:


> i've been following this thread since the first few posts without even realizing you live in the same province as i do, woah
> summarized: i have nothing of value to add here



The funny thing about that is that we could live farther away in the same province than Winnipeg is to Vancouver lol


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## mcsalty (Jun 3, 2013)

i'm in the southern end haha


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)

mcsalty said:


> i'm in the southern end haha



Lol well that says a lot. I'm in the southern end of the western side. Fort frances to be exact (I'm not worried about anybody tracking me down)


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## mcsalty (Jun 3, 2013)

yeah not even close haha, i'm over in hamilton


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)

My hardware showed up today! I'll take some pics soon I think and then start working on it after I cut the grass.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)

Lots done today so far. I'm giving my back a break before I go at it a bit more. When I'm done ill upload some pictures! 

I discovered today that my damn drill press isn't big enough. It couldn't reach a few of the holes I needed to drill, so I had to do them by hand. And of course a couple weren't perfectly straight  luckily they were on the backside so it wasn't a huge deal, but far from perfection.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 3, 2013)

on the backside shouldn't matter too much man. It won't affect the playability yeah?


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)

Pezshreds said:


> on the backside shouldn't matter too much man. It won't affect the playability yeah?



nope. it wont effect playability at all. im uploading pics right now. youll see what i mean lol


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## Pezshreds (Jun 3, 2013)

yay pics


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)




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## Pezshreds (Jun 3, 2013)

Looking sweet dude. The holes that aren't straight wont be an issue, no one really looks at the back of the guitar haha.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)

Lol I do. It will bug me every time I pick it up! 

I also forgot to take a pic when I had the bridge mounted. Very impressed with the gotoh bridge. Super solid piece of brass with nice saddles and the adjusting screws on the backside are mounted flush. The one that I used on my last build was from allparts. It looked the same in the pics, but it certainly is not. 

This time around I managed to not make a mark on the guitar when drilling the holes from the pickup cavity to the control cavity and from under the bridge to the cavity. It certainly helps having a 12" long drill bit lol


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## slowro (Jun 3, 2013)

You are making some great progress, I really like this guitar already. I want to start making my own guitar this year and you have have me some great ideas. 
Can't wait to see how this turns out
We need pics of your previous builds.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 3, 2013)

Well only you will notice dude haha. I would've been super keen to check it out with the bridge mounted


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)

Haha I'll take a pic tomorrow with everything mounted. I'm waiting for my fretboard now anyway. 

I'll try to remember to post a link to my last build. The first one I didn't make a thread but did take a few pictures.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 3, 2013)

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/luthiery-modifications-customizations/210023-custom-rhoads-style-7-string-second-build-project.html

Here's number two. The first one will take some searching to find the pics lol


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## RickyCigs (Jun 4, 2013)




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## Pezshreds (Jun 4, 2013)

amazing dude, looks sick  Can't wait for the fretboard.
You running aftermaths in the rga8? I've got an RGA8 and really need to change the pickups haha


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## RickyCigs (Jun 4, 2013)

Pezshreds said:


> amazing dude, looks sick  Can't wait for the fretboard.
> You running aftermaths in the rga8? I've got an RGA8 and really need to change the pickups haha



D-activators actually. The original ones were probably the worst pickups I've ever used. The D's are great though. Super tight and clear. I recommend them for sure. Aftermaths would be better, but I couldn't justify spending twice as much on them.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 5, 2013)

RickyCigs said:


> D-activators actually. The original ones were probably the worst pickups I've ever used. The D's are great though. Super tight and clear. I recommend them for sure. Aftermaths would be better, but I couldn't justify spending twice as much on them.



Yeah that sounds like a plan. Not sure where to try and order them in Australia though. I can get BKP for around $450-500 a pair. Not sure how much I can get a set of D-Activators though. Would be keen to give them a go though


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## RickyCigs (Jun 5, 2013)

Pezshreds said:


> Yeah that sounds like a plan. Not sure where to try and order them in Australia though. I can get BKP for around $450-500 a pair. Not sure how much I can get a set of D-Activators though. Would be keen to give them a go though



I only paid $200 a pair where I am. A considerable difference. Check the dimarzio website to see who is an international dealer there. I'm sure that they have one. 

Do you have a way to reamp? I could send you a di file of mine so that you can run it through your rig and hear how they sound.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 5, 2013)

RickyCigs said:


> I only paid $200 a pair where I am. A considerable difference. Check the dimarzio website to see who is an international dealer there. I'm sure that they have one.
> 
> Do you have a way to reamp? I could send you a di file of mine so that you can run it through your rig and hear how they sound.


 
I reckon I probably could re amp it. I could run from the output of my interface into the input of the axe fx ultra then from the output of the axe fx ultra into the interface input yeah? Never done it, but theoretically that should work haha.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 5, 2013)

Pezshreds said:


> I reckon I probably could re amp it. I could run from the output of my interface into the input of the axe fx ultra then from the output of the axe fx ultra into the interface input yeah? Never done it, but theoretically that should work haha.



As long as you turn off any monitoring or you'll want to scratch your brain out from the noise. 

You could also put the file on an iPod and run it into the input.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 5, 2013)

Yeah I'll probably turn off the monitoring haha.
Would that be alright if you sent me a sound sample and what tempo its at


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## RickyCigs (Jun 5, 2013)

Pezshreds said:


> Yeah I'll probably turn off the monitoring haha.
> Would that be alright if you sent me a sound sample and what tempo its at



I'll see what I can do.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 5, 2013)

Thanks heaps dude! If it's too much work, don't stress about it haha.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 5, 2013)

Pezshreds said:


> Thanks heaps dude! If it's too much work, don't stress about it haha.



It's not too much work at all.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 5, 2013)

RickyCigs said:


> It's not too much work at all.


 
Awesome! Look forward to getting a sample


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## RickyCigs (Jun 6, 2013)

i was finally able to order my fretboard! as well as my pickup, which will be replacing the one that i took out of a different guitar so that i could keep building. hopefully lmii doesnt take forever to ship it to me. 

it will be an indian rosewood 24 fret board


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## Pezshreds (Jun 6, 2013)

ooooh that will definitely look nice. Can't wait to see it dude


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## RickyCigs (Jun 9, 2013)

Bought myself a brand new electric sander today to replace my air sander (since my compressor isn't working the greatest) for $20 and tomorrow I'm going to pick up a small table saw and a welled soldering gun both brand new in the box for $25 for both! And it's from someone that obviously didn't steal it! Lmao 

That being said, my fretboard has been in shipping for a couple days and it said it would be 6-10 business days to get it. So, SOON! I look at the guitar staring at me every day lol


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## RickyCigs (Jun 12, 2013)

Busy day for me! I got myself a fretboard and a new baby!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 12, 2013)

I had a few minutes while I was home so I glued on my fretboard  

12 clamps later, it's attached. It's not as perfect of a fit as I had hoped. I should have routed the channels for the rods just the tiniest bit deeper as there's a spot that doesn't want to sit immaculately perfect. I suppose once I get rid of my excess edge it might be even better. 






Either tonight or tomorrow ill take it out of the clamps and route the edges flush. Then I'll touch up the edges to get my final width and possibly start the fretting. 

The only reason I want to finish the frets before I do the final neck shape is so that I don't make a dent in my already final thickness neck. 

After that, all that's left is to put in the side markers, slot the nut, test fit with a couple strings, take the hardware off, do the final sanding, and paint!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 12, 2013)

Also, here's a shot of my $20 table saw. Works surprisingly good. I cut a few small pieces for another small project as well as a piece to make a file for fret leveling and filing the fret edges down and it cut an edge that was jointed perfectly.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 12, 2013)

This is coming along very nicely


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## RickyCigs (Jun 13, 2013)

Obviously I've made pretty good progress in a very short time. Lmii sent me a very nice piece of Indian rosewood indeed. Very happy with it.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 13, 2013)

nothing better than brand new shiny frets


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## RickyCigs (Jun 13, 2013)

Yes sir! The end is in sight lol


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## MontaraMike (Jun 13, 2013)

Can't wait to hear you playing it


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## gigawhat (Jun 13, 2013)

Damn, you give me hope! I have been wanting to build my own guitar for ages. My grandpa is a carpenter by trade, so I have access to just about all the tools I'll need, but I have been scared to start. I might just have to get over it and get started!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 13, 2013)

gigawhat said:


> Damn, you give me hope! I have been wanting to build my own guitar for ages. My grandpa is a carpenter by trade, so I have access to just about all the tools I'll need, but I have been scared to start. I might just have to get over it and get started!



The best piece of advice I can give you to give you the push you need, buy Melvyn Hiscock's book called making your own electric guitar. It has literally everything you need to know. I was always skeptical before my first build and I worked in a kitchen cabinet shop. After reading his book, I wondered why I hadn't done it sooner!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 13, 2013)

Well, I couldn't sleep with all the excitement today so I kept working to keep my mind busy. 










I had originally planned on not having fret markers, but I had a lot of the side dot material left and thought that sleek, small dots would look killer. I also filed down the frets a bunch and started sculpting the neck a bit more. I would say that this guitar will be done in two or three weeks. And that's counting the week it will take for the laquer to cure so that I can sand it smooth and polish it.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 13, 2013)

Yup.


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## User Name (Jun 13, 2013)

thats the way to do it man! just one big-ass slab-o wood!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 13, 2013)

2nd coat of primer is on. Pretty sure it should be enough. I should probably get the first coat of paint done tonight. Pictures to follow!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 13, 2013)




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## MontaraMike (Jun 13, 2013)

OMG! I am falling in love


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## mcsalty (Jun 13, 2013)

man the headstock/colour reminds me of my LTD so much haha


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## RickyCigs (Jun 13, 2013)

mcsalty said:


> man the headstock/colour reminds me of my LTD so much haha



Nice! It was actually the Jackson kawasabi green soloist that inspired me to do this one green. I love the fact that the entire backside is green. 

Hopefully tomorrow ill be able to finish the green and start the laquer. I'm pretty sure 2-3 coats of the color will be fine because there will be 8-9 coats of laquer on top of that.


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## mcsalty (Jun 13, 2013)

RickyCigs said:


> Nice! It was actually the Jackson kawasabi green soloist that inspired me to do this one green. I love the fact that the entire backside is green.



yeah, that jackson's super nice. i painted that body myself actually, part of what's making this whole thing even more ridiculous


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## Necromagnon (Jun 14, 2013)

There's tons of dust where you're painting. You should be carefull with that (I know what I'm talking about, I missed all my paint/varnish 'cause of this...).
Anyway, that looks nice (evenif I'm not generally a huge fan of solid color).


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## Negav (Jun 14, 2013)

YOU HAVE BAAAALLS To build a guitar with the neck on at the same time! Looking great!


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## Walterson (Jun 14, 2013)

RickyCigs said:


>



The fretboard is still square at the higher frets and not tapered like the rest of the neck?


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## RickyCigs (Jun 14, 2013)

Walterson said:


> The fretboard is still square at the higher frets and not tapered like the rest of the neck?



It's only very slightly. It looks worse in the picture.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 14, 2013)

I wasn't really sure what to do about all the dust since I only have one place to work, so I just waited until it settled. The guitar is up fairly high so it hasn't been an issue so far. 

An it has been tricky shaping the neck while its whole. I'll definitely be doing a bolt on again for the next one...


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## RickyCigs (Jun 14, 2013)

two coats of clear done. 6 or 7 to go... i should have those done either tonight or tomorrow. im waiting a little bit longer between coats than i have to so that it doesnt smell in the upstairs of my house. i dont think my daughter wants to smell it any more than i do....


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## RickyCigs (Jun 14, 2013)

My wife and daughter went out for a while so I've been putting on another coat as soon as I can. I'm at 5 now! I should be able to finish the clear coating today. Then it will be a long week of waiting for it to cure fully. Luckily the laquer I'm using dries quite quickly so a week will be more than enough. No sense rushing it though. 

The pickup that is replacing the crunch lab that I took out of my ibanez came early, so at least I have a new toy to play with lol


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## JEngelking (Jun 14, 2013)

Looks awesome Ricky! I dig the color. Did you do any sanding on the primer or between coats of paint or clear coat?


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## User Name (Jun 14, 2013)

if you plan on selling this... dibs


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## RickyCigs (Jun 14, 2013)

I only sanded the sandable primer. The paint believe it or not is engine enamel. It goes on great because its meant to be used without primer and stick to much tougher surfaces. 

No sanding between paint and laquer, and you don't need to sand between coats of laquer as it melts into the previous layer. Once the laquer is cured, I will wet sand with 600 grit, then 1000 grit, then 1500 grit. Then I will use turtle wax rubbing compound, followed by turtle wax polishing compound. Then I will finish up with meguires scratch-x. 

This is the method I used for my test piece that turned out great. Super smooth and shiny finish. You could get away with just the laquer as its quite smooth and shiny, but you can clearly see the orange peel-ish texture which obviously won't be as smooth. 

I'll take some pictures as it sits soon. I just finished my last coat. 


An ill keep you in mind if I decide to sell it lol. I am selling my V though


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## JEngelking (Jun 14, 2013)

Thanks for the info! I look forward to more progress shots.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 14, 2013)

JEngelking said:


> Thanks for the info! I look forward to more progress shots.



Well it just so happens that I have some more!


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 14, 2013)

Oh hell yea...


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## thebunfather (Jun 14, 2013)

Greeeeeeeen! I just refinished my Warmoth V in transparent green and my incoming DC800 is radiation green. Looks sick, man! Keep it beardly!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 14, 2013)

Haha thanks guys! I love green. It's such a great color. I can't believe I have to leave it for a week now though lol 

Before I painted it I test fitted the outer strings and they lined up fine, so when it's do e I can just out it together and go to town. All I'll have to do is slot the nut and set the intonation.


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## JEngelking (Jun 15, 2013)

That there's an awesome green!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 16, 2013)

Here's a fun fact: waiting for laquer to cure is probably the least enjoyable part about building a guitar. It's just a tease!! Everything I go downstairs to get something I admire it and wish I could put it all together already!!!!!!

Friday is a long ways away...


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## Carver (Jun 17, 2013)

this build is looking like it was a blast.. good job man. 


you are so close to seeing how it all turned out,. it looks like it will be a beast.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 17, 2013)

Here's a pre completion family portrait.


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## MontaraMike (Jun 17, 2013)

AWESOME! What a beauty! You picked one of my Favorite guitar colors... then why are all mine black?


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## crazygtr (Jun 17, 2013)

Nice job, I would advice against hanging a guitar with an uncured finish like that though.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 18, 2013)

It's cured more than enough to hang. I just don't want to wet sand it yet. I did the "nail" test by pressing my fingernail into a spot that isn't seen and it didn't make a mark. This was how we tested things at the cabinet shop I worked at and it was quite accurate.

Realistically, I could probably wet sand already as its just your every day spray bomb laquer from Canadian tire, but I feel the need to wait a bit longer.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 18, 2013)

.... yes dude. Going to look titties when its done 
all my guitars are black too................


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## RickyCigs (Jun 18, 2013)

crazygtr said:


> Nice job, I would advice against hanging a guitar with an uncured finish like that though.



You have now effectively made me paranoid, so I put it back downstairs lol


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## RickyCigs (Jun 18, 2013)

There's nothing wrong with black guitars. Black looks good on every guitar. However, that's part of the problem. Companies sit around the board room table eating Chinese food and talking about bands they like and then at the end of the meeting they realize they haven't discussed any finish options. "I know! Lets just make them all black! Everyone loves black!"


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## Pezshreds (Jun 18, 2013)

haha I just seem to be a sucker for black guitars. I've had a few different colours, blood red stain, blue, ferrari red, grey, but I've always ended up with black guitars haha.


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## crazygtr (Jun 18, 2013)

RickyCigs said:


> You have now effectively made me paranoid, so I put it back downstairs lol



You made the right move, you're right about the fingernail test, the thing is that the rubber on some hangers can react with some finishes and the weight of the gtr doesn't help either.


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## RickyCigs (Jun 18, 2013)

crazygtr said:


> You made the right move, you're right about the fingernail test, the thing is that the rubber on some hangers can react with some finishes and the weight of the gtr doesn't help either.



These ones are foam Hercules hangers, but still decided it was best to hang it back how it was. I'm trying to forget that it exists until Friday. It's harder than I thought though.....


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## Pikka Bird (Jun 19, 2013)

^Even so, prolonged pressure on the same spot _might_ make some sort of indentation over time, just like you can't shove a decent sized rock into week-old asphalt, but if you leave the rock on it you can make a rock-shaped hole in an afternoon (unless it's winter).


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## RickyCigs (Jun 20, 2013)

Surprise!!!


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## MontaraMike (Jun 20, 2013)

SWEEEET! Must have been torture waiting for the finish to cure.


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## Pezshreds (Jun 20, 2013)

.... yeah. Simple and elegant. I would've driven myself nuts waiting for it to cure haha


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## RickyCigs (Jun 20, 2013)

Oh it was torture all right. I tried to not go Dow stairs for anything so that I didn't have to look at it lol 

I haven't set the into action yet and it already played pretty nicely. Over the next few days ill work on perfecting the nut slots and setting the intonation. Then I'll do a demo vid.


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## crazygtr (Jun 23, 2013)

That's a beautiful guitar, congrats!!!


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## RickyCigs (Jun 23, 2013)

crazygtr said:


> That's a beautiful guitar, congrats!!!



Thanks!


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## CD1221 (Jun 24, 2013)

Great work, simple but nicely done. It is great to see a painted finish occasionally


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## RickyCigs (Jun 30, 2013)

Airis Custom 7 (NGD) - YouTube

i finally did a quick video to show the guitar a little better. i planned on using my wifes camera for better quality, but she took it with her, so no such luck....


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