# Project 7_B



## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

First post on this forum... I followed one of my buddies over. 

I looked through some of the other build threads and really liked what I saw. I think I will hang around and check out all the really cool stuff.

This build is posted over at Project Guitar as well. It is close to finished but I thought I would share the process.


B 7 String

Project 7_b - Project Guitar Forum

Zebra and wenge neck attached to a super thin Sapele/Zebra topped body with hipshot parts and custom pickups. 
Aiming for a dark sounding 7 string light enough to enjoy.

Neck : Zebra/Wenge
Fretboard : Wenge
Scale : 25.5
Frets : 24
Trussrod : ALLPARTS

Body : Sapele/Zebra (33mm)
Tuners : Hipshot
Pickups : Diablo 7 Strings
Bridge : Hipshot
Electronics : 1 Vol/Push-Pull

Neck Blank finished up. The experiment here is to not waste any wood. I am trying a super thin 1" neck blank for construction. Normally I use 1.5 in and cut the headstock scarf from the scrap on the back leaving almost no waste. This time I made the blank 3' long and planned to get the scarf from the same piece. However since this is a seven string I changed my mind of the headstock design and used a solid piece of zebra for the headstock.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Scarfing the headstock was different on this one as I only used one accent line and the headstock is a solid piece. It tried to move on my several times but I was able to get it to tak up and then clamped.


 



Out of the clamps, through the bandsaw, and onto the planar. I really dislike neck scarfs because I don't have a large belt sander it always takes more work to clean them up. 


 



Trussrod route needed a spacer on the edge so I could use the router table. Since the headstock is one piece...


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

On to the bandsaw for a rough profile. I will start using the rigid spindle sander soon to clean this up.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Sapele body blank glued up. Since this is an experiment I was not wasting my limba or african mahogany on it. I am trying to get a certain sound and hope to reproduce my personal zebra/mahogany strat that I built 20 years ago. Since the SG came out very close in sound and it was Sapele I think that this is a decent substitute for african mahogany. Also this body is going to be rail thin... 33mm at best. I am trying to keep the weight low without chambering it.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Working on the back of the guitar since the top hasn't arrived yet. To start I knocked off the high glue line and drew the outline of the template on the blank. Next up bandsaw the body really close to the template with a 1/4" blade. Attach the template with tape and move to the new router table. Hopefully the new spiral template bit will help with any tear out.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

After a pass with the spiral template bit the edge is so smooth that it doesn't need to be sanded. I think it might have been worth the $72.50. The few marks in the template are from were the bandsaw blade was a little too close to the template.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Got my Zebra top in the mail. It looked better in the pictures. The lines are not as dark as I would like guess I will fix it up later. First up flatten, then join, then lay it face down and trace out the shape. After a trip to the bandsaw we are ready for glue. This is a Drak like adventure... I got tired of joining the tops, sanding, then trying to orient them on the blank. So now I glue one side and clamp it on center. Then I glue the other side. First clamps that go on are the ones that pull the top together to make hte seem tight. Then I throw my curved brace across the top and clamp each end to pull the middle in. Lastly I run around the edges clamping down and cleaning excess glue. It is a pain but it is quicker than the old 2 step process.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Did the rough profile on the neck as well... if you are out in the shop at 11:00PM then you might as well make the most of it.


 




 



Attached the template to profile the neck sides. I have glued 2 templates together to get a smooth surface on both sides and get a little thicker so I have a better surface for the bearing to run on.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Fret board radiused, sloted, profiled.


 



Headstock rough shaped and volute roughed in. After covering the threads with wax I glue the trussrod in with a little bit of silicon. One thing I learned from a piece of firewood was that I need to let the silicon dry before gluing the fretboard on. Not long ago I was very surprised when I ripped the fretboard off a 3 month old neck and the silicon was not dry yet.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Here is where we are now. I am going to try a new method of shaping the neck. I am looking for a little more consistency so I am going to use my old radius sled jig to cut the back of the neck down before gluing the fret board on. This way I will have a consistent thickness across the back of the neck.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

I built this rig to radius fretboards. Well I really didn't like the way it worked so it has been on the shelf. Lately I have not been happy with the consistency of my necks. I decided to mechanize the process a bit. I still like to carve them by hand but this will help make them uniform from headstock to tenon. 






And after a few passes we have the proper thickness for a neck...I left it a little proud so that I can sand and shape without taking to much off.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Time to glue the fretboard on. I use some tape to keep excess glue out of the channel. I remove it right before assembly. The other trick is a piece of scotch tape over the allen head end of the trussrod. I trim it up after the glue has dried.










And half the clamps in the shop.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Fixed and ready for shaping...


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

I finally got the neck pocket routed out and set the depth. I had an idea and didn't try it cause I hate the evil router. I thought about using a cove bit with a bearing arounf the heal to create the perfect radius on the heal of the neck. I chickened out and drew a pencil line around it and hand rasped it close.









Placing the bridge after setting the neck.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Electronics cavity roughed in. I still have not decided if the cover is surface mount or recessed. I am pretty sure this decision depends on what push/pull knob fits in the control cavity.






Shaping out the neck. Haven't used the rigid oscilator yet for a neck shaping... it lasted 2 minutes. I did the arc at the nut and the heal and went to the spoike shave. So much for revolutionary tools. 









Done enough for now on the neck. It needs to be finished sanded and polished up. The safety glasses keep falling of my nose and the dust mask is killing me. I drank too much and ate too much hot salsa last night. God thing I am in the shop.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

I put a 3/8" radius on the back of the body and cut the belly. I used my cheap old crafstman plastic router with a radius bit to get it done. The belly cut was done with the angle grinder. I really like to put serious relieve in the back. At some point I might need to consider the amount of weight I am removing as the neck is still heavy even with the Fly style headstock.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Alright while this is not a how to on carve tops this is basically how it goes. The problem with doing a step by step is that while I am doing it there is so muck dust that I hate opening the optic on the camera to take pictures. Basically this is how it goes. I take a step bit you would use for binding and go around the body. Next I take a 4" 60 grit sanding disk mounted in a hand drill and turn it on edge. The idea is to use the curve of the sanding disk to produce the proper arc on the carve. Stay off the edge... If you don't do anything else never ever cut into the area you routed. Make sure you sneak up on that by hand with the scraper then hand sanding. Next step is to take the goose neck scraper and fix anything you hosed with the sanding disk.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

This is where I am now. Neck shaped. Body shaped. Bridge set. Pickups routed. Electronics set. This thing is thin. Really thin. While I like blackmachines there guitars are simple. Exotic woods...check...but I would say that they are template driven. The carves are all router bits... No one sat with there palms burning from the heat of the drill exhaust ports with salty sweat dripping in there eyes carving the tops of those things. I am not in any way belittleing the guitars they build I love them for the modern Model-T they are. Instead I am pointing out that it is easy to see the difference between hand carved and tool carved.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

The carve and the thin. This is a scary experiment in thin. Seriously I put a carve on a 33mm guitar. I look at it and think... It will be fine. Lets hope.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Use a 5/16" bit to drill the tuner holes then use my Stew Mac Rear Peghole Reamer to finish up. 
You can see the shelf it puts in. The tuners fit so much better this way. 








Getting ready to fret. It took just a few minutes to finish the radius on the board. Pre radiusing with the router bit saved me at least an hour. 









Frets pressed in. I use a small bead of thick CA on the tang to help keep them in. Wenge makes an awesome fretboard. I didn't have a single fret pull up or not seat tight.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Fret ends cleaned up. Time to glue it in. Wait almost forgot to knotch for the neck humbucker... that would have made a mess.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

That is better. 








A little tape to keep the glue off the zebrawood.





Couple of clamps and wait.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Out of the clamps. I am going to do the test assembly and dress the frets this week.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Rough assembly. Still needs a fret dress and I need to recess the bridge a 1/16" as the action is perfect but the bridge is bottomed out.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Control cavity has enough extra room for one switch... maybe. I am still on the fence about the plates. I think I am just going to do surface mounted black plastic but I still have time to figure out something.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

More


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## SD83 (Jul 1, 2010)

Impressive. I'm not necessarily a fan of zebrawood, but top & neck look great!


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Thanks. 


I think you will like it more when I put the finish on it... it needs a little something to pop the Zebra. 

The top is not a grade AAAA zebra top. This is only a prototype...


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## RestorationAD (Jul 1, 2010)

Not sure I mentioned I built the pickups as well.


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## Customisbetter (Jul 1, 2010)

Pretty awesome build!

Thanks for the carving tips.


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## D0mn8r (Jul 1, 2010)

Nice!


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## AeonSolus (Jul 2, 2010)

Holy raptor jesus!! Man that's stunning! from all woods i never thought zebrawood would hold for a neck! incredible!


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## Rorschach (Jul 2, 2010)

Epic build thread, fantastic!
Reminds me of Bowes´s builds.
Black hardware would´ve been perfect, imo.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 2, 2010)

AeonSolus said:


> Holy raptor jesus!! Man that's stunning! from all woods i never thought zebrawood would hold for a neck! incredible!



You have to be careful with Zebrawood as it can be very unstable... but it is also very rigid (thus prone to splintering).

I use a multi-laminate techniques and mix in very stable wood like Wenge to improve the overall stability. 

It was my first full Zebra neck and so far it turned out good. It holds dead straight tuned to B - E (A440). I would only do it by request for the most part and will probably stick with Maple and Wenge but it was a cool experiment.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 2, 2010)

Rorschach said:


> Epic build thread, fantastic!
> Reminds me of Bowes´s builds.
> Black hardware would´ve been perfect, imo.



Thanks... 

I think black hardware would be great... but I had the chrome and it is a prototype. I might still replace it all with black. 

It goes to finishing this week. We will see after it gets a few coats of oil...


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## yacker (Jul 2, 2010)

WOW! This whole thread is great. Such an awesome way to spend my morning. You're in NC? Forgive my ignorance but is RTP near Raleigh? I'm really loving the build and have learned quite a bit just reading about it. Thanks!


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## RestorationAD (Jul 2, 2010)

yacker said:


> WOW! This whole thread is great. Such an awesome way to spend my morning. You're in NC? Forgive my ignorance but is RTP near Raleigh? I'm really loving the build and have learned quite a bit just reading about it. Thanks!



Your welcome. 

I like reading other peoples build threads as well. So I try to detail things out for my own records... plus when a person buys a guitar they like to see what transpired to get it to finished.
(Not trying to pimp my stuff but if you like reading through progress stuff check out my blog...)

RTP is near Raleigh.


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## MetalBuddah (Jul 2, 2010)

Very very nice! The wood grain is crazy. Although....it would look a bit better with a stain that is a bit darker


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## RestorationAD (Jul 2, 2010)

MetalBuddah said:


> Very very nice! The wood grain is crazy. Although....it would look a bit better with a stain that is a bit darker



I think I am going to do a dark grain fill then hit it with the oil. 

I am contemplating an orange burst on the top but need to test the idea on some scraps.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 5, 2010)

Color tests. Basically Yellow, Amber, Orange work ok on Zebra wood. Everything else looks bad.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 5, 2010)

Target Coatings grain filler with a good bit of Transtint Black. This did not go as planned on the first go. I got distracted by domestic chores and it dried on before I could squeegee it off. Bad things. It took the better part of a day to sand it off AND it removed a lot of the filler in the process.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 5, 2010)

On the second go I got smart. This time I brushed it on and wiped it off cross grain a few minutes later. This left a nasty black film but at least it wasn't a coating like the last time. As I was sanding it out with 320 the paper was loading really bad. So I remember reading somewhere that you could sand 400 grit with mineral spirits as a lubricant. So into the mineral spirits I went and behold the perfect results. I was so overjoyed at what I got out of it I went ahead and hit it with 600 grit. After all this is cleaned and dried it will be time for Danish Oil.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 5, 2010)

Still undecided about color... but maybe yellow/orange burst... or maybe plain.


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## Jeroenofzo (Jul 5, 2010)

Leave it like that, maybe a small orange burst, but it's looking awesome anyway!

Keep it up


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## ncbrock (Jul 5, 2010)

love it the way it is


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## RestorationAD (Jul 5, 2010)

Thanks guys! In the picture it is wet so that is what it will look like if I leave it. 

The orange burst would be minimal... I am hesitant to try it because there is no easy return path.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 6, 2010)

A little color top make the top more interesting. Started with lemon yellow in the middle and moved to orange on the edges. Normally I wouldn't put any color at all on zebra but this top was weak in the figure department. I really don't think you can use any colors other than yellow and orange on zebra. If I was going to seriously try another color I would do it in a clear coat.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 6, 2010)

Soaked in Danish oil.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 6, 2010)

More watching oil dry... I whiped all the excess of shortly after these pictures.


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## Awfulwaffle (Jul 6, 2010)

That's absolutely stunning, you do amazing work. Really makes me appreciate what goes into making a guitar. Almost makes me want to sell my mech tools for some woodworking gear and give it a whack. Ah, if only it wasn't so terrifyingly difficult-looking.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 6, 2010)

Awfulwaffle said:


> That's absolutely stunning, you do amazing work. Really makes me appreciate what goes into making a guitar. Almost makes me want to sell my mech tools for some woodworking gear and give it a whack. Ah, if only it wasn't so terrifyingly difficult-looking.



Thanks!
Don't sell the mech tools. You have to have a real job to be able to afford to build guitars...


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## Deadnightshade (Jul 6, 2010)

Looks killer!nice choice of woods...


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## avenger (Jul 7, 2010)

That is one great looking guitar. I can't beleive this is a "prototype". I call dibs if you sell the "prototype".


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## RestorationAD (Jul 7, 2010)

avenger said:


> That is one great looking guitar. I can't beleive this is a "prototype". I call dibs if you sell the "prototype".



--Everything is for sale. I plan to evaluate this one, get some photos, make some notes, get a couple of local working guys out check it out. Then it will probably be available.

For the 7 string prototypes...
Pickup parts supplier will not have the 7 string pickup parts until August... so this was the last set of humbuckers I can build for a few weeks. But I should have pickup parts about the same time I finish up the next one.


Next up:

I plan to start the next 7 string S9 prototype as soon as this is done in conjunction with a six string S9 prototype and possibly a D5 7 string similar to this but with exotic woods not painted. 

D5 Prototype #1:



 



.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 7, 2010)

Still some work to do on the finish. This is after 2 coats of Danish oil applied by the directions. I like the feel so far but after talking to a few friends I have some ideas on improving the oil finish.








You can see the sheen on the neck but it still feels like wood.


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## Wi77iam (Jul 7, 2010)

I love the smooth satin finish the Danish Oil gives.

So you say you'll be selling your guitars? Roughly how much $$$ are we talking?


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## RestorationAD (Jul 7, 2010)

Wi77iam said:


> I love the smooth satin finish the Danish Oil gives.
> 
> So you say you'll be selling your guitars? Roughly how much $$$ are we talking?



General Pricing is on my website...but it is really general and every custom guitar will need a custom quote. 

In the near future I want to have a few finished guitars available for purchase. 

If you stick with an S9 base model 7 string you should expect between $1700 - $2700 unless you ask for something crazy.


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## Spondus (Jul 7, 2010)

That looks great. Not sure that I like the scarf joint on the neck but looks killer otherwise


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## Dentom79 (Jul 7, 2010)

omg, I just ordered Danish Oil for my RG548, your finish looks intense, could you tell me how many layers you are planning to do, and are you gonna clear coat it?


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## RestorationAD (Jul 7, 2010)

On this one I can. There are many ways to do this and everyone uses a different method. 

I covered grain fill and sanding earlier in the thread. It you still need to grain fill the process is different. It involves sanding and steel wool. This guitar was grain filled and sanded to 8000 micro mesh before I started.

Right now it is 3 coats and Briwax (beeswax mixture).

The first coat is saturation. With the guitar flat on the bench I used a sponge brush and coated the guitar top. I kept putting Oil on until it stopped bubbling. Then flipped the guitar over and did the same on the back. 

Make sure the oil is even. 

I then hung the guitar up and brushed a really light coat on to make sure it was even. 

Wait 30 minutes (depends on the directions) and wiped it clean.

Let dry for 24 hours.

Next day 

Rub the guitar down with a clean rag to remove any excess.

With the guitar on the bench flat lightly coated the top and wait for the bubbles to stop. 

Flipped the guitar and repeat.

Hang the guitar and wait 15 minutes. 

Wipe the excess off.

Let dry 24 hours.

Repeat again. 

Then I will buff the guitar with Briwax until it feels right.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 9, 2010)

Spondus said:


> That looks great. Not sure that I like the scarf joint on the neck but looks killer otherwise



Anything particular you are not fond of in the scarf?

Basically I used a solid piece for the headstock to keep the workload down. No gluing ears, headplate, backstrap. The thin line is a very thin piece of wenge... it kind of gives a stopping point for the laminates. 

This is a more complicated example






I only use neck scarfs some of the time...


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## Sebastian (Jul 14, 2010)

Wow.. just today I have discovered this thread

Great work


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## ElRay (Jul 14, 2010)

RestorationAD said:


> Not sure I mentioned I built the pickups as well.


Anybody who recognizes you from ProjectGuitar would expect nothing less.

Welcome!

Ray


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## RestorationAD (Jul 15, 2010)

Finished enough... After finishing one I like to give them a week to loosen up. I still need a setup and possibly a fret dress. There are no dead spots at all but I feel like I am cheating by not dressing the frets. During the setup I set the action as low as it will go without buzz this gives me a good idea of what hte neck will do while it is settling. If I don't have to adjust the action after a few weeks then I feel better about the stability of the neck. With most of my guitars (after a fret dress) guys tell me to raise the action because it is too low. This one feels right... but it won't go any lower. 
The zebrawood and wenge make a very very stiff neck. The trussrod is basically loose. I stopped turning the second I felt the pressure change. Maybe a 1/16th of an inch turn. The guitar is tuned to A440 so we will see how it does... it remained in tune over night and did not move at all.
Enough chatter... here it is.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 15, 2010)




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## RestorationAD (Jul 15, 2010)




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## RestorationAD (Jul 15, 2010)

The back.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 15, 2010)

Headstock still needs a little refinement. The next one will be 4+3 but the follow up will formalize the 7 inline design.


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## RestorationAD (Jul 15, 2010)

Gratuitous ...


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## Empryrean (Jul 15, 2010)

Beautifully done sir 
I especially like the touch of wenge in the scarf joint


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## RestorationAD (Jul 15, 2010)

Empryrean said:


> Beautifully done sir
> I especially like the touch of wenge in the scarf joint



Thank you for noticing... 

I seem to have polarized people with the headstock and the scarf... glad someone likes it. 

I need to get sound clips. This is a beast.


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## Empryrean (Jul 15, 2010)

Yes indeed! I'd love a sound clip of your pickups!


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## RestorationAD (Jul 18, 2010)

Rear plate recessed.


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## anthonyferguson (Jan 15, 2012)

Beautiful. Danish oil is my absolute favourite when it comes to finishes.


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## Spaceman_Spiff (Jan 15, 2012)

EDIT: this is the first video on youtube when you type in bump...

on topic...this guitar is damn sexy, and the neck is probably the best looking one I have ever seen.


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