# 7321 frame up modd ( 56K Get a cup of coffee)



## sparky51077 (Dec 27, 2006)

Well, I finally got the time to work on my 7321 project guitar the other day. I glued up some flame maple and some Honduran rosewood with a thin layer of walnut in the middle to get it up to thickness for the new body. I cut the shape yesterday and routed and drilled the neck pocket today. I'm going to carve the top like an RGA ,and stain the top blue( or blue gray) and tungoil the back. should be sweet. I'll post more picks as it progresses.


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## angusyoungwanabe (Dec 27, 2006)

are you gunna have the body bounded (binded?)? cuz that'd be pretty cool.


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## sparky51077 (Dec 27, 2006)

/\ that's the plan


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## that guy (Dec 27, 2006)

angusyoungwanabe said:


> are you gunna have the body bounded (binded?)? cuz that'd be pretty cool.



bound ^_^ unless im wrong too 


DREW!!!!


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## EdgeCrusher (Dec 27, 2006)

That looks great man, I can't wait to see it finished! 
Trans Blue + Flame Maple = the secks

That wood combination should sound pretty unique too, you gotta post clips and lots of pics when your done!


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## Mr. S (Dec 27, 2006)

did you use the 'ol automotive tape trick for the headstock binding there then? i keep on meaning to do that to my 7321, always annoyed me that it had neck but no headstock binding 

its looking good there man, keep us updated


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## sparky51077 (Dec 27, 2006)

Its not automotive tape, I actually routed the perimeter of the headstock and glued in real plastic binding.


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## technomancer (Dec 27, 2006)

Wow, nice work


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## Leon (Dec 27, 2006)

not bad. so, you're only using the neck from the RG7321 in the final product?

are you selling the original body? (not that i'm thinking of buying, just curious  ).


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## Shawn (Dec 27, 2006)

Nice job, that looks awesome so far.


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## sparky51077 (Dec 27, 2006)

Leon said:


> not bad. so, you're only using the neck from the RG7321 in the final product?
> 
> are you selling the original body? (not that i'm thinking of buying, just curious  ).



Yes, only the neck. The original body looks like it was used as a hammer to drive some nails( big chunks of finish and wood missing ) but the neck is in perfect shape( got the guitar at guitar center for $130).


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## Jason (Dec 27, 2006)

this is too funny..I wanted to do something very similar..Take a 7321 and slap the neck on a new body..this is a bit more intensive..


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## Mr. S (Dec 27, 2006)

sparky51077 said:


> Its not automotive tape, I actually routed the perimeter of the headstock and glued in real plastic binding.



ah, i thought you might have, it looks really good man, i always wanted to do it properly like that but it seemed risky so i may endup just doing the automotive tape unless i can get the right tools or find someone willing to do it for me


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## sparky51077 (Dec 27, 2006)

Thanks for all the complements, I'll be working on it some more this weekend.


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## sparky51077 (Jan 1, 2007)

just thought I'd post some pics of my progress.










next up is the electronics cavities. Then It's time to carve the top.


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## Nik (Jan 1, 2007)

That's seriously hot  

And I could've sworn you said carved top... ?


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## sparky51077 (Jan 1, 2007)

yes a carved top like an RGA.


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## Jason (Jan 1, 2007)

What kinda bridge? TOM or ibby rg7321 style?


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## sparky51077 (Jan 1, 2007)

.jason. said:


> What kinda bridge? TOM or ibby rg7321 style?



It's a TOM , I dislike strat style saddles.


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## Jason (Jan 1, 2007)

sparky51077 said:


> It's a TOM , I dislike strat style saddles.



 that is freaking awesome..


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## metalfiend666 (Jan 2, 2007)

Wow


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## Blexican (Jan 2, 2007)

As Borat would say, "Very niiice!"  

Can't wait to see the finished product!


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## THE VILE (Jan 2, 2007)

That is some nice looking work you've done there, very clean.


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## skinhead (Jan 2, 2007)

Nice work man!

I like the option of woods, flamed and obsuce one.

Pups? Binding?


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## Shawn (Jan 2, 2007)

sparky51077 said:


> just thought I'd post some pics of my progress.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 Wow! That is awesome, nice job. I like the looks of that, very nice.


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## Korbain (Jan 2, 2007)

nice work dude. Looks very professional so far. keep us all updated. Can't wait too see it finished


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## ibzrg1570 (Jan 2, 2007)

sparky51077 said:


>



that's a nice top, looks good thick, although i can't imagine how it would feel playing something like that without the carved top. good job so far!


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## sparky51077 (Jan 3, 2007)

skinhead said:


> Nice work man!
> 
> I like the option of woods, flamed and obsuce one.
> 
> Pups? Binding?



It is going to have white binding around the body. I'm going to put a duncan JB-7 in the bridge and a 59-7 neck, because I have those sitting around. With this combo of wood i'm not shure how its going to sound. If I need to change pickups I can.


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## Drew (Jan 3, 2007)

that guy said:


> bound ^_^ unless im wrong too
> 
> 
> DREW!!!!



 Bound it is, sir. 


And dude, that looks seriously hot.


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## jtm45 (Jan 3, 2007)

That looks really nicely done man! Congrats!!!

What tools did you use and did you use templates attached with double-sided tape for the pickup routes etc.?
What did you make the templates from and what type of router bit/cutter did you use?

I'm about to do some modification work on a body and i want as much hands-on advice before i take the 'plunge' (so to speak!).


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## sparky51077 (Jan 4, 2007)

jtm45 said:


> That looks really nicely done man! Congrats!!!
> 
> What tools did you use and did you use templates attached with double-sided tape for the pickup routes etc.?
> What did you make the templates from and what type of router bit/cutter did you use?
> ...



Well, I have a complete wood shop with the standard tools. The router I used is a 2 1/4 HP RIDGED,set up with a collar guide with an 1/8" offset( the template has to an 1/8" larger than the hole that you want to route). I used a 1/2 strait cut bit for the neck pocket and a 3/4" strait cut bit for pickup cavities and bridge recess.Probably the most important thing I did was make a CAD drawing of the guitar and the templates and printed them at full scale.Then I used a band-saw to cut the basic shape of the guitar and then a drum sander to clean it up. Then I made a template for the neck pocket out of 1/2" plywood. I attached the template to the body with screws where the pickups would be later. One of the most important things to do is mark accurate center lines on your templates so you can make sure it will line up with the center line of the body. For the pickup template I made a block that would fill the neck pocket and be flush with the body. I then anchored it with screws through the holes that anchor the neck to the body. Then screwed the template to that block. My best bit of advice is measure three times, cut once.


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## sparky51077 (Jan 14, 2007)

I just got done routing the electronics cavitys and carving the top. Hope you guys like


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## THE VILE (Jan 14, 2007)

That looks...KICK ASS


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## Korbain (Jan 14, 2007)

fuck yeh looks great man. Its getting their now


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## Mr. S (Jan 14, 2007)

woah... that thing looks awesome man, cant wait to see it finished


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## Ryan (Jan 14, 2007)

Pretty damned sexy! What are the finish ideas?


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## god_puppet (Jan 14, 2007)

Awesome work dude, can't wait to see what it'll look like when its done.


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## Hexer (Jan 14, 2007)

very(!) very(!!) nice!!!!!


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## Pablo (Jan 14, 2007)

That is downright amazing work man - you have to dye that baby emerald green. I am looking very much forward to seing your work completed - ought to turn a few Hoshinio heads!

Cheers

Eske


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## Pauly (Jan 14, 2007)

Hawt!!!


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## SnowfaLL (Jan 14, 2007)

Awesome work.. +100 on the trans blue ^^

Anyone care to explain to me the automotive binding trick? I am very interested in adding to one of my guitars but I dont wanna mess up lol


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## Desecrated (Jan 14, 2007)

sweeet


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## sparky51077 (Jan 14, 2007)

Thanks for all the complements. Its starting to come together now. I'm going to test some different finishes on some scraps I have from the top. The hardware is going to satin nickel ( Have to get the bridge and knobs plated). I'm looking forward to playing this thing I want to see how the rosewood in the body affects the tone. I'll post some clips when its done.


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## Jason (Jan 14, 2007)

Ya know what would look nice? Wood covers for the control cavities


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## sparky51077 (Jan 14, 2007)

.jason. said:


> Ya know what would look nice? Wood covers for the control cavities



 Thats exactly what I plan on doing. I have some rosewood left over.


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## Jason (Jan 14, 2007)

sparky51077 said:


> Thats exactly what I plan on doing. I have some rosewood left over.



Thank God


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## skinhead (Jan 14, 2007)

sparky51077 said:


> Thats exactly what I plan on doing. I have some rosewood left over.



 That will look exellent man!


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## TripleFan (Jan 15, 2007)

sparky51077 said:


>



Excellent work so far!

Can you tell me how far you have angled back the bass side of the TOM? You normally say 3mm further back than the treble side on a six stringer. How much have you done on this baby?

Is the string spacing on your TOM the same as on the Ibby Fender-style bridge? Hope so, otherwise you could get trouble with the strings aligning over the neck...

Keep up the good work!
I´m looking forward to see this bad boy finished!


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## Blexican (Jan 15, 2007)

That's coming together rather nicely.


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## Ror3h (Jan 15, 2007)

Damn now I want an RGA 7 even more!


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## metalfiend666 (Jan 15, 2007)

Looking very good dude, nice work.  That's going to look killer when it's finished, especially with wood covers.


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## sparky51077 (Jan 15, 2007)

TripleFan said:


> Excellent work so far!
> 
> Can you tell me how far you have angled back the bass side of the TOM? You normally say 3mm further back than the treble side on a six stringer. How much have you done on this baby?
> 
> ...



Thanks for the complements. The bass side is a little further back than normal (6.35mm). Before I took a part the 7321 I intonated the guitar in several tunings and took precise measurements of the sting saddles in relation to the neck. I then made a CAD drawing with all these measurements and came up with this angle. My goal was to keep the string saddles as close to the center of the bridge as possible in the tuning I use the most ( drop A )

As far as string spacing the TOM is almost identical to the Ibby.


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## jtm45 (Jan 15, 2007)

Any more progress pics yet?

I can't wait to see that body when it's been painted/stained.


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## sparky51077 (Jan 16, 2007)

I sculpted the AANJ and the upper contour. Just thought I'd give a progress report.


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## TripleFan (Jan 16, 2007)

sparky51077 said:


> The bass side is a little further back than normal (6.35mm). Before I took a part the 7321 I intonated the guitar in several tunings and took precise measurements of the sting saddles in relation to the neck. I then made a CAD drawing with all these measurements and came up with this angle. My goal was to keep the string saddles as close to the center of the bridge as possible in the tuning I use the most ( drop A )
> 
> As far as string spacing the TOM is almost identical to the Ibby.



Clever idea!
Seems you know what your doing. 

The AANJ is looking good also.

I keep watching this thread as I really like what I see so far!


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## Naren (Jan 16, 2007)

Wow. That's lookin' good. Very well done. You gotta do a natural stain on the front!


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## Desecrated (Jan 16, 2007)

I think you should do some sculpting on the horns, maybe something like on the hellraiser model:


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## sparky51077 (Jan 16, 2007)

Desecrated said:


> I think you should do some sculpting on the horns, maybe something like on the hellraiser model:



I had thought about doing that, but I decided to keep it as close to an RGA as possible.


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## sparky51077 (Jan 31, 2007)

Just thought I would post some pics of my progress. I bound the body and drilled the volume, tone knob holes and cut the switch slot. 

I'm doing some finishing tests next (this is the part I have the least experience with) still lots of finish sanding to go. 

I'm going to make the the electronics covers out of wood. should I make them out of Rosewood like the body, or should I make them out of some Macassar Ebony I have lying around?





/\Macassar Ebony

















/\ UV style input jack


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## DangerousTacos (Jan 31, 2007)

Beautiful! How much is all of this costing you?

Go for some contrast with the ebony covers!


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## sparky51077 (Feb 1, 2007)

DangerousTacos said:


> Beautiful! How much is all of this costing you?
> 
> Go for some contrast with the ebony covers!


 
About $ 75 for all the wood and hardware for the body. I bought the neck for $ 130 , I already have the pickups laying around. Oh,and new locking tuners cost me $80. so in all,about $285 and the sweat equity of building the thing.


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## Jason (Feb 1, 2007)

Nice so still less than a brand new rg7321


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## TripleFan (Feb 1, 2007)

Still very nice and clean job! Really like it 

What did you use for carving the top? Some kind of planes, surform, rasps? Or did you go the power tools route, using a router with the stairstep method or some electric palm sanders or something like that?

For the covers it depends what you are aiming for. With ebony you can create a nice contrast. Rosewood will keep the color/wood theme more consistent. It also depends how the chosen wood will blend in with your finish.
I think I would chose a piece of ebony as dark as possible.


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## Korbain (Feb 1, 2007)

jeebus! that looks incredible! definaly keep us up to date! its gonna look awsome when its all done  i wanna build a guitar now lol


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## metalfiend666 (Feb 1, 2007)

That's really looking good dude! I think the ebony would look good for the covers.


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## crayzee (Feb 1, 2007)

This looks awesome, craftsmanship a-gogo. I'd go with rosewood for the covers, just to keep it consistent. Great work.


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## Shawn (Feb 1, 2007)

Nicely done on the UV style input jack.


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## Pauly (Feb 1, 2007)

This is looking teh sex.


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## sparky51077 (Feb 1, 2007)

TripleFan said:


> Still very nice and clean job! Really like it
> 
> What did you use for carving the top? Some kind of planes, surform, rasps? Or did you go the power tools route, using a router with the stairstep method or some electric palm sanders or something like that?



well, at first I was going to use my teeth, but then I found out that maple doesn't taste like maple syrup  . So I went with the router stair step method to remove most of the material. Then came the sanding block and a bunch of sand paper. It took about 8 hours total to get it as smooth as I liked it.

The hardest part of this whole project so far has been chiseling out the binding channel around the inside of the horns. That was a pain in the butt.


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## ibzrg1570 (Feb 1, 2007)

very nice work on the binding. are you thinking about taking custom orders anytime soon?


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## Vegetta (Feb 1, 2007)

ibzrg1570 said:


> very nice work on the binding. are you thinking about taking custom orders anytime soon?



Id be interested - you do good work


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## sparky51077 (Feb 2, 2007)

ibzrg1570 said:


> very nice work on the binding. are you thinking about taking custom orders anytime soon?



The thought has crossed my mind. We will see ones this project is complete


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## petrucci_dude (Feb 6, 2007)

Hurry up and finish it so I can finish.


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## Ruan7321 (Mar 13, 2007)

I read this whole thread, and now theres no ending.....

Looks sick man. Keep up the good work.


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## djpharoah (Mar 13, 2007)

OMG - UV style jack FTW


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## sparky51077 (Jul 31, 2007)

Well, its been 5 months sense I posted on the progress of this guitar. I've been too busy with other things. Life just seems to get in the way.

Anyway, I got the top stained and sprayed 12 coats of clear on her. she'll be ready to wet sand and buff in a month or so. I hate waiting.  












Remember that there has not been any wet sanding in these photos.

Hope you guy enjoy. 

Sparky


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## DangerousTacos (Jul 31, 2007)

Sex.


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## djpharoah (Jul 31, 2007)

Very Nice - no wait..

Fucking amazing!


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## SHREDTOKILL (Jul 31, 2007)

dude, i want that guitar so fuckin bad.
awsome fuckin job on that finish


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## Adamh1331 (Jul 31, 2007)

Holy shit that thing is sweet


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## TomAwesome (Jul 31, 2007)

Looks really great so far!


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## Mastodon (Jul 31, 2007)

God-damn man. It just keeps getting more and more gorgeous.


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## D-EJ915 (Jul 31, 2007)

blue = awesome


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## sparky51077 (Jul 31, 2007)

Heres some more pic's with the tape off the back and with the neck. Notice the rosewood control cavity covers.


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## dtrax (Aug 1, 2007)

^ Holy fuckin' shit... that is badass, man. Awesome work!


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## djpharoah (Aug 1, 2007)

OMG - i want to have that guitars kids.


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## FortePenance (Aug 1, 2007)

!!!_!!!

That's really nice man! I dig the UV jack mod you did too and rosewood bodies for the fuckin win.


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## Shawn (Aug 1, 2007)

sparky51077 said:


>



 Very nice! Nice work, that looks beautiful, I love the color too.


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## B Lopez (Aug 1, 2007)

Gorgeous


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## TripleFan (Aug 1, 2007)

Dude you left me speechless...


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## darren (Aug 1, 2007)

Wow.


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## the.godfather (Aug 1, 2007)

Wowzers, very impressive work dude!  

Looks sweet!


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## LEWY7777777 (Aug 1, 2007)

BEAUTIFUL


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## Michael (Aug 1, 2007)

Whoa.  I love it!


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## metalfiend666 (Aug 1, 2007)

Stunning work!


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## Summers45 (Aug 1, 2007)

Holy crap.... Thats incredible. Now if only Ibanez made their RG7321s in that colour.


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## ultimeus (Aug 1, 2007)

that's gorgeous keep it man.


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## Mattayus (Aug 1, 2007)

Just out of interest; how much has this all cost so far?


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## RXTN (Aug 1, 2007)

Can you make me one of those too?


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## Pablo (Aug 1, 2007)

Wow!!! That's really impressive...

Might I suggest zebra PUs - they'd look killer in there. I can't help but wonder how cool that thing would be with a birdseye maple board... or just a matching headstock - seriously, I think those two things would make me go blind from looking at it!

Great work - I'm really looking forward to seeing the end result.

Cheers

Eske


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## kmanick (Aug 1, 2007)

that looks great
can't wait to see the finished product.


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## skinhead (Aug 1, 2007)

Fucking amazing!!!

What did you do with the original body?


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## ShawnFjellstad (Aug 1, 2007)

i've decided that you need to build me a guitar!

amazing work!


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## sparky51077 (Aug 3, 2007)

Thanks for all the complements guy's. I hate waiting for the paint to dry.


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## yevetz (Aug 3, 2007)

very very nice work


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## ledzep4eva (Aug 3, 2007)

I'd buy one of those bodies!


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## SHREDTOKILL (Aug 3, 2007)

can i pleeeeease have that?


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## jibster (Aug 3, 2007)

Very nice. If only there was a production rga7 exactly like that...

*1st post after vast amounts of time spent lurking*


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## Rick (Aug 3, 2007)

djpharoah said:


> OMG - i want to have that guitars kids.



I want that guitar to have my kids.


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## simsklok (Aug 3, 2007)

looks awsome.. really liking the woodwork


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## playstopause (Aug 3, 2007)

Just seen this.


Wow.


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## EdgeCrusher (Aug 4, 2007)

Amazing work dude!   

I also just saw your new pics and was like holy crap, thats exactly what I'm trying to build  

I've also been working on staining and clear coating my Chris Woods RGA7 body I've had for a few months now, in wouldnt you know it, transparent blue on flamed maple! 

I must say you did a much better job staining than I did, I kinda put the stain on a bit too thick and covered up the flamed maple just a bit too much, but I wanted it dark and Its also all clearcoated waiting to be buffed now as well. Mine wont have any fancy binding like yours (looks great btw), but should look pretty similar  

Any tips for how to properly buff the finish? So far I've sprayed 3 cans of clear, let it dry, then wet sanded with 800, 1500, and 2000 grit sandpaper. Im ready to buff it to a glass finish, but am not really sure how to go about it. Will it work to do it by hand, or do I need a powered buffer? What kind of compounds should I use? I'll get some pics of my RGA7 body up soon!


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## sparky51077 (Sep 13, 2007)

Sorry for the crappy pics, but here it is in all it's glory



















The JB sounds great in the maple/walnut/rosewood body. It is very balanced sounding with just the right amount of mids. This thing destroys my Black jack C-7 tone wise. I will post some sound clips tomorrow after I get back from the studio.


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## Metal Ken (Sep 14, 2007)

Jesus christ, dude, that looks INSANE.


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## Alex-D33 (Sep 14, 2007)

WOW.....Have you the time to make one for me ...lets talk a price .


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## OzzyC (Sep 14, 2007)




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## djpharoah (Sep 14, 2007)

You got PM.


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## technomancer (Sep 14, 2007)

Damn, that is freaking gorgeous


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## Jason (Sep 14, 2007)

Nice.. One thing I would have liked to see is recessed knobs.. BUT that looks


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## darren (Sep 14, 2007)

Impressive!


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## Shawn (Sep 14, 2007)

sparky51077 said:


> Sorry for the crappy pics, but here it is in all it's glory


That is absolutely beautiful. I love that color too. Great pics!


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## El Caco (Sep 14, 2007)

Nice work, that looks incredible.


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## crayzee (Sep 14, 2007)

That's the shit. Amazing work, what a piece of art. *bows down*


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## skinhead (Sep 14, 2007)

It looks stuning!


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## Mastodon (Sep 14, 2007)

Gorgeous.


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## sparky51077 (Sep 15, 2007)

I just put up thread in the recording section with a sort little clip I did with this guitar. http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/36925-rga-7-test.html

thanks for all the complements


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## b3n (Sep 21, 2007)

That's awesome. Congrats again.


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## Xtremevillan (Sep 21, 2007)

Holy SHIT that looks amazing.


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## playstopause (Sep 21, 2007)

Wow @ the new pics.

Again, terrific upgrade!!!


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## cyril v (Sep 21, 2007)

That thing looks spank worthy.. exactly set-up how i would get a guitar if i could pick everything.


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## supertruper1988 (Sep 21, 2007)

That is a beauty, I want something similar but it would need a floyd 

I sent you a PM.


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## 8string (Sep 21, 2007)

I think I pee'd myself.... oh wait I just came


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## Groff (Sep 21, 2007)

Holy shit!

Blue ibanez + white binding = An Ibanez I would really want!!

...I think it would be fun for me if I bought a 7321 and put a top on it.

That looks amazing!


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