# 7 FF Single Cut Neck Through Build



## TylerRay (Dec 12, 2013)

Very excited about this build. 
Specs (some are subject to change):
-5 Piece Neck Through:
-Bubinga/Maple/Palisander Rosewood/Maple/Bubinga
-Mahogany Body Wings(Purple Heart veneer between wings and neck)
-5A Maple Top
-Macassar Ebony Board
-MOP Inlays
-3 Ply neck/Headstock binding:
-Maple Veneer/1/64 Black ABS/Ivoroid
-2 Ply Body Binding
-1/64 Black ABS/Ivoroid
-EVO Gold Fretwire
-EMG 57-66 7H Brushed Black Chrome or Brushed Gold
-Novax Individual String Bridges
-Graphtec Hexaphonic/Ghost Piezo System
-Black Hardware (aside from pups-depending- and fretwire)
-Scale length: 25.5-26.25

Pictures:


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## TylerRay (Dec 13, 2013)

Some other parts:

Graphtech Piezo Saddles




Acousti-Phonic/Hexpander MIDI Kit




Gold




Or Chrome?






Gonna be epic.


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## celticelk (Dec 13, 2013)

I vote chrome, but then I wouldn't have gone with gold fretwire either. In any event, really excited to see how this progresses!


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## TylerRay (Dec 13, 2013)

celticelk said:


> I vote chrome, but then I wouldn't have gone with gold fretwire either. In any event, really excited to see how this progresses!



I've done gold fretwire on a few refrets and I really like the look of it, it's a little less hard compared to stainless but still harder than nickle. I've only worked with stainless once, and it pretty much destroyed my tools haha. Things may change, but we'll see.


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## ihunda (Dec 13, 2013)

Amazing, subbed!


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## Cloudy (Dec 13, 2013)

Id grab the gold covered EMGs, it'd match well.

Sick build dood! you've got some skills.


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## Blood Tempest (Dec 13, 2013)

I vote gold! Looking great so far!


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## TylerRay (Dec 16, 2013)

Progress continues. Found some time to trim the headstock to size as well as carve out the rough neck profile.


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## schwiz (Dec 17, 2013)

Another awesome build thread. Subb'd fo sho.


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## ADevilsDaydream817 (Dec 17, 2013)

looks so tasty....this makes me want to build my 1st guitar.


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## TylerRay (Dec 20, 2013)

Ivoroid binding came in. I really like the look of this stuff.


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## callankirk (Dec 20, 2013)

Great build so far! That bubinga is awesome, and great looking flamed maple, too. What's your headstock angle? Doesn't look to be more than about 10 degrees.


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## TylerRay (Dec 20, 2013)

callankirk said:


> Great build so far! That bubinga is awesome, and great looking flamed maple, too. What's your headstock angle? Doesn't look to be more than about 10 degrees.



Yeah I think I had to make it about 10 degress, I was gonna go a little more, but I didn't have enough material without doing a scarf joint.


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## TylerRay (Dec 27, 2013)

My lovely girlfriend scored me some parts for Christmas! Graphtec acoust-iphonic+hexpander kit!


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## TylerRay (Dec 31, 2013)

I'm making progress! I picked up a new oscillating spindle/belt sander with a leftover Christmas gift card! Love this thing, it made shaping the body pieces way easy haha. Anyways, Things are coming along, the body is shaped and I started binding around the fret board starting with a strip of maple veneer.


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## Konfyouzd (Dec 31, 2013)

Lookin' good, mang


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## TylerRay (Jan 3, 2014)

Update! Alright, so I've cut the top to a rough fit around the end of the fret board and I've cut most of the slots into my fret board.


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## TylerRay (Jan 3, 2014)

Payday! Just ordered a truss rod and a couple of carbon fiber rods and their corresponding router bits from stewmac.


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## TylerRay (Jan 5, 2014)

I've made a lot of progress today. I've finished slotting the fret board, bound that bitch in some ivoroid. Trimmed the excess off the sides of the neck, and fitted the maple cap around the neck joint. F***! I can't wait to play this thing!


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## MikeyLawless (Jan 5, 2014)

Dude thats looking sick! 

What model is that sander. Me wants.


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## TylerRay (Jan 5, 2014)

MikeyLawless said:


> Dude thats looking sick!
> 
> What model is that sander. Me wants.



Thank you! It's a Rigid oscillating spindle/belt sander. I'm pretty sure it's a Home Depot exclusive or something. Super handy though.


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## TylerRay (Jan 6, 2014)

Inlay Time! This part is tedious, but I like it. I feel this inlay is a pretty original use of shark fin inlays. It's very sleek and fits the guitar well.


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## DistinguishedPapyrus (Jan 6, 2014)

Not bad man, I've always been a fan of subtly fanned frets, like 1 inch and under, it just seems kinda classy. I'm currently building an 8 string that's 27"-26" from the bass to treble side. I couldn't help but notice your location being in Alaska, tell me, is there any particular build challenges unique to the climate there?


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## TylerRay (Jan 6, 2014)

DistinguishedPapyrus said:


> Not bad man, I've always been a fan of subtly fanned frets, like 1 inch and under, it just seems kinda classy. I'm currently building an 8 string that's 27"-26" from the bass to treble side. I couldn't help but notice your location being in Alaska, tell me, is there any particular build challenges unique to the climate there?



Thanks! I agree with short fans. Ive never played one, but I like the look. As far as climate, I've gotten pretty lucky to have a good location. I work in my ladies old mans shop, which stays really stable. It does get very dry here in the winter. My only gripe is that there isn't really anywhere to buy hard woods locally, but ordering online isn't bad. Shipping is pretty competitive with the lower 48.


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## shikamaru (Jan 7, 2014)

I agree too, short fans like this are pretty neat, great job so far !


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## TylerRay (Jan 7, 2014)

Inlays have been shaped and routed into place! I managed to get everything really precise. Perfect fit around all the pieces. It will really come together when the fret wire is added. I'm very happy with the way this looks.


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## TylerRay (Jan 8, 2014)

Inlay epoxied into place.


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## TylerRay (Jan 9, 2014)

After letting the epoxy cure for 24 hours, I took a very sharp wood chisel and removed most of the excess that squeezed out around the edges. Only one of the pieces ended up a little crooked, and its not noticeable unless you know which one it is (I'm not telling) I'll radius the board after I glue it onto the neck. In other news, my truss rod, carbon fiber rods and router bits are waiting for me at the post office. Things are moving along nicley. This sure has been a rewarding process so far! 

Pics:




There's a few stray bits of epoxy left, but it cleaned up surprisingly well, which will make radius sanding much easier.


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## jahosy (Jan 9, 2014)

Looking good


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## TylerRay (Jan 9, 2014)

jahosy said:


> Looking good



Thanks, Bro! I think we are among the few to build single cuts (as far as I've seen) on this forum.


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## TylerRay (Jan 10, 2014)

Truss rod, carbon fiber, and router bits have arrived! I also just put in an order for a 15" radius block and a binding router attachment for my dremel router base. I've always played Les Pauls so I've gotten used to a 12" radius, but after evaluating a few things about this build, I decided to go 15". Given that this build is a longer scale length, I feel like it would be beneficial to have a flatter fretboard so I can get the action as low as possible, but I didn't wanna go to flat, so we'll see. I think it'll work out. More updates soon!


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## TylerRay (Jan 12, 2014)

Installed the truss rod and carbon fiber rods, glued on the fret board and headstock overlay. Really coming together!


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## TylerRay (Jan 13, 2014)

Routed the binding channel around the headstock. Same as the neck: maple, black ABS, then ivoroid.


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## TylerRay (Jan 14, 2014)

Alright, got down to some radiusing last night. went with a 15" radius. Everything is looking even. Also installed some Luminlay side markers for good measure.


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## TylerRay (Jan 14, 2014)

Here's a little teaser for the 6 stringer version coming next. I seen this top on ebay and decided I'd better grab it before someone else does


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## TylerRay (Jan 15, 2014)

Slight hang up.... Accidentally sanded through the last five inlays on the right side of the fret board I was just going to leave because it wasn't too bad, just the edges were knocked off, but my OCD couldn't take it, so I masked the are off, routed out the inlays, made new ones and epoxied them into place. I made them sit a little higher than the fret board so that I can knock the back down level later on.


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## TylerRay (Jan 17, 2014)

I managed to get a lot done over the past few days. I've roughly shaped the neck and the volute. I did a tidy repair job on the inlays I sanded through. Lastly I've glued on the mahogany body wings! Its starting to really look like a guitar.


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## TylerRay (Jan 21, 2014)

Things are moving along. Finally looking like a guitar. I've prepped the surface for the top to be glued on, I just have to route some electronic compartments first. After a lot of deliberation, I've decided that all of the inlays need to be redone, they are all on the verge of being sanded through (aside from 5 that I replaced) and are very dull. Not to big of a deal. Just holding the guitar, it feels incredibly comfortable and very balanced at this point. This thing is gonna scream


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## TylerRay (Jan 24, 2014)

The top is on!


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## DredFul (Jan 24, 2014)

Has anyone made a joke about metal paul yet?


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## TylerRay (Jan 24, 2014)

DredFul said:


> Has anyone made a joke about metal paul yet?



Haha, nope. I have been playing Les Pauls for the last 8 years, and I love them, but they aren't metal enough to cut it any longer. Let's hope Gibson doesn't catch wind of this, they'll sue the shit out of me lol. Oh and if you have a joke, I would love to hear it.


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## DredFul (Jan 24, 2014)

TylerRay said:


> Haha, nope. I have been playing Les Pauls for the last 8 years, and I love them, but they aren't metal enough to cut it any longer. Let's hope Gibson doesn't catch wind of this, they'll sue the shit out of me lol. Oh and if you have a joke, I would love to hear it.



I was going to tell one but it was quite pointy on the head.

Man I love this this build. Such clean working! Especially on the inlays and the binding  The headstock is very nice and unique too  Would you mind if I base my headstocks on it for my future LP builds?


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## TylerRay (Jan 24, 2014)

DredFul said:


> I was going to tell one but it was quite pointy on the head.
> 
> Man I love this this build. Such clean working! Especially on the inlays and the binding  The headstock is very nice and unique too  Would you mind if I base my headstocks on it for my future LP builds?



Thanks, Bro!! Go ahead and use it bro, but if I somehow make it big as a luthier, just don't sue me and say you came up with it first lol Not that its that unique of a headstock haha


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## DredFul (Jan 24, 2014)

TylerRay said:


> Thanks, Bro!! Go ahead and use it bro, but if I somehow make it big as a luthier, just don't sue me and say you came up with it first lol Not that its that unique of a headstock haha



Thanks broseph!  As a return gift I promise not to sue you!  But if you someday become a big luthier you better hire me!


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## TylerRay (Jan 24, 2014)

DredFul said:


> Thanks broseph!  As a return gift I promise not to sue you!  But if you someday become a big luthier you better hire me!



Aight, Maing We will conquer all!


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## TylerRay (Jan 24, 2014)

Just got some more parts in!! Graphtech Ghost saddles, and some more mother of pearl! Plus this funny pic in the saddle packaging.


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## CD1221 (Jan 25, 2014)

Mate, that is a great looking build. 

I wish I had spotted this thread earlier so I could have warned you about the inlay issue. I had exactly the same thing happen when radiusing to 16". The mop inlay wasn't thick enough and it sanded through on the edge, had to dremel a few pieces out and install new ones. That said, you have done a great repair job, well done sir.


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## TylerRay (Jan 25, 2014)

CD1221 said:


> Mate, that is a great looking build.
> 
> I wish I had spotted this thread earlier so I could have warned you about the inlay issue. I had exactly the same thing happen when radiusing to 16". The mop inlay wasn't thick enough and it sanded through on the edge, had to dremel a few pieces out and install new ones. That said, you have done a great repair job, well done sir.



Yeah... I should have known. But it's all good. I actually am in the process of found it all over again. All of the inlays ended up being super dull from so much sanding. Luckily it's a pretty basic inlay pattern, so it's not too hard to replace. Thanks for the kind words!


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## XxJoshxX (Jan 25, 2014)

I'm not a fan of the body shape, But everything else looks amazing.


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## TylerRay (Jan 25, 2014)

XxJoshxX said:


> I'm not a fan of the body shape, But everything else looks amazing.



What, not super strat enough?


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## XxJoshxX (Jan 26, 2014)

TylerRay said:


> What, not super strat enough?



Nah man. The more I look at it the more I like it, but at first I wasnt so into the lines not flowing into each other so fluently, I bet it's pretty ergonomic though.
btw, the headstock looks wicked


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## TylerRay (Jan 30, 2014)

This was definitely less enjoyable the second time, but I've made and installed a new set of inlays for this beast!


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## jahosy (Jan 30, 2014)

Kudos for re-doing the inlays again! I know i'd have struggled to make that decision...


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## TylerRay (Jan 31, 2014)

jahosy said:


> Kudos for re-doing the inlays again! I know i'd have struggled to make that decision...



Yeah man... I mulled it over for a few days before I committed. The first set was just so dull after radius-ing. This new set will only need minimal sanding as the board is already radiused Thanks!


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## TylerRay (Feb 3, 2014)

Sanded the fret board up to 2000 grit and then had a go with with some ultra fine polishing compound. The frets are in! And I gotta say its so nice when they all hammer in without any hang ups. So I got the board all leveled and crowned and polished the frets. This thing pops so much!


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## TylerRay (Feb 5, 2014)

Been working on shaping the neck profile and doing some body carves. I also seen this awesome PRS flametop on facebook which will be my primary inspiration for staining the top more updates to come!


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## TylerRay (Feb 7, 2014)

I got some more parts in, still waiting for the bridge mounts, but I did get some gold replacement screws for the ghost saddles. Beings the fret board has the gold fret wire, I want to subtly tie gold into other portions of the black hardware. I also got a Graphtech nut blank and some EMG 57/66-7H


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## TylerRay (Feb 11, 2014)

Things have been a little slow the past week or so, but I have managed to start the electronic routes and recess the wood around the knobs! Lots of controls on this bad boy haha.


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## TylerRay (Feb 18, 2014)

Stuff is happening.


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 18, 2014)

Oh hell yea! I had forgotten about this one until now. This is looking sick!


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## DredFul (Feb 18, 2014)

I like when stuff happens


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## TylerRay (Feb 18, 2014)

Thanks, guys! This one is getting really close.


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## TylerRay (Feb 19, 2014)

Had to plug a couple of holes and move the saddles back a few mm for proper intonation. Also recessed the bridge pieces to get the proper string height. Routed out a slot on the back for a solid brass string through anchor.


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## DredFul (Feb 19, 2014)

Is there any particular reason for the brass anchor? It's not like I'm going to steal that too..


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## TylerRay (Feb 19, 2014)

The only reason I'm doing a brass anchor is because the piezo system has have a ground, and beings the ghost saddles are non-conductive, I can't just run a wire underneath them. Plus I can make the anchor big enough to cover the small channel I have to route to run the piezo wires to the control cavity. Also the brass should mesh with my somewhat gold hardware theme. If I didn't have the piezo stuff, I would have just used string ferrules. It's more "metal" this way


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## jahosy (Feb 19, 2014)

Nice work mate! Very clean work rebating those bridge saddles!


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## TylerRay (Feb 25, 2014)

Incoming! Got The pickups routed in place, managed to get the strings to line up with the pole pieces really well. The routes are a perfect fit! Also drilled the tuner holes, I made them notched so that both the thick part of the tuner and the skinny part are being held by the wood. Also got my two layer body binding on! now I can carve the top a little bit to meet the edge of the binding! Satisfaction.


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## TylerRay (Feb 27, 2014)

Getting some body carves


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## TylerRay (Mar 12, 2014)

New update. In a perfect world, this guitar would be finished by now, but sometimes you have to move at the speed of life haha. I've got my logo installed, a lot of body sanding done, and I've been working with the Stewmac wood dyes on a spare piece of maple, starting to get my color figured out, though its not quite there yet.


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## BlackMastodon (Mar 12, 2014)

That's a pretty damn nice colour. Really want to see the finished product.


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## shikamaru (Mar 13, 2014)

lots of very neat ideas man, the result is going to be mindblowing !


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## TylerRay (Mar 13, 2014)

Thanks, Guys! I appreciate the kind words!


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## philentology (Mar 13, 2014)

This is a really awesome build. I love the Graphtech Piezo system. I put it in my telecaster's hipshot bridge.. and will probably put it in whatever hard tail 7 string I get.

The individual bridge pieces is a really neat idea. When I was trying to pick a bridge, I never thought of doing this.


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## TylerRay (Mar 13, 2014)

philentology said:


> This is a really awesome build. I love the Graphtech Piezo system. I put it in my telecaster's hipshot bridge.. and will probably put it in whatever hard tail 7 string I get.
> 
> The individual bridge pieces is a really neat idea. When I was trying to pick a bridge, I never thought of doing this.



Thanks! Yeah I'm pretty excited to give the Graphtech system a go. I've seen a lot of cool videos on it. The bridge pieces are actually made to retro fit Graphtech Ghost saddles. There is a hole under the saddle to feed the piezo wires through which is pretty dope.


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## Purelojik (Mar 13, 2014)

.... me, you are a badass. At first i wasnt diggin the lines of the body but now i totally see it working amazingly. i love this


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## jahosy (Mar 14, 2014)

Nice work mate! Very steady hands you've got there with the bridge / inlay routings! 

And love that stain finish! Might get some tips from you in the future, if you don't mind


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## Konfyouzd (Mar 14, 2014)

Purelojik said:


> .... me, you are a badass. At first i wasnt diggin the lines of the body but now i totally see it working amazingly. i love this



I wasn't fully diggin' it either until I saw everything smoothed out and put together. This is looking sweet. That's a really nice color too.


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## TylerRay (Mar 14, 2014)

jahosy said:


> Nice work mate! Very steady hands you've got there with the bridge / inlay routings!
> 
> And love that stain finish! Might get some tips from you in the future, if you don't mind



Thanks! I'd be happy to help were I can! Just PM me


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## TylerRay (Mar 14, 2014)

Purelojik said:


> .... me, you are a badass. At first i wasnt diggin the lines of the body but now i totally see it working amazingly. i love this



Thanks, Man! I really appreciate the feedback. Glad to hear people are digging my design! I'm really excited to finish this


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## TylerRay (Mar 18, 2014)

String through anchor has been made. Looking back, I could've done this a lot cleaner, but it will function just fine. The only thing I'm not very happy about is the fit around the anchor. Got a little carried away with the router and dremel. I could easily make another, but Ill probably just leave it. Also been doing more experimenting with colors. I've done 4 different variations on the same idea. Basically each test is a different dark base color sanded back and then hit with some vintage amber. Getting close.


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## Konfyouzd (Mar 18, 2014)




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## DredFul (Mar 18, 2014)

That string anchor is so metal!

Sorry.. I had to...


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## Coreysaur (Mar 18, 2014)

Damn, dat stain!


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## RND (Mar 23, 2014)

I'm really digging this build so far, all the colors and materials you're using are beastly, and everything is coming together beautifully! The only real gripe I have is with the bottom of the body; it seems like a bit much just there. After the bridge, there's lots of wood left. Maybe it's just the picture angles, or maybe it's just me. Other than that, I'm loving your non-superstrat FF build.


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## TylerRay (Mar 24, 2014)

RND said:


> I'm really digging this build so far, all the colors and materials you're using are beastly, and everything is coming together beautifully! The only real gripe I have is with the bottom of the body; it seems like a bit much just there. After the bridge, there's lots of wood left. Maybe it's just the picture angles, or maybe it's just me. Other than that, I'm loving your non-superstrat FF build.



Thanks a lot for the feedback! I can dig what your saying about the body, the pickups and bridge ended up being rather close together. I had thought about going with 22 frets to be able to spread it all out a little more, but I really wanted the extra note access. It might have a bit to do with the angle of the pics too, cause it doesn't seem very bothersome in person.


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## AnavarOfficial (Mar 26, 2014)

watching this process from start to finish has been really ....ing interesting

keen as to stick around and and see it finished!


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## MrHelloGuitar (Mar 28, 2014)

This thing looks awessssssssssssome. Good work, man


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## Neilzord (Mar 28, 2014)

Holy Sh1t. 

This thing is looking awesome, Really wasn't sure on the body earlier in the build but now its all coming together its really growing on me! 

Great work with all the inlays & attention to detail throughout. 

Can't wait to see this finished!!


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## TylerRay (Mar 28, 2014)

Neilzord said:


> Holy Sh1t.
> 
> This thing is looking awesome, Really wasn't sure on the body earlier in the build but now its all coming together its really growing on me!
> 
> ...



Thank you!! I am quite proud of how its turning out Hopefully Ill have a bunch more pics up later this weekend.


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## DredFul (Mar 28, 2014)

TylerRay said:


> Hopefully Ill have a bunch more pics up later this weekend.



Here we go again..


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## Brun8 (Apr 1, 2014)

Will be following this more closely in the future!! Really nice work!


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## TylerRay (Apr 2, 2014)

Here's a couple shots to hold you guys over. The angle of the light makes the beveling looks slightly more dramatic than it really is. More coming on this one tomorrow!


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## Primitive Guitarist (Apr 2, 2014)

That is looking damn sweet man, Head stock and knob placements are chur bro as


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## RND (Apr 3, 2014)

Whether it's the lighting or not, that beveling is friggin' sexy


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## TylerRay (Apr 8, 2014)

Finally! Cavity covers!


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## DrJazz (Apr 9, 2014)

Late to the party, but oh man, that inlay design.


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## TylerRay (Apr 9, 2014)

DrJazz said:


> Late to the party, but oh man, that inlay design.



Thanks! It was my first time designing an inlay for a multi scale. Most typical designs create an optical illusion on the fanned frets that make the neck look as if it is bowed to the right. This one had a good feelin thought. Thanks for the comment!


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## TylerRay (Apr 15, 2014)

Had a bit of a hangup with the headstock. When I glued on the "ears" I stuck a pinstripe purple heart veneer behind the mahogany which became exposed on the sides when I was sanding. I could have left it, but I just didn't like the look of it. Beings I had some extra flame maple veneer and some leftover from my cover plates, I decided to veneer the sides of the headstock and do a bookmatched cap on the back. There are a few small gaps near the binding, but nothing a little filler won't fix. I'll be staining these portions later on anyway! Got some of those dome knobs with the pearloid caps and replaced them with some gold mother of pearl to match everything. I also for got to route my wire channels before I glued the top on (noob mistake...Haste makes waste they say) but luckily I had one of these 90 degree drill attachments and just enough room to make it happen. 














































I know this building is taking forever.... Thanks to everyone for checking it out and commenting through the process!


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## TylerRay (Apr 22, 2014)

Made a stealth battery compartment.


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## DredFul (Apr 22, 2014)

This thread is full of awesome


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## TylerRay (Apr 22, 2014)

DredFul said:


> This thread is full of awesome



 Glad your liking it still!

Whats the word on the Vampire V? Haven't seen any updates in a while..


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## DredFul (Apr 22, 2014)

TylerRay said:


> Glad your liking it still!
> 
> Whats the word on the Vampire V? Haven't seen any updates in a while..



Damn mate, I'm blushing  I've been focusing more on the tele, ran into some issues and been feeling a bit uninspired lately so I had a break. But I guess I'll have to continue the V this weekend


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## TylerRay (Apr 22, 2014)

DredFul said:


> Damn mate, I'm blushing  I've been focusing more on the tele, ran into some issues and been feeling a bit uninspired lately so I had a break. But I guess I'll have to continue the V this weekend



Word. That happens sometimes.. Looking forward to seeing that evil creation in action!


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## Alikingravi (Apr 23, 2014)

Tyler man you are a monster! That guitar is awesome!


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## TylerRay (May 2, 2014)

Made some more progress. Input jacks for the mag and midi outs are in! Also did a rounded bevel around the back of the body.


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## TylerRay (May 2, 2014)




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## TylerRay (May 6, 2014)

Threw in some neodymium magnets to hole the covers on.


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## swollenpickle (May 10, 2014)

Holy crap I love where this is going lol all the bells and whistles man keep it up! Can't wait to see the final product!


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## Hene (May 10, 2014)

Might be the coolest build I´ve ever seen!


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## Bmblair (May 10, 2014)

Gonna have to explain how you did the midi stuff. I'm dying to know how that witchcraft works.


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## Slunk Dragon (May 11, 2014)

I don't know if I've run across this thread before, but holy hell your craftsmanship is top notch!

Not super crazy about the body shape myself, but every update you post is near euphoric. That and deciding to completely redo the inlays is pretty brave of you to do, I would've given up on that. xD


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## bythepainiseetheothers (May 11, 2014)

This is so cool.

And you've used magnets instead of bolts. That's great, first time I saw that was in The Dillinger Escape Plan's sig guitar made by ESP. 

Sub'ed broh!


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## TylerRay (May 13, 2014)

Thanks for all the comments everyone! Definitely keeps me motivated 





Bmblair said:


> Gonna have to explain how you did the midi stuff. I'm dying to know how that witchcraft works.



The Graphtech system is pretty insane. This video is probably the best demo of it I've seen of what it can do:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChaktkjVHio

In other news, the grain filling has begun!


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## DredFul (May 13, 2014)

Looks like chocolate


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## UltraParanoia (May 14, 2014)

Man, I love this body shape more & more.
Cant wait to see the bad boy completed


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## Les (May 14, 2014)

Wow i had no idea about that Ghost system. Thats pretty insane. I'd have no practical use for it but man would it be fun to play with! The guitar is coming along so great, i was iffy on the shape before you carved the top, but now...


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## SeventhSlinger (May 15, 2014)

Seeing as you're doing gold fretwire and black hardware I wouldn't mix it up even more with chrome pups, stick with gold.


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## Neilzord (May 15, 2014)

MOAR!!!!!!! 

Love how this builds coming along. Look forward to some more updates! 

Awesome work!


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## TylerRay (May 15, 2014)

SeventhSlinger said:


> Seeing as you're doing gold fretwire and black hardware I wouldn't mix it up even more with chrome pups, stick with gold.



Yeah, I would have gotten gold, but I had the black chrome emgs left from another project. And the hardware has gold accents here and there. The pups match the black hardware pretty well. The sixer version of this is gonna have gold pups.


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## TylerRay (May 15, 2014)

Les said:


> Wow i had no idea about that Ghost system. Thats pretty insane. I'd have no practical use for it but man would it be fun to play with! The guitar is coming along so great, i was iffy on the shape before you carved the top, but now...



Yeah, It is some crazy stuff haha. I'm really interested in being able to mess around with virtual instruments and samples on my guitar. The piezo is going to be really nice to have too.


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## Blue1970Cutlass (May 15, 2014)

Damn, I've been following your Red Dragon build but somehow missed this one!

Color me impressed - this thing is bangin' 

Clue me in on the magnets that hold on the back plates? That is a new trick (to me at least) They must be super strong - I'd be constantly worried that my cavity covers were going to fall off in the middle of a gig! lol


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## TylerRay (May 15, 2014)

Blue1970Cutlass said:


> Damn, I've been following your Red Dragon build but somehow missed this one!
> 
> Color me impressed - this thing is bangin'
> 
> Clue me in on the magnets that hold on the back plates? That is a new trick (to me at least) They must be super strong - I'd be constantly worried that my cavity covers were going to fall off in the middle of a gig! lol



Thanks, Bro! Yeah, the magnets are wicked strong. They are made of neodymium. I was messing around with a few of them and they attract one another so fast I accidentally shattered a couple.


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## Brun8 (May 20, 2014)

Hey man this build is just amazing!! Are there any books you could throw out there that helped you and that were really helpful for your first builds? Thanks in advance!


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## TylerRay (May 21, 2014)

Brun8 said:


> Hey man this build is just amazing!! Are there any books you could throw out there that helped you and that were really helpful for your first builds? Thanks in advance!



Thanks, Brun8! Well to be honest, I don't know if there are any specific books I could offer, as I haven't read any. This is actually my 2nd build. One thing I can say for sure is that you are going to make mistakes and any that don't compromise your build entirely will serve as awesome learning/repair experiences. Outside of building I have done a lot of refrets, inlay, and electronic swaps. It really just takes a bit of patience. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me and I'll help you out


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## TylerRay (Jun 3, 2014)

Damn! It's been a while since I've posted any progress. Well here's the update: staining and finishing has begun! This color is a combo of four colors: tobacco brown, medium brown, red mahogany, and vintage amber.


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## FIXXXER (Jun 3, 2014)

dat dye, WOW!


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## TylerRay (Jun 3, 2014)

FIXXXER said:


> dat dye, WOW!


Thanks!


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## tmo (Jun 3, 2014)

Looking Good!

what are all those control holes for?


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## TylerRay (Jun 3, 2014)

tmo said:


> Looking Good!
> 
> what are all those control holes for?



Thanks!
The controls are for the pickups and midi/piezo system that's going in it


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## BlackMastodon (Jun 3, 2014)

That is a f**king nice colour, man! I'm not usually big on vintage dyes but damned if that doesn't look awesome.


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## tmo (Jun 4, 2014)

TylerRay said:


> Thanks!
> The controls are for the pickups and midi/piezo system that's going in it



MIDI on the top 6 strings, right?


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## TylerRay (Jun 4, 2014)

tmo said:


> MIDI on the top 6 strings, right?



Yup. Kind of a bummer that you can run all 7. I'm not worried about it though.


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## Blue1970Cutlass (Jun 4, 2014)

Gotta say, although I appreciate the intricacy of the dragon on your other build, aesthetically speaking I dig the inlays on this guitar way more


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## tmo (Jun 4, 2014)

Yeah, MIDI guitar stuff is yet to learn it's steps into ERGs... what a pity...


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## TylerRay (Jun 17, 2014)

It's been too long!! This axe is done!!! Sealed it in Tru Oil to really bring out the grain, then I covered this beauty in nitro lacquer! Got the elaborate wiring taken care of. boy that was a lot to fit in one cavity. Everything seems to work great so far! It really is crazy to finally play this thing. Here's the last batch of photos before the soon to be NGD thread! Enjoy.


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## BlackMastodon (Jun 17, 2014)

The finish turned out great!


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## Konfyouzd (Jun 17, 2014)

Very cool. The multiscaling is screwing with my eyes.


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