# My custom RGT build in progress (56k don't even try)



## adrock (Nov 8, 2010)

so I talked to my luthier last week, and he's almost done with his part. hopefully I'll get it back this week sometime. and with that, I figured it's time to share my baby with y'all.

I started this project about 4 years ago. I was working for phattie drums, and had access to some amazing machinery. so, I started on my dream guitar. unfortunately, I had to move back to Florida shortly after, and since then I haven't really done much to it. basically because of lack of proper tools. well years later, I'm now living in Texas, and I made a decision. it's time to finally finish her. probably would've done some things different now. longer scale length mainly. but it's cool, I still love it with all my heart 

I built this entirely myself up to the progress you see in these pics. I recruited a local luthier to glue the fretboard on, drill bridge studs, and route the control cavity. I did the pup and bridge cavities myself. the only thing I didn't do by hand was the fretboard. we had a five-axis cnc machine, so I obviously used that. anyways, enough babbling. onto the pictures and specs:

RGT style body and neck
PRS style headstock
white limba/cocobolo/wenge/cocobolo/white limba neck with volute
black limba wings
thin body (think blackmachine)
natural oil finish
maccasar ebony fretboard, side inlays only
ebony binding
25" scale length
tom style roller bridge with string through body
hipshot locking tuners
all black hardware
pups-suggestions?


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## anthonyferguson (Nov 8, 2010)

Damn that thing is beautiful. Black limba is where it's at! Congrats on getting it finished, and the determination to get it done. 4 years is a long time.


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## JaeSwift (Nov 8, 2010)

Amazing woods!


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## s_k_mullins (Nov 8, 2010)

Looks awesome dude!


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Nov 8, 2010)

looks awesome dude. its quite stunning. i love the binding. I have a project that i'm doing with flamed black limba.
in the process of finding the wood, i learned that apperently black limba and white limba come from the same tree. and that limba is the same thing as korina(black and white).


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 8, 2010)

holy balls, I think that's the best looking guitar Ive seen this year... and it's november already.
really great job!


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## adrock (Nov 8, 2010)

wow, thanks for all the kind words!! in posting this, I realized I had no pictures of the back at all, haha. when she come back from the luthier I'll make sure to get some back shots. 

7 strings of hate: yeah, it's pretty cool how the white/black limba works like that. and I had my lumber for a few months before I found out it was the same as korina. pretty awesome!

scherzo1928: haha, thank you so much! your post inspires me to maybe enter her in the guitar of the month when she's done.


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## possumkiller (Nov 8, 2010)

Love it man! I like how the upper horn is pointy like the lower one.


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 8, 2010)

adrock said:


> scherzo1928: haha, thank you so much! your post inspires me to maybe enter her in the guitar of the month when she's done.


while you cant nominate your own guitar, I'll do it myself even if my axe is done the same month 
I just really, really like the way it looks... should sounds enourmous too.


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## TheWreck (Nov 8, 2010)

This look awesome, with what other kind of wood, limba, could be compared sonority wise?


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 8, 2010)

TheWreck said:


> This look awesome, with what other kind of wood, limba, could be compared sonority wise?



It's a lightweight wood in the mahogany family. Think mahogany but a little less in the lower mids.


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## Alberto7 (Nov 9, 2010)

Wow, man. That wood looks gorgeous! Awesome grain you got there  and that looks like a seriously well-built instrument! Hope you get ti finish it soon  post more pics when you have them!


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## cerfew (Nov 9, 2010)

Oh my god this looks absolutely amazing. Say, how did you drill that hole connecting the two pickup cavities? Also, how deep did you route the pickup cavities and control cavity? Its almost time for those steps on my own build.


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## AK DRAGON (Nov 9, 2010)

Speaking of wood...
That's going to be sexsee when done


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## adrock (Nov 10, 2010)

Alberto7 said:


> Wow, man. That wood looks gorgeous! Awesome grain you got there  and that looks like a seriously well-built instrument! Hope you get ti finish it soon  post more pics when you have them!



haha, thanks!! i will definitely post more when i get it back from the luthier. hopefully soon!! i'm so anxious to finish it.



cerfew said:


> Oh my god this looks absolutely amazing. Say, how did you drill that hole connecting the two pickup cavities? Also, how deep did you route the pickup cavities and control cavity? Its almost time for those steps on my own build.



i really wish i could remember where i learned this trick so i could give credit. probably the project guitar forum. but you just route a small channel in the side of your neck-through before you glue the wings on 

and on the pickup and control cavities i'm not sure, as i don't have the guitar in front of me. i'll be glad to take measurements once i get it back though.


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## rectifryer (Nov 12, 2010)

Thats a beautiful guitar. I am pretty much going to borrow this idea for my own guitar if thats alright with you!


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## adrock (Nov 15, 2010)

rectifryer said:


> Thats a beautiful guitar. I am pretty much going to borrow this idea for my own guitar if thats alright with you!



haha, thank you very much. and do it!!


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## adrock (Nov 15, 2010)

so some bad news, sort of. my luthier hasn't had a chance to get to my guitar. he said he's backlogged a bit. and i leave for florida tomorrow for a little vacation. so this isn't gonna have any updates for two weeks. but, i'll get it back in two weeks and the work will resume!!!

until then, some shitty cellphone pics of the back and current condition to hold you over...


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 15, 2010)

might have just creamed myself.


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## gunshow86de (Nov 15, 2010)

Cool looking wood combination, but that neck profile doesn't look very comfortable.


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## adrock (Nov 17, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> might have just creamed myself.



well I definitely just got wet over that pic of your headstock you just posted 



gunshow86de said:


> Cool looking wood combination, but that neck profile doesn't look very comfortable.



hahahaha, definitely a lot of work to be done on that. I'm thinking a shape similar to the profile of the stephen carpenter sig.


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## PyramidSmasher (Nov 17, 2010)

Sick enough that if you were a luthier I'd buy one of your guitars right away. My reccomendation is SD Crunch Lab in the bridge, dunno about the neck.


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 17, 2010)

depending on the sound you are going for... but I think an air norton could sound great in the neck.


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## adrock (Nov 19, 2010)

PyramidSmasher said:


> Sick enough that if you were a luthier I'd buy one of your guitars right away. My reccomendation is SD Crunch Lab in the bridge, dunno about the neck.



thank you very much. i'm actually thinking about getting back into building, maybe sometime next year when i can get some space to do work. and i will check those pups out 



scherzo1928 said:


> depending on the sound you are going for... but I think an air norton could sound great in the neck.



i've looked into that one a lot for the neck, always good to hear it recommended.


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## Khaine88 (Nov 20, 2010)

Hmm Depending on what you want I think a BKP Rebel Yell Neck and a BKP Cold Sweat Bridge would be wicked , looks amazing though dude awesome wood choice :>


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 20, 2010)

adrock said:


> i've looked into that one a lot for the neck, always good to hear it recommended.


 
with your wood choices, you could get the thickest, creamiest, smoothest neck sound ever


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## adrock (Nov 29, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> with your wood choices, you could get the thickest, creamiest, smoothest neck sound ever



mmmmm, that sounds 


"I want my fooookin' guitar!!!!"
me, about ten minutes ago to my girlfriend... 


luthier is still not done with the route... getting a bit pissed now as it's been at least three months. but we're both such nice guys it's hard to get mad at him. and his work is super clean so, oh well. hopefully tomorrow i can pick her up... fingers crossed...


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## Senensis (Nov 30, 2010)

You somehow managed to build #almost my# custom (slight bridge disagreement but how well)  Eagerly waiting to see how it turns out !


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## joaocunha (Nov 30, 2010)

Great choice of woods! That black limba wood looks so much like spalted maple... didn't know that.

What are you expecting from pickups? As some sort of blind recommendation, I would tell you to get a Cold Sweat for neck position. That's pretty much my favorite one. It's balsy yet fluid, it really cuts through even without being harsh.

Good luck with the project!


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## adrock (Dec 3, 2010)

joaocunha said:


> What are you expecting from pickups? As some sort of blind recommendation, I would tell you to get a Cold Sweat for neck position. That's pretty much my favorite one. It's balsy yet fluid, it really cuts through even without being harsh.



i'd really love a bkp set. i know that's where i need to be. but my budget is not gonna allow it. i think the set of gfs veh's i have are going to go in it for now. they're not the greatest, but they'll do for the moment. 

any pickup suggestions should be something that i can buy used for no more than $50. i think the air norton might be where it's at, cause my gfs veh bridge isn't too bad, only the neck is lacking. who knows though, maybe it'll sound good once i get it into this beauty.


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## kmanick (Dec 3, 2010)

wow so far that thing looks amazing!


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## adrock (Dec 18, 2010)

a motherfuckin' update!!!! finally!!!! 

she's back in my hands, and it feels oh so good. I'd almost forgotten how much I love this thing. the luthier took WAAAAY too long, but my patience paid off, as he didn't charge me anything for the work. he wouldn't even let me tip him. such a good gesture. so now my work finally begins again. I'm shooting to have this done asap, end of the year at the latest.


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 18, 2010)

how are you finishing it? I'm having a really hard time finding the supplies I need to finish mah cocobolo. But that's really not a problem in the US.


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## adrock (Dec 18, 2010)

yeah, finding stuff here isn't a problem. it'll just be a few coats on some sort of oil finish. just enough to seal the wood. haven't found a recipe yet, haven't really looked either though.


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## rebell82 (Dec 18, 2010)

That thing is freaking beautiful!


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 18, 2010)

adrock said:


> yeah, finding stuff here isn't a problem. it'll just be a few coats on some sort of oil finish. just enough to seal the wood. haven't found a recipe yet, haven't really looked either though.


 
I think you will be fine with danish oil, but you will need to wipe the cocobolo down with acetone.

I was going to make my own oil, but I think it would be too much hassle to keep cooking some everytime I need to do "maintenance".


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## jeremyb (Dec 18, 2010)

Dude, that a work of art!!

As far as oil finishes, you can't go past tru-oil, its available from most gun shops, it wipes on with a piece of old t-shirt, real thin coats, then when dry (~2hrs) buff it with 0000 steel wool, I used it on my telecaster and its awesome stuff!

Do as few or as many coats as you want, its perfect for necks too, only need 3-4 on a neck, I did 14 on the body, some people do 30, depends on how pourous the wood is tho...


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## adrock (Dec 19, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> I think you will be fine with danish oil, but you will need to wipe the cocobolo down with acetone.
> 
> I was going to make my own oil, but I think it would be too much hassle to keep cooking some everytime I need to do "maintenance".



the maintenance part makes me want to just buy a premade version as well. just have to do some research, try some stuff out. and yes, the cocobolo is a VERY oily wood.



jeremyb said:


> Dude, that a work of art!!
> 
> As far as oil finishes, you can't go past tru-oil, its available from most gun shops, it wipes on with a piece of old t-shirt, real thin coats, then when dry (~2hrs) buff it with 0000 steel wool, I used it on my telecaster and its awesome stuff!
> 
> Do as few or as many coats as you want, its perfect for necks too, only need 3-4 on a neck, I did 14 on the body, some people do 30, depends on how pourous the wood is tho...



thanks! i've heard a lot about tru-oil, just need to go buy some and try it out. see how i like it.


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## adrock (Dec 20, 2010)

midnight update... it's time to get serious and finish this 

if i have only learned one thing from working with wood most of my life, it's that you HAVE to measure three to six times, and cut once. because you only get one chance to cut it. so, i spent the better part of the night ignoring my girlfriend (sucks, but she knew what she was getting into ) and drawing on this getting it ready for some shaping tomorrow. wizard II japanese specs


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## ralphy1976 (Dec 20, 2010)

looks really good. good luck with making sure that everything is as you want it...


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 20, 2010)

haha, for my axe I'm going with the baseball bat spec.

heel looks killer btw.


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## adrock (Dec 20, 2010)

hahaha, specs of a baseball bat!! it's the new trend in neck profiles!!


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 20, 2010)

Well, it's part of what made me want to build my own axe. As much as I love the neck on my Ibbys, I only really feel at home playing my classicals, which have HUGE necks. the c7 atx was nice for me too.

For playing leads I play barely touching the neck with my palm or thumb (kinda classical). but when I want to play rythm, the thumb on my left hand gets really stressed with thin necks.... so yeah, baseball bat spec!


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## adrock (Dec 21, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> Well, it's part of what made me want to build my own axe. As much as I love the neck on my Ibbys, I only really feel at home playing my classicals, which have HUGE necks. the c7 atx was nice for me too.
> 
> For playing leads I play barely touching the neck with my palm or thumb (kinda classical). but when I want to play rythm, the thumb on my left hand gets really stressed with thin necks.... so yeah, baseball bat spec!



you got me re thinking my neck with that mention of the rhythym playing... i think im gonna make mine a bit thicker... i mean, i can always take more wood off, can't put it back on!! haha

yesterday i had a bunch of shit to take care of, so i couldn't work on mah baby. but all that garbage will be done today, and i'll have a lot of time over the next week or so to work on this beauty


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 21, 2010)

btw, is that wire in the control cavity to ground the bridge?


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## adrock (Dec 21, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> btw, is that wire in the control cavity to ground the bridge?



yep


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## Ram150023 (Dec 21, 2010)

Dude, the build looks awesome!! Check my designs out on my thread... you have the pattern I want for the wood, but I'm gonna use a Maple and wenge combo... ebony fret board... keep it up! Want to see some vid on this baby when she's done!!


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## adrock (Dec 22, 2010)

thanks ram!!! i'll definitely check your thread out.

soooo i'm finally working on this today!! woooo!! feels really good. i'm taking a little break, figured i'd give you guys an update.

i want to get the neck shaped, that's first priority. so i taped up the headstock and horns so any stray moves won't mess things up. clamped it with my new clamps, with my favorite beer protecting things 











my tool of destruction






and away we go!! it's amazing what 4 years of UV rays and oil from my skin have done to the cocobolo. it looks completely different raw...


















and that's where it is now. i'm taking a little break, then back to work! i have work tonight, so i only have another hour or so, but it feels good to be getting shit done.


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## op1e (Dec 22, 2010)

Wow, man. You are very brave and skilled. With the perfection you are building upon, I would have been too scared and sent it out to be completely finished.


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 22, 2010)

It really only takes about 2-3 days for it to darken in my experience. And good call protecting everything. Volute is starting to look sweet.


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## adrock (Dec 22, 2010)

op1e said:


> Wow, man. You are very brave and skilled. With the perfection you are building upon, I would have been too scared and sent it out to be completely finished.



well, i've never actually built a guitar before. but i've been working with wood all my life, and built drums for quite a few years. i guess it's all the same after a while. and thank you for the kind words 

so about an hour of work later, and i have from the 1st to the 12th fret within .5mm of the final thickness. just need to work on the heel some more, and profile the whole thing. maybe another day and two and i'll be ready for some frets!! woot!!


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## adrock (Dec 23, 2010)

not much was gonna get done today, it's my girlfriends and mines day off together. but while she was getting ready and doing stuff around the house, i did get the side markers done 

so we start with this, empty side marker holes. really should have done this before i glued the fretboard on... oh well






i was gonna use some plastic rod for them, but i really felt cheap doing it. i wanted wood. while my girlfriend and i were at chipotle getting amazing burritos, i saw exactly what i needed:






and they're free too!! after a bit of sanding and shaping, we get this:






after about 45 minutes and some wood glue, they're all done. gonna let them dry today, and flush them up tomorrow.


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## JamesM (Dec 23, 2010)

Good idea. Very good idea.


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## BlackMastodon (Dec 23, 2010)

Were those chopsticks? We don't have Chipotle in Canada, all we have is Taco Hell


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## adrock (Dec 23, 2010)

BlackMastodon said:


> Were those chopsticks? We don't have Chipotle in Canada, all we have is Taco Hell



hahaha no they're toothpicks. and that's a shame. I'm getting spoiled out here in Texas with all this good Mexican food. eating some right now, haha. I don't even think about taco hell anymore, that place is death.


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 23, 2010)

I once had mexican food in the US, it was the most horrible thing I've eaten in my entire life. Next time I'll just order a swift kick in the nutsack instead of food.



Maybe 2 kicks.


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## adrock (Dec 23, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> I once had mexican food in the US, it was the most horrible thing I've eaten in my entire life. Next time I'll just order a swift kick in the nutsack instead of food.
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe 2 kicks.



hahahaha i'm sure, being from mexico and all


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## adrock (Dec 24, 2010)

spent a few more hours today shaping the heel and getting the neck down to final thickness. 21 mm at the nut, 23 mm at the 12th. I really love the way this neck feels as flat as it is, and I'm gonna keep it as flat as possible. this will probably be "my" profile that will be featured on my "stock" guitars from now on. if someone wanted a custom profile, I'd be glad to do it. 

here is what we started with today:






I took this picture to show how amazing this file is I got from LMII. I don't know if they sell this specific style made by Dragon anymore, but it's very quality. like a bunch of random tiny planes. when I get close to final dimensions, I let off the pressure while filing, and the shavings are so tiny. almost like sawdust:






and here's where I'm leaving for today, due to rain and other things. I'll finish profiling and shaping the heel and voltue tomorrow


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## eegor (Dec 24, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> I once had mexican food in the US, it was the most horrible thing I've eaten in my entire life. Next time I'll just order a swift kick in the nutsack instead of food.
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe 2 kicks.



Haha! I don't know man, we have this place called Taco Shack here in Austin, and that place has some damn good tacos.


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## adrock (Dec 24, 2010)

eegor said:


> Haha! I don't know man, we have this place called Taco Shack here in Austin, and that place has some damn good tacos.



i dunno man, torchy's tacos are the best i've had in town. not authentic mexican tacos, but you really don't give a fuck because they're amazing


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 25, 2010)

Next time im on the road eating propper dog rib tacos, I'll take a pic so you see what i mean


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## adrock (Dec 25, 2010)

well shit, you have to. i'm so damn curious now..


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## scherzo1928 (Dec 25, 2010)

Na, it was a local joke. In Mexico City you shouldnt eat tacos on the street if you dont see a dog in a mile radius.


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## adrock (Dec 31, 2010)

sorry for the lack of updates. and no step by step pics, scherzo style. been having some personal stuff happening, but such is life... 

anywhos, the neck is profiled and done. took me way longer than i wanted, but i didn't want to take too much off at once, and i'm pleased with the results. volute came out pretty sweet. drilled the holes for the tuners. had to redo everything half way through drilling them. then fucked two holes up. doweled them and re-drilled to the correct places. also reshaped the headstock to accommodate the new tuner locations. overall a hectic week, but getting shit done. hopefully i'll be done with it next week.

POP QUIZ!!!!!

what's everyones opinion on the heel? it's comfortable, and i don't want to chase it back into the body anymore. but if it looks weird i can bring it back. but this is all aesthetics, so tell me your opinion based only on looks.


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## builtwithlegos (Dec 31, 2010)

Amazing work man. As far as the heel goes I think you should leave it where it's at, but round off the edges where the heel and horns meet. That should do the trick aesthetically and might make it more comfortable as well.


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## Neil (Dec 31, 2010)

This is looking great!


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## airpanos (Jan 1, 2011)

Wow this build is outstanding!!


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## adrock (Jan 1, 2011)

builtwithlegos said:


> Amazing work man. As far as the heel goes I think you should leave it where it's at, but round off the edges where the heel and horns meet. That should do the trick aesthetically and might make it more comfortable as well.



so kinda like this, but not as drastic? my heel comes back further than this one. i was thinking about doing this anyways, just wanted to hear some others opinions.


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## JamesM (Jan 1, 2011)

Yeah, round it and be done with it. Looks great.


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## technomancer (Jan 1, 2011)

Looking good, just smooth the stuff circled in red slightly and you'll be good to go


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## TimSE (Jan 1, 2011)

technomancer said:


> Looking good, just smooth the stuff circled in red slightly and you'll be good to go


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## adrock (Jan 1, 2011)

yeah, I actually love your idea technomancer. it sucks, cause I spent some time getting that line nice and sharp. but it'll look better just smoothed over. I'm not really a fan of the way heels look, like the one I posted. and no one ever does the heel like that, just smoothed over, no sharp line. proprietary design!!! haha


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## Bigfan (Jan 1, 2011)

My Carvin has that kind of smooth transition, and it is comfy as all hell!


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## Sullen (Jan 1, 2011)

I think the volute is okay, maybe smooth the edge a little with sand paper and as for the heel IMO you can push it a little bit backwards and round it, kinda like Caparison and KxK does to their guitars, here's what I mean...


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## BlackMastodon (Jan 1, 2011)

Sullen said:


> I think the volute is okay, maybe smooth the edge a little with sand paper and as for the heel IMO you can push it a little bit backwards and round it, kinda like Caparison and KxK does to their guitars, here's what I mean...



Exactly what I was thinking.


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## adrock (Jan 1, 2011)

Sullen said:


> I think the volute is okay, maybe smooth the edge a little with sand paper and as for the heel IMO you can push it a little bit backwards and round it, kinda like Caparison and KxK does to their guitars, here's what I mean...



I was actually trying to avoid that. I can reach all the upper frets fine as is, and I wanted to leave as much wood on the heel as possible. I was thinking of just rounding over the area circled in technomancer's pic, to take away the hard line and kind of blend things into the body/horn, without taking more wood off. thoughts?


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## JamesM (Jan 1, 2011)

I agree. Take off as little as you have to.


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## Sullen (Jan 1, 2011)

adrock said:


> I was actually trying to avoid that. I can reach all the upper frets fine as is, and I wanted to leave as much wood on the heel as possible. I was thinking of just rounding over the area circled in technomancer's pic, to take away the hard line and kind of blend things into the body/horn, without taking more wood off. thoughts?


Sounds like a great idea, just smooth and blend, aesthetically I think the round shape looks better but that's just me, your approach is way more practical and better tonally speaking, so go ahead


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## Sullen (Jan 1, 2011)

BTW I love your guitar and wood choices, It makes me have a guitargasm everytime I see a picture with progress going on \m/


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## adrock (Jan 1, 2011)

^ I agree man. I think it looks the best like you pictured, like how caparison and ibanez do it. my fret access is good enough though, and I wanna leave as much wood as I can there.



Sullen said:


> BTW I love your guitar and wood choices, It makes me have a guitargasm everytime I see a picture with progress going on \m/



thanks! I really appreciate yours, and everyones, kind words. it definitely helps keep me motivated, and has been inspiring me lately to start doing some building as a part time thing. I really enjoy it, and apparently you guys do to!


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 2, 2011)

wow, that's looking great. I agree with just blending the heel a bit. Volute came out great btw.


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## builtwithlegos (Jan 2, 2011)

adrock said:


> so kinda like this, but not as drastic? my heel comes back further than this one. i was thinking about doing this anyways, just wanted to hear some others opinions.



That was the kind of heel I was talking about, but just rounding off the edges didn't even occur to me. I'd say both would look great and the guitar is so beautiful already I think it would be hard to screw it up with something like this. Go with whatever you like best.


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## adrock (Jan 2, 2011)

i typed this entire reply, then safari crashed while i tried to link the last images....     

so i was able to reshape the heel and open up the tuner holes today after work. the heel feels great now. this whole neck just feels amazing. i'm really pleased with it. and thanks again for the help everyone. which leads to...

ANOTHER POP QUIZ!!!! you guys had some great ideas, and i could really use some advice on this. but first, some eye candy. my dilemma is after the pics  














it's been so long that i don't even remember why the wings didn't line up with the neck when i glued them. it sucks really bad though. i've been trying to make my mind up on this, and it's been driving me crazy the past few days. the problem area is down at the bridge end, on the back. it extends about 3" into the body. here are my options:

1. plane the whole body down to match.
this one kinda concerns me. the body is 35mm (1 3/8") right now. i'd have to take off about 1.4mm (1/32"), leaving the final thickness at 33.5mm. my deepest route from the other side, the pickup routes, are 26mm. that would leave 7.5mm (5/16") behind them. that doesn't feel like much to me. and i'm planning on direct mounting the pickups 

2. carve the back, and possibly front, like an ibanez s. 
it would definitely be more comfortable. i do love the s series for this. but i really wanted an all flat guitar when i started this. it's what i've had envisioned the entire build, and i really don't want to compromise that for 1.4mm...


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## Prydogga (Jan 2, 2011)

You could flatten it down enough to put a veneer on. Looking good by the way, the neck heel looks alot better now.


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## Metal_Maniac (Jan 2, 2011)

Maybe just slightly round/carve into the back to hide it?


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## JamesM (Jan 2, 2011)

Don't compromise. If you want it flat, keep it flat.


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## BlackMastodon (Jan 3, 2011)

Metal_Maniac said:


> Maybe just slightly round/carve into the back to hide it?





The Armada said:


> Don't compromise. If you want it flat, keep it flat.


I agree with these two.


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## adrock (Jan 3, 2011)

yeah, i'm really thinking i'm just gonna plane it flat. i would hate to cover the back with a veneer and not the front. not sure how to go about it yet, but i think that's the best. i might add some wood in the pickup routes just to make sure it'll be ok with the screws.


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## JamesM (Jan 3, 2011)

Or do like this and screw em in from the back.


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## adrock (Jan 3, 2011)

The Armada said:


> Or do like this and screw em in from the back.



oohhhhh, i really like that


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## avenger (Jan 3, 2011)

I nutted in my bitch when I saw these pictures and got her pregnant... unforgivable.


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## builtwithlegos (Jan 3, 2011)

The Armada said:


> Don't compromise. If you want it flat, keep it flat.





Heel looks great by the way.


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## themike (Jan 3, 2011)

avenger said:


> I nutted in my bitch when I saw these pictures and got her pregnant... unforgivable.


 

Make me one of these....and some waffle fries.


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## adrock (Jan 7, 2011)

sooo i'm too busy with life and trying to get this guitar finished to take step by step pictures anymore. i'm sure scherzo will more than make up for it... 

everything's pretty much drilled and shaped now. finally. it's completely sanded down to 220 at this point, ready for finish sanding. the fretboard is sanded to 1500. i'm trying to decide when i'm going to fret it. i think i'm going to do it now, before i start finish sanding and applying the finish. annnnnd yeah...


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## JamesM (Jan 7, 2011)

OMG.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 7, 2011)

awesome work man!!!


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 7, 2011)

It's such a gorgeous guitar...
btw, great job leveling the back.


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## adrock (Jan 7, 2011)

scherzo1928 said:


> It's such a gorgeous guitar...
> btw, great job leveling the back.



hahaha, thanks. i literally bought a 2"x2" piece of MDF, glued 60 grit to one side, and 100 to the other, and sanded away for about an hour. it sucked, and i was sore as fuck the next day, but it came out flat as shit and looks good


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 7, 2011)

on another note. Is the binding made out of wood?


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## adrock (Jan 7, 2011)

yes. ebony 

there is no plastic on this guitar. all metal and wood. switches, knobs and everything. well, besides the pickups, nut, and the locking thumbwheel on the tuners.

damn, thoughts of an ebony nut just ran through my head.....


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## JamesM (Jan 7, 2011)

^Don't do it.


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 7, 2011)

The Armada said:


> ^Don't do it.


This.

Imo, nothing beats a nice graphtech nut.


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## adrock (Jan 7, 2011)

word. I might try one someday, not now though. I bought a no name graphite nut, cause I couldn't seem to find a properly sized precut graphtech one online. but it's too damn short. I'm either gonna make a shim for now, or see if I can order the right sized graphtech version locally. trying to avoid spending $70 in nut files, or the $40 to pay someone to cut me one....


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## adrock (Jan 7, 2011)

we have switches. only thing left are my sweet recessed strap locks, which will be here next week...


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## adrock (Jan 8, 2011)

so the setup is one volume, one pickup selector towards the neck, two coil splitters towards the rear. what's your vote? I think I know which I want...

also, do the coil splitting switches look too big to anyone? they're a bit bigger than normal "mini" switches, it doesn't bother me or my roommate too much though. but if it looks fucked, I don't wanna drill for these larger kind. 

1.





2.





3.


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## JamesM (Jan 8, 2011)

Personally I'm a one volume, pickup selector kind of guy. So I won't vote.


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 8, 2011)

adrock said:


> sooo i'm too busy with life and trying to get this guitar finished to take step by step pictures anymore. i'm sure scherzo will more than make up for it...


I wouldnt count on that. I just took the clamps off the neck, and discovered my dad took my camera.

edit: tough choice with the setup... no idea, lol.


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## adrock (Jan 8, 2011)

bahh!!! you guys suck, hahaha

and that sucks scherzo, when will he be back?


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 8, 2011)

adrock said:


> bahh!!! you guys suck, hahaha
> 
> and that sucks scherzo, when will he be back?


Ah, I just realized I forgot to ask him about the aluminums... I'll ask him later today.


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## adrock (Jan 8, 2011)

...


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## BlackMastodon (Jan 8, 2011)

Hm, are you dead set on those two switches being that close together? I would personally space them out more evenly in like an arch underneath the volume knob. Dunno if that explained it very well but just think of it as kind of like the Les Paul 4 knob configuration, only with 3 switches instead of knobs. Also really cool idea having all those switches, interesting change of pace from knobs.


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## adrock (Jan 8, 2011)

hmm, I think I understand what you're saying, but not really. I'm familiar with the les paul 4 knob setup, just replace 3 of the knobs with switches? the arch thing you said kinda threw me off...

and thanks, I love switches, they're very cool


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## BlackMastodon (Jan 9, 2011)

adrock said:


> hmm, I think I understand what you're saying, but not really. I'm familiar with the les paul 4 knob setup,* just replace 3 of the knobs with switches?* the arch thing you said kinda threw me off...
> 
> and thanks, I love switches, they're very cool


Yeah basically, I dunno where I was going with the arch thing, haha.


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## SirMyghin (Jan 9, 2011)

Edit: nm , found out what you are doing.


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## livetoride21 (Jan 9, 2011)

woww beautiful build so far! but those mini switches are huge!! they're not very mini. you should be able to get true "mini" switches at just about any electronics store for next to nothing with the black boot covers. I would definately not drill for those huge switches, looks wonky


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## adrock (Jan 9, 2011)

BlackMastodon said:


> Yeah basically, I dunno where I was going with the arch thing, haha.



so like this? 





and thanks for that comment livetoride21, i was just about to ask if people think they are too big. i might have to order some mini switches. and i don't want boot covers, if i'm gonna go mini, i want these:





vs. these (the current ones):


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 9, 2011)

mini might be the way to go.


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## adrock (Jan 9, 2011)

agreed. I just wish black ones weren't so hard to find and expensive. probay just use chrome for now...


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## JamesM (Jan 9, 2011)

One volume. One pup selector.


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 9, 2011)

The Armada said:


> One volume. One pup selector.


I am doing that for my 2nd build. Not that I dont use the tone knob (I do actually) But because I want to show as much of the wood as I can lol.

Volume will be push pull anyways.


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## BlackMastodon (Jan 9, 2011)

adrock said:


> so like this?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah that's the layout I would go with, obviously rearranged to your liking in terms of where they all are but I think that way looks the best. As for the smaller switches, I think that might be a good idea considering those switches are about as big as the knob itself. BUT, idea: what if you only got 2 smaller switches for the coil taps and left the pickup selector the bigger switch? Might look weird but hey you never know.


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## adrock (Jan 9, 2011)

BlackMastodon said:


> BUT, idea: what if you only got 2 smaller switches for the coil taps and left the pickup selector the bigger switch? Might look weird but hey you never know.



that's what my plan is now  went and got some real mini switches tonight, chrome though. but fuck, at $2.29 each?!?! they'll do for now, until i feel like ordering the black, $13 a piece ones...

the new switches, being dwarfed by the old ones:


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 9, 2011)

Wow, the original switches are huuuge.
Any pics of the layout with the minis?


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## adrock (Jan 9, 2011)

scherzo1928 said:


> Wow, the original switches are huuuge.
> Any pics of the layout with the minis?



nope. too busy hammering frets in 






pretty fucking straight, for not having touched them with anything but a hammer, if i do say so myself...


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 9, 2011)

I'll be doing that tomorrow!


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## adrock (Jan 10, 2011)

i can't do mock ups with these new mini switches i got when they're by themselves. i like them together anyways, down towards the back. i think. idk, this is what i'm thinking for the moment. probably gonna save the drilling until the end, so i can really think about it.


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## Shredcow (Jan 10, 2011)

Not sure if you need to use 2 mini toggles... 

You can do coil splitting for BOTH humbuckers with ONE dpdt on/on mini toggle... and that can be a push-pull on the volume control. 

That would be a cleaner layout.



My preference is more for hum-cancelling, so I'd probably do a 5-way switch with my favourite switching options + a volume control. With this setup, I'm quite certain it would be easy bypass the 5-way via a hot/direct switch that switches to the bridge (or neck) full humbucker.


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## adrock (Jan 10, 2011)

thanks for the input, but I'm pretty set on the controls. I know about using a dpdt, but that's for both of the pickups at the same time. I want a separate control for each pickup.


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## Sullen (Jan 10, 2011)

I would use a lever type switch instead of a toggle I think it would look much cleaner and put the mini's a little notch higher and just a little apart from each other...


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## adrock (Jan 10, 2011)

hahaha, those lever switches are deeper than my guitar! my options are pretty limited when it comes to pots and switches for this beauty, but i'm cool with that. 

you are right about separating the switches and moving them up a bit though, definitely happening.


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 10, 2011)

ah that's right, push pull switches probably dont fit since it's quite thin.


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## BlackMastodon (Jan 10, 2011)

adrock said:


> hahaha, those lever switches are deeper than my guitar! my options are pretty limited when it comes to pots and switches for this beauty, but i'm cool with that.
> 
> you are right about separating the switches and moving them up a bit though, definitely happening.


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## adrock (Jan 11, 2011)

frets are leveled, and beveled. I seem to have misplaced my three corner file, so I have to wait a bit to crown and dress them. my luthier friend is gonna let me borrow his. I'm gonna finish prepping her for finish tomorrow. maybe even get a coat of sealer on!


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## devolutionary (Jan 11, 2011)

The closest thing to 6 string perfection I've seen in the Luthiery section. It looks better with every photo. You should be most proud.


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 11, 2011)

wow, that looks quite pro.


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## adrock (Jan 12, 2011)

aww thanks guys 

there's a few tiny things that I'm not completely satisfied with, might even redo the frets at some point. but, I'm a super perfectionist. just ask my girlfriend... this baby is never gonna leave my possession anyways. 

I really appreciate all the positive comments. I've decided to start offering my skills to the public, keep your eyes peeled


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## adrock (Jan 12, 2011)

I got busy today making sure the pickups fit before I finished sanding it out. and I'm glad I did. had a few hiccups, but they fit great now. all that's left is to drill for the switches and knobs, I'll do that when I get home from work later tonight. sealer tomorrow woo!!!


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 12, 2011)

Just check what bit you use for the volume knob .


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## adrock (Jan 12, 2011)

haha I knew you'd say something. at this point I'm checking everything like 6 times before using any tools.


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## adrock (Jan 13, 2011)

well, i'm pretty glad to say that i think i'm done updating this thread. i was going to seal it today, but got too busy doing finishing touches. and also stringing it up and playing it for a bit  i'm gonna start finishing it tomorrow, and hopefully by this next time next week, she'll be ready to  

a little teaser to hold you over until the NGD.....


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## Miek (Jan 14, 2011)

That's incredibly low. Is it comfortable?


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## scherzo1928 (Jan 14, 2011)

fapfapfapfap


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 14, 2011)

seriously, THAT low?....no way man!!!

looking forward to NGD by the way!!!


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## adrock (Jan 14, 2011)

hahahahaha, is it low?? i think it's an optical illusion? there's no way it can be THAT low... 

either way, it felt great when i was playing it.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 14, 2011)

well, it might an optical illusion, but when i look at it it looks like the B string is touching the pickup .... or just 1mm off it


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## adrock (Jan 14, 2011)

ahhh, in relation to the pickup. yeah i could see that. but the pickups were just sitting in there at the time. i didn't adjust them at all when i strung it up, just started playing immediately out of excitement.


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## ralphy1976 (Jan 14, 2011)

ok, i thought for a moment that i had gone stir crazy!!!


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## adrock (Jan 14, 2011)

ok. only one more picture and that's it. i promise this time. i couldn't help myself, i'm so giddy and excited about how great it looks.

excuse the yellowish lighting, indoor lights suck for pictures.

i honestly think that i'll be playing this beauty by this time next time.


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## JamesM (Jan 14, 2011)

Absolutely fappable.


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## ASoC (Jan 22, 2012)

Simply wow. 
I don't even know what to say about it. 

Massive props to you, sir. If the build I'm considering starting comes even close to being this nice, I'll shit bricks. 

There are so many inspiring build stories here. Getting on this forum was on of the best moves I ever made


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## AwakenNoMore (Jan 22, 2012)

Great work so far! I love builds like this.


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## thewildturkey (Jan 23, 2012)

Natural finish with black binding, nice thru neck laminate.

That sir, is completely kick ass.


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## Ruins (Jan 23, 2012)

how come i haven't seen this thread until now?! 
wow, this turns out so sweeet!!! i am drooling over the aesthetics of this guitar i love RGTs


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## Levi79 (Jan 23, 2012)

This is sick dude, I'm planning to start a build very soon. Hopefully it comes out as awesome or close to as awesome as this!


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## Alex_IBZ (Jan 23, 2012)

Scrolled through the pages (so far 'fapfapfap' seems to be the main content)
Looked amazed at pics
--> Gonna go back to page 1 and read everything whilst trying not stare that much at the pics


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## ibanezcollector (Jan 23, 2012)

awesome is it done?


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## adrock (Jan 23, 2012)

hahahaha, thanks guys! this guitar is definitely done, and actually not even in my hands anymore. a very awesome, shreddy guitarist over in London has it... hopefully i'll have some pictures or videos sometime.

here's the finished guitar, and a bunch of pics - http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/de...-guest-appearance-56k-no-way.html#post2313678

this is also a sweet RGT style guitar i'm working on, which should be done very soon - http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/dealers-group-buys/163582-aura-guitars-1-a-4.html#post2741610


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