# 9 String V.



## pondman (Aug 10, 2013)

Well I may as well confess that I had another accident 



Mega Maple board for middle sandwich.



Zebrawood,Wenge and other stuff.






Zebrano top glued on.


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## Captain Butterscotch (Aug 10, 2013)

This is preposterous. Therefore, I will follow this thread with eagerness.


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## pondman (Aug 10, 2013)

Captain Butterscotch said:


> This is preposterous. Therefore, I will follow this thread with eagerness.



Lol . Yes its preposterous , ridiculous and the end of the world judging by the comments I've had in other places


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## muffinbutton (Aug 10, 2013)

pondman said:


> Lol . Yes its preposterous , ridiculous and the end of the world judging by the comments I've had in other places



OMG TOO MANY STRINGS!  So next do we have an accidental 10, or are you going to skip right up to 11 or 12?


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## celticelk (Aug 10, 2013)

At some point that V will have to become a W to accommodate more strings. =)


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## skeels (Aug 10, 2013)

I love flying W's!

Guess I better start one.....


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## Hollowway (Aug 10, 2013)

Oooh, this is going to be so cool! What's the scale length? You going for a high A or a lower string?


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## pondman (Aug 10, 2013)




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## AwDeOh (Aug 10, 2013)

My sources tell me that this guitar was the actual reason behind the recent US embassy closures and travel warning. DOD are in high level talks with Whitehall trying to contain the threat of a 9 String Weapon Of Mass Destruction.


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## CD1221 (Aug 10, 2013)

Fess up on the scale length and tunings!

The fretboard is so wide, it looks like a 3/4. I like this very much.

great headstock veneer.


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## TDR (Aug 10, 2013)

My weekend is now complete.

Looks like a seriously monstrous piece of awesome


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## M3CHK1LLA (Aug 10, 2013)

for the purposes of forwarding br00tality...i will watch this thread.

oh yeah, v ftw


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## tommychains (Aug 10, 2013)

i never subscribed to threads...until now. This thing is a BEAST.


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## Splinterhead (Aug 10, 2013)

This guitar scares me...
its existence goes against all things rational.


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## Winspear (Aug 11, 2013)

Yes!!
If it's over 28" and you're painting it black I'll have to buy it.


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## jarnozz (Aug 11, 2013)

9 string v.. MADNESS! Looking killer already. I really dig the wenge board


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## pondman (Aug 11, 2013)

Thanks for the comments  I was in two minds about posting this . Building guitars is just a hobby for me and I like it to be enjoyable so I keep trying something different. I've got a few fanned fret things going on as well but wanted to try a straight fret 9 .
Its 28" scale with a flat radius (well that = no radius ) or as some say infinite.
Will be C#,F#,B,E,AD,G,B,E low to high.
I've made a bridge but will need to get some longer tension screws for some of the saddles for tuning and maybe a couple of larger bass ferules for the larger strings , and probably may have to fettle 2 of the saddles for the larger strings.
So far the balance between neck and body is spot on and will be about right once the neck is shaped but I will be putting an extra cavity for weights.
Its having Lace Alumitone Deathbars.







Pickup routing.















Cut a piece out of this girder for the bridge.


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## pondman (Aug 11, 2013)

I routed just enough of the top to leave a thin Maple stripe on the edge.


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## sepsis311 (Aug 11, 2013)

holy moly


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## BlackMastodon (Aug 11, 2013)

Pondman's day: "Oh shit I fell down the stairs! ...Oh hey an awesome new guitar! What are the odds?"

This looks awesome, really like that headstock over the Gibson V headstock. No multiscale, though?


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## pondman (Aug 11, 2013)

BlackMastodon said:


> Pondman's day: "Oh shit I fell down the stairs! ...Oh hey an awesome new guitar! What are the odds?"
> 
> This looks awesome, really like that headstock over the Gibson V headstock. No multiscale, though?



Lol . No multi on this but my next trip down the stairs will have some serious multiscale madness  Stay tuned.

Skeels is still on with the 10 string


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## pondman (Aug 11, 2013)

skeels said:


> I love flying W's!
> 
> Guess I better start one.....



Are we close with that 10 yet


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## Robrecht (Aug 11, 2013)

pondman said:


> Well I may as well confess that I had another accident


 Woo! Finally!

Well, I already saw and loved most of the pics on your Facebook page, but it's nice to see the beast get a dedicated thread. 



pondman said:


> I routed just enough of the top to leave a thin Maple stripe on the edge.



Looking very classy.


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## pondman (Aug 11, 2013)

Robrecht said:


> Woo! Finally!
> 
> Well, I already saw and loved them on your Facebook page, but it's nice to see the beast get a dedicated thread.
> 
> ...



Aye back to my old habits


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## pondman (Aug 11, 2013)

Had a few hours this evening.






Did the cont cavity.



And cover.









And shaped the neck.









A bit of snake oil gets my Zebrano going .


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## Robby the Robot (Aug 11, 2013)

So when I want 7 and 8 string explorers I know who to call.  Seriously this is awesome. Can't wait to see how this turns out.


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## UV7BK4LIFE (Aug 11, 2013)

Wow cool project, and I'm jealous of your workshop 

I love that laminate body 7 V and the Iceman too!


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## sepsis311 (Aug 11, 2013)

im curious about the neck dive on this built. im thinking the v wings are far back enough to counter balance the weight of the neck, but the proportions are insane. The whole guitar looks like a dean neck taken from the body of a guitar that was built for a giant.


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## InfinityCollision (Aug 11, 2013)

You have the best accidents


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## Sofos (Aug 11, 2013)

Napkin please


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## tommychains (Aug 12, 2013)

SoldiersOfFilth said:


> Napkin please



You got off lucky, I needed a vacuum.


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## CD1221 (Aug 12, 2013)

freaking awesome.

Loooooooooow tuning. 

great stuff, fella.


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## muffinbutton (Aug 12, 2013)

pondman said:


>



What are those called? I tried searching "girder" at home depot and some other stores sites and nothing like that came up.


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## pondman (Aug 13, 2013)

muffinbutton said:


> What are those called? I tried searching "girder" at home depot and some other stores sites and nothing like that came up.



You don't want to buy one of those just to cut a small piece off for a bridge 
Its a Catnick type lintel and very expensive. That piece I used is just an off-cut.
Go to your local steel stockist and buy a piece of angle iron , a good stockist will even cut you a small piece.


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## Vostre Roy (Aug 13, 2013)

Tabarnak de caliss!

Sorry for the french, but thats the first words that came to my mind. Following this


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## muffinbutton (Aug 13, 2013)

pondman said:


> You don't want to buy one of those just to cut a small piece off for a bridge
> Its a Catnick type lintel and very expensive. That piece I used is just an off-cut.
> Go to your local steel stockist and buy a piece of angle iron , a good stockist will even cut you a small piece.



Alright. thanks man.


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## pondman (Aug 13, 2013)

SoldiersOfFilth said:


> Napkin please





tommychains said:


> You got off lucky, I needed a vacuum.



Oh dear


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## guitarbuilder93 (Aug 16, 2013)

That oiled zebrano gets MY zebrano going... Nah'm sayin?


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## Walterson (Aug 16, 2013)

Great work!


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## Slunk Dragon (Aug 16, 2013)

Freaking subbed for tasty Extended V goodness! :9


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## craigny (Aug 16, 2013)

Fantastic stuff.


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## capoeiraesp (Aug 16, 2013)

Impressive stuff! You work fast and tidy.


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## GXPO (Aug 16, 2013)

I swear, freshly carved volutes are sexy. I don't know why...


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## pondman (Aug 16, 2013)

I can't remember if I mentioned it but there is a trilogy of these 7,8,9.
The 7 is nearly done , just waiting for parts from slow sellers 
Andy Skeels has been a real bro by getting the pickups sorted out for me from the US for this 9 string  ( it costs over twice as much for one Deathbar over here).
And the 8 is under wraps but moving on right now...watch this space.

Al

PS did I mention I love flying V's.


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## NickS (Aug 16, 2013)

Beautiful!! Nice work as always


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## AwDeOh (Aug 16, 2013)

GXPO said:


> I swear, freshly carved volutes are sexy. I don't know why...



Much like a freshly defrocked prom queen.


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## pondman (Aug 17, 2013)

I've been itching to get some oil on this neck to see just how these woods look, its an unusual combination for me.









Wenge center stripe , Bubinga , Lace-wood ( London Plane ) , Sapele.
I was hoping for a more definite serpentine look from the Lace-wood but I'm more than happy with it .
This is in the rough right now and lots of sanding and Tru Oil layers to go.
Bridge is at the metal finishers and Andy is on holiday so the pickups could be a while.
I need a new camera , these pics are getting worse


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## GXPO (Aug 19, 2013)

^I get that serpentine feeling. Looks awesome..


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## MStack (Aug 19, 2013)

Love the woods you use in your builds, beautiful choices!


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## pondman (Aug 27, 2013)

Waiting for Tru Oil to dry  zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


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## jarnozz (Aug 27, 2013)

your work is amazing as usual! I really dig those necks you make! love the headstock on the first on


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## Suitable (Aug 27, 2013)

Subbed!!! This shit is badass!!! You must have a whole f.cking plantation in your studio now!? Wicked work!


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## pondman (Sep 7, 2013)

Injured my hand badly "again" so that slowed me down and the chrome platers made a crap job on the bridge so I had a big bust up with them , then realized they charge me next to nothing so went back after cooling down and made friends again  
Fumbled about and leveled and dressed the frets.






Just need to clean all the masking tape goo off and polish and oil the board .



Somehow this Sapele , Meranti , Ripple Sycamore , Tele body materialized while I was at it  here we go again. I'll never learn


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## CD1221 (Sep 7, 2013)

"Somehow" ...


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## muffinbutton (Sep 7, 2013)

knowing you it'll probably be the only tele i like. what did you do to your hand?


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## pondman (Sep 8, 2013)

muffinbutton said:


> knowing you it'll probably be the only tele i like. what did you do to your hand?



I crushed it between two large rocks on a job last week , went to A&E this morning , I couldn't move my fingers or bend my arm . Off to see a specialist tomorrow


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## skeels (Sep 8, 2013)

I hope everything is alright man.


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## Danukenator (Sep 8, 2013)

This build...is ....ing amazing!


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## pondman (Sep 8, 2013)

Cheers Andy , as you know that hand has been smashed a few times so its like water off a ducks back  Nothing will stop me finishing the V's and the Iceman . Looks like my shredding days are finally over  
Thanks for sorting the pickups out


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## pondman (Sep 9, 2013)

One handed nut work . Got this big chunk of Buffalo horn and boy does it stink when cut


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## flo (Sep 9, 2013)

^  I used buffalo horn for my first electric, I can totally feel your pain 

Very, very nice work!


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## Cloudy (Sep 9, 2013)

Shit sorry to hear about the hand- regardless its looking damn swanky.

9 strings?! always peaks my interest, someday I hope to own a 9 string for shits and giggles despite knowing I'd probably never utilize all the strings.


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## iRaiseTheDead (Sep 9, 2013)

THAT.

F*CKING.

FRETBOARD.

Holy crap, more pics please!


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## pondman (Sep 10, 2013)

Well that was amazing timing on Skeels part.
Its my birthday today and thanks to Andy Skeels this package arrived fro the US.




3 days from Milwaukee US to Yorkshire UK 






Thanks for the card Andy 

Hardware should be here soon so the beast shall be released soon


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## Solodini (Sep 10, 2013)

Happy birthday, dude. I hope it affords you lots of PROGRESS ON THIS GUITAR!


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## Robrecht (Sep 10, 2013)

Happy birthday bud. I wish it were a hand-injury-free one, but at least you've got these gorgeous guitars to be proud of.


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## JEngelking (Sep 10, 2013)

Happy birthday! This guitar's gonna turn out to be an absolute monster once it's finished, I'm sure.


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## SjPedro (Sep 10, 2013)

happy birthday! 
and also..this guitar looks insane and like it could tear the very fabric of existence ! 

pretty badass!


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## iRaiseTheDead (Sep 10, 2013)

Happy Birthday! Let's get some pics on that card ;D


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## muffinbutton (Sep 10, 2013)

Happy birthday dude! And nice card Andy.


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## BlackMastodon (Sep 10, 2013)

I wanna see the inside of the card.  Also HBD!


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## pondman (Sep 11, 2013)

AwDeOh said:


> Much like a freshly defrocked prom queen.


I'll be deflowering this girl very soon


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## jarnozz (Sep 11, 2013)

I wanted to know if bone really has a bad smell once you cut or grind it. I embraced the sent. I nearly puked xD damn that stuff stinks so badly. back to graphite


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## skeels (Sep 11, 2013)

Cutting bone kinda reminds me of grisly lunatic serial killer type stuff. 

I don't mind it.

But then I make goofy little birthday cards for my friends. 

So I'm a little different. ....





Also, I'm cheap.


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## BlackMastodon (Sep 11, 2013)

If it smells anything like pearl when cut then I can believe the almost vomiting thing.


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## Devyn Eclipse Nav (Sep 11, 2013)

You definitely want to wear a mask when cutting bone - bone dust is some pretty gnarly stuff, don't want that inside you


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## pondman (Sep 12, 2013)

It actually smells like burning hair , I think horn is more or less compact hair.


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## Alice AKW (Sep 12, 2013)

pondman said:


> It actually smells like burning hair , I think horn is more or less compact hair.



Well they're made out of the same stuff, forget the name though...


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## xwmucradiox (Sep 12, 2013)

Kane_Wolf said:


> Well they're made out of the same stuff, forget the name though...



Keratin


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## CaptainLuckeyBeard (Sep 13, 2013)

Add carbon-fiber to the list of awful smelling crap when being worked on...smells like burning hair and protein farts?  It was brutal lol and it'll also probably kill you the quickest 

None the less! Build looks killer! Just...stop hurting yourself!  We need more of your accidents around here! Maybe you can accidentally make a 7 string multiscale bass at some point


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## pondman (Sep 14, 2013)

This thing is starting to have the proportions of a Buffalo 



Still waiting for hardware


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## skeels (Sep 14, 2013)

Known now and forever as the Demolition Hammer!


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## LIPCoelhoq (Sep 14, 2013)

and i thought my 7string V was going to be something... 9 string V? ....ing amazing! I'd love to see it fanned fretted


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## Emil357 (Sep 14, 2013)

How many guitars you haz now  ?


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## pondman (Sep 14, 2013)

skeels said:


> Known now and forever as the Demolition Hammer!


The GF thinks it looks "scary" 



LIPCoelhoq said:


> and i thought my 7string V was going to be something... 9 string V? ....ing amazing! I'd love to see it fanned fretted


Fanned accidents and adventures are in progress 



Emil357 said:


> How many guitars you haz now  ?


I lost count around the 90 mark


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## Suitable (Sep 14, 2013)

Wowzers!!! F.ck painting the walls... Just line them with guitars  I like it!


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## craigny (Sep 14, 2013)

Fantastic


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## pondman (Sep 22, 2013)

Well I finished it today along with the Iceman and I aint got a working camera 
Will sort something out tomorrow


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## muffinbutton (Sep 22, 2013)

why would you tease us like that?


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## Hollowway (Sep 22, 2013)

So all your builds are for yourself or do you ever sell them?


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## Prophetable (Sep 22, 2013)

celticelk said:


> At some point that V will have to become a W to accommodate more strings. =)


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## CD1221 (Sep 23, 2013)

pondman said:


> I lost count around the 90 mark





!!!


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## pondman (Sep 24, 2013)

Just about done.


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## pondman (Sep 24, 2013)




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## pondman (Sep 24, 2013)




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## Preacher (Sep 24, 2013)

Sweet Jesus... thats just... I'm lost for words. Awesome doesnt seem to cut it. They 9 string deathbuckers in there? Clips?


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## Dayviewer (Sep 24, 2013)

That's ....in' glorious...


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## Robrecht (Sep 24, 2013)

I think this one's my favourite so far. So incredibly amazing.

The alternating black and chrome saddles and knobs are a great touch -- they match the pickups!


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## Robby the Robot (Sep 24, 2013)

This thing turned out to be absolutely amazing. Great job my dude.


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## muffinbutton (Sep 24, 2013)

I've been trying to think of something to say for 10 minutes. I have no words.


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## pondman (Sep 24, 2013)

Preacher said:


> Sweet Jesus... thats just... I'm lost for words. Awesome doesnt seem to cut it. They 9 string deathbuckers in there? Clips?


Yeah Lace Alumitone Death-Buckers.

Thanks for all the heads up . I really enjoyed building this one but struggled near the end with one hand 
The 8 string is nearly done so I'll post pics of all three , 7 / 8 /9 together ( I did have a hollow body 12 stringer V in the works but it was taken by a friend who made a ridiculous offer I couldn't refuse ).
The pics of this and the Iceman are f*cking terrible so I will try to get my camera fixed and delete these and take some more.


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## BlackMastodon (Sep 24, 2013)

The mix of black and chrome hardware is just...


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## Khai H8drusH (Sep 24, 2013)

U, sir, are a g3nius.. *applause*

N to think that at some point, u did it with one hand. Awesome!


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## brynotherhino (Sep 24, 2013)

...the great striped buffalo? ov doohm?


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## pondman (Sep 25, 2013)

Hollowway said:


> So all your builds are for yourself or do you ever sell them?


I've never sold a build but if I keep on building I'll have to before my house explodes .


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## LIPCoelhoq (Sep 26, 2013)

nevermind me, i'm just fapping to that gorgeous V


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## Danukenator (Sep 26, 2013)

That thing looks amazing! I love your use of layering wood in your builds. The neck just matches the top perfectly.


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## Tom Drinkwater (Sep 27, 2013)

Very nice work!!


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