Norris

Not had any issues with my V3 yet. There again I don't think it's been above 11 o'clock on the master lest I cause someone permanent hearing damage

They look rather like giant artist palettes at the moment

Another tip is to put a bit of candle wax on the screw threads before screwing in. It acts as a short-term lubricant that can help to avoid shearing and mashing issues

It's possible but as Alex says it's not likely to sound very good. Two speakers with different signals in the same box are likely to have some random phasing issues - cancellation, or even possible over-extension which could damage your speakers

Welcome. Colour me jealous that you have a drum sander I have to make do with good old elbow grease. I'm looking forward to seeing your build progress

Blimey is it a whole six months since the last Rickenbacker bashing thread? How time flies

Sounds like you have enough lacquer on there. The grit you start with depends on how much rippling you have. I'd probably just use the 4000 if it's minor orange peel. Any grit will sand it back given enough time. Coarser grits will flat it quicker but will then take time with the finer grits to remove the scratches it puts in. Start light and see how it goes as you can always move to a coarser grit if you're not getting anywhere. The key is to remove as little as possible to avoid burn through

Yes that's one thing I didn't mention - if you're going to cut back into the lacquer you'll need enough of it to cut into without burning through. 3-4 decent coats should be enough (assuming you're using rattle cans). You'll want some sort of sanding block as that's what helps level it out (the micro mesh pads are sufficient as you don't press down on those or they clog up really quickly). Even 0000 grade wire wool will be too coarse and will not flatten the surface enough. If you do need to spray more lacquer, try to get enough on so that it flows a bit rather than just mist coats. Along with flatting back between coats (leave for 24 hours between each) that will help reduce the orange peel effect

Micromesh is available in very fine grits. The set I got is a series of 9 foam pads, going from 1500 to 12000 grit. Tbh you don't need to sand to that level - 4000 grit should be enough. Use it dry and wipe the pad against the leg of your jeans every minute or two to prevent it clogging. Using it wet (as per the instructions) risks lifting the edges e.g. around the machine head holes. Once flatted off, then get a polishing compound such as Meguiars ultimate compound (similar to but finer than T-cut) and polish it up, using a microfibre cloth to clean off afterwards. If you have any micro-scrathes remaining, a coat of wax e.g. Meguiars ultimate liquid wax will sort it and give you a mirror shine

Gah! Double post!

Excellent work! That's going to look lovely

Making some notes would be a good start. It's not going to be easy to program it without the lights. You'll need to look in the respective manuals to find the exact configuration to do that. Having a plan of what you'd like to achieve would be a good start though

You could call it The Swift. It's your signature anyway and it's very sleek and streamlined

Have a look on the Seymour Duncan website - they have loads of wiring diagrams on there, which will also tell you which pots you'll need

Those quad coil pickups don't come cheap

As you've already got a pearl white pickguard I'd probably go for a mid to dark tone that isn't in the usual Fender palette

I've still got the fretboard to go :s It chips if you so much as look at it in a funny way too!

Ebony is not the nicest wood to work with/against. Having just done a head cap on a guitar build I feel your pain. I ended up using a cabinet scraper - and a lot of time, to get it to the correct thickness and flat

I got a roqsolid cover when I bought my Rumble 500 combo. Lovely snug fit and it's kept the amp looking pristine. I went for the optional front pocket and cut a piece of hardboard to fit - for some added protection for the cloth grille. They are not cheap but worth every penny in the long term

Rautia Guitars do the most accurate reproduction. Got one in my SB-1000 Edit: Kent don't do a reproduction. They fit either a standard soapbar or humbucker (can't remember which now) into a MB1 style cover Edit 2: If you need a replacement "black box" pre-amp then Prostheta makes excellent reproductions - either with original 80s chips or modern equivalents that are a bit less power hungry. He doesn't visit BC often but I can give him a shout if you need one (and will probably give you a discount on his ebay price for BC members)

Certainly leave the undercoat on if you're refinishing it anyway. I've seen someone recently finish a guitar using magic marble paint on another forum - however it did take him several attempts to get it right, and levelling it out afterwards wasn't easy. (Magic marble is a paint that you float on water and then dip the guitar body into - you'll need a big plastic bin, enough to submerge the whole body if you're going that route) I'm not sure if I'd use gorilla glue anywhere. Afaik it expands in contact with water, including natural humidity. As far as removing the existing finish, you shouldn't need to. Just sand it all to provide a decent key

Lovely!

How have you secured the pickups in place? Or do they just float in their respective holes? Well done by the way! Definitely on the home straight now

45-105 We usually play a semitone down to reduce strain on the vocals. Add in the drop D (flat) tuner and lighter strings would be impractical. Plus I like a bit of punch and to be able to dig in a bit