Al Heeley

Thx prose. Theres some new guy on Project Guitar making his first build entirely out of MDF at the moment. Euugh. Says it soaks up glue like a sponge! I'm based a stones throw from Huddersfield and you're very welcome if you're ever passing.

Thanks for posting this idea, I gave it a try with a slightly modded wiring, and hooked it up to my Bass Chorus. Loop/bypass is chosen on the 3PDT footswitch, feedback is selected with the mini DPDT toggle switch. Each has it's own indicator LED. It works really well, it is true bypass and silent switching. the battery is only there for the LED's so it will still work fine unpowered. I used a 470K pot I had lying around but you don't really get to hear the feedback until over half way, so probably a 250k pot would be fine. Here's the schematic I sketched for it. In use, it really thickens and deepens the chorus effect, sounds really spacey, like a chorus and a bit of flange superimposed over one another, which is hardly surprising I suppose since its feeding part of the chorus output back into its input. Don't turn above 9 or you get a horrible squeal. Yet to try it on other stompboxes, maybe looping and feedbacking a Tubescreamer would be wicked

Yes, and yes. Tiny bit goes a long way. A few drops on a clean rag - rub in. Allow to dry for an hour. Repeat x 5 - 10 - you'll get a lovely sheen built up. Let it fully cure for a few days then buff with 0000 wire wool if you like and rub in a little carnamua or beeswax.

Birchwood Casey Tru Oil. That is such a great product for guitars. It's linseed-based but its refined and has driers in it. As it dries it cures to a nice hard protective finish and seals the pores. Tung is variable and can stay tacky for ages. I've used Danish for bodies for that natural oil finish but it doesn't have the hard, resiliant properties of a few coats of tru-oil

Neck shaping is just about done, fretboard is glued on and the upper body wing is being epoxied to the core section at the moment. While that is curing I'm making a small template from a piece of MDF, for routing the under-bridge cavity into the body. Oh, ordered a new mouse too.

isn't it the same as the nut you get on Gibson truss rods? You need a little socket to fit - try it with pliers and you'll mangle the soft brass up, and that would be naughty.

Not sure why the human brain feels the overriding urge to put everything into neat little compartments. Why do you think that might be? The search for order amidst the chaos of life? The need to feel you are in control of an environment beyond control or comprehension? These are the deeper questions behind your crule attack on te Chapman stick. It's just another instrument.

Good work, young Padwan. You are ready to progress to the next level.

[quote name='kingforaday' post='397159' date='Feb 1 2009, 07:52 PM']try [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Guitar-Parts-FRET-LEVELING-DRESSING-KIT-Luthier-Tools_W0QQitemZ110345236660QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item110345236660&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308"]this[/url] i've used it and it worked out pretty well for me, gets pretty good reviews from others online too[/quote] this got a real slating on a luthiers forum too. If you want to clean/polish the frets then ok but to do any sensible levelling work to help improve the action, then i think its too short to do a decent job. I use a perfectly flat piece of hardwood, 8" long, 3" wide and an inch thick, and wrap some wet'n'dry emery around it. Once you check the fretboard all over with a good long level edge, mark up the high spots with a felt pen. then get to work with the sanding block. Once this is done, then i have a crowning file I bought off the internet to put the dome back on the frets. I learnt this from a weekend set up class I went to a few years ago, run by patrick Eggle, and boy does he make some superb acoustics. Eggle has a neat trick for fret polishing which I use all the time. He wraps a clean rag or 1/2 an old t-shirt really tightly round a cork sanding block and rubs on some of that abrasive polishing stick used for buffing wheels, then a minute or two hard rubbing up and down the fretboard gives a beautiful gleaming result with many of the fine scratches and shallow dings rubbed smooth. Feels like a new instrument.

Banzai Effects have a cream fluted 'eagle' knob but no picture - check it out here: [url="http://www.banzaieffects.com/Fluted-c-1097.html"]http://www.banzaieffects.com/Fluted-c-1097.html[/url] If it compares with the pics of the black fluted eagle knobs then you'll be ok. They also have the intiguingly named Nice Knob - Nicey in cream but again sadly no picture. [url="http://www.banzaieffects.com/Nice-Knob-NICEY-Cream-pr-31123.html"]http://www.banzaieffects.com/Nice-Knob-NIC...m-pr-31123.html[/url] Looks like those Small Bear ones would fit the bill.

Pedal parts Plus, thats the website. [url="http://www.pedalpartsplus.com/"]http://www.pedalpartsplus.com/[/url] Sorry they don't have this sort either, they have something that may be close enough if you really need cream knobs

[quote name='Mikey R' post='397537' date='Feb 2 2009, 08:51 AM']huh!? [/quote] [quote]...sadly with a fizzle and a splutter my poor old black and decker mouse finally gave up the ghost after years of faithful hard service. The mouse gave his all to this build but sadly the shaping and smoothing of the maple neck eventually proved too much for its weak little heart.[/quote]

Not something that RS Components, Maplins or the usual online guitar parts outlets have. What is that specialist US site that deals only with stompbox parts and spares? Sorry can't remember the url but that may be your best bet. There was a thread on the forum recently mentioning it.

Priceless!

Heh, hope its better than my late night drawing....

I reckon this should do it using only a spdt switch. In 'bypass' mode the signal goes direct from input to send and direct from return to output jack. When loop is switched on, the return signal can be fed back into the send jack via the pot. hence this gives you the loop with no need for the true bypass switch - after all, the effects boxes themselves have an off switch you can use if you don't want the sound in the loop.

Sorry, I see the confusion - I said 'don't leave it unlacquered' - I should have said 'Don't leave it raw, unfinished'. I love a tru-oil neck, much nicer than lacquer. I would not bother with lacquer and if you tru-oil it then there is no need for lacquer. Just a few thin coats rubbed in to seal the surface of the wood.

Its a funny old thing ain't it, the 3001? Headstock too big, body a bit small, sort of like an awkward adolescent. I can only live with all the quirky Ric design stuff when they manage to come up with a pleasing and inspiring iconic design like the 4001/3. For me, there is nothing finer, but the other ric stuff, well it leaves me cold, just looking at all the substandard design errors that keep them 'special' whereas most companies would have progressed, improved and sorted out all the little shortfalls over the years. rickenbacker have maintained a tight business and loyal (to the point of religius fervour) following by sticking to their guns, so good for them. I guess thats why I'm still scratching around in my garage with a dead mouse whittling away bits of maple all weekend...

Well that's a huge compliment but I would never put my amateur garage work in the same level as the marvellous crafted instruments coming out of the Shuker workshops. 'Baker's coming along slowly. Some more work on the neck heel and headstock today but sadly with a fizzle and a splutter my poor old black and decker mouse finally gave up the ghost after years of faithful hard service. I held a short memorial ceremony this afternoon as the snow fell in the back garden and I laid it quietly to rest. The mouse gave his all to this build but sadly the shaping and smoothing of the maple neck eventually proved too much for its weak little heart.

For someone who doesn't want to spend too much this is expensive advice, I reckon. Status graphite neck and warmoth body = £$£$£$£$£. If you want to get into doing some custom stuff, then why not start with a second hand cortina not an AC Cobra. Hunt round Ebay - get a squier JB body, pay a bit more for a decent wooden neck but not a new one, get used to working with the material, neck fitting and setting up. Then when you're confident go for a more expensive quality pairing and resell the old one back on ebay.

I'd have no issues sanding shallow scratches out of a maple neck. If your sandpaper is really fine then you'll spend hours getting nowhere. Start at 200 grit and go thru 400, 600 then 800 or finer, or finish with a scotchbrite fine sanding pad, but don't leave it unlacquered to soak up sweat, grease, beer spills, who knows what. Wipe on 3 to 5 thin coats of Tru-Oil, cure between coats and then buff up with 0000 wire wool. Luverly.

Good grief! You can buy a new one for less than the postage. I asked the screw seller if theres any discount for multiple purchases. Some people really are complete knobheads. really.

Here's Jake's A/B box: LED indicators, true bypass, can be used in reverse.

Simply stunning instrument - Alan has outdone himself again, I love the fretboard. If only God had given me more fingers....

Some more shaping on the neck and headstock. [Rolf]Can you tell what it is yet?[/Rolf]