Wil

Cheers! I'll keep 'em coming. Wasnt sure if anybody would be interested as it's not a bass Next order of business will be getting the headstock flat/even and drilling for the tuners I think.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1350721412' post='1842591'] How is that? [/quote] Exposure to nickel over a period of time can trigger nickel allergy. I'm highly allergic to nickel as a result of playing with nickel strings when I was younger, and using nickel strings now will result in my hands flaring up to the point it's too painful to play at all (and not pretty either). It's a real pain in the tits, but thanks to optima golds, painted hardware and stainless steel frets I can still play. Hooray!

Nice. I really like Letts work, it's very organic looking.

Did a volute-y thing. Might have done it backwards... oh well! Neck carve is coming on slowly with the surform rasp - it's nearly there but still needs slimming down a touch.

I was gonna say, I've wired up tons of guitars without a circuit tester or a multimeter... just follow the diagram and if it buzzes horribly afterwards, throw the soldering iron in the sink and hide under the kitchen table.

Not fond of positions 2 & 4 on my Strat. It's a bit of an 80s sound, innit?

The new Godspeed You! Black Emporer album. Powerful, emotive, atmospheric, 10 out of 10 from me. Also, Frank Zappa - Lumpy Gravy. Some amazing melodies in part 1, not sold on part 2.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1350766757' post='1843368'] oh please not the generic lift music cliche.. i hear that so many times... i dont care if its not your preference but dont palm it off in such a way [/quote] You know what they say, no smoke without fire. To me it sounded like lift music. It's the production and some of the percussion they use on the later albums, it makes me feel like I'm trapped in John Lewis. I know they're good, though, I really like the first album, some great tunes.

I like the first album, but the others I tried sounded a bit like lift music.

Today I installed the truss rod (my route had to be made deeper, which resulted in it becoming wider by accident, so a fair bit of silicone sealant went in with it to prevent rattling), measured and cut the fret slots, and glued the fingerboard to the neck. I will plane the edges of the board flush with the neck once the glue dries.

It sounds very self absorbed, but I can and do spend hours listening to stuff I've recorded, particularly if I've mixed it/arranged it rather than just played on it. I'm proud of what I make (otherwise I wouldnt spend time making it in the first place) so it's nice to sit and absorb the fruits of one's labours. Also, it's worth noting that for me at least, recorded music is more important than live music. The recording/arranging process is as much of an artform as the writing/performance, in it's own way. My current band was formed for the sole purpose of recording an album (which we've nearly done) - I've spent about a year with my mate writing songs, arranging a fair amount of the guitar, bass and piano and synth parts, then forming the band and rehearsing for the studio. By the time we're done I'll have heard the songs to death but the sheer amount of emotional investment and time that went into producing the recordings, I'd be worried if I [i]didn't[/i] want to listen to them afterwards. As it happens I absolutely can't wait to get the finished product in my hands, have a jazz cig, kick my feet up and whack some it on some good cans - I dont think I could be inspired to make music at all if it wasn't music that I was excited about listening to myself!

Very cool.

[color=#333333]Today's progress - cut the headstock angled back a few degrees, cut out the headstock itself and started shaping the neck. Lots of carving to do yet.[/color] [color=#333333]Hand saws suck and blunt spokeshaves suck even more. The handplane is now my friend again.[/color]

MTD? Wal?

Jointing the body wings with the handplane, before: After: The walnut is very nice to work with, and leaves a glassy smooth surface after planing. I've always loved the look of walnut so I'm pleased it responds well to being worked by a novice like myself! Routing for the truss rod: Routing was something that I've never done before and filled me with terror somewhat. It was easier than I thought though. It turned out a little messy in a few places, but it's nothing I cant touch up with some glue/sawdust mixed together as filler I reckon. The headstock will be angled back eventually, at which point I'll drill through under where the nut will sit to make space for the truss rod adjustment nut. Also started rough cutting the body wings to shape tonight: I'm doing all the rough cutting with a £15 B&Q jigsaw with a good quality hardwood blade. A bandsaw would be better, but it would cost a fair bit more!

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1349956583' post='1832648'] Last time this happened (Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes) they invented punk to put a stop to it. [/quote] I don't know about Pink Floyd or Yes, but Genesis didn't start putting out sh*t records until after punk happened

Impossible to judge without the drum track alongside, what sounds like a timing imperfection in isolation might be the backbone of the groove.

I went for a dual action truss rod that doesn't require a curved channel, so in theory all I need to worry about is getting it straight. I hope!

I've started work on this now after procuring some tools. So far I've made some progress on the neck blank, cutting away the bulk of the wood at the sides with a jigsaw and using a #4 handplane to achieve smooth straight edges. It's a learning experience as I've not done any woodworking since school, and I recall being rubbish at it then! [url="http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/550479_10151047128802056_1013434081_n.jpg"][/url] [url="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/431765_10151047129152056_1378988792_n.jpg"][/url] [url="http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/550766_10151051490142056_1971219927_n.jpg"][/url] Coming on, anyway. Once I've squared up the sides and top of the blank I'll think about routing for the trussrod. Gulp.

Have fun. I still reckon the best gig I've ever been to was Radiohead in 2000 during their big top tour.

I bought Ian's Mooer Pitchbox. Very smooth transaction, excellent comms and the item was well packed and posted quickly. I've dealt with Ian before and wouldn't hesitate to do so again.

I think Brian Wilson was undoubtedly a genius at his peak. That was in the 60s, though. It's uncomfortable to see him on stage now, not just because he looks frail but because his voice is totally shot (the amount of autotune used for his live shows recently is obscene). I watched some of their recent shows online and his voice sounded almost as digital as the horrific DX7 electric piano sounds they were using. As for the Beach Boys, they will never be the same without Carl and Dennis and even then they should probably have packed it in at the end of the 70s, IMO.

Apparently he heard Strawberry Fields on the radio in his car, pulled over and thought "that's it, they've beaten me to it" or something to that effect. Maybe the straw that broke the camel's back?

This week it's been: Peter Gabriel I & II Wisp - The Shimmering Hour Beach Boys - Surf's Up