Search found 24 matches

by Patrick Kirkham
Mon May 27, 2013 8:10 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Multi-Scale with Strat type "tremolo" bridge?
Replies: 13
Views: 9306

Re: Multi-Scale with Strat type "tremolo" bridge?

Ned, I'm with you on patents/copyright/rights trolls, but Novax only protects his own. Seems he has a different way of figuring multiscale math and calls his "Fanned Frets". We call ours multi-scale and either figure it ourselves or Fretfind 2D and that keeps everyone happy and employable....
by Patrick Kirkham
Sat May 25, 2013 9:35 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Help with Identifying a brand logo
Replies: 9
Views: 5759

Re: Help with Identifying a brand logo

Looks like the ol' Hofner "staples" single coil pickups.
by Patrick Kirkham
Sat May 25, 2013 9:25 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Multi-Scale with Strat type "tremolo" bridge?
Replies: 13
Views: 9306

Re: Multi-Scale with Strat type "tremolo" bridge?

Not sure that such a radical "multi-scale" could be intonated with a strat bridge. Getting with fretfind for measurement is gonna be a good idea to see how much low E intonation that you're going to get out of that bridge. A measure from low E 12th fret to low E bridgepiece range-of-travel...
by Patrick Kirkham
Sat Mar 30, 2013 9:56 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Whats your favorite fingerboard radius for building electric guitar necks?
Replies: 14
Views: 10081

Re: Whats your favorite fingerboard radius for building electric guitar necks?

I grew up with classical guitars hanging around the house, then got the Fenders when I was a teen. Later when I just HAD to get an Ibanez RG in the 80s I found I preferred their 16" radius and wide fretboards. Now I build my personals either 12 or 16 and wide depending on what the axe is for li...
by Patrick Kirkham
Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:58 am
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: My full-access archtop
Replies: 12
Views: 11583

Re: My full-access archtop

Very impressive. I was just watching a documentary on the Smith guitars that used to be produced here locally with their reduced heel that amounted to a glue on version of what you did. It really makes more sense to bolt on in that case. They were fighting 18 strings on a florentine cutaway flat top...
by Patrick Kirkham
Mon Mar 18, 2013 7:35 am
Forum: Jam Session
Topic: Cheap non-fuctional tuners
Replies: 11
Views: 12571

Re: Cheap non-fuctional tuners

Tuner shapes cut from 1/4 inch ply, probably use a pattern and make it 3 a side so you can dupe a bunch.
Glue on, paint silver. Cut some 1/4 inch rod stock for the part poking thru face of headstock, drill, glue, drive em in.
by Patrick Kirkham
Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:49 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Guitar tuned in fifths research
Replies: 15
Views: 10975

Re: Guitar tuned in fifths research

Interesting project. The tuning is that of Fripps Guitar Craft projects. Unlike the guitars he commissioned from Ovation, you are headed the right direction with multi-scale. As near as I can see twist warping over time could be fought with carbon fiber rod reinforcement on either side of the truss....
by Patrick Kirkham
Sun Dec 30, 2012 11:17 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: need help ID'ing this bass
Replies: 9
Views: 7070

Re: need help ID'ing this bass

Yeah it'd be quicker to build from the ground up than to rip up two fine axes and expect good results. I've seen ebay kits from time to time. None at the moment. But that might even be quicker. I mean once you have a doubleneck, it kinda collects dust. Heavy and not a go-to instrument. It would hurt...
by Patrick Kirkham
Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:23 pm
Forum: Wood and Materials Q&A
Topic: Is cherry good for a fretboard?
Replies: 23
Views: 24431

Re: Is cherry good for a fretboard?

I wonder if soaking some epoxy, c.a. waterbourne urethane in with a vacuum bag might make his cherry at least as useful as a synthetic for his purpose at hand. Probably machine easier.It's bound to make something nice in some way compared to the synthetic, either aesthetically or possibly, tonally.
by Patrick Kirkham
Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:59 pm
Forum: Wood and Materials Q&A
Topic: Celtic Knots and Interlaced Patterns
Replies: 4
Views: 4979

Re: Celtic Knots and Interlaced Patterns

That's really cool. I had just learned how to do it by hand with a grid.
by Patrick Kirkham
Fri Dec 07, 2012 8:25 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Electric Guitar Bridges - Which is best?
Replies: 30
Views: 19576

Re: Electric Guitar Bridges - Which is best?

My favorite bridges are the ones that do not cause discomfort to my playing style, intonate the strings to the frets as well as can be expected and make as much contact with the wood as possible. Here's why; I picture a pie chart attributing the cause of tone of an ELECTRIC guitar to be 95% pickup,4...
by Patrick Kirkham
Wed Dec 05, 2012 10:19 pm
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Fan Frets for Lap Steels
Replies: 10
Views: 7015

Re: Fan Frets for Lap Steels

Not to purposefully add a sour note, but, try not to refer to a Multi-scale instrument as having fanned frets. Novax takes exception to their Fanned-Fret® system which they claim is rendered differently than when we use Fret-find 2d or whatever. I had this discussion via email a few years ago with t...
by Patrick Kirkham
Wed May 09, 2012 7:36 am
Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Domestic Woods for Fingerboards
Replies: 33
Views: 32572

Re: Domestic Woods for Fingerboards

This thread ties into some thoughts I've been having about using various non traditonal woods by saturating them with CA, epoxy, urethane or whatever's appropriate in a vacuum bag. It came from a line of thought about toughening the lighter of materials selected for a "melted" fretboard al...
by Patrick Kirkham
Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:28 am
Forum: Wood and Materials Q&A
Topic: is tradtion holding us back wood wise?
Replies: 62
Views: 46851

Re: is tradtion holding us back wood wise?

I think trying to market non-traditional tonewood to traditionalist markets like classical and blues might be a fools errand but... There is a lot to be said for playing with materials for other markets. Even classical guitars are starting to play with aluminum and CF honeycomb sandwich tops. Elsewh...
by Patrick Kirkham
Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:53 am
Forum: Tools and Jigs
Topic: Dust collectors to stay away from?
Replies: 24
Views: 23792

Re: Dust collectors to stay away from?

Quick n somewhat clean method for filtering shop vacs: Run a bit of straight pipe out the exhaust,pull an old sock over it and duct tape. Pull another half over that and tape.Pull another half over that and tape. Any more seem to load the motor. Takes care of fine particulate nicely.Change frequentl...
by Patrick Kirkham
Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:42 am
Forum: Tools and Jigs
Topic: Essential tools for traveling musicians-What do you take?
Replies: 8
Views: 9007

Re: Essential tools for traveling musicians-What do you take?

Set of hex wrenches, soldering iron, solder, braid,small box end wrench set, Leatherman supertool, CA,electrical and duct tape, spare jacks, spare strings,spare tubes,fuses,batteries,picks...hemostats,beer opener.
The Leatherman probably covers 50% of my needs .
by Patrick Kirkham
Mon Apr 09, 2012 7:40 pm
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: Hard finish for maple fretboards?
Replies: 3
Views: 3926

Re: Hard finish for maple fretboards?

I use Rustoleum Varathane Diamond Coat floor finish. Water based acrylic urethane. Shoots straight out of the can. Tough? I put it on fretless necks that have lasted for years with barely a scratch, using round-wound strings. Seems to work nicely on fretted maple necks as well.
by Patrick Kirkham
Sat Mar 17, 2012 4:58 pm
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: New/old build
Replies: 6
Views: 7494

Re: New/old build

Say, now that has some mojo. I notice it has a nice humane fingerboard width, which makes it more comfortable than the last "Wyman" Vox paddle I played. More shots would be welcome.Soundfiles too. What scale did you build it to?
by Patrick Kirkham
Mon Mar 12, 2012 6:50 am
Forum: Tools and Jigs
Topic: Free CAD software for Windows 7?
Replies: 12
Views: 17806

Re: Free CAD software for Windows 7?

I've used Qcad for it's cross-platform, Windows / Linux versions and its Autocad file output, but only because I'm used to it's simplicity. I haven't tried it but theres a new,Free, cross-platform Autocad workalike with .dwg output, Draftsight. http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/overview/ Looks ...
by Patrick Kirkham
Fri Mar 09, 2012 7:48 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Jim Bonnell's distressed electric
Replies: 20
Views: 21134

Re: Jim Bonnell's distressed electric

Nice one man. Kind of makes me think of Trussart. The body is one of my favorites. My baritone/synth has an Asian L.P. bod cut like that. Relicing and distressing are o.k. ( especially when you drop stuff on the build, whoops!)

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