Search found 285 matches

by Chris Richards
Fri Jun 04, 2021 5:32 am
Forum: Other Stringed Instruments
Topic: HG wheel surfaces
Replies: 5
Views: 7638

Re: HG wheel surfaces

I have built a couple of HGs and when you get to this stage it can be very frustrating because they're a very difficult instrument to set up. The wheel should be sanded smooth and a very small radius sanded on the front edge (near the keybox) really just take off the sharp edge, I don't know what tu...
by Chris Richards
Sun Sep 01, 2019 5:58 am
Forum: Other Stringed Instruments
Topic: Building my 3rd Hurdy Gurdy
Replies: 4
Views: 7800

Re: Building my 3rd Hurdy Gurdy

Most Hurdy Gurdys I've seen have around a 350mm scale length, anything shorter and it gets difficult to fit in the higher keys, the final few keys are not actually in the correct tuning positions, they are cranked to allow them to work and the final tuning is done by adjusting the tangents. I would ...
by Chris Richards
Thu Aug 01, 2019 9:53 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: neck installation - drilling holes
Replies: 8
Views: 9128

Re: neck installation - drilling holes

Usually in a Fender guitar the neck screws do bite in the body by a fraction, some neck screws are threaded all the way to the head and in which case I would drill the clearance hole 0.5mm smaller than the outside diameter of the thread, if the screws have a shank (unthreaded part) then drill the ho...
by Chris Richards
Thu Jul 11, 2019 5:47 am
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: Gold Top Paint Cracking while aging, not checking
Replies: 3
Views: 6097

Re: Gold Top Paint Cracking while aging, not checking

I feel your pain!...I do a lot of relic guitar finishes and it's always quite "hit and miss", some go really well and others just don't behave. I don't know what the Stewmac lacquer is but I always use nitro cellulose and a make that is low in plasticisers. I don't like using the pipe free...
by Chris Richards
Wed Jun 19, 2019 7:34 pm
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: Cellulose finish problems
Replies: 6
Views: 5979

Re: Cellulose finish problems

Thank you so much for the advice, you wouldn't see this problem if the colours were lighter and therefore I suspect that I'm actually getting this issue with every finish that I'm doing but on the lighter colours I'm not seeing it. Is there an issue with cutting back and polishing the finish too soo...
by Chris Richards
Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:43 am
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: Cellulose finish problems
Replies: 6
Views: 5979

Re: Cellulose finish problems

Hi Steve, Many thanks for replying, unfortunately it's not blushing I'm familiar with that when I've sprayed paint on a humid or wet day. this fault, for want of a better theory, looks like the cutting compound has "melted" through the clear lacquer and settled on top of the colour coat, I...
by Chris Richards
Tue Jun 18, 2019 10:13 am
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: Cellulose finish problems
Replies: 6
Views: 5979

Cellulose finish problems

I'm hoping someone will have a clue what's going on here.... I've just refinished a black Les Paul in cellulose, basically the first few coats are sanding sealer sanded back, then the black colour coats again fine sanded back to an even matte finish and then clear top coats. Everything appears perfe...
by Chris Richards
Mon Apr 08, 2019 5:24 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Resizing pattern/templates.
Replies: 9
Views: 11329

Re: Resizing pattern/templates.

Actually Microsoft word is VERY good for this sort of thing, if you crop an image with a box and adjust the size to touch the edge of an image then if you use the picture tools you can actually type in the exact dimension that you want it to be (percentages are always a bit hit and miss so you can s...
by Chris Richards
Mon Mar 04, 2019 10:38 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Name That Guitar
Replies: 9
Views: 10595

Re: Name That Guitar

It's a Les Paul Signature from the 1970s I think, they came with low impedance pickups and two output jacks, a great looking guitar I think but I'd have preferred to have the normal Gibson humbuckers on it. Most were finished with a gold top and only a handful in a burst. I'd love to find one that w...
by Chris Richards
Sun Feb 03, 2019 6:17 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Lester neck thickness
Replies: 12
Views: 10147

Re: Lester neck thickness

From memory the Beauty of the Burst book, which is cover to cover '58-'60 Les Pauls has a page at the back with a bundle of dimensions from a number of Les Pauls from this era that give thickness of the neck at the 1st and 11 fret also nut width, they quoted 11th fret depth since at the 12 fret the ...
by Chris Richards
Sun Jan 27, 2019 7:10 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: A bit off fun!
Replies: 13
Views: 15150

Re: A bit off fun!

Thanks again for the comments guys! I'm liking "Catastrophe Strat" mulling over in my mind what headstock decal I could come up with around this theme?
by Chris Richards
Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:15 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: A bit off fun!
Replies: 13
Views: 15150

Re: A bit off fun!

Thanks for the comments, I like Mad Max guitar! I think my initial post lead to some confusion, I had no intention of doing a realistic relic, it was a project to experiment with different techniques. More often than not when doing a realistic relic the more complicated and accurate you try to be th...
by Chris Richards
Sat Dec 29, 2018 8:17 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: A bit off fun!
Replies: 13
Views: 15150

Re: A bit off fun!

A bit *of* fun....Grrr!
by Chris Richards
Sat Dec 29, 2018 7:32 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: A bit off fun!
Replies: 13
Views: 15150

A bit off fun!

I know most are going to hate this but sometimes you've just got to have a bit of fun! I do a lot of relic guitars and restorations where the customer wants the guitar to have an aged look, I know lots of people have differing views regarding relicing guitars, from my point of view as long as you ar...
by Chris Richards
Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:52 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: dying wood question
Replies: 7
Views: 9990

Re: dying wood question

Haven't checked back here for a while, but thank you for the continuing help...
by Chris Richards
Fri Sep 28, 2018 6:21 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: New Build Deep Purple
Replies: 9
Views: 10937

Re: New Build Deep Purple

That's a lovely looking guitar, great colour...How do you cut the binding channel with the steep edge contour on the body?
by Chris Richards
Tue Sep 18, 2018 6:10 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: dying wood question
Replies: 7
Views: 9990

Re: dying wood question

Thanks for the help, yes I suspected that dying wood would be a waste of time, I'll try and hunt down some cheap wood as Gordon suggests..
by Chris Richards
Tue Sep 18, 2018 6:06 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: New mistakes, but managed to recover
Replies: 6
Views: 7520

Re: New mistakes, but managed to recover

These sort of errors are so easily done and after all half the secrets of being a luthier is being able to cover your mistakes! BUT I would suggest ALWAYS making a full size template with the neck pocket, pickup routs and bridge/tailpiece holes and whatever other cavities/holes cut into it and ALWAY...
by Chris Richards
Wed Sep 12, 2018 7:28 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: dying wood question
Replies: 7
Views: 9990

dying wood question

I'm thinking of doing a guitar with somewhat of a "lute" look made from alternate strips of mahogany and maple and I wanted to put much thinner strips of wood between the strips, getting a contrast I can see may be difficult, a light wood wouldn't work because of the maple so I was going t...
by Chris Richards
Sun Aug 19, 2018 1:39 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Tried something new...Resin topped guitar.
Replies: 8
Views: 10063

Re: Tried something new...Resin topped guitar.

Hi Brian,

Yes that is something I did seriously consider but so many things went wrong while doing this guitar I was just glad to get it done and dusted in the end!

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