Search found 1313 matches
- Sat Nov 25, 2023 1:26 am
- Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: advise for altered approach for helping a first timer
- Replies: 19
- Views: 11663
Re: advise for altered approach for helping a first timer
Check this book out. It might turn out to be a fantastic teaching aid. I've suggested that it be added to the MIMF Amazon list, but in the meantime -- https://www.amazon.com/Building-Steel-String-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/1734125616/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3VXOD9YUBN13D&keywords=r.m.+mottola&qid=170086414...
- Wed Oct 25, 2023 6:37 pm
- Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Paper for label?
- Replies: 7
- Views: 485
Re: Paper for label?
I inkjet print them on regular copy paper, spray with rattle can lacquer, and glue with Elmer's wood glue. They will probably last as long as the instrument does, and certainly much longer than I will.
- Mon Oct 09, 2023 4:21 pm
- Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Walnut top basses
- Replies: 4
- Views: 428
Re: Walnut top basses
Thanks for the kind words, Philip. I am a physician (now retired) and along those same lines, I was taught (semi-jokingly) that when doing a procedure on an awake patient, and a mistake is made, you forcefully say "There!", instead of "oops."
- Sat Oct 07, 2023 7:02 pm
- Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Walnut top basses
- Replies: 4
- Views: 428
Re: Walnut top basses
I've inlaid coins, mostly Mexican but 2 Indian head pennies, in all the instruments I've made the last several years, mostly in the headstock. Easy to do once I matched drill bits with coin diameters.
- Thu Oct 05, 2023 1:01 pm
- Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Walnut top basses
- Replies: 4
- Views: 428
Walnut top basses
Just finished a couple of basses. The tops are single piece walnut I cut out years ago from a milling offcut. Everything on these is from stuff on hand, except the black tuners and neck plate I bought to fit with the color scheme. Bodies are chambered, alder with walnut strips, as are the necks - fr...
- Thu Sep 14, 2023 2:59 pm
- Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Leaving a smidgeon of fingerboard to meet string span
- Replies: 13
- Views: 870
Re: Leaving a smidgeon of fingerboard to meet string span
If the neck is already cut to width, I'd think you could make the bottom of the fret board the width of the neck, and bevel out to the top the 1/32 inch, which shouldn't be very noticeable, assuming the fret board to be 1/4 inch thick (arctan 0.125 = 7 degrees.)
- Fri Sep 08, 2023 8:20 pm
- Forum: Tools and Jigs
- Topic: Rust removal on flat double cut bastard file
- Replies: 2
- Views: 506
Re: Rust removal on flat double cut bastard file
I've never had that problem, but I'd think a file card would clean most of the rust between the teeth, and just filing a piece of steel would get it off the tooth ridges if needed.
- Fri Jul 21, 2023 8:12 pm
- Forum: Tools and Jigs
- Topic: Make a tight radius bending iron
- Replies: 7
- Views: 857
Re: Make a tight radius bending iron
I stuffed steel wool around my charcoal lighter to transfer heat to the pipe. Maybe it would hold the heat cartridge in place if stuffed in very tightly.
- Thu Jul 20, 2023 12:47 am
- Forum: String Instrument Repair: Practical and Political Issues
- Topic: How to repair the top of this Les Paul Standard?
- Replies: 7
- Views: 908
Re: How to repair the top of this Les Paul Standard?
I can't tell from the pics what is above or below the level of the finish. A lot of it looks like some liquid dropped on it and ran down. I guess the first thing I would do is scrape it down to the finish level, assuming a some of it is above.
- Sat Jul 01, 2023 7:18 pm
- Forum: Glues and Finishes
- Topic: Maintaining polished brass inlays on guitar body
- Replies: 8
- Views: 1750
Re: Maintaining polished brass inlays on guitar body
Maybe I'm not understanding your exact need, but I googled "polishing cloth" and this came up:
https://www.amazon.com/Cape-Metal-Polis ... B00Y7KYEQA
https://www.amazon.com/Cape-Metal-Polis ... B00Y7KYEQA
- Sun Jun 11, 2023 8:53 pm
- Forum: Tools and Jigs
- Topic: Round Files and Rasputins
- Replies: 7
- Views: 1391
- Tue May 23, 2023 4:57 pm
- Forum: Other Stringed Instruments
- Topic: What?
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1209
Re: What?
The body was from my dental hygienist, that she got at a yard sale, who knows I build instruments. She bought it because she thought it was pretty, and found out it was from an instrument, but didn't know what kind. The strings were from a 96 year old auto harp player whose harps I tune for her (she...
- Mon May 22, 2023 5:00 pm
- Forum: Other Stringed Instruments
- Topic: What?
- Replies: 3
- Views: 1209
What?
I was gifted the body of a sanshin and a set of concert ukulele strings, so made an instrument to fit. The body is an open center wooden framework with python skin stretched over it, so is sort of banjo-like with a bridge sitting on it. A proper neck is long, fretless with 3 strings - since mine had...
- Wed Apr 19, 2023 4:37 pm
- Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Replace old ply back with solid wood?
- Replies: 66
- Views: 11067
Re: Replace old ply back with solid wood?
Should I pull all the bracing and start over? If nobody else will answer this, I'll try. Yes, I would take it off and redo it more properly. It might be difficult to get the old braces off, unless you used hot hide glue. If not HHG, careful use of a chisel or small plane will be time consuming but ...
- Mon Apr 17, 2023 1:15 am
- Forum: Flat-Top Acoustic Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Replace old ply back with solid wood?
- Replies: 66
- Views: 11067
Re: Replace old ply back with solid wood?
I think that besides the x brace being too thick and probably too high, the center of the x is placed too far toward the tail, toward the most resonant part of the top, and the vertical angle of the x needs to be widened, again to avoid the most resonant area.
- Fri Apr 07, 2023 12:55 am
- Forum: Electronics
- Topic: locating cuase of buzz/hum.
- Replies: 5
- Views: 2327
Re: locating cuase of buzz/hum.
I have found this article helpful in the past:
https://www.prosoundweb.com/eliminating ... c-guitars/
and especially love this pic.

https://www.prosoundweb.com/eliminating ... c-guitars/
and especially love this pic.

- Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:26 pm
- Forum: Classified Ads
- Topic: SS guitar sets for sale
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1764
Re: SS guitar sets for sale
I have to email photos as I do not know how to post pictures on the site Instructions here: https://www.mimf.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1656 If you have them sized, it's really quite simple (from a computer - I don't know about phones as I am not smart enough to use one.) Go to full editor ...
- Fri Feb 03, 2023 9:41 pm
- Forum: Classified Ads
- Topic: WANTED: Waterslide decal
- Replies: 7
- Views: 1628
Re: WANTED: Waterslide decal
I've done the same, then sprayed with nitro (or whatever) for protection against moisture.
- Thu Nov 17, 2022 1:53 am
- Forum: Jam Session
- Topic: Harmonica repair info/forum wanted
- Replies: 8
- Views: 2489
Re: Harmonica repair info/forum wanted
Hi Eric My first acoustic bass was a real wierdo that I designed myself without much knowledge or experience. I learned a lot from it, and it sounds pretty good, but is an ergonomic failure as to ease of holding it while playing. It is most comfortable upright, but is too low off the ground (even pl...
- Thu Nov 17, 2022 1:35 am
- Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
- Topic: Archtop as a concept for acoustic bass guitar?
- Replies: 33
- Views: 33137
Re: Archtop as a concept for acoustic bass guitar?
I had the same problem with the bass I just finished, with the outer wrapping on the E string about 1/2" short of the nut, so had to add an extension to the tailpiece.