Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Broken Parts ... *sigh*

I was finishing the mock up of the contest snare last night and saw that the Nickelworks strainer was broken. So, much for bulletproof plastic, eh? Oh well, I'll be making a phone call to Drummaker today to get the problem resolved. You can see the crack along the threaded holes. Also, how much grease is too much? This thing is actually dripping goo on my table, floor, toolbox ... I don't think it'll ever squeak.




Sunday, July 22, 2007

Guitar is Finished!!!

Woohoo the guitar if finally finished. I took it over to Sam Ash and they played it for me to see how it sounded and to make sure the action was correct. Here's how that happened ... for some reason I never received a truss rod wrench to adjust the truss rod. So, I called Sam Ash to see if they sold them. Teresa said that she didn't have any to sell, but they have a bunch behind the counter and to bring in the neck and she'd hook me up with one. I did ... she did ... problem solved free of charge. Teresa then asked when the guitar would be finished due to she loved the color of the headstock. I told her that it would be finished tomorrow sometime (Sunday). She then asked if I could bring it by for her to see the finished product and of course I said "Hell Ya!" She played it a bit, then this other kid played the snot out of it, even dropped D'd it and play some dirty speed metal with it. That kid said he loved it and about 4 other customers wanted me to build them one. Not too shabby considering I don't even play the guitar, eh?

So ... Jeff will be the proud player of this beast for a while. I'd like someone to actually play it and let me know what needs adjusting (truss rod bow, action, pick-up heights, pole heights). I just set it up using some average numbers I found in some research (Fender, PRS, Gibson).

There are a few finish problems that need fixing, but I'll get to those sometime. It took me about 6 years to build it, why rush now? Enjoy the pictures ...





Sunday, July 15, 2007

Wiring Diagram


Help ... how do I make this a volume, volume, tone?




Tuesday, July 3, 2007

New Logos

Okay so I've decided on 2 of the logos out of the 12 or so I made. And here they are ...

#1


#2
I'm very partial to #2 due to it just has that bit more pop to it. Thank you to Stacy for suggesting the negative space idea. It will have to be perfected just a bit more, nothing very noticeable. Stacy suggested lengthening the "L" so the black part under the 'st' will show a bit more and perhaps pushing the arch of the 'L' to the left of the circle just a bit too.
Guitar update:
The body clear coat is finished. To be honest I almost don't have to do any level sanding. I now have to wait 2 weeks before I can buff/polish, but that won't be hard due to I'm going up to Elkhart this weekend and I'm clear coating the guitar neck next week. Can't wait to start assembling the electronics in the body. I'm guessing the neck will take me another week or 2 to finish the clear coat on that. Then I get to try my hand at leveling the frets. Then final assembly begins. Get ready Jeff!!! I want this thing thoroughly tested! Still don't know if I'm going to sell it or not. I'll have to keep you all posted on that decision.
Drum update:
I'm really considering making another drum to try and sell. This is in the hopes of starting a hobby business. I really don't know what else to call it. I would like to sell the drum and have it pay for the next one and possibly make some money on the side to help pay off some credit cards. I'll just have to make one and try to sell it and see what it goes for. I feel I have some talent in this field and that I could make some money over the years to possibly get myself out of credit card debt. The 'business' isn't going to be that grandiose by any stretch of the imagination, I'm hoping to sell about 5-6 a year. I'm in the process of pricing parts and seeing how to keep quality at a high standard but keep my cost low (every businesses nightmare and challenge). Wish me luck and I'll be seeking help from most of you out there. So be ready to be bombarded by questions, and to have a drum thrust into your hands for tuning, layout problems, and testing. I'm taking all base color idea now, so start submitting. Oh ... and Brent's drum, Bloodshot, is a one of a kind. I've decided already to retire that pattern. The only one that I'll make that pattern for again is Brent if he ever needed a replacement or a buddy for Bloodshot or if he'd like to try his hand at making his own Bloodshot clone.
I think the next drum is going to be gloss black with a mirror chrome pattern, and 3" tube lugs. How's that sound to everyone? Very classic clean look that I feel will sell fast. What is everyones opinion on that?

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Guitar Neck

I started to finish the guitar neck this weekend. First, I did some level sanding on the guitar body, then added 2 more coats of clear. I'm guessing another 2 coats is all that I'll get out of the can, and I'll let it cure for a few weeks then level sand again and polish it up. (So ready for the body to be finished).

The neck, I put 2 coats of brushed on sand and sealer. I'll let that cure a few days and level sand that nice and smooth then start putting on the spray on satin nitro clear. The satin will be interesting, I've never worked with satin clear coat before.

Sorry, no picks of this activity, nothing really to show. I'll start with the pictures again once the body electronics start being put in. I can't wait for that stage. That means I need to start researching wiring diagrams for my 5 way switch and pick-ups. Let the swear fest begin!!

Jeff had me work on a logo for him and his guitar (check out his blog to see it). I stopped by the sign shop to talk with Ted about the cost to get a few cut out in vinyl. He wasn't there, so I'll have to give him a call on Monday, DOH! I'm going to guess the cost is going to be around $15 - $20, we'll see if my estimate is correct. I must say now I want to make some sort of logo for myself. I'm thinking of making a few drums to sell on eBay and it would be nice to incorporate some sort of logo in case I want to continue doing this as a small hobby business. I'm also going to put the new logo on the headstock of the guitar. Why not ... I have the time. I learned the hard way that nitro clear and vinyl don't mix, in fact the clear just won't stick. So, some other method of getting the logo on will be needed, I'll brain storm on that later I guess.

If anyone has any ideas for a logo for me, let me know ... right now I'm stuck. So far I have 25 fonts that I've downloaded and have no idea what to do. Just my last name? My initials? A symbol I haven't thought of yet? What defines me and my work ...

So, help me out here folks. Let the ideas start pouring in.

And ... go!!!!