Another one just finished. Black with metallic silver pore filler....I call it the "Silver Mine". Ash body, roasted maple neck, SS frets...blah, blah, blah ..read more

Built this one to spec for a client in California. I want to thank @pshupe for his generous assistance with plans, dimensions and CAD genius! This one is shaped and dimension-ed to '58 spec. But that's where the historic accuracy ends. Honduras mahogany body and neck, African blackwood fretboard and headstock overlay. 1/4" thick double stained quilted maple top. 6105 stainless steel frets and binding on the body, neck and headstock. Client's initials inlaid in white mother of pearl... Read more ..read more

Over the years, on several guitars, I have replaced many Gibson pieces with Faber hardware. I always had some help finding the correct parts, and I have been thrilled with the outcome every time. I love the locking bridge posts. Now that I have a prospective Les Paul Junior mod/build bouncing around in the back of my mind, I’m on the Faber website again. Is it just me? Or is their website confusing? I mean, I know a little about a Tune-O-Matic. But trying to figure out which part is the... Read more ..read more

I'm going to build one of these: With this: All of the parts are as premium as is available. All of the hardware is from Allied Plating just like the Historic. I chose Antiquities because I believe they sound more like a PAF than the Custombuckers do. One non-traditional touch is that rather than putting a tune-o-matic bridge in the korina I'm going to plug the holes with braz and use a Gibby Historic ABR1. Once this one is finished I plan to really do it up... Read more ..read more

On a Les Paul Junior, for instance, what would be the best way to replace the wrap tailpiece with a Tune-O-Matic bridge stop tailpiece? To do the job completely and thoroughly, the wrap tail bushings would need to be extracted from the body. Holes would have to be doweled, and then re-drilled for bridge studs. And then, two new holes drilled for inserts for the stop tailpiece. So I started wondering, has anyone created something that would thread into the wrap tail bushing insert that... Read more ..read more

Numpty amateur here, hoping for some advice. I believe it's ok to spray nitro over poly, can an expert please confirm? If so, is there anything special I need to do as prep other than stripping the guitar of hardware and pups, getting rid of dirt / oils and polish using naptha and masking off the fretboard? I'm hoping that as the existing finish is decent it's just a matter of 6-8 coats to build it, flat-sand, 2-4 more coats then careful wet sanding and buff/polish. Does that sound right... Read more ..read more

I'll try to make this story as short as possible: My pops worked with a dear friend (Patrick) as a butcher at Gemco back in the 70's-80's and I just heard from him as he just found out my pops passed away, and he asked if I was still playing guitar. Patrick used to moonlight at Charvel in the late 70's as a tech and eventually had his own side business for guitar repair and such. He was telling me he doesn't work on guitars anymore and he has some Charvel necks from the late 70'' and tons... Read more ..read more

So finally it happened: found the time and patience to finish an old project installing and comparing new saddles on various bridges for my Les Pauls. I started with a 2013 Goldtop and a 2015 Traditional and was in for a real big surprise. The material we used for these saddles remains a secret we could not unveil. These are left overs from a research project my mechanic took part in many years ago. He's retired now and when tydiing up his basement workshop found this plastic pieces and... Read more ..read more

I like to frequently go back and peruse old build threads....but is it just me or are the majority of old build threads that had photobucket hosting the photos missing ALL the photos? Those threads are severely diminished due to this. /rant ..read more

Maybe a stupid question, however I am building a burst clone and want to use the original style adhesives. Is CASCAMITE a valid option for a urea formaldehyde adhesive that is vintage-correct? Laugh at me if I deserve it, however if anyone can suggest a suitable, readily available glue please come forward ..read more