My Builds

[GAR]

I crush the lemon peels with a hammer, in a rag on the concrete step of the patio, wrapped in a rag.

That is, when my girlfriend's busy and I can't crush them on her forehead.

[indeedido]

That was strangely funny!

[GAR]

She won't stop smoking! If I knew she was a smoker, I wouldn'ta gone out with her in the first place..

[jhale667]

Back on topic...

Here's the last pre-finish thing I need to do on this Musikraft body...the Floyd recess. Got templates, I just need to run it over to my buddy in Pasadena to get that done, then off for painting...(actually, the guitar-maker/artist doing the finish has offered to do the recess too, may just kill two birds with one stone in that respect)...

[GAR]

What's the big deal with recessed surface mounting.. why not just angle-off the neck shelf at 4 degrees and keep the body plain?

[jhale667]

The ability to have a flat neck pocket, lower action, and the increased range the recession offers?

[GAR]

My white 84 Kramer strat was custom, I asked for it to be back-routed but I wanted the Floyd pegs mounting the bridge up high, like 1/2" t0 9/16" above the body so I could pull back and pop strings if I wanted to - like how my Kahlers were adjusted.

Then when I got it, the bridge was so high above the body I looked at how they did it, and the neck pad had an angle to it.

Don't get me wrong, the back-routing shaded in with flat black makes a statement unto itself but because it gets dirty beneath the bridge - and that's really my only objective here against backrouting - is it provides an unnecessary maintenance issue if you could just get the pegs higher by slanting the pocket back.

Of course, for you to do this now at this stage of the game before a finish, you should ask if Musickraft can do it or whoever it was you got that from, and send it back. Because I've done others like it with the hand router from above, and haven't been too successful at it - having to fill in the shitty bit-swirlies with epoxy or Bondo.

Just call and ask if they could do it, why wreck a nice stick of wood with a backrout? Doesn't hurt to inquire first..

[jhale667]

Actually, I did ask. They don't do post-purchase services, no.
And my friend does excellent work, figure if I go with him or the paint guy (who also does his own line of guitars, in addition to custom finish and modification work for Charvel/Jackson) I'll be OK.
Ironically, I got that body just weeks before Musikraft started offering recess routs as a standard option...

[GAR]

Shame.

Is your buddy going to use a bearing-piloted template clamped to the top once it's aligned? I see you got a paper one made for him, measure once, cut twice you know..

It is easier to sand and smooth a template made of Masonite than fixing ripples in a job the guy eyeballed. I've done recess pockets by eye just by placing masking tape and following the bit to the tape line and I'm pretty damn good at this- but I've learned the hard way to just make a piece of masonite template.

Saves time, no sanding. FYI, you know maybe he's already got a template made but that's what I've gone thru to do it before. Because I'm the cheap fucker who doesn't wanna spend 15 extra dollars for the guide bearing type bit when I'll use a router twice a decade.

[jhale667]

Is your buddy going to use a bearing-piloted template clamped to the top once it's aligned?

I've actually considered purchasing the better acrylic templates from StewMac as well as their guided bit, but not sure it's worth the expense; not like I'll be doing many recessions after the fact, since I usually order them factory-routed.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Templates/1/Tremolo_Routing_Templates/Pictures.html#details

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Routing_bits/1/Ball_Bearing_Router_Bits/Details.html#details

However, you're presuming again with the next statement...

I see you got a paper one made for him

No, it's not paper. It's CNC cut 1/4" thick EUCA board. So it'll totally work if secured properly, but the guided bit is the safest way to go, agreed.

[indeedido]

Better safe than sorry. Spend the extra dough, you never know when you are going to do it again. When that strange time comes, you'll be glad you had it.

[jhale667]

True enough.

[Diamondjimi]

My white 84 Kramer strat was custom, I asked for it to be back-routed but I wanted the Floyd pegs mounting the bridge up high, like 1/2" t0 9/16" above the body so I could pull back and pop strings if I wanted to - like how my Kahlers were adjusted.

Fucking absurd.

Then when I got it, the bridge was so high above the body I looked at how they did it, and the neck pad had an angle to it.

And it looked and played like ass ,no doubt...

Don't get me wrong, the back-routing shaded in with flat black makes a statement unto itself but because it gets dirty beneath the bridge - and that's really my only objective here against backrouting -.

Since when has dirt on guitars ever bothered you Mr. Ineverpolish myguitars?

Just call and ask if they could do it, why wreck a nice stick of wood with a backrout? Doesn't hurt to inquire first..

A back rout makes perfect sense for the player who wants to pull notes sharp. Shimming a neck angle with shims as thick as roof shingles and jacking a tremolo 1/2" above the body makes about as much sense as mounting a home central air-conditioner to the roof of your car...
It's stupid and people will laugh at you... You know what I mean GARF~?

[Hardrock69]

Hey, he doesn't need to do anything but post for people to laugh at him.

[Diamondjimi]