WOW!  Very nice Michael

Thank you John, Richard and Drew. I appreciate the kudos.
 
Well I got the setup done this evening. I missed the weight a little...
wanted 7.5lbs or under and it hit 7.75. Under 8 so I'm pleased.
 
Hate to mention how it turned out because as the craftsman I'd sound bad.
As a guitarist I enjoyed playing it and had no complaints and thought the
neck/fretboard action was top shelf. If Tony doesn't like it...:) I'll sure put
it through the paces.
 
Seems like my photography skills are getting worse but here's the end of the trail.
 
I did make another humbucker for it. I wanted a 7.2 or under and got 7.1.
The volume pot is a push-pull- pull for coil split.
 
My thanks to everyone for helping make this a very fun build and the support is a blessing.
No. 8 over and out. :)
 

OMG!
That is one beautiful guitar....
I love seeing your builds. They are top notch......I love the color and your new shiny Logo and just the over all product....I also love the fact that you olied it instead of Spray Laquer ........I actually do not like that process at all.....I had a custom classical guitar built for me and the luthier had a very hard time NOT putting a tint in the finish......It took me six months to convince him not to....and I love the fact that I can still see the beautiful wood and not some tint to make it look old. Also I could not get him to NOT laquuer it.....but I did get him to use a very thin coat of it...so you can still see the pours of the wood which I love.......The only mistake I made with that instrument is I had him do a 640 mm scale length instead of a 650 mm which would have been leagues better......really would have......but oh well...I will live....I love that guitar!!!
 
If I played for a living and could justify having you build me one we would be talking....but for now just drooling will have to do.....VERY NICE JOB!!!!!!
 
Clifford

Thank you Craig and Steve!
 
Thank you Clifford!
The owner picked out the wood from what I had on hand and made the calls.
I mentioned different hardware choices and pickup considerations with reason but
it is what he wanted.
I'm just glad that it turned out nice enough for me to let him have it.
Thanks again for the kind words Clifford.
 
I always mention what went wrong or could have been a major failure....so....
 
For the jack it takes two holes as I inset the socket. I drill a 1" to about 2mm and then
a 7/8" inside of it for the electrosocket to set. I've been doing it freehand with great results
but on this one the bits wanted to walk for whatever reason ( I think wood grain) but I will be
building a jig and using the drill press in the future. Yep I got lucky this time when things went south.
 
While routering out the control cavity I had to stop and take care of something- when I started
to complete it I placed the bit in the hole I had stopped in and hit the start button...!!!...it started
hammering and raising holly hell and my reaction was to lift it up and very fast. Got lucky again that
the bit didn't touch either side of the cavity and ruin the top. I'll never start the router with the bit
in a hole again.
 
 

Bat I think it is a great bridge.
It is made in Taiwan.
The saddle adjustment is a rotating cylinder. There are two allen screws- one locks the roller
in place and one rolls it which in turn raises or lowers the string...very smooth and great for setting
string height. The angle of the two allen screws is different but once you have that...easy.
The saddle has a very small allen head bolt that locks the saddle down after intonation set. NOTE- it
has a small teflon washer. Easy to lose if you're not expecting it.
Numerous holes for saddle lock-down bolts. (smart)
Their claim of energy transfer via "full contact" ? I don't know but it seems it would be as the saddles set flush on the bridge plate and lock down.
The feel of saddles while playing can't be beat. Excellent feel. Nothing to pinch or complain about.
It has the three and four hole mounting options.
The saddle intonation adj. screws are threaded nicely into saddles. The springs are sized so good
idea to keep parts matched-up when disassembling.
 
 
Things I don't like;
I don't like the finish on the plate - but it's great on the saddles. Extra care must be taken when
cleaning the plate- very easy to put hair-line scratches. I use a cloth that I would use for cleaning
eyeglasses.
I don't like the logo being on the plate - but that's opinion.
Biggy- I don't like that it doesn't have the two corner mounting holes/screws.
I wish it had an additional plate for added height. ( like the Schaller) - nice option to have when building- probably no issue for replacement use.
 
Of interest;
Top load is about $30.00 cheaper than through the body model.
Base plate finish issue I've experienced with chrome and gold. Haven't used black.
 
 Addition...don't know if it matters but I loosen the string to raise the height. I take the pressure off
to relieve torque on the little allen screw...don't want to strip anything. Lowering is no concern.
 
(Oops....thank you Bat!)

That guitar has 2 serious issues.
 
1) It's not left handed.
 
2) It's not mine!
 
 
Randy

Drew I've walked in the house and my wife, in a voice she uses when she knows that "the other guy", known as spacey, has shown...and asks, "what happened now?".
The look I get from being part of a "horror movie" and the knots in my stomach can sometimes take
some time to overcome.
Every single little thing during a build can blow the whole thing...in a heartbeat.
 
Randy...that's why they make mirrors. The other...no solution...they are one of a kinds. :)
 
Bat- don't take my opinion of the plate finish to heart..my wife says I'm to picky...and I'm old enough
to know how chrome use to be on car bumpers LOL. Back when they knew how to chrome plate ;)