Build #2: Postponed

I don't want to slam a company or their product, but in this case, I have no choice.

The Albatross Explorer DIY kit that I purchased turned out to be a bust.  The neck pocket was routed like garbage... a waste of $150.  Judging by the review that popped up on amazon after I purchased, it doesn't seem this was a one off situation.

To see how crappy it was, see the photos below (the red lines represent what the proper pocket angle should be).

Build #1: First coat of primer

So, finally, got to lay a coat of paint down.   This post is going to be all photos.  Enjoy!

My ghetto suspension hooks

Build #1: Baby steps of progress and build plan changes

So, I have sealed the guitar, sanded it down, and it was still rough, so I've been going back over it with 400 grit.   I am now covered in white powder [insert cocaine joke here].  Here are some photos of the progress:

After sealer applied 

75% sanded

Once the sanding is done, I'll be able to tape it up, paint it, and finish assembling it.

To finish it, I have made a build plan change.

Originally I purchased MetalWorks pickups to put in this guitar, however, I have decided that the black chrome would look out of place with the solid black hardware, so I am going to put traditional H4 and H4A pickups in this guitar, and use the MetalWorks pickups in Build #2 since they'll match the black chrome hardware I purchased for it.

The new pickups going in this guitar look a little like this:

Build #2: Beginning Phase

So, as I finish up the first build (I'm crossing my fingers that it will be this weekend), I already have a plan for the next build.

The guitar:  An Explorer style guitar (Gibson style, not ESP)

The plan:

Paint:  Flat Black
Pickguard: Black Diamond Plate
Hardware: Black nickle bridge and tuning machines
Pickups:  EMG MetalWorks H4 & H4A Black Chrome (I'm going to use standard H4 and H4A in the Les Paul instead, since the black matches the solid black hardware better)

This is going to be a black on black guitar... It'll look pretty sweet when all is said and done.

It'll look something like this:

Build #1: Sanding commenced.

Well, I have begun sanding and filling on the Les Paul.

I've gone over it with 220 grit, going to hit it with 320 and 400 grit, then apply grain filler, sand again with 400 and spray the primer coat.

Once the primer is painted, I'll paint the back of the guitar with the satin black.

This will be followed with spraying the front with the orange.

Once the black and orange paints are dry, I'll hit it with clearcoat, buff it and finish assembly.

Getting closer and closer, its getting exciting.

In the mean time, here are a couple of new songs to hold you over:

"Brave this Storm" - Trivium

"Strife" - Trivium

Build #1: Finally, Some progress

As I mentioned in my earlier post, today I got the headstock done, thanks to my boss' husband John.

Here is the final product:

Now, the next step was attaching the neck to the body.  Thanks to a generous amount of glue and some clamps, I am one step closer to having a functional guitar!

So now, its a matter of waiting for the glue to set.  Luckily, since the humidity has gone way down, this shouldn't take a crazy long amount of time... and then I'll be able to sand, seal, prime, paint and assemble the rest of the guitar.  

Here's a song to keep you occupied in the mean time:

"That was just your Life" - Metallica

Build #1: The week is upon us

So, I stopped at guitar center Friday after work, and after playing a couple of the Les Pauls they had in stock, I became even more motivated to finish this build.

I will be getting the headstock shaped later today, and then gluing the neck to the body (already have the design penciled on the wood and ready to cut).

Once the neck has dried, I will be then preping, priming, painting, and clear coating the body.  This should hopefully all be done by Tuesday, but we'll see how things go.

Then, once the paint has finished drying, it'll be assembly / wiring time.   I'm hoping to have a finished and playable guitar by the end of the week.  :crosses fingers:

In other news, I am in the process of gathering parts for the refurbish project on my old Aria guitar.  I am thinking, rather than a brightly colored finish, going with a matte navy blue finish.  That, combined with black hardware, should produce a pretty slick looking guitar.

This has turned out to be quite a long, time consuming project, but in the end, the result will be amazing.  I know I'll enjoy it.  In the mean time, here's a song to listen to:

"Throes of Perdition" - Trivium

Refurbish Project #1: Restoring my old Aria Mac 50

So, a few weeks back, when I was home at my parents house, I came across the first guitar I spent my own money to purchase (I had received one before it as a gift).

The guitar?  A blue Aria Mac 50 (like the one below)

Well.  This guitar, purchased in ~2002/2003, has seen its better days.  The metal components on the guitar are tarnished, and the original gold finish is now mostly bare metal.  The finish of the guitar is scratched and nicked all over the place.  Needless to say, this guitar is in need of some TLC.

While I am still on the hunt for help with shaping the headstock of my Les Paul build, I have decided to begin refurbishing this guitar and making it my own.

Plan:

Step 1:  Refinish the body.   As for color?  I'm thinking a metallic green.  Something of this nature:

Step 2:  Electronics.  This guitar is the best of both worlds, the 3 pickup configuration gives you the warm tones of a strat when in the rhythm position but also the power of a Les Paul when playing in the lead position, it provides quite a plethora of tonal ranges.  I will likely go with the hottest single coils and humbucker I can find, and cover them with plastic covers to mimic the look of an EMG with without spending a small fortune on the refurb.

Step 3: Hardware.  Since the green is a light color, I will likely be going with black hardware again.  That is a black tremelo, black tuning heads, black knobs, black cable jack surround, etc.

Step 4: Assembly.  Since this guitar is a bolt on neck, assembling it is a breeze, and setting it up will likely be straight forward as well.


Something fun to do, I suppose :P  Check back for updates

Build #1: Headstock design selected, but still looking for help shaping the headstock

Unfortunately, not many of my friends or relatives are into woodworking...  So finding someone who can help me shape the headstock has led me to a standstill on the project.

However, I have decided on the headstock design.

Inverted Les Paul "Open Book" headstock 

The design is based on the Les Paul headstock, except the top design is inverted.  This, in my opinion, produces a much sleaker / stealty design, without going too crazy.


Let me know what you think.  (Sorry, my photoshop skills aren't the greatest...

Build #1: Electronics... EMG \m/

So, a very special piece of this build arrived yesterday, the pickups.

EMG Boxes

The pickups I went with are the custom metal shop EMG H4 and H4A passive humbuckers with black chrome finish.  These pickups also came with a solderless wiring kit, pots, and cable jack... these will be a breeze to install.

These pickups are a passive equivalent of the active 81/60 combo that artists like Metallica and Slayer used.

Why EMG?  Because they are the backbone of the metal genre.

Here's a review of EMGs from a legend.

Build #1: Back to the project.

Now that the craziness of work has settled down, for the most part, I am finally able to get back to thinking about how I want to build this guitar.

My goal is to have a headstock design chosen by the end of the month.  In order to build the guitar, I need to shape the headstock, because doing this with the neck attached to the body would be next to impossible.

So, given the designs I posted in my previous post, which seems like ages ago, I have narrowed down to three to use as an inspiration.

The Paul Reed Smith style

The ESP/LTD flag style

The Dean Hardtail style

I know that this guitar is a Les Paul style guitar, and not going with the open book Gibson/Epiphone style headstock can be considered sacrilegious by some Les Paul purists, I really do like unorthodox stylings (why else would I be going with a hot rod engine orange color?)

I want something that looks powerful, looks metal, and looks cool.  So, using the above three as an influence, I hope I'll come up with some cool options, that you guys can vote on.

Rock on.

Build #1: Well, lookee here

Paint has arrived. (well earlier today, but my schedule has been quite goofy lately)

Now, I just need to pick up some other finishing supplies, shape the headstock, set the neck, paint and assemble.

No big deal.

Updates coming soon.

Build #1: Headstock shapes

Well, as I mentioned in my previous post, the next major detail to work out before assembling the guitar is:  how to shape the headstock.


There are plenty of options.  I can go with a traditional Gibson / Epiphone look:

Or something like this:

Or this:

Or this:

Or this:

So many options, what do you guys think?

Build #1: More parts arrive and headstock design ideas.

So I've gotten some more parts over the last couple days, here are the highlights:

Black Tune-o-Matic Bridge

Guitar Straps

Some strings

Headstock Signature decal

Locking tuners

Black pickup rings

Now,  as you can see in that last photo, the headstock on this kit hasn't been shaped.  This is something I have to decide on.  I could go with the traditional Gibson/Epiphone Les Paul "Open Book" headstock design:

Or I could go with something a bit more unorthodox.  

If anyone has a suggestion or idea, please let me know.

Anyways, back to work, the big roll out starts Monday.

Build 1: Feels like Christmas morning...

Well, I got the kit today.

Unfortunately, my work schedule is going to prevent me from working on it until the end of the month, most likely.

But, I will be updating as more stuff arrives.


I received two boxes today.

Box 1:  Misc. Odds and Ends (potentiometers, switch plate, cable jack, wood glue, copper tape, wood filler, etc)

Box 2:  The guitar itself :)

The rest of the stuff will be arriving over the next few days. I should have everything in hand, short of some of the finishing supplies by end of next week. But since I'll be busier than heck with a phone roll-out at work, I won't be spending much time with this until the following week.

Also, if anyone wants some chrome humbuckers, bridge, or tuning keys, I'll sell them to ya cheap :)

Thats it for now.  Back to work.  BTW, Nightwish Sucks.