Is that just reflection I'm seeing on the pickups in the last photo
Having seen various embarrassing photos in which something unintended for the photo is caught in a reflection from something in the photo - you had me worried for a second there
😆
It's just a reflection of my tool board which is fixed to the wall at the edge of that workbench!
Thanks for the kind words. Just spent an hour or two sorting out a high spot on a fret, then polishing the frets, cutting the nut, and getting the intonation right. Also fed the fretboard a load of lemon oil as that seemed to be quite dry. Leaving it to settle again for an hour or two, final tweaks (including finding a replacement top E as the original one snapped when I was cutting the nut slot), and then it's good to go!
Finally, I got something finished.
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To complete this thread ...
I found the spare top E string, and spent a day or two (on and off) tweaking the set-up, adjusting the truss rod as the nut settled, fine-tuning the intonation (with a tuner!!), and generally getting it completely done.
A nice feature that I hadn't pre-planned was that the stereo jack allows me to use a TRS cable to take the magnetic and acoustic outputs separately. That means they can either be run into separate amps, or into separate FX chains.
And as I happen to have one of the (cheaper) Helix boxes, it means I can process the acoustic signal completely separately from the magnetic signal, into two separate tracks in my DAW.
Play once, get two sounds!
I guess all stereo jacks will allow that, I just hadn't thought about it until I was playing it and switching between the 2 outputs.
Anyways, happy with this one.
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@tv101 This Easy French polish looks like it might hit the sweet spot between hardcore violin varnish and Danish Oil.
Question: does it leave a ring on the guitar when you rest a nice, hot cup of tea on it?
Jack of all trades and master of my own destiny. It’s only a small destiny.
This Easy French polish looks like it might hit the sweet spot between hardcore violin varnish and Danish Oil.
I think so @jamesbisset - it's a definite improvement over an oiled finish in terms of shine and, perception, protection that it'll give to the guitar. It's what I'm going to use for future builds.
Whether or not it'll protect against mugs of hot tea is a test that I don't intend to perform
😉
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...Liberon Easy French polish, and then a fancy wax.
Maybe it’s just my age, but I’m feeling in the need of a fancy wax myself.
You neglected to mention which one though. One of these, I assume?
https://www.liberon.co.uk/our-products/furniture-interior-woodwork/waxes/
The Black Bison Paste sounds suitably macho for a vigorous chap like me, and apparently it smells
Jack of all trades and master of my own destiny. It’s only a small destiny.
Maybe it’s just my age, but I’m feeling in the need of a fancy wax myself.
It's probably not just your age @jamesbisset
I'd tell you which wax I used, except it's out in the workshop and I'm in the house. And the bit between the house and the workshop is very cold (or "a fresh spring day" as it's known in Scotchland), so I'm not going out to look.
But if the sun comes out to play tomorrow, I'll don my best warm clothing and go check.
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@tv101 Thanks. Totally understand. We’ve got the new stove working in here so it’s 28°c in the living room. We’ve sealed the door and Ruth, me and the dogs are waiting for April.
No-one is going out to the bedroom until then.
Jack of all trades and master of my own destiny. It’s only a small destiny.
and Ruth, me and the dogs are waiting for April.
Hope you've got a guitar or two in there too?
Anyways, not being a total wuss, and because the sun did indeed come out and shine brightly, I ventured to the depths of my workshop this morning and found a tin of this
Which is what I used, and which seemed to work fine over the Liberon Easy stuff.
Go do it Jimmy B !!
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Thanks @tv101. your fortitude and resolution is admirable.
But having stepped out onto the wide open plain of possibility that is wax finishing, that Black Bison is calling me; the musky scent, the impossible shoulders, the resistance to fingering...
Last question before I order: is 250ml of Easy French Polish going to be enough for 4 coats on a body?
Jack of all trades and master of my own destiny. It’s only a small destiny.
But having stepped out onto the wide open plain of possibility that is wax finishing, that Black Bison is calling me; the musky scent, the impossible shoulders, the resistance to fingering...
Just don't get it in your hair - no telling how it would react with all those other products ...
🤣
Last question before I order: is 250ml of Easy French Polish going to be enough for 4 coats on a body?
I'd have thought so. I've done a couple of bodies now, and the original can is still >1/3 full.
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