VaticanShotglass wrote: Sat Feb 11, 2023 5:12 pm Wow! This one is amazing. I really think it looks cooler than what is out on the market these days. It's simple and classy.

Thank you. I've very proud of it, and the customer is happy with it.
Had a good week in the shop- cut out the billets for the #8 and a prototype Bass VI, And cleaned up the body. ready for routing If you're a process and production nerd, the most exciting thing was a fixture to allow neck and control pocket routing to be much faster and easier.

Can confirm, #7 sounds and plays great, guitarist in my band played it for our second show last night after playing pretty much nothing but his EGC for the last couple of years.

c jury wrote: Sun Feb 05, 2023 8:10 pm

So happy that #7 is seeing some stage time.

Ugly weekend- on sunday morning, while just starting the slot for the headstock on #8, the mill blew itself up. The company is sending replacement parts, but installing them is a many hours/difficult job, requiring tools I don't own. Fuck. The solution is to buy a larger mill (more suitable to the size of work I'm doing), and repair this one when I am able...then I can rough in stuff on the old one and do all the fancy work on the bigger guy. This is going to cost a bit. I had plans to make Tshirts or sell off my prototype to help w/ costs. Any better ideas?

But I was making good progress. #8 milling was complete, short of the headstock slot. #9 (bass VI prototype) was hogged out at the drill press and ready to go on the mill when I wrapped up the other one. And my new body fixture seems to work. the body rests securely inside and the template orients on top. I can drill the controls and route the neck/receiver pocket. Then flip the body and route the control cavity. A second template allows for routing the little recess for the control cavity cover.

tallchris wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 11:23 am Can confirm, #7 sounds and plays great, guitarist in my band played it for our second show last night after playing pretty much nothing but his EGC for the last couple of years.

c jury wrote: Sun Feb 05, 2023 8:10 pm

I know this isn't the first time this pic has been posted (it might be just looking at it on a bigger screen), but damn, Chris, you're doing a fine job. All the aluminium stuff and the general luthery is obviously hugely impressive in itself, but whatever you've done to make the grain of the body "pop" (as I believe all the hip young woodworkers (??) say) like that, keep doing it. It's beautiful.

Dudley wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 5:03 am

I know this isn't the first time this pic has been posted (it might be just looking at it on a bigger screen), but damn, Chris, you're doing a fine job. All the aluminium stuff and the general luthery is obviously hugely impressive in itself, but whatever you've done to make the grain of the body "pop" (as I believe all the hip young woodworkers (??) say) like that, keep doing it. It's beautiful.

Nothing special or secret. The trick is to select good pieces of wood. The finish is very simple, but time consuming. It is an oil designed for gun stocks, and it is just wiped on in 12-15 very thin coats, with #800 grit sanding between the first several, and #0000 steel wool between the last 4-5. You can usually get 1 complete coat per day, doing the front in the morning and the back in the evening. Dries hard, like a lacquer, but enriches the look of the wood like an oil.

Between my mill exploding last sunday and being sick all week, I didn't get a lot done until today. I am focusing on wood working, while I wait for the new mill to be delivered (Monday, maybe?).
BJ's guitar, a lefty replicating the shape and color of his beloved Epiphone. Top is clear alder. Back is knotty alder, with a walnut stripe, because I couldn't help myself. and here is the body for the bass VI- leftover cherry, alder, etc.

I have no idea how I'm going to pay several $thousand for this mill, nor how I'm going to get it set up, as it weight hundreds of pounds...but we move forward or we die, right?

c jury wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 10:05 pm I have no idea how I'm going to pay several $thousand for this mill, nor how I'm going to get it set up, as it weight hundreds of pounds...but we move forward or we die, right?

I'd be happy to advance payment for a neck, if that's any help?

I have 200% faith that you're not going to EGC* anyone


(*Yes, that's a verb now and it means what you think it means)

c jury wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 12:19 am I had plans to make Tshirts or sell off my prototype to help w/ costs. Any better ideas?

Would gladly throw down for a JuryTone-branded t-shirt!

c jury wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 10:05 pm
BJ's guitar, a lefty replicating the shape and color of his beloved Epiphone. Top is clear alder.

I look forward to seeing the aluminum batwing headstock please and thanks!

Well, it was another slow week. Mill wasn't delivered until friday, and now I need to figure out how to get 300 pounds of cast iron onto a benchtop.

I was also super busy at work, and still under the weather- but did manage to wrap up moving the prototype over to that DC body. And got started on finishing BJ's body- Alder w/ a walnut stripe on the back. My first natural finish on an Alder body- I think it looks nice..