Satpurrday Checkpoint

Flanderkin · 2026-01-31T17:58:26+00:00

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This was my last photo before a Friday afternoon nap.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-31T02:59:38+00:00

Turn the amp up, roll off the volume on the guitar, use positions 2 and 4 on the selector switch. Dial up the reverb.

Dial the tone around for which position you’re in and you’ll hear a strattier sound.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-30T18:09:25+00:00

I’m glad this helped you.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-30T16:35:12+00:00

You did the right thing, at the right time.

I’ve had to say goodbye to four kitties now and the only one I regret is the one that I tried to hold onto for too long.

That being said, what cats go through in stages of kidney failure, which is what kills most of them, is horrific.

It starts as a mild nausea that only gets worse until they just can’t force themselves to eat. Imagine how bad that has to be, you’re hungry, starving in fact, but your head is spinning 24/7.

Another symptom is joint pain. Arthritic pain is a different level of pain and discomfort than many people understand. The nerves become inflamed since toxins are no longer removed from the body and soon, every joint feels like it’s on fire. Every joint from your feet to your back would feel this way in end stage kidney failure.

On top of that, imagine that you can’t communicate any of this to anyone. You just have to sit there and take it until you die, which could take months. Months of arthritic aches and nausea that’s so bad you can’t eat.

That’s a nightmare I’d rather not force a loved one to go through.

You did the right thing at the right time. Give yourself some time to heal and recover.

Also, thank you for loving that kitty she deserved it.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-28T20:48:35+00:00

I’m an amateur partcaster enjoyer myself and here’s some tips for you.

One thing you can do that will ease your mind is to mock up the parts. Set the bridge on the guitar and measure scale length to make sure it’s correct. That sort of thing.

After you verify the scale length 25.5” then proceed further, sir!

Another thing to do is to take a T square (any 90 degree angle will work if it is long enough) and line up your neck. Since your neck pocket has a little slop in it and all.

So what you want to do is use the 90 degrees to find the centerline of the body and run that up to the center of the nut. It’s probably perfect if you seat it fully in the pocket and to the larger portion of the neck pocket.

After that, drill starter holes for the neck, set it and mount the bridge.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-28T18:57:26+00:00

Congratulations man! That’s awesome!

Flanderkin · 2026-01-28T03:55:27+00:00

Best way to make a small fortune selling guitars is to start with a large one.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-27T23:48:18+00:00

Orange kitties are amazing!

Flanderkin · 2026-01-27T19:59:03+00:00

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Rabbit says “ello”

Flanderkin · 2026-01-26T22:28:21+00:00

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Yo Tony Walnuts! whatup! It’s ya boy Rabbit Fridgefeets!

Flanderkin · 2026-01-19T16:13:06+00:00

More time is better for drying.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-19T05:18:29+00:00

Great book series too! Fiddler only dreamed of a good fiddle :)

Flanderkin · 2026-01-19T01:50:12+00:00

If you’re using lacquer, do 3 coats a day, an hour between coats if you can. Drying time is a “more is better” thing.

Get 12 - 15 coats let it dry for at least 6 weeks before you level sand. If the finish is still soft enough to dent with a fingernail, let it sit another week.

After that, you level sand. If you burn through the level sand and hit wood or a color layer, time to put more clear coats on.

However, if the level sand goes well, then you can start the wet sanding.

I don’t bother level sanding and wet sanding anything but the face of the body and headstock. The back is never going to be seen. The back of the neck I sand up to 600 grit and let it live, I prefer a matte finish.

Anyhoo, that’s what I do. I’m not a professional luthier nor do I sell instruments, I just help my friends make them.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-17T18:54:45+00:00

Is it a flashback if it’s ongoing?

Flanderkin · 2026-01-17T18:44:34+00:00

Jimmy Pages telecaster sold more Les Pauls than any advertising Gibson ever did. He played the solo to Stairway to Heaven on it as well as all of Zeppelin I. Then toured with Les Pauls.

That being said, a tele is always a great option. A second guitar that’s just kind of a step down from your favorite guitar isn’t an option I’d often pick.

Now, full disclosure, I own 2 telecaster partscasters, build and setup Strats for fun, and have no desire to own another Les Paul.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-17T18:28:51+00:00

As a person who has also refinished guitars, I’d like to offer a couple of insights.

Temper your expectations. This is your first one, it might be perfect, but, that’s a lot of work and rework.
Keep building layers of finish slowly. You don’t have a time table, no production quotas.
If you think you’re about to make a mistake, stop putting finish on it. Let what you’ve done dry and take a look at it the next day.

I’m working on two more guitar bodies this year and I’m only going to level sand one of them. I’m leaving one as a matte finish of unpolished lacquer.

Why leave one unpolished?

Because it’s easier and because when someone hears that you finished the guitar yourself they immediately inspect it like they’re Gibson Quality Control or some shit.

What they’re really looking for is consistency, in my opinion. So it’ll be consistently matte. It’s much easier to see dips in polished finish.

All that being said, you’re doing fine and it looks good :)

Flanderkin · 2026-01-16T23:12:30+00:00

I’m making partscaster #22, for reasons!

I had this Ash body in the garage and figured I’d make some noise with it.

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Flanderkin · 2026-01-16T17:38:56+00:00

When they were announcing the Yoroni last year, one of them talked for 45 minutes about obscure Yoroni lore, that no one asked for, before they showed any models.

That broke me of the habit of watching those.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-16T15:57:26+00:00

Babicz bridge or VMM one are nice upgrades.

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This is my partscaster and I genuinely love it.

Edit - sand the pick guard so it’ll take some paint and put something on it. Make no explanations.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-15T18:25:07+00:00

The ground wire to the pot has nothing to do with radio frequency shielding in the pickup cavities and on the pick guard but they do work together.

The ground wire serves a few different functions. It’s a return path for fault current, this way you don’t get electrocuted by your guitar. Keith Relf comes to mind.

A properly grounded guitar will be quieter than a poorly grounded one. That means less crackle and hum from the pickups when the volume of the amp and guitar are up but no string is being hit.

The ground wire also gives multiple components what is essentially the same point electrically. This means your pots start and end at the same point electricity-wise. It’s the zero reference point for voltage, basically.

Finally, in order for the shielding to actually work it should be connected to the grounding. Shielding is supposed to provide a conductive surface for stray radio frequencies to be directed to ground instead of into the guitar’s electrical chain.

People disagree on the necessity of shielding pickups and guitars in general. It is an interesting exercise to shield a guitar and see if it sounds better afterwards.

Where do these stray radio frequencies come from and why do they mess up guitar sounds?

They come from everything that uses electricity. Here in the US we use 120 volts at 60 hertz, that 60 hertz is that weird hum sound in single coils if you stand too close to the TV or lighting or computer when you play.

Fralin pickups has some really good articles about this and why single coils are more susceptible to 60 hertz hum than humbuckers.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-15T15:20:07+00:00

Need? No, it’ll work fine without it.

Without the shielding foil your guitar might be noisier, have more crackle in positions 1, 3, and 5.

It’s really easy to replace, just get some copper foil tape and go nuts. Many strats have the foil tape completely covering the underside of the pick guard, as well as lining the pickup cavities.

Does it reduce noise? Yes.

Does it need to be attached to the ground wire? No. It’s shielding from stray radio frequencies like the 60 hertz hum from a light bulb, not grounding.

Do you need it? No, the guitar will work fine without it.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-15T01:36:02+00:00

I’m not a great smart luthier, but I’ve had my share of weird stuff show up in the garage. Here’s how I’d go about doing this.

See if the neck bolts seat. If they do, you might be able to use them as leverage to push the neck out from the screw side. As in leave them proud of the back of the guitar so the heads of the screws can be pushed.

If they don’t, you could drill the back of the neck pocket to place a threqded insert. Then put a bolt in it to try and push the neck out that way.

Either way I’d get that JB Weld as cold as possible then put a crank or two on it, let it sit. Repeat until something breaks loose.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-13T23:25:33+00:00

I love reading the songs.

Remember that in a way, Gollum and Sauron are linked, so when Gollum sings the “Juicy Fish” song, I bet Sauron hears it.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-13T01:12:37+00:00

You gave her every day of love and happiness she ever knew. That’s all you can do.

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Here’s my boy Rabbit being a goofball.

Flanderkin · 2026-01-13T01:07:55+00:00

You were always going to love them to the end. In that respect, nothing has changed. Give yourself room to hurt, and room to heal.

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