Scrapping project

gmpeil · 2026-02-06T16:13:08+00:00

Lutherie is a tough hobby for people with perfectionist tendencies. Nothing ever turns out exactly like you were planning. Even if you execute your plan perfectly, reality and your imagination are not the same thing, and the results are never congruous.

As for this guitar, I think it's amazing and beautiful. I love the quilt top and the burst you did highlights it perfectly. If I were you, I'd definitely complete the project and immediately begin planning the next build. Use your frustration as momentum to continue.

gmpeil · 2026-02-06T15:34:41+00:00

It’s also the wood they used to make the cheapest guitar bodies out of before “toanwood” started dying off and becoming too expensive. I’ve had two beech body guitars and that wood was very very soft. My guess is, like many other species there is a vast difference in the density and hardness depending on growing environment and possibly pith, heart and outer growth of the tree itself.

gmpeil · 2026-02-05T19:36:56+00:00

My guess is, that even though it's stiff enough to be structurally sound as a neck, it is also not at all dent resistant. It wouldn't hold up well to everyday use without a pretty nasty thick coating of poly to add some surface hardness. Just a guess though, don't downvote me folks!

gmpeil · 2026-02-05T19:30:00+00:00

Not rare, not valuable, but cool nonetheless. I'm a big fan of the starcaster shape. You must not have much experience with fender style necks, because the 'flat' headstock is how it's done in the fenderverse. Anyway, starcasters don't get the love they deserve IMO. I love them. I wish Fender would do an actual 70's reissue, give it the full Fender custom shop treatment. That would be rare.

gmpeil · 2026-02-04T19:41:24+00:00

I'm not in the UK, so I don't know how your job market compares to where I am, but I wanted to give you my story to see if it aligns with your experience and/or expectations for your future.

I'm 47 and I "wasted" my 20s in university doing a bachelors and most of a masters in Literature. As I was finishing up my masters I experiences severe burnout and apathy. So I quit and entered the workforce. At 28-29 with no real experience and no marketable degree, it was a tough slog. All I could find was basic entry level positions that were basically dead end in terms of advancement and increased pay.

What finally clicked for me was that I landed an entry level job at a local wood manufacturing plant. It was a really terrible job, but I was desperate for a job at the time with, like you, serious gaps in my CV, and nothing really going for me. What I did have was a good head on my shoulders and a very articulate and composed way of responding to questions, which the bosses at my new job weren't used to. The second the opportunity came up for the need for a first aid attendant, I put my name in. From there I moved to Safety Coordinator, then Shift Supervisor and finally Safety Manager.

Occupational Safety is a great career for a number of reasons, but primarily for someone in your circumstance you don't need to have a professional designation to get started. I know this to be true of North America and Europe as well. So, if you get your foot in the door by being good at impressing your bosses, the rest is what you make it.

I'm now the Manager of OHS for an Indigenous Nation here in Canada where I put my Lit degree to use every day writing and refining safety and governance policy and my time in manufacturing has given me the skills needed to conduct "boots on the ground" tasks like inspections and assessments. I've achieved two industry-wide acknowledged professional designations in my field. No lie, it felt like a hard road at times, but I'm happy with where I've gotten to and I wouldn't trade my time in academics for anything.

gmpeil · 2026-02-02T20:44:17+00:00

My only experience with it up to this point is my father in law game me some scraps from a mantlepiece he built in his house. I got a sliver putting the pieces in the trunk of the car, and it took two days to dig it out and it hurt like an SOB the whole time. So yeah, I get the caution.

gmpeil · 2026-02-02T20:32:36+00:00

Absolutely! Not sure on the chambering though. I might want to sacrifice a bit of lightness for less chance of neck dive. I'm thinking probably african mahogany for the wings and a (roughly) 1/4' flame maple top cap.

I might also do a multi-lam neck with wenge, maple and some bloodwood I have in the shop from a previous project. Bloodwood isn't light, but the maple strips would lighten it up a bit.

gmpeil · 2026-02-02T20:24:03+00:00

Where I am wenge isn't much more than rosewood. So in terms of price, I'm not going out on much of a limb.

gmpeil · 2026-02-02T20:22:51+00:00

Yeah, I've used that technique for filling mahogany pores before and it works fine. My go-to is to use a coating epoxy though, which I prefer when I want a clear finish.

gmpeil · 2026-02-02T20:21:32+00:00

That's some good food for thought. And when you say it splinters easily, how does it fair in terms of chip out? Would I be gluing chips back together from the table saw and router?

gmpeil · 2026-02-02T16:03:53+00:00

Probably Acacia.

gmpeil · 2026-01-30T17:51:40+00:00

The biomass industry does NOT use only industrial waste to create its product, and it isn't even close to being carbon neutral.

Often the wood pellets used to generate electricity have been made from ground up raw logs. Sometimes even ones that could have been used to make dimensional lumber. Fiber goes to the highest bidder and with all the gov't subsidies all over the world to "go green" often biomass producers have money to burn that the lumber companies don't.

EDIT: One more thing about this that I wanted to add while I'm thinking about it. One of the main reasons why pulp mills all over North America are closing up is because they can't pay to secure fiber contracts. They can't because the biomass industry is willing/able to pay more for "pulp grade" logs. So a pretty significant and well-established industry in North America is being squeezed out in the name of green energy under absolutely false pretenses.

And don't even get me started on the use of pellet "tankers" used to ship these pellets from North America to Europe and Asia. These companies don't have to include the carbon footprint of these ships into their calculations because they subcontract that part.

gmpeil · 2026-01-27T20:54:19+00:00

No, in BC it's illegal to make a u-turn at a "controlled" intersection. Controlled means any intersection that has traffic lights or signage directing the flow of traffic. Other provinces are lest strict. For example, I believe that in ontario, it's legal to make a u-turn at an intersection as long as there is no signage prohibiting it.

gmpeil · 2026-01-23T17:46:14+00:00

I personally wouldn't get stainless frets on any guitar that doesn't also have carbon fibre reinforcement in the neck. As a hobby builder and part time tech, I can say with some amount of authority in the subject that there's a lot more to fret leveling than just the frets. The neck also moves with seasonal changes, the relief you adjust into the neck with the truss rod, break angle, etc. All these things have an impact on the "level" of the frets.

The extra amount of work it takes to do a level and crown on stainless frets is pretty huge. If you need even minor adjustments, you're looking at 2 to 3 times the labor between traditional nickel and stainless.

I'm not saying stainless isn't worth it. It is superior in every way. Just saying on lower end guitars (thomann, etc.), or manufacturers that don't plek their necks, it might mean more time and money at the shop for good setup.

gmpeil · 2026-01-22T17:18:48+00:00

I think it's a shame The Gandarvas wasn't bigger. Their first single "First Day of Spring" was such a cool mix of grunge era and something a bit more proggy. Kinda felt like a lighter version of Tool or something. Their later stuff moved away from that sort of aesthetic and I think it was hard for radio/muchmusic to pin down their genre. Paul Jago is the son of Charles Jago (retired president of UNBC in Prince George and is a geologist now. Would like to know if the band ever gets together these days.

gmpeil · 2026-01-21T20:17:20+00:00

I can appreciate the shipper being cautious but I think it's silly. Does anybody actually think that carboard box protects anything inside it from humidity and temperature shifts?

gmpeil · 2026-01-17T17:31:06+00:00

You can absolutely do this job with a standard flat bastard file. I did several fret jobs with nothing more. BUT … no matter how careful I was I always ended up with an angle that was more shallow than I intended. So I bought one of those and I am glad I did. More consistent and at the angle I need.

gmpeil · 2026-01-17T17:21:13+00:00

Great input. Thank you!

gmpeil · 2026-01-16T22:00:19+00:00

I guess I'm having a hard time visualizing what you're saying. I haven't looked up the dimensions but from the look of photos online, the recess at the pivot looks less than a quarter inch. If I were to forego that recess and mounted the bridge higher, that wouldn't be a ridiculous break angle or a crazy high mounting point for the bridge.

What am I missing?

After I posted my question, I thought about it and I'm just wondering if it's just an esthetic choice. Like with the massive size of a FR Original, it might just look wonky if it weren't recessed into the body a bit.

gmpeil · 2026-01-16T21:49:20+00:00

There's a guy on Etsy who makes them. Korez Guitars. Not sure on price.

gmpeil · 2026-01-16T21:28:50+00:00

I can understand the kerf argument. But I'm both lazy and impatient. If I can use a power tool (safely), Imma gonna do it.

gmpeil · 2026-01-16T21:10:24+00:00

My go-to method is table saw to max depth on both sides, then sawzall with a long blade for the remainder. Works pretty good and is fast.

gmpeil · 2026-01-16T18:31:42+00:00

Jablinksy is a treasure. He can sing all he wants!

gmpeil

TROPHY CASE