Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Cool projects! I look forward to seeing more!

I mistook the wood sticking out between the truss rod routes for the truss rod nut. My bad.

More on those full-width swirly inlays. Here are some photobucket.com links to nice big pictures showing the inlays being prepped and poured, and what they look like after sanding flush with the fretboard, but before sealing, filling, and refretting. Then there's varnishing, color sanding, buffing, etc...

There's also one shot of the body following rebinding. The old binding started coming loose in lots of places once I began sanding the front of the body, so, off it came and on went the new celluloid. I still have to rebind the neck.

Believe it or not, This one is very close to paint and varnish!

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/jangle_jingle/620%2012%20campbell/howitspoured.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/jangle_jingle/620%2012%20campbell/inserts.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/jangle_jingle/620%2012%20campbell/insertclose.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h146/jangle_jingle/620%2012%20campbell/rebound.jpg

It's so... hypnotizing...

Bring it on Paul

: )

Paul, you have immense patience and impecable work habits. Thanks for the "fix".

Here's where it was today when I approached my workbench. Sealed, sanded, with inlays in place. Body newly-bound. Ready for frets and neck binding.







So today it received new frets and neck binding. The neck binding on this one was put on in the traditional style, notched between frets, with a little tapered "bump" on the end of each fret. This process is very labor-intensive and time-consuming. I got about half-done before my work day was done, and will finish tomorrow.

This guitar came to me with the nickel-plated tuning machines quite dulled and the "R" tailpiece (which will be replaced with a new trapeze, remember) so badly corroded and striated that I would fear for its integrity under the stress of spirited playing. Most of the guitar's metal hardware was in compromised condition. The hexnuts for the pots were quite brown with rust.

This should have told me something but I wasn't listening right away, and I didn't play the guitar too much before stripping it down to begin the resto. Had I opened my eyes and ears a bit more, I would have realized that this amount of corrosion would have indicated a life in a very damp environment.

Bottom line: A warped neck. Heat, clamp overnight. Most of the warp and all of the twist went out. The rest took a bit of fretboard planing and a deepening of the fret slots at the headstock end of the neck. Now it's nice and flat and will level off nicely tomorrow.

It's paint next week!

Len's Combo 400 received its black nitro wings yesterday. Next will be a new aluminum bridge cover and pickguard and coloring it gold with a process called "Alodining", which is used to color aircraft parts prior to paint. Pics on this in the next few days, too.

Look forward to this

Your honor, I merely bought the guitar and shipped it Jingle Jangle's way. Any warping and rust were already there before I took possession. In fact, I've never even touched the thing. I hope the rest of the warping can be resolved with adjustment. Looks great, though.

Looks great, Paul! But, I notice that when you post the pictures directly on the forum the quality isn't too good. Maybe it's better if you just link them to Photobucket.

Sometimes I don't have time to do the photobucket thing; photobucket often can't be accessed from my office (our internet software sporadically classifies it as "general pornography" and blocks me!), etc...better to post something that nothing at all. When I finally get my website up and running this should be easier.

Paul, I'd gladly host pics of yours on my website until you get yours up.

Ahm a just movin' this one closer to the top agin' 'cause I cain' wait.

Aha.... It must be yours that Paul has been polishing today....