CTN builds a Star

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: CTN builds a Star

Sweet!

I'm sure it's gonna turn out fine!!!

:rawk:

[CTN]

Re: CTN builds a Star

current status of the neck: "Out for delivery"

toniiiiiiiiight!!!!

[CTN]

Re: CTN builds a Star

Looks like not tonight after all.

Canada Post made some ultra lame policy changes so now, after delivering the notice that I need to pick up the parcel at the post office and pay tax, instead of dropping off the parcel at the post office, the mailman is supposed to take it back to headquarters or a storage facility or whatever, and there it stays over the entire weekend (even though my post office is open saturdays and sundays, and I could very well just pick it up then, if he dropped it off at the post office at the end of his route), and then he re-delivers it to the post office monday morning sometime.

End result, I can't pick it up/pay the goddamn government it's cut until monday afternoon.

*grumble grumble*

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: CTN builds a Star

Eef It!!!
I/We demand dry run/lay out pics...

Bod/hrdwr/you know the drill...

It's OK
We've all dunnit

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: CTN builds a Star

Fair warning...this thread is gonna take a while. For those who didn't see the preview thread, this is essentially what I'm building: A no-holds-barred unrelenting metal machine. Simple, but brutally effective.


Here are the specs:

Finish: Going for something close to Charcoal Frost metallic. Basically a dark gray metallic with just a tiny hint of blue.
Body: KNE Guitars XStar body (alder)
Neck: bolt on, Warmoth Maple neck, Pau Ferro fretboard, no inlays (I ordered a reverse CBS neck, but I'll be shaping the headstock)
Neck profile: Thin C
Scale Length: 24.75"
Radius: 12"
Frets: 22 x 6105 - medium jumbo
Nut: Graphtech Black Tusq
Hardware colour: Chrome
Tuners: Grover mini rotomatics
Bridge: Gotoh GE103B Nashvile styled ABR-1 tune o matic (it's an ABR-1, minus retainer wire, and with longer saddle travel for better intonation)
Controls: Master Vol, Master Tone, 3-way toggle
Pickups:
-Bridge: JB8
-Neck: bridge model hot rails, in parallel

I've already bought all the other parts I need, with the exception of the paint and the decal. Just waiting for all of it to get here, which will happen in the next few weeks. BUT, I got the first of the parts today - the body, and I'm thrilled about it. I actually wasn't even expecting it until the middle of next week cuz usually it takes a full 7 business days for stuff to get here from the states. I was quite surprised that it got here in just over 5 business days.

I really gotta give it up to Mitch Yenney at KNE Guitars. He was extremely helpful answering my questions and put together a killer product. His bodies are all done on a CNC machine so they're precise, and no screwups. Even after a week of being manhandled by USPS and Canadapost, it got here with only one tiny dent on the lower rear bout, which I was very easily able to steam out. It's surprisingly light too, only about 3.7 lbs.

Obviously, still needs to be finish sanded, but other than that, Mitch did a fantastic job. For any EVH/pointy guitar lovers, he also does a bevy of jackson/charvel/kramer/frankenstein bodies, and he does bolt on explorers, non reverse firebirds, Icemans, flying Vs, king Vs, rhoads Vs, ESP rhoads Vs and dean ML bodies. Great prices too. http://www.kneguitars.com/

Check it out.




Angled neck pocket


Neck pocket again - perfect dimensions as measured with my digital calipers


Nice clean control route with all the wiring channels already drilled. I'll need to drill the pot/switch locations though.


recessed string ferrule holes for flanged ferrules.


Full rear shot - I think I might do a jackson style contoured heel, cuz it's still pretty big, even with the angled pocket.


And full frontal shot with the pickups placed. I'm gonna be using a chrome mounting ring for the bridge bucker, not this black one, and the neck pickup will be direct mounted to the body. The hot rails in the neck looks kinda funny cuz it's actually white, but I didn't want to have one black one white pickup, so I cut some pickup coil tape and placed it on top of the bobbins.

That's it for now. Next update will probably be when I receive the neck in a few weeks (hopefully less, but we'll see).

Do Eet Bump

[CTN]

Re: CTN builds a Star

Success!!




Love the wavy figure on this Pau Ferro


Hard to tell from this, but the neck's almost perfectly flat


Nice fretwork, but I'm gonna have to round off the edges/bevels


Here's some more shots of the fretboard:




In a few days the tuners will get here, and then I can get started on the first trial setup to make sure i don't need to do any more woodwork. At this point I'm thinking I may need to make a little riser above the top string ferrules. I'm concerned that the strings might make contact with the back edge of the bridge and I obviously don't want that, so if I make a little riser and mount the ferrules in that, then I should be fine. It'd be made of wood obviously, glued to the top and shaped smooth so there's no hard edges.

Once i've done the test setup and figured out if i need to make that riser, then the next step will be shaping the headstock and fitting the riser (if needed). Also gotta get the heel contoured and drilled for the neck mounting ferrules. After that, I can do some grainfilling on the edges of the body and start on the finishing process.

[CTN]

Re: CTN builds a Star

couple more pics...

I put some lemon oil on the fretboard and traced the outline of the headstock shape onto the CBS headstock.

[kramersteen]

Re: CTN builds a Star

Tasty. looking good man

[TheLivingDead]

Re: CTN builds a Star

AW YEAHHHHHHHH

[kilphody]

Re: CTN builds a Star

Love that head design. Simple yet elegant. Great work.
PC

[CTN]

Re: CTN builds a Star

Love that head design. Simple yet elegant. Great work.
PC

thanks man. That is pretty much my design philosophy. I hate stuff that's over the top and generally find minimalist stuff kinda boring.

[kilphody]

Re: CTN builds a Star

I agree 100%.
PC

[Agileguy_101]

Re: CTN builds a Star

Dude, that's so bad ass. I can't wait to see the finished product.

How does the neck feel?

[CTN]

Re: CTN builds a Star

feels smooooooooth.

I just got done rolling the edges of the fretboard. but the fret bevels have a nice edge on them so those will have to go as well and then it should feel buttery. I'll be able to get a better idea as to how it plays and how it feels in my hand while playing when I do the test setup and get a chance to hear the acoustic tone of this beast.

[DankStar]

Re: CTN builds a Star

I'm going off the rails of the wavy grain!