TwilightOdyssey
Darkness on the edge of Tone
I know, I got ahead of myself and posted about last week's rehearsal with the Bare Knuckes before I posted the pics of the completed guitar. Can you ever forgive me? 
Okay, now that that's out of the way, I will tell you the tale of the completed TOC (Twilight Odyssey Custom) guitar ...
A TALE OF THREE CITIES
After I had ordered all of the parts (which was easy enough), I thought that the wait was going to be the hardest part of the whole process. My thinking was: Parts arrive ... assembly takes one day ... setup takes one day ... and, voila! Working guitar!!
Well, all the parts arrived, but the assembly part ended up taking 3-4 actual days, if you were to put all the evenings spent on the guitar together.
I learned many valuable lessons working on this project, and now I will tell you the most important ones. Let these be a guide for you if you are planning on assembling your own guitar, and learn from my errors:
1. The old carpenter's saying, Measure Twice, Cut Once is very wise.
Example: When I was placing the string retainer, I hadn't accounted for the very wide string spread of the hockey stick headstock. As a result, not all of the strings fit under the retaining bar. It took 3 tries before I had it in the perfect spot. In the meanwhile, I was poking holes all over the headstock! :evil: Nothing a little wood patch couldn't cure, but still annoying.
2. Be OVERLY generous with the painter's tape.
Exaple: It really is wise to pretty much cover your whole guitar with blue painter's tape if you're not very experienced. Screwdrivers slip, parts drop, solder drips ... I christened the guitar with several love taps, surface scratches, and worse while assembling this guitar.
3. Make sure you are SPECIFIC when ordering parts.
Example: I ended up having to order 2 locking nuts, because I didn't specify whether the nut was top or rear mounted. In my defense, Warmoth never asked, and I assumed with an OFR that the top mounted nut would be standard, but now I know. The 2nd nut cost me $50, with overnight shipping.
4. It's really important to get the guitar together before sweating the small stuff.
Example: I was experiencing a ground buzz from the pickups, which held up the guitar for days, while I soldered and re-soldered the wires about 20 times. If I had just assembled the guitar, I would've learned that the pickups ground to the bridge, and it would've gone away ... :smack:
More ...
Okay, now that that's out of the way, I will tell you the tale of the completed TOC (Twilight Odyssey Custom) guitar ...
A TALE OF THREE CITIES
After I had ordered all of the parts (which was easy enough), I thought that the wait was going to be the hardest part of the whole process. My thinking was: Parts arrive ... assembly takes one day ... setup takes one day ... and, voila! Working guitar!!
Well, all the parts arrived, but the assembly part ended up taking 3-4 actual days, if you were to put all the evenings spent on the guitar together.
I learned many valuable lessons working on this project, and now I will tell you the most important ones. Let these be a guide for you if you are planning on assembling your own guitar, and learn from my errors:
1. The old carpenter's saying, Measure Twice, Cut Once is very wise.
Example: When I was placing the string retainer, I hadn't accounted for the very wide string spread of the hockey stick headstock. As a result, not all of the strings fit under the retaining bar. It took 3 tries before I had it in the perfect spot. In the meanwhile, I was poking holes all over the headstock! :evil: Nothing a little wood patch couldn't cure, but still annoying.
2. Be OVERLY generous with the painter's tape.
Exaple: It really is wise to pretty much cover your whole guitar with blue painter's tape if you're not very experienced. Screwdrivers slip, parts drop, solder drips ... I christened the guitar with several love taps, surface scratches, and worse while assembling this guitar.
3. Make sure you are SPECIFIC when ordering parts.
Example: I ended up having to order 2 locking nuts, because I didn't specify whether the nut was top or rear mounted. In my defense, Warmoth never asked, and I assumed with an OFR that the top mounted nut would be standard, but now I know. The 2nd nut cost me $50, with overnight shipping.
4. It's really important to get the guitar together before sweating the small stuff.
Example: I was experiencing a ground buzz from the pickups, which held up the guitar for days, while I soldered and re-soldered the wires about 20 times. If I had just assembled the guitar, I would've learned that the pickups ground to the bridge, and it would've gone away ... :smack:
More ...
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