PRS? Let the fun begin

Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

Don't forget to install the earth wire to the bridge when you insert the inserts ......

Got it standing by,
Good looking out!
The way the body is hogged out, I was actually going to run the ground off the tailpiece, since it will be easier to get it to the control cavity from there.
I don't think it makes a diff, does it?
As long as the strings are grounded
 
Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

The way the body is hogged out, I was actually going to run the ground off the tailpiece, since it will be easier to get it to the control cavity from there.
I don't think it makes a diff, does it?
As long as the strings are grounded

Actually I meant to say the tailpiece, but either way ... the strings join all the metal parts electrically (unless you had a Tune-O-Matic bridge with graphite or Tusq saddles I guess, in which case the strings would be electrically isolated from the body of the bridge.).

The reason i mentioned the ground wire is because when I built my LP, i forgot to put the wire in before pressing the inserts in, meaning of course that I had to get one back out, which is not an easy task. I'd hate to have to see someone else go through that hassle if it can be avoided. Best thing would be to put a piece of masking tape over that particular hole, with 'Ground wire' written on it, so you can't acess that hole without first being reminded to put the wire in place.
 
Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

Actually I meant to say the tailpiece, but either way ... the strings join all the metal parts electrically (unless you had a Tune-O-Matic bridge with graphite or Tusq saddles I guess, in which case the strings would be electrically isolated from the body of the bridge.).

The reason i mentioned the ground wire is because when I built my LP, i forgot to put the wire in before pressing the inserts in, meaning of course that I had to get one back out, which is not an easy task. I'd hate to have to see someone else go through that hassle if it can be avoided. Best thing would be to put a piece of masking tape over that particular hole, with 'Ground wire' written on it, so you can't acess that hole without first being reminded to put the wire in place.

Good info here.
Yea, I'd imagine it would be a PITA to pull one back out.
I'll take your advice on the tape.
What kind of wire did you use?
 
Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

Got the bridge marked out
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Drilled for & installed the inserts
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Aquick test fit
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Looks pretty good
I didn't plan this, but it worked out great
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Drive the inserts in (if you look close, you can see the very tip of the ground wire
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Aquick mock up
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A touch of sanding here & there, & I'm waiting for paint, & better weather
 
Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

I'm curious...

why did you spray primer before finishing all the basic woodwork?
 
Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

While I had contemplated painting the body before setting the neck in, I soon realized that when I go to clamp the neck in, I'd be doing damage to the finish on the back, via the block of wood denting into the clearcoat & whatnot.
So, last night I went ahead & set the neck in.
I'll just have to tape it off when I spray, plus it'll give me something to hang it from lol
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This one's for crusty, good lookin out
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Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

this is coming along awesome. doing a great job and im looking forward to the finished product. ive left the ground wire out before and its an insane pain in the butt so good job there, lol.
 
Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

Wood glues typically do not have very good gapfilling properties, so no it would not be a good idea at all to gouge the neck pocket.

The thin layer of glue that gets sandwiched between the neck tenon and the mortise in the body will work just fine if you clamp the neck on properly while the glue is drying. Yes, you'll get glue squeeze out, but that's a sign that you have a good wood joint, especially if you aren't slathering on glue like it's going out of style. A thin coat applied to a tight joint will squeeze out a bit, and then you know the joint will be a good one. Those dents in the neck are not a good thing though. I'd take some sandpaper to the neck pocket where it was making those marks and try to get it down to a tight but not damaging fit.

You should be able to take those dents out by steaming though.

And yes, Maple is MUCH harder than Mahogany.
Yes IMO you are spot on, when you say "A thin coat applied to a tight joint will squeeze out a bit, and then you know the joint will be a good one." I have used Epoxy to glue two pieces of a guitar body together and to fill in the gaps of the glue joint with good results.
 
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Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

I still have a few things to do yet, but at this point, i'm done f@*kin with it.
Weather isn't helping any, so I figured i'd put her together & play it till better weather sets in.
There's a couple of paint dings that'll have to be fixed, wetsand, clearcoat, blah blah blah.
Taking into consideration my skill level, & lack of proper tools, I think she turned out ok.

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Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

looks good! that'll really pop once you clear coat it and buff it etc.
 
Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

That's just amazing!!! Great job...wish I had that kind of talent!! You should be proud to play that for the rest of your life (I know I would be). How does it play and sound?

-dave
 
Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

Thanks CTN I agree, we're getting into the high humidity/rainy season here, so as soon as I get some decent finishing weather, i'll get on with the clear coat

@darnright TALENT?! lol It turned out ok, still has issues. It plays better than it sounds, at the moment. The neck was a big surprise, I just did a quick polish on the frets.
I'm running 10s, & there isn't any buzz, I did replace that POS nut with a bone one I had. I can't find any dead spots anywhere I bend a string.
The tone is a whole other story...When I started this ALL MAPLE body, I was fully expecting it to be exceedingly bright...boy was I wrong...
I installed the MHD custom set from my LP, just to get an idea which direction to go, & the tone is subdued, which really caught me off guard.
While the bridge pup does fair, the neck pup sounds like it's under a wet blanket.
I started with a .047 cap, expecting it to be bright, then reduced to a .01, with only a slight improvement.
I'm aware that a heavy finish can muffle the tone of the wood, but I have 2 light coats of primer, & 2 light coats of base.
Looking at the chips I mentioned earlier, I don't believe the finish is more than .25mm.
I'm no expert, so when the guy at the yard told me this was maple, I took him at his word.
Now i'm thinking of doing some checkin.

Thanks TLD
 
Re: PRS? Let the fun begin

Looks great! I'm curious... If not maple, what do you think it might be?

Not quite sure.
I started another thread asking about muffled/dark tone in the pickup lounge to see what people think, & i've been enlightened to the fact that a kinda hollow body with a short scale has a tendency to be dark.
 
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