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Top work.
I don't think that even if someone offered you a £500 instrument you would take it, there is soo much pleasure in doing it yourself.
My Teardrop is a perfect example to me, I could buy a "better" one for less than what I spent on it, but the kick is doing it yourself, knowing just where a tool cut your finger, or the frustration of waiting for the second lot of fret wire, and then not wanting to fit it because you are having fun.
Well done, and thanks for sharing.
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Mar 21, 2011 20:14:02 GMT
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It passed an important test today ;D I've been taking it around the last few days showing people... mostly they are impressed if a bit confused, but today I showed someone who can play the mandolin and for the first time someone else played it! Sounded fine, and he said it was nice to play too.
Now it's time to take it to bits again for the last few frets, some finish and a mk2 scratchplate....
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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chevazon
Posted a lot
1939 Chevrolet 2 door coupe, `67 `Zon estate, `87 Ragtop Cavalier, 4 x 800 Drifters,(!) 1500 Drifter
Posts: 2,259
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Mar 21, 2011 22:22:42 GMT
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I was that man ! I was a bit surprised at first thinking Andy was building a mini-bass as I had just scanned the thread but on seeing the mando it was very well made and although I only know the basics of the mando it played and sounded good especially when Andy played it during an impromptu jam session with me on his acoustic. Blaydon Races, Duelling Banjos (without the banjo) and a bit of Stephane Grappelli all appeared out of nowhere !
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Mar 22, 2011 20:14:15 GMT
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That is looking really really great now and sounds brillient. Has a nice bright sound to it. Get some distortion going for some death metal mandolin action Some excellent wood working skills there, it does look very pro. I used to have a Hohner electric guitar that I loved. The body was laid up using planks of alternating timber 'edge' on. So the layers of wood resulted in stripes (in the same orientation of the neck if that makes sense). I always fancied making one using some funky timber after I sold it. Lewis
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Apr 11, 2011 20:50:12 GMT
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Only a small update, because I still haven't taken it to bits to finish it There was some random cutting out happening which I traced to the jack socket wiring - the edge of the earth braid was touching the tip of the jack, so I've put some tape round it for now. It will get shrinkwrap when I manage to pry myself away from playing it long enough to do the finishing off...
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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May 22, 2011 21:29:28 GMT
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That is brilliant. I mean really brilliant, annoyingly talented I think someone else said! No doubt about it, and you can play it as well! Awesome dude, I'm jealous!
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May 23, 2011 22:30:07 GMT
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My sis ter made me a birthday cake ;D Thanks for the kind comments guys, one day I will "finish" it
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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May 28, 2011 14:31:17 GMT
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I want to make some sort of fantastic pun based around music being the food of love... but I can't think of anything... anyone care to try?
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impmann
Posted a lot
Overcoming stupidity is the greatest challenge left to mankind
Posts: 1,089
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Nice project - and nice thinking outside the box. As for fretting, a steel-faced hammer can put annoying little dents in the frets. Brass faced is a lot better. However better still, you can push the frets in using either a converted drill press (use a dead drill in one of those B&D holder thingies with a caul in the chuck) or a mate uses some modded molegrips. Very smooth and accurate. Personally, I gave up with hammers and whatnot a while ago and bit the bullet... and spent a fortune with StewMac for one of their fret Arbor presses... but then again, I'm ususally up against time constaints!! Oh and btw- that Burns Bass is lush. I've been a fan of old Burns stuff for years... and collect Shergold guitars (not massively seriously), as I love the weirdness. Keep up the good work. After all, its just wood and strings!
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1964 Hillman Imp 1976 Hillman Imp 1967 Hillman Imp (And a few projects dotted around the country)
Just cos something is good for you doesn't mean its good for everyone - for example Marmite does not make good Dog Food.
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Thanks! I take it you do this for a living then? I did notice that the steel hammer dented the frets but I sanded the dents out when flatting them. I have a copper deadblow hammer at the garage I might try for the others but the adapted molegrip idea sounds interesting, any details? I hadn't considered pressing them in, and it makes a lot of sense, especially if I choose to fret something more brittle than the maple I used - ebony might be a nightmare. Here's another pic of thee Burns for you. We got this from a music shop in about 1991 for £40 - it was painted with green hammerite and two of the machine head "ears" were snapped off. We (Mrs S and I) fixed it up for her to learn on, I made the machine heads by casting one of the survivors in chemical metal, using blu-tac as a mould. It was intended as a temporary fix until we found some replacements but that was 20 years ago and they are still fine (and I never found another sonic). Recently, I've done some internet digging, and it seems to be rarer than Unicorn tartare. There are about 4 or 5 sonic basses in total documented on the 'net, this one is earlier than all of them, hardware details and the lack of a serial number put it at late '63 or early '64. Oh, and a wierd co-incidence, I live about a mile away from where Jim Burns lived as a child.
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To get a standard A40 this low, you'd have to dig a hole to put it in
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Its amazing the things you find that are supposedly rare without you realising.
I got one of those 60s woolworths guitars for 15 quid once, i ruined it as a kid attempting to scallop the fretboard cos the frets were really flat, but they go for about 100 quid in good condition now. Not that rare i suppose, but ive only seen one other for sale in my lifetime.
I really must put a new fretboard on it.
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chevazon
Posted a lot
1939 Chevrolet 2 door coupe, `67 `Zon estate, `87 Ragtop Cavalier, 4 x 800 Drifters,(!) 1500 Drifter
Posts: 2,259
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Jun 10, 2011 23:15:52 GMT
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"Oh, and a wierd co-incidence, I live about a mile away from where Jim Burns lived as a child"
What is even scarier is that SOC and I lived on the same piece of land !!!
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