Melon's Guitars

[Guest]

Thats a great effort. I feel so inadequate looking at all that. I still haven't finished my year 7 spice rack!

[Guest]

Hi Tootsie.

i used Wattyl Traditional Stain (Craftsman) in Rosewood colour. Also Black mixed with it (1:7 ratio) for the rubbed burst around the edges.

The clear was a British Paints Polyurethane in Gloss - spray can. The photos is uncut and unpolished. Ive rubbed down and dulled up to 1200 grit and am waiting for micromesh pads to arrive so i can polish using 1500 to 12000 grit. Then she'll look like glass.

Thanks for that Melon. It's given me a few ideas.

[melon....]

Tootsie,

Another big tip. BUY MICROMESH. I leveled the slightly ripply orange peel on the poly finish, and hit it with these magical little pads upto 12000 grit, and now I can say the guitar is truly done.

Next step try using these little pads on the Mrs' face and thighs.

[Guest]

That looks awesome Melon.

[The Brain]

The Monk

[Guest]

When you say you built, you actually do? You buy the assembly, then the body, pickups, etc, etc? Or it is made out of tree, you cut your backyard and the front porches on some easy whittlin work?

[melon....]

When you say you built, you actually do? You buy the assembly, then the body, pickups, etc, etc? Or it is made out of tree, you cut your backyard and the front porches on some easy whittlin work?

I take lumps of raw wood, cut them shape them, carve them. I build the neck from scratch...a lump of wood, carve the shape, glue on the fret board, cut the slots, do the electrics, radius the neck surface, add frets, level them, polish them. I fill the grain, I spray paint them, stain them, or oil them. I string em up and I bloody play them.

Ive got a tonne of photos of the process from start to finish if youre interested.

[Guest]

Wow, talking spam!

[stephenj]

very impressive!

[Guest]

care to make me a ukulele?
pretty impressive craftman skills

[player 1]

Great work Melon, my hat goes off to your passion and skills.

I don't build em but I sure like to play em. Here are some of my babies....

[melon....]

Great work Melon, my hat goes off to your passion and skills.

I don't build em but I sure like to play em. Here are some of my babies....

Nice Work P1. Love some of those resonators. and the big arch top's a beauty. Which is your fave strat?

[melon....]

care to make me a ukulele?
pretty impressive craftman skills

Punky, you want a standard or a 5 string with tremolo? :-)

[player 1]

Nice Work P1. Love some of those resonators. and the big arch top's a beauty. Which is your fave strat?

I have a mixture of genuine vintage stuff (that's an original 55 strat near the top left, and the clean sunburst is a real 61), and new custom shop ones. The custom shop makes such superb stuff now (that red strat in the vid is a reliced Custom Shop model), that through a nice amp they are every bit as good sounding and playing as the vintage stuff IMHO.

The big archtop is a real 1960 Gibson super 400 CES, with the same PAF pickups as in the 58-60 Les Paul Standards. It has a monster sound when amplified (think Malcolm Young) and a cool jazzy sound acoustically.

You ever had a go at making an archtop?

[melon....]

I have a mixture of genuine vintage stuff (that's an original 55 strat near the top left, and the clean sunburst is a real 61), and new custom shop ones. The custom shop makes such superb stuff now (that red strat in the vid is a reliced Custom Shop model), that through a nice amp they are every bit as good sounding and playing as the vintage stuff IMHO.

The big archtop is a real 1960 Gibson super 400 CES, with the same PAF pickups as in the 58-60 Les Paul Standards. It has a monster sound when amplified (think Malcolm Young) and a cool jazzy sound acoustically.

You ever had a go at making an archtop?

Great stuff p1. The archtop is on the cards. I always wanted a wretch white falcon.....might attempt an interpretation when I come into some more tone wood soon. An es 355 is on the cards too.