USA Custom-Gate

Rolled fingerboard edges?

feeds@yuku.com (Stratified) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:05:29 GMT

Like em? Don't? Why? Why not?

I've settled on a swamp ash tele body with a one piece maple neck. I have two strats, now one with rolled edges, one not. My Gibbie styled axes generally have flatter radii, no roll.

Haven't decided which way to go on this project. Thought I'd ask what others are doing and why, maybe get some ideas or motivation one way or the other.

NAMM: June 2008

feeds@yuku.com (nocaster) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:31:24 GMT

http://guitarsbyfender.yuku.com/topic/9450/master/1/?page=1

New neck: backing wood Mahogany, Maple or RW? I Need your experience guys

feeds@yuku.com (Schneidas) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:19:39 GMT

I'll be needing one more neck from Tommy for a new Strat. It's a dual-humbucking Strat, hardtail, Alder body.
This type of body wood and pickup combo has worked out exceptionally well for me on my 3 other Strats.
The necks vary, but so far I've grown to be a real fan of my 25" scale full-Madagascar RW neck, aswell as my other great Maple/MDGRW neck.

The Fender 1-piece Maple neck I have on this particular Strat feels somewhat strange. It always sounds...

Nutjob help from Veterans

feeds@yuku.com (tawny) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:03:47 GMT

Hi, can some of you veterans help me out? I want to install an Earvana retrofit (two-piece nut) on a USA neck with 12" radius , flat nut slot, and 6230 frets. The Earvana Fender retrofit is manufactured with a 9.5" radius. I'm not sure if the Earvana Gibson retrofit is made with a flatter radius, but am assuming it is( still waiting for a reply from Earvana.) If it is, I am wondering if possibly the top plate from the Gibson retrofit could be used in conjunction with the Fender...

Unfilled swamp ash?

feeds@yuku.com (Stratified) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:14:34 GMT

Your thoughts, please.

Anything--aesthetics; impact on tone; practical considerations, like keeping it clean . . . whatever.

I've seen Rob S.' comments at Frettech re not filling pores, but you don't see that done very often on swamp ash. I'm planning a swamp ash tele and I'm considering a thin, wipe-on finish, and I'm tempted to not fill the pores. I already have some smooth glossy guitars, some in the process of becoming relics (the slow,...

Asymmetrical backcontour - opinions?

feeds@yuku.com (mathis) — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:39:14 GMT

Hi

I'm thinking about getting an asymmetrical neck contour for my new guitar. I imagine it might fit my playing style nicely since I have my thumb wrapped around the neck most of the time. So far I haven't found any guitar with an asymmetrical contour in any shop, so I couldn't actually try one.

Any opinions on that contour? Does anybody here play one? Is there an obvious reason why guitar companies don't like to put the asymmetrical contour on stock...

Truss Tool?

feeds@yuku.com (Dale W Johnson) — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:03:23 GMT

I've recieved two USA necks used, and seem to have some trouble finding a hex tool that fits the truss properly. Either these are slightly stripped from previous owners or it's a size not in the normal tool kit. Is there a special truss tool supplied by USACG?

Change of body - Alder for Mahogany or Mahogany/Maple

feeds@yuku.com (Schneidas) — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:43:27 GMT

I was thinking of changing the Alder body of my Strat with a Mahogany body - maybe Honduran if Tommy can still get me one.
This exchange would rather be an experiment to see if it suits the neck, pickups and my playing style even better.

The Strat in question is a dual-humbucking USACG Strat, 2-piece centre-join Alder body, fixed Hipshot bridge with stainless steel saddles (this is a great and bright sounding bridge btw) and a super-special USACG 2-piece all-Madagascar Rosewood...

The Trouble with Korina: Great for Guitars, Tough for Luthiers

feeds@yuku.com (nocaster) — Sat, 24 May 2008 00:00:36 GMT

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/korinawoodmakesgreatguitar/

Wipe on poly for maple fretboard?

feeds@yuku.com (Stratified) — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:49:43 GMT

I can recall many discussions where this came up as a possible alternative, but I can't recall if anyone reported that they chose to do so. I know that Rob Stefano (Frettech.com) recommends against it; first, staining an amber vintage color is difficult because CA is often used in the fret slots preventing even staining via wipe on methods, and second, damming up of finish at the frets.

Tru-oil is supposed to work, because you wipe off after wipe on, so I presume that means a...

First project - need some advice

feeds@yuku.com (mathis) — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:27:38 GMT

Hello!

Since I'm new here, I might just introduce myself. My name is Mathis (or Matt) and I'm from Germany - although living in England right now. I've been playing guitar for about 5-6 years now, mainly acoustic, but also on an Ibanez electric (which I don't really like that much). It's quite hard for me to just go to a guitar shop and pick out a nice guitar because I'm left...

Hybrids

feeds@yuku.com (JoeyM) — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:04:27 GMT

Okay, so this may be a total beginner's question, but...

So if you have guitars with different "tops"...would it be possible to make a guitar that was half and half?

Like, rather than a body of mahogany with 1/4 top of maple....1/2 mahogany, 1/2 maple? Or like half alder/half ash, etc.

I'm just curious. The only reason I'm thinking it might not work is if it would affect the guitars' resonance adversely, or maybe something about the...

New customer help-

feeds@yuku.com (Joker) — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:36:07 GMT

So I don't want to seem lazy but I work offshore on a drilling rig and internet access is very limited (i'm using a iphone) so I can't really surf through the forums and find my answers. So just wanted to see if you all could help me out if you could.

1. I played a Fender 62 Hot Rod and really liked they way the neck felt. I know it was a C shape but I don't know the exact measurements. I think it was maybe .900 to a .970 taper at the 12 fret but that's just a...

High E string falling off the fretboard.....

feeds@yuku.com (Mowcheeba) — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:46:02 GMT

I did a USACG T-style guitar about a year ago and it plays "almost" like a dream.........high E string falls
off the fretboard too easy. I had some trouble with a not so straight body+neck joint, but that got fixed.
Could the frets be over beveled?
I asked for heavy rolled edges but that should not cause a problem....
Doing vibrato on the high E string is almost impossible.....the way around the problem is to adjust my playing.
It is not a matter of bad...

possible to make a 7 string guitar with 1 7/8" option?

feeds@yuku.com (mike2nyc) — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:03:34 GMT

I am trying to sit here and figure out what the string spacing would be for 7 strings on a 1 7/8" usacg neck...does anyone think that this would work?

Hiatus on Webspecial Activity?

feeds@yuku.com (Boris Bubbanov) — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:16:03 GMT

I see that #2 one piece ash body on the webspecials page I bought earlier this year, amongst others also sold, and I see 2 webspecial necks that appear to be available but which are too thin for my current cravings. It has been like that a while.

Has Tommy put the webspecials concept on hold to concentrate on all the Custom Orders, or might there be some new offerings soon?

I know, I know. I just love the Webspecials concept; a sight unseen neck or body might be the...

Help me with this design

feeds@yuku.com (FortyMileCommute) — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:49:01 GMT

Ah, the dreaded G.A.S. has struck again, and I'm thinking, and that's dangerous.

I'd love to do an Esquire design, but with a humbucker in the bridge. (Note: When I say "Esquire," I mean Esquire in shape only, not tone.) Here's the sticky part: I'd love to use a Bigsby B5, as well, whose hardware--as far as I know--only is compatible with single-coils.

Has anyone ever tried cutting/grinding/milling out the Bigsby B5 bridgeplate to accomodate...

Spruce Bodies

feeds@yuku.com (JoeyM) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:07:35 GMT

This is a thread for people who have built a guitar out of spruce or are curious about it....just a place to share about that.

If anyone who has made a guitar out of spruce could comment on their experiences, the sound...anything, really. I think it would be awesome.

From what I understand, it is somewhat related to pine, though has difference characteristics.

What first got me curious about spruce was a site with different philosophies about sound, and how...

New Guy

feeds@yuku.com (xacoustic) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:35:25 GMT

I just wanted to let you all know I'm here. I'm getting ready to order a tele body and neck from USACG. Since I've been playing mostly acoustic, I don't have a lot of experience with putting an electric together. I'm pretty good at finish work. I can do the nut. I'm pretty sure that I can install the hardware. The electronics are another matter. No experience with that. So, I'll be asking for some advise. Otherwise, I'm lurkin'

Strat body routing impact on tone?

feeds@yuku.com (dougs01) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:47:00 GMT

I have an Am. Deluxe strat that I like the sound of, but would like a vintage style bridge and a larger neck so I am going to build a USACG guitar to my specs. I have a question regarding the pickup cavity routing and tone of the body. My strat is 4.1 lbs (alder) and is routed like THIS. This guitar has more bass than my other strat which has a swamp ash body (3.5 lbs) with vintage style SSS...