Leaderboard

To the back hatch. You will note that there is always a bit of madness in my method when it comes to guitar and bass builds. Does that rebate rout above cut into the ebony strip? And doesn't that mean that the black line will be broken with an alder hatch when it's fitted?? Well...yes...and no. Yes it would if I didn't add a matching strip to the hatch I made my normal paper template with some A4 and a fingernail: Cut out with a scalpel, I then had a template for the wood that I could double check fitted properly into the rebate, and also a reverse template so I could choose a 'sympathetic' grain pattern from my various alder offcuts. This would probably work: So next job was to cut out the hatch - a teeny bit oversize - and add a matching ebony strip: To fit the hatch, I usually start at one of the curves and sand/check the radius repeatedly until it fits the rebate exactly, and then progressively sand the overhang from there at one side or the other to progressively create the close fit all the way round. It takes a while because you don't want to over-sand anywhere! But eventually, it's done: And the ebony strip lines up! Next step is stringing it up for Alex to be able to play it while I fettle the shape of the neck profile, and then I can start the final sanding and start on the finish

I just put a new true tone jack in my Jackson Rhoads and it is like I just upgraded my pick-ups. This is the second Jackson I have installed these jacks into. They really do make a difference. I am so frigging impressed. I was going to install new EMG's in this guitar, but now I'm going to wait and see. That was my problem before, I just felt like there was something missing from my tone, then this morning I put the true tone jack in and bam, I have what I was searching for.

This attention to the detail of the finished product is astonishing and very pleasing.