Big Bison Baritone in Black [finished p.3]

[epizootics]

Damn! I don't think I'd ever seen Magnatones before. Those are beautiful.
There's definitely something there. On Fender-type necks, I'd be concerned about the strings not getting enough break angle past the zero fret.

If I understand you correctly (no recent coffee in my system, so it's doubtful), you're considering a string clamp of sorts behind a zero fret(?) Re the break angle over the zero fret, that's something I had to think about when doing my Dano from hell project, and I found a page on the Fylde Guitars site that made sense to me. Most of the info there wouldn't apply to a Floyd-equipped guitar, but the bit about emulating the break angle that finger pressure behind any other fret would provide helped me to actually get what I was trying to do.
Making your own nut, with or without the retainer plate will be cool, for one thing you can get exactly the string spacing you want, something I couldn't do with the Floyd-equipped guitar I owned. I also didn't like the look of that clampy thing or it's feel against my hand (it was on a Valley Arts Standard Pro- a genuine early pre-Samick model that I found in a thrift store for silly cheap. It had all the expected gear- Floyd, HSS EMGs etc- beautifully built, I could admire it but not like it). Your setup will be prettier and more tactile.

That makes perfect sense! Hopefully the break angle here will be enough. I can't remember what the headstock looked like on the Dano From Hell.
Not exactly a string clamp, more of a string guide death trap from which the strings can't escape. We'll see how it ends up looking - might be even clunkier than a Floyd nut if I'm not careful

[epizootics]

Almost done...









I added some kind of hand-rubbed sunburst to the neck to disguise the scarf joint. I don't mind them but since the shaft and the headstock came from different trees, I knew it would bother me if it remained in plain sight. I used my infamous Steel-wool-vinegar-and-pence solution to darken the mahogany, added a fair bit of India ink on top and made a transition between the light and dark part with a bit of walnut-colored stain. The grain wasn't filled, hence the really rough appearance at the back of the headstock. It'll all come down in time, probably in a satin finish.

It seems like it's going to rain everyday in the foreseeable future, so I'm glad I could get the clear coats in today!

Pretty much everything is ready bar a few bits and bobs, so I have no choice but to get started on the Floyd Monster now. The body is already cut and routed (it was one of the four I did in January), I am slowly gathering the parts and preparing the crime...

[epizootics]

Body wet sanded & buffed...Assembly starting...The neck still needs one last coat of clear and it'll be good to go...

[Gordon]

[HarlowTheFish]

oh shit that looks sweet

[Rgand]

That's looking good! Very good!

[epizootics]

Almost there...

It only needs the logo - an etched stainless steel washer that will fit into that circular recess in the headstock. Other than that...It's a guitar!





Well, it's a BIG guitar. A long, wide, thick neck and a large body. I tuned it to A, which is just about right for those big .070 strings. All three positions sound pretty big too. The alnico rod mini-HBs retain some spank in the attack, whilst staying full-bodied with a fuzz or a Rat. Lots of firsts on this one for me - first baritone, first pore-filling ash for solid color, first black finish. I can get started on the Floyd Fish Fiddle now

[antisymmetric]

^Outstanding.

[HarlowTheFish]

Okay that looks sweet

That french engineering is paying off for sure!

[Zork]

Damn, that's impressive! the design!

[Rgand]

That's really beqautiful. One of your finest, for sure.

[epizootics]

Phew. Finally complete & shipped out to my friend (which was no mean feat since the country went into lockdown again).









I'll ask him to make a quick video of it. He's a much better guitar player than I am

Getting that thing set up wasn't easy. I think I went one string gauge too thin. Those 14-70s are OK when the guitar is tuned to B but on the edge of being a buzzfest when tuned down to A. I filed the nut slots to allow for enough wiggle room there. What do y'all use on your Bass VIs?

[HarlowTheFish]

Dooooood that looks crazy good! How did those pickups work out for you?

Getting that thing set up wasn't easy. I think I went one string gauge too thin. Those 14-70s are OK when the guitar is tuned to B but on the edge of being a buzzfest when tuned down to A. I filed the nut slots to allow for enough wiggle room there. What do y'all use on your Bass VIs?

I'm running 24-95 in bass drop D on my "bass" VI (an Ormsby Hype GTR with the nut filed down, with a 25.5"-27.5" fan). In A I used to run a 74, and it was still pretty slinky for my taste (I run 11-58 in guitar drop D on everything else, including a 24" Mustang and a 25.5"-26.5" Kiesel). Depending on how tight you want it to play, I'd run an 80 (Strat with 11s kinda feel), 74-76 (Strat with 10s feel) or the 70 for more of a Strat with 9s feel. At that tuning it's a bit of a balancing act, because strings that are too thick lose clarity but let you play hard enough to get a defined attack, but strings that are too thin gain clarity but you can't play them too hard without them warbling too sharp. With a 30" scale length it's also a bit fussy because you have more tension from the longer scale length, but also a bit more compliance and elasticity from the greater total length of string - if it works for your friend's sound, I like flats on basses because they're stiffer and counteract this somewhat.

[Rgand]

That is truly outstanding. I love black on black with the B/W/B pickguard material.

[adamrobertt]

Gorgeous!