build #3 56 Goldtop

[monsterwalley]

As the title states, my next build attempt will be a P90 Goldtop with a Bigsby.
Once I saw David Gilmour's I fell in love, and said I had to have one. Obviously I can't afford to buy one, So after two successful builds so far I will attempt a third.

This build will be a little slower than the first two due to the fact that I am under no deadline.

So far I have gathered a nice billet from BFCG, a nice top and royalite binding from Tom (alk-3), a slice of Brazilian, and the good inlays from Dave Johnson.

I am still trying to figure out what to use for p-90's. Looking for the closest sounding and appearing to the original's. I know nothing about p-90's or what's available, so any help would be great. Also, I'm not sure of the subtle differences from the 59's I know a little about, to the 56 other than having p-90's, and are obviously gold. So again, if anybody has input please let me know.

First off, I am looking on opinions on the grain direction on the back?







Which do you guys think, top or bottom for the back?

[nuance97]

I'm excited!

[NateM]

I'm going to be following this one really closely!

Sheptone makes P-90s and, while I have no experience with them, I really like the PAF tribute set I got from them.

s h e p t o n e . c o m : : : : : : Vintage Style Hand-Wound Guitar Pickups

Lindy Fralin makes them too:

Welcome to Lindy Fralin Pickups: Fralin P-90 Style Pickups - the Finest Guitar Pickups Available Today!

Good luck!

[decoy205]

I like the bottom pic for the back. You can also try Shed p90's I hear they are amazing. Spence is a Member here too. Looking forward to seein this build man.

[Sully_7287]

356 builds? color me impressed

[FF_Pedals]

Originally Posted by decoy205

i like the bottom pic for the back.

+1 !

[SuperOverdrive]

Originally Posted by FF_Pedals

+1 !

+1 as well! looking forward to following your progress!

[mertzy]

Originally Posted by monsterwalley

I am still trying to figure out what to use for p-90's. Looking for the closest sounding and appearing to the original's.

I recently went through the same search, over on TGP the general consensus was that the current Gibson's are closest to the original Gibson's, growley and mean.

I like the bottom pic too.

[mono]

I prefer the top photo.
Given that it will be a goldtop, I would want the grain on the back to be visually interesting, which the bottom photo isn't IMHO.

[Ryan]

+1 vote for bottom.

[mono]

Maybe you should choose the bottom then.
After all, my suggestion was......








against the grain! bu dum dum schhhh

[Metamatic]

The top pic without a doubt!

[JBranch]

Top pic!

[torino74]

Top Pic! The grain seems to flow with the curves...

[[Apex]]

Yay, another interesting build to get into.

I'd personally say the bottom pic for the back, I'm not too keen on that streaky (?) grain the top pic has to the bottom left.

Out of curiosity, which model bigsby are you going for?

[bgillie]

Bottom

[monsterwalley]

Wow! 7 votes for the bottom picture, and 3 votes for the top.

I originally liked the top myself. I liked the way the grain flowed into the neck.
But the majority is the bottom . Decisions, decisions.......

Thanks for the info on the pickups. I will check into them

Like I said earlier, this build will be a lot slower than my others, so don't give up on me.

[monsterwalley]

Originally Posted by [Apex]

Yay, another interesting build to get into.

I'd personally say the bottom pic for the back, I'm not too keen on that streaky (?) grain the top pic has to the bottom left.

Out of curiosity, which model bigsby are you going for?

I will probably use the b-7 bigsby.

[ExNihilo]

Bottom pic.

[wizzbang]

I like the top photo due to the way the grain has that nice arch from neck to bottom strap button.Not as keen on the second photo due to the grain fussyness(is that a word)
in the top right of photo.

[Jared Evans]

WB Pickups has a WB-90. Will Boggs is a member of the forum as well. Great pickup maker, really nice guy. Worth checking out. Glad to see you doing another build man, looking forward to following it.

[Jared Evans]

And I like the bottom pic.

[monsterwalley]

Well, I guess the bottom pic it is ........



Unfortunately this is all I did manage to get done tonight. I had to go to
guitar practice. I figure I should probably learn how to play what I build. Not to mention everyone is getting tired of hearing the same riff over and over.

Hopefully I can get the top glued to the body this weekend.

Also, I've looked, but if anybody has good information or pictures of the p90 cavity routes I would greatly appreciate it!


And thanks for helping me figure out the grain. I originally liked the top but, I'm glad I did the bottom pic now!

[decoy205]

Looks awesome man!
Here's the p90 thread.

Everything You Need to Know About P-90s

[monsterwalley]

Well, I told you it would take longer on this build. I'm losing track of my free time

Anyway, a quick update.
Got the switch/control cavities routed out, as well as the cable route.







Then I tried my hand at hot hide glue. Man that was really nerve wracking.
I installed two dowels in the mortise area for alignment purposes. Then I "dry" clamped the top to the body and marked the position of the clamps.
After that I shut the door and put an electric heater in the room and got it hot as heck while I got the glue ready. When the glue was ready, I heated the top and body with a heat gun then started the glue process. It took 35 seconds from start to finish. I feel good how it turned out, and am not afraid of it anymore.

The top I got from Tom started to curl up a little since I got it from him in Dec/Jan. Thats why in the photo's, I mainly clamped the perimeter and used an old neck from my daughters 84% build that I messed up on to apply pressure to the center. If I had something more significant, I would have used it, but given the particular situation, I feel good about it.










So thats all I've got for now.
Oh, here's a few shots of my man, Angus doing his thing in KC last weekend.






Not bad for 55 years old

[LPGeoff]

Subscribed.

Us Kansas guys have to stick together!

[diceman]

I love me some P90s! I look forward to seeing this one come together!

[phlz_8]

Looking good. I'm gonna have to keep an eye on this build.

[monsterwalley]

I have progressed further on the build, but not nearly as far along as I would like to be. I will post pics soon.

I need opinions on a piece of Braz i picked up earlier this year.

It is clear in the photo that it has a definite dark side and light side to it. I gambled when I bought it that I could squeeze the finger board out of the dark. Well that is not the case. I masked the fingerboard outline on the board and the lighter ended up "peeking" through the middle.

Should I toss it and find another?









Any opinions on the board overall?

[mono]

I think that is a beautiful piece of wood. No way should you chuck it because it is not homogenous! I think that it even gives character to it.

Plus, when the strings are on it, you won't even see it.

Caveat to the above: If you have an even more brilliant piece of wood to hand, and you want this guitar to go with you to your grave, then I guess use what will make it perfect