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PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 4:49 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
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First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Had a plywood body Epiphone Les Paul laying around doing nothing, so I decided to make it fretless. Had planned to inlay some maple or honey tupelo veneer in the slots. Pulled the frets, and surprise! They were notched and the neck had wood binding on the fingerboard. Very nicely done, too.

Instead of using veneer, I used baking soda and CA in the slots, packing it down well with a 6" scale. Did two applications, then sanded the board level. Another surprise - the fingerboard had been dyed black, and underneath was an attractive piece of something... it had no odor when sanding. Hit it with Howard Feed'N'Wax and it darkened right up to a beautiful satin sheen.

New strings and action set very low at both ends... Makes all the right rowr-rowr noises, but I think I need to up the string gauge from 10's to 12's. Might help the sustain above the 10th fret, and besides - no more string bending required.

Some photos of the finished fingerboard.

https://i.imgur.com/S1RRYm4.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/uD0G3pu.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FbP4YO9.jpg

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 4:08 am 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
First name: Hesh
Last Name: Breakstone
City: Ann Arbor
State: Michigan
Country: United States
Status: Professional
Looks great Chris, very cool!

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These users thanked the author Hesh for the post: Chris Pile (Fri Jun 11, 2021 7:37 am)
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 11:28 am 
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Koa
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Location: Cowichan Valley, BC, Canada
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Zip/Postal Code: V9L 2E5
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So after all these years you're finally fed up with all those intervals playing out of tune? beehive

Looks super cool!



These users thanked the author Conor_Searl for the post: Hesh (Sat Jun 12, 2021 10:25 am)
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:53 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
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First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
One of my clients has popped for it, saying he wanted to explore microtonal music....

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These users thanked the author Chris Pile for the post: Hesh (Sat Jun 12, 2021 10:26 am)
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 10:26 am 
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Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood
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Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
First name: Hesh
Last Name: Breakstone
City: Ann Arbor
State: Michigan
Country: United States
Status: Professional
Conor_Searl wrote:
So after all these years you're finally fed up with all those intervals playing out of tune? beehive

Looks super cool!


:D laughing6-hehe

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:53 am 
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Koa
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Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:09 pm
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Location: Cowichan Valley, BC, Canada
First name: Conor
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City: Duncan
State: British Columbia
Zip/Postal Code: V9L 2E5
Country: Canada
Status: Semi-pro
Chris Pile wrote:
One of my clients has popped for it, saying he wanted to explore microtonal music....


Microtonal music! I'm an expert in that...

There's no mistakes if you do everything on purpose. Right?

I get it though. I remember reading an interview with Steve Kimock, where he talks about his fretless guitars, and the reasoning behind them. Makes sense, but man that's some next level stuff...



These users thanked the author Conor_Searl for the post: Chris Pile (Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:21 pm)
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:22 pm 
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First name: Chris
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Quote:
Makes sense, but man that's some next level stuff...


My client is a next level player, for sure. If anyone can make it work, Sterling can.

Here he is playing a semi-hollow I built for him in 1993.
I called the guitar the Indigo Spirit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7c3QNGW4lA

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:26 pm 
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Cocobolo
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Location: Hopkinton, MA
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Oh yeah. That guy is the real deal for sure. And that guitar sounds beautiful. What’s the looped back patch cord doing?



These users thanked the author bionta for the post: Chris Pile (Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:14 pm)
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:27 pm 
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Koa
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Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:09 pm
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Location: Cowichan Valley, BC, Canada
First name: Conor
Last Name: Searl
City: Duncan
State: British Columbia
Zip/Postal Code: V9L 2E5
Country: Canada
Status: Semi-pro
Chris Pile wrote:
Quote:
Makes sense, but man that's some next level stuff...


My client is a next level player, for sure. If anyone can make it work, Sterling can.

Here he is playing a semi-hollow I built for him in 1993.
I called the guitar the Indigo Spirit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7c3QNGW4lA


Wow!


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:14 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
Posts: 5743
First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Quote:
Oh yeah. That guy is the real deal for sure. And that guitar sounds beautiful. What’s the looped back patch cord doing?


Part of his Roland guitar synth pickup rig... (don't ask me more. Not my department).

Interesting detail about the guitar neck - there is NO string taper. The string spacing is exactly the same at the bridge as it is at the nut. The neck is 2 5/16" wide from top to bottom. No one can play it except Sterling.

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