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Les Paul Build #2


GuitarNoobie

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ha, ha, I also homebrew, but i haven't done it for a while. i have about 30 brews total so far and it is also a fun hobby... i don't have an elaborate setup but me and a friend have brewed some awesome beers...

 

 

You really don't need an elaborate set-up to brew, just a clean one.

 

Once I got into all-grain brewing, man, I went nuts. Now I have a barley mill/crusher, a RIMS-type mash tun and hot liquor tank that I made, a conical fermenter that I modified from some commercial bakery equipment, a dedicated chest freezer for lagering, and another for my tap system, and about 20 corny kegs. It takes up room in the garage and one of the spare rooms. Whenever people see my brewery they are amazed (just because they've never seen anything like that) and ask how much it all cost. Not nearly as much as people think, but it is the first question they ask.

 

 

 

 

 

and here's an oopsie i had with a double IPA i brewed. the fermenter blew the lid 3 times until i installed a blow over tube... 9 lbs of extract and it ended up 11.5 % ABV. One of the best and strongest I ever did...

 

 

That's high! What kind of yeast were you using? Most yeasts would burn out by then

 

And, man, you are SOOooooo lucky your fermenter didn't blow up. Yes, BLOW UP. It can happen. Sticky half-dried kr

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here's the technique i use to cut down the binding and create the nibs...

first i stick a dremel bit in backwards into the dremel...

dcam5176.jpg

then i wrap the end of the exposed bit with tape to protect the fretboard. leave just about 1/8" of the bit exposed...

dcam5178.jpg

just getting started and i know it's ugly as hell right now, but trust me...

dcam5180.jpg

i stole this picture from ex-nihilo over @ MLP, but this is the final step in bringing the binding down even with the fretboard...

scrape.gif

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I usually just use a flat file that I run over the plastic to bring it down level with the fretboard. Your way really seems like it could hack up the binding and other things.

 

 

i agree, the powertool seems like too much potentioal for damage. file works fast enough on plastic binding.

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i agree, the powertool seems like too much potentioal for damage. file works fast enough on plastic binding.



there is some potential for damage and a file may be a better way to go.

i will try that in the future, but too late for this fretboard...

here's a picture of a little more rough cutting. those first two were really bad :facepalm: but nothing that can't be leveled out...

dcam5181.jpg

two video clips upcoming...


.

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if you are careful it can be done with the dremel. what is left on the fretboard is glue from the tape... ;)

[YOUTUBE]I2iss1SrC5I[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]OcIeR-drQDI[/YOUTUBE]

and one more pic from the side after the razor scraping...

dcam5184.jpg

this is all followed up with a fret file to help shape the nibs and then some 220 grit sandpaper and then 400 grit to finish everything off...

be careful with the sandpaper. if you stay in one place too long you will melt the binding... ;)

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believe it or not the yeast used was Danstar Nottingham Dry Yeast.

 

 

Nottingham is about the best ale yeast there is, IMO. It's what I use for ales. I went through a year of liquid yeasts, and came back to Nottingham. It easily can blow a fermenter, if you brew clean.

 

Austin Homebrew is a great supplier. Their kits are definitely some of the best.

 

...

 

That binding work looks like a pain in the neck.

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a little more progress...

first i angle the binding over the frets with a flat file...

dcam5189.jpg

next, i use a fret file bring the binding down to fret level....

dcam5187.jpg

after a little sanding with the 220 grit...

dcam5194.jpg

still have to go back and clean up the fretboard and do a little more sanding...

then further down the line after applying the binding to the body of the guitar, i will create a acetone/binding glue dubbed "binding goop" by some members here. not only is that good used to glue on the body binding, but it's great for filling in little spots on the binding that might need filling...

there a few where i hit the binding with the dremel chuck. later in the thread i will fill those and sand them to invisible :thu:

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Nottingham is about the best ale yeast there is, IMO. It's what I use for ales. I went through a year of liquid yeasts, and came back to Nottingham. It easily can blow a fermenter, if you brew clean.


Austin Homebrew is a great supplier. Their kits are definitely some of the best.


...


That binding work looks like a pain in the neck.



i've bought a ton of kits from AHBS... it was just the last couple of brews that me and my brewing bud went off and started creating our own recipes and hitting the local homebrew store for our ingredients...

but i too agree about AHBS... have nothing but good things to say about them... i didn't realize the Nottingham was so exceptional. i had just started using liquid's lately at the recommendation of the local store...

anyway, the binding and the inlays are the most tedius, time consuming and nervous elements for me in building a guitar :cry:

but i'm almost there :thu:

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i didn't realize the Nottingham was so exceptional. i had just started using liquid's lately at the recommendation of the local store...

 

That's cause it isn't :poke: If you want a nice dry ale that still has plenty of mouthfeel and doesn't strip the flavor like notty, check out WLP007 or Wyeast 1098.

 

Seems like you have some meat on the binding sides to play with but it looks like that dremel rig did a number on the side in a few places & might be a bit unwieldy moving on the transitions between fret and board. IDK if it would be worth adding small wide washer on the chuck side to act like a fence or if it would just cause other problems. Other problems would be my guess ;)

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That's cause it isn't :poke: If you want a nice dry ale that still has plenty of mouthfeel and doesn't strip the flavor like notty, check out WLP007 or Wyeast 1098.


Seems like you have some meat on the binding sides to play with but it looks like that dremel rig did a number on the side in a few places & might be a bit unwieldy moving on the transitions between fret and board. IDK if it would be worth adding small wide washer on the chuck side to act like a fence or if it would just cause other problems. Other problems would be my guess
;)



yes, that side tear into the binding is something i haven't figured out how to stop, short of being very careful. once i get on a roll like i showed in the video clip the method works very well. concentrating on staying out of the binding with the dremel chuck helps also.

i tried tape over this area on the dremel, but it did not stay in place long at all. i suspect a washer would help, but how would i holding it in place? :idk:

the binding sides are thick enough to work with, but i will not sand those imperfections out. i will fill them and then sand flat ;)

btw, i don't know much about the yeasts i was using. the kits i was buying gave several recommendations. i will keep the Wyeast 1098 in mind for future brews :thu:

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That's cause it isn't :poke: If you want a nice dry ale that still has plenty of mouthfeel and doesn't strip the flavor like notty, check out WLP007 or Wyeast 1098.



Seems like we're creating a thread within a thread ;)

Disagree. Ales get more of their flavor from the grain bill, the water (!), and the esters, the by-products of fermentation. (What you do with hops depends if you're brewing a West Coast-style ale or a traditional British Isles-style ale.)

Notty is clean, high-attenuating, and dry--plenty of horsepower for big grain bills. If I want something less so, then there's Windsor. Or if I want a higher ester profile with either, I just raise the fermenting temperature. And if I want something insane like WLP001, I'd go with US-05 (56).

Just about every homebrewer I know, IRL and in the forums, has gone through their liquid phase and ended up with Notty as the go-to for most ales. That said, it is fun to play with liquids for making clones. Once in a while there is a clone recipe in Zymurgy or BYO that I just hafta try :)

Mostly, I only mess with liquid yeasts and starters for Belgians and lagers (though Saflager-23 makes a decent pilsner.)
...

All this isn't entirely unrelated, at least for me. I'm brewing today (a double: a Maibock and a pilsner), and changing strings/set-up on my Strat--about as close as I'll get to a 'build' ;)

Cheers, gents

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I can taste a notty beer with out even being told what strain was used.....US05 over notty for me any day of the week. YMMV.

 

As far as your assertion that yeast derived esters, phenols and level of attenuation is not an integral part of the flavor profile of ales, I couldn't disagree more. Dry and liquid strains both have their place in brewing & from my POV neither need be used exclusively. Granted, I've only been brewing for like a decade or so, I might still have phase or three to work though ;)

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or you can head over here:

 

www.homebrewchatter.com

 

 

...anywho, if you were to temp attach a thin washer with a diameter larger than then contact area of the binding to the face of the chuck, you'd at least prevent that dig in. It might cause enough of a problem from friction and have a similar negative effect but if you can keep it off the side of the binding it might save you on the occasional touch down.

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with a diameter larger than then contact area of the binding to the face of the chuck, you'd at least prevent that dig in. It might cause enough of a problem from friction and have a similar negative effect but if you can keep it off the side of the binding it might save you on the occasional touch down.

 

 

how???

 

i don't disagree at all, but how would i keep it in place....?

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how???


i don't disagree at all, but how would i keep it in place....?

 

 

you could experiment with adhesives and find something strong enough to resist being thrown but still removable or epoxy it and dedicate a chuck to the task.

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Goodness gracious, what SKILL! Really, thanks a lot for doing this thread and posting such detailed pictures.


Soapbox: Amongst all the porn and meanness, there is a lot of valuable information out there in the Internet. I've used forums to learn how to fix my cars, how to get the best out of my 4x4, to learn how to tile my bathroom, and even what to do when Mourning Doves made a nest on my front porch.


I know firsthand how time consuming it is to post a DIY with detailed pictures. It's a labor of love.


I want to thank you for posting such great information and adding to the value of this forum. I hope your post provides help for anyone wanting to do the same project for many years to come.



thanks for the very kind words...

my hopes are this thread inspires others, just as i was inspired by people who took the time to do this kind of thread :thu:

and yea, for all the badness the internet offers, there is also much goodness... ;)

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