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Thunderbird Club

#155,041
JIO said:
This is my promised pics of the original ebony/abalone pg that I made in about '74 for my stolen '63 II. I put it on my '64 for pics but will remove it now that I've documented it in pics. As you can see - it's pretty crude compared to the second one I made in late '78. Like pancakes - the second batch is always better! :)

View attachment 3875142
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I find abalone can look a bit much for fretboard inlays but that is just fantastic. I think with it being a single focal point you really maximise the impact of the pattern. Great job.
 
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#155,042
RayWithFlats said:
I find abalone can look a bit much for fretboard inlays but that is just fantastic. I think with it being a single focal point you really maximise the impact of the pattern. Great job.
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:) Thanks - I also am not one to be especially wowed by fancy inlay but I'm sort of surprised that someone (in China) hasn't capitalized on this. I see all sorts of elaborate inlays on very cheap MIC guitars/basses fretboards ...

Your "single focal point" is why I did this more recent version -

0EE89047-9D5A-49B6-9B60-E69353A36E15_1_201_a.jpeg
 
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#155,043
JIO said:
:) Thanks - I also am not one to be especially wowed by fancy inlay but I'm sort of surprised that someone (in China) hasn't capitalized on this. I see all sorts of elaborate inlays on very cheap MIC guitars/basses fretboards ...

Your "single focal point" is why I did this more recent version -

View attachment 3875168
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Nice!

I’m generally a less-is-more kinda guy when it comes to styling, although a friend from work has one of those Italia guitars with the full-body MOP finish and that looks pretty sweet. The T-Bird is such a strong shape that it doesn’t really need dressing up that much.

I’m with you on the super-fancy MIC stuff, every time I see a £200 guitar with a tree of life fretboard my first thought is always “what are they trying to hide?”
 
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#155,045
RayWithFlats said:
Nice!

I’m generally a less-is-more kinda guy when it comes to styling, although a friend from work has one of those Italia guitars with the full-body MOP finish and that looks pretty sweet. The T-Bird is such a strong shape that it doesn’t really need dressing up that much.

I’m with you on the super-fancy MIC stuff, every time I see a £200 guitar with a tree of life fretboard my first thought is always “what are they trying to hide?”
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a living wage...
 
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#155,047
JIO said:
This is my promised pics of the original ebony/abalone pg that I made in about '74 for my stolen '63 II. I put it on my '64 for pics but will remove it now that I've documented it in pics. I'm not superstitious but putting it on my '64 is sorta' uncomfortable. Other than this which I had no idea how I was reacting to until I did it - I never rest a bicycle wheel on the side of a chair if I'm changing a tyre etc... too much of a wheelchair image...

As you can see - it's pretty crude compared to the second one I made in late '78. Like pancakes - the second batch is always better! :)

View attachment 3875142
Click to expand...
If you had not said anything I wouldn’t have noticed. Looks great to me.
 
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#155,048
RayWithFlats said:
Love that subtle grain, it really sets off the inlay.

Sort of on topic, have you ever eaten abalone? It’s meant to be freaking delicious apparently.
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:) Thanks! It is a known delicacy - but I have never eaten it.
 
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#155,049
RayWithFlats said:
Love that subtle grain, it really sets off the inlay.

Sort of on topic, have you ever eaten abalone? It’s meant to be freaking delicious apparently.
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We snorkeled for them in the seventies. Pretty much disappeared from the California coast in the eighties due to overfishing and some type of parasite. There are limited seasons for them now and they’re pretty hard to find. We pounded the meat with wooden mallets, coated them with flour and just pan fried them. Kind of a fun way to spend a Sunday when we were in college.
 
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#155,051
JIO said:
This is my promised pics of the original ebony/abalone pg that I made in about '74 for my stolen '63 II. I put it on my '64 for pics but will remove it now that I've documented it in pics. I'm not superstitious but putting it on my '64 is sorta' uncomfortable. Other than this which I had no idea how I was reacting to until I did it - I never rest a bicycle wheel on the side of a chair if I'm changing a tyre etc... too much of a wheelchair image...

As you can see - it's pretty crude compared to the second one I made in late '78. Like pancakes - the second batch is always better! :)

View attachment 3875142
Click to expand...
Hmm. Yeah, that looks pretty bad. You should get rid of it. I'm sure there'd be someone in the Club who would assist you in disposing of it. (FORM A LINE!)
 
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#155,052
MCF said:
We snorkeled for them in the seventies. Pretty much disappeared from the California coast in the eighties due to overfishing and some type of parasite. There are limited seasons for them now and they’re pretty hard to find. We pounded the meat with wooden mallets, coated them with flour and just pan fried them. Kind of a fun way to spend a Sunday when we were in college.
Click to expand...
there’s some Italian restaurants in the city that push giant clam (mirugai) as abalone....
 
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#155,054
JIO said:
:) Thanks - I also am not one to be especially wowed by fancy inlay but I'm sort of surprised that someone (in China) hasn't capitalized on this. I see all sorts of elaborate inlays on very cheap MIC guitars/basses fretboards ...

Your "single focal point" is why I did this more recent version -

View attachment 3875168
Click to expand...
how deep is that? LED?
 
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#155,060
Chucky Stiletti said:
and the batt in the controls cav?
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2 AAA batteries in the (waterproof) hockey-puck sized disc. I removed the screw-on back so it would sit flush and be the right depth for the cavity. They're on eBay.
 
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