hardprom, bluebill & LtDave's Leo Tribute

[bluebill]

On my end there were a few big items, work, family things.

My dads health has slipped. He's 94 and he has been in and out of care. He is back home with mom now. I've cleared out his shop and that limits me to some of the tools I rely on. They just celebrated their 74th anniversary and we're praying they make their 75th.

Work had the customer launch of the 787 and the 747-8 and other products that I had to train folks on. That took a large mental toll which took my focus from projects.

But the biggest for me was I had Lung Cancer.
They removed the upper right hand lung and I had Chemo and daily Radiation for 5 weeks. Chemo brain isn't fun. Still have pain when I breath where they cooked me but I am cancer free at this time. Now I have to loose some weight.

Mike through this whole process was supportive and encouraging. When I went in for my operation he drove over (Boise to Seattle) to see me go under and he was there when I woke up. Who does that? That's 8.5 hours each way! We have become friends and are respectful of each other.

I apologize for the long delay and if there is any information I can give you folks about the build just ask away.

The pick-ups on this guitar are P-90 clones and they are larger than the Mosrite pups. That made me change the body to accommodate the wider pickups by stretching the body both by length and width to keep the 4 degree headstock separation and the look of the original Mosirite. The vibrato is pretty close with some minor changes. I did drill the string pattern as the originals were drilled. The string guides are aluminum and the zero fret is a jumbo to ensure no buzzing in the upper frets. I did use the duel action truss rods in each neck and the fingerboards are from the same stock piece of lumber. The switches are Switchcraft and the pots are 500 ohms. The 12 string is strung like a Rickenbacker and the neck is the same feel so Mike can switch from one to the other and not be "surprised". The headstock letters are decals I made. Silk-screening wasn't in the cards this time. The decals are over a couple of coats of lacquer and topped with the finish coats.

[dubtrub]

Wow! You've certainly had some bumps in the road. Glad things are looking brighter. Keep us updated on the guitar when it arrives.

[hardprom3]

I'm going up Sunday, and should be there by late afternoon/early evening. I'll be there a couple of days, but I'm sure Bill will post photos. I can't wait!

[hardprom3]

Just a quick update...I got the Meadowlark home late Thursday, and gave it its first 3-hour test drive at rehearsal today...it performed magnificently! Plays great, both necks stayed in tune the entire time...I've never owned a guitar with P90's before, so that was interesting to hear, my 12-string for the past 26 years having been a Rickenbacker 360/12...Sounds very much like I imagine a Telecaster 12-string would sound...the 6-string side is very Telecaster-ish. On a related side-note, to my great surprise, the doubleneck (which, by the way, weighs in at 13lbs, 2oz) was comfortable to wear! I intentionally only took the doubleneck to rehearsal, figuring I'd find out how rough on the shoulder/back it would be if I had no other options for the 3 hours...I am astounded to report that I could have gone at least another couple of hours. No ill-effects from the weight.

This guitar is a real 'keeper', and will be with me every time we have a show from now on...It was a true labor of love, and the people who had a hand or more in this project simply knocked it out of the park...