Mooncaster Project

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sat Apr 24, 2021 4:22 pm

I picked this up on ebay for about half of what it would cost to buy it on Warmoth. I plan to do black dye, sand back and then do green dye. (Been on a green kick and I think it will look cool with the black binding.) Going to do the back trans black and then sand back to do brown dye.

Should turn out killer other than dreading that upper toggle install. LOL I know how to prewire it and then attach a string to pull it though the cavity up to the hole, but I hear it is a pain in the ass. LOL I also know I need the deeper screw part for wood mounting a toggle and it has to be the right angle L style toggles. It is flame maple front and flame maple back. I am thinking of doing a les trem on it. Don't know what pickups I want yet. Don't know what kind of neck I want to use yet either. I think I might try and see if I can put the toggle lower and do a master volume in the upper horn like a Gretsch. LOL Not sure yet. Here is the body.

Screenshot_20210424-095823 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

Hoping to get a top finish kind of like this.

Unicorn Warrior · Post by **Unicorn Warrior** » Sat Apr 24, 2021 4:59 pm

Awesome! I think the finish choice looks great. As sacrilegious as it may be as an offset guitar member, I’ve been gassing over some PRS axes over the last year or so. The one you posted is gorgeous. This project should be fun to watch!

Scout · Post by **Scout** » Sat Apr 24, 2021 5:08 pm

You're an animal, a guitar building animal.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sat Apr 24, 2021 5:50 pm

LOL. Guitar machine.

I had a PRS Mira. I liked it except I wasn't fond of the neck profile.

They make nice stuff.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:08 pm

With the odd layout the person loaded I decided to do this wiring wise. Lower horn normal toggle. The strip of three in a row will be volume, volume, and master tone. The hole across from the strip of three with be a second toggle using modified Gretsch mud switch wiring.

Should give it some cool options. I might try Supertron's in it. It depends on if/when my T Armonds sell.

Here is my wiring diagram I popped together.

Wiring-Diagram by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:21 pm

As I understand it, I will need to take apart and reverse the mud switch to make it work correctly. Otherwise middle potion would have both caps on the signal instead of no caps added. I found pictures online on how to do it. It sounds like you unscrew the wafer and reverse the contacts so they look like below. That way center has neither side touching the outputs.

1 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

2 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Thu Apr 29, 2021 7:46 am

Decided to move the wenge neck to this project since I had a displaced maple neck for my green stain Jazzy.

It should be an odd, but interesting, combination.

2021-04-29_08-45-19 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sat May 01, 2021 4:12 pm

Some parts came in.

A Les Trem II, the mounting studs and such for the stoptail and bridge, one of the toggles, deep mount toggle nuts, Gretsch tips, long pots, Gretsch style chrome knobs, and the jack plate, and pure tone jack.

2021-05-01_05-09-56 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

Shadoweclipse13 · Post by **Shadoweclipse13** » Sun May 02, 2021 4:56 pm

Sweet project Chris!!! That neck is gorgeous!!!

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Sun May 02, 2021 5:32 pm

Thanks! I can't wait for the body to arrive.

Shadoweclipse13 · Post by **Shadoweclipse13** » Mon May 03, 2021 1:10 am

Man, I know that feeling. I'm also interested to see how you feel about the Les Trem. I ordered one from France for my humbucker guitar, as the lefty versions are a bit hard to find in the US. I have a feeling I'm gonna love it.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Mon May 03, 2021 8:47 am

I like that it seems easy to string and use. Also it is cool that the arm can come out if you don't want to use the tremolo.

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Mon May 03, 2021 3:26 pm

A bunch of parts came in today, but who cares... I just want to look at the body.

IMG_20210503_141041 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

IMG_20210503_141108 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

The neck test fit perfect.

IMG_20210503_141015 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

Used ebony dye/stain on the back. I will sand that back tomorrow and then add brown dye over the back.

IMG_20210503_142455 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

Got my bridge posts and stop tail posts drilled and mounted. I also got to check and make sure things fit. They look good!

IMG_20210503_155941 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

Then I worked on dying the front black. This will get sanded back and dyed green.

IMG_20210503_161650 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

IMG_20210503_161627__01 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr

My only oops so far is I dripped a spot of black dye into the cavity. Oh well. LOL

IMG_20210503_161636 by Christopher Louck, on Flickr