Corvus Guitar Works - builds, paint, mods/servicing, Cambs

Corvus · July 2021

You're most welcome Tony!

Corvus · July 2021

digitalkettle said:

Corvus said:

Nothing very exciting, just binned three of the brass shielding plates + glazier points that give partial shielding, fully shielded & linked all cavities instead, and changed the grounding to suit.

Not like the mod we did on mine then...where you made the volume pot actually work

Corvus · August 2021

Quick update time, at least some of the more picturesque stuff.

Adam's '66 as seen in his recent thread. It had a ropey paint job but was carrying all of it's old wear. Stripping it kept all that intact. Three blow screw holes needed sorting, did that with the smallest possible alder plugs. A fluted dowel had been glued in to rescue a blown control plate screw hole, that got routed out and a piece of alder let in.
I don't mind these old get-by's too much, back in time these things weren't so highly valued and it's just a sign of being used for decades

Corvus · August 2021

And another olympic white-type thing, a 90s yellow poplar Strat. As usual can't get the colour quite right but it was blended to be neither obviously white+yellow or white+brown.

Took hours in the stripper this one. Usually a couple of hours sees everything off, this was in for 9 hours!
The other thing was sorting the body pieces which had moved, seems it's not uncommon.

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/andys_strat.jpg

Corvus · August 2021

And Ross's build as per M&M thread, getting into colour

normula1 · August 2021

My wife just saw this over my shoulder and remarked that it's very nice, but I'm not allowed it

Corvus · August 2021

Thanks Mrs Normula

Corvus · October 2021

Overdue update. @monquixote brought his excellent DGT for fret-levelling and a tuning issue

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/monq_dgt1.jpg

And the Strat, for pickup swaps to Oil Citys and refret in stainless 6000. Sounds great I think, and the middle Dimarzio hangs well with them too

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/monq_strat_refret2.jpg

monquixote · October 2021

Blown away by how good the Strat is!

I feel like it's all it can be now, also crazy kudos to @OilCityPickups the Blackbirds you sold me are amazing. Not only super focussed with gain, but also really nice clean sounds.

Corvus · October 2021

And Ross's build is done and now with him so here's a couple of pics, a full thread is here
Walnut body, honduran mahogany neck, Mojo P90s

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/lpx_for_ross/_all.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/lpx_for_ross/_body2.jpg

ThePrettyDamned · October 2021

That looks amazing. I'll read the build thread again now...!

Also, as usual, wow awards to @monquixote for that strat - I love how that thing has aged, super cool.

Corvus · December 2021

A couple of bits, first an LP Custom that had several sticker 'shadows' on top and a load of dark streaks from stand burn on the sides. Those ran deep.
It took a few colours to layer & blend to get it matching & hanging together right. Anyway, I kept the factory way of dealing with binding and left enough texture so it doesn't shout refin -

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/adams_lp_custom.jpg

A 'before' pic, you can barely see the top shadows, they were very showy in person and the rusty streaks were stronger but hey

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/orig2.jpg

Corvus · December 2021

New top paint for this one, while repairing some paint damage from time & use -

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/lpx_rev2/1.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/lpx_rev2/2.jpg

Some days you sacrifice just the right number of goats and the paint lays down pretty perfectly. This is gun finish, no sanding. Though being nitro it has settled and got a bit of texture after a few days.

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/lpx_rev2/3.jpg

Corvus · December 2021

Was hoping for a quietish spell so I could get a bunch of things done, but it's been busy. So a late few pics.

Already seen but for completeness, the Esquire+ build

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/esq_lite_blu/1.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/esq_lite_blu/4.jpg

7lbs of fun.

Corvus · December 2021

Weapon:

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/gm_kiesel_11-21.jpg

One of Mr Mangler's headless herd.

Weapon 2:

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/sophies_bcr.jpg

Corvus · December 2021

In the background^ is one of a set of fire/smoke-damaged guitars that came in for a report, and then sorting out.
Failed to get pics, there were some nice things and luckily those could be rescued, two were written off but one was easily replaceable and the second lower value. Main thing is our man escaped fine, unlike the neighbour who's house caught fire.

So I've stopped putting off renewing the fire extinguishers.

Corvus · December 2021

Long story but my white Firebird had a slight problem with strings sticking in the nut. Although I'd done the same head angle, same trem before, but not upside down. That seemed to tip it over the edge. No amount of different nuts, slotting, string types would sort it. So from this -

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/fb2/2.jpg

We have this -

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/fb2/1-raw.jpg

Take the fretboard off, deploy bandsaw and chop off neck. Make new one, with rwu head this time. I do like how it sits with the FB body. Trap inlays for a change and my last piece of local 5,000 yr old bog oak.
It's in primer though was hoping to be further along by now.

Corvus · January 2022

Little update-

A 70s Alembic for restoration. The pic doesn't show how dark it all is, the lacquer is very yellowed/browned. And dinks & dents all over including a couple of deep ones where something punched in hard.

The electrics were fun to fish out; 4-way selector, stereo XLR, mono 1/4", dummy coil. Three-way switches with vols and active q-filters, onboard preamp. Powered by a rack-size external power supply. Some pretty wacky construction and oddities everywhere.

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/alembic1.jpg

Corvus · February 2022

Just leave this here for now till the owner's back from abroad, he hasn't seen it in the flesh yet

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/mtb2.jpg

WBT2079 · February 2022

Ooh, now that is lovely. Being tele shaped makes it even better.

Corvus · February 2022

Thanks! It's down to our man's choices, as he's away it feels a bit off to run on about it now, but in the meantime it's great to play and sounds fab.

Corvus · February 2022

So our @MTB is OK with pics & info, though he won't see it for a while, so here we go -

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/mtb_blue_tele/mtb2.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/mtb_blue_tele/mtb3.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/mtb_blue_tele/mtb1.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/mtb_blue_tele/mtb8.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/mtb_blue_tele/mtb11.jpg

It's a GSP body & neck. The body was B-stock I guess, needed a few corrections. Modded the heel for the recessed curved plate. Ferrule block added.
De-chromed & aged hardware. BKP Mule and Creamery P90, with a nickel-silver cover added. Lightly 'potted' to the pickup against squeal. One-off pickguard.
The neck's got a couple of light shellac coats on so it feels natural but has some protection, and the grain & colour is enhanced.

It sounds great and I get it to play it a while longer

Corvus · March 2022

Some progress pics on a tasty Strat for @webrthomson, a gent & scholar and man of fine taste - it's a GSP-supplied body and solid ebony neck.

The neck's bare ebony except for the head face that had to be levelled to take the decal, I tried to match the sheen to the back of the neck, not that you can see that..

Nitro gloss burst with partial grainfilling so some texture starts to show through. Trick is to have it flat enough to not fill grain pores with buffing compound which won't fish out, and know that over a little time it will sink and allow texture

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/strat_for_ross/cleared-1-700.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/strat_for_ross/cleared-6-700.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/strat_for_ross/head3-700.jpg

webrthomson · March 2022

Looking great Bill

Corvus · March 2022

Cheers Ross!

Corvus · April 2022

This has been with Ross a week or three but finished pics here now. The Mojo staple sounds great, clear and spanky. The Lawrence bridge pickup has a partial coil split and also sounds great.
It looks shiny here but it is pretty thin with grain texture, and will thin out/sink more in time as well -

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/strat_for_ross/ross-strat-back.jpg

Image: http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/strat_for_ross/ross-strat-front.jpg

paulnb57 · April 2022

Corvus said:

Was hoping for a quietish spell so I could get a bunch of things done, but it's been busy. So a late few pics.

Already seen but for completeness, the Esquire+ build

7lbs of fun.

I recently received this very guitar in a Fretboard trade and I have to say it is utterly superb.
It has made me consider selling everything else, I am truly smitten.
Only change is the pickups, it is now a true Esquire with Eldred…

Corvus · April 2022

Wow that's nice to hear, thanks Paul! Glad you like it.

webrthomson · April 2022

Corvus said:

This has been with Ross a week or three but finished pics here now. The Mojo staple sounds great, clear and spanky. The Lawrence bridge pickup has a partial coil split and also sounds great.
It looks shiny here but it is pretty thin with grain texture, and will thin out/sink more in time as well -

Yup - it was with me at practice last night again - loving it so far! Beautiful solid Ebony neck and ash body from @GSPBASSES, all put together by Bill @Corvus so my shoddy woodworking is nowhere near anything that nice.

Check out that neck:

Sounds brilliant, the staple P90 and coil split Lawrence humbucker is particularly amazing!

Teyeplayer · April 2022

paulnb57 said:

Corvus said:

Was hoping for a quietish spell so I could get a bunch of things done, but it's been busy. So a late few pics.

Already seen but for completeness, the Esquire+ build

7lbs of fun.

I recently received this very guitar in a Fretboard trade and I have to say it is utterly superb.
It has made me consider selling everything else, I am truly smitten.
Only change is the pickups, it is now a true Esquire with Eldred…

Hands down the best tele I have ever owned. What can I say, GAS makes me do crazy things, but I intend to have another Corvus before too long.

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Corvus Guitar Works - builds, paint, mods/servicing, Cambs

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