FAQ

FAQ

Short answer:- No.
Long answer:- When working with a CNC machine many things can go wrong e.g. drill bit breaks, power cut, human error loading wrong file for example, guitar body works loose from the cnc table, holding jigs move, something works loose or breaks on the CNC machine…the list goes on…lol. Consequently one could end up with a pile of expensive and useless sawdust! Anybody that works with CNC's always checks the set up, then double checks, then triple checks..etc..and then on pressing the Start button the unexpected can still happen! That said, I have not written off any guitar body's to date touch wood;-) So it's not a risk I am comfortable to take on at the moment; at least when modifying an H.B./G4M guitar if things go wrong it's not such a big deal but if it's somebody else's precious guitar/Fender that gets ruined then it is a big deal!

I currently only modify the telecaster six string guitars as listed in the About page. Any other guitar would potentially have a different body shape/pickup arrangement which would mean at the very least, re-designing the CNC files and holding jigs for the body - this takes extra time to design, set up and test (and consequently my costs go up). But in theory, it can be done.

Yes, so long as the left handed telecaster versions listed on my About page are in stock on the Thomann/Gear4Music websites.

I have modified a couple of precision style basses - see video of the bass player at https://matondesign.com/testimonials. They look great but are a pain to modify so I have not made any more.

The reason that they are a pain is that the body 'arm' contour has to be milled out (see photo) then replaced with a black 3d printed 'wall':- this raises the removed arm contour back up to the correct body depth. The two basses I have modified had slightly different body profiles too, so the CNC milling and  3d printed 'walls' were different on each bass. All very time consuming!

 

The installed LED strip and microprocessor are rated at 5V. So by using four AA 1.2V NiMH rechargeable batteries the total voltage is 4.8V which is acceptable. However, using standard throw-away alkaline batteries will give 6V which could damage the LED strip/microprocessor. In general, NiMH batteries also have a steadier discharge than alkaline batteries meaning they hold their rated voltage for longer than alkaline batteries when under high current draw (in short, NiMH batteries last longer for this guitar modification).

 

I am currently selling these modified guitars for £595 + free postage (U.K. only, contact me for anywhere else).

Yes, buyers outside the U.K. pay for the postage. In addition, for buyers outside the U.K. the guitar neck will be unscrewed from the body prior to packing (screws and neck plate included) - this means that the postage cost is considerably reduced!

No, sorry not do-able;-(

The LEDs can be selected to be (almost) white via the White keypad button; as with all addressable LED WS2812B strips it is achieved by mixing red, blue and green which becomes a close approximation to white.

No, I am not able to fit a neck pickup for sound output to the jack:- the neck pickup is too close to the LED's and therefore far too noisy. Unless of course you are not bothered about noise interference:-(

The top (and bottom) mirrors are made from acrylic. It is strong! However, just like guitar lacquer, it can get scratched. I have successfully removed light scratches from the top acrylic mirror using a soft cloth and toothpaste, buffing for an hour or so.....so patience will pay off here:-)