Jackson Stars owners, inlay pictures?

[DrDoug]

My MOP order came in Monday, and I have cut my first 'test' inlay (for the 1st fret), and I was wondering if any JS owners could post a picture or two showing a closeup of their inlays. I have the iridescent MOP (white/pink/green), and it has lots of interesting patterns in it to choose from. The test piece looks damn good, but I figured that I would ask for some pics so I could see what kind of patterns they cut from the MOP for the JS guitars.

I am writing up the process as I am doing it, and I will have pics too. I will post the info when I have successfully completed the job. I have to say that this MOP makes the MOTO look like the toilet seat material it is...lol! These blanks are cool, and I probably have enough material to make three sets of inlays.

If you can post closeup pics of your inlays, I really would appreciate it. I want this to turn out well and I think this would really help. I have scoured the net looking for MOP pics but it is hit or miss (mostly miss) finding examples to work with. I figured that JS owners have exactly what I am aiming for, so what the hey.

Thank you!

[DonP]

To help in the cause of ridding the world of crappy MOTO, try checking out the Les Paul Forum as well. Lots of people replace there inlays for more 50's correct looking inlays. Might be some helpful tips for you.

[DrDoug]

Thanks for the tip, I will see what they have to view there. One of the reasons that I am asking JS owners is that the RR3 is from Japan and inlay materials are regional in use. So I wanted to see how they select their pieces for the JS series.

Thanks for the advice though! Every bit helps!!

[Newc]

Here's a couple of closeups of the NASL inlays (MOP and Abalone)

[DrDoug]

Thanks Newc, that really helps me out here. I ordered 10 pieces of 2x2x.060 MOP, and I am glad I did. One piece has tiny fractures throughout most of it (I can feel some of them with my fingernail), and a few others have some fracturing in them. The surfaces range from smooth pearlescent, wavy pearlescent and what I call 'spotty' pearlescent. I have cut three of them so far, and I have been aiming for a mix of smooth and wavy textures. The spotty textures look cool, but they just don't look right for this guitar.

I cut a few fret sized pieces of black paper and cut a curve into them. Then I place it on a slab and move it around to find a sweet spot to cut from. The ones I have cut look pretty damn good, and this is going much easier than I thought it would (the cutting). I am making them just a nudge large so I can fit them into the routs in the neck without leaving any gaps, and the shape of the Jackson inlays actually make doing this pretty easy. I have not broken a blade yet or slab yet (fingers crossed), and hope to keep it that way (at least slab wise!).

I am having fun with this so far, though making the templates and cutting the pieces is a bit tedious.

Well, on to #4 (7th fret)! Thanks for the shots Newc!

[delt]

Dude, if you show me inlays other than sharkies i can't even tell if they're "toilet material" or real MOP

btw anyone else notice, for some reason on pictures MOP often looks like aluminum foil.... ?

[RacerX]

Here's a couple of my '06

[ken]

I'll take some close-up pictures for you, but it may be the weekend before I get the chance to do so.

[DrDoug]

Yours was the first one that I checked out before asking here Ron! In the first shot, the lighting almost makes the inlays look like MOTO, and in the second pic, with the exception of the first fret, they look grey/white. Though I can see the reflection of the strings in the third fret (now that is shiny!). I have been selecting my cuts from the example of your second pic, first inlay.

Can you spare a brother a dime, oops, I mean a good closeup of an inlay?

The first round cutting is almost done, and I have lots of material left for any corrections/breaks if they don't look right. Luckily, 2/3rd of my cutting was already done as the slabs are perfectly square, so I only need to glue my template to the slab and cut along the curved edge of it.

I can live with that.

[ken]

I haven't had a chance to take close-ups pictures yet (at this rate you'll be finished before I do), but there's a high-res version of this



at this location:

http://www.cnri.dit.ie/~duffy/Guitars/KE7/large.jpg

[Nazgul]

Here are some pictures of my ex-Jackson Stars RR-J2SP, open the links:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f200/TyrantWerwolf/Jackson%20Stars%20RR-J2SP/DSC03402m.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f200/TyrantWerwolf/Jackson%20Stars%20RR-J2SP/DSC03394m.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f200/TyrantWerwolf/Jackson%20Stars%20RR-J2SP/DSC03343m.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f200/TyrantWerwolf/Jackson%20Stars%20RR-J2SP/DSC05790m.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f200/TyrantWerwolf/Jackson%20Stars%20RR-J2SP/DSC05789m.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f200/TyrantWerwolf/Jackson%20Stars%20RR-J2SP/j2sp-quilt.jpg

I can try and find some better pics if you want, just let me know!

[DrDoug]

Thanks for the pics guys! Judging from the pics, I think I am on the right track for this project. I pulled my MOTO inlays last night, and that was an interesting task...lol! I drilled a 3/16ths hole in each one (just above the center and a bit towards the corner of each inlay), then quickly heated the old inlay with a mini heat gun while prying the top of the hole with a regular jewelers screwdriver until the top of the inlay softened and lifted. Then I slid a thin metal blade under it and continued heating and lifting.

Only one came out in one piece, and the others came out leaving the bottom corner in place, which I popped out with an Exacto knife. Then I placed them on a flat surface and heated them up until they lay flat again, and then let them cool. Using a model paint brush, I glued the old inlay (and corners) to the top of the new inlay blank with Elmers white glue.

After they dried overnight, I used a mechanical pencil (do NOT use any inks to mark MOP, it will dye it!) to highlight the edges of the old inlays. Using my Dremel (Advantage model w/ flex shaft) and a large coarse sanding drum, so far I have cut two of them down to size and fitted them (frets 1 & 3) nice and tight into the routs.

This is not for the feint at heart, I will tell you that. But I am having a blast doing this except for the fact that I caught a nasty cold before I even started the job. At least this is a nice distraction from it.

The pics really helped out, so I really appreciate them! Some of the MOP slabs have this spotted pattern that would probably look cool if the neck was birdseye maple, but would look out of place otherwise. I skipped those pieces and went for the wavy/smooth pearl textures.

The cold is telling me to take it easy, so I will cut some more later this evening after I feel a bit better.

[Nazgul]

Some pics would be nice Doug .

[straycat]

Doug try this way drill the small hole in the inlay the take the approprate size screw flatten the tip of the screw so it won't bore into the fretboard and screw it in slowly and 99% of the time the inlay will pop out and leave very little residue to dig out.Heat could loosen the glue holding the frets causing them to pop up.Just a lesson I learned the hard way.

[DrDoug]

I will post a separate thread (w/ pics) for that Nazgul, I just thought I would toss out what I have been up to so far. Thanks for the tip straycat but I tried the flat screw method first and all that did was dig a hole into the underside of the inlay, then it cracked and broke a piece out of it. I tried it again on the second one and it would not even budge, the screw just ripped the plastic out of the hole I drilled. I tried different screws types and even rounding the edges off the flat, but no luck. The localized heat and the Jewelers screwdriver popped them out fast and easy.

I checked the frets with each removal and they are secure and did not pull out. I have tried lacquer thinner and mineral spirits to remove the thin layer of residue that was left in some of the routs, but it will not dissolve. I don't know what they used to glue them in with at the factory, but the film is very thin and I can see the woodgrain through it. I am just going to clean them out with the Dremel and a tiny carbide bit before I install the new inlays as I know that will work without soaking any foreign substances into the wood. Also, the dark shavings will be handy for filler if needed.

Well, back to my cold and the fun distraction...lol!