Garage-Mahal 3.0

[neohic]

On 7/27/2022 at 2:33 PM, neohic said:

Everyday this week I’ve told myself that I’d get started on cleaning up the loft. Maybe tomorrow?

… it’s tomorrow. Just when I start thinking that I’m getting ahead of cleaning and organizing I decide to start on the next area. Today was the loft… and the loft means going through parts. Most of what I had left stashed away was split up between my little shed and the back of the truck. I think I’ll be putting a bunch of stuff up for sale, but it’s nice to see the floor of the bed!

 

[tugboat95]

I've been gone for a while...life happened.  Man this garage looks awesome. Your craftsmanship is a whole nother level over what I built.  I'm putting 2 of those electric hairdryers in my shop.  I had the same thoughts on a wood stove.  Electric is just easier.  But then I again I live in NC  and I never see the level of cold you see.  I was proud of my shop til I saw what you've done.

[neohic]

11 hours ago, tugboat95 said:

I've been gone for a while...life happened.  Man this garage looks awesome. Your craftsmanship is a whole nother level over what I built.  I'm putting 2 of those electric hairdryers in my shop.  I had the same thoughts on a wood stove.  Electric is just easier.  But then I again I live in NC  and I never see the level of cold you see.  I was proud of my shop til I saw what you've done.

Anything that anyone builds for themselves is always something to be proud of! 

[neohic]

Time to start thinking about sparks/dust control. Started with just one heavy clear shower curtain. Might add another. 
 

[neohic]

Finally finishing out the compressor room. Needed three sheets of material. 
 

 

I really need to at least fix the axle seal in the truck. 

[neohic]

I needed to start using my compressor again today. Same setup as I had in my last shop.

 

 

Plenty of filter surface area!

[fiatslug87]

^^^ Nice!!!

[Pete M]

[neohic]

Time to get onto the loft. I’m down to the spare parts that I’d like to keep so I can see how much space it all takes up. There’s a bunch of stuff up there! Some of it came down and probably won’t go back up. First off was to shove it all to one side, lay down carpet, move it all to the other side, and lay down more carpet. 
 

 

I used 6’x8’ indoor/outdoor rugs and just stapled them down. The seams lined up nicely and I trimmed the edges where needed. Then everything got moved and rearranged a few times until things started to feel right. 
 

 

The little welder up there belonged to my grandpa along with the two oldest welding helmets hanging on the rim joist. The switch is bad, the cables are junk, it’s been painted a bunch of times, and the induction coil is leaking oil. I LOVE IT THOUGH! It’ll end up as part of the desk.
 

 

As for the tape on the floor in the back corner, that’s the space for the future guitar case.

 

 

Stay tuned for that. Other plans are maybe a curtain to go around the parts bins just to further clean things up. Not necessary but I really like things “just so” and I think it’d really finish out this new space that has more of a finished feel. Right now I’m on the lookout for a remote job as customer service or tech support. Ideally, I want to find something in the off road world again. I’ve been getting back into selling artwork that I’ve really missed for the past seven years or so, but I see that as more of a side gig. Anyhow, I’ve always wanted an office space in a shop and a remote job feeds the need for it.

 

We’ll see how long things can stay clean up there. 

[neohic]

Started on my guitar cabinets. I’m using doors that I had leftover from another job a while ago. 
 

 

The doors match the fancy cherry cabinets I built a while back and the boxes are made from the same plywood I’ve been using since. Trying to keep dust down to a minimum while utilizing my shop as more than a shop. Two cabinets might’ve been overkill but I liked the look of them in early sketches. I’ll have room for six guitars. I’ve got three and a ukulele. 

[Pete M]

clearly that means you need to buy more  

[neohic]

29 minutes ago, Pete M said:

clearly that means you need to buy more  

I wouldn’t turn down more instruments. They certainly don’t take up much space especially when they’re in a case. Problem is that I don’t pick them up when they’re packed away. I’ve started getting a real interest in vintage guitars lately… which I need like another hole in my head. “Newest” bass is a ‘74 Fender that’s got a TON of hard miles. Looks odd when paired next to my somewhat new(ish) Cort I’ve had since high school. 
 

 

I like the diversity between guitars. Two can look identical yet feel and sound so different. Super easy to fall down guitar rabbit holes. 

[neohic]

Truck… space to build whatever I want… cozy spot… new home for my basses… This little shop is officially my happy place. 
 

The loft is nearly finished as far as function. I need to make a top to turn an old welder and a cabinet into a desk yet…
 

 

… and maybe hang a curtain of some sort to hide a pile of parts. 
 

 

Otherwise my guitar cabinets are done and I love them!

 

 

Next I’ll make up a vinyl cover for my amp. Going to keep an eye on the dust situation inside the cabinets too and figure a foam gasket if I need to. Feels great to go out here in the morning, sit down with a bass while I finish my coffee, and then go create things. 

[89 MJ]

Looks great! Still liking not getting up with having to go to work everyday? You sure are making a lot of progress in a short period of time without that job, so I'm sure that feels good at least.

[fiatslug87]

Are you adding some sort of railing? Don’t want to drop anything on that shiny MJ. 

[Pete M]

4 hours ago, neohic said:

… and maybe hang a curtain of some sort to hide a pile of parts. 
 

 

 

as you may know, I like to hang my spare parts as decoration  

 

[neohic]

49 minutes ago, Pete M said:

as you may know, I like to hang my spare parts as decoration  

Still possibly in the works. SCCA stuff might go up? They’re currently potentially sweetening the deal with trying to sell the camper. 
 

2 hours ago, fiatslug87 said:

Are you adding some sort of railing? Don’t want to drop anything on that shiny MJ. 

Still in the works. Trying to figure a parts curtain and finishing the desk first. Also… you mean dusty/gross MJ?

 

4 hours ago, 89 MJ said:

Looks great! Still liking not getting up with having to go to work everyday? You sure are making a lot of progress in a short period of time without that job, so I'm sure that feels good at least.

I love not working! Well… I love not working for someone else’s profit while slowly killing myself. It’s great to be doing something that absolutely feels like bettering myself. Just about every job I’ve had since finishing high school has started off great and then turned into another chalk mark on my “terrible employer” scoreboard. That’s nearly 20 years! Trades have turned into something that I’m only interested in doing for myself and that’s forced me to look into career alternatives. It’s been time for a while for me to do this between my physical and mental health and it’s been an especially rough go the past year. I don’t really get into things publicly within interznets land, but I’ will say that I’m getting a number of things in order as of recently. My shop has been a huge relief on so many levels. 

[MiNi Beast]

Keep at it cause the picture your painting is looking good and seems to be going in the direction you seem to enjoy. Thanks for letting us razz you and tagging along in your life pursuits. It may not seem it however it has been inspiring. 

[neohic]

12 hours ago, MiNi Beast said:

Keep at it cause the picture your painting is looking good and seems to be going in the direction you seem to enjoy. Thanks for letting us razz you and tagging along in your life pursuits. It may not seem it however it has been inspiring. 

[neohic]

Broke out the sewing machine today. Made a vinyl cover for my amp to keep more dust at bay. 
 

 

I also threw together a bunch of parts I had sitting around in an attempt to fill the cabinet a little more. 

 

Mexican Fender neck, Music Man pickup, mystery bridge, electronics scraped together from a RadioShack reject box, and a huge body that I made in high school. “Garbage-caster”? “Junk-caster”? “Vidiian Special”?… for fans of Star Trek Voyager. 
 

I’m used to cruising Craigslist for Jeep stuff but I keep finding myself straying over to the musical instruments section. 

[Pete M]

15 hours ago, neohic said:

 but I keep finding myself straying over to the musical instruments section. 

 

 

it's a slippery slope  

[neohic]

Few shop things today. Made my compressor way more user friendly by adding a flange and remote fitting. Everything was parts I had on hand.

 

 

Finally found a use for these terrible hoses!

 

 

Then I took the time to give the shop a good cleaning. It was definitely due. Sat down with a bass for a bit afterward. Very nice to just grab an instrument when I feel the need! Not sure if I’ve ever posted a picture of the whole gang. 
 

[89 MJ]

That 6 string bass is pretty sweet!

[neohic]

1 hour ago, 89 MJ said:

That 6 string bass is pretty sweet!

 I count 5.  It’s a Cort Curbow and I’ve had it since 1999. Not my first bass, but it’s been my go-to for years! The thing is a regular Swiss Army knife when it comes to sounding like different basses. I’ve played all over with this thing and it’s just plain awesome! The used instrument store I got my first bass from had this hanging behind the counter and it was more than I had to spend. I would’ve been pushing carts at a grocery store and when I was ready to up my music game, I went back to find out that the weird blue bass had been stolen! Months past, the bass was recovered and now at a lower price, I bought it, and we sailed off into the sunset together. 
 

Since I’m telling stories, on the left is a modified 1974 Fender Precision bass. It was my father-in-law’s but the cool factor goes way deep. See, when I first started playing I hung around all the cool old guys at the local music store. One such guys was Rick Leech. Rick’s wife worked with my mom at a bank back in the ‘80s which was shortly after he was a part of opening the first music store in town. Fast forward to junior high (1997) when I’d be at the music store wanting Rick to build me a custom instrument. The stars just never aligned as he’d always tell me to come back over winter when he was slow. Years went by, I tried staying in contact, but eventually life got in the way and I finally moved out of Minnesota. Three months later, I got word that my friend had died. Fast forward again to Christmas of 2020. My wife and I are back up in Minnesota spending time with her dad who also grew up playing guitars. I had known about the bass for years but didn’t know the back story until it was given to me that Christmas. More story?… yes. He would’ve known Rick all the way back in the early ‘70s when he first came to town, needed a bass, and got word of this cool little store that had just opened. This bass was bought, toured around with my father-in-law into the ‘80s where it wasn’t performing the way he wanted anymore. So, the bass goes back to Rick because he wanted to get into custom building guitars and was trying to get his name out there as a luthier. Rick did his thing with it (albeit a bit crudely as it was the first he’d ever done) and then it went back to playing gigs. Years pass, it gets the bag beaten out of it, got put away for years until I come along to start dating his daughter in 2001, then I get very taken back in 2020 with the surprise that not only do I now own this very cool bass but it’s also the custom guitar that I never got from my friend Rick before he passed. 
 

The ukulele in the middle is just a cheap baritone uke that my parents bought me when I was in high school. I love it for noodling around on. 
 

Finally, the butcher block looking thing on the right is all kinds of parts put together. The body was made by me in high school and it’s mostly maple with walnut and white oak mid stripes. Its shape is based off of a Fender Jazz bass which is what the neck is from. Electronics are a mix of a high dollar Music Man humbucker pickup and cheap RadioShack potentiometers. It’s heavy. It’s a little rough. It has tone and rings out for days. 
 

The little amp in the middle is an Ampeg BA112. Late in high school I bought an Ampeg BA115 (from Rick) and it followed me all over. The rock back feature on the early version of these amps was a real game changer because, for whatever reason, I rarely got my own monitor when I got serious(ish) about playing around 15 years ago. We moved out to Colorado, it got put into storage for a while, then I sold it when it just didn’t fit in our tiny house. Last year we took a day drive out to a little touristy mountain town. We’re walking around and there’s this little guitar shop that I had to “just have a look”. This BA112 was sitting there and I had to have it! These are much smaller than the 115s which is great! I ran the serial number and it turned out that it was manufactured the same month and year as my old amp from high school!
 

Anyhow… I really love all my guitars for different reasons. They all have wildly different sounds and personalities. 

[89 MJ]

1 hour ago, neohic said:

 I count 5.  It’s a Cort Curbow and I’ve had it since 1999. Not my first bass, but it’s been my go-to for years! The thing is a regular Swiss Army knife when it comes to sounding like different basses. I’ve played all over with this thing and it’s just plain awesome! The used instrument store I got my first bass from had this hanging behind the counter and it was more than I had to spend. I would’ve been pushing carts at a grocery store and when I was ready to up my music game, I went back to find out that the weird blue bass had been stolen! Months past, the bass was recovered and now at a lower price, I bought it, and we sailed off into the sunset together. 
 

Since I’m telling stories, on the left is a modified 1974 Fender Precision bass. It was my father-in-law’s but the cool factor goes way deep. See, when I first started playing I hung around all the cool old guys at the local music store. One such guys was Rick Leech. Rick’s wife worked with my mom at a bank back in the ‘80s which was shortly after he was a part of opening the first music store in town. Fast forward to junior high (1997) when I’d be at the music store wanting Rick to build me a custom instrument. The stars just never aligned as he’d always tell me to come back over winter when he was slow. Years went by, I tried staying in contact, but eventually life got in the way and I finally moved out of Minnesota. Three months later, I got word that my friend had died. Fast forward again to Christmas of 2020. My wife and I are back up in Minnesota spending time with her dad who also grew up playing guitars. I had known about the bass for years but didn’t know the back story until it was given to me that Christmas. More story?… yes. He would’ve known Rick all the way back in the early ‘70s when he first came to town, needed a bass, and got word of this cool little store that had just opened. This bass was bought, toured around with my father-in-law into the ‘80s where it wasn’t performing the way he wanted anymore. So, the bass goes back to Rick because he wanted to get into custom building guitars and was trying to get his name out there as a luthier. Rick did his thing with it (albeit a bit crudely as it was the first he’d ever done) and then it went back to playing gigs. Years pass, it gets the bag beaten out of it, got put away for years until I come along to start dating his daughter in 2001, then I get very taken back in 2020 with the surprise that not only do I now own this very cool bass but it’s also the custom guitar that I never got from my friend Rick before he passed. 
 

The ukulele in the middle is just a cheap baritone uke that my parents bought me when I was in high school. I love it for noodling around on. 
 

Finally, the butcher block looking thing on the right is all kinds of parts put together. The body was made by me in high school and it’s mostly maple with walnut and white oak mid stripes. Its shape is based off of a Fender Jazz bass which is what the neck is from. Electronics are a mix of a high dollar Music Man humbucker pickup and cheap RadioShack potentiometers. It’s heavy. It’s a little rough. It has tone and rings out for days. 
 

The little amp in the middle is an Ampeg BA112. Late in high school I bought an Ampeg BA115 (from Rick) and it followed me all over. The rock back feature on the early version of these amps was a real game changer because, for whatever reason, I rarely got my own monitor when I got serious(ish) about playing around 15 years ago. We moved out to Colorado, it got put into storage for a while, then I sold it when it just didn’t fit in our tiny house. Last year we took a day drive out to a little touristy mountain town. We’re walking around and there’s this little guitar shop that I had to “just have a look”. This BA112 was sitting there and I had to have it! These are much smaller than the 115s which is great! I ran the serial number and it turned out that it was manufactured the same month and year as my old amp from high school!
 

Anyhow… I really love all my guitars for different reasons. They all have wildly different sounds and personalities. 

Ah shoot, I was looking at the pic on my phone and it looked like 6. 
 

Some good stories with them. My brother has a few guitars with cool stories and he has a couple of basses that I occasionally play too. For the most part I stick with my violins and mandolins. My nicest violin is actually one that my 5th great-grandfather brought here from Germany when he immigrated. It was built in 1721, IIRC.