Official Luthiers Forum!

Over on "MLP"-My Les Paul, there will soon be a bunch of near replica builds from kits. A luthier member personally took input on vintage specs and personally went to China to supervise materials and configuration for top quality control. We think they are going to be very high quality kits.

Many new builder/assembler members want to try HHG. I told them I would ask here for recommendations on the little "Crock-Pot" style alternatives to the dedicated $130USD pot. So, folks, help me help them, please. What can I tell them to try for entry into HHG? Thanks from many.mt

Rival "Lil Dipper". Less that $15 and Most hold temp right at 140F with the lid off. Occasionally someone gets one that doesn't hold the right temp but lots of us are using these.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I'm using a baby bottle warmer in the few occasions I use hide glue. It works and certainly gets to temp quickly but if you can find that lil dipper that looks much better!

Sheesh Todd, you've sure had that jar of glue in there a long time

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Todd-I'd like to add your photo to the thread I started at MLP- may I? Thanks, m

EDIT- the folks on MLP are pretty nice-the biggest complaint I have is that there is a lot of low profanity allowed in posts. With that caveat, there are some fine LP build threads over there and they tolerate the occasional other-brand builds too. The "Luthier's Corner," under "Custom" is where the action is. Many discussions are the typical disputes over what Gibson really did during the early run of LP's; the legendary "Bursts"-- they get tiresome and sometimes nasty; but, they can be educational too. A couple of acoustic builders are there regularly. They would welcome input from some of the real pros here that dabble in electrics- I try to help with views from the acoustic build world-carryover tools and methods-- but I know my limits and I am by no means a luthier-I describe myself here as a "hack"- not really a proven builder. I am "Ole' Lefty" over there, but I have a very "open" profile posted.

Who said doesn't keep long?

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Is this the Little Dipper you guys are talking about? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CCY14/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
And it just holds at 140 degrees by coincidence? It doesn't have a temperature control as far as I can find. But I prefer small, due to my small shop space and small amounts of glue I make at a time, so I'd rather have this one than the Hot Pot, if it will work.

That's the one I've got Dennis. It holds 150 really good. I had a couple Rival Hot pots, but after a year or so the thermostats went crazy in them. They'd range from less than 130 to 160+ at the same setting. The lil dipper uses a fixed current so it's constant. It takes a little longer to warm up. If I'm in a hurry I'll microwave some water for it.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

I took mine apart and there was no wiper or other adjustment. It had a thermal cutoff and the heating element.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Been a while since I took the Lil Dipper apart so I did it again. No thermal cutoff I could see, unless there is something under the shrink tubing. If there is I couldn't feel it. Looks like it just wires directly into the resistive elements. About as low cost as it can get.

Anyway, here's the inside of mine. The heating element is wrapped directly around the ceramic pot.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

What about a regular hot pot that has no temperature control and simply plug it into a dimmer switch to control its heat?

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

They probably figured out a way to hold the temp and reduce the mfg costs. Guess that's why they're so cheap.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Stradivarius probably didn't have a powder room. That might explain the magic in his fiddles.