Happy Mo'frizchnel-mo'schnizel!!!!

Happy new years to you guys as well.

I am happy to report that I am typing this from my new house. yes..we are mostly moved in..and yes..I already got my cable modem service hooked up. So far, so good. I am getting faster download/upload test rates than with DSL..as I expected...lets hope the 'shared' broadband does not=crappy response during peak hours.

I am also happy to report that I purchased an Ibanzed 7-string guitar for Christmas. I don't have yet....but I can't wait. I've always wanted to piddle around with a 7-string....and the only reason I got it was because I found it on a mega-sale for a mere $299.99 with free shipping and handling. I figured for a mere 300 bucks, I could afford to buy the guitar sight unseen.
 
Damn Rabs, you're doin' GREAT! :headbang:

Glad to hear that the move went well and you've even got your cable modem too! I've had mine for awhile now, and really I very rarely notice any slowdowns. My ISP is pretty good though. My brother-in-law works for them, and he's told me that they strictly limit the number of people per node. He also says that they're adding new nodes all the time. Hopefully, your ISP does this as well. :)

A new 7-string! :eek: Is that the JEM? Wow, what a new TOY!!!
 
The Jem! Ha! For $300? No way. Besides, they don't make a 7-string Jem....only 6 string. You are probably thinking about the Universe (the Vai 7-string model). That is on sale as well..for about a grand. I never particularly liked the necks on the Vai models (Jem or Universe) anyway.

Na..I bought a RG7420. The specs on it are a lot like my current RG570 guitar..only with 2 pickups and 7 strings...and a cheaper tremelo unit. What can I expect for $300 I guess. It was a impulse buy. I kinda flipped when I saw a new 7-string for $300. I can't wait for it to show up! :)

My ISP is Comcast.....and they probably cram everybody they can onto a node. I have not used it much..too busy with home improvement projects. Wanna come down and help teach me how to put up a drywall ceiling EC? The current ceiling in my basement is this crappy tile stuff..which is all crumbling and looks lame! :( I've never put up a ceiling before. I can imagine it is much harder than a wall.
 
Originally posted by rabies
The Jem! Ha! For $300? No way. Besides, they don't make a 7-string Jem....only 6 string. You are probably thinking about the Universe (the Vai 7-string model). That is on sale as well..for about a grand. I never particularly liked the necks on the Vai models (Jem or Universe) anyway.

Na..I bought a RG7420. The specs on it are a lot like my current RG570 guitar..only with 2 pickups and 7 strings...and a cheaper tremelo unit. What can I expect for $300 I guess. It was a impulse buy. I kinda flipped when I saw a new 7-string for $300. I can't wait for it to show up! :)

My ISP is Comcast.....and they probably cram everybody they can onto a node. I have not used it much..too busy with home improvement projects. Wanna come down and help teach me how to put up a drywall ceiling EC? The current ceiling in my basement is this crappy tile stuff..which is all crumbling and looks lame! :( I've never put up a ceiling before. I can imagine it is much harder than a wall.


I'm probably WAY behind in current guitars. The last I knew, the JEM was the only Ibanez 7 string. Goes to show ya how far behind the times I am! :lol: In any case, congrats and I hope you love it. :)

Do you mean that you have a drop ceiling presently? (The tiles are 2x2 or 2x4 and "drop" into a metal grid?)

Or, do you mean that the tiles are glued onto some sort of substrate? (Like glued onto drywall, plywood, or some other paneling material?)

In either case, I guess you intend to strip it down to the floor joists and install an all drywall ceiling? Be careful with this option. It looks great, and drywall's very durable/paintable, etc, but if you have utilities running through the floor joists (I'd imagine that you do) then you're gonna have a bitch of a time making any changes or repairs to them if they're covered in drywall. You end up having to rip out a bunch of drywall work to repair a leaking pipe, or whatever. If you have any shut off valves, etc that you want to keep access to, then install an access panel in the ceiling there so you can get to 'em. An all drywall ceiling is fine, but just keep this in mind. :)

As for the actual installation, it really doesn't have to be that hard. It'll depend on what your exact plan is, but generally you can rent a hoist to hold the sheets in place while you nail or screw them down. Then they get taped the same way as walls.

One more thing, be sure to check your local building codes to see what it has to say about drywall ceilings. Most places only require a double layered "fire rated" ceiling in the garage, but I'd be sure that they don't require all of the drywall ceilings to be double layered. I'd just check and see what's called for.
 
No drop ceiling. The basement ceiling is only about 8 feet high...I don't think a drop ceiling would work. No..its some wierd ceiling I've never seen before. The tiles are about 1x1..and they are definately not glued onto a substrate. Somehow, they are mounted on the edges, and then the rest fall in place by using a tongue and groove system...so the whole ceiling stays up with seemingly no nails or glue....and therein lies half the problem. Many of them are starting to fall out of place, others are cracked around the edges, etc...and it has this awful pattern printed on the bottom.

I hear what you are saying about accessing the stuff in the ceiling after I put up the drywall..but what other choice do I have? The wife won't let me go with the 'bare floor joist' look! ;) I will make sure to fix all the squeeky floors above while I have the joists exposed... :D

Where can you look up local building codes? That is a good point!

man..did we stray off topic or what?
 
Hey rabs...

If you have 8' of room to the bottom of the joists overhead, you have plenty of room for a drop ceiling. When I put mine in, I had even less room. The drop ceiling only needs to hang 3-4 inches below the bottom of the joists, and even then you could get away with less. Just install the ceiling tiles as you go, so you can get them between the bottom of the joists and the frame.

There are a lot of styles of drop ceilings that look great now. Check out your local Home Depot or Lowes.

Word of advice - get someone to help you put up the ceiling frame. The pieces are long and wobbly and hard to handle by yourself...

Cheers!
 
I dont think Im understanding the current layout... sounds like you dont have a drop ceiling now?

Even so, you could remount the ceiling fan by making a wooden box and painting it white to match. Then hang the drop ceiling flush around the box...

The track lighting would probably have to be replaced with drop ceiling lights.... basically flourescent lights under a clear plastic ceiling tile....
 
Ok Rabs, I know what kind of ceiling that you're describing and you're exactly right to get rid of it. I hate those things, and you're very lucky that they're just locked together and not glued to something. They are a real bitch to get rid of when they're glued to something.

Anyway, I agree with what Jim is saying. There a loads of different tile/track systems available now, and they all meet code, and they are relatively inexpensive. Even with an 8' ceiling, I'm sure you'd be able to do that if you want to. You could even go to the 2x2 drop ceiling tiles, which are a bit more expensive, but they generally come in nicer looking styles, and are probably a bit easier to install in limited clearance. There are also 2x2 light fixtures (like Jim's describing) that fit a 2x2 grid. There are lots of other options with drop ceilings, and we can discuss it more if you choose to go with it. One other thing I'd mention in regards to drop ceilings that's a real advantage: It's easy to change the tiles in the future if you wish to. Say in five years you don't care for the ceiling tiles anymore, or they start to look worn, etc. WIth a drop ceiling, it's just a matter of changing the tiles (and maybe painting the track too) and that's it! Brand new ceiling with a brand new look. :cool:

Again though, if you want the drywall ceiling you certainly can do that too. It's a matter of preference, I think. :cool:
 
Oh, and I forgot to mention that you won't neccessarily be stuck with the drop in style flourescent light fixtures either. There are plenty of low heat recessed light fixtures that'd be easy to install too. If you prefer that to flourescent, keep in mind that that'd work just fine too with a drop ceiling. :cool:
 
Cool..I am glad a pro(?) agrees with me on this tile ceiling crap.

I'll let you guys know what I go with. The wifes says she hates drop ceilings...but like me, I don't think she is up to date with the newest in drop ceiling styles/looks. I'll probably want to put up some kind of insulation or acoustic dampening system too.

My friends who are into home improvements (one of them pretty much built their entire house themselves-took him 5 years) also agree that putting a drop ceiling in is much easier..especially if the joists are not perfectly level across the room.

I'll look into it. I really want to keep the halogen track lighting I just bought though (to replace the ugly brass ones that were there..was not thinking at the time about re-doing the ceiling)...I hope I can make them work with a drop...if not, it may sway me to go with drywall.

Thanks guys. I'll keep ya posted. =)
 
You're welcome Rabs, and I'm sure you could find a way to keep the track lighting as well. I can't really give you any clues as to how without seeing them first hand though. You could mount the track to the floor joists and let the light stems protrude through the tiles, or you could install some sort of brace/bracket above the tiles, and simply mount the entire track to it, again through the tiles. It can be kinda tricky and there's some trial and error involved, but I'm sure you could do it. You might even be able to somehow mount the track lighting to one of the mains from the drop ceiling. That would be easiest. :)

Good luck, and feel free to ask away. I'm not a carpenter by trade (I'm a Laborer, more concrete and masonry than wood/interiors) but I do have plenty of experience there anyway and if there's something tricky I can always ask around the carpenter's shop at work for suggestions. :)
 
If you end up going with a drywall ceiling - and your joists are not perfectly level, heres what you need to do:

Nail furring strips (1X3's essentially), across the bottom of the joists. Then use door/window shims between the joists and the strips to level it out. Once its level, screw the drywall to the strips. I believe you'll have to be more exacting on where you screw the drywall (basically try to screw it where the joists and the strips intersect).

I put in a drywall ceiling on the second floor of my last house (a cape), and because my joists weren't level and I didn't know about the furring strip method, my ceiling came out a bit shitty...

Good luck!