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Two Builds At Once, New Design


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Here's a new design I'm working on and am going to see how doing two at once increases efficiency. I've historically done a terrible job of posting build threads, so I'm going to try to do a better job here. One of these is a one-piece Fijian mahogany blank my brother gave me for Christmas and made me promise to keep for myself. The other is sapele and ash with walnut veneers. Both will have cherry necks and rosewood fretboards and headplates. They will have Gotoh tuners and Gotoh 510 wraparound bridges. More soon!

body blanks routed

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new truss rod jig

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it will get an added attachment for drilling the truss rod access

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cherry necks routed and mocked up with rosewood headplates

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this is what you get when you hand plane East Indian Rosewood

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WezV, it just goes to show no matter how much time you spend trying to make something unique, it's probably been done. I've never even heard of a Washburn P4. Oh well, I think there's enough difference here. The overall shape is similar, but the curves are all a little bit different. These'll be flat on top with a couple of contours, not carved.

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Oh there is - its just the first thing i thought of when i saw it.

i remember once gettting torn apart on a forum for copying another custom builders design - one or two elements of the body shape were vaguely similar , but they were all taken from pre existing deisgns that predated his work, and i had never even seen his work blah blah blah. i even had dated photo's of my design evolutions with notes showing what models the features in question were taken from

i dont get too hung up on it anymore, only reason i point these things out is for design discussion and potential inspiration (or to show off my immense guitar knowldge ;) )

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I like the design. I do see familiar design elements, but it flows well and looks comfy. Before you cut the headstock, have you checked for string clearance on the D and G strings? With a curvy side like that, it may pitch the last tuners out a bit too far. *may* .

I notice you have two knobs off the pickguard too. Are you going to back-rout as well as PG, or do you have some other nifty trick up your sleeve?

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Thanks for the feedback, guys. Our Souls, I'll make sure I double check that before I cut the headstock...I drew it out on the computer and it looked ok, but I'll make sure it'll work, as it does look tight. I can always move the tuner positions a hair. The pickguard is optional at this point, this will all be rear routed. I like the look of two knobs on and two off, though. These will both be mostly natural, with perhaps a subtle burst, and I'm thinking about tortoiseshell for the pickguard.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm going to rear route the whole thing, for simplicity. I hate having to remove a pickguard. I adjusted the headstock a hair, and there will be plenty of string clearance. I'll hopefully shape the headstocks this week. Here's a few progress pics, headplates glued, truss rod installed and access shaped. Cherry backstrap bent and glued. Fretboards slotted and inlayed. Inlay is white Pearlyx and Canarywood.

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Love the inlay work.

On a side note, I was in a guitar shop near my house yesterday (Burnsville, MN) and was talking to one of the guys who worked there and I mentioned I was building a bass. He immediately says "There is a dude here in town who builds guitars who goes by the handle Whalehazard." to which I had to chuckle since I have been reading this thread but did not know you were from MN. I said I was familiar with your work and he got all excited and pulled up some of your stuff on the store computer to show me. I would love to see your band play sometime but I do not remember what it was called. If you could let me know I would love to come out and see you.

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  • 1 month later...

Delays...I've been doing design work on a commission (which will hopefully show up here soon), then I was out of town for a couple of weeks. Working on these when I can, but I've done a bad job of taking pictures. The heels still need to be trimmed down. The top of the neck will only be flush at the corner of the pocket where it meets the upper bout. The angle jig worked great and the necks are tight. I hope to get the headstock binding done this weekend, and then I can glue the fretboards on. Here's where they sit:

2.5 degree neck angle jig:

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Neck pocket on mahogany body

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Necks fitted from behind...went a little overboard on the heel block

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No glue!

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HS binding channel cut

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Fretboards bound

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This is where we are at the end of the day...more soon!

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