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Les Paul style build from a relative noob


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I’ve build 10 guitars so far. All have been Super Strat or Tele Deluxe style guitars, but my favorite guitar is a Les Paul. 

I’ve decided to try a LP build. I’m not going for any historic type of thing. I just want a nice playable LP at the end of the journey.

luckily I have a Gibson Les Paul Traditional in my arsenal so I can compare as I move along.

First things first, I do know an LP build is worlds more complicated, but it’s really more my style of guitar currently vs my 80s shredder models I’ve been building.

So here we go!

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Next, I printed off the plans I downloaded online.

I compared it to my Les Paul before to make sure the dimensions were accurate.

I doing this to show that you don’t need to spend money on plans or templates if your a beginner like me. The free ones work just as well.

I did add a volute to the neck for my template. 

 

 

6B8C70D6-57B8-4AC1-ACC3-21DF7594E8F0.png

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For the top, I’m using 1 inch thick flammed maple. It is not book matched, but I honestly don’t care. I’ve read that most early LPs weren’t.

My next step was to glue up the blank. Here she is right before going into the clamps.

 

07796BC6-0C95-4168-B6DE-20EFC1B0117D.png

Edited by SOLLYGTRS
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Now is a good time to talk about weight relief. I never play out anymore. I did in my younger days, but this thing will hardly move from inside my house. That being said. I didn’t weight relieve her at all. As you will see, it may be a problem later.

Here the top glued and clamped to the body.

 

FAE3B093-00BE-4E32-891A-0CA9AB7CFD0F.png

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I hope some of these pics aren’t too dark as I tend to keep the garage door closed due to the fact that my shop dog is usually helping me out.

 

PS: Sorry for the typos. My phone has a mind of it's own.

Below is Harley and my #1 getting a string change:

 

8303F364-DA60-4F0F-99AF-8E7D9910CB6C.png

Edited by SOLLYGTRS
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36 minutes ago, SOLLYGTRS said:

Now, about this weight thing. I know I still have to carve the top and do the routing for the neck and pickups, but this seems a little heavy to me.

 

I happen to have a les paul body in the same state as yours- and curiosity killed the cat. So- weighing it with a bathroom scale (me holding it, me not holding it- x 3 to make sure)- it weighs 7 lbs 8 oz. I built from the same woods a sister to this years ago- and if memory serves me correctly that clocked in at 9 lbs  10oz when it was finished (maple neck) 

There are still safe t planer marks on the top of this- so- It might need a little off the face-but in the ballpark. 

Which lumber yard in Atl? I used to go to McClendons on 14th street (cause he was the only guy with real hondo mahog)- peachtree(peachstate?) lumber in kennesaw for Alder- and that place over in Mableton for a variety of things- but its been a few since I have been- I am still stealing from my retirement lumber stash. 

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1 hour ago, Mr Natural said:

I happen to have a les paul body in the same state as yours- and curiosity killed the cat. So- weighing it with a bathroom scale (me holding it, me not holding it- x 3 to make sure)- it weighs 7 lbs 8 oz. I built from the same woods a sister to this years ago- and if memory serves me correctly that clocked in at 9 lbs  10oz when it was finished (maple neck) 

There are still safe t planer marks on the top of this- so- It might need a little off the face-but in the ballpark. 

Which lumber yard in Atl? I used to go to McClendons on 14th street (cause he was the only guy with real hondo mahog)- peachtree(peachstate?) lumber in kennesaw for Alder- and that place over in Mableton for a variety of things- but its been a few since I have been- I am still stealing from my retirement lumber stash. 

I use Suwannee Lumber. So far they have never failed in having what I'm looking for.

Thanks for weighing your body! That eases my concerns. My Traditional is around the 10 lbs mark. If I end up around that mark, I will have no complaints.

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12 hours ago, SOLLYGTRS said:

I began carving the body today. I used the routing templates that everyone else  seems to use, but in stead of sanding, I used scrappers. It took a long time but it was enjoyable.

 

 

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That's coming on nicely.  I also generally use scrapers for these kind of carves - I prefer the controllability over speed 

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