ZekeB Posted July 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2019 decided to add an F-hole. semi hollow. not sure on the body or neck wood. feel like i default to mahogany. its really nice to work with from what I've experienced. I'm aiming to have wenge and purpleheart for the neck laminations so far as well. We'll see how that meshes togethertoo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted July 25, 2019 Report Share Posted July 25, 2019 22 minutes ago, ZekeB said: decided to add an F-hole. semi hollow. not sure on the body or neck wood. feel like i default to mahogany. its really nice to work with from what I've experienced. I'm aiming to have wenge and purpleheart for the neck laminations so far as well. We'll see how that meshes togethertoo wow, I really like that offset in your f hole. that's gonna look sweet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 Very pleasing shape... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted July 29, 2019 Report Share Posted July 29, 2019 On 7/25/2019 at 12:47 AM, ZekeB said: Lol, actually it wasn't that bad. I live in Texas and ziricote is sourced just to south of me. got it from savagewoods.com yeah the actual cost of the timber isn't insane although it's hard to come by pieces thick enough to carve through my usual channels. It's the cost of shipping it to the UK + the import duty that's the killer. The piece I bought cost £250 by the time it got to my bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2019 And on to build #3! That pick guard's corners on the last one was a serious pain in the butt so I'm playing around with some ideas that hopefully go with the build a little better. Noticing this is a very curvy build so I was thinking a "wing" like shaped pickguard out of something that would compliment the ziricote that i could also incorporate into the headstock maybe. Going to have a solid wenge neck on the next as well. Just ordered it. Maybe a flat piece of ebony, with a blonde wood or just one piece altogether. If I stick with 3 laminated pieces I could layer plane them at slightly different height and round off the edges. that would feel very organic and natural feel and look. If I have a solid piece it would allow the ziricote the have more presence. This won't have a deep carve at all. The ziricote I have are pretty thin so its going to just a slight contour. Thinking minimal inlays if any. The body is already pretty crazy. Feedback always welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted November 12, 2019 Report Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) Oh those design skills! One only has to admire. I like the middle one best. It combines the nature of your last build with a more "wingy" feel than the other two. Why stick with a traditional soundhole? The headstock has that scoopy whaddayacallit which might duplicate well. Edited November 12, 2019 by Bizman62 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 12, 2019 Report Share Posted November 12, 2019 Yes - I like the middle one too. The subtle curve at the left hand sides of the 'fan' suit better than the straight ends of the bottom one. Great design. I like it a lot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2019 Alright, I think I'm on the same page as you guys. Thanks guys I've gone back and forth on the sound hole. I'll play around with it. The shape was inspired by a cello which is actually where the idea for that pick guard came from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 Ok, couldn't help it. Sound holes. I laughed after I was done because the 3rd one looks like a wing bone. I'm really liking the top 2nd and last one. the 2nd the most. I think it has a sense of elegance retaining that wing theme. On top of that, its a fairly simple shape and I think it achieves a lot in terms of theme and movement. I'm liking the last one a lot as well. I tried to keep as realistic as possible. I'm pretty confident with my coping saw but those thin negative areas would make me nervous. Opinions? thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 I think I'd take the recessed (or inlayed or whatever your plans for it are) shape in the headstock and lay it in the sound hole area as is. Tweak it a little to fit the curve of your body if need be, but see if that shape works. It would be a great balance for the headstock as @Bizman62 alluded. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 Thanks @ScottR, that's exactly what I was after. This, very roughly put: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 Flipping one of the sections of that pick guard has possibilities too. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 I get what your saying. I started with the whole pickguard at the inlay section you were talking about. I think the teardrop would work. Ill see what I can conjure up with a little more simple shape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 So I tried the ideas out and bottom line is I'm sticking with the traditional sound hole. I think it just fits the theme best. On to Photoshop! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 4 hours ago, ZekeB said: On to Photoshop! Is that the tool you use for designing? I'd like a lesson about that! Or rather something I can convert to the free tools like Paint.Net. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 12 hours ago, ZekeB said: So I tried the ideas out and bottom line is I'm sticking with the traditional sound hole. I think it just fits the theme best. On to Photoshop! I've got to admit, that's actually my favorite of the bunch as well. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 7 hours ago, Bizman62 said: Is that the tool you use for designing? I'd like a lesson about that! Or rather something I can convert to the free tools like Paint.Net. I generally use Inkscape for the conceptual designs. I actually like it better than illustrator just because the vector nodes are easier to control. After I have the concept I'll start making layers in photoshop and take picture of timber I actually have to play around with it. Its a lot of busy work but once you have the foundations set you have a lot of flexibility. Here's an example where I'm at right now: So I've uploaded the Ziricote picture I took and started to flesh it out with different hardware and binding etc. From there you can just turn layers on and off to see the different looks. Its all about the layers! Gold: White theme in the making 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 2 minutes ago, ZekeB said: I generally use Inkscape for the conceptual designs. I actually like it better than illustrator just because the vector nodes are easier to control. After I have the concept I'll start making layers in photoshop and take picture of timber I actually have to play around with it. Its a lot of busy work but once you have the foundations set you have a lot of flexibility. Here's an example where I'm at right now: So I've uploaded the Ziricote picture I took and started to flesh it out with different hardware and binding etc. From there you can just turn layers on and off to see the different looks. Its all about the layers! Gold: White theme in the making I do almost the sm in photoshop. It's a dangerous game because I now have some 50+ designs that are all time soaks and I'll never build half of them... but boy is it fun! Also, at full scale... using hi-rez photos and hundreds of layers... a project can get very big very fast. If you have an insight as to how to keep them smaller (other than deletings groups of layers!) I'm all ears. your design here is really coming together. looking fwd to seing it realized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 3 minutes ago, mistermikev said: I do almost the sm in photoshop. It's a dangerous game because I now have some 50+ designs that are all time soaks and I'll never build half of them... but boy is it fun! Also, at full scale... using hi-rez photos and hundreds of layers... a project can get very big very fast. If you have an insight as to how to keep them smaller (other than deletings groups of layers!) I'm all ears. your design here is really coming together. looking fwd to seing it realized. You might try to merge your layers together. If your rasterize (think thats theword) it will make it smaller typical image versus whatever else the other layers are. I typically will group things together like screws, etc. Just an idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Just now, ZekeB said: You might try to merge your layers together. If your rasterize (think thats theword) it will make it smaller typical image versus whatever else the other layers are. I typically will group things together like screws, etc. Just an idea! right on. I do try to rasterize as much as possible (is the right word) but unfortunately I need to keep many things as sep layers because later I might want to copy 'just the humbucker route' or move it. I have a group of 'materials' that is all pics of wood/pearloid/abalone that is often the biggest... but then I don't want to delete it because I might decide to see how rosewood looks here or pearloid looks there. i guess it just is what it is! thanks for the thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 I really don't know much about Trapeze. Is there any negatives to using them or positives for the bridge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 First Concept here. Was my original thought. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 On 11/15/2019 at 9:44 PM, ZekeB said: I really don't know much about Trapeze. It took me this long to understand you didn't mean trapeze inlays! I have a couple of guitars with a Trapeze, one acoustic and one hollowbody. As you know, it's somewhat vintage(ish). By design the break angle to the bridge is often shallower compared to a Tune-o-matic or through the body stringing which means less pressure and therefore less signal strength from the strings to the body. Is it good or bad, depends on what you're after. Also, the greater the neck break angle is, the higher bridge you can use and the more pressure even a Trapeze can create. There's been talk about the string length after the bridge affecting tone. I can't remember if that had to do with the overall string length affecting stiffness similarly to the scale length, please someone more savvy chime in with an explanation! Anyhow, there's various lengths in trapezes as well so if there's an issue it can be fixed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted November 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Thinking I'm going to go all black hardware on this one. Going to follow some advice from my last build and let the wood do the talking. Also adds an opportunity to maybe do an inlay on the fretboard. Still pondering on that. If so maybe monochromatic in gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 2 minutes ago, ZekeB said: Thinking I'm going to go all black hardware on this one. Going to follow some advice from my last build and let the wood do the talking. Also adds an opportunity to maybe do an inlay on the fretboard. Still pondering on that. If so maybe monochromatic in gold. as always, nice design. looking fwd to seeing this come alive. so three humbuckers... interested in what you plans for electronics are. lots of coils there... lots of possibilities. One that immediately comes to mind is the newer strat 6 way lever and simply sending the series link to ground for parallel combos on pos 2/4/6 with six being the optimal 'tele' mode with neck combined with bridge. just a thought... what are your plans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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