ShatnersBassoon Posted August 16, 2019 Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 (edited) Been building a guitar for my nephew, he’s 10 so have been making it lightweight, that’s the aim anyway. I was tempted at first to make a 3/4 size guitar, however was having great difficulty finding templates etc. Besides, it’s more likely to last him in to adulthood! It’s also a lefty, almost made a few stupid mistakes when I have forgotten this . I got a lovely piece of Norway Maple (grown in London). It was 7.2 lbs after I cut out the basic shape, so I planed it down from 45 mm to 32 mm (no toggle switch on this build so should be ok with regards to depth). This brought the weight down to 5.2 lbs. cut out the control cavity on the back and this brought it down to 4.6 lbs. I’m going to be putting contours in this guitar, same type that you get on a Strat, shoulder and belly cut. This should take off another 1/2 lb, maybe more. Neck is flamed maple. I’ve put some Evo gold frets in. It’s going to be a single pickup (Hot Rails), so kind of like a modern take on the Esquire. Haven’t glued the neck in yet, the photo is just for show at the moment . Edited August 16, 2019 by ShatnersBassoon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 16, 2019 Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 Interesting wood grain on that body. Is it getting a basic clear coat, or are you planning on coloring it somehow? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted August 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 Just now, avengers63 said: Interesting wood grain on that body. Is it getting a basic clear coat, or are you planning on coloring it somehow? I’m going to be putting Tru Oil on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted August 16, 2019 Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 Such a pretty piece of wood there... And during the next couple of years or so your nephew will slap some stickers on it, then he'll find some rebellious youth music and spray the guitar black or pink or whatever the most adult irritating colour is "in" at that time. Then he'll scrape his initials and a rowing boat or bug on the paint... Then, finally and hopefully, he'll grow up and learn the beauty of the oiled wood, sand all his artwork away and redo the oil finish. Or then again, hopefully not. Some kids don't need to fight against beauty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted August 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 53 minutes ago, Bizman62 said: Such a pretty piece of wood there... And during the next couple of years or so your nephew will slap some stickers on it, then he'll find some rebellious youth music and spray the guitar black or pink or whatever the most adult irritating colour is "in" at that time. Then he'll scrape his initials and a rowing boat or bug on the paint... Then, finally and hopefully, he'll grow up and learn the beauty of the oiled wood, sand all his artwork away and redo the oil finish. Or then again, hopefully not. Some kids don't need to fight against beauty. Haha I like it! Im going to be putting his name on the headstock, so hopefully no scraping needed Talking of which, I bought some glow in the dark powder. I didn't realise that the powder is actually white though (Glows purple). This is something of an issue because I obviously don't want it to get 'lost' in to the wood. I will figure something out I'm sure, maybe the outline of the letters can be a dark material and I could use the powder for the inner portion of the letters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted August 16, 2019 Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 That is looking fantastic already, your nephew is going to be the envy of all his friends when it is finished. I haven't heard of Norway Maple before, I like the grain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted August 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Muzz said: That is looking fantastic already, your nephew is going to be the envy of all his friends when it is finished. I haven't heard of Norway Maple before, I like the grain. Thanks Yes, it reminds me of Black Limba a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted August 18, 2019 Report Share Posted August 18, 2019 Sounds like you are doing well so far weight-wise. I'm a great fan of taking weight out of guitars and basses and yes - body thickness (or lack thereof) is a great way of getting there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted August 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 A few update pics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted September 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 Got it stung up, levelled, crowned and polished the frets and it’s playing nicely now. Just waiting for a Hot Rails Tele pickup to come then it’s all finished. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 13, 2019 Report Share Posted September 13, 2019 Oh boy! That looks like a pleasure to play and own! Some happy nephew to be expected... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted September 13, 2019 Report Share Posted September 13, 2019 Nicely done, that's a very sweet looking guitar! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted September 15, 2019 Report Share Posted September 15, 2019 Really dig that cover 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted September 15, 2019 Report Share Posted September 15, 2019 6 hours ago, ZekeB said: Really dig that cover +1 Inspired. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted September 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2019 3 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said: +1 Inspired. I confess that I actually gained inspiration from how Ben from Crimson Guitars does his covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted September 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2019 On 9/13/2019 at 6:33 AM, Bizman62 said: Oh boy! That looks like a pleasure to play and own! Some happy nephew to be expected... Certainly happy with how it plays. I’ve learnt that fret erasers are a godsend! Help with those smooth bends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted September 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2019 I’ve never quite 100 percent figured out why I have so many problems on the wiring front, I’m following all the instructions as far as I can see. I’m getting hum but no sound from the guitar. Any ideas? I’m not running a wire under the bridge because it’s a telecaster setup, I’m taking it that’s not why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted September 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2019 Figured the problem out. Was an earth issue, should have been on to the pot itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 15, 2019 Report Share Posted September 15, 2019 Glad you got it sorted! Re the ground wire under the bridge: It doesn't hurt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted September 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 I just can’t make my mind up on a nice little practice amp to go with it. Something fun with effects, that doesn’t break the bank and doesn’t sound harsh I guess. Hmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 17, 2019 Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 I have very much liked the Blackstar Fly. 3 Watts, clean and overdrive, delay, line in and out. Batteries or transformer and an extra speaker for stereo output. I have all the add-ons but I mostly use it as a one-piece. My playing is more on the rockabilly/50's side so the clean channel with some gain is my preferred setting. However, a friend who plays metal switches it to OD for totally different sounds. There's others in the same size/power range, this one I know to be of decent quality and also pretty inexpensive. A fellow told that through the line out it sounds amazing through the PA, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted September 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 Cheers man. Yes, looks like that may be a goer. Also mentioned the old Peavey Rage to my brother as I remember really liking it all those years back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted September 18, 2019 Report Share Posted September 18, 2019 I know it's not a gigging amp but for practicing it's perfect. Using backing tracks is a no-brainer and if you choose the Bluetooth version you can connect to YouTube without having to fiddle with earphone connectors which have become somewhat of a rarity in smart phones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted September 18, 2019 Report Share Posted September 18, 2019 Avoid the little Fender Mustang GT amps, while it has loads of cool features, including bluetooth and a built in looper (which is why I bought it) it sounds utterly dreadful. I had a blackstar ID Core 40, which sound fantastic, really liked that amp. But the circuit board completely failed after 2 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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