bileshake Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 Hey guys, I've been obsessed with this hobby for a long time. So long in fact I have guitar parts bought way back before there was any sort of internet to inspire and educate (even at a bro level like me..) I've been hording random parts and body blanks and tools till I finally came to where I can put my first build together. I don't expect to wow anyone, I'm using a decent ready to go bolt on neck and a template for the body but this will be my toe dipping into the fray. The plan is to build a tele style body with an 80's style shread neck. I'm using a template for the body I accuired from Exotic Woods in Burlington Ontario. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 Notice I had to use carpenters glue on the two sided tape, worked just fine but squeezed out a little created a little extra cleanup when the routing was done. Now I plan to put the masters away, treat the edge of the new templates with said wood glue and make another set of templates. I'm not sure if I'll include the neck pocket cutout on the next set. I will be cutting the pocket to fit what ever neck I'm using instead a standard size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 15 minutes ago, bileshake said: this will be my toe dipping into the fray. Roll your pant legs up too. Good to see you again, it's been a while. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 21 hours ago, ScottR said: Roll your pant legs up too. Good to see you again, it's been a while. SR Thanks bud, so glad to be back. Can't wait to dig in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 Here's a mock up of what's happening here. I've got this Jack.. soloist style rev. neck from the late 80's. This actually came from StewMac back when they would stock this sorta thing. I also have an ash body that was meant to go with it but the combo seems a little boring so I'm attempting to try something different with each part... Pandy1 and Pandy2. The idea is to mix a shred neck, single humbucker, single volume, black HW and hidden input jack with Tele shape, tele style bridge. Any day now I've got a Duncan mini humbucker coming to complete the kit. I know it's nothing too shocking but I'm hopping to create something that will atleast stand up to my US made guitars playability wise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted May 6, 2020 Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 Good luck with the first build, that body blank will make a for a very nice looking axe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 Big day, lets carve this body out. First thanks to mistermikev and Bizman62 for their advice on carving a rough blank without having a nice expensive band saw. The idea was drill a bunch of holes around the perimeter then use a simple jigsaw to connect the holes. I visioned the jigsaw not being enough so I over reacted and made a couple cuts with a sawzal. Yep, I'm including that just to make some people uneasy. I realized I was being silly and tried the jigsaw, went famously. The key for me was using a full size drill press to the holes were atleast square to the body. Took a bunch of passes and three different router bits. Almost gave up for the night but didn't. So pleased. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 That looks like a factory made quality body! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 (edited) I'm very pleased with how it turned out for sure. It was late last night when I finally just walked away turned the lights off. I'll sand the edges today and see if there's any voids that need filling. I'm going to have to see what roundover bits I have. Parts wise, I don't have any excuses not to keep this moving right along . I'm only missing a nut and some shielding paint. Hardware stores open tomorrow to maybe score a corian countertop samples. Edited May 8, 2020 by bileshake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 Nice piece of limba you have there. You're gonna like that! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 wait stop!!! pretty sure putting a tele bridge on a jackson dinky esque body with jackson style headstock... it'll explode the first time you hit a low e. I mean... look what happened to mick mars? totally kidding of course. at first I thought you were going to make an mdf guitar for a sec... and then you whipped out the lima... and man what a nice piece of limba. That is going to pair very well with the ebony fretboard and black hardware. drooling. great scott that's a great starter build. right on. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayT Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 great start looks so good - love the improvisation/experimentation of methods and tools...for sure a page out of my book 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 2 hours ago, mistermikev said: wait stop!!! pretty sure putting a tele bridge on a jackson dinky esque body with jackson style headstock... it'll explode the first time you hit a low e. That's exactly what I thought, the two styles couldn't be any further removed. I've been dying to use this neck and bridge combo. I think of this as Karate Kid and Jack Butler in the same guitar! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 3 minutes ago, bileshake said: That's exactly what I thought, the two styles couldn't be any further removed. I've been dying to use this neck and bridge combo. I think of this as Karate Kid and Jack Butler in the same guitar! i won't be held responsible for the demons you summon playing this! you have been warned. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 26 minutes ago, JayT said: great start looks so good - love the improvisation/experimentation of methods and tools...for sure a page out of my book All those years of being intimidated buy the specialty tools and big $$$ equipment. It's refreshing to just get to it and make use of what you have. Maybe there's one positive thing to come out of this isolation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 Here's the mock up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 Madd Maxx Tele. SR 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 @ScottR nailed it! I've linked to the refugee camp video so often that suffice to say that where there's a will there's a way. It's surprising how little tools you truly need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 3 hours ago, bileshake said: All those years of being intimidated buy the specialty tools and big $$$ equipment. It's refreshing to just get to it and make use of what you have. Maybe there's one positive thing to come out of this isolation. not knocking expensive tools... but nothing I have is expensive. I try to buy from craigslist and such... and I don't even have a lot... jigsaw/bandsaw/router/sander/drillpress/planer and that's all I really need. that said... wish I had a big drum sander a cnc setup a spraygun and about 50 other things! Until I get there I'll just make do with what I have an substitute time for machinery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 59 minutes ago, mistermikev said: Until I get there I'll just make do with what I have an substitute time for machinery! That's exactly it. I don't mind spending the time, working with what I have, learn from my mistakes and enjoying the process. I'm not gonna mope about not having a $3000 drill press with a 14" resaw anymore. I think actual experience will reveal what is possible and what is missing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 13 minutes ago, bileshake said: That's exactly it. I don't mind spending the time, working with what I have, learn from my mistakes and enjoying the process. I'm not gonna mope about not having a $3000 drill press with a 14" resaw anymore. I think actual experience will reveal what is possible and what is missing. not that hand tools are inexpensive... but I have seen many hear make amazing geetars with no electricity... so I figure I've got it pretty good by contrast! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 After getting some sleep and distance from this, my first routing / template job wasn't as clean as I originally thought. Because I plan to use a rub on poly finish there will be very little room for filling spots where my router wandered. I used my Ridgid spindle/belt sander to clean up the edges. The bottum horn had a void on the tip which would drive me crazy over time so I sanded away until everything was better. This is a one off personal guitar so as long as I'm learning from it and happy with the finished weapon, we're good. I picked up an 1/8" round over bit and warmed her up a bit. He's where it ended up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 My nest trick was to get the shape of the neck pocket. I repurposed my first ever attempt at template design. In these times I can't be bothered to go stand in line at the homedepot for an hour for a fresh piece of 1/2" MDF. Now that this is done I would have approached this differently. (i.e used straight edges for each side of the pocket. Damn.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 Repurposing is good, it saves the world! And the greatest wisdom comes from afterthoughts. Like: I would have repurposed that centerline as well... Funny, seeing all those routing templates makes me feel like a hobbyist among professionals! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bileshake Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 Good idea, I'm going to do that for the pickup route for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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