MuffinPunch

Awesome build man! Really nice work. Its also nice to see how Pros like yourself go about correcting problems that pop up. Helps me feel, as a noob, that It wasnt necessarily my fault that something didnt go according to plan, and that everything is fixable. I also have to agree with the comments about the HS. I really like the shape, but having the high E hanging so close to the edge is a bit awkward. Another option would be to take the Parker rout with the HS on the bolt on Dragonfly. (though the high E still hangs off) That way you can retain the aesthetic while getting rid of awkwardness. Just an Idea.

This was never meant to be sold. It is just a prototype. My bet is that it occurred because of a combination of the factors you all have mentioned. There was no sign of issues on the blank itself, aside from the obvious knots, prior to this. (Not that I would really know what to look for... ) Unfortunately I wasnt there to monitor The cutting process either. I submitted my digital file and my material with explicit instructions in case I wasn't, by I didnt foresee something like this. I think Ill go with the medium CA approach. I hate sanding epoxy!

Got the body cut today. I didnt realize Alder was so temperamental under the mill... Or maybe I just got a bad piece. I had some serious splitting occur at the butt end of the body. I was so careful to make sure the cutter avoided all the gnarly knots in the wood, but there was no way of knowing this was hiding in there. Is this something that can be corrected with grain filler, or will it require more work than that? The body will be painted opaque, so Im not worried about it showing through the finish or anything. Just want to get it smooth as glass before I cast it in the mould.

I cant help but wonder why you would want to do a Christmas theme in June... Green and Red?

I guess It was you I was talking about KP. You gotta finish up that thread man! Evidently you have the progress pics, at least show us the final result! What did you end up using for the bridge?

Some really cool builds are goin' on here at PG lately! We need to see more of these "pointy" guitars!

Thanks, Tabar kind of lost momentum when all of my image links got broken. All I really have to do with is attach the fret board, fret it, and finish it. Its been sitting in my office collecting dust for a couple of months now. Soon as I get some extra time ill jump on it. Ill probably end up starting a new thread for it when I do. I've been focusing on the seven string projects lately since im getting college credit for building those.

Yeah, I came across that one, thought about it, but its not clear whether its a 5 pin or a 3 pin, and I need 4 of them. Like I said tho, I found what I was looking for so Im covered now. Thanks for your help guys!

Looking good! You may have already gone over this somewhere in the thread, but your neck heels are quite a bit deeper than a traditional tele, aren't they? Im getting ready to start shaping my Strat necks (oops, San Dimas necks) and from what Ive understood, the heel depth is pretty close to the same thickness of the neck with a slight taper up to the head, about 3/4". Nothing wrong with doing it differently, just wanna make sure Im understanding it correctly. Aren't Strat and Tele necks pretty similar in shape?

Cant wait to see this one come together. I frickin' love the Xiphos! There was another guy building one of these about this time last year but the thread kind of died. Hope you see this one all the way through and share it with us along the way!

Thanks for that. It would seem that easy, but the passive pickups require a 5 pin connector, which I was unable to find on the Tower Hobbies site. Fortunately I found the EMG wires themselves at donsmusiccity.com for about what I would be paying for the RC servo connectors. They also sell prewired EMG pot sets for about 10 bucks, so Im pretty well covered.

So, Im building two custom 7 string guitars simultaneously and I came across some passive EMG 7s for dirt cheap ($100 for 2 sets brand new). They were surplus from a local luthier shop but unfortunately he had purchased them all in bulk and none of the wiring was included. I understand that the general wiring will be done like any other passive pickup, but the pickups themselves are connected to the rest of the electronics via 5 pin quick-connect plugs at the bottom of each pup, which is what I am missing. Does anyone know where I can get this wire from, or how I could construct this wire myself using off the shelf components from an electronics store? The second option would be ideal as I will have to create an "extension chord" from the pickup wires to the control cavity also. Im no electronics geek and to be honest, this will be my first guitar wiring experience (though I do have some experience soldering wires in pedals and circuit boards, etc.) EMG sell their wiring kits for $40 a pop, but these are specifically for active pups and use all that new fancy "solderless" BS. Any help here is greatly appreciated.

Relax man... Your last post was barely 4 hours before this one. Not everyone here sits in front of their computer 24 hours a day. I honestly dont know the answer to your question or Id be happy to help you out. Like in all things, patience is a virtue in guitar building, especially finishing, if you want the advice of these fine people you're going to have to wait a little bit. Otherwise, do it the way you want and pray it comes out well in the end. On top of that, it may pay off to actually start building the guitar before you make decisions regarding the finish. Seeing your guitar in physical form could change your plans very quickly. Good luck!

Love the graphic. Im looking to do a similar HS graphic for my Maiden USA Jackson copies, but Im having trouble deciding how to go about it. I thought doing the "Jackson" waterslide graphic as an abalone inlay would distinguish it enough, but now Im not sure... I guess well see. Great work on this one man!

Body blanks glued up. Gotta get new neck blanks cut. Stupid miscalculation... Got my truss rods and fretwire in today and the fretboards are on order along with the abalone dots.

More progress today! Got the neck lams all glues up today as well as the body blank. Should be on the CNC by next Wednesday. I also got my fretwire, nuts, and truss rods in. The rest is on its way...

Thanks, at some point I would like to make one like that. Ive never been a big fan of playing Vs, they just feel a bit awkward to me. For some reason all of my guitar design come out very goth... Im not at all gothic, but I guess im just drawn to that aesthetic.

It sounds like your thinking of doing a finish similar to Chris Broderick's custom made RGA 7, only his is quilted maple, not flamed.

Thanks. I agree with both of you. Im hoping the graphic engraving will draw some of the focus away from the innards. I also plan to "frost" the engraving and inside of the control cavity if not the entire back of the guitar. I hope to get all my wood laminated up this week, so Ill have the body blank ready for the CNC by next weekend, and I can start shaping the neck(s) by hand.

Thats hot! I love the back carve. In general, I prefer a blood red, or trans black finish for almost everything, but I cant deny that this one looks like it should be natural!

Spent some time today on the CAD file. I decided to go with a 1 1/4" deep core and a 1/2" back to the body. Even though the body wont be bearing any of the load from the string tension, 1/4" was just too skinny. This way Ill at least have enough space to countersink the bolts in the back. FIrst in clear Then in black I didnt model the graphic into the model because Im going to "etch" that part out with the sandblaster. These were done in SolidWorks. My first time using the software, bit of a learning curve for me, but these will suffice. Itll be trickier building the core... Should have this on the mill by next week hopefully!!!

Im about to begin construction on 4 guitars, and I need help with the fingerboards. Two of these boards are for a school project, so obviously I dont have a huge budget. I would just get them from StewMac, but unfortunately they dont sell them in the width I need. Im looking for 2 boards,one ebony one rock maple, slotted for 24 frets with a 25.5" scale, 7 string width with 16" radii. I also need 2 boards, again one ebony, one rock maple, slotted for 22 frets with a 25.5" scale, 6 string width with 12"-16" compound radii. StewMac does sell these, but I figure their prices are slightly inflated due to overhead costs or whatnot. I was hoping to find the Ebony boards for about $35 each and the maple ones for close to $15 if possible. Please PM me if you can help me out. Thanks!

Ive inquired of some of the guys on here who make custom fretboards, but the prices seem to be a little steep for me unfortunately. StewMac sells Maple ones with a compound radius for $16, and Ebony ones for $45. Seems like a pretty good deal compared to what custom ones go for.

I got the wood for this and my San Dimas project finally! The lumber pile Alder body plank walnut and maple neck lams I decided to go with a 7 piece laminated core 1.5" deep (thick) to go with my 7 string configuration. I also think I will make them both a 26.5" scale rather than the 25.5" I originally had chosen. Im debating whether or not its would be necessary to add carbon neck reinforcements due to the added tension of the extra string and longer scale. Any insight? Things should really start progressing very quickly now. I ordered the rest of my shaping tools, truss rods, nuts, and fret wire today. I dont really have time to slot my own fretboards unfortunately so Im in the market for one maple, one ebony 7 string 26.5" scale fetboards if any of you know where I can get them done for a reasonable price. I know there are guys on here that make a living that way, so hopefully someone can step up to the plate and help me out here! More pics to come!

Finally bought the wood for this and my seven string project. Raw lumber from the yard including the stuff for my other project. The alder plank. The maple neck blanks the alder is a bit knotty, but I should be able to work around those spots fairly easily. Things will progress very quickly at first, but I dont think ill be finishing this for a while after I get the basics done. I also bought my shaping tools, fret wire and truss rods. Im looking into the fretboards. Im going use a compound radius, but Im not really up to trying to tackle that on my own so Ill probably end up ordering them from StewMac and adding the inlay dots myself.