CudBucket Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Drak, that is some beautiful work there. Very inspiring. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanKirk Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I'm tryin' to figure out that rear control cavity on Koa Kountry...how do you get such a tight fit? I would think that the saw blade alone would take off enough material to cause a gap but that one is barely noticeable. A scroll saw? Sweet guitars and fantastic pics as usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Thanks for the nice words. Yes, I do use a scroll saw for that. I don't even own a bandsaw, I use the scrollsaw for everything I need a saw to do, cutting out body blanks, cutting wood, cutting out steer heads, etc. Tough little bugger that thing is. Actually, almost all dozen Teles have the rear control cover cut out like that, just haven't posted many back pics yet.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CudBucket Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Scroll saw!?!? How do you do that? Is it possible on your tele's because of the fact that they're chambered and at some point in the construction, you have no top on it? I'm just trying to picture how you get the saw blade inside the body like that. Thanks for the info! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer7440 Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I think Drak is trying to be the first member to win GOTM for 1 year straight! Nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CudBucket Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I'd be happy to just finish mine so it could be "considered". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Scroll saw!?!? How do you do that? Is it possible on your tele's because of the fact that they're chambered and at some point in the construction, you have no top on it? I'm just trying to picture how you get the saw blade inside the body like that Yes, I cut the design out before I glue the top on, and also, there's a big ol' round chamber below the steerhead, which is cut out of the body before I glue them together. Actually, 80% of it I do with a router, I just need the scrollsaw for the tips of the horns where it's too thin to get a router bit into. So the steerhead is really my 'opening' for the chamber below it...dig? The entire area in the upper bout is hollow. Check back up in the pics, I just added the new one in, with closeups of the steerhead cutout. Moooooooooooo............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoofnagle Posted December 1, 2004 Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 Drak, Again all I can say is wow. AS a fellow tele player and novice want to be builder I am floored. All of your pics show bodies and what appears to be the same or darn near the same neck. Do you build those as well or buy? Again speechless - I have been showing your work to my co-workers all day! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 Nope, I buy my necks, usually from Warmoth. I have never (and still don't really) felt the urge to build necks, so I don't. I've got wood here for building necks, but I never feel like doing anything with it. There were 3 different necks in those pics, the yellow one, and two different amber ones. The 2 amber ones are very similar, you'd have to see them side by side to see the slight color variance. They're all Warmoth Triple Birds (AAA upgraded Birdseye on Birdseye ) The 2 Amber ones I bought already finished from them (they use Poly), but I really didn't like that amberish color, so then I started buying them unfinished and spraying them myself (w/ nitro lacquer), which the yellow one is. I have another one I sprayed that's also more of an orange-amber on one of my guitars that's finished and playing, so I've bought four Triple Birds from them so far. Oddly enough, I bought all those necks about 4 years ago, and the 2 amber ones have just been sitting here since I was doing more extreme colored uhhh, 'high octane' guitars that amber just didn't go with, and here, years later, I start doing natural wood Teles and BAM! the amber necks fall right into place like they were supposed to be there the whole time...go figure... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlGeeEater Posted December 1, 2004 Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 I have never (and still don't really) felt the urge to build necks, so I don't. Me too, i can see my neck snap in half and wack me in the face while playing Damn nightmares I guess it keeps me from building a neck, but i just want to. Stressfull enought building a gee-tar. Later, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted December 3, 2004 Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 Drak where you find some of that wood? local or ebay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 All over. Tell me which ones and I'll tell you where they came from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted December 3, 2004 Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 protoplasim and ghost rider.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 Protoplasm I got that piece locally about 4 years ago, it had just been sitting in a big box of topwood pieces I have and I finally decided to pull it out and use it. Ghost Rider I got off e-Bay about 2-3 months ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 Great stuff...I like the Koa best, maybe I'm more conservative than I thought! I've got to ask though...on some of them...one pickup, 5 knobs and a selector....what's the story there my friend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 The story is this: That control layout suits me -very- well, it took me a -long- time and a lot of tries to come up with that scheme, with the pots laid out like they are and the switch where it is, so I'm fine with all the guitars having that setup, it's the most versatile scenario, and open to many various possibilities, and I really dig it. Pkps have not been decided yet, and that decision can come last, so that's why they are how they are, you're just not looking at a finished guitar yet. Only a few even have the bridge pkp routed as yet, since I know there -are- a few that definitely will have Tele bridges (and most likely Tele neck pkps too) But many of them will have different neck pkps (P-90's, TV Trons, Mini-HB's, 2-SC's Strat style, etc...) and there will be some different bridge pkps as well, probably P-90's and the like. So basically, I'm just not done yet, and leaving my options open until the last possible minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slabbefusk Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 I have a feeling you like Telecasters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 Well I thought as much, and it wasn't a critisism, it's very neat....however, what would they do say in a 2 or three pickup guitar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 Well, my usual 'MO' these days is to use an EMG Afterburner preamp, and once the A-burner is in the picture, that opens up the game for any other EMG tone-shaping pot, like the SPC or EXG to name two, that I might want to throw in also. So, typically it might look something like this: Pot 1 (directly under bridge pkp) Volume Pot. The positioning of this pot anchored every other pot, this pot is exactly where I want it, and I made all the other pots fit around it. I placed this pot where my pinkie is comfortable grabbing it for volume swells. One of the reasons I make my own guitars is so they fit me like a glove and the things I like are there and the things I don't like aren't there, and the positioning of that first pot is important to me. Also the positioning of the 5-way is exactly where I like it too. Pot 2 (behind that) Tone Pot Pot 3 (furthest towards back) Afterburner preamp, which is a pull and rotate to activate pot. This doesn't need to be nearby, I've found I'm happy with the A-burner always being near the back end. Pot 4 (up front on bottom) EMG SPC Control Pot 5 (near back, bottom) EMG EXG Control But you could do -anything- with the holes, if I don't use an Afterburner, I can use some of the holes as openings for mini-switches w/ an appropriately sized washer, or even a 2-way Gibson toggler or two, or blender pots, or Piezo Pickup controls for a Tele with a Ghost System Piezo setup, which at least one will have. But what I listed is my usual preference with some modifications from one guitar to another. They were built with versatility in mind, I knew I didn't have the control scheme for all of them figured out, and this setup will work for just about anything I can dream up, and I just don't like the typical LP Gibson-looking 4-pot scheme, and if I just used 3 pots in a row, the 5-way switch where it is, looks completely stupid and out of place, but looks -perfect- with the 5 pots, since it's angle is taken from the angle between the first upper and first lower pot. This is the only scenario where everything seemed to work right and satisy my needs and was repeatable and versatile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashez Posted December 4, 2004 Report Share Posted December 4, 2004 I like Telecaster more and more everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted December 5, 2004 Report Share Posted December 5, 2004 what about a neck-thru tele... just musing here, lol! nice work, awesome work!! kickass woods, serious stuff! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted December 5, 2004 Report Share Posted December 5, 2004 Drak, you are a madman of the highest order. Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2004 ...wait till you see my Spongebob Tele. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted December 5, 2004 Report Share Posted December 5, 2004 I see...it's a great MO and better to build it that way than to trust someone latter to hit it with the drill and router. The cavity would be big enough for batteries or what ever you like...it's really appauling how poky some are...the Les paul could loose some weight anyway so why they rout it so close I don't know. Actually, If they just added a master volume to the Les Paul like Fender did with the Starcaster where you have yours, it would be a better guitar for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 5, 2004 Report Share Posted December 5, 2004 the Les paul could loose some weight anyway so why they rout it so close I don't know. i am only assuming that it is a balance issue.try making a les paul style guitar with a lighter body and i think you will find that the headstock wants to dive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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