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Mahogany Custom


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I went to my local wood merchant the other day to buy some bit for a sign I was making and saw two bits of Mahogany on the floor - "How much is that?" I asked

"Oh they're going in the off-cuts bit outside for 20p each" he said!

So for 40p I got two 2ft X10" pieces of mahogany!!!

Strat refinish has gone on the back burner for now to make a custom body.

Here they are glued up

Glued.JPG

After first sanding

www.signworks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Storage/Wood/MostSanded.JPG

Some 'rips were in the surface from the planer so I filled them with PVA and sawdust

http://www.signworks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/.../Wood/chips.JPG

The join is good

http://www.signworks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/...e/Wood/Join.JPG

And it looks OK wet too!

http://www.signworks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/...ge/Wood/Wet.JPG

I have my design nearly ready - totally unique I think - maybe someone will show me something it looks like though!

Oh and here's what I did over the weekend with the screws i went into the shop for originally.

http://www.signworks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/.../Wood/Signs.JPG

Edited by chunkielad
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Hoping to get design finalised today - I'm working it around a neck I got off ebay for a 'Strat copy' refinish which has now gone by the side!

I have realised thet even though I laid the boards to have 'opposing' grain direction, I've ended up glueing it the other way so the end grain follows on but never mind - ther grain is pretty much vertical anyway!

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Selling it for 20p to someone who can use it is far from WASTING it....

It was 40p overall :D

here's the design guys - I know the back end is a bit well, Fender but I think that the overall design is pretty unique - unless someone knows different.

funky.JPG

I'm going to keep to the 40mm this mahogany has given me and use a Flamed Sycamore veneer i just got on the top - it won't look like a veneer though once the binding is on - it'll look like a cap.

I've linked to a bigger version of the image too incase anyone wants to download to look at it in more detail.

http://www.signworks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/...ge/Funkybig.jpg

Edited by chunkielad
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I'd worry less about unique and more about whether the design pleases you... very difficult to do anything 'unique'

It definately pleases me - but if i can be different to everything else out there (obviously there'll be some similarities) then all the better.

It also seems i may have enough mahogany to do a neck too but I'm scared of that move for now! :D:D

Edited by chunkielad
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I'm with you both 100% it's about me liking it more than anything else at all.

I could copy another guitar easily - telecaster/les paul etc - I like them both but this is a custom - it's not supposed to look like anything else out there - that'd be a replica or copy. I want a different guitar that suits my needs and looks good to me. :D

I posted the design as people asked me to. :D

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Anyway, that's some great looking wood...it's going to make a great guitar.

If you have enough for the neck --why not go for doing at least the neck part --maybe you can get someone to do the fretboard for you? (that's what I'm hoping to do for the next project). Besides, what do you have to lose? 10p?

Is that you in the avatar?

Well, I'm assuming it is --maybe that's what I don't like about the guitar, it just doesn't match my image of you...seems like you'd be going for a different style...something a little wackier, more of a sense of humor, dunno...

This guitar seems more suited to some pimply 16 year old metal head....that's not meant to be a put down...just the way I'm seeing things.

Anyway, just my 2 cents...

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He he - that is me in the pic but it's not really a true representation of my personality!! B)

My current guitar is a Vintage VH51FR (Copy of the EVH series Earnieball Musicman)

VH51FR.jpg

Not really the image you were expecting? :D

I also have the old strat which needs finishing, a 12 string Washburn accoustic and a crappy Honer classical.

I figured the whole image of this machine to fit with a 60's American retro theme - a bit 'Starsky and Hutch' - just showns how people interpret things differently. :D

I sat down and came up with about 15 designs the other day - all need tweaking etc - one is really rounded (profile from the end is almost oval) one was a bit of a telecaster cross with something I've never seen before - my tastes vary widely when it comes to guitars.

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Well, you know there's this body shape (not my own) I've been dreaming of doing for months now...I'm all set to go...except...I can't bit the bullet on it, I just don't know if I'm going to want to play it...

So I set it aside for a while...maybe one day I'll find the way to tweak it into something that will work for me...

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Well, you know there's this body shape (not my own) I've been dreaming of doing for months now...I'm all set to go...except...I can't bit the bullet on it, I just don't know if I'm going to want to play it...

So I set it aside for a while...maybe one day I'll find the way to tweak it into something that will work for me...

That's the main reason to do a guitar shape in my eyes mate - If YOU want it!

I can't wait to getstarted.

Is 40mm thick enough for this guitar do you think or will it be a bit too thin? I did consier putting a cap on rather than veneer.

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Well, you know there's this body shape (not my own) I've been dreaming of doing for months now...I'm all set to go...except...I can't bit the bullet on it, I just don't know if I'm going to want to play it...

So I set it aside for a while...maybe one day I'll find the way to tweak it into something that will work for me...

That's the main reason to do a guitar shape in my eyes mate - If YOU want it!

I can't wait to getstarted.

Is 40mm thick enough for this guitar do you think or will it be a bit too thin? I did consier putting a cap on rather than veneer.

Congrats on scoring some nice wood for 40p! I though I was doing ok when I got enough mahogany for 4 necks for a Tenner :-)

As for the design, i really like it, it seems 'sporty' and plenty rock!

40mm enough thickness? I would definitly say so. My Explorer build at the moment is not far off that, and the wafer-caster will be between 25-35mm so yeah, 40mm should be plenty IMO ;-)

I'm sure you'll do a good job and its nice to see some fellow UK builders on the forum!

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As for the design, i really like it, it seems 'sporty' and plenty rock!

Glad you like it mate - i've got rock running through my veins so it's great that someone sees it as a rock guitar. :D

40mm enough thickness? I would definitly say so. My Explorer build at the moment is not far off that, and the wafer-caster will be between 25-35mm so yeah, 40mm should be plenty IMO ;-)

I was a little worriedbut if you reckon you're doing a 23-35mm one then I'm fine! :D

I'm sure you'll do a good job and its nice to see some fellow UK builders on the forum!

There's the problem with this project - ME! Ha ha! my vast experience of wood work is a games compendium for my Dad when i was 16! I'm 29 now!!!

It is good to see the UK lads though isn't it!?

Anyone here local to me?

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There's the problem with this project - ME! Ha ha! my vast experience of wood work is a games compendium for my Dad when i was 16! I'm 29 now!!!

I got you beat...before I started this a few months back, the ONLY thing I ever did with wood was glue together a popsicle stick ashtray for my mom when I was seven...and she quite smoking pretty soon after I gave it to her :D

Anyway, plan on doing a lot of practice--get a load of scrap wood, hack that stuff up before you commit to that nice mahogany. Yes, it'll set you back a few days or even weeks...

My general rule is that I will ALWAYS screw up a move the first time I try it. And I will probably screw it up the second time. And maybe I'll start getting it right by the third time.

The most important things I've learned are: 1) Patience and 2) Knowing when to quit.

The second is the hardest...you know, you're going to want to keep going on something, but you know you're getting tired and less accurate. But you try to keep going anyway...and that's pretty much when you'll screw up the worst...

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Anyway, plan on doing a lot of practice--get a load of scrap wood, hack that stuff up before you commit to that nice mahogany. Yes, it'll set you back a few days or even weeks...

I'm gonna get some cheap pine (I say cheap but it'll cost more than the mahogany!!! And make one out of that first.

My general rule is that I will ALWAYS screw up a move the first time I try it. And I will probably screw it up the second time. And maybe I'll start getting it right by the third time.

The most important things I've learned are: 1) Patience and 2) Knowing when to quit.

I'm stuffed on both counts :D

The second is the hardest...you know, you're going to want to keep going on something, but you know you're getting tired and less accurate. But you try to keep going anyway...and that's pretty much when you'll screw up the worst...
There may be trouble ahead! :D
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Well, update time - I ordered my template router bit today and it'll be here Tuesday so....

I went to the wood shop and got some pine yesterday to make a prototype (thought it best as I've never done this before) and then made my template up today.

I've used a product called dibond for the template it's acrylic sheet with aluminium sandwiched on each side - I use it a lot for signs. It's as tuff as old boots but will cut with a jig saw and then it's easily fileable to shape.

Sorted all that and took it to wood merchant who's gonna bandsaw it for me monday. Can't wait as if it goes well and the template route works well, I'll do the mahogany one on Tuesday.

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