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Calum's Project


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They probably don't to a lot of peoples', but that is what I decided on, mainly because the 12 string neck is modelled off of my 70s Hohner 12 string acoustic, and it wasn't all that easy to get one that matched the tele headstock. Also, I don't really like the Fender XII headstocks anymore (I sued to a bit, and did consider one).

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Cheers Guys

Updates:

Drilled holes for the controls on the main control panel and on the upper bout of the chambered bit too. Also, you can just see the first of the two holes I cut in the side for the outputs to go through.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/195.jpg

Pic showing the stage of shaping I am up to so far. Still very rough around the heel transition as you can see. It's actually still pretty rough around the headstock transistion, (and by that I mean I want to do more work on it) but it doesn't really look it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/196.jpg

Mockup of where I've got to.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/198.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/202.jpg

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Wicked stuff man! Looks great and super clean in every aspect. I loved the bookmatched pieces especially how it looks in between the two different bodies, nice touch. I can't wait to see this one all done, you can say that you finish your first and second guitar build, lol. Best of luck man and keep the pics coming. J

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beatiful work.

that f hole is damn sexy.

one thing, im not too kean on the arrangement of your switches and knobs.

maybe if you put the pots on a curve from the bridge pickup something like a strat

and moved the top line of switches down, it looks like those might get in the way of your hand.

just an idea.

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  • 2 months later...

I keep forgetting about this thread!!

I ain't posted for like three months, but I'll update you on it all.

Basically, since late May when I had all my exams I haven't done much at all. I was busy with exams, and then I was away a lot. I'm not going away for a while now, so I've got a few weeks to do some work on the guitar. Work really resumed today.

Finished making the electronic cavity covers for the back, and started to fit the top too.

Couple of pics of the binding channel on the back that I did a few weeks ago now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/207.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/208.jpg

Pic of the cavity covers

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/203.jpg

And I glued on the first part of the top today too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/210.jpg

Once the top is on and I've done the top channel I will really feel like I'm getting somewhere. Tomorrow I am going to attach the 12 string neck properly, which means lots of measuring and looking along the neck to make sure its straight before I drill the neck affixing holes. I'll also do the inlays on the top, and maybe rout the binding channel on the fretboard too.

That's it for now, but hopefully this project is finally back on track!

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Progress at last! Looks good

That binding channel looks immaculate... such a clean cut

And good luck on thursday with your GCSE results!

My brother's just done his too

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^Cheers Ben!

i really wish your back cover had the red (possibly padauk?) laminates in it to have more asthetics; but either way it looks phenominal, i like how your doing the channels with sperate tops! :D

I'm still debating on whether to do that or not. I've got plenty of padauk and maple left so I may well do the trem cavity like that and then thickness plane it. Worth the effort? I think you just made me think so! :D

Dunno if I should do it with the middle cover as well or not. Think I should?

I did the inlays on the 12 string neck, so the fretboard now needs sanding down again to level it out and get rid of any glue. I also carried on on the cavity covers on the back, but I am going to redo two of them as said. I also drilled the holes for the 12 string neck screws, and test fitted it and am happy with the results at the moment. I also finally got around to making some wooden knobs that match the rest of the guitar!

Here are the inlays done and awaiting the fretboard to be sanded down to make them smooth.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/212.jpg

Bad and blurry pic showing the 12 string neck attachment (I know, not that great a pic or very interesting, but I'm keeping a good photographic document of the progess of this build, so I took it anyway)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/214.jpg

And here are the knobs I made just drilled out with a holesaw. This explains the slight burning on the sides still and the general appearance. I am going to make them a little smaller in diameter as they are rather large, but the next holesaw down was too narrow, so it was better this way.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/216.jpg

Calum

Edited by Calum_Barrow
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First thing was to fill in the inlays on the 12 string neck with epoxy to make them a perfect fit (they were good anyway, but some had little gaps that I wasn't happy with). While that was drying, I went and glued on another part of the walnut top.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/218.jpg

Then I put that to one side to leave it overnight. I then turned my attention to the neck and sanded back all the epoxy and inlays so they were all smooth.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/227.jpg

Then I got my free bandsaw out and gave it a clean, adjusted the blade and whatnot, and then set about making a shim as the nut is not high enough to clear the fretboard. I am really happy with the bandsaw, and I am very grateful to the man I got it from. Works perfectly, and came with the instruction book and a good few spare blades too. It's not big, but it was FREEEE!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/224.jpg

Here is what I was doing. This is a little ledge chiseled flat to accept the shim. The colour is because the headstock front has gotten dirty from lots of fretboard sanding. Needs lots of tidying up, but you get the idea

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/228.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/229.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/230.jpg

I routed out another chamber as a last minute decision to try and reduce weight on the body, and I fitted the last part of the top (after fitting the first part of the wiring!!)

As it stands at the moment (the middle top is just pushed into place for this pic)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/234.jpg

Extra chamber to further reduce weight

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/238.jpg

First bit of wiring going in

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/239.jpg

Top clamped using my fabulous designed on the spot clamping method. I needed to get the middle bit clamped but don't have any clamps that will do the job. So I got an offcut of maple from one of the necks, and clamped it onto two bits of scrap in the middle to clamp it down. The maple only rests on these so that all pressure is on the middle, and the maple bends quite a lot from this.

The maple was put diagonally across the top so that I could still fit a clamp at either end of the top too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/242.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/243.jpg

That's it for now! Tomorrow I shall take off the clamps, trim the top back with the router, plane the top all to the same height, and probably rout the binding channel for the top too, then think of a way to do the bit of channel the router bit wouldn't get into (I think I have a bit that will do the job though - I'll explain more tomorrow). I might do some other things too, depends on how much time I have and whether I can be bothered (If I can't, I shall make myself be bothered!)

Calum

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Ain't updated this. This is the progress of the last few days (bar today as I was out).

Started by taking the clamps off the top.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/245.jpg

Then started planing the top flat.

It's getting there....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/251.jpg

Pretty much done!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/254.jpg

As it stands after the top has been flattened.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/258.jpg

Top binding channel routed

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/261.jpg

Top binding in place and drying

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/265.jpg

Top binding dry and trimmed and scraped etc.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/271.jpg

Bottom binding drying

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/272.jpg

All binding done!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/275.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/276.jpg

Top of guitar scraped over with epoxy to fill the grain on top. Of course, the epoxy really brought out the colour and grain, and I love it!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/Calum/277.jpg

More updates as I do more!!

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I have been waiting a long time to see this finished!!!! its looking excellent - but also heavy and unpractical as only a double neck can.

I didnt imagine it with binding but it looks good. personally i would think about remaking one of the necks at some point to get a bit more of a coherant look to the guitar

and lets add a picture rther than a link for all those people that dont click links

277.jpg

and maybe even a clicky thumbnail

th_276.jpg

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Cheers guys.

Wez, it's not actually that heavy, thanks to all the chambers and cavities in the guitar. I hope I can get it to be under the 10lb mark, but I doubt that is going to happen once all the hardware is on (might be alright before the hardware though).

I know the necks are very different, but that is what I wanted. I pretty much wanted it to be two guitars put together. The 12 string should give a more acousic sound, but the bottom a nice Strat sound. I wanted the warmer sound of the rosewood board on the 12, and the acoustic style headstock too, as I don't like the flat Strat style headstocks on a 12 really. The pickups are very different on each, but that is the style I wanted again. I didn't want to have to make the two the same just because I was making a double neck.

EDIT: On UG I just put all the photos up, which is much better IMO, but we're not allowed on here are we?

Edited by Calum_Barrow
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well thats fair enough - its just the one thing that strikes me as odd about the instrument, but that aint a bad thing if its what you want. The good thing is that its a bolt-on neck so if you ever do change your mind it aint an issue to attach a new neck - loads of options!!!!

it sounds like it should be quite light - - for a double neck

you can have one photo and as many clicky thumnails as you want.

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I, too, am not usually a double-neck fan (don't like 12-strings in general, come to think of it) but this thing is... well, it's just awesome. So many nice and elegant touches. This is the first time I've checked into this thread, so forgive me for some of this being far too late; however, here are the only small criticisms I could think of:

- the electronics seem mad. Too mad for my tastes. :D But since you get to decide your own level of madness, I find myself wishing the switches were at least in a different arrangement

- Since the guitar is already electronics mad, I would have been tempted to put a piezo-loaded bridge into the 12-string part. Or is that already the plan? I didn't see an access routs for that.

Other than that.... wowee!

Greg

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Thanks guys.

Aye a bolt on neck does mean they can be easily replaced, but then again they have to be made exactly to fit the scale etc. Further down the line I may well change one or maybe both - who knows! I think at the moment the body is under 7lbs, but I can't remember really. I'll weigh it again tomorrow since I made another chamber but also added the top since last time I weighed it. I'll do it with the necks on too to get a good idea.

Yes, the wiring is a bit mad on this thing, but that is what I like. There are hundreds of switch combos, but then again I wanted it to be versatile, and to get loads of tones out of it. Anyone who tries to pick it up and play might find themselves a bit lost with the controls!!

The 12 string bridge will have a piezo yes, and there is a hole drilled for the pickup wire to exit through in the top of the maple, and this goes into the hollow bit to the left, where it will be wired up to the toggle on the top horn. Should be easy enough to put a new one in or whatever since the hollow bit is well, hollow and it can get accessed through the hole at the back.

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