First 'real' Project

[Jester]

I'm back! Some of you might remember me. I'm the guy who was planning on building an iceman shaped guitar last year...

Well, I've been really busy with my studies and other as equally important stuff. Sorry about the delay, but I finally started the project week ago and it's coming together rather nicely.

I changed my mind about the shape though. Now, it's an explorer shaped neckthrough stringthrough.

The plans can be found here.

After a while I noticed that I haven't been taking any pics! So this is the earliest of them:

Click

There's the neck template (just to give some example, it's not accurate) laid on the neck plank and the wings being prepared for the router.

And after routing: Click

I saved the off cuts for joining the wings to the neck later.

I made a 13 degree angle on the headstock: Click You can't really see the angle, but it is there.

Yes, the headstock moved a little while clamped and when I noticed it the glue was already set.

But no worries, I'll glue some cool veneer on the headstock so it's visible only from the back of the neck.

Then I figured it was time to make a pickup template.

Made from a piece of birch veneer I found laying around and cutted out with a coping saw: Click Cleaned up with sandpaper.

Then measured the pup positions on the neck: Click

You can see some flame in the middle piece!

And here is the result: Click

Hmm... They're 27 mm deep. It seems almost too deep to me. But that's what the drawing said, so. And the router bit burned the wood quite a bit, but I guess it doesn't matter.

Then I routed a slot for the wiring of the pickups: Click Not exactly a straight routing hahahah. Free hand. I just hope that it doesn't weaken the joint of the side too much.

Okay, moving on... I found some nicely figured off cuts of laying around and decided to make wooden pickup rings for this guitar.

So I made this jig: It's fairly simple.

You just stick the piece of wood between those two pieces of mdf and all the way to the piece that is screwed on the left side of the template.

Clamp it up and route. After that you have to cut it to proper length and you're done.

With a pickup: Just routed and cut to length so it's kinda rough, but it'll be smoothed out.

I don't have ANY of the hardware nor the fingerboard, so the things I can do are pretty limited right now, but I'm hopefully getting most of them next week.

After a week, this is most of the work that can be done with out the hardware (I think...). I've made a template for the headstock too with the holes for the tuners. If I get the truss rod next week I can route the slot for that, glue it in, glue the wings, route a binding channel for the body, start carving the neck, etc etc. I ordered the fingerboard (rosewood) pre slotted so that's a one less thing to mess up.

Dunno what finish I'm gonna use, any suggestions ?

The natural look is kinda boring for me so maybe some dark stain and laquer would look nice.

Any comments?

please review the rules regarding image size - your posted image was waaay over the 640 x 480 limit - Cheers!

Edited April 18, 2006 by Setch

[Ben]

Looking great!

I really like explorers.

I'd stain it a nice wine red sort of colour, but thats just me. I like red.

You've nearly got enough waste wood there to make another guitar!

[Jester]

Yeah, but it's cheap!

EDIT: Here's full shot: Click

Edited April 13, 2006 by Jester

[Maurits]

Looking good, I really like neck-though Explorers. But that headstock looks like it will be huge. Nice and original though you might just have to build a custom case to fit that sucker.

Personally I think a dark-blue/purple stain would look great on a guitar like this one. Might look nice with the wenge pup-rings. I wouldn't do a solid color.

Edited April 17, 2006 by Maurits

[Campylobacter]

Looking good!

[Setch]

Looks great - nice work.

I have modified your posted image to a link. You followed the rules very well - sticking to one image and the rest as links, but I'm afraid your image was still too big

[Jester]

I have modified your posted image to a link. You followed the rules very well - sticking to one image and the rest as links, but I'm afraid your image was still too big

Almost got it!

Thanks guys!

Hmmm... It's already wednesday and I still haven't heard anything from the supplier.

I've been thinking about the woods on this thing and I have decided to trash this project and start all over again with better materials.

It just feels somewhat stupid to put a 50 euro fingerboard on a guitar where all the other wood cost less than 15 euros.

But now... Gotta find some suppliers!

EDIT: Dunno... Mahogany wings and maple neck ? Maybe a top ? Suggestions ?

Edited April 19, 2006 by Jester

[eddiewarlock]

I have modified your posted image to a link. You followed the rules very well - sticking to one image and the rest as links, but I'm afraid your image was still too big

Almost got it!

Thanks guys!

Hmmm... It's already wednesday and I still haven't heard anything from the supplier.

I've been thinking about the woods on this thing and I have decided to trash this project and start all over again with better materials.

It just feels somewhat stupid to put a 50 euro fingerboard on a guitar where all the other wood cost less than 15 euros.

But now... Gotta find some suppliers!

EDIT: Dunno... Mahogany wings and maple neck ? Maybe a top ? Suggestions ?

Man, donöt waste your project because the woods were cheap and the fretboard is more expensive, it doesn't matter, when i built my guitars, i used mahogany and it was really awefully cheap, you have no idea how cheap, but the fretboards were 30 dollars each ( ebony fretboards) Mahogany is cheap in Venezuela because it is a local wood, imported wood doesnöt mean that it is better, so probably in Finland, Birch and maple are very cheap and mahogany more expensive, in venezuela IF I was to get alder, ash, maple or ebony ti would be horribly expensive, hope that makes sense ,)

[Campylobacter]

I've been thinking about the woods on this thing and I have decided to trash this project and start all over again with better materials.

If you decide to trash it I could buy it for some euros.

[Jester]

Man, donöt waste your project because the woods were cheap and the fretboard is more expensive, it doesn't matter, when i built my guitars, i used mahogany and it was really awefully cheap, you have no idea how cheap, but the fretboards were 30 dollars each ( ebony fretboards) Mahogany is cheap in Venezuela because it is a local wood, imported wood doesnöt mean that it is better, so probably in Finland, Birch and maple are very cheap and mahogany more expensive, in venezuela IF I was to get alder, ash, maple or ebony ti would be horribly expensive, hope that makes sense ,)

It makes sense, but it's not actually the cheapness that made me start over again. It's the crappyness of the wood.

I mean come on, a neck made from birch ? The whole guitar is made from birch!

I'm pretty sure that the neck wouldn't stay straight for, long giving me all kinds of problems later on.

Plus, it's very soft compared to, say, maple. And it looks very dull if not painted and I don't fancy them painted guitars all that much.

Do I even have to mention the effect to the sound ?

Having said that, I'm pretty sure that you agree with me.

Altough it would be wise to build this one all the way to eliminate some mistakes in the future... Dunno. Maybe I'm saving it as a test piece.

@ Campylobacter How much would you be willing to pay? Woods: 15 euros and work... 1 euro?

[Campylobacter]

@ Campylobacter How much would you be willing to pay? Woods: 15 euros and work... 1 euro?

Something like that.

[Jester]

I was supposed to get all of the parts for this project last thursday, but unfortunately, the supplier guy had lost my number. So I called him. It was actually a good thing since I didn't have the money for the parts yet. I had about 40€ so I bought the pre-radiused and slotted rosewood fingerboard (30€) and the truss rod (10€). I still have about 190€ worth of parts to purchase (not including the pups). I'll hopefully get them early next week.

And the woods... about 40€ (?). Here's a pic of the fingerboard. Click Looks pretty damn nice!

On another note... Can anyone tell me or point out a tutorial on how to make a neck angle on a neckthrough ?

I have never quite understood it.

@ Campylobacter: about selling the 'test' piece, give me 30€ and it's yours. (the neck and the wings) But how would I give it you? Send it? You wanna come and get it?

[Rista]

Those plans are pretty innacurate compared to the original but other than that, looks great so far.

[Campylobacter]

@ Campylobacter: about selling the 'test' piece, give me 30€ and it's yours. (the neck and the wings) But how would I give it you? Send it? You wanna come and get it?

Well, I'm kinda "pers'auki" at the moment. I just mailed Viilukeskus for some prices for the woods I'm going to use in my bass. Birdseye maple fretboard, wenge neck, mahogany-walnut-mahogany body..

I could buy it, but not right now.

[/offtopic]

[Jester]

Well, I'm kinda "pers'auki" at the moment. I just mailed Viilukeskus for some prices for the woods I'm going to use in my bass. Birdseye maple fretboard, wenge neck, mahogany-walnut-mahogany body..

I could buy it, but not right now.

[/offtopic]

Okay then. Just let me know!

Viilukeskus is in Turku, right ? When/if you get the prices on those, can you let me know too?

Gotta buy some mahogany and maple. Or walnut and maple. Or... or....

And good luck with that wenge neck! It's gonna be hell working with it.

About the guitar... Is there gonna be a problem with using a tune-o-matic (stringthrough) on a neckthrough?

I think I read somewhere that it is too tall. If so, can I just simply do a recess for the bridge?

[Campylobacter]

Viilukeskus is in Turku, right ? When/if you get the prices on those, can you let me know too?

Gotta buy some mahogany and maple. Or walnut and maple. Or... or....

And good luck with that wenge neck! It's gonna be hell working with it.

About the guitar... Is there gonna be a problem with using a tune-o-matic (stringthrough) on a neckthrough?

I think I read somewhere that it is too tall. If so, can I just simply do a recess for the bridge?

I added you to my MSN contacts to ease the talking.

Thanks.

TOM needs the neck-angle, but you can also recess it.

[Jester]

Today I got the rest of my parts, except the nut. Here's a pic. Click

I'll sort that out later.

A little noobish question here... Click These are the string ferrules, but what the heck are those screws for?

I mean, you just hammer them into place after finishing the guitar, right?

Anyway... Today I started the project (again) with new, 'better', woods.

First, I glued the neck blank from maple, mahogany, maple, mahogany, maple. Should be dry enough tomrrow..

Then I started working on the wings. I planed the blank of mahogany and cutted out the sides roughly with a bandsaw.

Then I pulled out my wing templates and routed the wings to the correct shape. I got some sanding to do tomorrow.

Pics tomorrow.

[Jester]

Some progress today.

Routed the slot for the truss rod. Click and here is another shot with truss rod in place (not glued). Click

Here is a full shot Click

The wings are VERY rough at this point. Only the edges have been sanded smooth.

I think I have to cut a few frets off of the fingerboard or otherwise the pickups would end up being really close to eachother.

Here is the profile drawn on the neck. Click I'm thinking of making a big volute like seen on "The Vine" by Ormsby guitars.

Tomorrow, I'll route a slot for the wiring on the side of the neck blank and probably start bandsawing the neck to shape.

And a question... (dunno why I ask anything in this thread since nobody reads it... anyway)

Has anyone ever stained mahogany? Got pics? I'm still not liking the natural look of the woods I'm using...

[mikhailgtrski]

Has anyone ever stained mahogany? Got pics? I'm still not liking the natural look of the woods I'm using...

Sure... grain filled with dyed filler, then wiped on a dark mix of Colortone tobacco brown:

another view

[Jon]

That color looks great!

[Jester]

That's more like it! I love the color on that second pic! Thanks!

[mikhailgtrski]

That's more like it! I love the color on that second pic! Thanks!

No problem... the 2nd pic is the same dye, but with 4 coats of nitro clear + pic taken w/ flash. The neck looks even better than that now, leveled out w/ 6 coats (sorry, no pic yet).

I love dyed wood! IMO it gives you a much deeper look than spraying tinted clear.

[Jester]

Me too! Plain natural wood look's pretty boring to me. I'll be considering that color for this project.

[Mattia]

Heathens!

There's little as shimmery and deep-looking as clear gloss sprayed mahogany. It's really quite magical.

[Setch]

Signed!