Drak Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Well well well, here we go again! This is a 25 1/2" scale guitar. Maple Burl Top wood 1-piece Honduran Mahogony Body 1 3/4" thick Warmoth Mahogony/Ebony/Traps neck This is a series of pictures following the progress of this guitar. Every picture is IN SEQUENCE of the way things were done, and I do these steps in this sequence for a reason. Here we go, enjoy the ride (and if we derail off the tracks into W.O.D. land, please jump and save yourselves ) This is a picture of the top wood, wetted for the pics. Do not let this wood deceive you fair readers, this stuff is DA BOMB +10, you just can't really ~see~ it yet. But Thelonious Drak can see it, he sees everything. This is the basic body, top already installed, and routed to shape, nothing more yet. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...tToShapeTop.jpg Another angle of the basic body http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...ToShapeSide.jpg The back side of the routed body, showing the nice 1-piece Mahogony http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...ToShapeBack.jpg Here is the next step, the neck pocket being routed. Typical Fender 3" pocket, with a few small customized Drak-options engaged. Here is a shot of the router bit I use to HOG OUT lots of wood quickly. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...eckPocket-2.jpg Here is a shot of the neck pocket done, and NOTICE the shim that has now beeen added to the rear of the template. This is because I don't use pickguards (sorry Mickey), and if you don't use a pickguard with a typical Fender 5/8" deep pocket, the neck sits a bit too proud of the body for me, so what I do is to DEEPEN the pocket a bit, but THEN I angle the neck JUST A TAD to bring the string action back up to where it needs to be. Neat trick Drak. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...eckPocket-3.jpg Another shot of the neck pocket. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...eckPocket-4.jpg Here you can see the very slight angle the angled neck pocket gives to the string action over the bridge. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...eckPocket-5.jpg Here is the output jack location being located. And the strap buttons too. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...uttonMark-1.jpg Here is the rear neck heel being routed. I use a template I made many years ago, shown here, and 2 different locations penned into the wood for my perusal. I went with the second, deeper route. Here I'm routing the initial wood away, I don't need the template in place yet, it actually gets in the way for what I'm doing here. The big HOGGER router bit is back on for this step. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...HeelRoute-2.jpg OK, now the template is in place, and I laid the router on it's side so you can see what kind of bit I'm using for the final approach. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...HeelRoute-3.jpg Here, I'm done with the rear neck pocket, and have done the roundover route on front and back of the body. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...dyRoundover.jpg OK, now we're starting on the rear control cavity. 2 templates are used for this. I use the first one really just to mark out the inner cavity, but I always customize mine a bit past the marks, and I free-hand it to the way I want it. Here's the inner route done. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...rolCavity-2.jpg And the outer route, for the control cavity COVER. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...rolCavity-3.jpg Here's the 7/8" Forstner bit I use for the output jack hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Looking sweet! I'd have thought you'd know better than to post that many images Drak! Or did you post them in separate posts and have the forum software annoyingly decide to combine the posts for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Adding on to the Castle, are we? I'm generally not a huge fan of burl, but that figure+burl thing you've got going there is really nice! I'd have thought you'd know better than to post that many images Drak! It's really kind of a tutorial, and those are ok to have as many pics as it takes. Careful or Drak'll feed you to the W.O.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Here is the 4" angle grinder ready to go to work on the front arm contour. Here is the arm contour done. A note about the contour. Instead of going to the trouble of making a drop-top, I have found that even a SLIGHT bend contour makes my arm happy, there is not a need to always have a steep arm contour, so on some models, I just grind it down instead of doing a drop-top scenario. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...rmContour-2.jpg Here is the rear body contour marked out ready for the grinder. The Grinder. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...arContour-3.jpg Here is the rear body carved and happy. Carved and happy #2. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/Draa...arContour-5.jpg PS, don't give me any crap about 1 pic per post, I DID post one pic per post, then links after that, but for some reason the software is addingall my new posts into the original post, so I'll let a MOD sort it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 I DID post one pic per post, then links after that, but for some reason the software is addingall my new posts into the original post It's done that to me before too, it likes to combine all your posts if there's not enough time elapsed between them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Yup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Lookin' nice! Planning the usual pup configuration? Either WOD is eating it's surrounding superstructure (and construction only barely keeps up..), or Drak is building a shop annex onto the Castle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 It's a mausoleum for dead guitar body remains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 looking very nice. BTW, what ever happened to Major TOM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarchump Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Do we really wanna know :S. By the way Drak will you be filling the burl excursions with clear epoxy or tinited? It would be great if we got pictures off the process, I have always wanted to work with burls but i didn't really fully understand the filling process enough to try. Thanks Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 I asked him how he was doing the other day, he told me: "This is Major Tom to Ground Control I'm stepping through the door And I'm floating in a most peculiar way And the stars look very different today For here Am I sitting in a tin can Far above the world" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarchump Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 By the was Drak where do you get your wood? Or is it a secret? ~Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 No secret, which wood? I get different pieces from different places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 you threw out Tom? I could of gave him a nice home, room and bored Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Since when did you become a fan of jazz, drak? Gotta love blue monk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inisheer Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 By the way Drak will you be filling the burl excursions with clear epoxy or tinited? It would be great if we got pictures off the process, I have always wanted to work with burls but i didn't really fully understand the filling process enough to try. That looks really great Drak, I think I'll have to try some burl eventually. But I agree with guitarchump, it looks like a difficult wood to work with. How do you go through the finishing process? btw...RIP Major TOM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarchump Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 By the was Drak where do you get your wood? Or is it a secret? ~Jeff No secret, which wood? I get different pieces from different places. Your burl and all your nice top wood. Thanks ~Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 I think you guys are talking about spalted wood, not burled wood. Burled wood -usually- doesn't need any filling, sometimes it does, but usually not, and this piece doesn't need any, it's a perfectly sound piece of wood. And nowhere did I say Tom was toast. Your perception of 'floating far above the world' equalling 'W.O.D. ate his ass' is erronous I believe. Most of my tops I get from different eBay sources, all open to the public, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 (edited) I asked him how he was doing the other day, he told me: "This is Major Tom to Ground Control I'm stepping through the door And I'm floating in a most peculiar way And the stars look very different today For here Am I sitting in a tin can Far above the world" btw...RIP Major TOM RIP? Sounds like he's still alive to me. High maybe... but alive. EDIT: And nowhere did I say Tom was toast. Your perception of 'floating far above the world' equalling 'W.O.D. ate his ass' is erronous I believe. smile.gif Thought so Edited July 10, 2006 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 haha sorry for misunderstanding...but if he's still floating around your castle and you want to get rid of him, drop me a PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Since when did you become a fan of jazz, drak? Gotta love blue monk. Been listening to jazz since 1977. What? You think I'm just a boot-scootin' ratchet-jawin' hog-hollerin' barn-burnin' rednecked hillbilly-hokum 1 stick shy of a full load or what? Cooooooooooool, daddy, it's waaaaaaaaaaay cooooooooooool, yeaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, dig that beat daddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inisheer Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 btw...RIP Major TOM RIP? Sounds like he's still alive to me. High maybe... but alive. Sorry, guess I didn't understand what Drak said. you threw out Tom? I could of gave him a nice home, room and bored Then when someone said this that confused me even more. Sorry I misunderstood. And sorry for getting confused about the spalted/ burled thing.... I guess I'm doing a lot of misunderstanding today. Just ignore my posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 ...about the jazz name, I will explain. I've had a bunch of Barden pickups for years that I bought used before he ever went out of business, and always wanted to build a guitar around them. Thing is, Bardens are much more well known around Telecaster( ) circles, but really I think they have been maligned for all these years. They're crystal clear and waaaay articulate, like an EMG without the sterility factor, so I thought they'd be good for a Ronnie Earl 'Blues and Ballads' type of guitar sound, that's what I'm shooting for with this one anyway. And I think that the Mahogany/Maple body & Mahogany neck combination will be a great match to give them some added warmth and depth, compared to your typical Swamp Ash bodied, Maple necked Tele, which is where you normally see them show up. I think that Bardens are fantastic pickups that have been typically used in the wrong application since they were the brainchild of Joe Barden and Danny Gatton (Telecaster player), and that's the way their thought of all the time, as Tele pickups primarily, but I'm taking them in a totally different direction. Check out Ronnie Earl's 'Blues and Ballads' CD for my ~Thelonious Drak~ tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarchump Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 (edited) Ok Drak say you get a nice peice of burl that has a few pits and bark excursions. What should you full them with? Id love to hear some sound clips when this guitar is done! ~Jeff Edited July 10, 2006 by guitarchump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 (edited) Is this 1/2" round nose bit, Drak? Or is it a bigger one. Edited July 10, 2006 by RGGR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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