al heeley Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Here's the plan, walnut solid body carved to prs-type guitar with H/S/H pup config. This will be my first carved top and by a long way the most ambitious build for me. If it comes together ok, I might splash out on a fishman peizo bridge as well for a very versatile set of tones. Here's the initial pic, walnut jointed and sanded, rough shape cut out, now half way through routing the sides flush and smooth using an MDF template made earlier. I drew round the shape of my Custom24 to get the shape and will be taking measurements off this body to try to get a reasonable profile for the carve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travismoore Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 nice! thats gonig to look cool once its done =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs man Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Hi I have done a couple of these and carved the top by hand. I routed for the pickups and bridge before starting the carved top. you may already have this in mind. looks good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted October 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Thx, I had a feeling that would be the best way to go, what about the neck pocket? That too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJD Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 (edited) So far so good mate, I LOVE PRS’s!! I have ambitions to make one myself one day - so are you going full walnut or are you having a topcap on it? I’ve got walnut on the go at the moment and I have to say I love it to work with!! but I tried routing my body shape out like you're doing and it cocked up big time - luckily it's my own design so I have a degree of 'artistic licence' on my side Edited October 8, 2006 by NJD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted October 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 It's a solid 50mm thick slab of walnut. It really is great to work with. This is the first time I've made up a proper MDF template, my earlier bodies were jigsawed out then the sides smoothed and made good with a belt sander. Those were thinner (about 40mm) bodies, my poor jig saw nearly blew up cutting this thing out roughly. So I decided to rout the edges good. The trick is not to be greedy, just take a mill or 2 off at each pass till the bearing rests against the template. Sure does make a shed load of shavings though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJD Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 Lol, yeah - quite literally!! Nice smelling stuff too though and you've got some pretty slabs there... 50 mil!! My god! That’s some thick blank! Hats off to you mate! Happy milling! I am just about to have a word with soundwoods to get my hands on a 1” blank of flame maple as a topcap, so I’ll be carving an archtop for the first time ever too – I’m excited but scared witless at the same time, Setch’s tutorial has given me some confidence but we’ll have to see if it’s well founded :| Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs man Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 yes I rout the neck cavity before starting to carve the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJD Posted October 9, 2006 Report Share Posted October 9, 2006 Just out of curiosity, on a PRS double cut away, doesn’t the carved top meet a flat plane on the body where the neck, pickups and bridge are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs man Posted October 9, 2006 Report Share Posted October 9, 2006 I have a prs artist and a custom 22. they both look flat where the pickups and neck are. to avoid cutting into the neck and pickup area I put a piece of wood using double stick tape so it will be removed when done with the carving. this is done after the pickup and neck is routed. now if your doing the carving by hand you can't carve into ther spot that has the wood double stick taped to the body. for carving I used a small 1'' palne and scrapers and files then sanded everything smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted October 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2006 Yes there is a flat plane on top, it's actually sloping down towards the neck. On my Custom 24 the max thickness is at the bridge with 48mm, and it slopes down to the neck to approx 43mm. At least the slope does not look curved. This slope will be in prallel to the neck angle, which I believe is about 4 deg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJD Posted October 9, 2006 Report Share Posted October 9, 2006 (edited) I think you're right about the neck being 4 degrees from what I’ve read here, I’d guess that angle on the body is about 3 degrees though to give the strings the tiny bit of extra clearance needed at the bridge - if it were parallel, the strings would only have the fingerboard's height from the body (plus the action) across the tops of the pickups and to the saddles. As the pickup rings are cut as wedges it makes me think there is a greater agle on the neck than the body How do you propose to shape the recesses for the knobs and switches etc? Edited October 9, 2006 by NJD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted October 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2006 I have a curved profile router bit I used for the ctrls on my first project, the chambered tele. Worked ok as the bearing on the bit was exactly the right size to fit in the hole drilled for the pot shaft. I'm toying with the idea of a nice little recess for a 5-way blade switch too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 The carving continues. Pickup cavities and neck pocket routed. Picture angle/lighting doesn't really show the curvature in the top, it goes from 33mm at the perimeter up to 46mm at the pickup, in a gentle S-shape profile. Plan for middle pickup abandoned as it would look very crowded in the space between the heel of the neck and the bridge space. Plan B-the old favourite McCarty wiring, with push-pull tone pot for coil split. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurits Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 That top looks great for that guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travismoore Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Wow! Thats awsome =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!!METAL MATT!! Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 That top is really makeing me glade that Im useing walnut sexy guitar what did you use? OIL? is so what type !!METAL MATT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 thats not treated yet, just some mahogany red colour stain rubbed in. I shall probably Danish oil it as I can't spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!!METAL MATT!! Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 thats not treated yet, just some mahogany red colour stain rubbed in. I shall probably Danish oil it as I can't spray. VERY NICE!! Im oiling mine aswel Im really looking forward to it. Thanks man !!METAL MATT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logical Frank Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Not a huge fan of the PRS-style but that top is looking gorgeous. The color is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott from _actual time_ Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 yeah, that contour looks really nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tasty Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Did you use a template for the body/carve? I am really impressed with your work and am thinking about building a similar type of guitar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Heh, thanks guys, all the advice I get here is finally paying off! I didn't have a template for the carve. The wood blank was about 50 mm thick. I routed a step in the side at about 35mm high all the way round and about 10mm in. I then attacked it with a drill and a sanding disk to gradually carve away all the wood into a nice round shape, down to the routed step. I then smoothed it all with black and decker mouse and finished with 600 grit and white spirit. So it was done a bit by eye really until all the curves looked nice and even. I now have to belt-sand off the front end to slope it down evenly from the fattest part at the bridge (46mm approx) to the front and neck pocket (42mm approx.) Feeling a bit nervous about that one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted October 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 Here is an early mock-up. GFS Hot PAF Zebras, wilky wraparound bridge, oem LP neck off an ebay shop which will very soon undergo some headstock reshaping. The small hole just by the bottom of the bridge will be a little red LED which lights up when the guitar is plugged in. Just for the fun of it The pic doesn't show too well the stripe inlay along the body glue line, a thin sandwich of wood strips taken from an unfinished wooden boat kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travismoore Posted October 18, 2006 Report Share Posted October 18, 2006 nice! Makes me want to use walnut when i make myself a guitar =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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