You Decide

[spazzyone]

I thought this idea might be neat.....you decide what this Maple top should be

a Tele? a Strat? a PRS? a Paul?

maybe the top for neck thru built form someones grandmoms wooden leg?

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=25820

what gets picked i will then submit as a Guitar of the month project within the next 3 months

if you have your own idea post a pick/drawing as other

and at three monthes think "finish" cure time . the backwood is also a factor as you Pick One

the neck is already spoken for as far as wood go's (unless i see better than what i have)

if the winning catagory is "other" maybe ill pick the winning shape from that catagorey

Edited November 10, 2006 by spazzyone

[verhoevenc]

Spazz, more serious, use the method I suggested to make your own styled body shape, trust me it works great.

I say make your own shape, and use black limba for the back wood.

Chris

[Daniel Sorbera]

I ditto the making your own shape. Whats the use of building a custom guitar if your just copying a massproduced guitar?

[fryovanni]

I don't get it? You have a nice piece of wood, and you are building a guitar around it? I work in the opposite way. I start with a concept for a guitar and choose wood for the project. Figure out what YOU want and choose wood for the project that will best achive your goals(that is the idea behind luthiery). Do you have a reason for the 3 month time line? Plan out your guitar, build it to the absolute best of your ability(irregardless of how long it takes). Lipstick(even cool looking lipstick) on a pig is still a pig. As much as GOTM is a fun little constest. It should not be the motivation for your work.

So what do you want out of your next guitar?

Peace,Rich

[Mattia]

I don't get it? You have a nice piece of wood, and you are building a guitar around it? I work in the opposite way. I start with a concept for a guitar and choose wood for the project. Figure out what YOU want and choose wood for the project that will best achive your goals(that is the idea behind luthiery). Do you have a reason for the 3 month time line? Plan out your guitar, build it to the absolute best of your ability(irregardless of how long it takes). Lipstick(even cool looking lipstick) on a pig is still a pig. As much as GOTM is a fun little constest. It should not be the motivation for your work.

So what do you want out of your next guitar?

Peace,Rich

...spoken like a true wood hound who's got oodles of stuff to choose from ;-)

You want the wood to match the project, but if you've got limited time and budget and not a whole lot of stuff selected, building a guitar to suit the wood fits. I do it all the time, in my head; specific pieces of wood inspire me to build in certain ways, certain combo's, certain design details.

I totally agree, though, that you need to take as much time as needs taking. No use rushing things.

If that chunk were mine, I'd likely save it for a while; that's not the kind of maple you want to learn building on, or learn finishing on. But it would probably turn into a singlecut carved top instrument of some kind, with a spare drop top for an as-yet undefined project...

Edited November 10, 2006 by Mattia

[spazzyone]

first of all let me state this is not my first ring around the rosie

i am more than capable of a high quality build in this time frame ( the finish is my time limiter)

but i cant draw at all. every drawing i have tried looks like poop

this is why i ask for the suggestions and posted the "other" catagory

[Drak]

OK, what I see here is that you're simply looking for your answer the wrong way.

The real issue is what you need to do to be able to come up with your own designs, you are trying to circumvent that problem with this solution, and it is not the correct solution.

The proper question would be: can you please help me figure out a way to come up with my own designs.

I personally cannot draw a freakin' egg, I swear to God, I cannot draw anything at all.

But what I do have is a collection of templates from several popular guitars, and I use large poster paper to draw them out, and I just borrow, or graft, parts of one shape onto another, full scale, then just adjust the curves until it matches up OK.

I have stolen just about every part of that Ibanez Iceman a person could steal and grafted it onto other shapes, like using the lower half of a Strat and the upper half of the Iceman, adding in another horn, strat style, but looking like an Iceman horn, to the other side.

Or using the upper half of a Strat and flipping the Iceman shape over and using that for the lower half.

As long as you have a good centerline as a starting point, you can graft anything you want onto anything else you want.

I've done this lots of times to lots of different shapes, it is the way I come up with my own designs by lifting partial ideas from many different templates.

It's the way I get around the drawing problem, works for me. I would imagine other people would recommend you use some of the online drawing programs, but I'm way too old school for that stuff, I have my method, it works, I'm OK with it.

I never understood people who ask what kind of guitar they should build, I have NEVER asked anyone that question, that's what it's all about is building what you want, even if it happens to be something already popular, if it's what you want, that's all that matters. I never understood how someone else could answer that question for you.

Personally, I disagree with Godin. I think most guys who are new within the 3-4 year mark of building are obsessed with coming up with their own personal designs, I think that is simply a phase that we go thru, and one day the overwhelming desire to build nothing but your own shapes will pass, it's primarily an ego-driven agenda I think, and once you've done it, the desire passes. You can still build your own shapes if you want, but it's not nearly as important as it once was when you were just starting out.

[Daniel Sorbera]

I can't draw either, I use photoshop to come up with shapes. and I disagree with you disagreeing with me Drak. If I wanted a PRS or whatever, I would just go buy one, it's alot cheaper. To me coming up with new stuff is half the fun. Which is maybe what your saying will pass. I don't know, I havn't gotten to that point yet.

Edited November 10, 2006 by Godin SD

[fryovanni]

first of all let me state this is not my first ring around the rosie

i am more than capable of a high quality build in this time frame ( the finish is my time limiter)

but i cant draw at all. every drawing i have tried looks like poop

this is why i ask for the suggestions and posted the "other" catagory

I am sure you have built many high quality instruments. Honestly, I was trying to point out that you should not force your schedule(well unless it is to meet a customers delivery date). If you have a project in mind. Then build from there, build it to the best of your ability(even if you are a master luthier-same thing should hold true).

As far as drafting and the creative side of design. If you can't draw worth a darn freehand. Try out some drafting software. Find the one that seems to work well for you. It is a handy way to be able produce and replicate your concepts.

Good luck with it!

Peace,Rich

[Drak]

Another thing.

I have literally spent 4-5 FULL DAYS tweaking a body design (granted it was the middle of winter with not much else to do at the time ), sometimes 15 drafts or more, until it's right.

If you're trying to draw a body and giving up without trying to do several drafts, I mean REALLY spending some serious time with it, then you're giving up way too easy, it takes WORK and EFFORT to come up with a new design that's as hot as a two dollar pistol, if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it all the time, and it's pretty rare when I actually see a new design that really looks quite good, because it takes draft after draft, tweak after tweak, to get it GOOD.

[verhoevenc]

I was just re-reading this whole fandangle of a thread and I think I know what he was thinking... I think we all assumed a "this is all I can/want to build" kinda thing, when in fact, I think he meant, "Let's do like a "virtual build" something that the whole forum can get involved in through me,a nd we'll see how everyone's input works together and what the final outcome is like"

I could be wrong, but after re-reading it that's what comes to mind.

Chris

[fryovanni]

Sorry if I misunderstood.

One of my favorite designs has always been the BC Rich Eagle. Looks great in quilt.-Eagle

A big old semi hollow or archtop would be a nice place to show off that quilt-click

Peace,Rich

[spazzyone]

Chris is very Correct and fryovanni's Correct and Drak you are Correct

i want to see if i can build somthing that everyone would want but can't/won't build

for various reasons. you will be helping me realize my potetional. By pulling it off

as far as wasting a top that wont happen. i will not take a bad design and make it gold

but will take a good suggestion and implement it if it is worth it. im looking for a collective

to make somthing unique like the sustainer project. only the guitar itself

Godin sd i love your last build but its not for me

Drak i have been spending two hours a day trying to get the magma colors (not the overall finish)

as i think that would make this figure jump out hard

F holes only on a tele delux style but the Eagle holds potentional

but my mind keeps thinking the fernandes revele. how can we make it better?

i must restate i cannot draw and cad programs dont work with my mind

cut/copy/paste is the same as a rebuild of a "normal" guitar

so why not build a mary jane? No Fun

i want to stretch it a bit

remeber this......... binding alone can change an appearance

but so can you mind?

Edited November 11, 2006 by spazzyone

[Drak]

In the nicest way I can ( ) I still say that you're asking us to do your work for you, and it will take WAY longer this way than if you just go out and do your own research.

If I wanted to come up with some new design different than anything else I've done up to now, I would simply cruise the internet for several days until I found a few things of interest, then figure out what I didn't like about them, and modify to suit my tastes.

Believe me, there's nothing new under the sun out there, there are a Zillion weirdo guitar shapes already out there, all over the freakin' globe guys have been building electric guitars for over 50 years now, and someone has pictures of pretty much all of them, you just have to do your work and go hunt them down until you find something that interests you. There are a million guitar picture books out there too.

This way is like riding a bicycle with one flat tire compared to hunting the internet for yourself, which would be like riding a rocketship in comparison.

I mean, if you have the patience to wait for everyone to host suggestions, good for you, but by the time you finally decide on a body this way, I would already have the decision made, several drafts done, template finalized, and a body probably already cut out for an initial looksee.

Just sayin'...

[ToneMonkey]

I personally cannot draw a freakin' egg, I swear to God, I cannot draw anything at all.

Try drawing a circle, mine always turn out like eggs

[cherokee6]

They're all great ideas. But as to your original issue: With that wood and its thickness, I'd prefer a carved top along the lines of an LP or PRS. I can't see wasting it on a strat or tele. You can always get a thinner piece for the tops of those. Good luck with your project. As stated by the others, don't rush the project. Patience is key. There's been some great guitars of the month that may give you some inspiration other than the norm. We look forward to seeing your progress in the forthcoming month.

[palecriminal]

Try making one that looks like a big pot leaf! I bet you can find a zillion high school students who could draw you one!

[spazzyone]

well here is the back. right now its only 1-1/4" thick and gonna get a little thinner

and a lot lighter. bye the first week in january it will be almost complete (i wanted to start on the neck first)

it will be something you have seen a million times but not like this

my next post will give more clues

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/femflyr8fan/2.jpg

Edited December 13, 2006 by spazzyone