Cameroo Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 Here's a few pictures of my first guitar. It's a neck-through design, with a 28 inch scale length. I used a pattern based on the SG for the body outline, but everything else is pretty much custom designed, one-of-a-kind. It's pretty much finished, other than painting and some "fine tuning". I used maple for the neck, basswood for the sides, and cocobolo for the fingerboard. It has one humbucker and no controls (always at 11!!). I wanted to keep it looking clean, and figured I never use the tone or volume anyway... I think I'm going to paint it gloss black, I have to wait till spring though, it's pretty frigid here now. This thing sounds better than I imagined. The neck-through design gives it great sustain. I knew it would make a difference, but never realized how much better it would be than all of the factory-made, bolt-on neck guitars I've played before. What do you guys think? Here's some bigger pictures: Full View Body - Close up Headstock - Close up For my next one, I'm thinking of doing a semi-hollow body, with a body shape similar to a Les Paul. I've got a nice piece of spalted maple that should be enough for two tops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 I like it! I also like the positioning on the rug for the photo, the halo of flames looks cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 That's too nice a piece of wood to paint it an opaque color. Definitely a translucent black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameroo Posted March 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 I thought that blanket would make a nice background! I was chuckling to myself as I took the pictures... looks almost GODLY doesn't it? Just kidding. As for the finish, I'm still undecided. I love the look of translucent stains, and black would be kick-@ss, but there are a few slight imperfections in the body that I will have to fill in, which will probably be noticeable with a clear finish. Also, I don't think there's anything really exciting going on with the grain on the basswood body, nothing worth showing off anyway. But who knows, maybe I will change my mind again, it's going to be a couple months before I can paint it. At one point I was even thinking about an ivory-colored paint... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmarlin Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 Ivory would be cool( I am just not a fan of black guitars) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielM Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 that's a pretty radical body carve you got going there! neat. the headstock reminds me of a B.C. Rich Headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameroo Posted March 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 that's a pretty radical body carve you got going there! neat. the headstock reminds me of a B.C. Rich Headstock. Thanks. I always liked the shape of SG bodies, but never really cared for the way the contours looked. I wanted to do a carved top but didn't really know how deep to go. I think I went down 1/4 inch... maybe. I dunno, that was 4 months ago The headstock was definately inspired by B.C. Rich. Not that I love BC Rich guitars, but I just wanted to do something pointy and evil-looking to match the body. I dunno, some people like it, some don't. But I love it, and that's all that really matters I guess! I uploaded some more pics of the build process. If anyone's interested, check them out below. I'm really interested in hearing some feedback about how it was built. This was my first one and I'd like to hear what some more experienced builders think about how I did things. These are all pretty much in chronological order: Side view of neck, with 3 degree body angle The headstock before glueing The wood Cutting out the body with a scrollsaw Glueing the scarf joint Routing the trussrod channel with home-made arched jig thingy Laminating the body to the neck - used the scraps from the body to help with clamping Truss rod adjustment groove roughed out Using disk grinder to rough out the neck Truss rod fillet glued in Cutting fret slots Using spokeshave to contour the neck - this part was scary, but was a lot easier than I thought it would be! Started roughing out the carved top Gluing the fretboard on A tool I made for radiusing the fretwire Almost done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slabbefusk Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Carve was a bit too rad for me, I think you should've gone with more standard SG looking carve with just a little more evil in it ^^. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadmike Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 i really like this axe. thats a nice piece of wood though... thought about dying it instead of solid black? i also like the fact youve gone without pots. i like to do that too. it gives the guitar a much cleaner look and ive always thought it improves the sound no end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jer7440 Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 I dig your fretwire bender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
levelhead86 Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 What I love, is how "no frills" the build is.... like very simple tools, and very straightforward, and most of all... VERY good results. Congratulations. BTW.... What's the tuning going to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 You sure you don't want a kill switch at least? I suppose if it's not for the stage it's no big deal, but still, you never know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameroo Posted March 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Carve was a bit too rad for me, I think you should've gone with more standard SG looking carve with just a little more evil in it ^^. I guess everyone has their opinion. To me, it's exactly what I was going for. I didn't want this to look like any SG ever made. I'm really happy with how the carve turned out where it meets up with the points. I didn't plan this, it just kinda happened, and I don't think it could have turned out any better! But that's just my taste... i really like this axe. thats a nice piece of wood though... thought about dying it instead of solid black? i also like the fact youve gone without pots. i like to do that too. it gives the guitar a much cleaner look and ive always thought it improves the sound no end! As I mentioned before, there are a few "oopsies" that I made in the wood... nothing major, but just annoying things that I'd rather hide, for the sake of my pride That might sound lame, but this Is my first one, and for my next one, I've got a sweet piece of spalted maple that will have a translucent finish. I'm not sure how the lack of controls has affected the tone, as I have nothing to compare it to, but I can say I am pleased with it. I forgot to mention, I put a Bill Lawrence LX-500 in for the pickup. I dig your fretwire bender. Thanks. I made it with about $5 worth of parts, and it's adjustable! What I love, is how "no frills" the build is.... like very simple tools, and very straightforward, and most of all... VERY good results. Congratulations. BTW.... What's the tuning going to be? Thanks! That's exactly what I was going for - simple, solid design. I put some baritone strings on it (14 - 68 guage), and tuned it to drop A, but I'm sure it would work fine at higher tunings as well. By the way, this thing is loud! Even playing it acoustically, it's almost twice as loud as any of my other guitars. I think it's due to a combination of heavy strings, longer scale length, but mainly, the neck-through design. The whole body resonates when played. I don't think I'll ever build a guitar that isn't a neck through after playing this. You sure you don't want a kill switch at least? I suppose if it's not for the stage it's no big deal, but still, you never know.... I have thought about this, but the likelyhood of me ever doing a stage show is slim to none. This thing was built for sitting at home and rocking out, and when I'm done, I just unplug it, or turn off the amp! I know what you're saying though... Thanks for the comments everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG3390 Posted March 9, 2007 Report Share Posted March 9, 2007 Out of curiosity, why did you choose to go with 28" scale? Do you play mostly metal, and wanted that darker, throatier, more evil sound? but I love the look of that axe! the carve looks death-defying! but I really think you should go with something translucent for the finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameroo Posted March 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2007 (edited) Honestly, I don't know why I chose 28 inches. I guess it was because I don't own a baritone guitar (I've never even played one before actually) and wanted to see what it would be like. I figured 28 is about halfway between a standard guitar and a bass, and it would give me some extra "punch" without being too much of a stretch to play. I also wanted something I could down-tune like crazy. I don't consider myself to be a very good player, but I do enjoy mashing out chunky power chords! On a side note, I uploaded a few pictures of that spalted maple I mentioned before. Check out the crazy patterns in this wood! I got this chunk for $20 and I should get at least two tops out of it! http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/cb.../Picture071.jpg http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/cb.../Picture072.jpg http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/cb.../Picture078.jpg And good luck on your SG! It's looking good so far. Cam Edited March 10, 2007 by Cameroo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexybeast Posted March 9, 2007 Report Share Posted March 9, 2007 The simple, straightforward design is refreshing. Very cool. I love how you just plug it in amd play. THAT'S hardcore. How is that scale length working out, I'm interested. I have the opportunity to finish a project and I'm playing around with making it a baritone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameroo Posted March 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 How is that scale length working out, I'm interested. I have the opportunity to finish a project and I'm playing around with making it a baritone. It seems to play pretty good. I'm no star player or anything, but I took it over to a friend's place for him to try it out, and he didn't seem to have much difficulty. It just takes some getting used to. I have big hands though, and some people might find it to be a bit of a stretch to play certain chords. By the way, thanks for the use of your shop Trevor, you ROCK! I've been thinking about all the comments about the finish for this thing, and the idea of a translucent black is kinda growing on me. At least for the top, and then gloss black for the back and neck... Can anyone suggest a good technique or tutorial for doing a finish like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 (edited) Honestly, I don't know why I chose 28 inches. I guess it was because I don't own a baritone guitar (I've never even played one before actually) and wanted to see what it would be like. I figured 28 is about halfway between a standard guitar and a bass, and it would give me some extra "punch" without being too much of a stretch to play. I also wanted something I could down-tune like crazy. I don't consider myself to be a very good player, but I do enjoy mashing out chunky power chords! On a side note, I uploaded a few pictures of that spalted maple I mentioned before. Check out the crazy patterns in this wood! I got this chunk for $20 and I should get at least two tops out of it! http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/cb.../Picture071.jpg http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/cb.../Picture072.jpg http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/cb.../Picture078.jpg And good luck on your SG! It's looking good so far. Cam wow, that's a nice piece of wood you got there! it looks like a world map! lol look! there's Italy! lol Edited March 10, 2007 by Hector Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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