Prostheta Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 (edited) Now the prototype has been completed, the "themed" instrument is good to go. Simple spec as per prev: - 30" scale - flame maple neck - 54mm brass nut - cocobolo "biohazard" fretboard with 16" radius - jumbo fretwire - black binding on fretboard sides only - yellow side dot markers - four-over-four tuner arrangement on my modified "slender" Ken Lawrence headstock shape - two-piece sapele body - one EMG45-DC bridge pickup, possibly with the addition of an EMG45-CS in the neck position - Hipshot string-through hardtail bridge - GLOSS BLACK body and headstock face (i knew someone would look for that considering the RG2228's disappointing cosmo finish) - biohazard truss rod cover The design was drafted in CAD (as always, given it's my job) and i'm going to transfer this lot to template tomorrow night. The fingerboard is all thanks to Huntindoug, and a nifty piece of workmanship it is. The body should be around 40-42mm thick depending on how much planing I have to do to the blank after jointing. This should work nicely with the big ol' 19.1mm roundover bit due on my doorstep any day to leave a nice "Soundgear-ish" round edged body with a bit of care. A nice hefty arm contour should set this off. Here's something to whet your appetite: Edited November 22, 2007 by Prostheta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 For reference, here's the instrument that the body shape was inspired by. Well, stolen from then.... http://www.zetamusic.com/products/display.asp?id=102 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 looks cool. have you got the inlay from doug yet - i am waiting on some logos and i have got to say i am pretty stoked with the service so far!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 this is going to be an awesome build. can wait to see it get started and see some progress. i still see myself building a 8 for myself in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 Doug will do you proud, Wes. Top guy, and doesn't settle for less than perfect. Do it Killemall8 - but take more than five days to do this one, okay :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 nah 5 days is more than enough to build a guitar - if you have 5 days free to do it in - my first bass was done in less than a week, well a half term week anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 Today's progress: - jointed and glued up the sapele body blank - cut, scarfed and glued up the maple neck - created an MDF template (which i'll sell for next to nothing if anyone is interested in it after this job) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 Even more progress! Popped off the clamps, sketched off the outline just for your view pleasure, ladles and joims! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 Oh, yes - the headstock outline is upside down on the neck. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow after we get the keys to the new (woodshop free - bwah) five-bed house. That's "hiz-zouse" for you non-English speakers. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted November 25, 2007 Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 How do you think the strings will feel with such a long scale length? The upper strings, mainly. I love the concept and the CAD drawing, this one should be fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 (edited) I can tell you from my other eight....they feel a lot more tense than a standard scale, Xanthus! In that respect, they're not unpleasantly tense or ready to pop :-D If I needed more feel and bend out of the upper registers, I could have opted for a fanned system or a hybrid string set I guess (0.008 through to 0.066?). As a tool, CAD excels at weird things like fanned frets! I would have to go the chicken route however, and get the frets of a fanned board laser cut, plus I am using standard seven-string sets with one single for the eighth as it's nice and economical. Building a crazy set would double that cost. I prefer mild vibrato at most on higher notes for the style of music I play, and bends aren't as feel-y as say what you would (or could) play on a slinky ol' Les Paul. To the point. Like the best metal! Edited November 25, 2007 by Prostheta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted November 25, 2007 Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 Your first one turned out nice, only one thing I saw that took away from it was the taper of the neck. Take your time on this one! Ihope it turns out great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 Yeah, although looking at it now it's more of a marginal neck alignment issue throwing the neck off-centre by about a millimetre. I'll pop a shim or two of wenge veneer in there when I disassemble it for final finishing to force the neck over to where it should be. The measurements are all correct as per the original design so I don't have to change anything for this one. Bandsawed the body within 2-3mm of the outline, kept the scrap for cauls to make edge routing easier. Marked out of the pickup placement and bridge position before committing the mounting and string-through holes. Drilled through to within 5mm of the back of the body with 8x 3.2mm holes, before marking out the back, counterpunching and drilling in 15mm with an 8mm bit for the ferrule mounting. All sweet as a nut! Cleaned out the holes and we're good to go! Used my CMT template cutter (rad. 12.7mm x 19mm) modified with an extra bearing for security. One pass routed about 10mm, removed the template, routed another 30mm in three passes, flipped 'er over (cor!) and removed the last of the rough outline using a template cutter with a bearing on the bottom. Woo! I bought a 19.1mm radius ovolo cutter (increasing the bearing size makes it into a roundover cutter) specifically for this instrument which is a beast I would prefer to use in a table rather than a handheld router, so I wouldn't recommend this to gung-ho luthiers who have no patience or aren't sure which direction to be routing in around the body (hint: draw this on your template!!). Four passes removed the 19.1mm roundover. About 10mm first pass (mostly shallow removal), then 2mm increments as the cutter curves out more to the horizontal and has more chance of tearing out or climbing into the piece. The arm contour has been roughed in, but i'd like to take this a little steeper into the body as I can feel the edge on my wrist still. Similar to the high fret access on the previous build, i'm considering rasping in some deep contours, but this depends on what design of pickguard I use (yellow perspex, or perhaps laminated black-yellow-black) as I have enough maple in the neck to have the neck deeper than the fretboard so I might cover this intrusion with said pickguard. This means slightly milder cutaways of course.... VIOLA!! Probably not too much work going to be done on this during the week due to work commitments, Muay Thai, band practice and moving house. That means five days of discussing eight-strings instead of building them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTU 7's. Posted November 25, 2007 Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 Protheta, I like how it's turning. The model it's a bit strange IMO but with the black paint and the biohazard looks, it's going to be awesome. Frank. Those inlays are awesome, doug have a website to see other works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 http://www.parableguitars.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 I've decided to fill the grain with Rustin's grain filler (needs to be thinned with white spirit), prime with several thin coats of Plasti-Kote black, and finished with plenty of thin coats of Plasti-Kote black gloss. Of course, testing on scrap is going to be necessary.... Does anyone have any idea of the compatibility of white-spirit soluble grain filler and Plasti-Kote? I have some water-based grainfiller available (it drags out of the grain a little too much for my liking though) plus some Behlen vinyl sanding sealer. I could use any of those if push comes to shove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTU 7's. Posted November 25, 2007 Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 thanks, man. I entered to his website and I dind't remember that doug was parable guitars LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted November 29, 2007 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 Perfect Strap! Just saw though while rolling through ebay and thought of this project. The toxic waste lettering might be much, but I'd imagine you could get it off without too much trouble. I also saw another one that was slightly different, with a different symbol. Anyhow, I thought that would be a funny strap to throw on this rig. I also remember the new guy here who is making straps and thought how well a distressed leather(aged looking) strap would work for WezV guitar. Well, keep the pics coming, this is going to be another cool guitar. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 It is! Shame i'm in the UK and they don't ship over here though :-\ I received the neck bolts in the post today. I bought eight skateboard truck allen bolts which have a fine M5 thread and have been finished in yellow (heh). These will be set in using black ferrules so it should look awesome. I'm waiting on some M5 threaded brass wood inserts which i'll set into the neck. The bolts in the photo are the two out of the eight which I won't be using as the paint is either slightly scratched or just badly applied. The other six good examples have been taped to some cardboard until I reach final assembly. I need to find some yellow plastic 1.5mm-2.00mm rod for the side-dots....it seems plastic cocktail sticks are hard to find so i've been looking everywhere for all kinds of out-of-the-box items to use in substitution. How hard can this be!? Is there an embargo on thin yellow plastic rod in the UK or what!??! Arrrgh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted November 29, 2007 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 Very nice so far. I really like the look of that body. Can't wait to see the final result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted November 29, 2007 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 why do your side dots need to be dots at all. I would decide on some shapes that could be cut from yellow plastic and inlay them on the edge. yellow parallelograms the height of the fretboard edge would give a nice hazard tape appearance and still be quite functional. I like the way this build is going. you picked a theme and you are making sure it gets into every element of the guitar.... great stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElysianGuitars Posted November 29, 2007 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 It is! Shame i'm in the UK and they don't ship over here though :-\ I received the neck bolts in the post today. I bought eight skateboard truck allen bolts which have a fine M5 thread and have been finished in yellow (heh). These will be set in using black ferrules so it should look awesome. I'm waiting on some M5 threaded brass wood inserts which i'll set into the neck. The bolts in the photo are the two out of the eight which I won't be using as the paint is either slightly scratched or just badly applied. The other six good examples have been taped to some cardboard until I reach final assembly. I need to find some yellow plastic 1.5mm-2.00mm rod for the side-dots....it seems plastic cocktail sticks are hard to find so i've been looking everywhere for all kinds of out-of-the-box items to use in substitution. How hard can this be!? Is there an embargo on thin yellow plastic rod in the UK or what!??! Arrrgh. i love that style of bolt on, it makes bolt on the correct term, instead of screw on. definitely a great way to mount a neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-Man43 Posted November 29, 2007 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 Man this guitar is gonna be sweet, i have never seen a fretboard like that whichs is cool. although the design may be "borrowed" i say its a one of a kind guitar. good Luck bass-man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TemjinStrife Posted November 29, 2007 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 Are those ferrules reverse threaded into the neck? If so, where did you get them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuntinDoug Posted November 30, 2007 Report Share Posted November 30, 2007 Hey Guys, Thanks for the kind words! I cant wait to see this project come to life. Carl does great work! The inlay was somewhat challenging, but I think the finished product will look really good. I have a similar motif in a mirror top that will hang at the NAMM show. Not a biohazard design, but close. The company tells me I cant post pics until after the show in Jan....Mums the word. My web guru is working on my site, and it should be fixed up soon. When it is I will be posting some new services offered to small shops & individual luthiers. Including .15mm thick abalone & MOP logos. (Wez, you should really like the ones I sent you). They will give luthiers who don't like to be slowed down by routing inlay pockets the ability to have a true abalone & MOP HS inlays that when buried in clear, look like they are .060 thick, with no glue lines. And, the laser can cut them into highly detailed complex shapes...Pretty cool stuff. Here is a couple I did a while back for the J/C cs: The big news is I have a friend who owns a local counter top shop. I help him out from time to time as a consultant/rep. He will be purchasing a 144" x 60" CNC in Feb. I get to pick the machine & software. I will train people on it. He will get it from 6:00am to 2:00pm, I get it after 2:00 It comes with a laser duplication scanner (maybe). So, you can imagine the possabilities there. The next few months should prove to be fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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