Strandberg Guitarworks Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 No promises about the progress pace as I am just recovering from a 15 year long stint of taking care of kids and a day job... People don't seem to hot on CAD drawings for some reasons, but here's one of mine: Highlights: - Twisted/helix neck, preferably in aluminum if I can pull it off, but otherwise in wood (likely wenge, because I have a whole bunch) - Homegrown bridge/tuner design, drawings on site - Lacewood body, looking for wood, drop me a line if you have for sale (if not possible, have a bunch of zebrano) - Lace Alumitones 3S pickups - 6 position mic selector of yet to be determined wiring I'm posting progress and musings on my blog, so drop me a line if you have comments or thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TemjinStrife Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 (edited) Right down my alley! I look forward to your progress. Especially the "twisted/helix neck"... that sounds like it could be comfortable, and as i suffer from tendonitis on bad days, that could be an interesting design feature! EDIT: Also, let me know what happens with your headless tuning bridge. I am very curious to see how it turns out... especially if you can make one that works with single-ball strings! Edited January 19, 2008 by TemjinStrife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 No promises about the progress pace as I am just recovering from a 15 year long stint of taking care of kids and a day job... Happy recovery, then. I am in my 15th year of that trip, 12 more to go. Please explain more about the "twisted/helix neck" Sounds more like an injury than a means of avoiding one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElysianGuitars Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 wow, this is probably the only ergo design i've really seen on here that i like the way it looks! good luck on the build, should be a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 That's bad-ass, I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strandberg Guitarworks Posted January 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 No promises about the progress pace as I am just recovering from a 15 year long stint of taking care of kids and a day job... Happy recovery, then. I am in my 15th year of that trip, 12 more to go. Please explain more about the "twisted/helix neck" Sounds more like an injury than a means of avoiding one. There are some very good resources on http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.com/2008...ric-guitar.html that you should look into. If you are so inclined, I am also pointing to a number of patents in http://guitarworks.thestrandbergs.com/2008...6/neck-craning/ that explain the background in an un-worldly language - but they have good pictures Here's a good one too: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/pages/Ins...mp;pageId=5.2.1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Ah Yes, the pictures definitely help! That's about what I thought you meant, but I was having a hard time seeing how that could actually work. Very interesting, and something I may try to play around with in the near future. I am currently dealing with a repetitive motion injury in my right shoulder from running my sawmill, which is forcing me to reconfigure the way I do a lot of things. Fortunately, it doesn't affect my playing ( as long as I play standing up ) but who's to say what other problems may arise in other areas as I get older ( especially if I have to stand all the time ) And I will add to the comments on the design, as well. It's nice to know that ergonomic doesn't have to be awkward looking. Really looking forward to seeing this one fleshed out. People don't seem to hot on CAD drawings for some reasons That's mostly because a lot of people just post a bunch of them and list a bunch of cool hardware, and never do much else. And it's not so much the CAD drawings, as the photoshop mockups and crayon scrawlings on notepaper. I get the impression you are a little more serious in your endeavors. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyonsdream Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 If I saw that hanging on a wall it would be the first one I'd pick up to test out. Killer looking design. I'll take mine with a humbucking bridge pickup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidlook Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 This forum is really starting to fill up with Swedes Nice design, had a read at your website as well. ...oh and by the way, If you've got too much wenge I'll be happy to take some of your hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strandberg Guitarworks Posted January 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Thanks for all encouragement! I am so looking forward to moving this one along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Love it so far-- many of those features are ones I've always considered a good match, such as marrying the Alumitones to a forward-thinking headless design. Looking forward to tracking this one as it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Your bridge looks similar to a Floyd Rose bridge...I can't think of the name of it...double ball ends,no headstock tuners,premade string lengths...have you looked into that?Might save you some time. I know I have mentioned this in years past,and I remember Greg does not like the idea,mostly because the strings are proprietary,but I have always thought that bridge would work well on a headless guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slabbefusk Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 That would be the FR Speedloader . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Thank you....speedloader. Just fyi I have a speedloader on a warlock at the house,and it is a flawless system...The strings sold for it by FR are similar to Dadarrio,so they are also very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Are you kidding? I love the idea of using a Speedloader as headless. Not against it at all. The proprietary strings are definitely something to consider (especially since FR isn't exactly backing the Speedloader design with all guns blazing) looking forward, but that wouldn't stop me from using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Are you kidding? I love the idea of using a Speedloader as headless. Not against it at all. The proprietary strings are definitely something to consider (especially since FR isn't exactly backing the Speedloader design with all guns blazing) looking forward, but that wouldn't stop me from using it. Every time I brought it up before,you said you did not like the strings being only available through Floyd,and that the nut does not cap off the end of the neck...But I am glad to hear you changed your mind,or maybe you were just speaking on a general basis in the past. I truly do believe the speedloader is a good choice on a headless... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElysianGuitars Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Are you kidding? I love the idea of using a Speedloader as headless. Not against it at all. The proprietary strings are definitely something to consider (especially since FR isn't exactly backing the Speedloader design with all guns blazing) looking forward, but that wouldn't stop me from using it. Every time I brought it up before,you said you did not like the strings being only available through Floyd,and that the nut does not cap off the end of the neck...But I am glad to hear you changed your mind,or maybe you were just speaking on a general basis in the past. I truly do believe the speedloader is a good choice on a headless... as do i, had one on a bc rich when they first came out, and it was incredible. easy to set up, always kept tune, and just a great trem in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 No mind-changing. I even had an eBay search set up for the cheaper speedloader-equipped guitars when it proved impossible to find them as standalone units anymore. I also mentioned them as a possible resource for headless guitars on Robert's blog. Pointing out some flaws in a plan doesn't mean the whole plan is crap. It's true that I raised concerns about the longevity... they're not really pushing the thing, you know? So I had been pondering how one could jury-rig a clamping system if the strings become unavailable. Never cared about whether they cap the end of the neck, either. Easier that they're screw-down, actually. <shrug> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Cool.You are correct Greg,it is super tough to find them at a good price.For some reason they are not marketing them well at all. I bought that platinum Warlock on sale brand new for $300 just for the trem itself,figuring I could also use the guitar itself as a whole unit if it was well built,which it was not...so now I still have it for template building,because eventually I want to build a neck thru warlock with a "granite" finish and a "radiused" body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 I've got a speedloader I bought in late 05, can't wait to use it on a headless guitar. Ergonomics, woohoo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElysianGuitars Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Cool.You are correct Greg,it is super tough to find them at a good price.For some reason they are not marketing them well at all. I bought that platinum Warlock on sale brand new for $300 just for the trem itself,figuring I could also use the guitar itself as a whole unit if it was well built,which it was not...so now I still have it for template building,because eventually I want to build a neck thru warlock with a "granite" finish and a "radiused" body. they were selling those floyd rose guitars for under 200 recently, dunno if they still are, on sites like musiciansfriend.com and music123.com... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strandberg Guitarworks Posted January 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Actually, I have access to a metal workshop but not a wood one at the moment, so the bridge build is the most accessible one for me at the moment! And, I think it'll be a pretty cool piece of machinery... It's obviously inspired more than just a little by Atlansia http://www.atlansia.jp/ATG.05.JPG and the really cool thing is that it is entirely modular. Just use different base plates for tremolo/fixed, 6-string, 7-string, 8-string, fanned frets, etc. The original plan was to have it made in stainless steel, but I think I will try Aluminum and see how it goes. It will require hardened inserts for the fulcrum edges on a tremolo version, but I'll work it out in one way or another. Next challenge is to make it locking like the Steinberger bridges (i.e. lock into place like a fixed bridge, not the strings) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElRay Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 (edited) Absolute beauty. I'm converging on the same idea (my last sketch looked a lot like your CAD drawing). I love the individual saddle/bridge/tuners, but I'm trying to head in the direction of "something" that will handle piezo-based saddles. I'm also looking at going with a multi-scaled, aka compound-scaled, aka splayed-fret, aka Fanned-Fret neck instead of a "twisted" neck. If you don't mind me asking: o What playing position are the bottom curves "tweaked" for: Classical Position or typical neck parallel to the ground? o With your individual saddle/bridge/tuners, how did you avoid twisting in the strings? Ray Edited January 25, 2008 by ElRay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strandberg Guitarworks Posted January 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 (edited) Absolute beauty. I'm converging on the same idea (my last sketch looked a lot like your CAD drawing). I love the individual saddle/bridge/tuners, but I'm trying to head in the direction of "something" that will handle piezo-based saddles. I'm also looking at going with a multi-scaled, aka compound-scaled, aka splayed-fret, aka Fanned-Fret neck instead of a "twisted" neck. If you don't mind me asking: o What playing position are the bottom curves "tweaked" for: Classical Position or typical neck parallel to the ground? o With your individual saddle/bridge/tuners, how did you avoid twisting in the strings? Ray Ah - as it happens I tested playing positions earlier today on a cardboard mockup! I have posted a series of pictures on my blog http://guitarworks.thestrandbergs.com/ and in particular the classical position (guitar resting on left leg) was incredibly comfortable. This is not the position I normally play in, so that was interesting. I have milled a groove in the "plunger" that the string runs through and have a stop-screw extending into the groove to keep it from turning. It's a slight area of concern that this might cause problems in the future, but there might be safer solutions. Edited January 26, 2008 by Strandberg Guitarworks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElRay Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I have milled a groove in the "plunger" that the string runs through and have a stop-screw extending into the groove to keep it from turning. It's a slight area of concern that this might cause problems in the future, but there might be safer solutions.OK. I see how that's working now. Without making the machining more difficult (adding a woodruff key, long slot in the top, etc.), the only thing that comes to mind is to use a larger hole in lieu of the set-screw hole and insert a UHMWPE, Derlin, etc. rod, with the end cut to ride in that groove. But, I don't know how much torque/sheer force you'll see, so I don't know if that will work. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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