Avia Hh-1000 #001 Build

[piedpiperX2000]

Hi!

For a quick background check, I'm Josh Katherman and new to the forums. I have aspirations of making my own guitar building business, whether on the side or potentially full time. I've played guitar for 14 years (i'm 23) and have been modifying/repairing/redoing guitars here and there throughout my entire guitar playing era.

This is the my first attempt at a full build, this will be the key showcase piece for my website and (if it turns out good enough) my #001 guitar for my company!

I started the project a little while ago and I'll post pics of some of the progress and ideas that I have for it. I hope for some suggestions, ideas, and opinions on where it should go and the final outcome that we'll see at the end of this thread!

Unfortunately most (pretty much all ha..) of the pics were taken with my cellphone but it's 2mp so they turned out good enough to get the general direction of ideas by =] This won't be a full step by step guide since I JUST decided to post my progress and I dont have pics of everything.

This guitar is going to be a Thinline Custom Archtop. Now I say this loosely because the construction process and size is vastly different than a standard archtop guitar. This guitar will be made to play anything from jazz/country/pop/rock/and hopefully metal if construction implementations are as solid as they're planned to be.

LesPaul-ish body style modified

25" Scale

Ebony fretboard

24 Jumbo Stainless Steel Frets

5 piece laminated neck w/ Wenge supports

Bent 1 7/8" sides, Quilted top and back

Ebony Accents (pickup covers, tuners, truss cover)

F-Holes

Duncan SH-4's

No Inlays (as of now)

L.R.Baggs TOM w/ piezo

All Hardware Gold/Ebony

Finish:haven't decided!

Here's some pics of various progress points

I dont have pics of making the jigs for the body mold but here's me bending the sides to proper angle

Here's the body shape with sides bent ( i used way more clamps when freshly bent but this is after it's already dried ) It's a bad angle but you get the idea of the shape, essentially lespaul-ish with top curved in instead of straight, this will allow for a much smoother heel and ease of playability.

This is a pic of the BACK quilted maple I received, they sent me the wrong piece for the front but I felt like working on it so I started the back first

This gives you a better idea of the body shape, I didn't want to do anything too off the wall, stick with tradition to some extent while not being an exact copy. This is after I cut out the back, normally I would use a bandsaw but alas, i'm young and broke so I used my scroll saw for the job

[piedpiperX2000]

Checking fit of top to sides, absolutely perfect!

Pickups Rings routed and sanded. This will be sliced in half/countoured for two graduated rings

This is the headstock shape before it's cut (still isn't cut yet)

Neck Angle and Top Depth drawn out

Full Neck

[piedpiperX2000]

Which Color do you like best? I'm thinking Tiger Eye for the whole thing, but my girlfriend INSISTS on dark blue but I'll let it up to you guys!

dark blue (no clear):

TigerEye1(no clear):

TigerEye2(clear):

I'm thinking TigerEye1, it's all tentative for now.

That's essentially all that's done as of this point.. I'm currently waiting on my Top wood and to plane down the Hon. Mahogany neck support.

I have a cool idea for neck mounting that I'll reveal in later posts once I can start assembly of that area. It essentially combines, set neck/deep set/bolt on all in one. It might sound retarded but it's really not I think it's a cool concept I'll explain later.

Pointless but:::

SH4's just arrived mmmm

Some Ziricote I have lying around collecting dust

A customers old BC-RICH they wanted retopped. Just got final buffed in both pics (hence compound everywhere hehe)

[piedpiperX2000]

this looks like a kid drew it but I didn't have time to do a photoshop mockup of the concept

The quilted top and back are still glued on but the neck pocket extents all the way under where the TOM bridge mounts, all sides and front are nothing but wood to wood contact.

My reasoning for this is, typically set necks are essentially covered in a thin, yet tone-dampening glue layer. This solves this problem for around 60% of the coverage area, it has about 5 times more wood to wood contact than a standard bolt on, set almost as deep as a neck through, less weight, more pocket than a normal set neck.

I've seen some instruments made that are bolt on all the way through but theres always neck bolts sticking out, this is my concept for a clean, maximized wood-to-wood neck pocket

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I need some ideas for a good tailpiece, has to be pure ebony besides mounting piece but design wise I'm not sure i drew these up quick

ehh, i'm not sure what I want to do yet ideas plix!

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quilted top came today, it's better than I expected this is easily 5A Private Stock quality

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Couple new pics of tonights progress.. top cut, contour graduation lines drew. it's not being glued together in the last pic I just was making sure the sides were straight, dead on

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Took some double sided tape, stuck some wood on both sides, clamped wood on each side as a guide to keep it centered and cut. who needs a bandsaw anyways

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*Current Update: 4/8/08

Trying to find time with working fulltime/dad/soon to be new dad

Any suggestions or comments welcome!

[avengers63]

For my tastes, the tiger eye looks a lot better than the blue. There's a lot more depth in the brown. This would be accentuated if you sanded back just a little.

[Xanthus]

For my tastes, the tiger eye looks a lot better than the blue. There's a lot more depth in the brown. This would be accentuated if you sanded back just a little.

Oh man I don't even care what finish it is JUST GIVE ME ONE!

Well, that may have been a bit of a lie. As much as I think the tiger eye/amber stain is played out, it DOES have much more depth to it. But if you got the blue to show as much depth, then go for the blue.

I like your LP shape, and I really don't understand why people don't make more LP's with neckthroughs. If there's one thing keeping me from building one (other than money and the neck angle/top carving issue) it's that god-damned lack of fret access.

That's quite an interesting (read: convoluted) Deep bolt-on construction you've put together. Just don't route the pickup cavities through the bolts And if it ever needs adjustment, what then? How will you access it without popping off the top?

And because I really love to poke at everyone who brings up this idea (nothing personal), following your glue theory to its logical conclusion, why are you using a 3-piece neck, and why is the construction not a bolt-on top and back?

My spiel aside, this is a very engaging build with lots of interesting concepts. How did you draw such straight/even curve lines?

[freekhed]

Agreed! Very engaging build. I vote tiger eye, but can you post a better (clear coat) pic of the blue just for kicks?

[avengers63]

Another reason I'd personally go for the tiger eye is the shape itself. It's a traditional style, and I just don't care for non-traditional colors on the classics. End the end, I'm sure it'll look great whichever route you take.

[piedpiperX2000]

About the laminate neck hehe I agree but the pieces run parallel the whole way through so it's better than being stopped and glued 45 degree ya know? Pickup configuration, I agree I probably could have chosen something more wide ranged, SH4 is definitely good for alot of things I might still switch out the neck pickup for something else I'm not sure yet, any recs? Dual Sh4's should give a unique sound with the configuration of everything else.

It's harder to pop the blue as much because I'm only using black and blue and levels of diluted blue, with Tiger Eye I'm using brown, orange, red and yellow so the multitude of shades I can reproduce on quilt is wider.

About Neck reseting, I haven't thought about that yet hah. It will be set deep enough that it should have about as much trouble as a McNaught (which are deep set necks) it's essentially the same exact concept minus the sides are bolted on instead of glued. plus he uses a permanent epoxy so I can't see a neck reset being too pretty for a McNaught.

Im'a try to do as much as I can before friday, hopefully I'll have center insert planed, supports and neck pocket glued, top routed and drilled and contoured and I'll be happy! Thanks for the interest!

[piedpiperX2000]

I"ll clear the blue tonight and see if I can snag out a quick pic for ya!

As of the contour lines, I just eyeballed it to 4 layers including final side thickness. I've always been drawing since I was 3 so I have a background to some extent in drawing. Not that it's exceptionally hard to do but nevertheless =]

take care! - Josh

[Ryan D]

Oh my GOD!

You sir, are a master at finishing (and everything else, at that matter). I love both so much - if only you could do both!

If it doesn't take a whole lot of time, can I ask what your process for finishing is? I'm on a journey of building a guitar also and everywhere I've looked hasn't really given me a solid enough idea I feel I can rely on. Also, more pictures asap! I'll be following this guitar closely

[piedpiperX2000]

definitely Ryan! I'm at work right now but I can tell ya step by step every tool/method/equipment you'll need to get glass like finish =] By tonight, or tomorrow morning I'll write up a nice post for ya

[xibanezedgex]

*waves*

Remember me from UG?

Was wondering when you would come post this here. And wow, you're in Williamsport? I'm over by Wilkes-Barre.

Go for tiger's eye 2

[Davis guitars]

really like this build. id go with the tiger eye looks really vintage and just plain cool. for ur tail piece i like the lower one but id fallow the curves of the guitar, so pretty much reverse of what u have. but like i said this build is really cool

[piedpiperX2000]

Hey ibanezedge!! =] =] =] We can start a guitar making business ha XD

TigerEye it is, everyone seems to like it.

Davis, you're right, it would follow the body line at the neck pocket if it was reversed good thinkin =]

[Kenny]

wow, i started reading and i was like...everyone wants to make abuisness

but then i saw your work and i was very shocked

clean, classy, and beautiful

you have a talent myfriend

ill be your first customer, how does free sound

ill leave rave reviews

Kenny

(that looks like itll be one valuable guitar!)

[piedpiperX2000]

Thanks Mex and Kenny! I really wouldn't go as far as you two have gone! haha, i haven't even built a neck yet

I was thinking of having a promotional entry for the business.

Think of it this way, imagine you're saving money for a TRICKED out Carvin California Carved Top, you're lookin probably in the upper range of almost 2 grand. That's about what I'm going to charge I THINK, for the first couple guitars. Except mine will be hand made not 90% cnc =]

If I charge about 1,999-ish for em, I'll be making somewhere close to minimum wage for building these which is obviously way low but I want to get some out in people's hands and being played; to give myself a reputation before I can charge enough to make it worth while. There's no way I could do "edorsement" type deals haha. If I had to estimate, once I start making alot and have a reputation I can estimate I'll charge anywhere from 2500-4000 for a guitar of this nature, i know it's a pretty wide range because well, i'm not sure exactly how to come up with a fair price for me.

This might sound ridiculous but I sold every piece of equipment I had besides a line6 spiderII amp to buy all the tools and pieces for making guitars, sold my carvin ae185, esp lp style, schecter c1-classic, ibanez acoustic, takamine acoustic, yamaha M08, maudio reference speakers.. beh... thousands and thousands worth just to start doing this. Now I'm broke BUT i have what I need to finish this one guitar! Hopeless Dreamer

Take Care - Josh

[piedpiperX2000]

PM'd ya Ryan.

and I'll go spray that blue once I get some breakfast in me =] peace

[Ryan D]

Awesome, thanks so much!

I replied back but I'm not 100% sure if it went through or not. So if there's no reply sitting in your inbox, then just let me know. Once again, I really appreciate it!

[Kenny]

awsome, im on my firs 2 commisions atm

im charding what would be salve wages

fully custom with very intricate inlay work - 1.3: )

[piedpiperX2000]

dude, you can't say that and not post photos =]

[Rick500]

I like your headstock shape.

This is the neck from my current build.

[piedpiperX2000]

Nice headstock rick XD

Here's the blue with a coat of clear, it's not buffed or anything but it shows the pop better

Made ebony bridge support, drilled depth holes for top and back contour in the background you can see, drew on pickup locations, neck cut out and bridge points on top.

Now I made the choice to put a cavity plate on this guitar just because of huge thick neck joint it'd be impossible to install electronics the "typical" hollowbody way through f-holes or pickup cavities.

I decided on a matching same piece cavity cover, meaning I cut it from the actual back wood. This is done by drilling a series of very very small holes, inserting the scrollsaw blade, reattaching the blade and LETTIN HER RIP. The problem is you CAN'T mess up anything or else the piece is scrapped.

I did this free hand luckily it turned out pretty much perfect, with a little sanding the distance all around should be uniform!

that's it for tonight =] take care - Josh

[piedpiperX2000]

The cover is going to be stained exactly the same, plus follow the contours of the guitar so it should look really clean...

Another pic of the top after a little more work, gonna route soon!

Edited April 11, 2008 by piedpiperX2000

[avengers63]

You're right - that blue really popped when the clear was applied. I'd still go with the brown, but not because the blue is flat. I just think the brown fits the style better.

I've seen progress on carved tops before, but never with holes drilled around the contour. At least that's what they look like to me. What are they for?