Building A Guitar

[Chapov]

I am planning on building a guitar.

Neck through

King V shape

2 humbuckers

2 pots (concentric)

OFR

I am going to get a ready neck from Carvin, so the wood set up would be:

maple core

mahogany wings

ebony board

thin maple veneer

I have read a bunch of books, and reviewed a bunch of tutorials, and I want to make sure I got everything right, so here is my plan:

---Glue 2 mahogany wings to the core, fasten with like 60 clamps and give it a week to hold.

---Remove the clams, sand the top so that it will be completely smooth and glue the veneer it, fasten with a bunch of clamps, and give it another week.

---Remove the clamps, and use my templates to shape the body/ headstock and sand to perfection.

---Rout all the cavities (pick-ups + bridge + pots) and drill the tuner holes.

---Get it painted (if there is anything I have learned from kindergarten, its that I suck at painting).

I am going to get the plans and templates from www.guitarplansunlimited.com.

The color scheme will be like the one on this guitar :

but black.

Did anything I say is wrong? About the order of things maybe?

Also, as I am going to use a readily made template, do I need to do any calculations?

Thanks.

Alon

[j. pierce]

If your plans can allow for it, I'd use a thin wood top rather than a veneer. It will cost you a bit more, but if you haven't experience in veneering, it will be much easier to attach without worry about air bubbles and such. If you're going for a quilted/flamed maple, in my experience using real wood here will look much better than a veneer. Even just going to something an 1/8th of an inch thick adds more chatoyance to the look of the wood when dyed than using a something paper-thin like veneer.

As far as gluing up the wood - a week is probably much longer than you need to let glue dry. I've certainly left things in the clamps that long when I'm not going to have a chance to work on it, but most of the time, just leaving it overnight is fine.

I don't know if an OFR needs a neck angle or not - someone with more Floyd experience than I can chime in on that one - but it could effect your plans. Ultimately whether or not it does depends on the height of the fretboard off the body, the height of the saddles at their lowest usable potin, how thick a top you put on the thing, whether you recess the bridge, etc. You need to figure these measurements out and plan accordingly.

Assuming you're not using a pickguard, it's often a good idea to route a channel along the side before gluing the wings to give you a place to run the wire from the neck pickup. I mention this because this bit me in the rear on my only attempt at a neck-through.

Check out Melvyn Hiscock's "Make Your Own Electric Guitar" if you haven't had a chance already - it's going to cover a lot of the basics, things you don't even think to think about if you haven't gone down this route before.

[Chapov]

Would getting a veneer be such a big problem?

How thick is a veneer compared to a very thin piece of wood?

I have seen 1/8' thickness mentioned a lot, but do they sell 1/16' thickness, or even thinner?

Why would I need to drill a hole for the pickup wire before gluing the wings? Wouldn't I be able to do it after?

I have "Make your own electric guitar" and it doesn't say anything about pre-made neck-through necks, does anyone have any experience with pre-made Carvin or StewMac necks? Do they come with a slight angle or what?

Thanks you for your time.

Alon.

[killemall8]

first, how would you get the bit parallel to the wood if you try do drill it after? you cant. it will go at an angle and go thru the back. average veneer is 1/42" thick.

[Chapov]

Woha, I didn't realize that.

Thanks for the reply.

Any other answers to any of my questions?

[eddiewarlock]

Carvin necks aren't angled. You can get away with it by using a recessed OFR, but some people likes to give it a bit of neck angle.

Glueing a veneer is a bitch!! Glue has water in it, and wood + water isn't a good combo, it's a nightmare to glue properly, although there are a few tricks that work out rather well, but i'm afraid they are better suited for set neck guitars or bolt on guitars as you work the body separately.

I too suggest using a thin maple top, easier to work with, and looks better

[Chapov]

Ok, so a thin maple top it is!!!

Where can I buy one?

Would I need to sand the entire body +neck piece a few mm down so that the recessed floyd will fit and will properly intonate?

How do you create a neck angle with a bought neck through?

[fryovanni]

You are making a good choice on the top. Learning to veneer well has a whole learning curve to itself.

You should go back to your book and study up on how neck angle relates to the bridge, to allow for proper range of adjustment. You should also draw your entire project on paper, full size. Be as accurate as possible, using measurements from your actual parts. If you can't draw it on paper, you can't make it with wood. This will answer most all your questions about neck angle, and such. Draw everything! Accurately.

Make templates for all your routing tasks. Trem cavity, pickups, control cavity and so forth. Test your templates by routing a piece of pine or other inexpensive wood. Use this to make sure all your parts fit perfectly. Consider how your templates will be held in place at the time you choose to route, and consider parts that may become obsticles(like a fretboard that sets higher than the top of the body). Consider how you will go about routing the wings near the neck, and how you will shape the transition from the neck to the body.

Think through all your building processes. Pre plan all your tasks, and pay close attension to the order you proceed with these tasks. Things like routing wire paths before glueing a top, waiting to glue wings until you have finished every task you can (wings get in the way, and make things more difficult). Think about how you will adjust for the thickness of the top you are adding, the neck blank will be ready to use with no top this means your going to jack the top up by adding material, this will relate to the fretboard height, and bridge mounting height, as well as pickups. A neck through is not difficult, but has to be planned better than a bolt on, or set neck, because the neck is cumbersome and you have no margin for err (can't shim or tweak a joint on a neck through).

Think the process through completely, and plan well. Before you start any task make sure to dry fit, place clamps, look at how a router will travel and so forth. This will allow you to get all your ducts in a row, making sure you have everything you need, and that you will be able to use the tools safely and with good control.

Rich

[Chapov]

So I went searching around the internet and I've found a bunch of interesting resources.

First of all, I realized that a recessed Floyd has the same hight as a fender type bridge. I have also found a website online where someone posted their building process with a carvin neck (http://www.reesley.com/guitar.html) and they did not do anything to alter the neck angle/fretboard hight.

This led me to believe that if I am to add a 1/8' top (are there any thinner tops? like 1/16') yet remove 1/8' off of the neck body blank, I will be all good.

As for drawing my plans:

I do not have the measurements for a King V, and I can't find them anywhere. I was planning on ordering the templates and plans from www.guitarplansunlimited.com, as they do custom work for very small prices.

I assume they (or he or she...) can get me the plans for the guitar I'm planning with all the things figured out, as I am going to create a KV2

(Photos from JCFonline...)

with a custom headstock

Thanks for your help and time...

Alon

[Maiden69]

This led me to believe that if I am to add a 1/8' top (are there any thinner tops? like 1/16') yet remove 1/8' off of the neck body blank, I will be all good.

You don't have to remove material from the neck at all, you compensate on the pocket rout.

[Chapov]

Would that make everything closer to the strings? I mean, I know I can also carve the pickup cavities deeper, but would 1/8' be felt as the strings will be closer to the body?

Also, can anyone answer me about the 1/16' topwood?

Finally, I know the answer will be "everything" but what else should I know?

[Maiden69]

All your answers are here, you got a lot of reading to do,...

http://desopolis.com/midwest/index.htm

[Chapov]

page doesn't work...

[Geo]

Finally, I know the answer will be "everything" but what else should I know?

Well, what do you know now?

Do your research, and you'll know enough to start a first project. Most of your real learning will come from the mistakes you'll make on your first one.

[Chapov]

Well, thats the thing...

With a pre bought neck and professionally done plans (by professionals...), it just seems like finding a nice procedure for the woodworking and slowly following it, though I am pretty sure that is not the case.

I have read through a bunch of threads on Carvin, HC, UG and more where someone had built a neck through guitar with a floyd, the problem was that no one had used a top wood on it, and it was always a little bit differant from what I was looking for. That's why I'm here...

[ToneMonkey]

I'm jumping on the draw it yourself bandwaggon. There's no need to buy plans, especially if the plans aren't 100% exactly the thing you're after (even down to the hardware) as it all has an impact on each other. You can certainly use the pre drawn plans for the shape of the body and things like that (plan view) but it sounds like at the very minimum, you'll need to draw the profile (although I would strongly recommend both).

You'll probably find that by drawing it, it'll also help get it clear in your mind the process of building it too.

[Ryan D]

All your answers are here, you got a lot of reading to do,...

http://desopolis.com/midwest/index.htm

Yeah...this is just great. Desopolis went down and I needed to reference the Strat tutorial. I've read the entire thing at least 4-5 times because it was so great, but now...

[Chapov]

ToneMonkey, the bought plans will be EXACTLY what I want...

But I see your point.

[eddiewarlock]

build first a bolt on one or even a set neck one OR build the King V without the maple top, THEN build one with a maple top. The experience will help you a LOT. Building a neck thru guitar with a top isn't that easy.

[killemall8]

check out some of my recent build threads. like the prs one, and the explorer one. i always take a ton of pics, and show almost all of my processes. they are in my signature down beneth this. they will show you a lot of stuff on what to do, and even more stuff about what NOT to do(meaning all of my screwups)

[Chapov]

Ok, heres the deal.

I have decided to go for a neck through king V without a top, just a piece of maple between two mahogany wings.

It will have a floyd, which will be easier to install, as there will be no need for special angles (though it still wont be easy).

I went online and came across a site called www.ormsbyguitars.com

they make polka dot v's, and i thought the way they glue the neck and wings is pretty cool

Now that I am not going for a fancy top, does anyone have any ideas for a finish? I don't want it to be some boring black or something like that....

Alon

[killemall8]

Ok, heres the deal.

I have decided to go for a neck through king V without a top, just a piece of maple between two mahogany wings.

It will have a floyd, which will be easier to install, as there will be no need for special angles (though it still wont be easy).

I went online and came across a site called www.ormsbyguitars.com

they make polka dot v's, and i thought the way they glue the neck and wings is pretty cool

Now that I am not going for a fancy top, does anyone have any ideas for a finish? I don't want it to be some boring black or something like that....

Alon

yup, thats perrys guitar and site. but really, a floyd is not even close to the easiest to install. a hardtail or tom would be so much easier. and still, a floyd doesnt always cancel out a neck angle.

for the paint, you could do a marbled paint, or something like that.

[Chapov]

well, first of all i did say EASIER, not easiest.

Second, would a Kahler be easier to install?

Does anyone here have aim or something?

Mine is aChapo8

Edit:

Does anyone have any KV2 dimensions?

Edited May 12, 2008 by Chapov

[Chapov]

so I have decided to draw it myself.

I have seen some people mock the guitar up in photoshop, and somehow make the picture like 5000% biger, so that it's the right size.

I want to do that, but the only thing is that a KV2 has a scale length of 25.5, while the carvin/stew mac necks have a scale of 25. Will that be a problem?

I got some specs:

NECK DIMENSIONS 1st Fret: .775”, 12th Fret: .910”

NO. OF FRETS 24 Jumbo Frets

SCALE LENGTH 25.5”

WIDTH AT NUT 1-11/16”

UNIQUE FEATURES Compound (12” to 14”) Fingerboard Radius

and

though I am considering building a double Rhoads (slightly bigger = sexy)

Just a few questions left.

Would you reccomend the StewMac neck or the Carvin neck?

The StewMac neck is thinner (apparently), but the Carvin neck can come with no inlays and ready for a locking nut...

As the floyd will be recessed (it will go both ways) like in the picture below:

http://www.guitar-er.com/Floyd.jpg

what will be its hight over the guitar? Will it need a neck angle/raised board?

Since the Carvin (and I'm assuming the StewMac) necks are not angled, how easy will it be to glue the wings 2mm or 3mm lower then the body, and just shave off the remaining neck blank (if it makes sense...).

As for the color,

I was thinking of a marble color, as some one here mentioned, it does look cool, but I think I am going to go with some graphic, red and blue flames maybe?

Thanks for all the advice.

Alon

P.S.

I got some CAD software, so if anyone can mock up a king v or a double rhoads for me I will be very very greatful

[killemall8]

the 25" scale wont be a "problem"

i dont know about a graphic finish for your first paintjob. that takes a ton of work, masking, and a TON of clear and sanding.