JJ Donohue Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 I started this 4 years ago and just recently completed it. It was my first attempt at carving a top. I used a Wagner safety planer, Ibex finger plane, cabinet scrapers and sandpaper. The particulars are as follows: ...Chambered mahogany back ...Flamed maple carved top ...Curly maple bindings and pup covers ...5 piece laminated mahogany neck with CF reinforcement...Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers ...Catalyzed Polyester finish - farmed out to Joe White of Sunset Finishing Check out some pics: Thanks for looking!...JJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFR Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brutas Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Well Done! Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Pretty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 OOOOO! juicy! almost to vintage style for me, but i like it! nice work! that finish looks exellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Very nice. I like all the elegant touches, makes it look really cool. But your action looks a bit high and your bridge is all the way down. Do you have the right neck angle on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 But your action looks a bit high and your bridge is all the way down. Do you have the right neck angle on it? If not, it's a little too late to do anything about it now without major surgury! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge for november Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Love the looks on this one! however, I think the pupcovers don't fit the image somehow, my attention keeps being drawn to them in a negative way. For the rest it looks like I'm going to be jelous once more (everyday business on this forum) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernova9 Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 I like the colour, and the overall styling, but those pickup covers look well outta place, they're way too chunky and don't look quite straight? I really like the rest of it though, just that one detail. Good work, keep 'em coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Donohue Posted May 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 (edited) Very nice. I like all the elegant touches, makes it look really cool. But your action looks a bit high and your bridge is all the way down. Do you have the right neck angle on it? The neck angle is 4.5*. Clearance at the 12th fret is .050 E and .035e. The guy this was made for loves the action. It plays extremely well and he likes the sound. I may be adjusting the TR to straighten out the neck after he plays it for awhile with .010 -.046 strings. If he goes to .009's it'll definitely tighten it up. Edited May 7, 2008 by JJ Donohue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 I saw this on the OLF - very nice, but I agree with others about the pickup trim rings. I always find pup rings which deviate from standard dimensions very distracting, and these really grab my eye, which should be focusing on the rest of the (beautiful) guitar. If the routing will permit it, I'd go with some standard size rings, keeping the maple theme. If you're not keen to machine your own (they can be a bit fragile - DAMHIK!) you can get curly maple rings from Stew Mac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dudz Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 This is what a les paul should be like in my mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Fabulous looking!!! I wouldn't change the pickup rings. My first reaction was also that they're too large, but I think that's because I'm used to the smaller LP rings. Your headstock in particular looks amazing, like an old archtop or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 If the routing will permit it, I'd go with some standard size rings, keeping the maple theme. If you're not keen to machine your own (they can be a bit fragile - DAMHIK!) you can get curly maple rings from Stew Mac. LMII perhaps? The action definately looks too high. The current owner might like it like that, but what about the next guy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddler68 Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 That's niiiiice. Is your fretboard ebony? The contrast between the tiger maple binding and the fretboard is stellar. And what are the laminates on the back of your headstock? Also a very nice detail. Hmmm, I think my next project should be an LP... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Donohue Posted May 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Thanks for the feedback. I'll answer the questions and comment on suggestions: Action...What do you folks consider optimal action at the 12th fret on E & e? The guy I made this for is my guitar virtuoso son and he likes it. If he sells it he better look for a new father! Pup covers...You'll have to rip them out of my cold dead hands...I dislike standard plastic covers and I prefer the additional curl area and the contrast it represents against the stained body. I actually made up smaller ones and I settled on the larger ones. Purely subjective. Peghead Back Fiber...This is a product called Fish Paper that I get from RC Tonewoods. It comes in 6"x36"x.010" in black and white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Action...What do you folks consider optimal action at the 12th fret on E & e? The guy I made this for is my guitar virtuoso son and he likes it. If he sells it he better look for a new father! i always try to get them so the strings would just touch the frets on the lowest possible action - that way you have all the upwards adjustment to set it wherever it needs to be for that particular player. it looks like your guitar is at its lowest psoiible setting at the moment so you dont have the option of a lower setting... i always like to leave the options open. It would be difficult to remedy but a slot for the bridge to sit in could be carefully routed if it is ever needed nice build though, i bet your son is very happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Donohue Posted May 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Action...What do you folks consider optimal action at the 12th fret on E & e? The guy I made this for is my guitar virtuoso son and he likes it. If he sells it he better look for a new father! i always try to get them so the strings would just touch the frets on the lowest possible action - that way you have all the upwards adjustment to set it wherever it needs to be for that particular player. Thanks for the feedback. I see your point exactly now. So that's why I see some LP's with the trough routed where the bridge sits!!?? I definitely learned something. This is a great forum and I greatly appreciate the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 So here's my question, with a regular TOM, shouldn't 4.5 degrees be enough? I think a Les Paul is 3.5 degrees? So what's going on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 forget about the commonly quoted numbers and do accurate full sized plans of your planned guitar from both the front and the side... Including the full height of the bridge with measurements taken from the actual bridge you will use.. once they have been drawn you will see exactly what angle the neck needs to be at for your project!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 So here's my question, with a regular TOM, shouldn't 4.5 degrees be enough? I think a Les Paul is 3.5 degrees? So what's going on here? Scale length, vs number of frets, vs brand of bridge, vs type of carve, vs height of fretboard and frets above body = specific angle for your project. Ive seen 4.5 degrees quoted on here a million times. Im never once used 4.5 degrees for a tunomatic install. Draw up some plans, like Wes suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Donohue Posted May 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Good point, Wez! Nice to know this for "the next time". In the meantime, I feel like I dodged a bullet...this could have turned out ugly. I may look into making a routing template to lower the bridge. I suppose if I'm precise and I get lucky, I might be able to pull it off without disturbing the surrounding finish. Any ideas...or am I the first who has ever tried to do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Good point, Wez! Nice to know this for "the next time". In the meantime, I feel like I dodged a bullet...this could have turned out ugly. I may look into making a routing template to lower the bridge. I suppose if I'm precise and I get lucky, I might be able to pull it off without disturbing the surrounding finish. Any ideas...or am I the first who has ever tried to do this? Dodged a bullet? Looks like you got hit dead between the eyes. Id rout it, and make it like it should be. I bet your son is too scared to say its not right. Use a sharp router bit, and you'll have no worries at all. The tuno will cover the recess, so dont stress too much about a perfect colour match when you touch up the lacquer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 all i will say is spend some time making accurate templates and working out how you are going to get them clamped nicely on a curved surface... its perfectly possible and not that hard to do as long as you put the time into getting the jig/template right first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Whilst recessing the bridge would get your problem solved, I'd say you can go for a less drastic solution. You bridge studs are still a good 2-3mm above the guitar top, and could easily be sunk flush with the surface, either by counter boring the top of the guitar, or by turning the shoulder off the stud in a lathe. I think if you did that, you would bring the action down into perfectly acceptable range, and save yourself the aggravation of routing a slot, and touching up the poly finish. Also, check neck relief and adjust the trussrod first - my Les Paul had action well over 2.5mm at the 12th fret with the bridge bottomed out when I first strung it up. I was gutted, and convinced I'd bodged the angle somehow, until I checked the relief. My (flatsawn mahogany) neck had bowed like crazy under string tension, but a tweak of the trussrod later, and it was all fine. I ended up having to raise the bridge as the action was too low to dig into. The neck hasn't needed adjustment since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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