dpm99 Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 (edited) After three months of research and planning, and after much encouragement and, truth be told, hand-holding by the people here I began cutting for my first build today. The body shape was developed in this thread: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=36245 EDIT: I just put that link there for reference. Let the thread die. It's a one-piece African mahogany body, and a one-piece African mahogany bolt-on neck. Currently, the plan is to have a floyd bridge and LP-style wiring with ceramic humbuckers. I've been planning on carving the top, but today I thought I heard it ask me for a pickguard. Yes, my wood has begun to talk to me. It seems to be a side-effect of the project. Without further adieu, here's some pictures! Obviously, the neck hasn't seen much progress. But the body template is finished. Ok, so it's not totally finished. I need to work out a couple of details on the neck pocket, so I've left some extra wood there, operating on the principle that you can always take away more wood, but you can never put it back again. Speaking of that, I still need to get rid of some wood in the cutaway of the body, but most of the rough cut is done. I just couldn't get the band saw to reach in there. See how the wood is gorgeous on the left side and pretty homely on the right side? That's why I think it wants a pickguard, but I'd love to do a carved top. Fortunately, I've got a couple of weeks before I'll have to decide. Hope you like it. If not, don't tell me. It's my first try, after all! -Dave P.S. Much thanks to jmrentis, who has not only helped me on these forums, but even met me at the woodworking shop and helped me get the right tools. This project will be cut with his old plunge router! Edited July 7, 2008 by dpm99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Hooray for you! And hooray for J, for being a cool dude. I like the body shape, it looks very round and comfortable. I'd just say to keep in mind, though, that carving a top will add three-dimensionality (duh ) to the grain of the wood, and will make even the plainer side look more lively. But I definitely see how you're thinking, that the left side is one-upping the right side. It's the same thing on my V build, one of the wings is so much prettier than the other. Have you wet the grain with anything? It'll give you a better idea of how the wood will look once it's cleared over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted June 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Good point, Xanthus. And no, I haven't done that yet. Thanks for your kind words! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Well, I made a little bit of progress today. I finished my neck template last Sunday, and today I got to play with the router. Here's a very poor picture of the body now: I learned a lot about how to use a router effectively today. One of the most important lessons I learned is that when you're using a fence, it's important to tighten down the screws on it before you start cutting. So there goes seven bucks I spent on neck wood, and in my book, that's a good price for such a valuable lesson. Tomorrow I'll go buy another piece of mahogany for the neck. Oh, and in case anybody's wondering, those extra lines I was routing were for carbon fiber rods. -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Wow, the body is looking real nice! That should make for an excellent player, plus that piece of wood is beautiful. Unfortunate about the neck route, stuff happens and you learn from it, no better way to improve really. I keep staring at the pic cause it looks close to salvageable, but the bottom of the route might just come to close to the edge of the final neck taper and would show out the side or end up getting carved into when shaping. Its hard to tell without having the template and neck in hard to see, but even if not at least it wasn't an extremely expensive piece really. Hopefully, TH&H have some more for you to grab for your neck. Anyhow, its looking good Dave, keep up the good work. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 So there goes seven bucks I spent on neck wood, and in my book, that's a good price for such a valuable lesson. Tomorrow I'll go buy another piece of mahogany for the neck. Oh! At least you only spent $7. Where'd you get neck wood that cheap?! Don't throw that wood away, though. Mahogany scraps are good to have around. Besides, as jm says, you may be able to salvage it... if not for this guitar, for another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Oh! At least you only spent $7. Where'd you get neck wood that cheap?! Don't throw that wood away, though. Mahogany scraps are good to have around. Besides, as jm says, you may be able to salvage it... if not for this guitar, for another one. I've gotten all my wood at a local lumber store that jm recommended to me. I'm sure I could salvage that neck if I wanted to, as it's actually 5/4 mahogany. So I've got plenty of room to thin it out if I want. Of course, I had that idea while the guy at the lumber store was cutting my new piece of neck wood. Here's a new piece of African mahogany I got for $14 today: I'm not sure I like the color as much as the other one, but I'm going to stain it to almost black anyway, and it's a much better piece of wood. You may be able to see that it's VERY close to quartersawn, and the grain is very straight. If I'm careful, there's enough there for two necks. The end on the right is a little messed up, but I bought 36" so I could just cut it off. I spent an hour looking for that single piece of wood, but it was worth it. -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 $14? Whats the moisture% of that piece? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 $14? Whats the moisture% of that piece? I'd have no idea as to how to find that out. What I can say is that it came from TH&H Hardwood in San Diego (http://www.th-h.com/), and everything appears to have been sufficiently kiln dried. They stock expensive stuff too, up to $30-40/board foot. But they sell the Khaya cheap, and the guys there really seem to know their stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travismoore Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 $14? Whats the moisture% of that piece? I'd have no idea as to how to find that out. What I can say is that it came from TH&H Hardwood in San Diego (http://www.th-h.com/), and everything appears to have been sufficiently kiln dried. They stock expensive stuff too, up to $30-40/board foot. But they sell the Khaya cheap, and the guys there really seem to know their stuff. Wish i could get wood that cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 To give some perspective on this, I buy it at around $5.50/board foot. They don't separate out the quartersawn wood or the wood with interesting grain patterns. They paint over the ends of the boards, so it's hard to tell how it was cut. You have to make an educated guess. So you look through huge stacks of 10' boards, trying to find one end of one board that's gonna work just right. I made a good guess this time. As with much else in building a guitar, it's about patience and careful planning. Also, in this case, I didn't buy much more than I needed. Most "neck blanks" seem to have a lot of extra wood. I know the two of you know this. But I say it because like many, I started out looking for wood online until a friend pointed me in another direction. It so happens that San Diego has a number of good places to buy wood. Travis, you Brits have it rough. Then again, you can always try to find a hundred-year-old fireplace mantle like Brian May did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travismoore Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Ha, i think I'll steer clear of fireplace mantles thanks. Strangely there are a few people in the U.K you can get wood from they are just hard to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWishICouldShred Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 To give some perspective on this, I buy it at around $5.50/board foot. They don't separate out the quartersawn wood or the wood with interesting grain patterns. They paint over the ends of the boards, so it's hard to tell how it was cut. You have to make an educated guess. So you look through huge stacks of 10' boards, trying to find one end of one board that's gonna work just right. I made a good guess this time. I know the ordeal. I spent a total of $50 and about an hour in the lumber shop this week looking at boards trying to find what will become a pair of 3-piece necks. I ended up buying enough (couldn't find the dimensions I needed) that I'll probably be able to get an extra bolt-on neck out of each blank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 hey, your in sandiego? welcome to the club! i live in coroado, awsome build TH&H has great stuff. i go there for all my needs keep up the great work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2008 (edited) Thanks Kenny! I love to know who the SD folks are. Send my a private message any time. ******************************************************************************** ************ Update: I've been working, but this is the first opportunity I've had to get pictures. They are of a rather poor quality, but I'll put them up for anyone that might be interested. I'm defining the idea of a "serviceable" guitar. There are a number of mistakes here that won't show when it's all done. The most notable one is the end of the neck there, which will be covered by fretboard overhang. There's also a funny little low spot on the back of the body that even I can't find unless I feel for it. I chipped out a piece, and rather than doing a proper repair, I just sanded it until it was invisible. Hey, it's my first build, and it's not like I'm gonna try to sell it. Here's where I am: Erik did the fretboard. It's a breathtaking Pau Ferro. I wish I could get a better picture of it, but all I have right now is a lamp. I'll get a better picture sometime in the future. Here's a close-up: Fretboard Close-Up I did the headstock scarf with a coping saw, which I know isn't an ideal tool for the job. I went really slow, and it's gonna need some work, but I think it came out alright. Here's my wife holding it up. It's not glued yet. And yes, those are guinea pigs in the background. Headstock Scarf Finally, here's a close-up of the neck pocket: Neck Pocket The neck is bolt on, and I'm pretty happy with the pocket I made. Again, it's serviceable. There's an imperfection at the end near the neck pickup that will be covered by the fretboard overhang, but otherwise it's perfect. So far I'm happy with my work. I sure am learning a lot as I go. Edited July 30, 2008 by dpm99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted August 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 (edited) A little more progress. I'm proud of my work on the headstock. I think it turned out really well. I glued it up, then applied a 1/8" mahogany veneer. It's not bookmatched, but I gives that same general impression, as I was careful when selecting the two sides. You also see below that I've rough shaped the neck and volute. I also repaired my mistakes in the neck. You can sort of see that in the picture on the right, but I'm proving to be a horrible photographer. Edited August 10, 2008 by dpm99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 awsome stuff, sandiego is the place to be! jmentris is from here aswell the build looks great so far, ill be following this one closley Kenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted August 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 awsome stuff, sandiego is the place to be! jmentris is from here aswell the build looks great so far, ill be following this one closley Kenny Thanks Kenny. Yeah, jmrentis is a friend of mine. I wouldn't have made it this far this quickly without his help. And San Diego is pretty great, in that you get a pretty nice temperature and humidity year-round. That sure is nice when you're working with good. -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 (edited) yea, definitally. at some point all us sandiegans should collaborate on 1 super guitar haha EDIT: maybe you can tell where i live by looking at my avatar Kenny Edited August 10, 2008 by Kenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted August 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 yea, definitally. at some point all us sandiegans should collaborate on 1 super guitar haha EDIT: maybe you can tell where i live by looking at my avatar Kenny Hmm...under a bridge? Are you a hobo? j/k As for the super guitar, I'm down. You guys do all the stuff that takes real skill, and I'll sweep up your sawdust and hand you tools and stuff. -D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 hahah, that wouldnt work, you have to do ALL THE FRETWORK (blindfolded!) ha just kidding but really, i dont live under a bridge, ill give you a hint. its across from downtown, and you have to take a bridge to get on the island, and then that island leads to Imperial beach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted August 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 hahah, that wouldnt work, you have to do ALL THE FRETWORK (blindfolded!) ha just kidding but really, i dont live under a bridge, ill give you a hint. its across from downtown, and you have to take a bridge to get on the island, and then that island leads to Imperial beach Well, considering that under your name at the left side of the page it says Coronado, CA, I should probably guess that. But I still think that "under a bridge" is more interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted August 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2008 It would be a real shame to let this thread slip to page four. The fretboard is attached, thanks to help from jmrentis, and the inlays are done. As I said earlier, the fretboard is Pao Ferro, cut by Erik Bojerik. The dot inlays are black MOP from LMI, and they were installed with a hand drill and a brad point drill bit, as per a tip from Bluesy. Isn't this community great? I did make a pretty awful mistake when I was putting in the dots. At the nineteenth fret, I put in three dots rather than two. I had everything marked ahead of time, but somehow confused myself and wasn't paying good enough attention to catch it before I made the mistake. Not smart. So I made a dot from the cutoff at the end of the board, cut specifically from the same grain area as the mistake. I got it shaped as well as I could, and glued it in with Titebond, filling gaps with sawdust from the board as I did so. You can see the repair in the bottom two pictures below, between the two dots. It will always be visible if you know where to look, and that's a real shame. Nonetheless, I think I did a pretty decent repair job for someone with my very limited experience. A gold star to the first person that identifies the inlay pattern (not exactly obscure trivia)! Thanks for looking. Be nice. -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidlook Posted August 18, 2008 Report Share Posted August 18, 2008 Brian May's red special...though I don't feel like I deserve a gold star for that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted August 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2008 Brian May's red special...though I don't feel like I deserve a gold star for that... You don't. But gold star anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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