Presenting The Capricorn R7t...my First Build.

[djhollowman]

Well, I've basically finished making my first electric guitar from scratch.

I'd seen this forum section before, but I wasn't sure whether to post photos of it being made, or just wait and post photos of the completed article, so I've opted for the latter. Please feel free to request photos of the build process, I have 100's!

Here's the specs:

7 string solid body electric, 25.5" scale length.

Body is all mahogany, my own design based on an Ibanez RG but with longer upper horn and slightly more curvy body. Contoured for forearm and belly.

Neck is 3 ply laminate of maple/bubinga/maple, with ebony fingerboard inlaid with mother-of-pearl Chinese symbol for snake at 12th fret and jumbo fretwire. GraphTec nut. 14 degree head angle. Neck joined to body with screws and ferrules (never liked neckplates!) and contoured AANJ-style(ish!) for improved access.

Ferrules on both sides...not keen on stop bars aesthetically.

Chrome hardware, Wilkinson locking tuners, pickups are (for now) sourced from my Aria 7 string (which I upgraded with EMGs) but will change eventually to something with more oomph! Always preferred the look of pickups without mounting rings. Push/pull pots on both controls to coiltap either or both pickups, standard 3-way toggle (bridge/both/neck) making lots of nice tonal options.

Bridge is slightly recessed to allow the neck to have no angle - my choice!

Paintjob is a beautiful metallic green (Jaguar Aquamarine actually) with blue flake - photos do not do it justice!

Headstock and truss rod cover are my own design as well.

I couldn't resist putting it all together and making some noise with it for the first time!!

I still need to finish Tru-Oiling the neck, then see to the frets and set the intonation and action correctly. Oh, and fit strap locks.

It feels really nice to play, tons of sustain, lovely neck shape (I spent ages shaping the neck!), nice balance, pretty heavy though!

Here's the end result anyway (takes deep breath)...please bear in mind that this is my first attempt:

Please feel free to leave comments....as I say, this is only my first attempt, so be kind!

This has been one of the most satisfying and rewarding things I have ever done, so much so that, of course, #2 is already started!!

So many things I will do differently and better next time.....like changing to a double-acting truss rod, like scarfing the headstock join differently (and better), like pressing frets in instead of hammering (to avoid making that tiny crack in the inlay...nnngg!!)

DJ

(Apologies if there are too many photos in this post....is there a llimit to this kind of thing??)

[IWishICouldShred]

Looks great! You should enter it in GOTM.

I like the length of the headstock, it does give the guitar sort of a serpentine feel, especially with the green paint (and snake inlay)

[kpcrash]

diggin the paint job. Nice work!

[zyonsdream]

looks like a top notch professional build but dude, take some time between builds and get the weed wacker out!

[ElysianGuitars]

not feeling the headstock, but digging the rest of the build. especially the 7 strings.

[zyonsdream]

I like the headstock. It isn't the best one I've seen but a good recognizable headstock goes a long way in product recognition.

[Tim37]

nice build i am diggin on the head stock.

[Xanthus]

Agreed, the headstock is definitely the make-or-break with this build, and I just so happen to like it I say you dun good!

[capello]

i dont really like the headstock,but the entire instrument looks great.

It look like you made a great fret work,and i like the paint job.

very good!!!

[djhollowman]

Wow, thanks for all your comments guys! I'm thrilled that you seem to like it! I'm loving the fact that the headstock has attracted such divisive opinions.

Looks great! You should enter it in GOTM.

I like the length of the headstock, it does give the guitar sort of a serpentine feel, especially with the green paint (and snake inlay)

Thanks! GOTM? I'm not sure.....I love the idea of entering it, but the standard is so high...maybe I will though!

Wish I had thought of that, regarding the headstock, lol!

diggin the paint job. Nice work!

Thanks! I had a local garage do the actual spraying. I did the prep work and priming, sanding etc. and some of the finishing. Yeah, they made a nice job, some tiny imperfections in the paint when you look really close, but overall I'm very happy with it!

looks like a top notch professional build but dude, take some time between builds and get the weed wacker out!

Really?? Thank you!

Anyway, I like daisies....

not feeling the headstock, but digging the rest of the build. especially the 7 strings.

Fair comment, and thank you!

I like the headstock. It isn't the best one I've seen but a good recognizable headstock goes a long way in product recognition.

That's exactly what I've always thought too. I found it quite difficult to design a headstock which is even vaguely original, and is also practical. Mine's very like an Ibanez RG, I realise that. I tried to make it kinda mimic the curves of the body a bit more.

nice build i am diggin on the head stock.

Thanks!

Agreed, the headstock is definitely the make-or-break with this build, and I just so happen to like it I say you dun good!

Thanks man, I really appreciate that!

i dont really like the headstock,but the entire instrument looks great.

It look like you made a great fret work,and i like the paint job.

very good!!!

Thanks! I spent time shaping the ends of the frets, and filing an overhang at the ends which then had to be filled with ebony dust and glue, to get the nice effect where you don't see the ends of the fret tang.

I still want to level, crown and dress the frets.

Thank you all again for your comments, always appreciated.

DJ

[guitar2005]

Very nice and clean work. You must be real happy. Regarding the recessed TOM, do you have any closeup up pic? I'm a big fan of recessing TOMs.

I can barely see that you've recessed the TOM though. How wide is your recesess?

[dpm99]

Really nice work. I hope my first build comes out half that good!

[eddiewarlock]

It looks very professional, it sure as hell doesn't look like anybody's first guitar, congrats mate!

[X1TX]

Very nice. Like the headstock as well.

[Kammo1]

Looks great bro

[djhollowman]

Very nice and clean work. You must be real happy. Regarding the recessed TOM, do you have any closeup up pic? I'm a big fan of recessing TOMs.

I can barely see that you've recessed the TOM though. How wide is your recesess?

Thank you for your kind words!

Here's a close up photo of the bridge recess which may help you:

As for how wide, I made sure I had the actual bridge ready in advance, then I made a template based on its size to use for routing the recess. If you mean how deep is it, it's about 6mm deep into the body. Yeah, it does look like it hasn't been recessed, when you see it with the bridge in place, which is the effect I was after!

DJ

[Bryan316]

I'm not necessarily saying these as bad criticism, just honest criticism.

It's just an Ibanez RG. Nothing fancy or groundbreaking, here.

Having said that... if it's got even two of the typical, usual flaws an RG can come with, it's a far superior guitar already! I know, I know... I'm biased and like seeing original, borderline radical, designs. But if you can take a good design, and build it GREAT, then that's worth mention and praise.

Now then... ARE there any flaws or ideas to improve? Are you satisfied with all your joints, fit and finish, tightness in the neck pocket, cleanliness of soldering in the cavity, accuracy with intonation and holding its tuning? If so... mission accomplished!

[djhollowman]

I'm not necessarily saying these as bad criticism, just honest criticism.

It's just an Ibanez RG. Nothing fancy or groundbreaking, here.

Having said that... if it's got even two of the typical, usual flaws an RG can come with, it's a far superior guitar already! I know, I know... I'm biased and like seeing original, borderline radical, designs. But if you can take a good design, and build it GREAT, then that's worth mention and praise.

Now then... ARE there any flaws or ideas to improve? Are you satisfied with all your joints, fit and finish, tightness in the neck pocket, cleanliness of soldering in the cavity, accuracy with intonation and holding its tuning? If so... mission accomplished!

Fair comment, and thanks for your opinions!

Yes, it is very much inspired by the Ibanez RG, I think I mentioned that as well.

So, to answer your questions:

Things to improve? Oh yes! Several, some of which I mentioned in the original post.

Satisfied with finish? Yes and no, TBH. Yes, cos it is very good, and no cos I wanted it to be perfect! I think it's as good as I can realistically expect someone else to achieve without taking the huge amounts of time and care that I would have if I had sprayed it myself (if you see what I mean)

Tighness of neck pocket? Yes. Here's me doing the "Perry test":

Cleanliness of soldering could have been better.

It's early days yet with the intonation and tuning, but so far it's holding perfectly.

This has been a massive learning curve for me, but I'm under no illusions.

Thanks again for your comments, it's good to get constructive criticism too!

DJ

[guitar2005]

Very nice and clean work. You must be real happy. Regarding the recessed TOM, do you have any closeup up pic? I'm a big fan of recessing TOMs.

I can barely see that you've recessed the TOM though. How wide is your recesess?

Thank you for your kind words!

Here's a close up photo of the bridge recess which may help you:

As for how wide, I made sure I had the actual bridge ready in advance, then I made a template based on its size to use for routing the recess. If you mean how deep is it, it's about 6mm deep into the body. Yeah, it does look like it hasn't been recessed, when you see it with the bridge in place, which is the effect I was after!

DJ

Looks tighter than mine. Definitely something to look into for my next build. I do find the thumbweels very close to the wood. It almost rubs. Any problems on yours with the adjustment screws touching the finish?

EDIT

Now that I look at my recess, I understand why I made it slightly wider - I wanted the strings closer to the body and I also wanted the TOM to fit with the saddle adjutment screws.

Still, I like the look of yours. How do you like the fretboard being so high compared to the body?

Edited July 8, 2008 by guitar2005

[djhollowman]

@Guitar2005:

No, I don't have any problems with the thumbwheels touching the finish. I did think of that in advance, and so I made sure the rout around the wheels would mean that they just clear the finish. Actually, the wheels are slightly smaller in diameter than the mounting studs anyway. Also, the bridge studs have slots in their tops for making the height adjustment, which is what I used to set the height.

Regarding the fretboard height, yeah I guess I would prefer it to be slightly lower - I just did some measuring and this one is almost 2mm higher than the same part on the guitar I have the lowest action on. (But then again, that one has a Floyd so it's not really a like-for-like comparison, I always feel I can get lower action on Floyd-equipped guitars) It's not a problem, in fact I hadn't even really thought about it before you asked, but yeah I do like a low action, and I think I get away with it cos I don't wallop the strings!! The string height in relation to the body top is not quite as low as a Floyd-with-no-neck-angle, but it's also nowhere near as high as a Les Paul or similar! I think if I do another guitar like this I'll try to recess the neck a little more, so I can recess the TOM a bit more and get the whole lot sitting a little lower. But I'm happy with the way this one plays as it is too!

I love that gold hardware against the wood on your photo - very classy. [i'm already planning guitar #3 and it will be very similar to that!]

Could you explain what you meant about "I also wanted the TOM to fit with the saddle adjutment screws."?

Did you have the strings touching the screws or something? I know that can be an issue if the TOM is too high, esp. if the ferrules are quite close to the bridge cos that would tighten the angle. Oh, hang on, but aren't you usually meant to have the screws on the "inside", near the bridge pickup??

DJ

[guitar2005]

@Guitar2005:

Regarding the fretboard height, yeah I guess I would prefer it to be slightly lower - I just did some measuring and this one is almost 2mm higher than the same part on the guitar I have the lowest action on. (But then again, that one has a Floyd so it's not really a like-for-like comparison, I always feel I can get lower action on Floyd-equipped guitars) It's not a problem, in fact I hadn't even really thought about it before you asked, but yeah I do like a low action, and I think I get away with it cos I don't wallop the strings!! The string height in relation to the body top is not quite as low as a Floyd-with-no-neck-angle, but it's also nowhere near as high as a Les Paul or similar! I think if I do another guitar like this I'll try to recess the neck a little more, so I can recess the TOM a bit more and get the whole lot sitting a little lower. But I'm happy with the way this one plays as it is too!

I wasn't referring to action but the distance between the body and the string between the pickups.

Compared to a recessed Floyd, it sounds like the strings are farther away fropm the body but compared to a non-recessed Floyd and no neck angle, its probably at par.

Have you thought of "angling" the neck pocket? I think the guys at Boogie Bodies offered that option on their guitar bodies, so its definitely do-able.

Could you explain what you meant about "I also wanted the TOM to fit with the saddle adjutment screws."?

The TOM on my guitar fits into the recessed area WITH the saddle adjustment screws, which is why the recess on mine is wider.

Did you have to level and buff the finish on that guitar or is that the way it came back from the painter's?

[djhollowman]

I wasn't referring to action but the distance between the body and the string between the pickups.

Compared to a recessed Floyd, it sounds like the strings are farther away fropm the body but compared to a non-recessed Floyd and no neck angle, its probably at par.

Have you thought of "angling" the neck pocket? I think the guys at Boogie Bodies offered that option on their guitar bodies, so its definitely do-able.

Could you explain what you meant about "I also wanted the TOM to fit with the saddle adjutment screws."?

The TOM on my guitar fits into the recessed area WITH the saddle adjustment screws, which is why the recess on mine is wider.

Did you have to level and buff the finish on that guitar or is that the way it came back from the painter's?

Regarding string height, yeah that sounds about right. (non-recessed Floyd with no neck angle)

I made this so that it would have no neck angle by design, that's what I wanted, I realised that would mean the bridge being slightly higher. I see now, though, that I could have sunk the neck, the pickups and the bridge about 1.5-2mm more, to get the strings a little closer to the body. [i realised what you meant about the difference between string height and action BTW.]

So, does your TOM sit so low "into" the body that the saddle screws are down into the body a little? That would certainly make it a little lower than mine, yeah.

And, finally, yes that's the way it came back from the painter. They buff the clearcoat with a polishing motor which runs at a slower speed, and they use a buffing compound but I don't know what it's called! The clearcoat looks a little orange-peel-y when it's first done, but the polishing soon flattens that out.

DJ

[Xanthus]

Thanks! I spent time shaping the ends of the frets, and filing an overhang at the ends which then had to be filled with ebony dust and glue, to get the nice effect where you don't see the ends of the fret tang.

I still want to level, crown and dress the frets.

Thank you all again for your comments, always appreciated.

DJ

Wow, I didn't even notice that work until you pointed it out. Seamless! I love the look, that "invisible binding" thing going on. Really really awesome. Congrats again! This is a guitar I really would like to play myself.

[djhollowman]

Thanks! I spent time shaping the ends of the frets, and filing an overhang at the ends which then had to be filled with ebony dust and glue, to get the nice effect where you don't see the ends of the fret tang.

I still want to level, crown and dress the frets.

Thank you all again for your comments, always appreciated.

DJ

Wow, I didn't even notice that work until you pointed it out. Seamless! I love the look, that "invisible binding" thing going on. Really really awesome. Congrats again! This is a guitar I really would like to play myself.

Thanks again man!

Yeah, I love the look of the fret ends like that, makes it look much more finished and professional I reckon. Much cleaner appearance. I like your term "invisible binding" too!

I'm sure you must have seen it done before, yeah? I've seen it on many guitars, in fact even my Platinum series BC Rich STIII has it....and it's a budget range guitar!

I'm especially pleased with the way the inlay on this guitar turned out. I'll be honest: I kinda cheated! I had a friend from work cut the MOP and ebony 'board using a CNC milling machine. I had to design the inlay, position it, then glue it in, cut the slots thru it for the frets, and sand it level etc. In fact, we had to have two attempts at doing the fingerboard cos someone misread the markings and we had a beautifully shaped recess at the 11th fret...Doh!

It's the Chinese symbol for snake, I think I mentioned that earlier actually!

There's a tiny crack in one part of it, because I hammered the frets in - now I have a huge press so it's press-fit frets from now on! All part of the learning process though!

DJ