ibnaz5150 Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Hello folks........need some help! I plan on doing a prs build. I bought a template kit a while back. My concern is the carved top among other questions. I have a piece of 8/4 walnut that's 14" wide so a one piece is the plan. I want to cap that with a nice flame top. What should my main body wood(walnut ) be thickness planned to??? I plan on a 3/4 or thicker for the maple top. What should my overall thickness be ? I also plan on a bolt on neck. That being the case will I need to angle the top for the carve? My other concern is of course the carve itself. I don't have a prs on hand to mock up measure the carve outline. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdog Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Hello folks........need some help! I plan on doing a prs build. I bought a template kit a while back. My concern is the carved top among other questions. I have a piece of 8/4 walnut that's 14" wide so a one piece is the plan. I want to cap that with a nice flame top. What should my main body wood(walnut ) be thickness planned to??? I plan on a 3/4 or thicker for the maple top. What should my overall thickness be ? I also plan on a bolt on neck. That being the case will I need to angle the top for the carve? My other concern is of course the carve itself. I don't have a prs on hand to mock up measure the carve outline. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks Tom Hi Tom, I think I can help a little. The thickness of the body (walnut in your case) is really up to you. If you want to use the PRS values then the mahogany thickness of a McCarty is around 31mm, and a Custom is about 3mm less. For the maple top 3/4" (19mm) is about right, PRS seem to use thinner tops (around 1/2") and thicker bodies for the Singlecut. I made my second build with 31mm mahogany body and 19mm maple top, so the total thickness was 50mm. Regarding the top angle, it doesn't really matter if you do a bolt-on or a set neck. It will affect the look of the carving and the perceived neck-to-body angle, though. I did both and I liked the angled top better. Of course the neck-to-top angle will have to be designed taking the usual factors into account: bridge type, heigh, string action, etc. You may find it useful to have a look at my last finished build (see signature), there you'll see how I carved mine and you'll find some discussions about the top angle. Hope it helps. Luis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibnaz5150 Posted July 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Thanks much Black dog! awesome builds by the way! sure gives me inspiration. I started building a few yrs ago. I've done a few Rg bodies and a strat....just the body only. Still a bit scared to play with a neck build. I get my necks through warmoth or musikraft...so I guess i cheat a little. The prs carved top is a whole new challenge for me so wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdog Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 Thanks much Black dog! awesome builds by the way! sure gives me inspiration. I started building a few yrs ago. I've done a few Rg bodies and a strat....just the body only. Still a bit scared to play with a neck build. I get my necks through warmoth or musikraft...so I guess i cheat a little. The prs carved top is a whole new challenge for me so wish me luck! Now that I re-read your posting I think that you should definitely give building your own neck a try... The carving of the top is indeed a nice challenge, but carving a neck is not really that difficult after all and it is fun and very rewarding. I really enjoy working on the necks, and it gives you the possibility to tailor the instrument to your liking a lot more than any bought neck will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted July 29, 2008 Report Share Posted July 29, 2008 My PRS build was 1 1/2" body and 3/4" top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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