krizalid Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 hai everyone, i'm just a newbie here in the forum but i've been to the project guitar site for quite some time. i live in malaysia and i want to build my very own guitar. i understand the concept of 'building your own would not be cheaper than the end user models' but i want it to be something personal which i can treasure it. ok, i know that the first guitar that anyone should build is a simple design to make it simple and easier to get satisfactory result. so, i want to build something just like that. a few specification that i'm looking for are: body- looks like an ibanez RG ( don't know nothing about the wood selection here in malaysia ) neck- all access neck joint fret-22 ( i want a 24, but since this is my first attempt, i'll go for the standard one) double humbucker pickup 1 vol, 1 tone, 5 way switch selector or mini toggle switches i need help to build this guitar and if anyone can guide me well, i would appreciate it very much. ps: can anyone share a copy of melvyn hiscock book? i want to buy it but i don't have a credit card or anything to buy it online. please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Have you drawn up any kind of rough plan yet? What kind of tooling do you have access to? What kind of neck did you have in mind? Finish? The Hiscock book is good, but I think you can probably get all the info you need from on-line forums like this, the MIMF, and others out there if that's what you have access to, just ask away! Knowing what you have on hand toolwise and your rough budget will help us help you much more. You're gonna love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krizalid Posted December 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 hai drak, thanks for replying. well, i have drawn some plans on cardboards as suggested by one of the people in the forum ( sorry bro, i couldn't recall your name). so, pretty much, i've drawn the rough plans. if possible, i want it to be 3 piece neck for stability and to avoid wood warping. but, i don't really know the wood selection here in malaysia. i've tried to do some research on this but there are some people that i have asked were actually sneered at my intention of building one. just a standard fender scale, 25 1/2 inch would do with double action truss rod. i have a friend who can provide me the router. is that a good thing? some basic tools for very basic woodworking. didn't have anyone that i know for a bandsaw though... i prefer a natural finish to bring out the wood grain but if i did any mistake to the wood, well, black is my second choice of finish. my rough budget? hmm... it is kind of hard to convert it to dollars but i'll use malaysian currency and then try to figure out the conversion. my budget +/- rm1500 = usd 4000? (i'm not sure at this conversion as it will look bigger in usd) thanks for anyone who can help me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 1500 Malaysian Ringgit is equal to 394.71 USD at the curent market exchange and thats a very good amount for where you are. That router will come in very very useful. You still might want to try and find somebody with a power saw of some kind with a thin blade (not a circular saw-round blade) or a hand saw plus plenty of patience can work. Chances are you will be able to find some Maple for the neck very easily there but I really don't have any idea about woods available in your area for the body blank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 In slight addition to what Brian said: http://www.xe.com is THE place for currency conversion so long ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 have you tried maybe the phone book?? , or searching google for "exotic hardwoods"+"malaysia" maybe also +"stores" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 The most basic starting point would be finish carpenters, cabinetmakers, interior designers (they will have good carpenter connections) ...anybody locally in the wood trade around where you live. It is important (to me, anyway) to 'network' some local help, some local carpenter or someone along those lines you can ask a question or two of when you need to. If there's any new building going on around you, housing subdivisions or commercial building. places like that...I have gone 'dumpster diving' plenty of times for FREE plywood and particle board, there's tons of new construction going on around here all the time. One, if you can hook up with anyone like that, you might work your way into some freebie cutoff wood scraps that you could do some experiments with, maybe do a first body mock-up out of some commercial plywood...and you might luck out and get some really nice stuff you could use for the body/neck. Also, it never hurts to have some extra scrap wood around to make clamping cauls and all sorts of other small necessities, so hooking up with someone local like that would be a great benefit to you, believe me. You never know unless you ask around! You will probably meet someone who would be glad to help you out and maybe answer some questions. It's always nicer to be able to ask questions in person if possible. Two, those guys should be able to give you some local wood resources, hook you up with their sources and start to point you in the right 'local' direction for nice wood you can use. There's GOTTA be some local wood resource that you can use. A router is a tremendous starting point! To me, it's probably the most essential electric tool to have around. So good on ya for having that. BTW, for the folks who sneered at your idea, just roll right past 'em like they don't even exist ('cuz they don't) and keep on going! You'll always run into negative people like that...bottom feeders... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 If you want a 24 fret neck - do it! You still need to plan just as much for a 22 as a 24 fret guitar. The availablility may be an issue for pre-slotted fretboards though. For where I live, 24 fret pre-slotted boards are pretty easy to find. If you have a guitar that you are going to copy and it's a 22 fret, than maybe sticking to 22 is a good idea. Other than that, I would recommend building what you really want and not settling for a 22 unless there is a good reason for it. Good luck - I hope it turns out great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krizalid Posted December 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 hai again, thanks daveq, Drak, krazyderek, Ace & Brian for replying to my post. i really appreciate it a lot. If you want a 24 fret neck - do it! You still need to plan just as much for a 22 as a 24 fret guitar. yeah, i agree with you brian. i want to play good and i've been playing some guitars that has 24 frets on them and it can (for me) produce the high pitch squeaking tone that i used a lot when jamming with my friends. so, i will go forward on building myself a 24 fret neck. i'm still trying to figure out what sort of that i should use for the body though. can anyone give me the blanks dimension? for the body and the neck? for my own reference that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJohn Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 This may sound silly,but have you checked out a local warehouse or shipping dock for skids.I know this might sound a bit off ,but sometimes skids are made out of hardwood.Better yet sometimes you can just take the wood(with permission of course) or they will sell it fairly cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 And before anyone questions the above post by JohnJohn click here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krizalid Posted December 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2003 hai everyone, sorry for the very late reply as i'm quite busy with a lot of assignments and exams that had to be dealt with. ok, here is my question. i'm just looking at stewmac site for the truss rod as i think it's easier for me to buy it than to make it for the first time. i saw that they have a types of hot rods. 12-1/4" 14-1/4" 18" 24" now, i'm confused. if i want to make a guitar that have 24 fret and a customised 26 1/4" scale length, which one do i have to buy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendelcrow Posted December 17, 2003 Report Share Posted December 17, 2003 Hi Krizalid, I think you stand a great chance of finding woods for your prject locally, because a lot of nice woods come from your part of the world (I know that Japanese Companies are logging in Malaysia). Something with similar propertys as mahogany might be availably for the neck and body if you search around. Follow the advice from the previous posts for finding suitable woods. I myself would love to go wood hunting in a Malaysian lumber yard. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 17, 2003 Report Share Posted December 17, 2003 18" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krizalid Posted December 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2003 hai again... thank you vendelcrow for your suggestion. actually, since the last time i post the message here, i've found some of the prospectous wood that might be used in my krizalid custom project. it got some nice grain in it and the weight is just nice. i'm really sorry for not having some pictures of the wood, it just that i've only realized it few days back in a shop that i used to go a lot just to have a chat with the owner. he's a good friend of mine and he had said something of wanting to clean the junk from his shop. better move fast then! westhemann, 18" is what you suggested for me to use? can you explained to me a little bit about that or do you have any diagram for it? can anyone share with me their guitar plans with me? especially for those who had sound chamber in it? i'm thinking of making it as semi solid as the wood i've talked about, not really big enough to make all solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotrock Posted December 17, 2003 Report Share Posted December 17, 2003 If you have got CAD access, try www.guitarbuild.com and have a look at the download section. There is also a download section in this forum, although I'm not sure whats in it because I haven't sent my money off to become a full on member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendelcrow Posted December 17, 2003 Report Share Posted December 17, 2003 Hi Krizalid, I found some info on a few wood that are found in Malaysia. Figured Meranti - Shorea spp. It is a very responsive wood and is exported as Philippine Mahogany. It yields a bright and sweet tone and it is quite a light wood, easy to work on. There are grouped generally into 3 varieties mainly the White , yellow or Red Meranti. The air-dry density is about 560 kg/m3. Ambuaia - Pterocarpus Indiscus Scented with beautiful aesthetic grain figures. 'Eyelets' are common with wavy grain in a wide range of golden brown to red color. Easy to work with and finishes well with oil or laquer. It gives a well- defined , warm and sweet tone. Very beautiful for everything. Figured Nyato - sapotacae A light hard wood with air-dry density of 400 - 1075 kg/m3 . Its grain ranges from straight streaky dark brown to a highly figured wave. It produces a wide range of warm and balanced tones. Easy to work with and finishes well with a smooth silky texture. Good for both acoustic and solid- body guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krizalid Posted December 19, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 hai everyone... thank you vendelcrow for the info on the wood types in malaysia. i felt a bit embarassed when someone outside my country knows better than i am. hei, i've just came across www.gimguitars.com from malaysia. it's a good site you know... ok, i have a question. i will start to build my guitar any time soon and i'm planning on making the neck first. i've got some wood and planned to make it as 3pieces neck with the same wood. i just cut it into three and glued it back together to have nice and strong neck. what do you think of it? i've seen many post about neck angle. i don't quite understand about that. my plan was to have a floyd rose tremolo bridge but it is so pricey here in malaysia so i'm just going to have a standard bridge like strat or gibson type of bridge. if i used a gibson type bridge, i have to make the neck angle don't i? how? is it necessary? can i go on without a neck angle? can anyone comment on flatsurfaced fingerboard and radiused one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nordic Gawd Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 nice. wood. or you could just buy a floyd of ebay for like 20. you shold radius it, and the neck angle is no really big deal, you need it to create a little retention between the tuners and the nut and the bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 and maybe you'd like to tell krizalid exactly how much experience and history you have at building guitars first hand to be able to speak to these matters that he, as a complete newcomer, is trusting that someone will give him an experienced, correct, and proven answer to, eh? ...Well? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krizalid Posted December 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2003 thank you everyone for replying to this post. i have a question again but the same. i am a bit unsure of which truss rod to buy from stew mac as they have different kind of truss rod. i like the hot rod ones because they didn't require a groove in the straight channel. but which one should i buy? i'm planning on having a 26 1/4" scale length and 24 fret fretboard. 12-1/4" 14-1/4" 18" 24" can anyone help me with some details and explaination on this? some drawing perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted December 20, 2003 Report Share Posted December 20, 2003 This is straight from the HotRod page:The 18" rod fits many electric guitars and banjos; the 14-1/4" rod fits many acoustic guitars, the 12-1/4" rod fits resonator guitars, and the 24" rod fits basses.There are also helpful instructions at the website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krizalid Posted December 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2003 is that mean that i can build that 26 1/4" scale length with 24 fret neck without much problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 20, 2003 Report Share Posted December 20, 2003 like i said,the 18" is what you need.withthat scale at 24 frets the neck will only be about 20" from nut to end of the fretboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krizalid Posted December 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 hai westhemann, thanks for the explaination man. can anyone share with me their neck plan? just for reference you know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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