decadentjon Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Picked up some Tassie blackwood yesterday from a local lumber yard, something i've been wanting to work with for a while but first time buying somewhat raw timber as i've only recently picked up a thicknesser and a jointer. got it machined up yesterday and started work today. the same shape/construction as my addition to the october gotm entry but with tasmanian blackwood body/neck (my first time using the same neck/body wood) a slightly longer neck tenon and a ziricote fretboard (thanks Erik!). this will have a custom pickguard, dual p90's (cream), single volume and a 3 way selector. schaller m6 tuners, bone nut. finish- i think i will give it a slightly darker stain and probably just clear coats over that. or an oil finish. im a bit apprehensive of oil on this as its not as hard as the maple/wenge/rosewood necks i've been doing lately and dont like the idea of the neck getting dings (doesn't bother me so much in the body). the inlay idea came to me this morning after having a Twin Peaks related dream last night (i've since routed the neck pocket and fretted/carved the neck (medium stainless steel frets). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heggis Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 I don't like it! Not the guitar, that looks great! I don't like that you started it yesterday, and it already looks like an amolst finished guitar. You're making the rest of us look lazy! Cool inlay by the way! Hope your frets aren't too wide, though... It may obscure the lefthand part of the head a bit. Hope it works out. Heggis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decadentjon Posted September 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 (edited) thanks heggis, the frets are nice and narrow doesn't detract from the inlay at all. i actually just started working for myself as a builder/repairer fulltime a bit over a month ago and spent any savings i had setting up shop so now im frantically pumping out work to support myself, not that i dont love doing it! This is the first guitar im building that isn't a pre-sold custom so its a nice change to make it purely to my own tastes. more details, it will have a hipshot hardtail bridge, and the neck is carved to a chunky C. somewhat similar to the '56RI goldtop i used to own. here is a shot of a similar one i finished last week. Edited September 12, 2008 by decadentjon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heggis Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Yes, I saw that one too. Usually I don't like the look of visible neck tenons in the body, but it really works well in that guitar. And it is sort of complemented by the control panel and headstock. It all flows nicely together. Good luck with your shop, hope it works out well! Heggis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalhead28 Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Nice. I especially like the fingerboard wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djhollowman Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Nice. I especially like the fingerboard wood. +1 and I really love inlays which go "under" the fretwire! DJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decadentjon Posted September 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2008 i just got the neck glued in, i was doing a mother of pearl 2012 headstock logo and it was all nearly done and ready to glue in until i accidentally let it get sucked up into my dust extractor (it got shattered, i was shattered ) but other than that the guitar just needs sanding and finishing. here is a picture of the pickguard template i made up for it. its going to be a clear nitro finish so i think a parchment/off white 3 ply pickguard would look nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decadentjon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 so i finished this one off last night, really happy with it, am totally sold on using Tassie blackwood more, nice to find a local timber i love using. ended up making some ziricote covers for the p90's, i didn't think black or cream would work that well with the parchment pickguard. first of the pics... any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decadentjon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Looks really good...the inlay worked out really nicely... I like to see some good aussie wood too...well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 I'm really digging the touched you put on the headstock. For this guitar, I think I'd rather have seen a matte finish instead of glossy. I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I just think a more "organic" look would have been better. Other than that, I really like the whole thing, especially the huge pickguard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Honestly I hate the way pickgaurds look, we are given pretty woods for a reason, but in this case I'll make an exception. In fact I think the pickgaurd goes a long way to completing the look, and it just would not look as nice without it. I really dig the ziricote pickup covers. Fantastic job all around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decadentjon Posted October 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 thanks guys, i'm generally a fan of oiled finishes myself but i just got a spray setup and was keen to have a test run with it! also i'm used to having solid rosewood/wenge necks on my own guitars and given i tend to get a bit rough with my guitars on stage after a few beers i was concerned the blackwood neck would be more likely to ding up, never concerned about body wear but like my necks staying smooth! and a pic of the back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Beautiful. If I was only going to have one electric guitar it would be something like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Honestly I hate the way pickgaurds look, ...but in this case I'll make an exception. In fact I think the pickgaurd goes a long way to completing the look, and it just would not look as nice without it. For my eyes, in a lot of cases, too much of the same thing can be either overwhelming or boring. Something is needed to break it up visually. EG: A 5A quilted top LP is georgous, but put in that small p/g, and it breaks it up just enough so that the top isn't SO powerful. It's a delicate balancing act. I feel the exact opposite reason is why a p/g is sometimes necessary on an UNfigured wood, like this guitar has. Yes the wood is very pretty. It's just not interesting like a figured wood is. In this case, the p/g actually adds to the visual interest instead of reigning it in as it would on the 5A top. Another delicate balancing act. Take the same principle and apply it to a solid-color paint job. Sure, they can look OK without a p/g. Add one in, however, and it all seems to come to life somehow. Like you said, sometimes it just completes the look. In this instance, the big p/g just plain works. What isn't hurting anything is the fact that there are very familiar, successfully time-tested design elements at work here. The body has aspects of a tele, strat, and jazzmaster/mustang in it. The headstock it remiscent of both strat & tele. The p/g pulls from the 2-HB tele deluxe and a j-bass knob layout. In all honestly, this design & layout is like a brand new worn out pair of pants. It's familiar & comfortable, like we've had it around for a while, but not worn out and used up. The more I look at it, the more I dig the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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