Prostheta Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Does anyone know where it might be possible to acquire an alder or mahogany Sabre body sans pickup and trem routs, such as Ibanez aftermarket (doubtful) or similar? I'm building a seven-string S in the vein of the S7320 although i'm not a fan of trems, and given the choice, a different headstock shape.... I would consider buying a custom made body (unfinished, unrouted) on the basis that the Sabre shape is such a PITA to recreate. Any constructive advice is welcome - thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Look in the classified pinned topics...Jim Donahue WAS offerring to do those I think.. I also think Warmoth does a radius soloist shape which is the same thing edit I just looked at the warmoth bodies,they are not the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted October 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Cheers Wes. I'll PM Jim...I forgot he was a member of the board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted October 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Meh - PMed and emailed, but it looks like it's unlikely i'll get a response as he's a busy guy. Anyone else got any ideas? If push comes to shove, i'll buy a body off eBay, strip it and fill the trem cavity and duplicarve it. It'll just be a major PITA once it comes to carving the opposite side once one side is radiused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Give him some time...it IS sunday... Patience man... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted October 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Nah - this is more down to how he's presented himself on his website, and the fact a couple of people didn't get a response from him. No rush. Just a change of tack I guess. You know i'm a mover and shaker Wes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 (edited) You know i'm a mover and shaker Wes. Would the mover & shaker consider building one from scratch? Seen couple of other builders pull this off in the last few years. Contour of body equals Radius plans that sing around the web. Bought one of these SC500N's recently, and it has the same Sabre body shape. Never knew it was such a fine shape, considering I have had my fair share of exposure to the JS / Radius shape. Edited October 27, 2008 by RGGR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted October 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 It sounds awfully arrogant, but I don't have time to attempt it and fail unfortunately! The only way I would consider making it myself is by duplicarving, or making a LOT of different radius templates. Very timeconsuming, or requires a stunt body to work from, and they're not easy to come by cheaply in that regard :-z If push comes to shove, i'll buy an RG7320 and block off the trem whilst cursing! I've done an outline of the body in CAD, and yes - it's pretty much the same or near as damnit to the JS/Radius. I would find it more difficult to achieve the constant slender tapers around the edge however. A logistical nightmare given my current "workshop"!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 It sounds awfully arrogant, but I don't have time to attempt it and fail unfortunately! Imagine my concern...I will be performing this same operation on a $300 piece of pomelle bubinga...but the reward potential outweighs the risk factor....or in other words..."go big or go home" I would find it more difficult to achieve the constant slender tapers around the edge however. They are not constant...at least not on the sabre...I have one...look at it every day.the RADIUS is constant,but the edges vary in thickness according to how far from the centerline they are... Or maybe I misunderstand you... I think the ONLY way to properly do this without a CNC is to(and I think of this alot) create a router table with a center pivot at each end...the "arms" of the router support(overhead router) would be exactly half (in length) the distance of the radius wanting to be created...the body would be made stationary,then the router swing arm contraption would be passed over until done... But lately I have decided to try a drill mounted like a router,with an ez planer attached...the larger surface area combined with lower rpm surely would be easier to control while at the same time being less tedious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted October 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 It sounds awfully arrogant, but I don't have time to attempt it and fail unfortunately! Imagine my concern...I will be performing this same operation on a $300 piece of pomelle bubinga...but the reward potential outweighs the risk factor....or in other words..."go big or go home" I would find it more difficult to achieve the constant slender tapers around the edge however. They are not constant...at least not on the sabre...I have one...look at it every day.the RADIUS is constant,but the edges vary in thickness according to how far from the centerline they are... Or maybe I misunderstand you... I think the ONLY way to properly do this without a CNC is to(and I think of this alot) create a router table with a center pivot at each end...the "arms" of the router support(overhead router) would be exactly half (in length) the distance of the radius wanting to be created...the body would be made stationary,then the router swing arm contraption would be passed over until done... But lately I have decided to try a drill mounted like a router,with an ez planer attached...the larger surface area combined with lower rpm surely would be easier to control while at the same time being less tedious? You're right about the radius across the pickup plane being constant, and the edge widening as the waist comes in - I figured that one out easy enough. If I wanted to go down the route of building it myself, I figured that i'd modify the XY router jig (rebuilding it would help too) into a duplicarver using my current S body to create a pine template from which blanks can be copied. I really don't like the idea of having my favourite guitar clamped into a device involve large spinning things, dust and chips :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 (edited) I've done an outline of the body in CAD, and yes - it's pretty much the same or near as damnit to the JS/Radius. You're aware of this link, right? http://www.speakeasy.org/~sven/site/radius.html I would find it more difficult to achieve the constant slender tapers around the edge however. A logistical nightmare given my current "workshop"!! Never done a Sabre shape myself.....but do know some builders on this site have attempted it with some very nice results. Look here: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...ic=26137&hl Maybe you should PM him and get some pointers. Didn't seem like awful complicated build. The thing that throws me is not the curve on the body but the input jack. Would not know how I could pull that one off. ..using my current S body to create a pine template from which blanks can be copied. I really don't like the idea of having my favorite guitar clamped into a device involve large spinning things, dust and chips :-\ That's route I would take, make a template...and practice curving body on cheaper piece of body wood, but not through industrial copy-carving route, but involving more elbow grease and simple sanding disks/blocks/scrapers/etc. Sometimes these things look sooo complicated but once you start with them they seem rather do-able. With S body in the house, you should get decent measurements, and should come close. Edited October 28, 2008 by RGGR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 I did a saber for a friend and it wasn't as hard as you think. <making something seem entirely easier than it is> So do all your routing while the body is still square. Then use a nice angle grinder and round it off.... block sand, sand some more, scrape, sand, scrape, etc.... </making something seem entirely easier than it is> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 <making something seem entirely easier than it is> So do all your routing while the body is still square. Then use a nice angle grinder and round it off.... block sand, sand some more, scrape, sand, scrape, etc.... </making something seem entirely easier than it is> Speaking of which... http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...20P90/wip12.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...20P90/wip13.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...20P90/wip14.jpg http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff15/av...20P90/wip15.jpg So yeah... what he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 Maybe you should PM him and get some pointers. Didn't seem like awful complicated build. The thing that throws me is not the curve on the body but the input jack. Would not know how I could pull that one off. Those links are not sabre shaped guitars...... But see here...I just REALLY studied my sabre and it is not a constant radius...I think it STARTS as a constant radius,then the carve is flattened towards the edges...so strange and VERY complex to match exactly... Plus it falls away from the bridge as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 (edited) Look here: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...ic=26137&hl Maybe you should PM him and get some pointers. Didn't seem like awful complicated build. The thing that throws me is not the curve on the body but the input jack. Would not know how I could pull that one off. ..using my current S body to create a pine template from which blanks can be copied. I really don't like the idea of having my favorite guitar clamped into a device involve large spinning things, dust and chips :-\ That's route I would take, make a template...and practice curving body on cheaper piece of body wood, but not through industrial copy-carving route, but involving more elbow grease and simple sanding disks/blocks/scrapers/etc. Sometimes these things look sooo complicated but once you start with them they seem rather do-able. With S body in the house, you should get decent measurements, and should come close. That Sabre-style body was great, although still not as slender as an actual Sabre. The edge near the rear straplock for example is around 1/2" (i'm at work so I can't check) and the same at the widest parts. The waist is nearing 1". That is some serious slenderisation!! I've been talking to Jim, but even with CNC it's the double-sided radius that's the issue. Holding a non-flat workpiece down to carve the second side is a pain. I will probably go down the duplicarving route if it'll be impractical for Jim although i'll have to deal with the same issues of course. I figure that it's probably easiest to rout the top and make two standoffs which sit in the pickup cavities. Those should keep the body stable, and then popping blocks around the edge to prevent tipping. In fact, this is getting me thinking.... The main object of this is to maintain the uBer-slender body. I see Ibanez now sell Sabre-based guitars with flat backs etc. but that kind of seems to defeat the point somewhat :-D Right, better buy me some alder then. Edited October 29, 2008 by Prostheta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 That Sabre-style body was great, although still not as slender as an actual Sabre. The edge near the rear straplock for example is around 1/2" (i'm at work so I can't check) and the same at the widest parts. The waist is nearing 1". That is some serious slenderisation!! When you do it all by hand, aren't you in full control off this. Meaning.....if slimness is the goal, you can just trim it down as much as you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted October 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 Yeah, I guess so. There's a difference between a project guitar and one you need for a specific purpose. I am not a perfect builder by any standard, and I feel that a professionally built body adhering to the Sabre shape better than I can easily achieve will suit my purpose better. This kind of differs from my usual "long term" projects which finish themselves when they do. I'm probably going to just buy the Ibanez offering on the basis that it's good to go, and consider this build as a future prospect once I rebuild my rail routing jig. Thanks all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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