chops1983 Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Well the other day i had a bit of a creative urge and came up with this shape, The last shot is with the neck off my other d/c project which im halfway through. The body is going to be tassie blackwood and im thinking my burmese teak for a carved top. Disregard those carve lines drawn in on the template, thats just fooling around. Im thinking this shape needs more of a rounded over carve, not 100 percent sure yet. The neck will be a sandwich of Maple/sheoak/Maple and set into this body.Ebony fingerboard hopefully a nice plain black board if i can find one. My usual scale of 25.125 with 22 jumbo frets. I was thinking going to 24 frets but is there any benefit other than 2 octaves up the fretboard?The higher fret positions are going to be smaller so thats a con. Thoughts? And i was thinking of using a 12 inch radius instead of 9.5. Now this build is for my wife, She's not a player but it earns me some points and ill play it for the both of us! So in saying that, she loves egyptian mythology, so i want to use abalone and inlay hieroglyphics down a plain black ebony fretboard and run the egyptian theme. If that inlaying goes well i may even incorporate a bigger inlay in the body or headstock. Hipshot hardtail or tremelo for this shape i think and i was even thinking about some EMG active p/ups! How do these sound for clean work? Im not a metal guitarist but maybe some EMG's will inspire me to dabble! Controls im not sure of yet either. It's gonna depend on what p/ups i suppose. But it will most likely be 1 vol and 1 tone and i was thinking if i use passive humbucks a 5 or 6 way rotary switch for series/ parallel options. I really want to incorporate a built in electronic tuner but at the end of the day how hard is it just to use a floor tuner! Some Blackwood Closer Blackwood Some Teak This build i will take abit of time on as i now have 5 guitars and am not in too much of a hurry for a sixth, but i will post up progress pics as i go. Thanks for reading and your thoughts and opinions are always welcome! Cheers Chad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dude Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Looks kinda like a PRS, but a bit sleeker. I like it a lot. Can't wait to see how this turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 looks exactly like a Modern Eagle besides a few things... I love that shape anyway, the timber look nice, so cut away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalhead28 Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 I dig the shape. I'm excited to see this one come together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted April 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 Cheers guys. I definately agree with hints of a PRS but if you put a pic of one next to this its quite different. The butt of this is offset,whereas PRS is symmetrical, the waist comes in alot more skinnier and the horns are quite abit different. I wasn't wanting to copy a PRS shape and i didnt have one on hand while i was drawing it but it definately has the stylings Goining to try and glue up the body blank today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbrown Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Looks good to me chops. I wouldn't have tagged it as a PRS copy. Definately alot of options with the carving of the top. Can you tell me more about this burmese teak? I have never heard of it before? Cheers, Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Looks good to me chops. I wouldn't have tagged it as a PRS copy. Definately alot of options with the carving of the top. Can you tell me more about this burmese teak? I have never heard of it before? Cheers, Peter Thanks Peter! Well i can tell you that its a type of teak and that it comes from burma!haha Joking. It is used in the marine industry alot and SJE was telling me it has a high oil content which will make it hard to join. I have a neat program called prospect which is released by the oxford university and is a database for timber. Theres not many timber species its missing. Mate I can tell you that the texture ranges from fine to coarse(?) It weighs in the 600-719kg/m3 on average. Movement in service is stable. Very small to small shrinkage once dried below 12% MC. The hardness on Janka Sidegrain is Soft/Medium (Don't think this will be too much of a problem as i dont usually belt my guitars around). Very durable and resistant to fungal staining. Slow drying rate but easy to dry. There is no drying degrade eg. surface checking. No drying degrade - Twisting,warping,spring,bow or cupping. Sawing is easy green or dry. Machining is easy and blunting is slight. It's telling me that gluing is easy/moderate! Finishing is good but sanding is poor, im guessing that means it is hard to sand, this will be interesting!Varnishing and polishing are both good. I haven't told you all the properties but there is alot about drying methods, hammer drops and all sorts of other info. I have got all these Properties from "Prospect" I suggest if you work with timber (and we all do) to download it and install it on your computer. It is very useful. Hope this answers your Q Peter. Here's a couple of pics of a PRS modern eagle 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted May 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 A few progress pics i have been meaning to put up. got the tassie blackwood cut and routed to shape and have the top rough cut and ready to glue to the blackwood. top Wetted Now for joining the top together i used plain old regular titebond and the join seems really strong(i got a small offcut(about 1.5 inches of gluing surface) of the top with the join to test the strength and it took alot of strength and weight to break it by holding it over the corner of my work bench and using two hands), but this burmese teak is supposed to be fairly oily and its recommended to use epoxy to glue. Normally i would just go out and buy the glue but im on a tight budget as im saving to go travelling. So the question is, What do you all think about using titebond to join the top to the body??? Im thinking there is alot more gluing area than just the edge so i think it will be ok.But im worried more about the future, say in many years time. Anyone had any bad experiences with oily timber?BTW thats a pen centre line down the top Ive laminated the neck blank and its ready for action. Maple/sheoak/maple. I also joined up two small offcuts for the headstock veneer and sliced off a 3mm piece. What is the usual thickness for a headstock veneer? Its at about 2.5mm after a level sand with the beltsander. headstock veneer Try spot the join on that veneer. Now i have to work out the fretboard inlays and start working on them. Cheers Chad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hipshot hardtail or tremelo for this shape i think and i was even thinking about some EMG active p/ups! How do these sound for clean work? Im not a metal guitarist but maybe some EMG's will inspire me to dabble! Controls im not sure of yet either. It's gonna depend on what p/ups i suppose. But it will most likely be 1 vol and 1 tone and i was thinking if i use passive humbucks a 5 or 6 way rotary switch for series/ parallel options. Hey Chad! EMGs are funny beasts, and everyone's opinions vary so much that I don't think there is a fair consensus on "how they sound". The most prevalent opinion is that they sound compressed, which is fair comment until you increase their supply voltages to 18v from 9v. The extra headroom opens up the dynamics a lot more and changes the character. I'm about to rewire my EXP build to supply 18v for the bridge and 9v to the neck on the basis that I like a bit of compression in my neck character, so it works to my advantage. I guess it's worth experimenting to see what works. FWIW, I usually use dual 81s or an 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck. Never been too into the 85s. The second most popular opinion on EMGs is that they sound "too hifi" which again can be a good or a bad thing. Either way, I like both actives and passives, but it does become a chore having to pop the pad button on my amp when I change between the two. As for the rotary switch - as you've figured, you won't get as much use of one with EMGs as you would passives, as each coil is connected internally rather than being led out like most passives. The newer EMG TW pickups might be different in that respect, but i'm not 100%. Have you considered other viable control options, such as semi coil taps (where the connection between the coils of a humbucker is tapped to ground using a tone control) etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted May 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hipshot hardtail or tremelo for this shape i think and i was even thinking about some EMG active p/ups! How do these sound for clean work? Im not a metal guitarist but maybe some EMG's will inspire me to dabble! Controls im not sure of yet either. It's gonna depend on what p/ups i suppose. But it will most likely be 1 vol and 1 tone and i was thinking if i use passive humbucks a 5 or 6 way rotary switch for series/ parallel options. Hey Chad! EMGs are funny beasts, and everyone's opinions vary so much that I don't think there is a fair consensus on "how they sound". The most prevalent opinion is that they sound compressed, which is fair comment until you increase their supply voltages to 18v from 9v. The extra headroom opens up the dynamics a lot more and changes the character. I'm about to rewire my EXP build to supply 18v for the bridge and 9v to the neck on the basis that I like a bit of compression in my neck character, so it works to my advantage. I guess it's worth experimenting to see what works. FWIW, I usually use dual 81s or an 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck. Never been too into the 85s. The second most popular opinion on EMGs is that they sound "too hifi" which again can be a good or a bad thing. Either way, I like both actives and passives, but it does become a chore having to pop the pad button on my amp when I change between the two. As for the rotary switch - as you've figured, you won't get as much use of one with EMGs as you would passives, as each coil is connected internally rather than being led out like most passives. The newer EMG TW pickups might be different in that respect, but i'm not 100%. Have you considered other viable control options, such as semi coil taps (where the connection between the coils of a humbucker is tapped to ground using a tone control) etc? Hey prostheta cheers for the info. I don't think i have heard of those controls, is that like a blend pot sort of setup? Please explain? Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 The shape is good. Sort of like the modern eagle but not. What I especially love are the pictures of your feet, great touch. You should keep them in all your buid shots, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted May 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 The shape is good. Sort of like the modern eagle but not. What I especially love are the pictures of your feet, great touch. You should keep them in all your buid shots, LOL Can do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted May 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 (edited) Got the truss rod slot routed today and the neck rough cut. Forgot to take pics of the rough cut neck. I also made a neck scarfing jig like this Jig Thanks Buter, It works great! And i had a play with some carving techniques on some scrap using a rasp,router with a small cove bit,regular 19mm sharp chiesel and an orbital sander. It was fun and the results were great so im looking forward to start the carving on this one. Chad. P.S Sorry Spoke forgot to get my feet in the shot. Next time i will! Edited May 24, 2009 by chops1983 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 This is turning out to be a really nice build. Kind of reminiscent of a Firebirdy-PRS guitar. A plain coil tap cuts the coils of a humbucker into a single coil pickup whereas a semi coil tap inserts a treble bleed control (like a tone control) in between both coils of a humbucker. It's a toy control really, but one to try at some point in your life if you tinker with the circuits for fun! I might pop a semi coil tap on my dual humbucker Hourglass to give me single coil(ish) options. I've not got any instrument with silly amounts of pots/switchs so it might be amusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted May 24, 2009 Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 Very nice, love that center laminate! The blank has a very similar color to the one I've been working on, but wow that center laminate is a thousand times better than Jatoba, so cool looking. I can't wait to see what that looks like once you've done the carve on the back of the neck, it should really look very cool! Great job planning it all out. Looking at the last pic or two, I can't tell but do you have the rod so the adjustment nut is on the bottom? In the pictures it looks upside down, it should go on the bottom, at least I believe it does, thats how I did my last hotrod if I remember correctly. Excellent work and look forward to seeing more pictures!!! Keep them coming! J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted May 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2009 Hey Prostheta do you have a schematic for a semi coil tap. I was also thinking maybe instead of a switch trying a blend pot, i think that would be an interesting control. Cheers rentis Sheoak is a lovely timber from the south west of oz, its abit like lacewood i guess. It looks amazing when you use it for a kitchen or like Saracen winery have done down here and used it for their cellar door. The truss rod has got the nut on the bottom BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) Sure thing - here are some "normal" coil tap mods: http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/W...ring_Usage.html Here's the semi coil tap mod: http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/W...Treble_Cut.html ...you might want to increase the value of the capacitor somewhat to make the semi coil tap control more "effective" compared to your normal tone control. 47pF, 100pF or even 220pF are worth experimenting with. It's a surprisingly effective mod given that hum is low frequency, so it still gets "bucked". I'm not too sure which pickups do and do not make for good tapped pickups however. This is a pretty cool mod too: http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/blendmod.htm Edited May 25, 2009 by Prostheta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted May 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Cheers Prostheta. I may even give that a try just to see how it sounds. So im guessing with the tone to 10 it will sound more like a single coil and down like a humbucker? Thats why you would use a different cap to let more treble through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted June 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Got some more work done on this one today. Glued the top to the body, routed it flush with the tassie blackwood and started the carve. The neck has also got the headstock veneer glued on and ready to rough cut it out. No photos of the neck but will take some tomorrow. end grain Yeah i know, not much imagination with the carve but i had alot of fun today. Had the tunes cranked,sand paper in hand and just enjoyed the process. Still really early on though. Chad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 i like the teak, its grain looks pretty crazy in the last picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalhead28 Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Looking really cool, man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 (edited) More work done today. Finished the carve and rough cut the neck, routed the headstock and drilled the tuner holes. Hopefully tomorrow i will true up the fretboard, get it slotted and start to work on the inlays. These first pics are with grain fill on the top. Gives the best view of the contours. Carve 1 Carve 2 Carve 3 Carve 4 The teaks grain patterns remind me of a tigers markings. Maybe ill play around with some stain, make up a bright orange and have a play on some scrap. Heres a question Is stain and dye the same thing? Had to take this photo. I don't know how you guys work but this is my workbench after a busy day. I clear it before i start the day but it ends up like this. There is method in my madness... I think. I also need some advice from anyone who can help. Once i have finished the inlay on the headstock and fretboard i will basically need to finish the body. What i want to know is do you guys route for your tremelo bridge before you get it or do you wait? and if you do where can i get the trem route dimensions for a hipshot trem? i want to finish this guitar before i go away in two months but im on a tight budget and shouldn't really spend any money on it.Any help would be great guys. Cheers Chad. Edited June 9, 2009 by chops1983 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalhead28 Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 They say the Hipshot is made to fit on a Strat, so it will probably be easier to find dimensions for that. The Stewmac fret calculator will tell you where to put the posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAK Guitars Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 That looks sweet. I like how the grain makes like an S shape on the front. Stain and dye are different things. Stain is more opaque and covers the grain a little more, and dye is more transparent. I've never used a dye but i think it absorbs into the wood rather than sitting on top so it doesnt cover anything up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Actually stain can be a dye too. Stain is a broad term. The difference is between pigment stains and dye stains. Pigment stains consist of larger particles that get stuck on the surface of the wood and in pores. They can get blotchy and are generally less even than dyes. Dyes absorb into the wood to color it, and will make the grain "pop" more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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