Super Strat = Project Sharon <3

[xXMikeXx]

OK... So further to my last post, I'm going all out and building the Thru-Neck from scratch!

So... Sharon as the guitar will forever be known, Shall be a 24 Fret, Thru-Neck, Quilted Maple (Dark Purple Stain) Black everything else (with the exception of hardware as i havn't quite decided on that yet, 5 piece neck sexy beast of a guitar!

Mahogany Body:

5 Piece Neck: Maple/Wenge (Unless anyone has any better suggestions? Bearing in mind it's build for tone, not looks)

One Pick-Up: Bridge

Curved Top: NOT carved top, Just a nice curve to it so the Quilted Maple will catch the light nicely

Fixed Trem Bridge:

6-String Of Course!

Not sure about binding though, Pretty sure i want some around the body... But don't know what colour... Maybe Abalone?! Help?

If anyone has any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them... Also if anyone would like to see this project come together let me know and i'll post the whole sexy thing from start to finish! (Providing I don't kill myself in the process)

Mike x

[xXMikeXx]

If anyone has any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them... Also if anyone would like to see this project come together let me know and i'll post the whole sexy thing from start to finish! (Providing I don't kill myself in the process)

You are new so let me tell you something...we need progress pics! Good luck on the build, it´s very ambitious but it sounds great. Plan every step of the way.

Don't worry, As my first project I'm going to be documenting every step and being unnecessarily cautious when it comes to all the steps because i don't want my first build to be my last because it went wrong and put me off!

Should be starting on the body soon so i may have something for everyone to see soon!

And i agree, It is ambitious... But then again I've never been someone to do anything by halves! Lol.

Thanks!

[ihocky2]

I'm going to suggest putting this build idea on the shelf for a little while and making one or two other guitars first to learn on. You are going to have a lot of portions to learn to make this into the guitar you see in your head. Unless you get someone to custom make the neck for you, you are going to have to learn how to do fret work and no one gets that right the first time around and usually take several times until they get good at it.

Quilted maple is not cheap and is not forgiving. Trust me, watching a chunk of your $150 quilted top tear out and be thrown across the room is gut wrenching. Wenge chips easily.

Thru-necks take plenty of extra planning to make sure everything connects as needed.

Binding itself is not difficult if using plastic, wood takes a little more practice but is not hard. Abalone is a completely different animal. You need to cut small sections at a time to match the contour and you need to create seamless joints doing so. Not impossible by any means, but it takes some time and practice.

Everything you want to do is very feasible but for a first guitar is jumping straight into the deep end. Some people have joined here and built first guitars that were absolutely stunning. However for every one of them there are a lot more that make a playable instrument but it is not the work of art they envisioned. You have a vision in your head of a beautiful guitar that you will cherish forever and will play better than anything you can buy in the store. We've all had that vision or else we would not be here. But the chances of your first guitar meeting what you expect it to are very slim. Take the time, build a few to learn on, get a feel for how everything goes together and how different woods act, then move onto that dream guitar.

[xXMikeXx]

I'm going to suggest putting this build idea on the shelf for a little while and making one or two other guitars first to learn on. You are going to have a lot of portions to learn to make this into the guitar you see in your head. Unless you get someone to custom make the neck for you, you are going to have to learn how to do fret work and no one gets that right the first time around and usually take several times until they get good at it.

Quilted maple is not cheap and is not forgiving. Trust me, watching a chunk of your $150 quilted top tear out and be thrown across the room is gut wrenching. Wenge chips easily.

Thru-necks take plenty of extra planning to make sure everything connects as needed.

Binding itself is not difficult if using plastic, wood takes a little more practice but is not hard. Abalone is a completely different animal. You need to cut small sections at a time to match the contour and you need to create seamless joints doing so. Not impossible by any means, but it takes some time and practice.

Everything you want to do is very feasible but for a first guitar is jumping straight into the deep end. Some people have joined here and built first guitars that were absolutely stunning. However for every one of them there are a lot more that make a playable instrument but it is not the work of art they envisioned. You have a vision in your head of a beautiful guitar that you will cherish forever and will play better than anything you can buy in the store. We've all had that vision or else we would not be here. But the chances of your first guitar meeting what you expect it to are very slim. Take the time, build a few to learn on, get a feel for how everything goes together and how different woods act, then move onto that dream guitar.

Hey, Thanks for taking the time to post on here... And I'm fully aware of your concerns as i have them too. But i don't have the money to go out and buy more parts to practice on. And although this will be my first build... It is by far not the first time working with wood and all the most common tools used in building guitars (I used to do woodshop) And also, don't worry about the quilted maple... It's going to be a veneer as i want to keep as much mahogany for tone as i can.

I also have an Ibanez RG Thru-Neck which will be my guide throughout the whole project. The body and neck will be to the exact dimensions as the RG... As long as i take my time and don't rush anything. So sizing should not be a problem. It's just the curvature on the top of the body and the headstock that will be different.

I'm deffinately going to take my time with this, i've been planning it for about 2 years now and finally taking the plunge... So i'm going to be extremely careful with all measurements and cutting/planing, everything! Also as i have a guitar i find amazingly comfertable to play, i can take constant measurements to make sure i'm 100% on target the whole way though the build.

And as for your fretting concerns... I will most likely be buying a pre-slotted fret board as this will be the first time building a guitar... So i'm not going to risk something that needs to be spot on.

P.S. And as to your abalone response... I wont be using REAL abalone lol... That's just way too much worry on top of the build it's self. It will be a white and abalone stripped plastic binding. You know the stuff that looks like the real deal.

Anyways, I've gone on enough at you about this

Thanks for your reply and i'll be taking into account your concerns dude!

Mike x