Sardine Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 This will be a quickie, since I only have about 7 weeks before leaving for college. Hopefully I'll get it done in time. Specs: Body: African mahogany with curly maple top. Probably no pickguard. Neck: Guitarfetish all-maple tele neck. I chose to buy rather than build due to time limitations. Electronics: 3 GFS Lil' Killers, 6k, 10k, and 15k. 5-way switch, volume and tone controls. Hardware: Guitarfetish floyd rose and basic tuners. I had the bridge lying around anyway. Will probably block it. Finish: Clear on the mahogany, probably dyed on the maple. Still debating over color (not blue ). May try staining with red wine. Some shots of the wood: Mahogany was purchased at Rockler, and the maple was a Lowes Special. 25 bucks man! I was able to get some surprisingly good grain matches too. Rock on, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 Nope... ain't gunna finish that in 7 weeks unless you bought that maple a GOOD long time ago. I would NOT build with maple straight off the lowes shelf. That stuff will most likely still be relatively wet. And building with wet wood is a horrible idea. Be careful man. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sardine Posted June 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 (edited) You're right! Another look reveals that the maple is still settling in, so although it pains me to leave it off, this one is looking like it will be straight mahogany. I think I'll make it a hollow body. I just checked out a mahogany thinline tele that was pretty cool. Maybe I'll make a couple of Les Pauls with the maple next summer. Rock on Edited June 30, 2010 by Sardine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyonsdream Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 You could always take it and have it dried. Would likely take a week to get done. Look up a local lumber yard that has a kiln. For as small as that stuff is, wouldn't cost you much either. You haven't even made one cut yet and it sounds like you are compromising. That's the difference between a good builder and a great builder. Great ones don't compromise their vision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sardine Posted July 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 To be honest, it was going to be straight mahogany until I saw the maple at Lowes. For what I spent on this (not much at all), I really can't justify the cost of kiln-drying a $25 piece of maple. I'll just sticker it and let it acclimatize to my workshop. In other news, I've almost finished the templates for the body. Also, in the interest of expedient construction and tuning stability, I've decided to leave off the floyd for now. Still thinking along the lines of a pair of Les Pauls for next summer, maybe I'll make one with the floyd and one with regular hardware. So, new specs: Mahogany hollow body Maple neck Hardtail bridge Electronics still the same. Finish either clear or Gibson cherry red. Rock on, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarnut Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 Cool! I'll be watching this one. All sources I've read or talked to report that hardwoods at Lowes and Home Depot are kiln dried. I think you're fine to move forward with it. They stock these woods for home improvement projects knowing the average DIYer isn't going to take time to dry the wood. Imagine buying 30 BF of maple or oak for a cabinet project and letting it air dry in your garage for a year...wouldn't make sense for most buyers. I would be more concerned if you bought it from an individual or online. Best of luck with the build! Peace, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 I agree, I let stuff from the 'bay sit in my shop JUST as long That said, you could be right, I was thinkin' more along the lines of their softwoods since that's all I've ever bought from Lowes/The Depot. I have never really messed with their hardwoods. You could be totally right. Mayhaps weigh up the wood and check to see if it's closer to the wet, or the dry, value for it's lb/inch^3 (or whatever units they're usin'). Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 General Tools MMD4E LED Moisture Meter then we can stop guessing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterblastor Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 The lowes out here doesn't carry maple. However, I did use some poplar from there on some prototypes. It was dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sardine Posted July 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 Cut out the body and routed it to the template. Next I'll be routing the cavities for the electronics, as well as the neck pocket. I'm hoping to get the majority of the "heavy duty" woodwork done this weekend, so I can move on to the finish sanding. Pics coming tomorrow. Rock on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuffinPunch Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 Still thinking along the lines of a pair of Les Pauls for next summer, maybe I'll make one with the floyd and one with regular hardware. I always loved the idea of a Floyd on an LP, until I saw Axcess Standard. It lust looks wrong IMO. Not bad, wrong! Good luck with this build man! I got ambitious and thought I could build 4 guitars in 14 weeks for some reason. To make matters worse, two of them are very non-traditional. Im just now coming to the realization that im in way over my head 8 weeks into the builds! For one guitar, you should have no problem! You sound pretty confident too, thats always a good sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sardine Posted July 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 So I've routed the pickup cavities and neck pocket. For the pup cavity I went with a ginormous swimming pool route, to allow for potential mods and cut down weight a little. I had a minor goof-up with the neck pocket, which I've patched. Once that's dry I'll trim it and route the cavity for the electronics, then on to the contouring. Rock on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sardine Posted July 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 Pic of routed body: Scrapped the idea of doing a hollow body for simplicity's sake, so now it's just a bare-bones plank. I still love it though. You can see a couple of minor router marks in the bottom of the pickup cavity. It bugs me a little, but considering a did the pickup cavity with only a straightedge and the electronics cavity freehand, I'm quite pleased with the results. The neck pocket patch turned out perfect. I'll know it's there, but unless I point it out, I don't think anyone else will. I've been messing with wiring ideas and come up with a cool mod which will keep the standard strat control layout, but vastly expand pickup selection options. I'm calling it the Super Secret Tone Mod. I'll explain it later, when I find out if it actually works. Rock on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarnut Posted July 11, 2010 Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 I can't tell from the pic but is the lower horn Strat or Tele? Peace, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sardine Posted July 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 The lower horn is tele style. I just copied a tele body from a frankenstein I made a while back. The strat pickguard still fits it fine. I've almost got the contours finished. I'll throw up some pics in a bit. Rock on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sardine Posted July 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 Here are some pics of the contoured body, with the pickguard. Packing it in for the night now. Rock on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpcrash Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 Just curious - how thick is that body right now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sardine Posted July 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 1.9 inches. My measurements were a little off when I was gluing up the blank, so it's thicker than most. I'll just say it's to improve sustain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sardine Posted August 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 Done! I didn't have time to shoot a gloss finish, so it's currently semi-gloss epoxy. I may topcoat it at a later date. Sounds good, has great sustain. Weighs too much (8.4 lbs). All in all I'm pretty pleased with it. I'm glad to get it done in time to bring it to college (leaving tomorrow morning). Rock on, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted August 18, 2010 Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 wow... I cant believe you just dealt with leaving it that thick... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 18, 2010 Report Share Posted August 18, 2010 I think that came out pretty nice, man. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarnut Posted August 20, 2010 Report Share Posted August 20, 2010 Hi Rob. The guitar came out nice. Don't worry about the thickness of the body. It's not that much thicker than normal and it's thinner than a Les Paul so as long as you have the shoulders to support it, rock on! If I had any nit with it, it would be the Tele lower horn with a Strat PG...especially since you contoured it on the back to make it more form fitting. But that's just a personal taste thing. Nice job and good luck in school. You've got a good looking guitar to take with you. Keep your eye on it at the frat parties. I have an Epi Les Paul Plus Top that had it's neck broken at a party. The previous owner never found out who did it...it's lovingly restored now. Peace, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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