Clelmans Posted January 11, 2011 Report Share Posted January 11, 2011 Hi to all, Me and a freind have made our first attempt at building our first ever guitar and would like to share our journey so far. This site has been a great help to us and has offered alot of very useful information from some very clever people in which i would like to say thanks. Since day one we have documented our guitar build with the aid of photo's that have been placed on our web site. The reason we put a site together is to allow other guitar builders(beginers and experienced) to be able to take a look and offer advise and maybe we can help other beginers get around problems we have found as we've gone along. Please take a look and leave your comments as they are all welcome (Good or Bad), As you will see we are novice builders and learn something new everytime we go a step further. The link below will take you to our home page. http://clelmanguitars.com/ Thanks for your time........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hi all, my names Gaz, i'm Petes friend from above post, as he said above its a first build project for us both, although Pete has experience in joinery its a first for woodworking and guitar building for myself so im really enjoying the challenges im having learning. Last weekend i got round to trying to carve the maple top, first researching on forums how best to go about it and we decided on routing levels away 1st before carving, below are a few pics where i am at for the moment, not being used to carving my hands and arms were killing me after shaping just the back of the body lol, and so below is as far as i got, but this weekend i will crack on more and try and progress the carve, i have the sides and horns to do, im looking forward to it but i know it wont be easy with my lack of experience but theres only one way and its to try my best, ive got myself some gouges and chisels as well as the miniature plane i used on the back of the body, so hopefully it will go ok. (....just got to remember i can take more off but i cant add it back principle, lol ) ,.i will post a pic again after this weekends efforts, ..cheers Gaz routed levels away once i got to this stage my arm was killing me and so had to stop last weekend, this weekend coming i hope to progress further couldnt resist a wipe over with a damp cloth, just to see how the grain looked, and smiled ..i like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 (....just got to remember i can take more off but i cant add it back principle, lol ) That is soo true. Looking good so far. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted January 15, 2011 Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) (....just got to remember i can take more off but i cant add it back principle, lol ) That is soo true. Looking good so far. SR thanks SR, yea especially using a gouge for the first time lol, id rather try taking a bit off at a time than too much, spent a few hours today roughing out the carving and got one side of the body looking a bit shapely (im a bit slow and inexperienced hence hours for one side i guess), i didnt manage to finish the side so its not finished yet but it is getting the shape there, ...i think i need to get a couple of scrapers to smooth it down. will have go at the other side and try and rough it in tomorrow if i can, Gaz. Edited January 19, 2011 by gazeadgbe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 didnt get to to the other side but had a go at the horn shape instead, i think it needs a bit more taken off the left side of the scoop after looking back and seeing some of the photos i took during doing it, i guess a good reason to have a break from what your doing and going back and doing more another day. As it stands at moment in pic below, of course its not a PRS copy guitar im trying to do after all as its my own guitar inspired by a PRS, so doesn't really matter if it doesn't look exactly like a PRS scoop but id like to get it looking nice as i can, also i think the maple top is quite a bit thicker than photos ive looked at of PRS tops, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osorio Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Very nice work man! I love to see this kind of arch being build, and love more build one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clelmans Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 (edited) Hi, Just thought i would post a couple of pics on the carving of my maple top. Also a picture of using the router to form a flat to the outside edge of the guitar. The flat edge gives me something to work down to without touching the binding edge in which i need to keep in shape. Started to smooth the back of the guitar off and determin a shape. After starting to smooth round the side of the guitar i started to lose the flat on the outside edge, I then looked at a few pics of a prs and see that the flat round the edge of the guitar looked to be around the 10mm mark. I set the router up with a square cutter with a bearing on the bottom and set it to cut just above the binding level i wanted to leave on the guitar. This worked a treat and put a flat edge 10mm in all the way round the guitar. The back edge of the flat has given me a fixed point to work to when shaping the guitar. After routing. As shown in this pic ive not gone right down to the flat. My aim is to get the whole body to this stage and then take the last bit of at the end. Hopefully this will stop me taking to much of in places and leaving high and low spots. As soon as i see a bit of shape i couldnt help myself and popped the neck in. BIG SMILE Just started the other side of the guitar which for some reason is slightly more difficult. I think its something to do with the grain of the maple. Getting there with the sides now and looking to start the front scoop as Gaz has already done his. Edited January 20, 2011 by Clelmans 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Nice work guys. For first builds they are both looking great. Take your time and enjoy the process as you are both doing and they will turn out great! Chad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Nice work guys. For first builds they are both looking great. Take your time and enjoy the process as you are both doing and they will turn out great! Chad. Cheers Chad (and Osorio) for the encouraging comments, we appreciate it thanks. I've done a bit more today, i tackled (or was it attacked?)the right hand sides curve today so below are a few progress pics, thanks. first off because of the sanding previously, i offered up the carve template guide i did and pencilled in the lines through the template onto the guitar body again for reference Body with fresh pencil lines for carve guide reference after a bit of chiseling work with the gouge ....and more wood removal...starting to get the shape ........after some finger planing and sandpaper and a bit of scraping and a coffee lol here it is as it stands at the moment, and im pretty well pleased so far, got the shape roughed in, but a lot of scraping and sanding to go...(another day as my arm aches again). cheers Gaz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Hi, just a progress photo of the carve on my guitar top, almost done after hours of a bit at a time, wiped it over with a damp cloth (guess its ok to do that), just a few tweaks left and final sand with finer grades and i guess next up is to experiment with some dyes on an off-cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Foreigner Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Hi, just a progress photo of the carve on my guitar top, almost done after hours of a bit at a time, wiped it over with a damp cloth (guess its ok to do that), just a few tweaks left and final sand with finer grades and i guess next up is to experiment with some dyes on an off-cut. Looking good, man. You can wipe with mineral spirits/naptha as much as you want. Wiping with water will raise the grain on the maple (which you will want to do deliberately before dyeing, but that's a different topic). Dyeing a figured maple top is one of life's great experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hello, just a Gaz carve update pic, now with the volume, tone and 3way scoops around the holes roughed in, just need final shaping / tweaking with the scraper and sandpaper, then later we made a template for the control cavity route but that will be next time as time ran out this week, really enjoying doing this project, every time we do a little more the more it looks more like a guitar lol, and the more i want to do a bit more,., cheers Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Hi ., progress shot as of 5th march of both guitars, with necks sitting in the bodies, back routes are done but will post later, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Those are very very nice! I believe that the carve may actually dip downwards from the edges before rising up into the "major part" of the carve, as this accentuates the femininity of the shape. Laugh if you want. I'll just be all serious here ;-) That said, I think those carves are both curved and defined enough to look fantastic as they stand. Should be a joy to tease into shape with some sandpaper from hereonin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 yes u are right about a dip from the edge,. i have tried to study many photos, as a guide to the desired shape we are after, (and no need for me to laugh, all help is appreciated so thanks ,.) .. but i have been trying to dip down from the outside edge using a gooseneck scraper running around the outside to try and make a dip, its my first carve so just experimenting and trying how we can do it best, pete did his different to mine and ran the router around the edge, and it is kind of worrying wondering as you carve if u are taking too much off, (cant put it back). , although we are pleased how its gone so far, of course we don't have anything to compare to apart from photos of other prs styled guitar builds on the net, ... and to be honest its not a bad thing if it isn't as close to a prs as possible as its our first projects inspired by prs guitar,.not a replica of, and thats almost impossible for a first guitar build project by us to replicate a prs ;-) ...(wishes) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 ........ its also nice in our opinion how the carves are so different by both of us adding our own touch to the basic shape we planned, petes (on the left) has a carve that has sharper points on the horns than mine which are flatter and rounder, and my carve on the right has my side swoops on each side going further into the middle of the body, the bottom end of my carve is more rounded like a gibson, petes is sharper swoop,. its just our individual interpretation as first time builders from out plans,. but i can say its very enjoyable,. ..it is Prs style inspired and not a copy to exact after all, the back control route ie totally our made up shape route also, will update tomorrow with a pic . Thnx Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 as mentioned a couple of pics of the back cavity template we made and routing. the template made drilled away some waste daylight, thats a good sign routing out the rest of the cavity finally the back control cavity routed and recess lips added and thought i would post a pic showing the inlay i did at the 12th fret, (reason i did the inlay is that i drilled one dot lower than the other by .5mm when i inlayed two dots on the 12th, so thought damn, got to get round this some how lol, but i like it so not too worried.) next step i think will be carving out some comfort swoops out the back or drill the bridge post holes, fit the nut and tuners and clamp the neck in place with the two E strings in and see how it all lines up before gluing the neck in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Personally, I have no idea how deep the (recurve?) is in the carve profile of a PRS. A gooseneck would likely get in there nicely, although I would probably tease it in with 80 grit paper over a small cylinder before finesse-ing it by hand. I've not had my hands on a (real) PRS (other than the cheapy ones) for a few years so I can't remember for the life of me. I set up a Cort PRS-a-like the other week though, and that had a very light dip which made a night and day difference to the carve in combination with the high gloss clear. You'll probably know when you're in the zone ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Our Souls inc. Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I see boobs in your 12th fret inlay....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I see boobs in your 12th fret inlay....... Haha nice 1, I see boobs now as well but they were meant to be a kinda snake eyes idea lol, but boobs is cool. Regarding to the outer edge recurve, I will run around some more with the goose neck a bit wider and deeper , I just don't want to get anywhere near the mahogany coming through though so chicken out lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Yeah, that is a risk. PRS use such hookin' large Maple tops that they can do the whole faux binding and recurve bit. Can anyone clarify the terminology here? I don't want to propagate an incorrent term (recurve) if it's just plain wrong! thx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Recurve is what I have always called it....and more importantly, what I've always seen it called. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Thanks Scott - much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauliemc Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 Recurve is what I have always called it....and more importantly, what I've always seen it called. SR Recurve is what I call it, Been carvin them for years on my Les paul-a-likes & never heard of it referd to as anything else. Dont chicken out. So long as you plan it ahead of the carve you will be fine. You know how deep your top is so you should be able to make it work. Even 3mm makes a big difference in the look when its cleared. & that depth is a walk in the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazeadgbe Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 Recurve is what I have always called it....and more importantly, what I've always seen it called. SR Recurve is what I call it, Been carvin them for years on my Les paul-a-likes & never heard of it referd to as anything else. Dont chicken out. So long as you plan it ahead of the carve you will be fine. You know how deep your top is so you should be able to make it work. Even 3mm makes a big difference in the look when its cleared. & that depth is a walk in the park. Ok cheers guys im eager to get my hands on it a bit more now and will try and widen and deepen the curve from the edge , ...i was looking at Crows build pics earlier which shows a nice recurve on his builds, Gaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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