immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 I've been lurking on this forum for quite some time starring at all those amazing builds. But having no woodworking experience at all (not even basic stuff), I could only dream about making my own. I finally took the chance after browsing through hundreds of "first build" threads, seeing what people could achieve with budget tools. So, a BIG thanks to all the pros and amateurs that share their knowledge I kept reminding to myself i should keep it simple, do not rush, take the time to make proper jigs and most of all, do NOT expect to build the umber guitar! Well, i broke those rules on several occasions and that led to terrible mistakes. I guess that's also part of the process. Isn't it? On to the build specs: Construction - Neck through with zero neck angle Neck woods - walnut/sycomore|rosewood|sycomore\walnut Body wood - walnut Fretboard - Ebony, flat(not radius-ed) Headstock - reverse 6 in line, 10 degrees angle, no scarf joint Bridge - SCHALLER 3D-6, flat mount Tuners - GROVER Mid size rotomatics Nut - GRAPH TECH BLACK TUSQ XL BLANK Fretwire - precut DUNLOP 6140 Trussrod - Goldo Pickups - Rockfield SWV (it's what i had laying around) Electronics - 1 volume, 3 way switch Got the wood from a local warehouse. A retired carpenter offered to cut the big walnut plank and square it for free(thanks Mr Antonis!) Fretboard template over the ebony blank Neck laminates planned,sanded and glued together While waiting for my first glue job to dry, i converted my father's donated circular saw into a mini table saw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Out of the clamps. Time for the so called "most enjoyable thing", the plane! The template was too big when printed at 100%. After several prints, 87% seemed to be the right size (compared to a BC Rich Gunslinger i own). It's just a JEM shape with the horns extended. PU cavity lines are just for reference, I'm going with a HH setup. Couldn't resist a little mock up... Parts arrived! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 After a failing attempt at a scarf joint (going freehand with the table saw...), i was left with a neck just 2cm longer than the right size. Fortunately, i cut everything over sized so i decided to go the easy route. 1 piece neck and headstock. The neck thickness wasn't enough for the 15 degree i was aiming for and ended up with just 10 degrees angle. Drilled several holes around the wings and cut between with a jig saw. After the first pass with the router i was met with Mr ugly huge knot...The funny thing is that it was visible from the bottom but it seemed more tiny and i made sure i avoided it. I somehow managed to mess up in this curve. It was so discouraging. I thought that by rearranging the curve a bit and with the help of the bevel between the top and sides, i could hide this. After i finished routing the shape i was left with this nasty hole... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Truss rod route slot and rough neck shaping Fret slots were done with...a kitchen knife which i had to sharpen after every other slot Next time I'll save myself by getting a nice fret saw. Sorry no pics of this interesting process! This is a freehand drawn initial glued into a piece of walnut. In case you're wondering, it's my wife's first name...After seeing this, she stopped whining about wood dust in the house. Strange. Used a hobby knife to cut this. Almost there Location marked over the 12th fret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Fret board carved with a small chisel as i had no access to a dremel. It took some elbow grease and a lot of patience. It was a very tight fit. I actually did something right. Here it is glued and sanded flat. Also installed side dots. Did the hs shape but it ended up a bit thin for proper installation of the tuners. I made my very first bookmatched veneer and glued on top. It looks like fish bone to me. I routed a slot and glued a plastic tube inside into where the neck will be glued to the right body wing. That's for the neck PU wire to go through the bridge PU cavity and then together to the back cavity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Wings clamped with the help of some scraps Out of the clamps. There's a spot on the upper portion of the right wing that the glue line can be seen. Not good And what about those mysterious black marks? I thought they were some kind of warehouse stamps, but they can't be sanded away. Any thoughts? PU cavities routed, but I deepened them a bit more later. The tube thing actually worked! Also, a close up of the ugly glue line near the cavity corner. Electronics cavity routed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 More to come later, got to go at work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Aluminum tape for shielding. I made a cover out of walnut. Fretboard glued with the help of a steel square tube and two nails to avoid slipping. Carving the neck with the spokeshave. That was the most enjoyable process! I used some 80 grit sandpaper glued on the bottom of the steel tube, to get rid of the deep scratches on the fretboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 First layer of ebony dust mixed with wood glue applied. I sanded and repeated the process a couple more times. It actually worked and I felt satisfied with the result Carving the neck heel... ...and the volute Frets hammered and glued. While doing the bevels on one side, i realized i forgot to tape the fretboard and the metallic dust covered the whole fretboard. TBH I've made a very poor fretting job which needed a lot of filing to level out, and some frets had so much less material left, that it was impossible to recrown them properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 I couldn't resist and stringed her for the first time While aesthetically poor, the fretwork passed the practical tests. A quarter turn on the trussrod and no sign of buzzing. The action is super low too. I made a knob out of walnut. I wish i had a wood lathe, i guess it would be way easier than shaping it with files and sandpaper I ripped a plastic insert from an old amp knob which was a perfect fit. I drilled a hole in the knob and glued into place Walnut 3 way switch lever (sorry for the blurry pics) I forgot to get pics of several of the steps, so here it is after a first wipe with linseed oil mixed with a tiny bit of varnish. I somehow managed to make an unrepairable damage on the back cavity cover, so i've made a temporary one from a sycomore scrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 After the oil has dried, it was just a matter of installing the hardware, soldering and do a typical setup. I also made an ebony trussrod cover and walnut pickup rings. To do the pickup rings i've traced a spare plastic ring over a thick walnut scrap, drilled all the holes and cut the outer dimensions on the table saw. I then used the pickup template to route the inside, making sure i avoided the little ears(the ones that the PU height adjustment screws go through). Finally, i sliced 2 pieces on the table saw and filed the little details by hand. Here are some pics of the final build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Some more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripthorn Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 That is a great looking first build. Much better than mine was. On my first, I carved the neck pocket with a chisel. And you wonder why that guitar made it to the firewood pile... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plinky Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 +1. Excellent first build. I like the wood choices. How did that glue line on the lower half end up? Is it still noticeable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike.D Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 I got a little scared looking at your "table saw" but holy crap that's a sweet looking guitar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Thanks for the feedback guys! Ripthorn, to keep myself going i kept telling the missus that in case of failure, it would still be a nice decoration element on the wall Plinky, it's not that noticeable anymore cause the wood has darkened quite a bit after oiling, i'm just wondering what would happen if the wood shrinks from moisture change Mike.D (funny, that's my son's name ), i didn't feel comfortable using it, but i had to work on a budget. Time to invest in some tools, i'm now certain i'm hooked BTW, i still don't know if those black marks on the front are meant to be there. Is it fungus or something? Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 BTW, i still don't know if those black marks on the front are meant to be there. Is it fungus or something? Any ideas? It could be a fungus; it's probably mineral stain, or it an area where the grain has folded a bit and exposed more pores or a combination. Was that visible in the raw surface of the wood and how far below the original surface is that area now--how much wood has been removed to get to the current surface? Sanding irregularities will show darker when finished too, there appeared to be a little of that on the insides of the horns. Whatever it is, you did a very nice job on this. The final shapes and contours give no clue as to how much work you had to do to achieve those fine results. Well done. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immortalx Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 BTW, i still don't know if those black marks on the front are meant to be there. Is it fungus or something? Any ideas? It could be a fungus; it's probably mineral stain, or it an area where the grain has folded a bit and exposed more pores or a combination. Was that visible in the raw surface of the wood and how far below the original surface is that area now--how much wood has been removed to get to the current surface? Sanding irregularities will show darker when finished too, there appeared to be a little of that on the insides of the horns. Whatever it is, you did a very nice job on this. The final shapes and contours give no clue as to how much work you had to do to achieve those fine results. Well done. SR Thanks for the kind words ScottR The marks were visible in the raw surface and i guess i removed no more than 2 mm from the top including hand planing and sanding. In the forearm contour, where more material was removed, they seem to have faded a bit. And indeed, i've done a poor job on the inside of the horns and although i sanded them for hours by hand, i couldn't get them perfect smooth. At least now i know why they are so freaking dark Thanks for the valuable answers man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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