3DogNate Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 I was just commissioned to build a custom guitar for a Tele player. I'm going to try to photo document this build as best as I can, I usually get so busy buidling that I forget to take pics. So here are the specs. Bondy - Honduras Mahogany (I was fortunate to find a nice 1 piece body for this build.) Top - Flame Maple Binding - (Undetermined, either natural a'la PRS or Multi ply) Neck - Flame Maple Finger Board - Ebony Fret wire - EVO Gold Pickups - H-x-H Type undetermined at the moment, will probably hit up a boutique winder for a jazzy HB set Tuning machines - Hip Shot Locking Bridge - Hipshot Trem Flame Maple Top Bookmatch Top un-joined Flame Maple Neck Blank resting on the 1 piece Honduras Mahogany Body blank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 cool cool, any idea on body design yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 cool cool, any idea on body design yet? Oh, it's gonna be a Tele body shape with Les Paul style controls. The guy that commissioned the guitar is a Tele player. He wants a more Gibson style tone vibe in a Tele package. He's tried several gibbys over the last couple of years but keeps going back to his Teles for playability. I'll do some more wood prep and get some templates whipped up over the next couple of days... I'm gonna try and push myself to get it sprayed in just a couple of weeks. More pics to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Today was template making day... I drew up the design in CAD and started busting out a set of templates today. I'm just breaking in the CNC so I'm still leary of doing a whole body in the machine... maybe next time.... but since this is a one off I thought I'd do templates that I can combine with other tele templates for a Thinline or other H-H or Trem style teles. There are a few other templates... but you get the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 (edited) Here I am joining the top bookmatch halves in the spanish clamp. and here is that gorgeous 1 pc Honuras Mahogany body core with the template outlined on it for band sawing out later. Edited August 19, 2011 by 3DogNate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xadioriderx Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 looks great! im not sure how i missed that it was tele style when i asked that in my last post... haha your thinline tele build vs my thinline-ish tele build. im going with a different shape instead of the F though. and yours is much more precise wish i could cnc, but all i have is a jigsaw and a belt sander, and a half-ass router that just likes to poke holes and not route Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdshirtman Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Thats must be awesome to to have a machine like that at your disposal. The spanish clamp is interesting. I googled it but only found plans for it. I'd be interested in learning a little more about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 The spanish clamp is interesting. I'd be interested in learning a little more about it. +1 It looks like it is tied up with king size clothes pins and nylon rope and then uses wedges shoved in there to create the tension. With an added benefit of holding the horizontal surfaces on a plane. Tell us more. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 It looks like it is tied up with king size clothes pins and nylon rope and then uses wedges shoved in there to create the tension. With an added benefit of holding the horizontal surfaces on a plane. Tell us more. SR That pretty much sums it up. I ordered the plans when I built mine. It works a treat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdshirtman Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Too cool. I'm going to have to make me one of those some day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 OK I got a bit more done today. Made a lot of sawdust chambering the mahogany. Band sawing the body blank. Flush trimming the blank to the template on the router table Hogging out the bulk of the chambering cavities. And Here are the finished chambers, hope to get the top glued on and serviced tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 Top marked for cutting out Top roughed out on the band saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 Still working on it today.... Got the f-hole routed and the top glued on. Need to order some dye tomorrow so that I can try to get the body ready to spray next weekend. As soon as my truss rod gets here so that I can take measurements, I'll draw up a CAD file for the neck and start on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 Here's a shot of the naptha wetted top And lookie there... there's something you dont see everyday... a tele with a trem route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 I did the control covers last night. I added my logo and serialized the big plate. (I love having a cnc machine.) (the protective plastic is still on) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 I was able to get a few moments tonight to get the pickup routs and Neck pocket rout added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted August 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 I got a chance to clean up the shop a bit today. And I got neck profile and truss rod slot cut out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted September 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 I did a test sample of the color I'm going to dye the top on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 (edited) Tonight I was working on the inlay and Fingerboard. Here's a little vid of cutting the fret slots Here's one of the pearl getting cut. The guy I'm building this one for wanted "Faith" inlaid in gothic letters to match his tattoo. I try to nest 1/4" and 3/32" dots for fret markers around the empty spaces in the pearl blanks.. I never run out of these. Edited September 3, 2011 by 3DogNate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 And the Mother of Pearl glued in... I'll flush up the inlay and sand out the machining marks in the fingerboard tomorrow. That's all for tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 (edited) Let's see if I can actually embed those vids... Here's a little vid of cutting the fret slots http://s488.photobucket.com/albums/rr249/renegade900/Guitars/DexTele/?action=view¤t=VIDEO0009.mp4 Here's one of the pearl getting cut. http://s488.photobucket.com/albums/rr249/renegade900/Guitars/DexTele/?action=view¤t=VIDEO0010.mp4 Edited September 3, 2011 by 3DogNate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted September 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2011 Here I am with a freshly glued filler strip over the truss rod. Flushed up. I machine the neck and neck pocket to have an interference fit which forces me to sand and scrape to a perfect fit. Check it... I holding the body up by the neck... you can't get a better fit than this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted September 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2011 Now here the board got glued to the neck and cleaned up. And finally here the headstock got thicknessed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted September 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 Got the frets installed today. My first time using pearl side dots, I think I like em... they catch the light and are really easy to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DogNate Posted September 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 Here I am shaping the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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