avengers63 Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 I got inspired a while back by a photoshop someone did of a gold top LP "no-cut". It was exactly what it sounds like - a LP, but without the cutaway. It looked pretty dang good, so I mentally filed it away for later use. Since I play primarily rhythm, it would get a lot of use. I figured it should be both acoustic and electric. A full acoustic bridge with a piezo pup and 2 covered humbuckers joined by a blend pot should give all the versatility a rhythm player needs. Looking like a mini-acoustic, it had to have a sound hole, but the two HBs would get in the way. That meant that it had to become an archtop with f-holes. No cutaway and the fretboard joining the body at the 17th fret makes the fretboard stop at 20 in my mind. This leaves a lot of room to fancy-up the end of the board. I've also seen pictures of an archtop with the pup mounted into the fretboard. I don't think that'll be possible for this one, but it's worth investigating. The body is going to be clear white pine. It will be veneered back & side with birdseye maple. The body blank is 2" thick. I'll either be making a super-chamber around a center solid core or making it completely hollow - I haven't decided yet. In either case, there will be a 1/4" back-plate of veneered pine on the back. I'll be appointing the whole thing like a full-blown acoustic, mainly for effect. I'm trying to get some 3/8" spruce for the top, but it's hard to find on my budget. Whatever the top ends up being, it'll be carved. This makes the final thickness +/- 2 5/8".... just about right for a stage acoustic. The neck will me makore, with an acoustic heel. I haven't decided on the fretboard yet, but it'll most likely be a rosewood of some sort. The controls will be relatively simple for all it'll have on it. a 3-way for the HBs, a blend pot for both systems, a master volume, and a master tone. Today I glued up the body blank. No pics yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge for november Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Interesting concept! Looking forward to seeing the real deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idmicheal Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 So if you decide to go fully hollow will the top and sides still be one piece due to the thickness of the blank? I've never heard of a pickup mounted into the fretboard I have a Gretsch with a floating pickup bracketed onto the fingerboard extension though. Sound really interesting though. Take lots of pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 So if you decide to go fully hollow will the top and sides still be one piece due to the thickness of the blank? The base will be one piece regardless. I'll be using the scroll saw to make the chambers, then gluing on the back. I'm figuring on going for 1/4"-3/8" thick sides. Pine is really soft, so I'm thinking to give it some extra thickness, just for some strength insurance. I could probably go with 1/2" sides and still be OK. It's not like I'm really trying to make a true acoustic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim_ado Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 I know a guy who has a gold top hollow body no cutaway bass.... it looks killer. DO IT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian d Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 I've never heard of a pickup mounted into the fretboard Here you go: nanomag fretboard end pickup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Those are pretty cool looking. The one I saw is on the archtop on this luthiers home page: http://www.elferinkguitars.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 I bought a nice piece of cocobolo today. I'd be able to get probably 6 fretboard out of it if I wanted. So..... the fretboard, bridge, and headstock overlay will be cocobolo. I'll most likely be doing something fun with the scroll saw for the inlays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessejames Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Cant wait to see this one, I love this guys work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetzerHarah Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 If I was going to do a no-cutaway acoustic-electric type thing I think I'd go this direction: It's a nice mix of classic acoustic appeal with modern electric sensibilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 If I was going to do a no-cutaway acoustic-electric type thing I think I'd go this direction: - picture removed - It's a nice mix of classic acoustic appeal with modern electric sensibilities. That one from Eastwood IS really a nice blend. The thing is that I'm intending this to have limited soloing abilities. Yes, there's plenty of ability to have fun up to the 17th fret, but it just doesn't feel like a lead instrument without the cutaway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 I was looking around for some inspiration on how to make the bridge when I came across this thing... I like the way the strings don't go through the body, but through a lip on the back of the bridge. Yes, I know it's a classical bridge. I've just never investigated them before. Then I was looking at DePaul's website for inspiration for the inlays. Classic, simple, and still different than anything else out there. Perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 I did get a bit done on the guitar this weekend. Here's the body, planed and routed to template. The pine is pretty ugly, but since it's being covered & mostly cut out, it doesn't really matter. The back panels were also cut and planed to 1/4", then the veneer was glued this morning. I'll find out tomorrow if every powerful clamp I have did the trick or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripthorn Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Looks like you do some woodworking around bikes, too. Certainly functions to keep one on his toes. This should be a fun build to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hey! You've got my bandsaw. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 The bikes, etc., are there until we get a shed for all the outside stuff. It takes me a few minutes to clear out the space, so I don't bother if I'm only going to be in there for a few minutes. I don't remember who recommended this bandsaw. It was someone here, but that's all I can say for sure. I got it a couple years ago. The veneer went on perfect. The moisture from the glue made the panels cup a bit, but they'll flatten out in a few days. I'm sure a more dense wood would have been fine, but it's clear pine.... whaddya gonna do, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2011 I pulled the trigger on the top. It's 3-piece, 1/2" longhi. I resawed and glued the pieces this morning. I did some color tests with amber shellac. It made the grain virtually disappear, and ended up looking a LOT like amber over spruce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted September 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 On hold until I get a new saw. I was cutting out the mega-chambers when my scroll saw broke AGAIN. No more fixing that P.O.S. I'm now saving for a DeWalt788. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted December 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 SWMBO let me get the new scrollsaw. Gluing the veneer around the frame is NOT going to work. I'm going to have to get some 8/4 mahogany or sapele and try it again, but without trying to get cute with any edge veneers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I really do like that bridge choice.I would make the part the ball ends go through thicker though.I just see them cracking at some point with that straight pull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 It's not such a problem on acoustics of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted January 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 After a couple days to cure and a ridiculous amount of scraping, we have this: Grain matched cavity cover via the scroll saw. Had I one mm less clearance, it wouldn't have fit under the arm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Foreigner Posted January 4, 2012 Report Share Posted January 4, 2012 looking great, John! love the stripe and the cav cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted January 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Top plate thicknessed and cur pretty close to the line topograpgy established with the Wagner Saf-T-Planer starting to smooth it out with 60 grip on the palm sander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted January 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I decided that I didn't like how thick the front end was, so I brought it down a bit pencil marks gave me a good indicator of when I had scraped the bottom of the bell to the right curve and here we are Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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