Movingui V

[westhemann]

Nothing fancy here.Not going to post a ton of pics.I just finished this and so here it is.A ton of mistakes and errors in planning,but it came together in a good workhorse guitar.

Movingui body,Spanish Cedar and Maple neck,maple fretboard,tung oil finish(very dirty looking as tung oil always is),Tone Zone bridge pup,Air Classic neck,volume/tone/3 way,Wilkinson tuners,aluminum scratch plate,Dunlop straplocks

[Osorio]

Nice work! I din't like the headstock, but it's my taste ...

[westhemann]

I feel the same about the headstock,I think the transition from neck to headstock is too short.My neck blank was just really tight and I didn't want to scarf it.

I want to do more like this,but that is one thing I think needs improvement.

Something you may find interesting is that the entire guitar is made from a Gibson template by bringing every line in 1" and carrying the lines out to points....headstock is the same,but more like 1/2"

[Osorio]

Maybe if leave the head mor wide, improving the V angle, and giving some angle to strings, like Dean but not a reverse V.

[RestorationAD]

I like it Wes. Looks like a real player while still being exotic enough to be a custom.

I hate that the headstock looks a bit funny but if it is a true workhorse it is fine. Just means it is shorter and fits in the back seat better...

[westhemann]

Thanks,Rad.I have been playing and tweaking it off and on all day.It really plays very well and has a good broad tonal range.It also is another piece of evidence in my "bigger wood pores=more pronounced bottom end" theory because in spite of the maple-like density of the Movingui body it doesn't have a bright tone...not as "dark" as mahogany but certainly not as bright as maple.

This is also the first neck I made where I keep the same thickness from 1rst fret all the way to where it meets the heel.I usually keep it 1/16" thicker towards the heel.The result is that this neck feels more comfortable and "faster" than I am used to.I actually raised the action a bit to slow my hand down to what I am used to.

Edited November 7, 2013 by westhemann

[RestorationAD]

This is also the first neck I made where I keep the same thickness from 1rst fret all the way to where it meets the heel.I usually keep it 1/16" thicker towards the heel.The result is that this neck feels more comfortable and "faster" than I am used to.I actually raised the action a bit to slow my hand down to what I am used to.

Now this is something I have done for a very very long time (first neck I built in 1987 was the same way). I really almost can't play a traditional neck profile anymore. Once you get used to it you will wonder why no one started doing this on production models.

[westhemann]

You mentioned it a while back and that's why I thought I would try it.It really makes the neck feel incredibly flat.At the moment I like it better than my favorite guitar's neck(original Wizard on Japanese Sabre).

Time will tell.I do have a history of liking things at first and then not liking them later,but I do think this one may stick.

[RestorationAD]

You mentioned it a while back and that's why I thought I would try it.It really makes the neck feel incredibly flat.At the moment I like it better than my favorite guitar's neck(original Wizard on Japanese Sabre).

Time will tell.I do have a history of liking things at first and then not liking them later,but I do think this one may stick.

I like it more than any of my wizards. My favorite wizard is a '93 RG470 with a 43mm nut I reshaped to be flatter higher up but still not the same thickness as at the 1st fret. On a side note it is wider than my 1987 RG570's wizard (42mm nut).

What is the width of the nut? On my 6 strings I build a really wide neck. The S9 is usually 44.5mm at the nut.

[westhemann]

1 11/16" nut

Edited November 7, 2013 by westhemann

[Prostheta]

ToneZone eh? How is that working out? I have a definite case of imagination inflation when it comes to remembering how my last ToneZone instrument was. I remember it being a really sweet and present sound, however my memory is probably just being overly dewy-eyed about it....

[westhemann]

You know,it's pretty nice.It has a ton of crunch and clarity with just enough sweetness to sound great with leads without losing it's mean-ness.Like a JB with a touch more treble.

I like it.There is something about it that feels a bit more cheaply built than Duncan,and the pole pieces don't seem to exactly match any known bridge,but the sound is there

[ScottR]

How does the spanish cedar/maple combo feel on the neck? Does your hand pick up the change in density as you run up and down the neck?

SR

[westhemann]

Not really.I filled the pores on the spanish cedar with CA before the tung oil and so it all feels the same.Only time will tell if the feeling lasts.

[bob123]

Another masterpeice Wes. Some constructive criticism for you.

1) the overly large gap in your nut. Just didn't feel like using the proper size material or you messed up? Looks sloppy. Easy to fix though.

2) The glue joint on the body is pretty poor, I would use more clamps or joint it more properly next time.

3) the transition for the fretboard to the headstock looks like crap. I would have personally sanded that back to make a more smooth transition.

4) your body chamfers look uneven from the bass to treble side. Perhaps some better routing techinques? did you free hand that or use a table?

5) they have smaller strat jacks, since yours is sticking proud of the body, I would have gone that route personally.

Other then those mistakes, looks like a good guitar. I like the color and wood choices. The pick guard is a nice touch.

[westhemann]

I appreciate your poor attempt to offer criticism since you so clearly are a master of the craft,but you should know I no longer listen to anything you say or any opinions you may have.It's sort of like a mosquito buzzing around that you just swat at from time to time...You just don't matter to me.

But I do realize you are just trying to feel better about yourself by retaliating for my calling out your ignorance.It's still all just a little sad.Have a nice day.

It's great that you mention all of the things that I already said I didn't like about it...just goes to show you can't even try to call me out without my help

Edited November 12, 2013 by westhemann

[Prostheta]

Oh, I see that he decided to go full retard on you. I've not seen idiocy of this kind since the L word.

[westhemann]

It's okay,I am sure he thought he was being clever.

[westhemann]

I should just say one thing about glue lines in case someone who doesn't know is reading this and gets the wrong idea about glue joints from "bob".

Epoxy,which is the glue used on every glue joint in this guitar,often leaves a visible glue line in lighter colored woods.Wood glues are much less visible and are preferable for those lighter colored woods.They are also thinner in viscosity than the epoxy I used on this guitar(T 88) and so squeeze out is better,and full strength is reached with a thinner line of glue,making "wood glue" glue lines almost impossible to detect.

Epoxy reaches full strength while leaving a small visible line.If you squeeze out with extreme clamp pressure until it is invisible then with epoxy you have successfully weakened the joint by starving it."More clamps and more pressure" are not the answer.

Now,on this particular guitar I was striving for "decorative glue lines" (a daft idea as it turns out)and so I added black tint to the epoxy.It did not look as I intended so this guitar was actually headed for the scrap pile until I decided to finish it as a player for myself,but there is no "poor joint".The joint is even all the way around and would have to be measured in thousands of an inch...maybe 1/60 of a mm might be close?It is thicker than a hair on my head but not as thick as my beard hair.

Now,in the case of this particular piece,the glue line will always be obvious in any case because the body is not bookmatched,it is "ripped and flipped",so the grain is almost exactly opposite from one side to the other.The original board was ripped diagonally,both pieces flipped,and joint at what were originally the outside edges to make a body of the correct dimensions from a piece that was originally 11" wide.This body is almost 16" point to point....so to reiterate,the 11" piece was cut diagonally,both pieces flipped,and joined at the former outside edges to create a V shaped chunk wide enough for this V body.This is why the flames are not bookmatched.If I had bookmatched this it would have only been thick enough for a top instead of the entire body.

So when someone posts a guitar and says "I was not happy with this guitar,so I finished it even though there were a ton of mistakes and errors in planning",it is sort of bad form to say "Well,here are the mistakes you mention,I would have done it better",especially if your own work is terrible and you are pretending it is not...yes,Bob,I mean you.Those are the sorts of comments that make new builders hesitant to post on here with their imperfect,but still valid,projects

BTW...the strat jack is intended to be mounted "proud of the body"(That IS the way it was designed)and it does not sit proud of the bevels.If it looks that way in the pics then it's just the angle of the camera...the "chamfers" are not uneven,that is just the chatoyance of the wood grain playing with the camera,And the nut fits the slot perfectly.The transition to the headstock is not aesthetically pleasing(as was already mentioned several times) because of trying to make this neck fit on the blank of wood without a scarf joint.

Most of this goes without saying,but I am bored and waiting for the outside to warm up,so...

Anyway.

Edited November 13, 2013 by westhemann

[westhemann]

Just out of the shower and it is still cold,so let's talk about some of the real mistakes that I didn't go into originally

I'll start with the ones that made me scrap it originally

1) black glue lines.In my head I imagined a nice framework of black accents similar to black veneer...in reality not so much.

2) the biggie...bridge post on treble side.Bit drifted in the drill press and I had to refill and redrill.Very visible.

3)forgot to drill hole from neck pup to bridge pup before gluing neck...now that I think about it that is why I decided on a pick guard,because I had to make a control rout like a gibson V.Turns out I like the checkerplate though because it feels nice when picking.

4)Spanish Cedar neck lams...I really have serious doubts about that wood in necks after watching full boards of it twist every time the weather changes.All of the maple and the truss rod seems to be holding their own though.

5)Headstock too thin.Bandsaw blade wander.Nuff said

I decided to finish it because it looked like a player and I wanted to experiment with the flatter neck profile Rad always talks about,plus having a new guitar prevents GAS.

"Mistakes" that happened as a result of finishing as a player instead of a looker

1)that fretboard transition.originally I intended to rout that down to the headstock right at the start of the nut slot and make my own nut,but I had a Fender nylon nut sitting in the package and figured "why not,just a player?",so I left the preslotted nut shelf as it was.

2)Tung oil...finished it in tung oil.Hated how dirty it looked,so I sanded off most of the stuff,but it really soaked in at the end grain,so I said "screw it" and left the end grain color uneven.Then I finished over the top with wipe on poly.I prefilled the spanish cedar with CA so at least the tung oil didn't stain that.I am sure eventually the poly will start to peel because of the oil

3)Watched Grown Ups 2....well,that has nothing to do with the guitar,but it's bad enough I felt I should mention it

4)Left off truss rod cover.Don't need it on a workhorse,so why bother.

5) a side dot is out of line

6)I didn't polish the frets like I usually do...just sort of phoned that part in.

I think that's it?Still happy I finished it because it sounds great and plays superbly...so no regrets.Normally I wouldn't have even posted a guitar like this,but I like it,so I wanted to show it off flaws and all....a good guitar is like a good girlfriend...you're proud of it in spite of(and sometimes because of) imperfections.

Edited November 13, 2013 by westhemann

[RestorationAD]

Just out of the shower and it is still cold,so let's talk about some of the real mistakes that I didn't go into originally

I'll start with the ones that made me scrap it originally

1) black glue lines.In my head I imagined a nice framework of black accents similar to black veneer...in reality not so much.

2) the biggie...bridge post on treble side.Bit drifted in the drill press and I had to refill and redrill.Very visible.

3)forgot to drill hole from neck pup to bridge pup before gluing neck...now that I think about it that is why I decided on a pick guard,because I had to make a control rout like a gibson V.Turns out I like the checkerplate though because it feels nice when picking.

4)Spanish Cedar neck lams...I really have serious doubts about that wood in necks after watching full boards of it twist every time the weather changes.All of the maple and the truss rod seems to be holding their own though.

5)Headstock too thin.Bandsaw blade wander.Nuff said

1) Happens with Epoxy. I epoxied a recent top together and have a fine glue line. I let it slide for the same reason you did. The bookmatch wasn't perfect so it would have shown anyway

2) Been there done that. Really hoses a figured top. No real fix.

3) Did this a few years ago on a V. It is easy to forget on a V. Again it sucks. If I ever figure out a fix I will market it.

4) Spanish cedar is not on my list of approved neck woods for electrics. Yes for classical guitars.

5) Done it. Several times. This is where headplates and backstraps help out.

Nice job detailing the things that went bad. Even though I write them down I always manage to run into at least one of those everybuild.

Cheers!