First Time Build Help

[Slasher]

Hey guys,

I'm a newbie here so most of you don't know me well (lets hope we will change that soon)

So I am intrested in doing a guitar build.But i wont be doing it alone I will have someone experienced with me for guidence and tools .

Now I wish to build a "Les Paul" guitar.Now the person that will aid me does not have the tools to cut a shape from a wood blank.So a Kit will be needed(if you guys can recommend a LP kit i'd appreciate it)

Now the help needed starts here:

I'm a teenager with little money so buying a 2grand LP isnt realistic.Reason I want to build one is for the expercience and the ability to upgrade over time.Now I want to do a flamed maple top is it possible to buy a seperate piece of maple and put it on top of the body?I also like to do a burst and the person who will help me does not have a sprayer.Is it possible to use a rub in method using dyes to get a similiar effect?(I will be putting some type of veneer on top afterwards)

Now what I want is screaming distorted chords and bluesy screaming solos.Now for this I was thinking of the Seymour Duncan Alnico 2(N) and Distortion( to get this,do you think it will do it?or do you have a better idea?I will also do coil splitting aswell.

Last but not least,from your builds have you ever desired a guitar tried to replicate it and got similiar results?

Thanks guys

~Slasher

[Slasher]

If it affects these are the bursts im trying to recreated:

[westhemann]

Well,it's going to be tough...but if you are willing to do the work there is no reason you can't end up with a fine guitar.

Kits

https://buy.precisionguitarkits.com/

[MiKro]

Or Guitar fetish, use 10BLACK as the coupon code (this weekend only) and get 10% off

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Solid-Mahogany-Carved-Top-Kit-with-Highly-Figured-Flamed-Maple-Top_p_1994.html

[westhemann]

I do like guitarfetish.

[westhemann]

I would be really tempted to look around ebay for stuff like this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-Gibson-USA-Les-Paul-LPJ-BODY-NECK-Project-American-Guitar-Gold-Top-/190985237160?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item2c779b72a8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-Gibson-USA-Les-Paul-Future-BODY-NECK-LOCKING-TUNERS-Nitro-Ebony-/141122781140?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item20db92bfd4

[Slasher]

Hi west Hi MiKro,

Thanks for the recommendation and i setteled on this:http://www.guitarfetish.com/LP-Style-Carved-Top-Body-BOLT-ON-34-maple-top-Flame-Veneer-NO-FINISH_p_5487.html

Looks pretty cool if you had to grade the flame what grade would you give it?

And for this burst what colours do you need?or is there a page where they give you different burst tutorials?

Edited November 29, 2013 by Slasher

[MiKro]

The veneer is about 3A at best in my book. If they all look like that or better then for the price it's a nice piece. You must remember though that it is a veneer over maple cap and be careful not to sand through it when prepping for finish. Also practice on scrap wood before doing the finish on this. As far as color? Will you be using a spray gun or rattle can? If rattle can check out reranch paints.

MK

[Tim37]

http://www.guitarfetish.com/NEW-XV-500-Carved-Top-Flamed-Maple-Tobacco-Sunburst_p_918.html

i think if i was to go that rout i would drop another hundred and get one of these.

[westhemann]

Those are good for the money.Better quality than Epiphone at a lower price

[Tim37]

one of these days im gonna break down and buy one.

[Slasher]

I was gonna use dyes tbh.And have you guys ever managed to recreate a guitar?I want to recreate a 1987 gibson les paul but I dont really know what makes that year different from any other guitar and how to get that guitar sound

[MiKro]

I was gonna use dyes tbh.And have you guys ever managed to recreate a guitar?I want to recreate a 1987 gibson les paul but I dont really know what makes that year different from any other guitar and how to get that guitar sound

Well TBH it is easier to use translucent spray to do a burst. Dyes will be used for the base color. As far as recreating a guitar? I'm pretty sure that those of us that have answered your thread have done that at least once. As far as the 1987 you need to research it. What pickups were used, actual scale length of that model. Gibson LPs had some variance over the years. those types of things. While on that subject, the body you chose is predetermined to scale length as you will need to use the neck Guitar fetish has for it as it was designed to fit that body and the predrilled holes for the bridge..

MK

[Slasher]

I was gonna use dyes tbh.And have you guys ever managed to recreate a guitar?I want to recreate a 1987 gibson les paul but I dont really know what makes that year different from any other guitar and how to get that guitar sound

Well TBH it is easier to use translucent spray to do a burst. Dyes will be used for the base color. As far as recreating a guitar? I'm pretty sure that those of us that have answered your thread have done that at least once. As far as the 1987 you need to research it. What pickups were used, actual scale length of that model. Gibson LPs had some variance over the years. those types of things. While on that subject, the body you chose is predetermined to scale length as you will need to use the neck Guitar fetish has for it as it was designed to fit that body and the predrilled holes for the bridge..

MK

I was thinking to recreate this guitar seeing as i wont afford it anytime soon:http://www.gibson.com/Slash/Gibson%20Custom/GibsonCustomSlashInspired/

or this http://www.gibson.com/Slash/Gibson%20USA/Slash-Les-Paul-Goldtop/

[Prostheta]

Welcome to the board. A carved top Les Paul is a big project which requires a significant degree of work whether you are designing it to your own derived specs or copying those of an established model.

How much are you willing to invest in this project in terms of materials, tools and time? What experience do you have in woodworking thus far?

It is not impossible, but it is setting the bar very high for a first time build. I agree that the Guitar Fetish kits might be a step in the right direction and will get you a reasonable custom Les Paul clone for relatively little outlay and work. Working straight from the board will cost more but if done well should result in a more satisfying result than one bought from a kit. A kit does teach you the basics though, so balancing out what you are capable of at this stage is important so you at least end up with a playable result for your outlay.

[Slasher]

Welcome to the board. A carved top Les Paul is a big project which requires a significant degree of work whether you are designing it to your own derived specs or copying those of an established model.

How much are you willing to invest in this project in terms of materials, tools and time? What experience do you have in woodworking thus far?

It is not impossible, but it is setting the bar very high for a first time build. I agree that the Guitar Fetish kits might be a step in the right direction and will get you a reasonable custom Les Paul clone for relatively little outlay and work. Working straight from the board will cost more but if done well should result in a more satisfying result than one bought from a kit. A kit does teach you the basics though, so balancing out what you are capable of at this stage is important so you at least end up with a playable result for your outlay.

Well I don't mind investing because I'm gonna build this over time.For example ill buy the body and paints and paint it.Then electronics etc.Tools what I dont want to buy are ones that i probably wont use ever again.

[Juntunen Guitars]

Since this is your first build I'd suggest doing something like a strat or tele just to get an idea of what to do but if you're up to the challenge go for the Les Paul. I'd do a lot of reading on this site for info on building.

The old way of doing burst was hand rubbing them with dyes and blending the colors. Do a google search on hand rubbed bursts and you will find articles. I'd like some but you always find more info when you look it up yourself or at least that's how it works for me. The burst you asked for colors is just an amber and brown more than likely.

Some sites to look at for some ideas are Stewmac, LMII, Allied Lutherie and of course eBay. Stewmac has a lot of good articles on their website. What are you planning on doing for a top coat over the burst? Just dyes won't protect the wood, spraying is the easiest way to do a burst IMO but more expensive. Some companies sell aerosol cans that work. I wouldn't use paints because they are opaque. Try and use a colored lacquer and clear or hand rubbed and clear and like mentioned test on scrap wood.

What do you have available for tools?

I'd do a lot of reading and have a good idea of what to do before starting though. It's always better to go into a project with more info than needed rather than less and just go with it, been there done that with my first build, it plays but the action is high enough to be a slide guitar.

[Gilmourisgod]

Couldn't he use a Preval sprayer loaded with aniline dye for the sunburst edges?

They are cheap and easy to use with a bit of practice on scrap.

[SwedishLuthier]

I think your ideas are more or less sound. You gotta realise we see a lot of people coming on to the borad with un-realistic expectations, but if you have some woodworking and finishing skills, or are prepared to get those skills withut ruining your guitar-to-be there are no reasons why you can't end up with a nice guitar.

But I cannot understand why no-one have said this: Get a good book. Melvyn Hiscocks bood are more or less the standard book to get. It will let you avoid a few pitfalls and explain some other things like neck ange, scale lenght etc.

[Gilmourisgod]

Swede,

I have actually seen this Hiscock book, I got it out through a book sharing network from my local library, but I only had it for two weeks. I am a cheap bastard, so I'll re-order it, maybe photocopy some relevant sections, particularly on neck pocket routing. Do you think I'm better off just gluing in some mohogany strips onto the neck pocket sides and re-routing? My only concern there is that I'd be cutting out 99.9% of what i glue back, in which case it will really just be glue with a whisker of wood on it remaining, so I'll still have something that won't take stain too well. I plan on using Watco danish oil as the finish. I've done a few furniture projects with it, and love it. It really hardens up the wood surface, allows the grain to show, and is repairable. If I go the epoxy and wood dust route, is West system the best material? I have some i use for boat repairs and whatnot, but the hardener has a red tint to it, presumably so you can see when it's thoroughly mixed with resin. I have some clear West stuff too, but i think it's made for a more flexible bond. I have some leftover cutoff mahogany chunks from the body, guess I'll experiment with a few materials. I have one other unfortunate little chip-out around the bridge pocket that will have to be filled, more worried about color match there than at the neck pocket. I gotta post some photos!

[SwedishLuthier]

Me thinks you posted a reply in the "wrong" thread... Maybe copy it into your other thread and ask one of the mods to delete these two posts...