boeba Posted May 4, 2014 Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 Hi guys, So i started this topic to show you my progress with this little project of mine. I had my first guitar, an ibanez grg 170dx, and i wanted to try to do some things with it. First thing i wanted to try was to make a carved top, and a neck heel. I will be posting more photos soon, first off is a pic i found online. Nothing special but i will explain everything as soon i start posting progress pics Boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 Okay, first pic of my conversion. So i dissasembled the guitar, took the paint of, and made a line on the top and side of the guitar, to mark the maximum amount of wood i can take away. New pics will follow. Boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 That's probably the best thing you can do to those bottom of the range Ibbys. Good for practice and as routing templates to make one from better woods :-) How are you going to deal with the carve knocking through the switch and control locations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pan_kara Posted May 5, 2014 Report Share Posted May 5, 2014 How are you going to deal with the carve knocking through the switch and control locations? good question.. I'll be facing a similar issue in a build because I changed my mind after having routed the control cavity. My plan is to flood the cavity with resin cast epoxy in the potentially affected corner, angling the guitar such that the epoxy pool is only in that corner. I'll be adding veneer later anyway. Could work here too if this is going to be painted.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 That's probably the best thing you can do to those bottom of the range Ibbys. Good for practice and as routing templates to make one from better woods :-) How are you going to deal with the carve knocking through the switch and control locations? For now, i just go over the area and will fix it with a new piece of wood, wich wil be shaped later on. The carving is starting to form, pics will follow today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Hi guys, So here's a new update on the ibanez. So i started the top carve, i filled 2 of the pickup holes, going for a single pickup-setup. As you can see i already put a piece of wood in the control cavity, the hole will be filled properly later on. If you look at the pic with the red overpaint-lines, you can see what i did. New updates will follow for the guitar itself. I also wanted to share a first sketch of my idea explaining the name "order of the dracul". i wanted to tell the story about dracula beheading christ. I'm a big fan of dracula so i decided to try to paint the top of the guitar. usual, i'm not a big fan of graphic style guitars, but i have an idea wich i think could be cool. Inspired by painters like bosch and grunewald. Please keep in mind this is just a sketch.(10 cm wide) so the final drawing will have to be MUCH better!!! Tonight i will draw a first full size version of this. Boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Hi guys, So i made a first full size draft of the drawing. Next image is to see if it fits the guitar, and if the best parts of the drawing don't get covered by volume knobs, pickup placing,... As you can see the best way to position the drawing is by holding the guitar vertical, if i do it horizontal, the drawing doesn't fit that wel, so i decided to go for this approach. Next step is to reconfigure some parts of the drawing, so the head of christ is on the best position, just as dracula's. Boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Mighty dark imagery, but you've definitely got some skills. Do you get to work in the art field or is it more for self amusement like it is for most of us? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 Hi ScottR I have a background of traditional sculpting/art/drawing. I have a company together with 2 friends http://umbracg.com/ We provide 3d visuals for commercials and print. So we often have to draw character designs or other stuff. Just a little side note on the drawing itself. To optimize the composition of the drawing i am thinking about dracula holding christ his head instead of impaling it on a sword. (i would place christ his head above the knobs instead of beneath it.) Next update. ---------------- Next image is a block i made to make a kind of neck heel.(to make it look like a neck through First i sculpted a mold of the existing heel of the guitar with plastiline.(some kind of clay.) I then used this negative piece of clay to shape the inside of the block. Next image is the block glued on the guitar. The next step is to make the final neck heel shape, to make it look like a neck through. I know this is fake, but i just like the shape of it. It's just going to be a cosmetic alteration, nothing more. Boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 10, 2014 Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 A few of these procedures seem to go against "normal woodworking best practice" however I think your focus is more on the form of the end product? For example, it would have been better to rout out the controls and splice in a perfectly-fitting piece of wood. The faux-through neck will always show itself as being false because the different woods will move differently between the seasons, showing seams, etc. Certainly an interesting piece of work on the neck mould though! Bruges eh? Lovely place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 Hi Prostheta, You're absolutely right about the techniques i am using, it's probably a bit strange to see what i'm doing with a guitar. The only thing i'm scared off is cracking of the different pieces , just like you said. And you're right about my goal, i just want to make a nice looking shape. Next update ----------- As you can see in the pics below i started to shape the fake neck heel. I also filled in the bolt-on holes.(don't know how you call them) My main goal is to get smooth transitions between the different shapes. I also ordered a new pickup(emg 81), since my old ones are used in an old stagg flying v. Next updates will follow. Boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 I have a background of traditional sculpting/art/drawing. I have a company together with 2 friends Very cool. My favorite job I ever had involved drawing with pen and ink all day.....but I went broke doing it and had to go find something not as fun but better paying. Best of luck in your venture. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 I know those drawings are only just scribbled notes, but they are worlds apart from anything I could do. I only wish I could draw that good! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 thanks guys, Drawing is one of my passions, ever since i was young, so it's kinda cool i can now combine my two passions, (guitar and art/drawing ) into one guitar. Today my emg 81 came in, looks cool to see it unassembled.(i already have one in another guitar) Update on the guitar itself. --------------------------------- Sanded away the primer/resin on the guitar. My god, it was pure torture, first i thought it was the wood itself, but as i scratched the surface, it seemed this was some kind of resin layer about 1 mm. That's it for today. Boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 You've just met the polyester sealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2014 (edited) Back with an update. So i smoothed the first "fang" of the guitar.(don't know how you call them) Always good to check the shape in evening light, with good shadows. Boeba Edited May 16, 2014 by boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 16, 2014 Report Share Posted May 16, 2014 "Horn", appropriately enough. Agreed on the low-angle light. I think ScottR and sdshirtman would be the first to chime in on this point other than myself also. Since you have done so much modification to the shape - adding in materials here and there - when you get around to paint, ensure that you have more spare primer on hand. The first coat will reveal any inconsistencies that the current form will hide. A lot of that primer will need re-applying after sanding it back to perfect the shaping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 16, 2014 Report Share Posted May 16, 2014 Agreed on all points. I much prefer the contoured shape this is getting over the one it started with. Your ability to achieve a seamless surface will make of break the project. What media are you planning to use for the graphic? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Hi ScottR, i think i will use oilpaint, because of the way you can paint with it. Next update --------------- So this weekend i applied 2 primers. The first one was in gray, just to cover the guitar in one solid color. When this layer was applied, i smoothed everything out, fixed little holes and dents. After this i applied a second primer. As you can see, i allready installed the emg.(just a test fit, nothing is connected. Greetings, Boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 (edited) Hi guys, So today i made a small sketch for a new design of the drawing. Since the previous one wasn't designed properly for pickup placement, i made a new one. This time i made a vertical design, since this is the best placement for my main characters, dracula and jebus. As you can see this is just a sketch, and as soon as i have a decent scan, i will place the old drawing from dracula on top of this layout, and then print this out with light opacity, so i can then make my final design on top of the new layout. (hope this makes sense.) Greetings, Boeba Owyeah, almost forgot to mention i installed my new emg pickup, and everything works perfect, good sound, no problems or anything. As soon as i start painting the top of the guitar, i will take everything out, so it doesn't get messy. Edited May 24, 2014 by boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted May 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 So today i placed my old drawing over the "vertical design" template. I also did some photoshop painting, like cleaning up the teeth, tongue and other stuff. My next step is to print this drawing with low opacity, and then i will redraw this drawing as a final. I'm happy with the placing of everything, both heads are visible in the composition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted June 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) Hi guys, So here is the final drawing. The scan itself isn't that great but i can work with it. The plan is to trace this drawing on my guitar. Hopefullly i can manage to do it this weekend, but first i have to paint the guitar with a basic oilpaint layer to start with a clean canvas. Owyeah, most of the details like wrinkles, skinfolds and stuff like that will be added in the final paint. Greetings, Boeba Edited June 18, 2014 by boeba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted July 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Hi guys, So right now i just transfered the drawing to the guitar. Next step will be to go over the pencil lines with some kind of marker, so if i go over it with oilpaint, it doesn't just wash away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Haven't seen an in-depth insight into how one approaches artwork on a guitar for a while. Most entertaining! Has this project sparked other ideas also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeba Posted July 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Has this project sparked other ideas also? For now i will finish this one, but i am always on the lookout for project guitars to do fun stuff with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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