ZekeB Posted May 18, 2023 Report Share Posted May 18, 2023 Hey folks, starting an old/new build. Been playing & working quite a bit and have the opportunity for a new build. Been working some other things since the last guitar so looking forward to incorporating some of those things including a CNC machine. I still enjoy a lot of the handwork so it will be a mixture of hand tools and machines. Have a few new things I'm aiming for. 1. Adjustable Height Nut - not an original idea but i've been playing around with a few different types and I think the execution of this one is pretty easy. I like the ability to transition the action a little higher for different styles of music so it makes sense to be able to adjust the nut height. The ones on the market are kind of gimmicky so I'm going to use decent nut material with some dog end grub screws basically inset to the nut slot so it doesn't float around 2. Tenon neck - will create an all access neck joint where the body of the guitar actually forms to the neck transition. I love my all access neck guitar and I honestly just want to see how it'll effect things. Fodera guitars do something similar as well. They call it a dovetail but I think they just use a tenon. 3. I want to have a removable control cavity. My biggest reason is I really hate soldering in my guitar and making it look even half decent for a mortal like me is impossible so I plan on cheating. The plan is to create a double shielded "black box" that contains the controls and enough pigtail in the cavity to the right to stay out of the way. I'll probably throw in some quick connects too to make life a little easier. 4. The last one is the one I'm still trying to figure out. I want a recallable pots at user predefined positions. I hate playing a gig, having a great tone and having to lose it when i have to play a lead tone. I want something I can feel but that doesn't hinder me from doing volume swells. I've got a few rough prototypes with rosettes and magnets but I need it to be simple and functional. We'll see how that one goes. Having a removable control cavity actually helps in this department so we don't have to split atoms or anything. Will also be using non-traditional materials for the top and if that doesn't work I'll throw on a piece of maple. Going for an art deco feel. Inlays and color may change. We'll see where it goes. I've really enjoyed keeping up with everyone's builds on here so I'll quit being a spectator for a bit and make some saw dust too 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted May 18, 2023 Report Share Posted May 18, 2023 4 hours ago, ZekeB said: I want to have a removable control cavity. My biggest reason is I really hate soldering in my guitar and making it look even half decent for a mortal like me is impossible so I plan on cheating. I wouldn't call that cheating. Actually the idea is just a refined version of the harnesses built on a metal plate. They're a commercial product serving both neatness and part of shielding. A metal box would make for an ideal emi shielding. Using connectors for pickups is also a well established method in guitar industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted June 20, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2023 Bit of an update. I got a nice slab of mahogany that I can use for 2 bodies. The wenge is milled and ready to go. Bit of a mile marker on the design front. Finally able to do interesting contours and stuff. anyways, decided to stick with a full maple cap and mahogany back. It just looks better. I like the dark red hue against the black and I'm confident I can pull it off after my previous bouts staining mahogany. I think the challenge is going to be a satin finish. Haven't done that yet successfully. Also found some purpleheart that looks like a giant slab of bacon. save it for a future project. My son and I also made a mallet out of the last bit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted June 20, 2023 Report Share Posted June 20, 2023 Mmmm.... Bacon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted July 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2023 Some scarf joint fun. Actually tried two different methods. Made a 10 degree routing jig. For the other I jigged a 10 degree shooting board. I'll be honest, I think the shooting board was better. Infinitely less messy, less waste, and the surface cut was flawless. It was just as accurate if not more so. I think for standard practice from here I'll make the blanks the width of my jointer plane blade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 3, 2023 Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 I'm thinking this one should be over in the build section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted July 3, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2023 Joint glued. Had to plane down both sides. Just jigged up two rails with the router base. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted July 5, 2023 Report Share Posted July 5, 2023 Heaven't heard from you in a while mate, glad to see you're still building and looking forward to seeing this one come along Ash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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