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Projects I am working on.


Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars

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** How can I save the image of my dream guitar?

FLASH won't let you save a image on your local computer.

So, use copy-and-paste method with your graphic software

to "archive" your creations.

There are many FREE programs to download!

-- example in Microsoft Windows + Paint

(1) create your dream guitar

(2) press "Print Scrn" key

(3) start Paint program

(START Button - PROGRAMS - Accesries -Paint)

(4) Edit - Paste

(5) Trim the image and Save it

(6) Optionally, print that image and go to a music store with

your credit card. Then custom order it! :D

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Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars

Actually, I went to check out some teles to see what I wanted, and found that I really liked the bridge pickup. The Duncan Alnico Pro II for tele it is. Here's the final drawing. Minus the ric F hole. :D

Tele%203.jpg

Specs will be:

Purpleheart neck with ebony fretboard

Thinline mahogany body

Alnico pro II bridge

Humbucker neck (Still in the air, maybe a '59)

Tuneomatic string thru

VVTT LP style 3 way

Quilted top

AANJ kinda thing

CARRIEBURST!!!!

Any objections/suggestions?

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Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars
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Jeff, that neck joint needs re-doing, assuming it is glued. I can see a good 1/8 gap between the tenon and pocket on the treble side, and 1/16 between the body and neck in the cutaway. You need to get the joint *much* tighter than that or it'll fail, especially given the fairly short tenon area you have to work with. Sorry :D

I'd suggest you totally refill the neck pocket, then route a new pocket, making sure it fits. This will remove the big gap caused by the shorter tennon on your new neck. David Myka's advice in the Les Paul DC thread is great - he shows how he does his neck fitting to achive a tight joint, and the results look great.

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Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars

I hear ya. I followed what the local luthier told me to do, and I am gonna add a couple screws just to be safe. It is shimmed and is tight, but I want a bit more. The screws *should* do it. However, it looks downright scary, and I probably will tune it a steo flat with 9-42s on it.

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If the joint is *really* tight, you don't need screws. However I'd still recommend you pull it out and redo, because you should be shooting for a better fit than that, for both cosmetics and strength. The gap between the neck and body will stick out like a bulldogs balls when you apply finish, and the gap on the treble side is big enough the let the neck move under tension.

I also have reservations about the hollow area under the last few frets, it just gives me the heebie jeebies. :D

Finally, am I going loopy, or is there no trussrod in that neck? You definately want to deal with that with the neck unattached (given the choice), so I'd say it'll have to come off anyway. Do you plan on fitting a hotrod type, or going with the original Gibson type compression rod?

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Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars

Undecided on a rod type. I think a hotrod is the better way to go. Routing it is easier for me to do with it attatched (prolly cuz thats how I am used to)

I Planned to "bl;ock" the area under the last frets, but if I'm gonna cut a piece for that, I might as well go all the way.

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Whats the scale length on the LP with that new neck? It looks like it was meant for a shorter pocket. You might want to make sure that it is still 24.75" like it should be. I have a feeling it might be off.

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Jeff,

I'll be frank with you, I don't like your work. To me it looks like you're trying to invent the wheel again with your body shapes. Nothing wrong with some personal touch, but you're taking it over the top.

This comment has been nagging me. Not because I disagree, but because I do. I am either gonna go set neck or neck thru. Combining the 2 is just an insane amount of work for what? Hell if I know. I have a bolt on neck guitar that sustains just as well as my Les Pau becase the joint is tight. So, I am leaning towards a tight set neck.

Also, What about the shapes bothers you? Is it a personal taste thing, or is that something else? I went with PRS inspired shapes, without getting into trouble. Any suggestions are welcome.

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You might want to clean up your shop a bit. It might lend itself to a little better results if you dont have to crawl under your saw horse to get your chisel :D

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No shop is messier than mine. It's aggravating to work in, and the end result of my work could ONLY be improved by working in a clean shop....

But still, I couldn't be arsed. Mostly because the majority of it wasn't my own mess to begin with and I hate cleaning up other people's messes.

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The boat doesn't look great, anyhow. -A- boat would look interesting since it's a carrie... but that particular boat, not so much. And if it's an F-hole, it won't always be 'black' enough to make its shape obvious.

Greg

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A few notes:

1) If I were you, I would clean up the interior route lines, it looks pretty sloppy for as long as you've been at this, and it's pretty easy to clean those up and make them look very nice and clean and smooth.

2) Is the upper left area wet, or is the wood darkening in color towards that area?

If it's natural darkening, you'll have a hard time getting an even finish over that, even with bleach (see my post on bleaching in another thread)

3) The biggest point: I'll say the same thing I said in another thread about a week ago. I have no idea why someone would use a Tele bridge pkp under the circumstances you have set there (i.e., TOM bridge) unless you just like the look, but I try to build for sound first, looks second.

That guitar will sound nothing like a Tele with that hardware/wood/setup, so why use a Tele bridge pkp? You are actually taking away from what it could be by using it at this point. Using a Tele bridge pkp would be making an inferior sound choice AFAIC .

The old saying about too many cooks in the kitchen holds true in some guitar circumstances. You try to make a guitar a hybrid of too many designs, it will just be completely average-sounding in the end, it will not 'shine' in any area.

A Tele 'shines' as a Tele for several design reasons, a Les Paul 'shines' as a Les Paul (but sucks as a Tele) for different design reasons, they all add up to a certain 'quantity' that sounds better than most other guitars that 'try' to sound 'that' way, but fall short (for their design choices).

Building a guitar is very much like cooking a stew, you can't just toss anything out of your cupboards into a stew and have it be a world-class soup, certain things taste better mixed together, and a completely different set of flavorings will taste world-class when 'they' are mixed together.

Example: Well, I like Cayenne Pepper, and I like Cream of Potato soup, so hell, let's toss some Cayenne Pepper into my Cream of Potato soup, THAT should kick ass!!!

Get my drift? :D

But what you are doing is natural and normal, I did much the same thing years ago too. But what you'll find out over time is that you'll get that 'lets toss a little of everything into this guitar' out of your system and really start learning how to COOK, not just toss a little of everything into your stews as you progress forward.

Clean those route lines up next time and make it look sweet, OK? B)

It takes some serious pre-thought as to what design traits to keep and improve on, and which ones won't work together instead of just tossing a little bit of everything into the stew and hoping for the best.

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It shows that you are a quality builder, not a hack.

Would you buy a guitar out of a store if you could shine a flashlight into the soundhole and see that kind of thing inside?

It is a roadsign, or a signpost, as to the overall quality the builder put into his/her work. If he/she would be willing to let something like that 'fly', what else would they be willing to let 'fly'? :D

Professional acoustic builders ALWAYS inspect others' guitars armed with a little flexable mirror and a flashlight, they spend more time looking at the interior (bracing, glue joints, etc.) of the build than they do the outside. The real story of an acoustic is told from what you see inside when you know what you're looking at/for.

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