Conflagration

Yeah, I did the bevels without the router. I measured at a guitar store and went from those measurements. I just had to draw lines and go from there. They came out pretty nice. I'll just practice some more on the pine and then try it on my scrap alder.

Alright. First update in a while, but it's a biggy. My neck from Warmoth arrived. It looks really great. Unfinished at the moment, but I touched it a bit. It feels amazing. I couldn't get binding on a 24 fret neck, so I decided to get a bound 22 fret instead of an unbound 24. The extra two frets were just a luxury anyway. I can live without them. I'm also practicing the bevels now. Soon I'll be ready to work on my nice alder piece.

I'll be finishing the guitar with black later, so I just need to make sure you can't feel the join. I don't care if the grain matches up exactly since the finish will hide that. You're right, that would look awesome as a bookmatch, especially on a V.

If you mean the piece I'll add on, I'm gonna use a few dowels, so it should be strong.

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge and go to my album. I've got the pine test piece almost done. I just have to add a bit of wood at the end of the longer wing and wait for a new router bit to get here. Then I can finish the body shape up. You can see how the grain runs down the wings in that picture. I've got a picture of how I clamped it and a picture of the alder blanks with the way I'll cut. They're in my album too. You can see that I need to add wood in those pictures. I'm gonna practice it on the pine too, so you can see how it turns out. Also, I've decided that I'll only use the router to take some wood off to make the bevels go quicker. I'll finish them off with a rasp.

UPDATE (but no pictures) Ok. I've got the body template basically done. I'll try it out on some pine soon and see if I need to fix anything. I also got my body blank. I'm going to cut it so that the grain runs at an angle with the wings (like so ///|\\\). This should help it be stronger. The one problem is that the blank is about 3/4" too short. I'm going to use dowel joint to put a 2" piece of offcut from the blank to make it long enough. I don't think that it'll affect the tone or sustain since it's such a small piece of wood compared to the size of the body istelf. I might be wrong but... Input please? Anyway, it's coming along nicely.

I'll use a router table and angle the piece. I'll make a jig that will angle it right. I'm bevelling both sides (front and back) so I need to be careful of how deep they are.

Basically, I'll angle the piece over the router and move it closer/farther away to get the fade. I can only do it on straight parts though. The curves have another dimension to worry about.

Yup, I'm gonna use a router for the straight, outside bevels and I'll do the curved, inside ones by hand with a rasp.

I actually got the template custom made by http://www.guitarplansunlimited.com. He did all the controls and the bigger cutout for me. He even made it fit the Warmoth neck. I just made a copy, cut the body out and glued it onto the plywood.

First, the specs: Bolt-on Maple Warmoth Neck with Jackson Headstock and Cream Binding Ebony Fretboard with Sharkfin Inlays and 22 Gold Frets Gotoh SG38 Tuners 25.5" Scale Alder Body Original Floyd Rose EMG-81 in the Bridge EMG-60 in the Neck 1 Tone Control, 2 Volume Controls, 1 Three-way Switch Black Hardware Black Finish with Gold Pinstripes Alright. Only one update, but it's a biggy. My neck from Warmoth arrived. It's a beauty. Unfinished at the moment, but I touched it a bit. It feels amazing. I couldn't get binding on a 24 fret neck, so I decided to get a bound 22 fret instead of an unbound 24. The extra two frets were just a luxury anyway. I can live without them. I'm also practicing the bevels now. Soon I'll be ready to work on my nice alder piece. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge. Go to my album for all the pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/562217...vhost=community

That link didn't work, but I searched around a bit, and I think I found them. Are they valley arts ones? If they are, then they don't have the mounting washers, nut ferrules or the screws. The other black Gotohs I found were left handed or locking. I searched for "black gotoh tuners" and only 3 results came up. If the Gotohs are good, then I think I'll just get them off Warmoth. I won't have to pay extra for shipping because I'll be getting them with the neck.

Regular headstock and black hardware. I can't find Grovers in black. I see what you mean...

You'd know that I was deciding between the Razorback and the Alexi. The Alexi is easier to build because the bevels on the Razorback are super tricky. It looks better than the Razorback, and after playing both, I decided on the Alexi for sound too. I've got my design now, and the template just arrived. I'm almost ready to order my neck from Warmoth, but I have one issue. I have no idea what tuners I should use. I'm gonna use an original floyd rose, so locking tuners won't be needed, but I don't know anything about different brands of tuners. I'm thinking of Gotoh SG38s, but I don't know if they'll stay in tune. I know I won't have to worry too much about tuning because of the locking nut, but I don't want piece of crap tuners that'll fall apart. Just incase you need to know, the specs for it are: ESP Alexi Body shape (bigger cutout like on the pink ones) The finish will be black with gold pinstripes (the thin kind on the Japanese Alexis) Bridge Pickup: EMG-81 in the bridge Neck Pickup: EMG-60 in the neck Bridge: Original Floyd Rose Controls: 2 volume , 1 tone, 1 3-way pickup selector All black hardware 24 Fret bolt-on Warmoth neck with: Gold frets Jackson shaped headstock Ebony fretboard Sharkfin inlays Cream binding (It's the most gold looking I could get.)

I'm working on an Alexi, but I don't feel up to making the neck myself. I'm getting a Warmoth bolt-on, but I want to make the whole neck black. I've only seen bolt-ons finished with a clear finish, so it got me thinking. Is it bad to do a color on a bolt on, or is it just coincidence?

I've begun working on an ESP Alexi, but I'll be doing some different stuff than ESP does. Because of the limitations of one pickup, I'll be adding another one in, and making them both active. My friend has been saying that I don't have the experience to make a better guitar than a company that has been making them solidly for years, and I disagree. Do you guys think that it's possible make it worth spending about the same amount of money and a lot more time building a guitar that I could get stock, or would it not compare to the LTD?

I can't do any graphics, and Alexis look awesome with pinstripes. Any idea how much it would cost to get it painted all black with white pinstripes at a car place?

Hmm, do you have access to any stock ones? If not, I might see if the guitarplansunlimited.com guy has one. I'll try to get some measurements for you in the meantime.

I was planning on buying a neck from Warmoth, that way I don't have to worry about the neck, and I can focus on making the body as badass as possible. Also, I've found a price for all the wood, hardware, and the neck, which came to around $860. That doesn't include paint and any woodworking stuff I might need to buy. I've never built a guitar before, but my dad is quite experienced working with wood, so if you could point out anything that I need to add in for my budget, that would be great.

Not to hijack the thread, but I need a template for the ESP Alexi, which is similar to the Rhoads. Would the guy that you're referring to have or be able to do one of that? I just need the body.

Well, the Alexi does look awesome, and a little classier than the Razorback. It would also be easier to make, meaning that I'd have it sooner. Now I just need a template. Know anywhere I could get one?

Being a teenager, I don't have access to enough money to build two $1000+ guitars. I find it hard to play the Alexi sitting down, and I love the Razorback shape, and have been wanting it for a while. The Alexi does look awesome, and I actually like the more even V shape, more like a King V, but not completely even or as long as the King V. I like the lightness, so that's a plus. I can't decide whether to just make an Alexi or try to make a Razorback that sounds like it. Going back to my original question - I thought about how it could be done, and thought that making a thinner, Alder body might work. Would the fact that the Alexi is neck-through, and that I'd probably make my Razorback a set neck be a problem?

I went to SamAsh today, looking to make some measurements on a Razorback which I was hoping to build. After measuring and playing the Dean, I decided to try out an Alexi-600 hung on the wall. I really liked the tone, even more than the Razorback, but I liked the way the Razorback played sitting, and the fact that it's completely badass. Could I use Alder instead of Mahogany on a Razorback shape to make it sound like an Alexi, or would the amount of wood affect how it sounds?

I usually do it whenever I change strings, and whenever I notice a significant amount of grime on there.

I think I've made my decision. I don't really mind if it isn't EXACTLY the same as a Dean one - I'd actually prefer it - so I'm going to make the overall shape of the body the same by using a template, then I'll use a router to go around the edges with a template that mirrors the overall shape, like westhemann's Beast. All I really care about is whether the overall shape is the same, whether it has bevels, and that it looks good (emphasis on the third). I'm going to SamAsh on Sunday to measure everything and find the amount of wood I need for it. It looks like it would need a bigger blank than the ones Warmoth has, but I might be wrong. Does anyone have a definite answer? Also, if I need a bigger one, where could I get it?