phoenix_rising

I am interested in a couple of pieces please.

I have been told that Poplar by itself is not a good choice for necks. But what about if I laminated a piece of Poplar between two pieices of Walnut? Would the Walnut add anything to the rigidity or stability of the neck or should I just use it for solid bodies?

I just wanted to let you guys know that I recieved the Electra today and am so excited. The neck on this thing is phenomenal! It is so much more slender and comfortable than a standard Gibson neck. I think I have identified the model as well an early carved maple top SLM Electra 2249 model. Looks like these came with rosewood fretboard on a maple neck early but then were switched to maple / maple.

http://www.rivercityamps.com/electra/2249.php

Anybody know how thick I have to make the top? I have a 4/4 piece of Curly Maple that I was going to bookmatch and is ready to go, but I am afraid it may be too thin seeing that most carved top LPs are about 2 7/8" thick and the body of this electra is is smaller than 2 inches. What do you think? Should I bookmatch the top or cut it as is (1" thick).

Alder typically doesn't come very wide, you have to do a 2-piece or three piece most of the time.

Good point. I think that is what I will do.

I bought a fat strat body and I'm putting it together with custom pickups/wiring/etc. and I need some advice on the neck.

I was going to go with a Warmoth neck but I see on their page that there are conflicts with the Fat Strat body because the body may not allow for proper overhang and intonation if the original neck was 22 frets without overhang. Of course, I don't know what the original neck was so I'm in the dark on this one. The neck pocket measures the usual 3" x 2-3/16" x 5/8". I've taken some pictures here to show the pocket. Do you guys think I'll be able to go with a standard strat neck replacement and expect it to work?

Thanks for any help!

Michael

I don't understand what the issue would be? A fat strat just comes equipped with a set of HBs instead of the usual SSS. I don't see why that would effect the neck fitment. There is usually some space between the neck and the neck pickup. Any strat neck should be fine, and if not it would not take much modification to make it work. Thats why Leo designed the strat the way he did, so it would be easy to change necks.

Seriously,Phoenix...if you are going to EVER build an instrument you will want to play,you should become more of a student of guitar...

Jackson has always and still does use poplar as a body wood on high end instruments,and even a remote interest in research would have already found that out for you.Google is your friend.You could have also found many,many topics on this forum with a search.

Having said that,I don't like the one dimensional sound poplar offers.Alder is a better alternative.

I'm working on it. I figured the best source of info would be this site. Google presents a lot of info but some of it is not credible, at least here you can correct someone's mistake. I do know a bit about guitars since I have played a lot longer than I have built them. Unfortunately I usually focus on the usuals... Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, PRS, Martin, Taylor... and have not reasearched a lot about Charvel or Jackson since I figured they were really Fender companies. I am doing some major research right now into vintge Electras and Gretsch. But I will keep up the vigilance. Thanks for the tips guys!

P.S. Where can I get some decent sized Alder? My local woodcraft has Alder but it is too thin, only 4/4 unless I want to glue two pieces together I suppose.

Not bad! I like. Keep up the good work.

That V looks sweet. I was never a big fan of V's in general until I got an old beater for my 30th birthday. I will post pics of it when I get it back home. I am a teacher and it is my "school guitar". I left it there when school broke up.

Again, sweet design. A nice nod to Dime. Well done.

Luke

Sweet V design. Nice continuity with the angles (noting the V at the stem of the fretboard matching the body.)

I am the same way, I am only now learning to appreciate V's after playing / collecting guitars for over 5 years.

Looks good man! Need to keep us updated!

Has anybody used Poplar for instruments? I have never heard of it before. Maybe there is a reason?

Also, can Poplar exhibit a flame or curl?

Yeah these things are great! I have played one at my local shop several times. Great sound, Great effects, and a very user friendly interface with presets.

Looks Great! Keep it up!

e-mailed.

Still for sale?

Yeah it still is.

How much shipped to 48170? Besides pickups are there any other issues with the guitar?

Wow I am sorry to hear about this happening to you. I just bought your book about 3 weeks ago from Woodcraft. It is a great book and was definitely worth the $20. Thank you for creating the book and good luck with your company and stopping the ecopy thing.

Click on Dan Erlewine "PRS" finish for a step-by-step guide.

Cheers,

Brian.

Thanks for the link Bri!

I painted my car with Sherwin Williams Paints. All I know is that the quality is not bad but I spent between $500-700 in supplies that were not paint. Hardeners, reducers... etc.

Looks like a fun project! Its all good. I build my first acoustic from a kit so the sides were pre bent so don't feel bad.

I'm sure even David will tell you it is not his technique, but simply 'a' technique that he employs.

This technique is displayed and explained in detail very clearly on Stew-Mac's 'Spray Finishing With Colors' DVD hosted by Dan Erlewine, which I've owned for at least 11 years now. Mine is so old it's on VHS and I believe was the first version.

I know there is a newer version out there, hopefully they covered this technique again in the second version. It's been around for quite some time.

Cool! Thank you guys!

So I just won the auction for a 1970's Crate Electra LP. This guitar has had the top cap removed. The auction includes the mahogany body, a humbucker, neck, tuners, and some accessories.

What I am wondering is:

I want to use a curly maple top and stain it, but I want to leave a natural maple binding around the edges, can I leave extra material on the top's edges then stain the top and then scrape or trim off the extra? Or will the stain penetrate too far into the material? Or should I just buy some maple binding and do it like everybody else?

So I am building a Les Paul Project. I am used to strats / fenders. What are the good pickups for gibsons. I play mostly Jazz, blues, rock. I would like something either versatile or something very unique and nice sound. Whats the best guys? Any sound clips?

Thanks!

You can't go wrong with Zhangbuckers.

Great guy to deal with. Great pickups. Great prices.

Thanks guys. I'll have to think them over.

It is interesting how Fender was always more concerned with trademarking headstocks more than body shapes. Seriously, at least Gibson was smart enough to go after Ibanez and the other imports early on to protect the Les Paul design. I wish they hadn't gone after PRS over the Singlecut, but I do understand why they had to do so.

That was a great post, Jeremy. I think a lot of people go to Ed Roman's site and see his "conversions" that are flat-out copies and think they can get away with slapping a JEM decal on a mutilated, left-handed RG. Such actions will only lead to the big guns tightening their grip on their trademarks and going after reputable builders who aren't doing anything wrong.

I don't know. There are not that many ways you can make a headstock shape or a body shape before it starts looking like some other guitar. I think Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, Jems, PRS... are fairly generic and easily reproducable. I think the problem lies in what the build purpose is. If you build a copy of an instrument to trick people that is is a real model and sell it I think that is wrong. But if you are like me who is not made of money, I am sure am not the only one and you want to build nice Les Paul or something for yourself or a gift I think its okay. As long as you are not profiting off the design.

Using Burmese Teak these days, does not sound good to me.

The tragedies of our days. If we keep going this fast we are gonna have to start making guitars out of plastic.

Sad but true. It is a shame about the Teak. Not that I have ever really thought about it but it just goes to show how we need to preserve our wood supplies.

So I am building a Les Paul Project. I am used to strats / fenders. What are the good pickups for gibsons. I play mostly Jazz, blues, rock. I would like something either versatile or something very unique and nice sound. Whats the best guys? Any sound clips?

Thanks!

Lovely burst - reminds me a lot of my Les Paul. I had to go with a dark burst to hide a booboo in the routing, and ended up likeing the dark burst way more than the original lighter cherry burst.

To get rid of the wetsanding gunk, try reaching in through the soundhole and using a scraper to clear away the gunk. Unless it's pentrated into the mape, if should clean right up with a sharp scraper.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will give that a try. Time to try out my new cabinet scrapers! :

Nice job . How was the kit for your first (were the parts and instructions good for you, or were there any little issues)? I have never built with a kit, but some people feel that is the smartest approch for a first. A few comments from your perspective after completing one might be real handy for guys debating on how to tackle their first acoustic.

Peace,Rich

Thank you all for your kind words! I hope to learn much more from you all and build some beautiful instruments in the future.

Rich:

It was a great expirience. There is a lot more work involved than I would have expected. Even though you have some of the main guts of the guitar, there is still a lot of fabrication work to be done. Everything from shaping and installing kerfed linings and braces all the way to scraping the entire guitar to preparing and installing frets. Depending on how much time and care you put into it you will find more or fewer issues. But I must say, stew mac gives you a great starting place with quality woods and discernable directions.

After I complete my current projects (Fretless Tele, Midi or Variax Strat, Carved top Les Paul) I plan on making another acoustic in the future, this time a 9 or 12 string. I haven't decided yet. The 9 String gives you that extra belllike quality without to much extra hassle, but a 12 string is a must in a guitar collection. I am so torn. Too bad I'll have to do both I guess!