Boggs

This is the CamelBack CB-II just completed. Sorry about the crappy photos as I have no time to get then professionally done and the light was not good at all. I have to get this to Hipshot in Interlaken, NY for them to take to NAMM to demo their hardware. It's 25.5" scale, and chambered body. The main body is crotch Cuban mahogany with cocobolo top. Pickups are Vintage Vibe custom winds by Pete Biltoft. I won't even get the opportunity to play it through an amp before I have to deliver it... Sounds stunning through a V-Amp2 through headphones though... The neck isn't as dark looking as it looks in these photos...

I CNC all of my neck pockets to the individual neck heel so it is a snug fit. I can incline the body on the jig to give myself a 1.5 degree of back angle (for comfort playing) when cutting the pocket. I find that with the increased angle coming off the back of the saddles, it imparts greater normal force from the strings into the saddle and gives you a bit more body resonance in the overall tone of the guitar when compared to those I have not backset. Sustain is not adversely affected because my neck fit in the pocket is so good. I can push them in place and with no screws holding them in, I can twirl the guitar around by the neck. So far as I am concerned, this is as good as any set neck but with the servicability and flexibility of a bolt.

Did some one brought that up here? I have never seen a Model One in my live so I did a search and I see no resemblance at all with your guitar. I have had more than one person tell me it reminded them a lot of the Model One... Mine has more symmetry and of course I do not have the rotating pickup mount but if you put the bottom cutaway that mine has in the Model One, there is a lot of similarity...

Nice!

Thanks for the link, I looked around quite a bit but I found no mention of that piece of hardware. Shouldn't it be in w/ the ferrules? or does it come with the bridge? Anyway, I might consider getting some made at work out of stainless. They don't apparently have it on the product listings apparently. Contact them via the "contact us" link and talk to Jason. Tell him Boggs referred you. do you know if they make them for 7 and 8 strings? Not sure. You can ask them though...

Thanks for the link, I looked around quite a bit but I found no mention of that piece of hardware. Shouldn't it be in w/ the ferrules? or does it come with the bridge? Anyway, I might consider getting some made at work out of stainless. They don't apparently have it on the product listings apparently. Contact them via the "contact us" link and talk to Jason. Tell him Boggs referred you.

This does have a Strat headstock to keep the more traditional theme and it does look nice on it. With the bolt, I can always change it to another configuration which is not true of a neck-through... I shaped the neck heel that way for better access to the upper frets. Belly cuts would be next to impossible on these as the walls are really too thin to accommodate it. With the offset waistline, they're really comfortable to play as they are. It gives the lightweight a more substantial feel, too. I really do appreciate your thorough appraisal... Those kinds of comments are invaluable! I know it takes time, and I do appreciate it! I do intend to enter it, but I never expect "a winner" as they lack "bling" that others do present. They are basically using this guitar to demo their hardware at their booth as last year, they didn't have a guitar on display... only their stuff. I approached them to build something for them to "show off" and they thought that was a cool idea. I only wish I could be there with the guitar...

That is available from www.hipshotproducts.com . Let Jason know that you saw it here on a RockBeach first!

I used it on my Bloodwood CamelBack...

Here's the back...

Questions from the moderator... Cool! The top is cocobolo and the chambered midsection is Cuban mahogany and the back is crotch Cuban mahogany. I'll post back pics later. It's 25.5" scale length. The neck is mahogany with ebony fingerboard. Frets are stainless vintage. It is strung through the body. The pickups are custom Vintage Vibe blades with interchangable magnets. They come with two different alnico sets and one ceramic set. It will be available for demo at Hipshot's booth at NAMM in January if you want to pick it up and play it... It will have all Hipshot hardware... tuning machines, bridge, knobs, through-body string bezel bar (in the back)... Anything else? Thanks for expressing interest! Boggs

I am building this one for Hipshot to demo their hardware at their booth at NAMM this January. It's the new RockBeach CamelBack II (chambered, of course). I just have a grain filling sealcoat on it right now. It is not finished by any stretch of the imagination... Cheers! Boggs

Excellent design discussion in a design focused thread. I prefer 3+3 as well. On this, it was a "traditional element..." Don't forget to share comments on other guitars too... and don't forget to VOTE!

Well, not too many I would think. As a matter of fact I have never seen the Model One in the hands of any other guitarists than before mentioned Buckingham. But do not let your self be put down by comments here. Listen to the guys that play and praise your guitars and go for it. I bet most people thought that that Paul Reed guy made strange looking guitars in the beginning... Well, you are right about not selling many to mainstream guitarists. I can't build enough to sell to the mainstream anyway... What is interesting is how fairly subtle differences can leave such a feeling of a big difference to the eye. I do know from talking to Rick that he does build and sell a good number of them. They have been in his lineup for a long time. I didn't mean to "copy" his design or anything like that and he knows that too... The other interesting part of the comment is in regards to the psychology of taste... It's kind of infused in us that, well, it's not my style so I doubt it is much of anyone else's either. That's not meant as a cut... Not by any stretch. You don't see that as much in bass players as you do in guitar players. It's a very interesting dynamic to me. Guitarists are a pretty fixed lot overall... I do thank you for the encouragement and I do sincerely appreciate the honesty here. I do recognize that I often tunnel when a bridge will do... Cheers! I will have an entry for next month that will have more traditional elements, but be true to my design philosophy. That should prove interesting. Still not lot of "bling" by "competition standards," but that is not what I am about. Boggs

I'm curious... How many folks here just can't get a grip on Lindsey Buckingham's Turner Renaissance Model One guitars? For the record, I did not have that guitar in mind at all when I designed mine. The resemblance was pointed out to me well after I had built a few.

ottovola: Really well done flame job, but flames just aren't my thing. That takes nothing from the quality job done there though. andyt: Extremely cool paint job and it just works with the body contouring perfectly. Got my vote this month! Lil Petrucci: I can't really see enough of it to judge properly unfortunately... SwedishLuthier: Beautiful work... Excellent body contouring and binding. There is nothing to not like there... low end fuzz... Outstanding workmanship but I think there are just too many artistic conflicts for me with the wood varieties and the straight flame maple right next to the curves of the body waistline. It is certainly an interesting piece and I do like it a lot though... kpcrash: A buddy of mine did a really dark Warmoth body much like that one. It is one of those that photos don't really do it justice. rdiquattro: This came really close to getting my vote. Everything about it is just plain tasty! Hydroqeoman: That is a VERY fine example of a special Tele... I especially like the back and the detail in the headstock. Excellent work, man! Kenny: Beautiful woods there and excellent work on the body contouring. It looks super-comfortable to play! Me (Boggs): I vowed to never vote for myself. The chambering makes it next to impossible to really do much contouring, but they are super-comfortable to play anyway. Please feel free to ask me any questions about it. jer7440: The last picture I feel shows it off the best. Those fret markers are cool, too! Beautiful piece!

I'll throw this one in for grins and giggles... It's my goncalo alves/Cuban mahogany chambered RockBeach Cicada. I only have a couple of photos showing its insides and one finished. I had it on demo at a musician's flea market in Buffalo and this young guy was playing it Andy McKee tap style and he said it was the most perfectly responding guitar he had ever played tapping as his eyes were rolled back in his head cursing out his student loans!

There will be one in next months GOTM that I've been keeping under wraps that will blow everyone away. Just wait and see. I'll be sure to wait until November then... ...not that it matters. I've never taken more than one vote from anyone!

Boggs here... Thanks for the comments, first off. I do appreciate your honesty! The pictures are real. There is no photoshop except to widen the background a bit to be able to print it out in 4x6 format for my catalog. A friend of mine is a professional photographer and does great work... The angle of the bridge and middle pickups are slightly different. The guitar balances very well. I can support it with no hands on it and it does not dive. It is rediculously comfortable to play, too and it sounds KILLER. It is interesting how the quack in positions 2 and 4 are progressive from strings 1 to 6... it kind of combines the tone characteristics of a Strat and a Tele... It is very responsive and is now my main player. I feel I also need to say that getting one vote in this crowd is a real honor! Incredible work done here!! I automatically gravitate to acoustic builds, but they still have to be exceptional and that SA Auditorium is gorgeous!!!

I think about a dozen...

FWIW, you can find the finished guitar in the Announcements forum in the October Guitar of the Month page...

Here's my latest build. It's a chambered poplar RockBeach Mantis with Strat controls and Vintage Vibe single coil pickups. They are arranged at the 3 different angles to place the poles directly under the strings and also to give it a different vibe from standard Strats. The fatter strings get progressively more quack in positions 2 and 4 on the switch. Very cool tone! The maple neck is 25.5" scale with a kingwood fingerboard and SS vintage frets. I gigged with this guitar this past weekend and it is my personal favorite to date! By the way, I just weighed it at 6.0lbs with the strap.

IT'S ALIVE!!! I finished the access to the side trussrod adjustment, locked down the tuning machines, wired her up, strung her up, and she plays like a dream right off the table without doing a THING! When the action and intonation are tweaked, you will have to kill me first and then you MAY pry it out of my cold, dead hands... Plugged in, this is possibly the best sounding RockBeach yet... Those Vintage Vibe noiseless strat singles are incredible (even just through the V-Amp) and the trick angles of the pickups makes each switch position really unique... I think this one is my keeper... If you want another, you will just have to have one built up this way. I think this will be my main player/demonstrator... I'll record it later. I also still need to hear it through my amp... I have to get ready to go out now though... WOO-HOO!!!

I have them and tried laying them out and this actually worked out better. He purposely did the Kanji character so part of it went under the bridge. He feels it adds a bit of authenticity to the art.

I gave my specialty finishing guy free reign on artwork. It all just worked out that way...