Boggs

Depends on the wants of the customer. If it were for me, I would do a laminate mahogany neck with pao ferro fingerboard with an overlay of maple and padauk or bloodwood on the maple. 12" radius with stainless steel medium jumbo frets, offset fret dots and locking Sperzel tuning machines in a 2/4 arrangement.

Here's the first near completion look at the Bloodwood CamelBack... Front and Back. It is just wet down with mineral spirits. I could not complete the rounding of the edges until I rout a neck pocket and get a neck fitted to see exactly how far to round.

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Blo...ack_Front1S.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Blo...back_Back1S.JPG

Thickness of body feels perfect! That half inch thinner than the engineering model really makes a difference. Much improved upper fret access is real... Boggs

I put strings on yesterday and it really sings... and yes, it sustains like a mutha!

My coworker tried it out this morning and I thought he was going to have a coronary. I've got him right where I want him

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Good on ya, man! Two thumbs up!!

First of all, my apologies about the misinterpretation of the one pic rule. I thought it was one pic per post... I really did think I was following it. There was no intent to break rules. Maybe if I post more often I will get to understand them better. It's kinda like following tax codes over here!

I get my Cuban mahogany through Toby at Blue Moon Exotic Woods.

Toddler68, those little things mentioned to me are what give a completely handmade instrument individuality and character. Don't sweat it, man... My guitars will all have little "Character Flaws" in them too as we are not making CNC cookie-cutter instruments. You are doing awesome work, and your co-worker will be THRILLED with it, I'm sure. I know I would be...

I am surprised that the top is so thick... I typically use 1/4 inch thick tops and backs or less for my chambered body guitars. Are you concerned that it may be a bit bright in tone with all that maple and being a neck-through? It should sustain to infinity and beyond though!! Boggs

Plastic is forever, so no worries about degradation!

Bloodwood is pretty difficult to work with, but it rings forever. It is the first (and possibly only) one I have or will build with it unless it exceeds my expectation for tone or is just such a beautiful piece that I cannot live without it. Padauk is my primary top and back wood. I got that bloodwood because the grain was so cool...

The conduit idea came to me as a result of trying to thread the original prototype. "Pushing a rope" across those gaps was just too big of a pain, so I came up with an easier way. Even though I will not put in a middle pickup, the provisions are there in case one wanted to be added later.

Here are a couple of pics of my pickup wire conduits. Threading pickup wires especially in a chamberd body design can be a nightmare, but not with my guitars...

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Blo...p_Conduit1S.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Blo...p_Conduit2S.jpg

I have also routed the top edge of the bloodwood flush with the sides for now. I will round them later. I have also routed the top pickup holes and cut the electronics access panel for the back so the back will now be ready to glue up. I will not get a neck for it nor will I mount the electronics (switches and pots) until I know what a potential customer wants. Boggs

I'm really surprised by the responses I have received regarding my clamping table (not just here). I know the size of the blanks I work with, so it seemed logical to make a clamping bench so it would be easy to surround it with as many types of clamps as I may wish to use and take up little (precious) space. Glad you found something worthwhile here!

Thanks for checking back, Jehle! Somebody told me it looked like a used tampon which begged the question, "Why do you think they call it Bloodwood?" True story...

Progress to 8/8...

Gluing the bloodwood top to the chambered Cuban mahogany skeleton. I have already added the layer of maple veneer that goes between the bloodwood and the Cuban mahogany for contrast. Links only to conform to the forum rules... I am trying.

The next two show the maple and cocobolo inlay now glued into the center seam of the top and back... a first for me! It was scary as hell to rout, let me tell ya! I LOVE the look though!

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Blo...k/100_0314S.JPG

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Blo...k/100_0315S.JPG

This is going to be a killer axe!

Progress has been slow as I am building tools and doing other prep work on other guitars too. Boggs

It won't be ultra-light as the chambered segment is 1-1/4" thick Cuban mahogany which is very dense. The koa is about 1/4" thick each top and back. It won't be a flyweight, and should balance reasonably well. My CamelBacks are 12" maximum width and everyone who has played it has commented on its comfort.

It really did start out as a guitar building thread. That was the intent. Honest...

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How about some shots of the other bodies you're working on (not yer own, of course!)?

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Well, I thought I had posted shots of the masked koa body shape I am working on for a smaller chambered body travel guitar. I have enough koa for 3 guitars. Maximum width is only 10 inches. It would be a 24-3/4 scale length and have all of the features and pickup selection of the CamelBack.

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Koa/KoaMask2S.JPG

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Koa/KoaMask3S.JPG

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Koa/KoaMask4S.JPG

It really did start out as a guitar building thread. That was the intent. Honest...

...And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

You guys are killin' me! Should I say something about the knee pads? Naw... Too easy...

Funny thing is, when I post pics and descriptions of my projects and techniques without being topless, there are 325 views and only one comment or 204 views and one comment... I think there's a message here. You guys apparently WANT man-boob!

http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index...ROD&ProdID=3197

You know These are Great!! I use them on a drill press for really Tight spaces

but you could Buy the Larger one for sanding the side's of you guitars it's REALLY easy to set up a drill press for sanding with these

And Hey if you do it this Way I dont have to see any more man NIPPLE

!!METAL MATT!!

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Actually, I have a good Bosch jigsaw and those drum sanders which I used in my drill press to rough it out. I used the orbital finishing sander to smooth and true up the radii. I prefer to work outside when I can to keep sawdust from getting through the house and all over my record collectin and computer and stuff. I don't have a dust hood...

What makes it hotter was that the humidity was so high. It is going to be hotter and more humid today and tomorrow... Maybe I'll sweat off some of my excess baggage. Hey... I'm 52 years old. Could be worse.

Krazyderek, that is how I true it up and make it smooth except when I go to the sanding plate and REALLY make it hard on myself! I try to give my customers (none of which I have yet) their money's worth...

That's no road... That's my driveway. It just seems like a road when I have to shovel it in winter! it wasn't a problem yesterday though as it was 90 degrees. Gonna be hotter today and tomorrow with high humidity. I'll be back at it again today and tomorrow after work. I'll probably do more gluing instead of the heavy work. Just too darned hot. Hope nobody went blind...

I would have but it was hotter'n blazes... You could probably tell by my fried head...

The koa is for smaller chambered body electrics I have designed ( I have enough for 3 guitars ) and the Cuban mahogany skeleton is for a set of bloodwood tops and backs I bookmatched to make a full-sized chambered body guitar also of my design. I've also got about 5 sets of padauk tops and backs to bookmatch so I can make 5 more chambered body CamelBacks like the one shown. That's why I be sweatin' like a pig...

When I say these bodies are labor intensive and made by hand, I'm not kidding...

More smoothing of a bookmatched Koa top or back... 6 of them times 2 surfaces each. I still have to apply the maple to one side so I can fill the worm holes...

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Gui...t/By_Hand2S.JPG

Nice glue joint though, I must admit... They are all that good!

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Gui...t/By_Hand3S.JPG

Gotta make hay while the sun shines... Boggs

I use a Carvin Holdsworth H22N (unpotted jazz style pickup) in the neck position and a C22B (more of a vintage rock... hotter without losing clarity... A very good underrated pickup) in the bridge position. With these pickups and my switching system which allows for any of the tapped singles individually or in combination, you can cover just about any kind of tone or harmonic structure you could ever want. I used them very successfully in my padauk/Cuban gitar. These are insanely versatile guitars with these pickups.

Still rough but getting closer. I have no money to order pickups and hardware and neck yet. Boggs

I have a small band saw, but it is really too small and light duty for this. I tried it and it necessitated this technique to save the piece. I am going to make a guide for a good, old-fashioned hand saw to do the first cut and then use the dado/plate sander to smooth it out.

... well, basically. I cut off a thin slice and set up a dado blade for my radial arm saw to trim it close to flat. I then used my sanding plate to smooth both parts in preparation for cutting another slab. Here are pics...

The slice is 4x8x1/8 inches.

Boggs

First two pics are a top and back. 3 & 4 are the same piece just masked 180 degrees for convergence or divergence. There is a matching piece for the back. Opinions appreciated as to preference of converge at the neck or diverge at the neck. Body is quite compact but will be fully featured as the RockBeach Camelback electronics with dual tapped humbuckers.17" total height, 10" maximum width. It will be 24-3/4" scale for more compactness better suited for traveling gigs. They will be again koa top and back on Cuban mahogany chambered midsection for the 3 that I have koa supplied for. Here are the pics...

Boggs