tmo

yep. it is a very nice book to start with...

Bad choice! You should have gone to a strat like guitar... easier projects to begin with are the way to grow the likes of building up things... That sort of project isn't quite helpfull in that matter... just my thought Best of luck for you

What program are u using? AutoCAD?

In either program you'll use, do print it in full scale. Go to a shop to do so. It is not that expensive and the result WILL be better, much better...

If you use 3DStudioMax, use the loft compound object to mold the neck, however you will have to make some preparations first: draw two correct top and a side views contour lines and also some sections of the main neck parts (section at the neck joint, at 12th fret, at 1st fret and at the head stock, at least). Also draw a straight line with the correct lenght (it should be the same as the top and side views). Use the sections to vary the extrude sections and the top and side drawings to fit (fit deformation botton) in the neck. It may take some time to figure out how to do this, but once you got it, you'll mold a neck in a blink of an eye. Hope to have helped

I found somewhere on the net a 3D cad drawing of an Ibanez Jem. It seamed to be ok with the dimentions and routings. if you want i can send you that file. It is not the mold, but you can CNC it prety fast (of course if you have the $ to do so)...

Hi! No doubt that paper and pensil are the Best ways to start scratching some drawings... However, if you would like to have a GOOD full size drawing of you future guitar, I would advise you to print full scale (1:1) the aproximate length of the instrument, with the bridge, pickup, all frets and nut locations AND over that print then you can hand draw the contour of the guitar body. Go AutoCAD. Its simple fast and easy to move along. If in further adventures you would like to move 3D, mix AutoCAD with 3DSMax... Here is an example of that kind of mix...

I've heard that that Trilogy bridge is quite noisy... not shure

The 7th string doesn't get in the way. You only get 5 more notes with the regular tune, but a lot more possibilities. I own one and I am in love with it, however, mine is a rare top model guitar, its an Ibanez RG 2027 XVV with piezos in the floydrose, modified to two Dimarzio Blaze PUs (neck and Custom) witch I recomend very much for a Mahogany body 7string guitar. It just rocks hard and heavy, and also jazz too! My precious...

Ibanez has/had several guitar and bass models made out of Luthite. The ones I have tried were quite OK. The only thing with those guitars was the design, a bit ugly to me...

In Portugal I think that the "wood composite" is called Aparite, and is made of Glue and small wood "scratch" and wood dust. It can be seen on several closets and similars. I´ve seen some realy dense and hard and others realy bad and easely breackable... I think I had a guitar made of that, once... but then again, the photo isn't quite clear.

Project, project, project and more project... it´s never too much...

I do want to know! Please do so.

Be very carefull with the neck joint. V kind guitars do need the Heel thing in case of having a Neck Pickup. That is to avoid its breaking, unless you´re making a guitar with composite materials... Do the project very carefully. The need of the Volute dependes in the strenght of the wood... only experience could answer this...

Hello! I think that the solidbody guitar body thickness varies a lot. There are no standard mesurements, but comun mesurements. From my experience, I think that guitar with less than 4 cm thickness are obviously lighter, but also less deep sounding (depending on the wood, yes, this is generaly speaking) and guitars with more tham 5 cm thicknes will be deeper sounding and obviously heavier. The balance betwin these two mesurements will prove to be the best for overall playability in sound and confort. I sugest you to choose what fits you better. The guitar's shape is not directly dependent of its thickness! This is the overaal guitar thickness talk, now if the problem is the wood layers' thickness, well, I've seem many many things, and that dependes a big lot on your visual and musical sound likes and deslikes. Hope to have helped in something...