Jimmie78

Thanks, and that's because it's not. the neck isn't bolted on, it's just resting in the neck pocket. there's not enough wood to keep it exactly straight.

my bad i'm looking forward to see it finished

Hi. Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm actually on the other side of the world from the guitar at the moment (guitar's in Vancouver, I'm in Taiwan) but I felt the need to post pictures of my guitar. Had my mom take pictures and send them to me. It's not done yet; still have to polish it up, attach the bridge (acoustic guitar bridge, like that off an ovation), the trapeze tailpiece, bolt the neck on, wire the pre-amp, wire the guitar...the list goes on. Hopefully I'll be able to finish in February when I get back.

anyway, the guitar itself is made from a solid piece of alder. I traced my dreadnought for the shape. Had a bit of a thing for hybrid piezo-magnetic guitars when I started out. I routed out cavities, trying to keep it strong while keeping out of contact with the top and bottom.

here's a rough drawing of what I'm talking about. be kind. Drawn in a shareware app for mac, because I don't have photoshop.

The top is quartersawn fir. the piece I had wasn't big enough, so I had to put the stripes in. the middle is quilted maple with strips of black walnut that join with the black walnut binding. the outside stripes are padauk. I'm not sure if I like the padauk (mostly the one on the bass side, because it gets cut off by the contour. Top thickness is about 8mm. Standard x bracing. Oh, and that hole is for a chrome Stratocaster-type input jack

3 piece back with padauk in the middle, same black walnut between the pieces. matching cavity covers. looks a lot better up close. pictures don't do the wood justice.

binding was bent on an old laundry iron. pickup is....I can't remember. got it a while back from a local music store. kind of like a Gretch surface mount pickup. only problem I ended up having is that it was too high to be surface mounted, so I had to stick it in the sound-hole, which is a shame, because it covers up the hard work i did bracing the back of the guitar. was originally planning to use a telecaster pickup. I'll probably end up switching it out sometime anyway. (the strips down the length are figured maple, while the cross braces are padauk. had a hell of a time lining up the braces on the 3 piece back.

Not much else to say. Neck's a pretty standard one piece drop down headstock with 3x3 tuners. I think the neck looks terrible on the guitar. Have to build a new one out of more exotic wood some day. Contours were done with a belt sander. Finish is sprayed on lacquer. Building the preamp myself, because I couldn't find one that did what I wanted it to do, which is buffer the piezo so that I can wire it into a blend pot. Finished guitar will have concentric pots, one each for both the magnetic and piezo tone/ volume, a blend pot, and some other stuff that I haven't figured out yet.

wouldn't mind some feedback, if possible. I am planning to continue building guitars in the future. just wondering what people think, especially on the body shape. Thanks!

this is an odd build but cool none the less. your neck angle does not look like it's straight.

If that's a graphite nut, and your strings are going to be going in those directions, then i believe you're running the risk of snapping your nut in half, or breaking the pole points. Just make sure you string one string at a time. Other than that, that's a pretty sweet lookin' bass!

And Snapping Nuts in half is never a good thing ( sorry man had to)

I agree that is a nice bass

Ikea .... yes you too can build your guitar from an IKEA table top.

Foul Language Warning! http://www.esquire.com/the-side/qa/guitar042307 Foul Language Warning!

Actually reclaimed wood is a great source for guitars. I know there are members of this forum that have used reclaimed wood to build guitars.

1. It really adds character.

2. It makes it unique.

3. A guitar without a story is no fun...

Makes me want to tear apart my kitchen table lol

Home Depot is NOT going to be a cheap way to get any solid hardwood.

Find a local hardwood dealer, or find that cabnet shop. If you buy timber you are going to need 4bd. ft. of some type of hardwood in 8/4 form(2" stock). Now Maples will run between $4-6 bd. ft., Alder ruffly $3.50-5.50 bd. ft., Black Walnut $7.50-$10 bd. ft., Khaya $4-5.50 bd. ft., Gen. Mahogany $9-11 bd. ft. The list goes on. All of which will generally be offered in kiln dried form. Save up and either invest in donuts or buy some hardwood.

Peace,Rich

lol i think i can try the donut thing

any timber will work, some will sound better than others. if its a bolt on give something cheap a try and you may like it, if you dont start saving up for when you do have the money, snd then you will have more experience and wont botch the other piece. i dont think you will find any traditional "tonewoods" at home depot, but i live in australia so i have no idea what they do have.

yeah because if i did spend 60 or dollars on a body blank and messed it up i would probably go suicidal. Thats why i like to go cheap first.

Whats up ya'll

I have gotton a couple of guitar plans to build my first guitar but then i realized that i cannot afford to buy a body blank.

Now my question is is there an alternative i can use maybe something at home depot that will work for a body?

please let me know.

Thanks guys

Jimmie

Jimmie yes Home depot maple except its not thick enough. If you can't afford a few dollars for some hardwood how can you afford all the other parts and tools necessary to build a guitar???????? maybe you are also looking at overpriced wood available from dealers selling to guitar newbies. Check a local lumber yard for ash, maple and possibly alder if its in your area, ask for two inch thick stock if you have the tools or will power to do some work, It always helps to know what you are about to build so the wood selection can be narrowed to a wood used in the design. If you paint it just go to home depot and buy glue too LOL.

these posts make my day

And thats why the topic is wood and not parts. i have the tools and the part from various guitars i have owned in the past. i just wanted to know a cheap way to build a body.

Whats up ya'll

I have gotton a couple of guitar plans to build my first guitar but then i realized that i cannot afford to buy a body blank.

Now my question is is there an alternative i can use maybe something at home depot that will work for a body?

please let me know.

Thanks guys

Jimmie