Pandemic_Lead_Guitarist

I have a few questions again.

When making a fretboard, when are the bindings installed? Before or after the frets? On my RG the frets extend into the binding. How is this done?

This next one may sound stupid, but where is the truss rod glued in? Is it actually glued to the channel, or is it glue to the fret board? Or not at all? Feel free to tell me that I'm an idiot for asking this question....

Yes, I am extremely excited about building a guitar. But I have not missed the basics. I know the objective is to build a functional guitar. And I plan to. Half the point of building this guitar was for it to be different. By the name of the thread, "Bloodwood Guitar", obviously I want to use exotic woods. I knew these woods would be hard to carve ever since I heard "63 pounds per cubic foot. Does not carve easily, but polishes to a nice finish." If I wanted a guitar that was easy to make, I'd just buy one. Instead, I want a challenge. I know you're just warning me about potential complications, but your missing the point of this guitar. And it's not a bad thing that this is 5 pages long, that just means I'll have less trouble in the long run.

I chose bloodwood/mahogany for the neck because it would look awesome. But now I realize that the bloodwood should actually help to keep the neck from bending, which is good.

I trashed the bloodwood/ebony idea; it was just a burst of imagination. The ebony would be too expensive, and it would be hard to do.

I plan to order the bloodwood as soon as I get done with the final templates and decisions. I will get the mahogany from a lumberyard near me.

Thanks for all the help along the way. I'm sure I could not make this guitar without the knowledge that you provided me with.

I decided to change things around once again and wait a little while until I start to build it. I'm considering making an 8 string instead of a seven string and was wondering a few things:

Is a 25.5 scale length to short for an eight string? My friend thinks the intonation will be messed up. I don't exactly see why, but I thought I should check.

Is there anywhere to buy a pre-slotted fretboard that's wide enough for an eight string? I checked lmii, and they say there wide board is 3". That is wide enough, right?

You could go to a book store and look for books on guitars. I have a few of them for creative ideas that have hundreds of different guitar shapes. Or just google image "Guitar".

I know. I'm just saying this because it can be quite hard to find out all the different guitar shapes (just try google image searching "stealth guitar" see how many stealth shapes you get). I already know what shape I'm making, but just think it would help others. I just mean to help people who are having trouble finding ideas. I think it would also be nice for people to post a picture of their designs or original guitars for the fun of it.

Well, I wasn't sure where to put this but here goes:

There are many different shapes of guitars out there, but I think it would be useful to have a collection of many different shapes for beginners to look at to help them decide which one they REALLY want (I know it would of helped me). Post images of guitars you have made or you think look cool.

Just one rule:

Try not to post pictures of guitars that are very similar in shape (I don't want 100,000 pictures of strat-style guitars!)

I'm especially looking for odd-looking guitars. It would also be nice to see some cool inlays. Maybe......

Well, I changed my mind. Instead of doing bloodwood inlay on the top, I plan to do abalone veneer. I found this: http://cgi.ebay.com/4A-PAUA-ABALONE-INLAY-...7QQcmdZViewItem

Do you guys think that this is any good, and are they right about the statement that you do not have to route out a cavity because it's so thin?

I'll be sure to keep you posted throughout the building process. Which will hopefully be soon.

Alright, thanks. I'm going to start buying materials and tools soon, but still have a few questions.

I read this : http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/anck.htm I was still planning on doing the mahogany/bloodwood/m/b/m neck, and was thinking, wouldn't doing an angled headstock like that end up looking ugly on a laminate neck? How would you do one?

I wanted to do a neck binding, but couldn't find much info on it. Would I just take my binding material and glue it to the edge of the fret board and top of the neck wood before rasping/sanding it down fully?

For the neck, do you have to saw off the parts of the wood not used on the edge or can u use a spokeshave or plane or rasp? Is there another way to do it?

Any opinions on the bloodwood inlay on the top?

Thanks for any help.

Oh. Thanks. I was thinking of starting on practicing on some wood for the neck tommorrow. Will pine carve the same as mahogany?

Once again, thanks. One more question though-- What should I make first, the neck or the wings?

Thanks, what do you think of the hipshot seven string 1.25's?

http://www.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=...etail&p=169

Once again, thanks for the help. I now have a few questions on hardware (I'm actually looking for opinions and suggestions on what I picked:

I was thinking:

-7 string fixed bridge, such as https://www.carvinguitars.com/products/sing...hp?product=FT7C I'm not sure if these are good bridges but are the best I could find that weren't from ebay, which I don't trust with my pride and joy.....

-locking tuners, such as sperzel. I don't know how I'll get 7, maybe I have to use Ebay.... My friend has them on his mark morton signiture and I like them alot. Would you prefer a different brand over them?

-either a seven string locking nut or on made of graphite. I'd use the locking nut because I'd never have to file it out, no matter how large of strings I use.

Any suggestions?

I'm a little confused about some things for the neck:

First, is there another way to do the neck angle besides using a jointer or plane? I have read this: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...0angle&st=0

If I do not do a neck angle, the action being normal/messed up depends on the height of my bridge, right?

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm a little intimidated at slotting by own fretboard. I know that pre-slotted fingerboards are available and I was a little worried because of two things:

-This guitar is a 7 string, and I don't know how wide to make the fingerboard. I know that this will depend on the width of the nut and bridge, but I am not sure which bridge, or nut for a matter of fact, I will get. Can someone give me a pretty *average* value to work from? I searched and found about 2.5 inches.....

-I've heard that when cutting a pre-slotted fingerboard tear-out can be a problem. Is there some way to prevent this, or just be careful cutting?

I'd like to get started on this as soon as possible, but know that it's best to learn and plan first. How would you make the guitar? Would you build the neck first, or the wings?

Thanks for all the help guys. Those are some good links. I think I have a basic understanding of every I NEED to know, and I'm still planning on learning more. Obviously I haven't read everything you posted yet, there's so much!!!! I had a new design idea though. Could I take thin (1/16, 1/32) ebony and bloodwood, and glue both to the top of the guitar, so I could carve out odd, random shapes and lines and ridges, so I would get the ebony/bloodwood accents?

Here's what I mean:

__________________________________ <ebony

__________________________________ < bloodwood

__________________________________ <mahogany

__________________________________

^Mahogany ^

BTW: Do you guys think they have those books at the library? It closed at 5......

One more thing: Is ebony the only black wood? Its sooooooo expensive. How deep does dye soak in?

Just a suggestion... Slow down, study up on the functional elements of a guitar(scale length, intonation, fret leveling, bridges, string nut, tuners, pickups*functional knowledge not reading advertising information, electronics and so on...) so you understand what you are trying to build, then study up on wood (moisture content, effects of humidity, density, hardness, modulous of elasticity, grain structure, and so on...), then study up on adhesives (different types of adhesives and their charictoristics, how humidity effects cure rates, surface prep and so forth), study up on joining and what different types of joints are designed to do, study up on finishing (finish types, prep, application schedules, finish sanding and so forth), tools... at least study up on how to safely use the tools you will be using (jigs, templates, care of tools, sharpening all of which will add to safe operation). The absolute basics.

Then along the way, as you gain understanding keep design in the back of your mind. The basic knowledge will help you develop a decent, buildable, and hopefully functional design. The basic knowledge of wood as well as functional aspects will help you choose proper wood, and more importantly ensure you start with wood that is ready and suitable for use on an instrument.

Anyone can cut a hunk of wood, call it a body, buy a neck and screw them together. If you want to make a decent instrument, start by understanding what you are building, the function, materials, process and finish.

Take the suggestion for what it is worth. After reading through this topic, this is the best advise I could think of. I have seen first time builders make amazing instruments(absolutely increadable in most all regards). I see guys who are on to their 20th+ guitar that still don't seem to grasp the basics(some of those details may not be apearant to a beginner, but are pretty obvious after you have a fair grasp on building). The difference seems to consistently be dilligence in understanding the basics, or lack there of.

Peace,Rich

Thank's. I've been reading just about every second I could for the last 2 weeks (5-10 hours a day) and I still feel like I need more information. I'll try to find out as much information as I can about all the topics you mentioned, and probably more. Any links, articles and tips are apprecitated. Back to

BTW: Can you even use a jig saw to cut the wings?

Those bevels were done by hand.

And yes, you could do a M/B/M neck sure.

what did u use? spokeshave?

Could I do the same thing for the neck? Seven-string necks are about 2" right? A mahogany/bloodwood/mahogany neck would be brutal. I'm not that experienced of a woodworker and I don't feel safe around routers, so I don't know about doing a bevel. Are they hard?

I definitely have enough control. The problem is that it about 10 minutes just to cut through a 2 by 4. It also burned the wood.......

Isn't sassafras the stuff they use in root beer? They say it's a sensitizer.

I've got the template for the stealth all cut out. It's beautiful. I can't wait to see the final product. I'd like to get some wood soon. A lumberyard near me sells 1" mahogany. I can get it custom cut, but I don't know if they will go as far as 1 3/4.... How would I glue two pieces back to back? (for the wings) would I just use normal clamps, or would I need some sort of press? Also, I would like to route out chambers BEFORE I glue the pieces together, as stated before. Opinions? I practiced sawing with the saw I plan to use today, and it cuts slowy. It's called a sabre. it's a jig. Can I cut the wings with it?

Well, here's what I was thinking for the stealth. Stain black with bloodwood inlays:

Also, I thought of an idea. Could I use two Pieces of Mahogany glued back to back, with chambers routed from the inside? (to lighten the guitar)

Well once again, thanks for the help. I'm thoroughly convinced that it would be hard to play, especially for tapping, so I have decided against it. Besides, I can't fall asleep with a guitar poking me. I'll do the maltese design once I'm famous. Instead, I plan to do a stealth design like metalhead6061 (we're friends and kinda in on this together). I might have some bloodwood inlay on the top still, but there doesn't seem to be much room. Definitely the ebony fretboard, neck-through, and either stained black or VERY dark red.

So, you guys think it's best to start off with cheap tonewood as opposed to pine? It's perfect guitar building conditions outside (snow, freezing rain) and I'd like to pick up some wood from homedepot before it gets to bad. I appreciate your concerns, opinions, and tips for a first time builder.

check out the link i posted earlier a page ago

Wow, ya that's impressive. What did u use to cut it out? How do you plan to play it? Like a V? The problem I had with tapping was that my arm/shirt would get stuck on the upper left stick out thingy. I guess that Just about any design can be made if you plan to play standing up, huh? Also, what color do you plan to paint it?

I know homedepot wood is crappy. I meant that I'd use cheap pine from there since its like 2 minutes away and the road conditions are going to be bad. But I didn't know that cheap tonewoods could be that cheap. I'll definitely check some lumberyards (a friend works at one). I hate to trash the original design too, but I just think that it should be set as more of a long term goal, or at least till I start getting gigs.

Wow these guitars are awesome, but look hard to play too: http://nealmoser.com/store/gallery/main.php

I especially like the siren and morpheus. Maybe someday.....

I'm guessing you mean a bolt on neck. Is it premade? You should check the tutorials section. It's not too hard.

http://www.projectguitar.com/menu/tutorial.htm

Well once again, thanks for the help. I'm thoroughly convinced that it would be hard to play, especially for tapping, so I have decided against it. Besides, I can't fall asleep with a guitar poking me. I'll do the maltese design once I'm famous. Instead, I plan to do a stealth design like metalhead6061 (we're friends and kinda in on this together). I might have some bloodwood inlay on the top still, but there doesn't seem to be much room. Definitely the ebony fretboard, neck-through, and either stained black or VERY dark red.

So, you guys think it's best to start off with cheap tonewood as opposed to pine? It's perfect guitar building conditions outside (snow, freezing rain) and I'd like to pick up some wood from homedepot before it gets to bad. I appreciate your concerns, opinions, and tips for a first time builder.

I'd also like to know anyone's ideas on a different style of body. I'm hoping for a very rare design.