CudBucket

If you build your own neck which most openly admit is the "scariest" part of building a guitar,

Dave

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I think it is not the most scariest part of the buil, but the most critical. You screw the neck, no matter how good the guitar is, it is worthless!

And the neck per se is not the hard part, I find carving a body more challenging, but the fretting! Even the bought ones need a bit of work! to Include Carvins and Warmoth. Of the 4 necks that I have boought (not that many) all of them needed a bit of attention.

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Yes. It's the most critical. That's why folks are "scared" off. Not sure what you're saying though. On the one hand you say the neck isn't the hardest part but then you say fretting is. Fretting, that is, cutting slots, dressing, etc. is all part of the neck no? Also, fret dressing is also an art in and of itself. Properly levelling frets is something most who try, think they can do correctly. Takes dozens of tries before you really know what you're doing.

Yes, yes, I know these are "project" guitars but let's face it: many take the easy way out and buy a neck. I don't care about bridges or pups or anything else. The neck and body are two most fundamental pieces of the instrument.

As Perry said, you give credit where credit is due. If you build your own neck which most openly admit is the "scariest" part of building a guitar, then I'll give you more credit.

A guitar would have to totally blow me away in every other aspect to get me to vote for it with a purchased neck.

Dave

Doug gets my vote. It's unique, has great wood, execution and is totally custom made. I also think the degree of difficulty was the highest of the bunch. I also cannot vote for a guitar that isn't completely scratchbuilt including the neck. Say what you want but that's how it goes for me. I hold myself to high standards and I hold the builders of ProjectGuitar.com to the same.

Dave

You can also do this using small brad nails.

You can see more about how I built the Egress at my site.

http://www.downinfrontht.com

you shouldnt  have to use oak dowel inserts to make it stronger, it looks like you have a pretty good line there already (no gaps) just use a good amount of glue and LOTS of clamps and let her dry for a good period of time and boom, your set with a body

Curtis

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+1

You've got to shrink that upper front bout.

Ok small update ive sanded it to get rid of the burn marks and smoothed out the contours. Im really happy with the arm rest and belly cut out as they are quite "roundy" like on the js and suits the guitar quite well. Im drilling out the neck holes this evening (hopfully) and then sorting out the heal over the next day or 2 (if i have time) then lots of sanding.

For the finish ive decided on a charcoal burst like this one -

 

But there will be no join in the middle (obviously) as its one piece body, and wont be as extreme as on this one.

And i will sort out the nut if i have to and decide then. (would quite like a metal one)

T

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Really nice. Looking at pic #2 though, I'd really like to see that flat portion of the neck, that is visible extending out of the neck pocket, to be rounded and contoured back to the body line. This way, it looks too much like a neck from another guitar that was bolted to this body.

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/8721/jawbreakerv0um.gif

Any last alterations I should make before putting this to MDF and sending it off to Doug?

Thanks,

Mat 

also, I'm trying to name the thing

Right now I'm torn between Jawbreaker and Sentinel

whats better?

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Normally, I don't like this type of design because it always appears to me that the designer just took an existing design and tried to make it more outrageous than another guitar that looks just like it.

But I have to say, I like this very much. The body make look small but for a one pup design, it works. It's symmetrical and I always dig that. Kind of looks like an old Baby Dean V with a little Peavey Predator mixed in (scalloped sides).

I may have to build one like this one day.

Dave

Congrats, Matt. I know it feels great to finally finish one.

...and if you need to glue wings onto the headstock, you could use saran wrap or duct tape, it truly works wonders.

Don't forget the food dye when you need to tint it a nice PRS trans-color, food dye is very affordable and you can even find it on Sundays in the local grocery.

Personally, I like vanilla food extract for getting that sweet butterscotch Tele look.

I hear The Donnas bought a whole batch of vanilla/butterscotch guitars from a great luthier.

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Hey guys. My next project is going to be a 24 fret bolt-neck explorer. I've got my body shaped and was thinking I'd like to bind it with ebony. Just the top side. I got the ebony wood binding from Stew Mac and and questioning whether I'll be able to bend it enough around the explorer's sharp corners.

What do you all think? Impossible? Experience?

Thanks and here's the body.

Dave

That's a great looking guitar!

I voted for 2 but I'd do 2 all the way down.

Cudbucket, Your guitar is very nicely done, I don't care for the color on it, particularly on the back, but color is a moot point.  Overall the guitar is very nicely done.

Jeremy, I'm not in love with the color on the back either. I have to chalk that up to my inexperience to finishing in general. I didn't know how the dye and the nitro would react together. I'm still learning.

Coming from you though, I take your comments as a compliment.

Thanks for taking the time to look!

Dave Frattaroli

Everytime I do a search, I can't retrieve any of the threads that it returns. I click on one and it can't retrieve the thread.

The comments and support I've gotten from this forum have made it all the more worth the effort.

Thanks so much, everyone.

Dave

I thought the lines in the fretboard wood were curved too. Didn't realize they were straight till I looked at some of the other build pics.

I think it's safe at this point to concede victory to Phil. It's well deserved. In fact, I voted for your bass as well. I'll see you all in a future GOTM.

PS

Thanks to all of you who voted for my guitar and also for all the great compliments.

Oh and Drak, you're most welcome!

Dave Frattaroli

Have you messed around with the sounds you get from that 5 way switch you put in?

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I sure have. First, just to make sure it was wired properly and then a day later to really listen for the differences. I've only since just looked at the guitar sitting in a stand next to my desk.

This weekend, I'll shim the nut (until I get new blanks to cut another), adjust the trem springs, do the intonation and fix the pup heights. Then, I'll do some sound clips.

You win cud. Perry can be your god. "...but as for me and my house, we shall worship the Thorn."

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Don't even know that means man.

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You mean you've never heard of Thorn Guitar's?

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I don't think I've ever seen those before.

You win cud. Perry can be your god. "...but as for me and my house, we shall worship the Thorn."

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Don't even know that means man.

What logo?  It's his signature. If that's the case...then my "logo" was developed for my first guitar. 

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Logo, signature, whatever. I'm talking about the fact that the "signature" was on his second guitar.

Perry, you had your logo developed by the time you built only your second guitar? Impressive.

Cud, in the pics the saddles look like they go straight across. They were taken before setting the intonation, right?

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That's right, marksound. I haven't set the intonation yet. It hasn't been completely set up yet.

Its called "not showing your hand until you need to"

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It's more like, "I got my guitar done a day before voting starts".