ToneMonkey

Well, the last one that I did (the resonator one). A centre line was drawn on a bit of paper and the guitar was traced around (this was done before it was handed to me to draw up). I then drew a grid on AutoCAD with 5mm spacing (using different coloured lines for clarity when it's been printed) and having a good centre line marked. I cut out the original drawing and stuck it onto the grid, lining up the CL's. Traced around it and then at every 5mm line (running along the CL) you can measure up to the edge of the tracing and stick the figure into CAD, making sure that the ORTHO command is on (so you can only draw horizontal or vertical lines). Then just spline around the ends of these lines. I then scaled the drawing up in model space by 1000 times and smoothed out the spline. The I scaled it by 1/1000 to get back to the original size.

I use my laptop, but I end up watching to football with a laptop sitting on me if I don't move to another room. Besides, lets the girlfriend watch Eastenders in peace. I know most of AutoCAD inside out, it sure as hell has its uses, but concept design isn't one of them. I'm not too proficient at technical drawing with a pencil, which is why most of my designs go onto CAD for my final draft. Then it's a case of printing out full size, breaking out the pencil again and making notes. Then back to CAD and repeat until you just can't take no more. And Idch, anyone who says that they can draw a straight line is lying

I've been seeing increase talk of people using autoCAD for the design of guitar bodies and I just thought that I'd post this for teh peoplr who are looking into using it. I've been doing quite a few guitar drawings recently (I'm doing 4 at the minute, all for different styles of axe) and I've been doing them on CAD. It's been quite a big job taking up quite a few evenings when I should have been drinking beer in front of the football. This is just a little warning to people who would like to start using AutoCAD for body design: IN MY OPINION, IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT! Fair enough if you want to learn CAD and are combining that with the guitar, but a pencil and paper is far faster and more creative. While I've been doing the drawings, I have been paying special attention to the resonator drawing as this is going to be the basis of my special project (which is moving on very nicely in the background). Due to some of the funky materials that I intend to use, I was looking at the design of the area where the cone and soundwell are in the hope of changing the design to suit. I started off using CAD, forgetting my own advice and I was fiddling for ages. Once it had thouroughly p**sed me off, I grabed my pencil and paper (and a beer) and started to sketch. After about half an hour, I had the design right. Then it was easy to do the detailed design in CAD. The morral to the story is that CAD is good is for a final draft of drawings but for every else a pencil and paper is by far better. You shouldn't start using the CAD until the design is clear and you're sorting the little details out. I use CAD for the majority of the week while I'm in the office and although the application is very different, the method is still the same. This is of course only my opinion and some people will probably think different. But you can hold far more information on a pad of paper than you can in your head, so get sketching. Kaj

Matt, A good place to start would be over at www.18watt.com (well and here of course). Unfortunately, I'm an amp dunce and just intend (when I get the money, time and inclination to do so) to build a clone of a standard amp. Kaj

http://www.projectguitar.com/arc/donate.htm and click on the donate button.

I was looking for templates this morning, with view of selling some on fleebay. I'm just trying to get everything sorted out now. Drop me a PM with your phone number and we can have a chat.

Another possible taker here. I spend nearly all day about 3 days a week infront of CAD (including time at home doing guitar drawings in CAD for another luthier and my own top secret project ), so if you need someone else to have a bash, drop me a PM.

I've never broke a nut, but I know someone who had to have injections into them

"If it ain't broke, bugger around with it until it is"

As someone on this board once told me: "If it ain't broke, it ain't got enough features"

I with Sambo on this one. The missus family is in Buxton, so I get to go in and choose a piece, I think that I'd do this with any wood that I'll buy. You could try David Dyke, it's expensive but you get what you pay for. I always view David Dyke as where to go if you need pro quality stuff, Craft Supplies as good for the money. If it's your first project, I'd seriously reconsider using 4A quilt. But then again, I did so I'm not one to listen to

Normal cables in a cable wrap would work just as well. I was only going to use the multicore cable as my mate designs harnesses and control systems for large commercial vehicles (such as bin lorries) and I was going to get him to work his magic.

My wise old dad says "If you cock it up, make a feaure out of it"

Well this is a bit drastic, but it's what I'm going to do if I ever actually get around to building it. I was going to build a metal cabinet that could sit under the head (when I get round to making that too). This would have all the butchered electronics of the pedals in and all the various knobs sticking out the front. I was then going to run a multi core cable out of this to the floor (I was going to route it through the cabinet, which again I haven't got round to building) and have it going to a pedal board that only contained the stomp switches and could therefore be made much smaller.

We'll say £70 for the jointer. I'm based near Leicester, but I see that you're up near Manchester. The closest I really get to you is Glossop. I've got a job up there at there minute, but I try to avoid going as it's the job from hell. You could meet me there if you want

I'd be a bit dubious about using putty. The truss rod isn't really an area for a botch job. As a last resort, you could always remake the neck, that's what I'm doing as I ballsed up the headstock.

Alright gents, Well the banks going to be round to break mine and my fiancee's thumbs soon, so these are up for sale. Both have only been used once and very briefly at that. They can both be found at: http://www.nutool.co.uk/ProductCatalogue.a...ing%2FMachinery It's £120 for the pair or I could consider selling seperately. Also got an MG Midget for sale on the off chance (£2,600), going to be sad to see this go: http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Ton...ET/100_0011.jpg http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Ton...ET/100_0010.jpg http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Ton...ET/100_0009.jpg http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Ton...ET/100_0008.jpg http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Ton...ET/100_0007.jpg http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Ton...ET/100_0006.jpg http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b287/Ton...ET/100_0005.jpg Cheers for looking guys. Kaj

Necks and electronics can be pulled off of inexpensive crap guitars that you can get from pawn shops. You can always replace them as you go along as no doubt they'll sound fairly terrible. Also check the for sale section on these boards.

OK first of all you should know that I have no experience it this, so this is just how I see it. No doubt someone else will come in with either a better way of doing this or to tell you not to do it this way. I take it that the double rod truss rod that you mention is the one with two rods running along the length rather than the double action truss road that just has a single bar. If I remember correctly fender usualy uses a curved channel for the rod to sit in and a single rod. So you can either glue in a new peice of wood to fill out what you have already routed and reroute with a curved channel, I'm sure there some tutorials about routing the curved channel. Or you could use one of the u channel truss rods and route a straight channel. Hopefully this will be a little wider than the channel that you have already made so that you wont be able to see the filling strip either side of the skunk stripe. You'll have to be careful as some truss rods require shaped channels (for securing the rods at the end) and I don't think that these are suitable for skunk strips, although I'll never deny the possablility that I could be wrong. Either way, I think this will be fixable. Hope this helped a little, but I'd wait until you have a word from someone more experienced before you carry on.

First thing that you need to do mate is to work out the scale of that neck you have. Theres no point having a 25" scale neck and a 23" scale guitar. I'd also say that you should get hold of a copy of the book "Build an electric guitar" by Melvin Hiscock. Some people reccomend other books, but this is the one that I used and found it easy to deal with. Read through the tutorials on this site. Good luck dude.

Have a look here. The bloke is on these boards, I just can't remember who it is. http://www.swinesheadpickups.co.uk/ I think he'd probably do a zebra version for you if you want. I think these are vaneer.

That is quite possibly the coolest thing that I've ever seen. Good luck with the auction dude, very honourable

I had some African Walnut (remember I'm in the UK and wood names vary between the UK and US). It was lovely wood to work with but soft as hell. I don't think that this type would be suitable for a fingerboard.

I tried it (I used to be Hotrock in a past life - I started the thread that you linked to). It seemed very possible, I was just crap at doing it and it turned out...well...crap. Look out for rosewood sawdust "bleeding" into your white oak inlays

Hughes, I think you should spend a few weeks with a pencil and paper (which is a far superior way of designing than using CAD - take my work for it, I use CAD everyday). Keep sketching designs and make notes of the good and bad points. Just spend a while thinking and drawing (your about old enough now to be kept awake at nights thinking about the next project). Once you have a short list then post them here and people will give their honest answers. God luck dude