Supernova9

Guys,

I'm in the middle of planning out my next design, and I was looking at Ron Thorn's guitars (wouldn't you just love a CNC sometimes!?). Now the Navajo model he built intrigued me - with it's inlaid top. Now It would be possible for me to do an inlaid top by:

• Making Female Template for shape of Top (cut-out of the actual top shape)
  
• Filling said template with bondon/filler/something that sets hard
  
• Routing top to that shape
  
• Routing cavity in body using female template
  
• Binding male template to add extra width for outline of body
  
• Rout body to thickness of male template + binding
  
• Glue top in
  

But I reckon that that'll be a bit too much - such a small ledge over the cavity for the thicker template to sit on etc. I'll try it on scrap to see, but I'm not sure to be honest.

But what did strike me was a different idea, if I (when cutting down the body) took some strips off the sides of the body and took them down to ~2mm thick, and then glued them on like binding, would that produce the same sort of effect?

Just looking for your input on this guys, what do you think?

I might be asking for something already answered anyway... Does any body knows about a CNC machinnig parts supplier? or in other words, any CNC router owner that can supply me custom bodies and necks?... Thanks!

There's a thread in Announcements and News by Jim Donahue. Check that out. It's pinned right at the top of the forum.

I'm sure most of you already know about Lado guitars. Well i was lucky enough to attend Joe Lado's school for five months last year. For anyone who is interested in schooling, Joe is the best of the best. This school covers all ground of the trade from CNC operation, to buisness and everything else inbetween. It dosen't matter whether you want to learn acoustic, electric, or repair. Joe will teach you whatever you want to learn. I would recommend this school to anyone. For more information on the next course starting in august you can call Joe Lado himself at (705) 328-2005, or go to the website www.lado-guitars.com. This course is the best of the best, you won't find another one like it anywhere. Hurry because Joe only offers this course to eight students per year! Like i said, don't take it from me, call Joe Lado. Thats my appreciation for Joe Lado and his wounderful school!

Thanks for everything Joe!

Feel free to post any other questions about the course.

Eric

I have a question.

What in the above qualifies as "In Progress & Finished Work"?

Hi,

setting out to build a guitar, I have made numerous drawings, designs, etc, but to no avail. Everything I draw up just doesn't feel right, and doesn't come close to the ES 335 which I really like. Now I know this is probably not an easy instrument to make, I know buying a replica is probably cheaper and easier, but I WANT TO BUILD ONE. Period. And since this is a well known instrument, I hope someone sells detailed plans of the instrument. But the search hasn't been succesfull yet, so please help me if you can.

Cheers,

Hugo

MIMF sells one from their site if I remember correctly.

It is now nearly 5 o'clock in the am, and I have finished dying the top. Next step is to shower, pass out, then spray a wash coat, burst it, and clear it. It's not the absolute best dye job I've ever seen, but it's my first, and I'm very happy with the results.

You'll notice there are two dots on the low e waste. No worries. I freaked out when I saw this in the picture. I went back to inspect the guitar and the dots are gone. It must have been some paint thinner from when I cleaned off the sealer used to protect the purfling.

peace,

russ

Really nice, I was expecting more contrast between the two shades of black, but it still looks great. I reckon the clear will really make that pop.

My drill press is to small for the 5" to reach the center of the wood.I think if I had a larger one it would reach.

Its either that or I figure out how to build the mount for my router to thickness rout.Thanks

If you're looking to thickness stock, build the router planing jig, it'll save you ages compared to trying to sand down using a sanding disc like that. Provided you don't want to go too thin (i.e. <2mm thick), the router jig will be much quicker, and just as good.

I'm a no-woodworking-experience newbie and I would love to see this as well.

I haven't built this (yet) but I came across it during my endless wanderings on the Internet and I thought it was a great idea - They came up with a jig to expedite creating the forearm comfort cut. The jig consists of two boards. One is simply the base. The other is attached vertically at a 15 degree angle. The guitar is then laid across the vertical board and a bandsaw used to make the cut. By itself it requires an 18" bandsaw but I'm sure someone could rig it to use some type of flush cut saw instead. After that, all that's left is a little smoothing. It also makes for more consistent results.

I add this because every place I've looked has shown creating this forearm contour by hand and that simply gives me hives. I was dreading this step until I came across this jig...

May just be me, but I'd rather take a rasp to a piece of wood to rough the contour out and plane it smooth than invest in an 18" bandsaw and cut the guitar while it was standing vertically on edge.

Duff Beer Man: Nice idea for a thread, but it's really where the Tools etc Reference forum comes into play....

Fernandes has been doing LP + FR guitars for years. They can't sell them here in the US due to obvious infringement issues (*cough*Gibson*cough*).

http://www.fernandes.co.jp/burny/rlc/rlc65s_sw_index.html

It's absolutely do-able.

Does Gibson (or Burny or whoever) alter the neck angle on the Floyded LPs or are they just raised that far above the body? Have I overlooked something?

On the Gibson Neil Schon model, the bridge is recessed into the body - I'm guessing far enough to make it the same height as a TOM, so that they don't have to change the way the bodies/necks were made on CNC.

I'm putting one on my current project...which is a carved top.

Yes, you're using a Stetsbar (if memory serves), isn't Don Ramsay the inventor of that new trem with the big sliding plate arrangement?

Edit: Nevermind, Don Ramsay's trem dimensions aren't the big sliding thing I remember seeing - that was an old burns trem. My bad

I think you're looking at this from the wrong angle - scrimping together a 3" wide body blank to save costs is not the way to build an instrument. Perhaps try giving us your budget - and telling us what tools you already have access to, so that we can help you better. I mean if your budget is $100AUS, it's no good us saying "go get a mahogany blank for $30 dollars, and buy a router for $200".

Victor,

I would say don't do it, or to look very carefully at the set-neck construction issue. When a friend asked me to cut into his Les Paul to put one of my trems into it. I noted the the neck and body on a Les Paul is joined so the the body drops away from the level of the strings far too much at the bridge. The trem would have to be elevated out of the body too much. Had to decline on that one.

There is a Gibson Neil Schon signature model with trem that is made especially for the trem. although I've been told it is very expensive, I'd check this out if you have to have that kind of trem.

There is also the Stetsbar (www.stetsbar.com)

Don

But then again, if I remember rightly, your trem occupies a much bigger footprint than a floyd, doesn't it? Which is fine on a flat top, but on a carve top, your trem wouldn't really suit, would it?

Hi everybody !

Right now I'm doing research because I want to start building my own guitar. The thing is that The desired shape would be that of an either Les Paul or PRS. The problem is that I can order the blueprint with the dimensions on-line or I can measure an existing guitar. But I want to have a Floyd Rose system. Does anybody knows how I can get the positioning right ? I mean what should be the proper distance from the headstock to the place where I make the insertion for the Floyd Rose ?

Any info on this would be useful.

Thank you !

The Floyd Rose system is like any other bridge. It needs to be positioned at the end of the scale length (the distance from the nut to the bridge - it determines where all the frets are placed). That is a pretty basic piece of knowledge, might I suggest before you start, get hold of a copy of Make Your Own Electric Guitar, by Melvin Hiscock, it's a great book and will cover every question like this you have.

As for fitting a Floyd to a Les Paul/PRS, if you want to do it, that's cool - if you go ahead with it, might I suggest doing the routes before you carve the top - to give your router something stable to move across, instead of trying to balance it on the carve?

I don't think it's true that it's easier to find a good affordable acoustic than an electric. I think Godin is the only electric company that I've tried and liked their cheaper range. Acoustic I havn't liked anything i've played except two diffrent larviees and one old martin.

Every single acoustic I've picked up has not done it for me tone wise, fit and finish, and fretwork (even the two larviees and the martin had horriable fretwire and fit and finish). Granted I've never tried any customs such as Myka (im sure his would be killer)

I played an epiphone acoustic in wine red a few months ago and it sounded pretty damn good, and the price was even better - 150 bucks.

Were they new Larrivee's? I hear the new Larrivee's are garbage. There was an awesome Martin I played a few months ago where the neck and perhaps back/sides of the body was a non-wood non-graphite material. It sounded really strong. The problem with acoustics I find is I have to use my ear more lol.

I haven't tried cheaper Godins, but I have tried a La Patrie classical guitar and it was so far the best classical I've ever tried. One problem I find with classicals is they tend to sound like a guitar with the tone set to zero. This wasn't the case but you could still tell it was a classical. Definitly a good guitar. Forget the price though. Under 600 I'm sure.

-Jamie

As the owner of an 05 Larrivee, I can safely say they aren't garbage. Quite frankly, I find statements like that ridiculous... "I Played a Les Paul with bad fretwork once, therefore all new Gibsons are garbage!!". Mine has flawless fit and finish, and one of the best tones I've ever heard. Of course, I'm willing to accept there may be bad apples in the bunch though.

I know Im a newb but did you guys really fight for two pages about an old useless tutorial that doesn't work anyway? Dude Build a guitar you have much better things to do with your time!

Say that about the tutorial when you follow it and lose a finger or worse...

Plus, why bring the thread back from the dead just to say that?

well thats very cool!! its the best idea i ve heard 'till now... The old metal model is very cool!! and the flip flop flames are cool too!!! well i am gonna see what am gonna do with the top and then i ll try to find someone to do the metal model paint job

Seriously...... Don't touch that guitar any more. Send it to a luthier/spray artist to do it for you. The people on this site all love guitars, and from what you've done to that guitar, I'm amazed you haven't got flamed much more already. You seem a tad out of your depth - there comes a point when you need to realise that you may need other people's hands-on help.

I more or less finished carving the top today. It'll be about two or three weeks before I make it into the shop again, fyi. The black area in the middle is just a bit of stained wood that has yet to be sanded away. The green tape is a place holder for the bridge this guitar will be getting. I have to route a small pocket for it, so I didn't finish carving right there just yet.

What's with that indentation on the lower bout - where it dips into the carve? Recess for a control knob?

It's sad how the smell of "authority" goes to some moderators heads on internet forums such as this.

My images which were removed by maiden69 were 123.4K and 127.6K in size, yet on another active thread in this category, there are two images which are 208.8K and 161.1K in size...and they have not been removed?

maiden69...how exactly do you measure the size of images on this forum? I would like to know that as I am sure would others. And where are those rules to which you refer? I work with graphics every day and I can tell you that the images which you haven't removed are 118.9K bigger than my images! They were also hosted on my own server, not on the server of this forum...so, it would be interesting to hear your logic in this.

I don't have time for this bureacracy so... thanks to you guys who expressed an interest and posted comments but I think you can count this thread as "dead by moderator assassination"!

Rules are in the Announcements and Test Area.

Your image was 800 pixels by 545 pixels. The picture posting rules limit pics to 640x480 max, as that is easier for mods to judge than image file size. That's why it got changed to a link. It's not about using up the forum's bandwidth, but so that the site remains 56k dial-up friendly.

Think you need to take a chill pill, and don't stop posting just because of this, that would be a shame.

Hi, I may be buying a strat today and i was hoping someone could help me with a few questions.

its a Japanesse 62 Reissue manufactored in '89....It does have a sunburst finish and I am really trying to find out what timber it is made from. I know that some of the strats that were exported in the 80's were made from basswood...Im really hoping its alder.

If anyone can get back to me with perhaps a way you can tell by the grain of the wood etc that would be great...

Thanks alot..

Shimmy

It's more likely Basswood than Alder. The majority of the japanese strats/teles were made with basswood. One more reason why they are so different from USA Strats. Though as ever when buying a guitar, don't worry about the wood (as long as it's actual wood, not MDF), if it sounds good, and plays good, buy it!

Ok I did a search but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.

In the middle of my first build and running into a small problem regarding control cavity routes. I routed the cavity as far as I think I can go with my router (depth wise). When trying to install the volume/tone pots, there is not enough of the pot shafts sticking out to allow installing the nuts to lock them into place. I've tried adding some depth with a forstner bit but it ends up making the cavity look like crap since the pots are very large and it takes more than one cut with the forstner bit to enlarge the area enough.

So the question, how much of the shank of a router bit needs to be in the collet to ensure safe gripping of the bit? I would like to extend the router bit as much as safely possible to increase the depth of the cavity.

For informational purposes, I have the standard Stew Mac Alder body blank and am using Pots from Stewmac.

Thanks in advance.

How much extra depth do you need? What length is the cutter you're currently using? Ideally I wouldn't move the router bit in the collet at all, at very most maybe 1/8". Get a longer router bit, it'll look cleaner and you'll prefer the finished result, I'll bet.

Interesting, though I usually just use lint-free cloths (available from any home depot/B&Q etc) because they're that much easier.

Ok, I have the basic tools, Jig Saw, Tablesaw Router. I am now ready to build my first neck. What tools could I buy to help me with this??

Thanks

You don't need any more than that.

Hi all,

I'm planing to route the backside body edge to get a rounded shape. I would like to know

what's the most common radius used to do that? I was thinking using a 3/8" radius

roundover bit with a 1/4" shank, but maybe is a small one... any help is welcome

Jorge

I think Strats use a 1/2" radius roundover on front and back, but if you're looking for a more subtle rounding, 1/4" (which I used on my tele project) is nice.

I'm completely new to guitar making. I've never done it before. I've often thought of making my own musical instruments but I haven't yet got around to it until now. I'd like to make a 12 string guitar with a horn coming out of it.

All I really want to say to posts like this is:

Don't run before you can walk.

Seriously, you're completely new to guitar building? Start with something SIMPLE! Do you really think people like Bob Taylor/Paul Reed Smith etc. started by making the kind of instruments you're talking about?

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out how to create a particular scarf joint, well I think it's a scarf joint, it may well not be.

Pic below:

I've seen this joint on many kinds of guitars before but am unsure how to re-create it, as you can see it's kind of half eliptical.

Any ideas appreciated.

Thanks

ww

That's just the way the neck was carved - if you look at the join line it follows one straight-line plane. All it is that's different from most scarfs is the fact that the neck laminates stop, which clearly shows the glue line.

I understand the subjectivity of tone, I'm just looking for a general idea -

Building a roughly LP style guitar - (mahogany body and neck, Gibson scale length, tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece - still deciding between set and through neck, depending on what it looks like I can get out of the wood I have) if I replaced the standard LP maple top with one of wenge, am I looking at something that will brighten up the tone of mahogany somewhat, like maple does, or am I looking at another "dark" wood that will lend itself to a tone more like that of an all mahogany LP? Any opinions? I know there's a million factors in what determines the sound of any given guitar, I'm just curious what other peoples opinions are before I start and before I start looking for pickups and start making templates.

thanks!

Wenge is a dense, hard wood, sometimes described as the 'poor mans ebony'. I'd expect it to make it even brighter than a maple top would.