Druss

It looks pretty sharp the way it is now. How hard was it to carve out the neck?

My plan is to take the edges down with a round over bit then work down to the cut line with a rasp I've already used the round over bit on the front and back. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0351.jpg And this is what it looks like after the rasp. (scrap Wood) http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0345.jpg I still need to do some practicing but at least I feel like I can do it now. My work week starts to day so I'm done until Sunday, that sucks, sucks, sucks!!!!!! I want to build my guitar damn it!

Thanks for that link Southpa theres a lot of good reading there...

I did like Guitarfrenzy suggested and cut the tear-outs out of the template, I think it actually looks better now because it added more curves. (I rubbed it down with a damp rag to get a better look at the grain pattern) http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0320.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0317.jpg I cut the lower wing out now I have to make up my mind on how I want to bevel the horns/blades, thats what I'll do tonight. I'm going to try using a rasp for the first time so all the scrap 2x4's in the shed are in trouble, if it doesn't work for me I'll just have to use a router. Here are some pics of both wings, I turned my template where the grains would kind of be running away from the neck. The body looks wide it's 16 3/8" but the bevel is going to be pretty deep 1 1/2" to 2" so I think I'm going to be ok as far as the width goes. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0323.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0336.jpg thats not a chip out on the horn it's a dry spot http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0337.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0339.jpg

OK, I'm holding an old guitar string in my left hand, and the guitar's headstock is touching the table. I got nothing. Your suppose to wrap the string around your neck right below your Adams apple first then smash your head into the coffee table.

For REAL sustain hold a string and touch your headstock to a wooden coffee table a buddy showed me that a while back I just cant figure out how to attach to my headstock it yet. I'm probably going to have to start working out.

Thats going to be a nice fret less bass. How are you going to Finnish the fretboard? If I was doing a fret less I think I'd have to do the fretboard like scottyd did his. The headstock is real close to the design I'm going to use except for the point in the center of the cutout, people are going to think I copied you. Good luck....

This is the router I have http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reaver1/165667_4.jpg it's only a year old but I guess the lock could be wearing out. It's going to have a pretty wide and deep beveled edge so I was thinking I might be able to fix it when I do my bevel. Making a smaller template is probably the right way to go so If every thing doesn't get blown away by these storms tonight I may make a smaller template like you sugested.Thanks... Lietuvis good luck with your "first" build, even with all the mistakes I've made I'm still enjoying building my own guitar and can't wait to start my second one a bass probably. PS: Don't let your router rise above your template

My next mistake is a little more serious, I let my bit guide drift above my template the coolest part is I let it happen TWICE! I was trying let it ride high on my template so I wouldn't take to much wood at one time. I had the router locked at the depth I wanted but I guess it vibrated it's self loose It looks like Ive got a hole lot of sanding to do. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0300.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0304.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0305.jpg

I did some more work on "Snaga" today so I have some more mistakes to add The first mistake was actually made during the glue up of the body blanks, the wood has two knots that I want to keep in the upper wing the problem I had was the glue seeped through the knots http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0051.jpg and I'm just now removing the excess glue. I found out using a sanding block doesn't work very good it just melts the glue and spreads it around http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0286.jpg so I tried a scraper and that was very slow and even when it looked like I got it all off it would show up when I rubbed it down with a damp rag http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0292.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0293.jpg I ended up using some Goof Off http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0294.jpg and it seems to have worked unless I wake up tomorrow to find it has spontaneously combusted or something. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0296.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0298.jpg

I like it, post lots of links to pics of your progress I'm a huge fan of unique guitar designs. As for your headstock I agree with Nitefly SA I think it needs something a little deferent but you should do what you think is best, I'll still like it. I sure would've liked to have seen the Batman guitar done with a woodgrain Finnish but thats just me you probably made the right decision changing your mind.

You didn't happen to take pics of how you did that carve did you? I need to do something like that with my guitar but haven't decided how to go about doing it.

I made some 3/4" ply wood templates today and put them against the neck http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0278.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0274.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0282.jpg I'm liking the way it looks and I think it's going to work as long as I can figure how to bevel the edges to look like blades. I'm pretty sure I can get one to look right but getting them to match is what I'm most worried about. If I could find the right router bit that would be the best thing but I'm not paying $90.00 for a router bit so I've got to come up with something else. I've changed my mind about going with a narrow headstock not because I'm worried about the strength though, I was showing it to a friend and he suggested making the headstock look like a counter weight instead of a grip and I thought hey that is a good idea so thats my plan.(for now)....

Hey Rob G. I'm new to this too so this may not be the best way but I do have my template made. I just copied this from my build thread. Just curious are you building a bolt, set or neck through? Mine's a neck through with both wings the same shape so I think I'm getting off easy as far as my template goes. I just quoted my self how cool is that

I think I'm going to go narrow with my head stock as soon as I come up with a design that fits my body. Thanks for pointing out that you can go skinny and it sounds like it may have it's advantages. This guy's guitars have a skinny headstock http://www.zacharyguitars.com/Currently_for_Sale.htm

This is just a picture beneath a clear coat http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...rt/100_0081.jpg the tone is real bright but I don't know if it's the pickups,wood or what.

Man that headstock is only as wide as the neck, well I know I can do it now thanks..... orgmorg thanks for that link , I'll use that when I decide what I'm going to do.I still read a lot and thats the kind of stuff I like to read about. Nitefly SA I can't play sitting down anyway even when I'm recording I have to stand. My brother is just the opposite, when we were in a band together he used a stool on stage. "This post has been edited by Druss: Today, 09:56 PM" I'm just editing this in to keep from bumping this thread with out anything substantial to add, I'm guilty of that enough already......... Orgmorg, I finally found my book "The first chronicles of Druss the legend" I read through it until I found what the runes were suppose to say. "Snaga, The Sender, The Blades Of No Return" I wrote it out on paper using THE OLD FUTHARK RUNES (PRE- AND EARLY VIKING AGE) from the link you gave me. I'm definitely going to have to learn how to do inlay work, the neck has to have that inlay-ed into it. Thanks for that link again and for making my first build even more difficult ..... No" really thats something I can come back and do after I've finished building it but it's going to make the guitar I think.

Robert, I think I did to, I joined in March 2005 and may have had five post until the last couple of weeks when I started my project. For other newbies, after you've decided what you want to do and get started if you'll start a thread about it in the in progress forum I've found you're more likely to get away with some of the questions that aggravate a lot of the guys who get tired of seeing the same question asked over and over. I'm pretty sure almost any thing you can think of has been gone over.

When cutting out a piece make sure you secure both pieces, luckily I was just taking a 1/4" template and making a 1/2" template with it and didn't realize I was fixing to cut all the way through. It fell and busted the end http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0234.jpg no big deal but it was slightly irritating.

I can't wait to see some more progress on this bass. Keeping the front of the bass clean is a nice touch I might try that when I build my bass.

I did a full scale drawing of it to see what it's going to look like. No headstock/pommel yet still working on that. I want to go with 3 left and 3 right tuners so I cant go to skinny with it but I want it to resemble an axe pommel. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0255.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0254.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0251.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0253.jpg Hey orgmorg are you just yanking my chain or can you really translate that?

I like the headstock design in the drawings on your first page http://deadmike.150m.com/the%20bat.htm got any more door left? you'd have to go with three tuners on each side instead of in line though. I think it would look good if the head came to a point but I'm sure it's going to look good anyway. By the way it was almost eighty degrees here today.

Ok I did it right this time http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0237.jpg One good thing about this design is that both wings will be the same so I guess I only need one template for the wings. I know a lot of people cut out the lower horns then glue the wings to the neck but I think I'm going to cut out the whole wing then glue. I'm done for this week I have to go back to work tomorrow so I'll have plenty time to change my mind if thats not the best route. Again if you see me about to do something stupid please stop me.....Thanks

Making my template, it all went well until it fell to the ground on my last cut and busted the end. http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0234.jpg Now I get to redo it, I'm making one out of MDF and one out of plywood just to see witch is best for me. If you do a search on it you get some who like one or the other the best so I'll just do both. I made this one out of 1/4" MDF so I'd have less shaping then used it on 1/2" MDF http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0224.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0226.jpg 1/2" MDF http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0229.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0230.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0233.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ga/100_0231.jpg And of coarse it then fell to the ground and busted so I had to take a break. It's still fun though

Eventually I'll need to do something because the circle inlays aren't going to match but I haven't really got into the inlays yet. I was thinking (just thinking) about burning them like my on bass, those are runes on the top of this bone handle http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Reave...ss/100_0005.jpg I was thinking about burning them in between the pick ups and on the headstock. All the runes are straight so I might be able to pull it off with inlays and thats really is what it needs but I just don't know.