Brendan

Someone suggested I post this project here when I finished it two months ago, but when I looked at the other submissions, I was way too intimidated by the competition. It's standing the test of time as a player, so I thought I may as well submit it. It started life as a sweet one-piece blank of premium grade Oregon alder. Lefties are screwed when it comes to guitar options, so I thought I'd make something different. I essentially morphed a Telecaster with a Jazzmaster. Most of the hardware came from an ebay dealer. I went with the Matchmaker P-90s mainly because of the white covers, but they turned out to be the nicest sounding P-90s I've ever had. I went with an Allparts neck this time, but intend to build my own on a future project. Surf Green nitro courtesy of Reranch.

Wow, that looks good. How did you get from the progress on the first photo to the second? After you routed the two steps, did you finish it off by hand?

If you haven't made the purchase already, consider looking at local classifieds. Like you, I'm trying to get decent tools at a good price and I'm leary of some reports I'm reading on new "affordable" equipment. I've been lurking on my local craigslist.com and scored a 14" bandsaw for $125 two weeks ago. On Saturday I picked up a 6 1/8" Craftsman jointer with stand in excellent condition for $125 - 1969 vintage, all cast iron, US made and as solid as they get. I can still get parts for that sucker from Sears. I couldn't see the drill press on that link, but keep in mind that smaller drill presses can't reach deep into a guitar body. If you want to drill for string ferrules or bridge studs, the smaller drill presses can't cut it.

I've only used a router long enough to make 2 bodies, but so far I've been very happy with CMT, Whiteside and Bosch. The Stewmac binding and pickguard bits are nice too. The only one I've been unhappy with was a Craftsman roundover bit I usd on my last tele. The "sealed" bearing spit oil all along the edge of a sweet one-piece body. I was so focused on keeping the router steady and I didn't notice until I was done. Almost all my bits have guide bearings and none of them did that. I later noticed the package said, "made in China". I got a refund and I'll never buy another Chinese bit.