dudeiferous

OK, Ive read that the neck pocket of a Les Paul should be a bit less width than the actual neck...

Is this right and is it totally neccessary? How much less do you reckon?

Sillly question I know

Oh and cheers!

Are you using templates for your router or are you trying to do these pockets freehand?

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Well Ive drawn on the wood where I should cut if thats what you mean...or do you mean something that rests on the wood? Ive thought about that...

I think I am going to leave it flat.

Im worried about getting the neck socket and pickup holes accurate.. gah. Using the router for this could prove hard...

Theres obviuosly some technique Im missing out on

Ah, just found out that the pocket should be a little narrower then the width of the fret board and neck. I suppose that is obvious Well that makes things a bit easier for a start...

i think carving the top is all a matter of picking a technique youre comfortable with. just keep in mind hand tools are easier to handle and mistakes are minimal when considering what a router can do with a lil slip of the wrist. i think the use of an angle grinder is also a good one. especially for getting a convave carve. but i have yet to carve a top. im still learning from all you guys

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Im experimenting with my router now, but in preperation for the neck pocket and pickup holes. Seems theres a lot more skill to using it accurately than I first invisaged! Ofcourse Im trying it out on scraps of wood first....

It is something of a brutal machine to say the least....hmm

Maybe I should expirement with a chisel for this...or is that simply barmy?

This weekend I sanded and then applied the 3rd coat of sanding sealer.  I'm going to put on one more to get it perfectly sealed and leveled.  The 3rd coat could have been the last but I layed it flat a little too soon and got a small indent on the soft sealer.  I couldn't sand it out so I need another coat to finish it.

I've used about 1 full can already.  I believe this is more than usual but I do have mahogany cavity covers to seal and the first two coats just didn't seal as well as I'd have liked.

When the sanding sealer is finished, I'll post some pics.

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Oh man, your first guitar? Thats looking awesome! Work of art, seriously.

Something tells me mine wont be in the same league

Yes it does deffinitly help too use a bandsaw because the blade doesn't flex as bad.  If you have too use a jigsaw It's best too cut it not so close too the line and than either rout or sand up too where it needs too be.

Will you be making your own neck for this?  If so what woods are you going too use?

That sapelle looks prety dark, usually it's lighter in color.  It looks real good.  I think it will turn out great being that shade.

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Im not sure, it depends on what I can get hold of I suppose. For the neck Ive thought about getting more Sapelle? and the fingerboard Im not sure...I love the feel of ebony but its black colour is a bit boring I think, so I havent decided yet. Maybe something a bit unusual, like the Sappelle is....

thats a nice hunk of wood, what is it?

good progress so far, and if i were you i would leave it flat, because every LP is carved, and i think a flat one would be killer

Curtis

The wood is Sapelle, which is apparently a species of Mahoghany.

I have made one annoying blunder though- the edges are not 100% vertical around the guitar, they are a bit out at places....the shape of the horn is fatter on the top side than it is on the bottom, where it is almost down to a point!...I used a jigsaw to cut it and apparently this is quite a common blunder!

I'll probably use a bandsaw next time, well maybe unless I do a Flying V

Hi everyone, I heard about this forum through a few fine blokes down at forum.intermusic.com

Im a total newcommer to guitar building, never even dabbled! I am at the moment working on an LP guitar...although I think my next one will be a flying V...Im guessing the body would be a lot easier to make!

Anyway, heres my 'effort' so far...I'll post the links instead of the pictures because theres a few of them and we dont want the guys on dial up gettin upset

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rpinderblackbird/wood.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/dude...s/progress1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/dude...s/progress2.jpg

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rpinderblackbird/IM000006.JPG

Right. I have a question...as this is my first attempt, should I risk doing a carved top? I have limited materials at the moment so I have thought about doing it like this...

http://members.fortunecity.com/jtfish/lpc/shaping.htm

Or is there a better way? Im assuming there is

Guitar building is great isnt it! Sooo therapeutic...this is going to be addictive!