komodo

Most builders will not even start a build until they have the actual bridge in hand. You must already know what scale length you will use. Nothing beats an actual full scale drawing, even if it's just a side view of the intersecting planes much like the drawings on the tundraman site mentioned. Don't overlook the fact that you bridge will have some adjustment to it, but don't rely on the adjustment to reach your height. Try to hit your optimal arrangement but with a little adjustment up AND down so you can fine tune it. Hope this makes sense.

every. single. time. I see that bench I'm envious. It's awesome!

You didn't mention scale length. If it's 25.5" I would think it to be everything Scott said. and if anything have a sharper slightly brighter attack.

That top IS porn. nice!

Ha! That's what I was thinking. Maybe it's a proto Ibanez monkey grip.

That is a thing of beauty Scott!

that’s beautiful, very nice bending!

OMG I'm trying SO hard to only build one, but my indecisiveness coupled with fiery imagination keeps other builds buzzing around my head and interrupting constantly. I've got little build time, so I get nothing done.

Yea it's really weird. We found out our nextdoor neighbors of 20+ years are friends with Rick Wakeman. They had a dog named (Starship) Trooper haha. Once Ricks son Adam came visiting and borrowed our carseats for his kids. He's keys for Sabbath and Ozzy right now. cough cough! Anyhoo, if I get to meet Trevor Rabin and Jon Anderson I'll probably poop my pants, and I'm not one to get starstruck or anything.

I only did 2bout 2 coats. Just enough to soak in and seal. This doesn't have demanding needs for use. In other news, recut the LP Jr headstock face to ensure enough real estate. Final angle is 12 degrees. Also glued on ebony head plate. Found out we have backstage passes for YES this coming weekend. Gonna be hard to concentrate between now and then!!!

Yea, Watco Danish oil. Sand to 220 and wipeon. Wax later after its good and dry. SOOPER easy and perfect for this.

Yea headplate, solid volute (i LOVE them), and not a full 14. I need to measure again to see what it is. Plinth done, just need to rewire tonearm and reassemble. The mahogany looks like figured koa which makes me deliriously happy.

Single piece! I'm debating whether to use my already done Macassar ebony fb or cut a new one from jet black gaboon. Will have TT plinth done by tomorrow.

SLOW and steady. Using my "staycation" time to do multiple projects at once. Body blank glued up and hand planed because sometimes by hand is just better. Also building a turntable plinth from scratch instead of veneering. Found some killer mahogany I didn't know I had.

You can ONLY get it in Wisconsin! I've got two weeks off and just finished my speaker veneering project, so let's get on with this build. Here's to it. Benefits of living in Indiana is easy access to lots of Three Floyds.

Yep. For this one it would've been a smaller spread, and negligible result. Just a flight of fancy for a minute or two. For the 8-string I'd like to build it would be functional in evening string tensions and the single string bridges and pups were considered from day 1. That said, here's my "beer for doing projects other than getting on with this build."

This. You should take classes in business as well as anything wood building. But the business knowledge is far more important.

You guys can drive for a few hours while I catch some sleep in the back. Wake me up when we get to the rest stop! I've been busy cleaning the shop and then veneering some speakers. I'll be done this weekend, then have a turntable plinth to re-veneer, but will get this LP Jr going again. Build updates: no ebony top, neck will be set instead of neck through. One day I considered, multi-scale, but was quickly overcome with thoughts of guilt and blasphemy.

After measuring the neckthrough that started as another build, the headstock real estate is too small. Also, I'll need more neck angle. So, I'm considering recutting the headstock face to get my length, this will move into the carbon bars but they are plenty long to extend into the body also. Then, I'm thinking of cutting a tenon on the other end. Theres enough to do whatever I could imagine. If this is my path, I'm also considering gluing up a body blank with angled grain, exactly like the 58 korina V. . . . but I'm trying to restrain any ornament as I want the whole thing to be subtle.

Knobs.

Didn't mean to throw you for a loop. Koa would work, and for a multi-scale, you are using longer scales for the low strings to balance out string tension. Look at putting in carbon bars on either side of the truss for stability, and you have a truss rod for counteracting string tension and adjustment. You mentioned a bright and crisp with good articulation, and to me that just says a denser/stiffer wood like cocobolo or pau ferro. Layering in 3-5 sections will add a lot to stiffness, but this isn't exactly the same as density for a bell tone like you mention. For stiffness, picture hard maple as a good baseline - It's arguably the ideal neck wood. Koa would be on a less dense/stiff side of that, wenge, coco, bubinga would be on the denser/stiffer side. I referred to it as bell-like because that was the image I had in my head for the voice of the 8-string multi I was working on. To me thats more than crisp and articulate, but rich in harmonics and with singing sustain. There are a lot of factors that make up a tone like that. -density of the neck wood -bridge, nut, and fretboard material -pickups and placement -type and gauge of strings, etc. My last guitar had a 25" scale rosewood neck, carbon bars, a maple cap over a resonant swamp ash body, and hot humbuckers that used Alnico 8s. I can tell you that is incredibly HIFI sounding. It's voice actually stunned me at first because it was so different from a straight up maple neck/mahogany, humbucker guitar. People talk a lot about tone woods, what material for this and that. The final answer is that they all change things - BUT TO WHAT DEGREE - and, they all work together as a system, Hope some of this is useful and not just me blowing hot air!

Maple top maybe? Project kickoff beer.

Minor progress: I've been steeped in this build mentally for a month, gathering parts, trying to focus aesthetic and design decisions. My goal is the 'spirit' of a late 50s/early 60s Gibson korina doublecut. Maybe a little Melody Maker, maybe a little 58 korina V, etc. I've got templates, the neckthrough korina spine, two bridge options- a black Quan Badass and a Gretsch MIJ copy that would need some relic to blend. Also two FB options, macassar or straight Gaboon black. I've considered ebony top but nixed that, not authentic feeling. I've also considered this ridiculous flame top. I was thinking a Joe Perry Boneyard like finish, kinda butterscotch blonde with a rough splotchy flame coming through. It's hard to beat plain Korina though, so probably straight thin coat nitro. I need to come up with my own pick guard as I've got two P90 and don't love the Gibson one. Something like the SG, or even the PRS Vela would be cool. I'll do some light relicing to even out parts. Some of these are already old, some are new! .

Hey cool, I guess that means I work for you, boss.

When I first saw this I doubted the fretboard, because Wenge can be such a PITA. But holy cow is it beautiful. Great work.