Guitaraxz

Today I started getting the fretboard to size. Good ol shooting board.

I allready had it laying around from a previous ax where the client didn't like the colours, he said he wanted it just plain dark with no white streaks. Personally I like the streaks.

Here are some old pics of me making the fanned fretboard

First just laying out the line with a cutter

Then use a Stewmac little jap saw

Finally I used a big Jap saw for the full depth, sorry no pic.

Thanks for watching!

2 hours ago, Prostheta said:

Yeah! That tickles me as well, Scott. Good call on adding the work light to your router sled. I hate working blind, so that's good to see.

Your top clamping might benefit from use of a few convex cauls; long straight beams of wood which are clamped on either side. The centre of the convex part presses onto the centre of the top first, then tightening the clamps bends it until the outside contact the top. It minimises the number of clamps you need and distributes pressure really nicely. Over the width of a guitar body, a convex caul only needs about 1/8" or so of rise in the arc. Does this make sense?

Essentially these overpriced commercial versions:
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,43838&p=67309

Yeah that lamp helps a lot, it's the battery powered one that INCRA sells.

Thank you for the tip on the convex cauls, I'll give it a shot next time. On this one I used screws in the middle, where the Humbucker will be, I don't think it was the best idea yet it glued OK.

3 hours ago, ScottR said:

I love seeing the shots of glue ups on the display case. My friend MexicanBreed used to say it was very difficult to get Mexican woods locally. While not all of your timbers are local, some of them appear to be. Do you have any trouble sourcing them? I'm seeing Seymour Duncan pick-ups in most of your builds. Do you like those best or is that what you carry in your shop? (Or both?) You do some nice work, and judging from your GOTM entry, your wife does too!

SR

Oh it IS difficult to get good wood, the Chinese are taking it all! I was told by a wood store that the Chinese are paying better prices for most woods (than Mexicans) and that beuties such as Ziricote are being sold waay more expensive to the US.

All timbers in these guitars are local, Korina (here called Caoba Blanca) grows all thru central america, that includes the lower states of Mexico.

We sell Seymour's in our shop, we buy them directly from St Barbara CA, so we have plenty to choose from. Since I install 3 or 4 pups a month I get to hear them and know what they sound like, I love doing that hehe! but the 8 string is going to have Lace Alumiwhatever, that,s what the client asked for, I'm dying to hear them and know how good they are.

On 20/6/2014 at 6:24 AM, pan_kara said:

 

Thanks! I'm not planning to change it, the guitar is officially done. I'm just asking what jack placement would you suggest for next time, I'm not sure myself.. I do have a similar instrument planned for the near future

I know this aint a V, but it will do the job

I couldn't find any pics of a great solution i have seen, and doable on any existent V without permanent mods, but a great solution is a Strat Jackplate placed on the electronics cover. I mean an electronics cover which is on the back, just plug a strat type jack in there.

Also that is one great RR Flying V!

2 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

That top is stunning!  Look forward to seeing this develop 

Oh yeah!

21 hours ago, KnightroExpress said:

 

 

¡That is one kick ass headstock!

Whoa! Looks awsome! Thanks for the little humbucker/direct mount jig, and please let us know if the Katana is as good as it looks.

Forgot this pic of lowering the body to insert the top

8 string.........

Planing for wings

Planing for top, wood is Palo Escrito

joining the Palo Escrito

Leveling the Palo Escrito

gluing the top

Thanks for watching!

The 8 string.......

Wood (Cedar, Chen Chen and Korina) and template

Gluing the Cedar & Chen Chen

Elbow grease for leveling

angle for the headstock

with nut and tailpeice placed I can now meassure where to place the bridge

filling in the belly cut

Before sanding (prep prior to finish) we build her up to make sure everything is in the correct place

Thanks for watching!

7 string........

putting in the side dots

Aahhh.....the nut, it seems so simple yet....

my method is to check the hight of the frets with a feeler gauge

then hold the gauge with the 1'st n 6'th string so i can file to the same depth

7 string.......

Cutting the Korina

luckilly we got a single big peice of wood so this is just one chunk

A peice of Cedar, cutting the scarf joint

The necks of both axe's, the thre peice is for the 8 string

Gluing the fretboard

prep for routing the headstock

putting in the frets

headstock routed and tuners fitted

I'm posting this a bit late, the guitars are well into the build, so I'll start with pics of where they are right now and follow with some pics of how we got here.

The 7 string, in two parts, ready for paint.

8 string neck-thru, a lot more work to be done yet!

That's a great fret-press jig you made

1 hour ago, 10pizza said:

nice Woods! keep us updated!

 

Yeah!

looks great! I would put some PAF type pups in there, or better yet a PAF bridge & P90 neck, 50's wiring.

Great stuff, thank you!

Elegant, agile, original! That is an incredible looking guitar man!

Wicked Thorn

I just call her Wicked haha!

The Woods are:

Body ; Walnut

Top; Parota

Neck; Cedar

Neck adornments; Jabin

Fretboard; Granadillo

Scale length 25”

Electronics & Pickups; Seymour Duncan Distortion & Seymour 59, Pot CTS, Jack Switchcraft.

   This is a special build for me because it is Nancys’(my wife) first build. She and I have a small guitar shop and I used to be the only one making guitars while she helped me with some setups. She decided to make one by herself and all I did was draw the diagram, she did everything else. I wish my first one would have been half as good!

  All the shop had made up till then were copies so we decided to make it an original, lots of beer, drawing and Rock N Roll were our inspiration.

I just call her Wicked haha!

The Woods are:

Body ; Walnut

Top; Parota

Neck; Cedar

Neck adornments; Jabin

Fretboard; Granadillo

Scale length 25”

Electronics & Pickups; Seymour Duncan Distortion & Seymour 59, Pot CTS, Jack Switchcraft.

   This is a special build for me because it is Nancys’(my wife) first build. She and I have a small guitar shop and I used to be the only one making guitars while she helped me with some setups. She decided to make one by herself and all I did was draw the diagram, she did everything else. I wish my first one would have been half as good!

  All the shop had made up till then were copies so we decided to make it an original, lots of beer, drawing and Rock N Roll were our inspiration.

I just call her Wicked haha!

The Woods are:

Body ; Walnut

Top; Parota

Neck; Cedar

Neck adornments; Jabin

Fretboard; Granadillo

Scale length 25”

Electronics & Pickups; Seymour Duncan Distortion & Seymour 59, Pot CTS, Jack Switchcraft.

   This is a special build for me because it is Nancys’(my wife) first build. She and I have a small guitar shop and I used to be the only one making guitars while she helped me with some setups. She decided to make one by herself and all I did was draw the diagram, she did everything else. I wish my first one would have been half as good!

  All the shop had made up till then were copies so we decided to make it an original, lots of beer, drawing and Rock N Roll were our inspiration.

-Raxz

20 hours ago, ScottR said:

I see you added your location Raxz. We have another member, MexicanBreed, that is also in Puebla. He's a good guy, but doesn't come around so much anymore. Crazy how a forum shrinks the world.

SR

20 hours ago, ScottR said:

I see you added your location Raxz. We have another member, MexicanBreed, that is also in Puebla. He's a good guy, but doesn't come around so much anymore. Crazy how a forum shrinks the .

SR

Judging by the crazy way this city is growing I think I know where MexicanBreed is; He is stuck in traffic. Hehe!

Cool, looks much more comfortable now.

This part looks like fun, stripping the guitar for the refinish is not. The paint job is going to be a bigger challenge, keep us posted!

Everything of that bass looks top notch, the woods, the workmanship, great work!

R

10 hours ago, Prostheta said:

Thanks for the update. So what are you guys planning on next?

Thank you all for this cool forum, it's always usefull to share information, usefull for all of us.

Our little shop is just a two person operation, my wife and I, we have no body else. I'll post the guitars we are currenty making, regards.

-Raxz

1 hour ago, ScottR said:

The clear coat looks top notch. What did you use?

SR

Thank you! It's all Sherwin Williams, the blue dye is alcohol based and the clear is Polyurethane.