Stu.

I agree that you should keep going! My first (educated) build is one of my best-playing guitars, despite having bumbled through it alone. Guitars are obviously precision instruments and craftmanship is important, but they're actually surprisingly forgiving and you can recover from a lot; it's about progress, not perfection. Just remember these things for the next one... and the one after that... and the one on the shelf... and the other one you've started planning in your head

Thank you for the kind words, everyone! The inlay isn't perfect, but it was a lot of fun as a mini project to build my motivation. I tend to hit snags and then procrastinate a LOT whilst I decide on a safe course of (corrective) action.

The body binding was giving me grief, particularly with the prospect of carving. I had also sanded it quite thin gap in spots and UHU Hart glue was giving me mixed results (not to mention some CA glue that soaked into the body and would have rejected stain). I decided to simplify things by routing the top down to flat, tearing the original binding out, and then repeating the binding stage. I used a well-prepared binding and acetone paste, which I'm far more confident with as a method and gave tidier results; no gaps as such, just two spots with questionable adhesion. The replacement binding was also a lighter shade of red - the same colour as the neck binding and perhaps from different ABS stock - and was far less brittle.

Anyway, a few shots:

I'll trim the tenon down and get the neck pocket routed when I go back home over the next couple of weeks... in 2017!

This is such a clean little beauty. Nice work!

Seriously tidy work on the latest ones!

On a side note, I'm still using a pair of IronGear Steamhammers in my first build; they aren't the hottest, most responsive, or cleanest of pickups, but they sound just as good as anything twice the price. I really fancy trying the Dirty Torque and Blues Engine together.

All of my tools are now 50+ miles away and work is utterly manic, so progress has been VERY slow recently. I've been trying to get a burst of activity in the end of 2016, for an escape if nothing else. My next project will be truly magical, but I need to finish this thing first.

Wowzer! What a beauty.

I've been enjoying these on social media. Nice work!

Stunning result on that explorer! I really like how the shape's evolved with the tummy carve now

Are you guys talking about the giant moth in the centre?

This is a very interesting build. I don't thnk I could handle playing it, but the wood choices are fantastic and there's a lot of great workmanship on show!

Hopefully it's not annoying for me to keep updating this one thread.

I've started on something new recently. My dad was able to salvage an old sapele mantlepiece. It wasn't thick or wide enough for a two-piece body, but did make good wings for with a thick cap. I also had a chunk of mahogany and flamed maple veneer hanging around to finish the body. So far I've only bought the flamed maple cap.

I also made a table for my router today, which I've been meaning to do for ages. It should make life easier and prevent a few slips!

That walnut neck is lovely! What a find.

Man, it's been awhile since the old wookiee poked his head up. I had forgotten about all the subtle accents in that guitar. You make so many guitars that are full of eye candy, one forgets that under it all is very high level craftsmanship and woodworking skills.

SR

This is exactly what I was just thinking! It either feels like I'm seeing it for the first time everytime, or I spot fresh detail that I'd not noticed before. Absolutely fantastic.

Wow, this is impressive. You sure don't waste any time!

That's a fantastic lookin' guitar. I love how you've angled the headstock and nut properly, instead of the perpendicular route.

Nice work, dude! Are you going to get some hardware and strings on in time for GOTM?

So awesome. All you need to do now is pick the best eight pictures and give it a name

"Faded Blue Jeans"

• One-piece wenge body with zebrano top
• Three-piece wenge neck with flamed maple veneers
• Ebony fingerboard, 24 frets, 25.5" scale, 12" radius
• Cream binding
• Gold MOP dot inlays
• EMG 81/60 combo
• Tru-Oil finish

I'm not sure what else to say. This is the second guitar I've finished and hopefully not the last. I built it for myself and started it as a way to keep myself occupied after being made redundant.

Link:

Pictures:

Yep, I like that.........a lot. Very nice photography too. I think it is harder to take good picture of a nice guitar that it was to build the nice guitar in the first place.

Looks like you just missed the GOTM for this month.

SR

Haha, I know right. Thankfully we had loads of sunshine in the Cotswolds so I was able to get a couple of favourable snaps with my iPhone. I might see if I can enter it into next month's, just for the sake of feedback and padding the vote out. A name involving denim is sticking in my head after your faded blue jeans comment!

The back side is stunning!

Thank you! It sucks that the prettiest view of the guitar is always going to be hidden though

wow! turned out really great!

any particular reason for not carving the heel?

Thanks, man. It was a combination of fear about over-carving and the heel/guitar being very thin already. The lower cutaway is also very high up the fingerboard and quite tight to it, so access isn't really a problem. Maybe it'll happen on the next one!

wow! turned out really great!

any particular reason for not carving the heel?

I suspect the heel is really thin I doubt it gets in the way at all. I get the same comments all the time about mine when I don't but they are never in the way when you play.

Yep, bang on! I'm sure it's not as comfortable as yours, but it certainly isn't a hindrance and it's better than a regular Strat or Les Paul

Thanks again to anyone who's chipped in with advice through the course of this!

For all of your comments about things not going smoothly, I still think this guy stands out from the rest of your guitars. The burst and binding kill the workhorse aesthetic and make it look classy as hell.

Still looking super sharp. I really like the understated carve on this one.

It looks like you've nailed a 'signature' shape and set-up too

I have no words to say but I have some letters for you...

O-M-G.

G-O-T-M

^ This!

Not only is the guitar beautiful (that word still doesn't do it justice), but you seem to have a very healthy collection of chairs.

The combination of plain maple and EMG's looks awesome IMHO. It's certainly a massive improvement over the original, washed-out dye job.

Faded blue jeans.

SR

COOL Blue Zebrano

I have done that on a couple of V's. looks realy well with what Scott calls my radioactive gloss finish.

Light greens work well also but blue just has a realy cool look to it.

groovey lookin axe dude

That looks top class.

Thank you! It means a lot coming from you guys. The finish is nowhere near radioactive, but here's how it stands now:

There are some little things to tidy up here and there, but I'm very pleased to have finished my second guitar!

I managed to buff through the Tru-Oil on the headstock tip, which I'll touch-up later. I also didn't like the filler/sealer in the neck and sanded it all back

CAVITY COVERS

Yes, I'm aware of all that. I've used Wenge on maybe a dozen guitars

I was just making a comment in regards to it being a **** of a timber..

From what I remember, Wengé is twice as hard as Maples. I'm using it to test the durability of tools because it's sort of a benchmark "wood from hell". Chips plane irons, throws teeth on rasps and makes bandsaw blades deader than dead.

It's pretty awful for an amateur like me! Not only has it been seriously hard work, but it's wrecked a few blades and router cutters. Never again.

It's a very nice combination, it provides the guitar a smart look

i like very much.

Thank you!

This is where I am now:

The neck is glued in and everything appears to be alright. The nut is definitely too tall or needs reslotting and the neck profile isn't quite there. I was procrastinating over gluing the neck though, so things should move ahead nicely now :\