Hydrogeoman

I am building 4 guitars at the moment and 2 of them are LP Jr.s - a single cutaway and a double cutaway. I figured the LP Jrs were a good place to start as all of these are my 1st builds. I purchased the Wilkinson aluminum wraparounds from GuitarFetish in hopes of obtaining some of the original Jr.s sound as they used aluminum. The D & G string on the Wilkinson bridge can be adjusted for intonation in addition to adjusting the entire bridge from the posts. I plan on posting some progress pics of the guitars as soon as I figure out how to do that.

I hear you on the influences. I always wanted a CT bass but could never bring myself to shell out the $3K+ it takes to have him build you one. My first build was a bit of a CT copy (the scroll). My subsequent designs I tried to incorporate somewhat of the same "flavor" as a CT, but hopefully not have people immediately think Carl Thompson when they see it. I guess that is why I like David King's basses so much also. David is a very nice guy too. Good luck with your build and post some progress pics when you get rolling.

I have the Grizzly 14" Ultimate bandsaw with the riser block as well. For resawing I use a Grizzly 3/4" blade (5 or 6 tpi I think) along with a fence extension and feather board jig I made. It does a great job and I have resawn up to 8" wide boards on it to make 1/4" thick bookmatched tops of purpleheart, paduak, and curly and birdseye maple. The cut is straight and true once you spend a little time tuning the saw, although I may try a 1/2" wide blade as suggested in the future. I do sometimes worry that I may be putting too much stress on the saw with the 3/4" blade. I think the Grizzly is a very good value and the riser block is a MUST for this saw if you plan to resaw. Good luck.

Looks a lot like a David King Bass http://www.kingbass.com/bassimage/charles.JPG although I assume your influence is Les Claypool and his Carl Thompson basses. I love squishy basses too!

I just bought 2 sets of the Wilkinson EZ Loks (gold and black) from Guitar Fetish and they have a 3/8" post hole diameter. I have not installed any of them yet (I thought they were reasonably priced so decided to try them), but they seem to be of decent quality.

Yeah, I was not sure what shipping would be to Hawaii, it was only $55 on the mainland. The 8" capacity on your new Sears will make the saw 100% more useful for resawing top laminates. Just take the time to get it set up properly with a tall fence guide and you'll be good to go. Cheers, HG

I have a 14" bandsaw from Grizzly International. I purchased it with a 6" extension block to increase the capacity for resawing from 6" to 12." I think the extension kit was about $50 - $60 and was worth every penny. Even with the extra $ for the kit, I think the saw is an excellent value. I built some jigs to aid in resawing (with a 3/4" wide blade) and have had excellent results. My bandsaw has become just about the most useful tool in my shop. Might be worth checking out www.grizzly.com

I have a DeWalt scroll saw that I have used to cut a bass body and it worked very well. I am not familiar with the Delta scroll saw but the DeWalt is very well made and you can change blades in a matter of seconds. As stated before, take your time. The scroll saw is completely capable. I also use a band saw that is much faster but a pain to manuver on tighter turns. The scroll saw works great for this. I also like to use the scroll saw on pegheads, as it is much easier to get a shape near finished without a lot of sanding. Just another thumbs up for a scroll saw as an alternative.

Thanks for the input. I think I will play it safe and go with alder for my current project. Maybe my Beech billet will find its home in a future "experiment."

I am planning on building a Fender Jaguar type guitar and wanted to get your input on using Beech for the body. It will be stock in most electronic aspects (1962 Jaguar style single coil PUPs) and the neck will consist of maple/purpleheart/maple. I was going to use alder for the body originally, but saw the Beech wood at my supply house and became intrigued with the idea. I am looking to get a twangy sound. The Beech wood is much denser and harder than the alder, so I am concerned that it may be too bright sounding in conjunction with the neck I am building. I also have no idea of its stability. Thanks for any input or experiences you could share. Cheers,

So you mean that cheap one checks out dead flat against the Stew-Mac straight-edge ? I mean I'm tempted to buy one then, but I'm so picky about stuff like that, it makes me sick. If my straight-edge was *aluminum* it would be total trash by now. I think it's too soft for a guitar repair shop. That steel one looks quite nice, but the weight could be a problem (when checking a guitar neck). I currently have the 1101-003 SE-24 Straight Edge from here : http://www.bridgecitytools.com/ok_default.html Thanks a bunch for the info Guitarfrenzy and Soapbarstrat! I was looking at that same straightedge GF has and was hesitating on buying because it is so inexpensive. Good to know it gets a thumbs up from somebody with skills far more advanced than mine.

Thanks, I was wondering if a less expensive steel straightedge from a drafting supply store would be adequate. I think I will be going that route - until I hit the lottery and can afford a Starrett.

I am trying to save $$ on a precision straightedge for fretwork and saw this aluminum one. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=50074 Currently, I am shopping for a good 24" straightedge. My questions are these: 1) Would the wide surface of this straightedge be a hinderance when gauging fret height variations? 2) Or should I just go with an expensive beveled steel straightedge (like Stewmac's). Thanks for any wisdom you can send my way.

Welcome Old Black! I think it is the blend of science/art/earth that is so appealing. Makes be believe that although many folks on this site are from completely different backgrounds we are all "cut from the same cloth."

Thanks for all of your input. It never ceases to amaze me how generous you PG regulars are with your knowledge (and time)!

I picked up a 1/2 ton arbor press from Harbor Freight Tools for $30 and I am trying to save more $$ by making my own caul similar to the one that Stewmac sells. Has anybody out there attempted this or should I just spring for the Stewmac one with 4 inserts for $46? Thanks for any input. HG

Interesting thread. I am a novice builder but cannot afford to build the number of guitars I would like. Last week I emailed every friend I have offering to build any guitar or bass they can dream up or go with a copy of something they like. My "fee" was simply that they pay for all material and $100 up to $200 for my time, depending on the complexity of the build. It seems a lot of folks here seem to assume it is not possible to build a quality instrument without first creating large numbers of junky guitars that nobody would want. I know a lot of it depends on the skill of the person, but I feel my fee (which almost seems exhorbitant based on what I have read here) is completely justified. If I spend $500 on materials and charge $600 for the guitar, yes, you can easily go and pull an assembly line guitar off the shelf of a music store that will be just as playable, but you will not be playing a guitar you know was built just for you exactly the way you want it. I think $100 is a small fee for the uniqueness alone. Just my 2 cents. Greg

Looks nice. Is the neck angled?