Martinedwards

Never seen aluminium used as an acoustic saddle.... My initial reaction is try it, what have you got to loose!!! It'll cost you 10c and if it's awful you have learned something and can change it out for bone if it's great you can patent it, make millions ang gloat for ever!!!

Yup, Rich, lots to mull over there, but a guitarron? it'd be like trying to wrestle a bath tub!! I'm also toying with the idea of shortening the scale by 1 fret to drop the tension a touch...... some of those other links are great, but a pal from another forum posted me a set of bass bridge pins so it looks like a pinned bridge then!!

Thanks for the sums Peter, OK, I need a whisker MORE bracing..... I can do that..... Three strings? Na, it's gotta have 4, and like I said at the top I'm not really that fussed about the acoustic volume as it'll alweays be amped As to the MIMF, I really can't get on with the interface over there, and the antequated system has me pulling my hair out. I had a glance and could only find archtop acoustic basses. and as no-one has tried it before, I guess I should post pics as I go.........

Yup, I KNOW that an acoustic bass guitar needs amped to be heard againt anything louder than a pin tapping on a piece of tissue paper I've built a bunch of acoustic guitars and mandolins (including a 6/12 doubleneck acoustic) so now I'm gonna have a run at an acoustic bass guitar. I have a dread mould and a pile of nice walnut and cedar....... so has anyone built a bass? the net is FULL of pics of guitar bracing, but I can find very little on bass guitars. the tension should be less than a 6 string so the bracing shouldn't need to be heavier than a standard dread, though I will move the bridge an inch or two farther from the heel to stop the nek heaviness..... so, anyone built a bass and have pics?

Here y'go then, my latest build, a Les Paul for a mate's son. Walnut body with a mahogany cap, neck is mahogany with a centre lam of sycamore and an ebony F/B with 24 frets Pups are GFS FAT PAFs split using pull switches on the tone knobs. If you go here you'll find "Les Paul demo" which lets you hear the beastie. Just me noodling about through an ancient Laney Session 40 Reverb DIed to the PC The lucky recipient LOVED it to bits when I left it over this afternoon.......

Yup, I love carving necks. I start off with a centre line. I cut the headstock face angle first and sand it flat. then cut the trussrod slot from the top using a vertical mill then glue on a preslotted fingerboard (life's WAY too short to cut your own!!) Then rough cut on the band saw and then I just wade in with a good sharp chisel. sand it fret it attach it finish it

Now that I've finished my acoustic Les Paul, I'm thinking about a new project. A resonator sounds like a good idea as they're a bit off the wall uncommon type of things....... SO, never having ever spent enough time near one to pull it apart....... I'm under the impression that the body & top can be ANYTHING, steel, brass, plywood, even MDF without any reall appreciable affect on tone as this all comes from the bridge & cone(s). It that right? If so, is the cone system just a stack inside the soundwell? well - cone - spider - bridge - coverplate or well,- cone - biscuit bridge - coverplate....... or have I missed the point completely? Ta!!

Cruel..... really cruel...... true, but still cruel!! oh all right.... it's fixed!! someone suggested that my METHOD of tracing the gib. might have been the problem. I projected it onto a large page with a data projector..... could be an element of keystoning? still, I like it, and people in church yesterday loved it, so it shall live on!!!

Yup, y'both are right, it's a bit "rough and ready" but it's a first fretted build and it was 90% experiment, and to be honest I'm just so high on the fact that I can make a playable instrument that sounds great through a Marshall AS50 that cosmetics aren't that big a deal... (I'm ginger, wear glasses and weigh 16 1/2 stone (230lb) how much do you think looks mean to me?????????) the truss rod cover is at an angle cos the nut end screw broke into the truss rod slot as I screwed it in and it twisted....... NEXT time I'll use 3 screws...... the sanding? man I got bored!!!! symetry? Well, I copied it directly off a Gibson, so if MINEs wrong, then Gibson are too!!!! It could be the angle that distoerts the look....... thanks for the critique though, dont think I'm getting all defensive and throwing my teddy out of the pram!!

Doncha love reclaiming desks from science? My acoustic les paul has the same pedigree!!

all done!!!! Plugged in she's actually very good!!! I'll post a soundclick or two when I get the chance....... Public debut in church over Easter.....

Ok, the postman has done his stuff and my 20 tiawanese bone saddles arrived today. I milled a slot in the mahogany block (only slightly wrecking it, but I can replace it at my leisure!!) and filed the bone down to size with a compensation wiggle for the second string up. Strung it all up, plugged it into the aincient tranny guitar amp I have in work and it works!!! I'll need a new set of strings as I broke one, but I'll let it rest a day or two with the neck under tension, but I'm really delighted!! I'll hopefully remember the camera tomorrow............. oh yes, and it's staying natural.

wouldn't it be simpler to just throw the body away and start from scratch with that sweet neck?

well using a block of mahogany as a bridge as the bone saddle hasnt arrived in the post, its a LOT louder than an unplugged electric and tonally much better too, but it's still way quieter than my "real" acoustics. Tone wise it's VERY trebbly hence the b@njo reference, but hopefully once I get the piezo in the bridge sorted, it'll sound at least as good as my X-bridged strat. What amazes me is the amount the back vibrates. It really goes som when I'm strumming!!! I'm really looking forward to getting into school tomorrow to shave the neck a bit more and see if leaving it strung all weekend has doe any harm......or good!! my original idea on the sound slots was to use a fly cutter to give circular slots on the outside, but I couldn't get hold of one so I clamped it to the mill table & cut straight slots....... The only problem is that they're not quite parallel to the strings!!!!! Ah well, it's a prototype!!

when it's all done I'll post a soundclick, don't worry!! My mates over at the Jam session forum are screaming for a recording, so it'll happen honest!!!! (then the bidding can start )

Nope, MUCH lighter than a real LP cos after all, it is hollow......... Hopefully this week I'll get a strap on it and get the bridge sorted. and as to the pics...... oops, sorry mods, I'm new here so I didn't realise.... i'll fix it later today when I have 15 mins is that ok? ta!!

That looks good!! tell me you're gonna leave it clear finish... PLEASE!!!!

Ok then the design specs for this are a quiet acoustic. I don't need volume. I get plenty from my Turner, Epiphone and Yamaha 12, so I'm looking for a quiet practice guitar......... Until it's plugged in....... Then I want it to sound like an acoustic!!! I have a Strat with a LR Baggs Xbridge onboard, so last resort is to put one of them in, but for now I'm looking to make a hollow bodied Les Paul that sounds like an acoustic, with an acoustic under saddle pickup. Gibson make a $6000 one of these but I'm not spending that on a guitar and staying living in the same house as my wife!!!!! OK the wood...... I teach technology in High school, so I have access to a pile of what used to be benches in a science room that was refurbished. 40 year old mahogany. for free!!!!!!!!! Add to that a few lumps of local hardwood that have been stachked outside for 10 years and my piece of Birch has been flat on blocks in a store for at least 3......... heres the back, cut out but still with 40 years worth of gum, grafitti & acid burns......... http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...bitdrilling.jpg now I forstner bitted down to near the back. I left vertical bars in as struts...... (why cut them out to just replace them later?) http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...dplankofoak.jpg and a big old lump of birch. bowed as Robin hood's weapon of choice.... but we can deal with that!!! http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...jointonneck.jpg neck lammed up and scarfed. Mahogany and a bit of sycamore from the back of the store......... http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...ittiremoved.jpg WOW that looks better after a bit of sanding!!! http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...acktogether.jpg top cut out beside back. On the back you can see where I've started to mill the inside down to 3mm. (it's great to have access to highschool workshops!!) http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...arvedinside.jpg Now, I'll admit, things start getting a bit weird....... The top will be archtop ish, so out comes the forstner bit again......... http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...urvesslots2.jpg and the top gets something like a Les Paul profile. The slots are as close as it's gonna get to a soundhole. horazontal slots on the front meet vetical slots on the back to give a latticework of holes..... sort of luteish? http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...rds/lpbody1.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...rds/lpbody2.jpg shows the body halves stuck together and trimmed........... http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...rds/lptenon.jpg neck pocket and tenon. angled back a bit to get the angle from the tailpiece to the neck......... http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...s/lpassemb3.jpg and the whole thing set together. the bridge is too low at this point so I'll fabricate another from mahogany instead. Nut & saddle to be bone http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...s/lpassemb2.jpg OK, since this little photo essay was taken I've moved on. the neck is glued in and carved (but it needs some more), the faceplate has lost a thickness of mahogany to bring it down to birch to march the body and I got tired of waiting for the saddles to arrive from ebayland so I stuck ityt all together, supposedly to check the fretting and put some tension on the neck.......... It works!!!!!! only one fret needs work, and it is indeed a quiet acoustic (though I cant try it with the pick-up till the saddle arrives. It twangs a bit, very bright like a .... dare I say it........ b@njo but that's ok, it's kinda cute!!!! I need to shave some more off the neck as it's still a little "chunky" and I had to go a bit weird with the tuners to avoid the voluteish back of the headstock/neck join. I'll post more pix when I have something to show!! PICS TOO BIG, AND ONLY OPNE PIC PER POST ALLOWED! PICS RULES

It won't be the last guitar you make so go for it!!! I made a fretless bass and a Les Paul acoustic using a bench I salvaged from a science classroom. I haven't the 1st clue what way the grain runs, but I lammed it with sycamore and it's OK so far!!!! Once I get good at it I'll start spending REAL money on wood, but for now? slap it together and get some experience!!!!!

OK, I have 2 underway. I've built a fretless bass before, but these are my first forrays into acoustic guitars First up is a Cedar/Rosewood Jumbo made at an evening class with Avalon Luthier Sam Irwin Ive gone the "Plain Jane" route with very simple two line rosette [http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/P3090011.jpg [http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gowanedwards/P2250010.jpg the other is a total stab in the dark. I asked in a few forums for people to talk me out of this, but they all said go for it....... So..... Acoustic Les Paul The back hollowed from a magogany bench from a science room The top hollowed from a slab of birch I paid £5 for. Neck is Mahogany sycamore lam......... http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...acktogether.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...s/lpassemb2.jpg http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e328/gow...rds/lpbody1.jpg

what have you got to loose? Epoxy. all the clamps you can get. check spacing for the tuners, standard MIGHT fit ok Standard saddle will be fine. you should get a plastic one for a Euro or so, a bone one for 2 or 3.

I've never junked a guitar. I guess value is relative. If it was a 1942 Martin with similar damage would you give £50 for it? Oh yes!!!!! if it's a 2005 Esteban would you give £5000 in pristine condition. Oh NOOOOOO!!!!!! If you can get it for very little, use a tank cutter to cut a circular hole. cut a plug, glue it in and refinish. Worst case scenario is you get some experience.......