al heeley

The next project I'm starting uses another of the pieces of mahogany from our old fireplace, this time (learning from my first big mistake) cut with the grain running longitudinally for strength and stability. The original plan was another Telecaster, a solid body, waxed finish with traditional hardware. However, I decided to try something different and wanted to get a Les-Paul-like guitar without it being a Les Paul. I rather liked the lines of the new Parker Mojo singlecut, so with this in mind I drew up a template for the mahogany blank.

I needed to place the old screw hole in the wood out of the way of the main body and just about managed to line it up with the rout area for the neck pickup.

The plan will be a bolt-on strat neck with a modified headstock shape, a pair of black coverless humbuckers, black knurled knobs, master vol, 3 way pickup switch and a push-pull master tone pot with coil tap so the electrics will basically mimic a PRS McCarty model.

I will fill and dye the mahogany dark and leave it rounded edged and satin oil-finished. Well, that is the plan anyway.

Here's a pic of the rough body cut before belt-sanding the edges smooth. The bridge pickup cavity rout is started. It will have staggered thru-body string ferrules and a gibson-type tunomatic bridge.

I got a full size telecaster plan in pdf format. Ended up messing around in photoshop printing overlapping a4 sheets till the whole thing got done, then pasting the sheets back together for a full plan.

Thx setch, pm sent. Fingers crossed. Are these sort of templates the usual method of routing these cavities then?

that will do for the pup holes, but I need a UK source...

I'm cutting out a template from a MDF sheet or similar scrap bits of wood. I'm doing it by jigsaw, hacksaw or stanley knife, it's not a great straight edge or true square corners. I'd like something truer and adjustable. I don't know if there are any tricks to it but what I'm doing at the moment is a pain and the end result is not satisfactory. There must be a better way!

I've had no luck searching the forums, I need some advice about pickup cavity routing from the experts. I'm very new to routing and finding it hard to get a really nice clean edge and corners.

Do you guys have any advice and tips for a quick jig you can alter the dimensions of, for routing pickup cavities and similar rectangular areas?

Any tips on securing the jig to prevent movement, without denting the guitar body?

Thx in advance

Squiers are a great place to start - playing, modding, learning. Don't let them put you off. You will get a reasonable starter instrument for the money that will sound Tele-like, of course it won't be as full and sweet as a £900 Fender USA model but I think they are good value for money. Play the hell out of it and learn about setups, new nuts, swapping out pickups, etc. Try modding the electrics, learn the ropes then you will know what you want to achieve in terms of tone and playability without having wrecked a big bucks instrument. Use it as a test bed. Far better to start here than spend significant money on a really nice Warmoth body or similar. That's my 10pence worth

Thanks for the quick reply!

If I am not mistaken, the generally accepted action or string height ranges from 1 to 2/32" above the frets, depending on string gauge used.

Other influencing factors are the trueness of the neck (surprising how many good necks may have a tiny bit more action towards either the bass or the treble side) and how good a job you can do on fret levelling and truss-rod tension. Also don't forget how well the nut is cut - this is critical to achieving good action. A lot of luthiers build in a little bit of action into a neck to make chord fretting less buzzy, so the fret-string height in the middle of the 'board is a little more than at either end. It's also good practice to build in a little extra height to compensate for a new nut wearing in.

Is anyone able to give me the approximate dimensions of a Les Paul Standard?

Width across widest part of body?

Length from the tail strap button to the furthest end of the neck pocket?

Thanks!

The fist 4 pics/posts were all posted separately, albeit a few minutes apart. I have not seen this on any forum before where consecutive posts get merged together. Anyway, sorry for the hassles, I'll try to avoid oversized future pics but I can't seem to stop consecutives getting merged together, it seems unrelated to time gap between posts.

Only one pic per post, this doesn't mean to post multiple posts with one pic each a few minutes apart!!!

I have a question: these 2 posts were actually couple of days apart, so how do I add a new post (with a pic) without the forum automatically merging them into one, if there have been no other replies in between?

I first saw this on the UK GB forum. Stunning finish and great work. I really like the design, and with Dangermouse as well it has to be a truly outstanding instrument! Very nicely done, Jem :up:

Progress Update.

Pickup cavities routed for the P90's, and long holes drilled thru to the ctrl cavity for the wiring. Bridge rout for grounding wire done with a new 150mm longer drill bit, and a little ctrl plate cover knocked up from a maple offcut.

Started to apply a few coats of Tru-Oil. Here's a shot with the bridge and the gold knurled knobs in place.

http://www.niw-files.com/alheeley/music/woody7.jpg

My P90's have just arrived, plus all the other hardware I ordered. Electrics are done. The body needs more finishing and I haven't got a neck sourced yet, but we are getting there

http://www.niw-files.com/alheeley/music/woody8.jpg

Only one pic per post, this doesn't mean to post multiple posts with one pic each a few minutes apart!!!

Wow, those wooden feathers are beautiful, what a great idea!

Hope you find the finish you're after.

Sorry can't answer about your nc deterioration, but if you want a really good cleaner/polish, it's silicone and abrasive free and Patrick Eggle swears by it, it does a great job: 3M imperial hand glaze

I use one of those grey plastic scotchbrite woodwork finishing pads, a bit like a green nylon washing up pad, to gently rub the gloss off a paintjob to get a satin finish. A bit softer than wire wool.

I use it to take the gloss off my guitar necks, makes them feel wonderfully slinky, I get quite turned on just thinking about it. must go now.

Simply wonderful, I love the materials chosen, the shape and the construction, it looks a fabulous instrument! Really nice work, I'm really enjoying watching this one develop.

well yes but I'd rather be sitting in the porsche

Yep, that combination will make a stunning guitar, for me far more interesting than another perfectly bookmatched quilt or flame top.

Can I ask why on earth you would want to sand all that black paint off in order to paint it black again then add some graphics? Do it once, you'll realise what an awful task it is!

Its a gold hardtail strat-type bridge, but I guess the same principal is involved, only I don't have a small drill long enough.

[update] Tried last night to drill a small hole through to the ctrl cavity, the drill bit snapped off inside the wood. I need a thin drill at least 6" long to get in there

What are you trying to do with the dpdt on the humbucker?

That looks like the wiring for series/single/parallel when you have 2 HB's in the circuit. As such it will just act as a coil tap in your setup.

I've just had a thought, going thru the wiring for this. How on earth am i going to get a wire out to ground the bridge?

Al

Whoah! Black is cool, thats a great looking goth axe, Matt!