Hello project guitar. I'm a new here, just starting my first guitar build. I played guitar in my youth, but never had any previous intentions of building a guitar. I am professional woodworker. A few colleagues of mine are hobby luthiers and I was eventually convinced to design a guitar.
The design started with a telecaster template. However leaving my mind to its own devices the design very quickly deviated from a tele. Heavily inspired by the fender custom shop "violinmaster" relic build, but with some obvious modifications. Think thinline telecaster but it's a violin.
I mirrored the two left bouts of the telecaster template across the centerline to achieve the viola outline. Then hand carved the "points" onto a new template that was then replicated to make my final template. The neck template was also slightly modified to accommodate an exaggerated scroll headstock. A custom template was also created for the internal clambering.
In telecaster fashion white American Ash was chosen as principle material for the core. Thats about as far as the telecaster goes in this build. Thin laminations of Nogal and Padauk are sandwiched between the bookmatched flame maple top and back. The top and back will eventually be carved once the neck pocket and pickup cavity are cut and internal work has been completed. The body is obnoxiously thick. Just shy of 2 1/2" uncarved. The body was chambered to an exterior wall thickness of 1/2". I always enjoyed playing thick heavy guitars. That's the only reason I chose to leave some thickness in the body.
I'm thinking of angling the neckpocket a degree or so to compensate for some of the thickness. Any thoughts, suggestions or advice about neck pocket angles would be appreciated. This is where my technical guitar knowledge drops off. There will be a floating bridge that should give me some play in regards to string height and geometry.
The neck is laminated with bookmarked curly maple with thin nogal and padauk detail down the centerline. A scroll was handcrarved into the headstock.
I will begin preparing a Gabon Ebony fingerboard blank for fretwork in the coming days. A block of African blackwood will be shaped into an acoustic style bridge plate, mounted with a floating tuneomatic bridge. As well as a carved blackwood tailpiece. I am also toying with the idea of making my own laminated purfling binding, probably with nogal and paduak in keeping with the same detail asthetique elsewhere on the build.
The guitar will be finished with a french polish shellac to complete the traditional violin look with all gold hardware; frets, tuners, strap buttons, etc for a traditional look.
I think in going to go with simple electronics. A single TV jones Supertron in the neck position. Simple wiring 500k volume and a 500k tone pot with a .022uF cap. Simple.
That's where I am now in the build process, and where I'm going in concept. Just wanted to share. Let me know your thoughts. Hope you enjoyed reading. I will keep you posted.