Darkrose

I don't do eBay... Also, what do I do about a nut? Do I buy or make one?

Hey, I need your help again At the moment I'm up to the point where I finally have the free time to design my guitar, yay! However, I've hit a problem. I can't find anywhere that sells bridges and gives me all the details I need. Can someone help me find a bridge which is for a 7 string, is a tune-o-matic bridge, and tells me the details of spacing between the strings and bridge height? Or give me some help to doing this? Also, any recommendations for which bridge to get are welcome! I would preferably not have a string thru (hence tune-o-matic) for ease of construction, but I'm happy to go along with whatever you recommend (so long as it doesn't have a vibrato arm). Thanks in advance. Edit : I've found a tune-o-matic bridge which tells me the string positions. Is working in the assumption it will be about 19mm high (like a Gibson tune-o-matic bridge) a bad idea?

So you think 27" would be pretty much optimal? (if so, once the guitar is made, it is time to Nile it a bit... *excited*)

That'll even be good considering the tension of the high D string? It won't be too tight, will it? Assuming that the high D is an 8 guage string (usually the guage of my highest)

Alright, I'm starting to design my guitar now, and I need to get this scale length sorted as soon as possible! I have reasonably sized hands, so a big scale length is not going to be problematic for me playing the guitar. The guitar I am designing is a 7 string, and will be tuned to standard starting off with a low A tuning (so I can play songs by Nile) I am going to "shred it up" on the guitar I'm making... What scale length would you guys recommend? And what string gauges would fit the guitar? I am currently thinking of 27" scale length, but don't know if that will do. Please give me your opinion, it's my first guitar, and I don't want to mess up!

BURN HIM HE'S A WITCH haha I just like the looks of a simple shredder Haha, I'm only saying that in playing it took me a while to learn effectively switching from rhythm to lead play in a song (switching from bridge to neck pickup and changing style)... And for my rhythm playing I use the heavier sound of the bridge pickup... But if I play lead on the bridge pickup, it sounds like a duck

Just a thought, but isn't only one pickup at the back going to make this guitar only really suited to lower, more rhythmy pieces? Making the 8 strings somewhat redundant? I just find that lead sounds good on the neck pickup and rhythm sounds good on the bridge pickup, which is the case with all guitars I've played

Rusty's 8-string has shorter string lengths for higher pitched strings, you should probably consider that. It'll make playing much easier, I think, as you won't have painfully difficult bends on the higher string. Getting used to the sloped frets wouldn't be too hard for an experienced guitarist, I think: I doubt Rusty learnt to play with his 8 string

I think it'd look better if the curve for the horns would meet where you have the neck... At the moment it's like this: _|| --|_ And it should be like this _||_ (I hope you get what I mean ) Just my opinion

Whoever said strum when talking about sweep picking... ARGH! Sweep picking needs to be thought of as a motion carried out by your entire hand. Try not to do it so much as a wrist motion. The idea of the wrist motions is to avoid hitting undesired strings. Practice three string swept arpeggios on basic triads in order to work on your technique. Start very slowly and with a metronome. Let your right hand move up or down the bridge in order to let the pick sweep on the strings. The tricky part of sweep picking is the coordination of the left hand. Here are the most basic shapes to practice: e|-15-12---- B|-------13--- G|----------12- D|-------------- A|--------------- E|--------------- And you also practice the same as a downward sweep. Very gradually working towards bigger sweeps or different shapes. If you use a strumming motion, your sweeps will be limited and sloppy.

Okay, after looking around a bit, I have decided that hard-maple looks to be the best wood for me to make the body out of (provided I can afford it). Does this sound like a good choice to other people here? Has anyone else worked with hard-maple and has anything useful to say about it?

From that I take it I don't have to worry too much about the tone the wood will give? I have heard people talking about that, but I ask about woods here and no one has mentioned tone very much, and suggest that the aesthetics are more important. If this is the case, I would just like a reasonably priced wood which has a very visible grain. Consider it done. It seems I must get this book ASAP! Does Hiscocks have anything to do with the management of this site ? Although that's a good idea, I think it'll take up too much time and money for me to consider it. I am currently having a busy two year period with studies. I will, however, use scraps of wood to practice skills on. As soon as I start, I'll probably "blog" it on this site. Edit: (3 part laminate neck thru strings thru compund radius 27" shread machine is the technical way to say "nice guitar!") Hmmm, I think I know what a three part laminate neck would be... I know what a string thru bridge is... I assume compound radius means a thin neck... 27" must be to do with the neck or string length, right? I know I will have gotten that completely wrong

I have a maximum budget of about £500, and I know people at my school often do this for their A2 projects on a budget of less than £300. If the tools for making a fretboard cost more than buying a premade fretboard will, I'll get a premade fretboard I'll try and get a hold of this book the next time I go out, then. Thanks for all the advice so far

I'll take a look at that link in a second. The finish I would like will preferrably show off the grain of the wood. I would like to use a black stain on the wood in order to get a nice black colour, but this is not essential. Also, the finished body preferrably feel like a smooth laminate veneer to the touch (I've never actually achieved such a finish on a natural wood before). However, I am flexible with this as long as the guitar ends out as good quality! Quality of the guitar is paramount. Some bands I listen to are: Necrophagist Arsis Nile Yyrkoon Arch Enemy And a lot of others (don't worry, I listen to plenty more... But those are the guys I probably sound most like when I play my own stuff). If it makes any difference, here's a quick sketch I did to show my idea for a shape. It's not really an accurate image of my thoughts, because I can't draw very well. Edit: I just saw your post, Rich. Fortunately, I am lucky enough to be in a position where I have full access to a complete set of tools for no charge, which is what prompted me into the project. Thanks for the suggestions about full size sketches and practicing technique on inexpensive woods. I'll have to look for a book on guitar building, though. Do you recommend any in particular?

Thanks for the quick response I've heard a lot of advice for humbuckers, so I'll read up on those. To be honest, I'd be surprised if any articles on pickups will mean much to me... Though I feel I should know what I'm talking about before just plunging into it. I have a fairly decent idea for the shape of the body, but how do I know which wood will work well for my guitar? Is it a good idea to use the same wood for the neck? Is making a set neck significantly difficult? So difficult it would not be worth a beginner attempting to make a set neck? Thanks again for all help