AprilEthereal777

WezV has my vote for this month. I love metal shapes and this one is a ripper! I particularly like the transparent black finish and the recessed tuners. My only criticism is a personal preference issue and that would be to ditch the beaten up pups . Nice build!

Hi there fellow melbournite

I am doing a Les Paul type guitar at the moment and am about to work out a wiring scheme where I use two "special tone" controls I pinched from this amazing site...DGB Studio...hundreds of wiring schemes.

The idea of the "special tone" is that with a humbucker, instead of splitting it, you get a similar effect with no noise or hum if you effectively put a tone control on one of the coils. What is left is the bass of one coil and the full treble effect of the other like a split...so a single coil with a bit more bass and body in it. I am hoping if I split the outer coils out (the two inner coils of each pickup like singles) to get a bit of the strat like hollowed out tone with both pickups in combination. They have a scheme in which at 5 is the full HB, turning down is like a normal tone control, turning up creates the split like effect. I am not sure yet how to do it with two special tone controls, but I am running the pickups directly to these controls before the selector then from there back to the volume and out. I have even planned (though I don't know if it will work) to add a piezo in the body of the guitar (you could mount it under the bridge pickup for instance) and having a push pull knob and preamp to add this to the electric sound for a percussive acoustic like edge to the sound. I am using the old buzzer piezo idea, not sure how effective it will be so I am not pushing that element.

A lot depends on the type of sound you are after. I always wanted a 9 string with the top three doubled and would be seeking a jangly sound I guess, perhaps even lipstick tube pickups or something without so much power might be the go...or that filtertron or ricky type of sound. Some may depend on the looks too I guess. Maybe mini Humbuckers, there is so much choice these days of very reasonably priced and quality pickups of these types for custom builders.

Hope that helps, drop me a line if you are interested in how my wiring turns out...I am just approaching the wiring phase as the guitar is just about to be "strung up"...

good luck, sounds like a nice project... pete

Hey Pete,

Thanks for your post. This is exactly what I was hoping for with some creative wiring suggestions. I had a look at your website also and I am intrigued! I will now have a read through sme of your threads and see what else I can learn. I also have a custom double cut twin humbucker electric ready to fit out and also looking for some cool wiring tricks for that one......long live experimentation

Thanks again for your post.

Jon

Thanks everyone for the replies and helpful suggestions. I will still give this some more consideration however at this stage I am leaning towards a bridge and neck humbucker with a PRS style 5 way rotary switch for split coil options, and perhaps volume and tone controls for each pickup. This combination would give a high range of options and I am sure at least one of them would sound great.......

Any other thoughts on wiring tricks, switches or the like that may authenticate that acoustic type sound? I am also now considering a chambered body for this build to help in that department.

Thanks once again

Hi Folks,

I am currently drawing up plans for a 12 string solid body electric guitar I am going to build. My specs so far will be 20 frets, 25.5" scale, double cutaway solid body style, set neck, Gotoh hardtail 12 string bridge. I am going to be using a Queensland Maple top and Blackwood body with the same species in a 3 piece neck laminate......and a Gidgee fret board. These timbers balance the tone very well and to me are neither overly warm or overly bright.

I need help in considering different pickup options? I was thinking perhaps just one humbucker, say a Seymour Duncan SH2 Jazz positioned evenly between the end of the FB and the bridge....then split coil the wiring for 2 options. But then again, I know NOTHING about single coil pups....every build I have done has been with twin humbuckers and every manufactured guitar I own has the same! I guess I am looking for maximum versatility between a warm sound and a bright sound.

Any thoughts on pickups or anything else regarding a 12 string solid body would be greatly appreciated!

Nice design Wez and good job on the build thus far. I always thought Gretsch's were hollow body's?? Not a fan of hollow bodies myself and I reckon your design is the way to go, nice big body for a full sound. Have you considered the angle grinder/flap disc method for the carve?

ACDC are so popular because they are so simple....no gimmicks, no bulls......just great 4/4 rock n roll.....they stick to a formula and the results speak for themselves. Not unlike KISS in my opinion although Kiss vary things up a bit more acoustically, but same theory. I love the fact the rythm dudes just stand and deliver....again no gimmicks just doin their thang. In fact, that is why I enjoyed Slayer in Melbourne/Aust. so much last year, no carry on or posing just brute metal

Thanks for the comments Germanfafian, much appreciated. I really like the timber combination also, both visually and tonally.

Hi Guys,

Finished this one recently and I am really pleased with the result. The tone is rich, balanced and warm. I love the Seymour Duncan Active Blackout's. Here are the specs for this build:

Body: QLD Maple 2 Piece

Body Size: 31mm Thick

Top: Figured Flat Top Jarrah

Top Size: 16mm Thick

Neck: Black Spot Jarrah with QLD Maple Centre

Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Neck Joint: Set Neck

Headstock: Angled 10 Degrees

Scale: 25" 635mm

Nut Width: 43mm

Radius: 12 Degrees

Fretboard: Figured Oz Desert Gidgee

Binding: Figured Blackwood Binding

Inlays: Paua Shell Dot Inlays

Frets: 22 Jumbo Frets 18% Nickel/Silver

Bridge: Standard Black "TOM"

Tuners: Gotoh 510's 18:1 Gear Ratio

Pickups: Dual ACTIVE Humbuckers

Pickup Model: Seymour Duncan Blackouts w/Handmade Jarrah Pickup Rings

Electronics: 3 Way Toggle Switch Volume and Tone Controls

Congratulations to all entrants on some fantastic builds.

Maikman: Great job. I'm not a fan of strats at all so this one couldn't get my vote but good effort 1st time around.

Strandberg: Really like the natural timber look with black hardware....I also like the plate you made for the controls. Good build.

Jammy: To me, a very unique shape and full marks for trying something different. I would love to hear this build given the neck only pup, scale length etc......quality looks good although cc cover perhaps a tad rough.....I am no expert on these (cc covers) myself and they are very punishing on the eye with the slightest discrepancy so not picking at all! Great natural timbers here!

Oz Tradie: To me this is the standout build by a long margin. The quality is exceptional. The attention to detail is staggering, the carve top style (3 layers), the 'barb' effects on the upper and lower horns, THE TRUSS ROD COVER, the recessed area at the bottom of the body, the mirror finish etc. Congratulations on what I consider to be a master piece....try and top this one OZ!!! To me this is a great example of taking some tried and tested design ideas and improving certain aspects and TASTEFULLY applying subtle differences to achieve a unique result.

Capu: Very nice, neat and professional looking build. I am personally not a fan of the hollow body electric though......again, not a criticism. Great build and came in second for me. Lacked a bit of originality for mine compared to OZ build.....

Black Labb: Full marks for making everything yourself and trying some unique and very different concepts to what we normally see. Well done.

Dawnofzion: Build quality looks very good so big credit for that. Again, strats are not my thing at all and this appears to be a strat hybrid. Again, great craftsmanship.

Superfly: I really like this build a lot. Nice choice of timbers and very pleasing and easy on the eye. A great prs copy, no doubt.

Hooglebug: Again great build quality from what I can see. Nice colour. Body shape and carve design not to my taste, the bottom section of the body that sticks out just looks a little out of place/proportion for me. Not a fan of the CC cover on this one either I'm afraid. Well done though on the originality stakes!

May I also say a great big WELL DONE to all entrants both this month and in the past! I hope to finish a build one day that I would be proud enough of to subject to such scrutiny....that day will come.

Thanks for this thread PG. I think Perry's point is a valid one however in normal commercial environments 'caveat emptor' prevails. It's not like PG would be responsible for a bad egg!!!! Ultimately it comes down to the character and integrity of the SELLER.....buyer not happy?......money back! Easy

www.etherealguitars.com.au

Great thread guys! Thanks to all contributors for the valuable advice this 'apprentice' is gleaning . I have carved about 10 necks now and have done all of them predominantly with a rasp....then scrapers and final sanding. I have a spokeshave gathering dust on the wall and have simply not used it. Question to Perry and Rich (and those in favour of the spokeshave).....what advantages do you find the spokeshave offers over the rasp? I imagine you would be removing stock in a smoother and perhaps more controlled fashion? Would this take considerably more time to achieve final shape than a rasp? As a ball park figure, how long does it take you to carve a neck from blank to final shape?

Again, thanks for all the great advice.

In other news, does anyone else think that the singer from Opeth sounds a bit like the guy from Stone Sour? I was just listening to "Hours of Wealth." Or maybe more like the guy from Evergrey. It's good stuff.

Mikael Akerfeldt has THE best voice in metal today without question. The clean vocals you are referring to are full of tone with awesome warmth....man that dude can sing.....his greatest talent however is to switch from the clean vocals to the best melodic growl in metal . I saw Stonesour play in Melbourne Australia earlier this year and must admit I think I have become a bit 'old school'....that JUMP METAL or STOMP METAL thing they do is just not my thing....in my day (circa 1998 - 1992) we just banged our heads and moshed!!!!....his voice is ok I suppose but when he started playing INXS covers I thought, metal?....not on your life...this dude's on his own trip, good luck to him, but it ain't mine......enjoy Opeth, get into My Arms Your Hearse when you can, that rox!!!!!

I am no expert but everything I have read would suggest that standard pots simply won't work. A friend of mine had problems with an EMG81 active pickup he had installed many years ago....was crackling and fading in and out etc. In our wisdom we thought "let's try a 250k pot and see if that fixes it!"....well we got nothing, no sound, nothing. I then read up on EMG's website and found out that they have to be 25k......also discovered a wiring mistake from the original install, rewired it and it worked like new.

Just my 2cents worth but as I say, I am no expert.

This is looking awesome......"tip the hat"!!!!! One question, how can a metal build be TOO metal??? Ain't possible!!! \m/

That inlay work is absolutely sensational, reeks of what it's all about..........METAL!!!!

Do you think it's a bad idea to do a laminated bolt-on neck? Would the screws hitting a glue joint cause an issue do you think? Thanks for the input!

Titebond glue for example claim that the glue joins become stronger than the wood itself, or words to that effect. This would also suggest there shouldn't be an issue.

First pic is after the first time I used a cove bit in a drill press......worked well and the Jarrah top held together without a hitch.

Second pic is BEFORE I used the same method on my 2nd build. This is a Sheoak top, looks awesome, but I reckon must be very weak after the tearout I got. This doesn't show the pot holes but they were done first before the 3rd one tore.

My 'new' carve shape after removing the bottom round corner of the carve.....it was either this, or throw it away. For those interested, this is a 19mm bookmatched top on a 30mm Queensland Maple one piece body.

Well, I ended up with a nice axe that plays well etc. Just not what I had intended. I have great respect for people like Drak that are ruthless enough to 'burn em' when they don't come up right......as for me, I just can't waste something that may have some use, and I am quite keen on having many guitars

Anyway, hope this helps someone understand the perils of the cove bit although I am not suggesting my experience will be everyone's.

I havent tried the cove bit but just thinking about the tearout story made me think that it would be a better idea to drill a hole first so that the cove bit has less wood to get hung up on. Just a theory.

I actually had the holes already drilled for the pots and on that build used a rotary dial, so had 3 holes all up. I'll try and post some before and after pics later to show the result. Must admit, I didn't take a photo of the butchery though......

Thanks for th extra info RG......a grinding bit for the drill press in the right shape sounds like the best method I have come across.....and after my experience with the cove bit, I have searched quite a bit!

I use a large ball shaped die grinder...no tear out.

That sounds like what we need RG. Not sure what it is though . Drill attachment?

I really like this build Blackdog. A lot of class to that shape.

I wanted to share something with you and other readers though about the cove bit method for the recessed control holes. I have used this method twice before, once with great success and once with a TRAGEDY!! I used a brand new cove bit and it caused an immense amount of 'chatter' and vibration when cutting into the wood. The first time I did it, the wood I was using was strong enough to hold together and it came out really well. The second time I did it though, the cove bit TORE A MASSIVE CHUNK OUT OF MY TOP!!! I was also only taking out 1mm or so at a time.

The build could only be saved by totally re engineering my top carve so that I carved out the whole missing section......it ended up looking ok but I am yet to try this method again after the horrible shock I got. You can only imagine how my beautifully carved top looked with a massive 2"+ chunk ripped off the top

Any way, I still like this method as far as ease and accuracy go, but perhaps test on some well secured offcuts of the body first to make sure of smooth sailing ahead.

Best of luck with the rest of the build

"Really the only thing that counts is if you like the guitar, and it sounds good and you love playing it. " Peace Rich!

As Rich says, this is the whole point. If you make a guitar that sounds awesome and you enjoy the sounds that it can produce, success!!!! For someone to get out their "magnifying ear/glass/digital whatchyamacallit" and say that one does this over the other I think is stretching the bounds/sounds of perception!!!!!!!!!!!!! Experience or not. It's a bit like people saying you need to spend $20,000 on a home hi fi set up to get a good sound??? Hello? Wanna here my cash converter DENON???? I thought though that this forum was about educating the uneducated??? Not proving a 0.00000001% factor that one has cajoled themself into believing?

If there is a difference in sound between a 1 or 2 piece body then so be it, just tweak your amp/pedal and rock on

Until that moment, enjoy the lumber you've got, make a 1 or 2 piece, and craft a killer axe, this is NOT what you need to be worried about!

I agree that this is done in the name of economics, far easier to find 2 pieces to achieve the overall width required than 1. I have built several guitars and have another 6 bodies in progress....EVERY one is a 2 piece bar one. NO difference in tone or sound quality at all, better variation and range of colours and grain.....centre line is obvious (for the non cnc/home builder this is a bonus)....very easy to make 2 pieces appear as one if the wood dictates it or work with the contrast if the wood encourages it. For me, I prefer 2 piece over one every time.

Well I guess we all search for the perfect tones and I am as guilty as any of going through many setups over the years. I am currently running a Marshall TSL100 JCM 2000 into a Marshall 1960AX 100 watt quad box (greenbacks). I like the built in distortion and clean tones however find that I prefer to use my ZOOM G7 effects through the clean channel better. The variety of tones in the MFX is incredible and certainly covers my need for tonal variety. The distortions are better, with more balls (bass/bottom end) and cutting edge and the cleans are just awesome.

So this leaves me feeling that I am WASTING the Marshall. I mean what's the point of an AUD $3,000+ amp setup when a $500 pedal sounds better?

I only use the setup for jamming with mates in my music room, (volume can be pretty much as loud as I want )recording, and rarely play a party or something like that so the volume capacity of the Marshall is not really needed. I have actually plugged the ZOOM into a basic 100 watt Ashton PA that I have and the sound reproduction is just as good tonally BUT it lacks the balls!

So I guess I'm thinking that I could sell the Marshall amp and box and buy another amp, maybe a combo or something? I would be wrapped if I could upgrade my PA into something with more balls by replacing the Ashton PA I currently have and the Marshall setup.

So does anyone have much experience with these issues? Know of a great PA that reproduces guitar sounds like I'm talking about? Or do you think a combo would be necessary? I don't want to underestimate the quality of the Marshall VALVE sound I currently enjoy, but seriously, the Ashton PA sounds every bit as warm, just lacks that real thumping bass quality (picture mega palm mute on the Em ) I get when running through the Marshall clean channel. This may have something to do with the really cool valve/tube system in the ZOOM but who knows?

I also build my own custom guitars and are very familiar with the sound impact that a different guitar can have so that is not the point in question for those wondering.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

That's a top score! Got to be in the right place at the right time....having the right conversation!! I'm sure the stockpile will inspire many projects. Good for you

Thanks Mammoth Guitars for the detailed and well explained response. Would I be correct in concluding that given a setup that includes 1 x volume pot and 1 x tone pot with a 5 way rotary dial (allowing for split coils on both buckers), that by using a 500k pot on the volume and 250k pot for the tone, that one could warm the 'tone' without affecting the output/volume?

I guess one can always try different configurations and see if they are happy with the result. Each guitar also has many other factors that will influence the sound.

You can use 250k pots with humbucker pickups as a drop in. The differences over a 500k pot in the same guitar can be reduced output and slightly darker or less bright sound.

I am keen to replace 2 x 500k pots in one of my twin humbucker builds to WARM the sound as it is too bright for me.....I believe the timbers I used created this situation (Queensland Maple body with a Sheoak top). The stew mac website advises that 250k pots will give a slightly warmer tone but doesn't refer to a loss of output. See the following link http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_p...-Pull_Pots.html

Does MG or anyone else know more about this reduced output issue?

The stew mac link also confirms that 250k pots are ok with humbuckers.

Cheers.

I really like your work, well done! How would you describe the sound/tone? Are you as happy with the sound as you are with the appearance? Also congrats on being prepared to 'undo' your work and have another go at the finishing. I'm going to do the same with my variation on a V.

Cheers.