Geo

Put masking tape on one side. That should hold it in place.

Don't diss that top! I like the way the flame only pops up in some places.

Good work. You've learned one thing for sure... don't fret until the fingerboard surface is exactly as you want it on the finished guitar! Don't worry about the replies. Just look at the number of views you're getting. I probably only reply to 1/10 of the threads I look at. Aesthetic advice... I would lengthen the headstock a little. Just take the shape you drew at the end and move it two or three inches away from the nut. I think that would look better, but if you like it, just keep it. edit: nevermind, I see by the holes that the headstock is pretty big already. Not to nitpick... but I would move all the tuner holes closer to the nut and make the headstock not so wide.

Get your son a good guitar that won't hold him down. A good instrument makes a better player, I think, after you've passed a certain point in your ability. I wouldn't worry about whether you're "spending enough", but rather, make sure your son has a guitar that will inspire him. If he's "a pretty good guitar player" at 14, he'll only get better with a good instrument. Whether that means you build it, or you buy it, I don't know. Of course, if you build it for him, think how he'll treasure that guitar the rest of his life! That's something really special.

Another thought... if you actually make an archtop, it might be good to have the thickness of the body taper along with the bass side lower bout. Otherwise it might look pretty wonky down there. Also, aesthetically, where would you put the F-hole(s)? Maybe just one, in place of the pickguard. Any F-holes should probably reflect the body shape (i.e., they shouldn't be violin- or 335-style, but more cutting and angular).

I don't know why it wouldn't work. A good design might scale down the size of the body a little, since the body will be thicker. A top arched to fit the shape of that body would look pretty cool. Take your time designing it, and it should work fine.

That looks like a good idea.

Looks good! What shape is that neck carve? It almost looks flat, but maybe that's an illusion.

I bought this for bass but guess what, it isn't loud enough... for guitar, however, it's deafening, with a really beautiful overdrive. Bass channel has been slightly modded for better bass sound, but this also made the channel more "Marshall-esque" for guitar. Can provide pictures and more info to anyone interested. This is a solid amp in great working condition. $400 before shipping. Send me a PM.

Do you mean the scratch? The ash wasn't grainfilled. Perhaps that's what you're looking at?

I vote for a large, 60" scale V-bass tuned down an octave. Lovely wood!

I never thought I would say this... but... "that poplar is beautiful!" As is the rest of the guitar. The carving is downright sexy. Keep up the good work.

I'm a pianist, and I'm suddenly lusting to play your bass. Both guitars look beautiful. I know walnut is beautiful, but I think the white SG looks fabulous. I assume you're putting a P-90 in it.

Just take a diagram with tone control and elminate the lead running to the tone control and the tone control.

Cool, always good to find another Ohioan! I'm in Stow/Kent, depending on whether school is in session. I think maple will be an important choice in brightening the guitar, but pickups may be even more important.

Aha, that's what I thought but I wasn't sure. So it's a cosmetic, not a structural issue. I would just put a new veneer on it. Not fun, but it seems like the easiest way to salvage the neck. IMO, you're just setting up a big headache if you start moving the nut and bridge around. The time for that is when you're drawing the plan.

I don't see how this... ...follows from the diagram you posted. How did this affect the neck taper? It sounds like the only surface you modified is the plane of the headstock veneer, which is (sort of) at a right angle to the neck taper. To my mind, this does not change the nut position, because the nut position is based on the end of the fingerboard, which is based on the point at which the scale length joins the body, etc.--not based on the headstock veneer. Based on the diagram, I don't see why you can't just put the nut in the original position. Perhaps a photograph would be helpful.

Agreed. To preserve the "bite" you want for your style of music, I would use as much maple as possible on the guitar, as well as heavier strings. I really think that a super-short scale will make a very dark guitar, which sounds like it's the opposite of what you want. BTW thanks for sharing the location of that lumber place, that's only an hour or so away from me!

I thought they were thick because it's a 12-string. Looks good by the way. It's always good to see an acoustic project on here.

I second that. Paralleling multiple coils does NOT sound like a Strat pickup. Personally, if I wanted Strat sounds, I would use 3 Strat pickups, no humbucker. The bridge pickup is just as important as the others--but that's just me. Perhaps this isn't an option if you need the high output to drive your pedal/amp/whatever... but you could just lower the bridge humbucker away from the strings until the output is balanced with the other pickups.

Theoretically, the pole spacing should be the only consideration. So for expirementation, it shouldn't matter. I don't see any reason why a typical guitar pickup shouldn't have plenty of bass response. Try tuning your low E a few octaves down and you'll see what I mean.

All right, never mind... I was making plans for it.

Very classy design! I like the little point at the bottom. I'd be concerned about the horns breaking off, but since you're putting a cap on it, maybe you could inlay some cross-grain splints under the top, if you see what I mean, since there will be short grain there.

If you don't play guitar, what are you going to do with that? Great job! That's a stunning guitar, classy without being over the top.

Thanks guys... unfortunately, that scratch was very deep. Sanding it out would have meant adding a little dip to the otherwise level surface... so, I let it go. But I'm okay with a few flaws. This guitar is finally finished. http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Ge...ct/IMG_2043.jpg http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Ge...ct/IMG_2041.jpg http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Ge...ct/IMG_2044.jpg http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Ge...ct/IMG_2045.jpg http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Ge...ct/IMG_2046.jpg http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Ge...ct/IMG_2050.jpg Headstock and neck: http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Ge...ct/IMG_2051.jpg http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Ge...ct/IMG_2049.jpg Here's the pickguard wired up. I tried something new for me, using thick stranded wire as a ground buss/shield wrapped around the hot wires. I have no hum with both pickups on, so I guess it works all right. http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/Ge...ct/IMG_2036.jpg There are some problems though... first off, the no-name pickups are awful. I paid $20 for the set, so I didn't expect much. Some day I may upgrade them or make some P-90's. But at this point it's not worth upgrading the pickups on this guitar because... The neck is slightly backbowed. The neck is a 3-piece poplar laminate. I reclaimed the stuff from a dorm that's being demolished. (I got a lot of other stuff too... I love my job. ) I figured, the dorm was empty for a year before I got the wood, and the wood had probably been in there longer than that (it was built into a large shelving unit). But there is now a slight backbow around the 6th-8th frets. The backbow appeared some time after the fingerboard was already prepared and attached. I put 11's on it, hoping the higher tension might correct it. It did a little bit, but I had to do some heavy fret leveling (a poor way of fixing a bowed neck, I know). I used a cheap 1-way truss rod, so I have no recourse there. There's still some slight rattle on the lower strings lower frets, but I'm waiting to see if the neck will break in under tension. All in all I'm pretty happy with it. It was my first real dye job and my 2nd tru-oil finish. The tru-oil came out really well, and the grain of the ash is still visible, which is what I wanted. I didn't spend much on this either (~$150).