mattharris75

Yeah, that Jackson looks nice. It's probably the most similar thing i've seen to what i've drawn up. Although the body isn't quite as voluptuous, it has a lot of very similar design elements. With this whole neck discussion I think we're getting into the fundamental differences in how people think and learn. But I think the bottom line is this, people have started their projects with very different intentions, and no particular way is necessarily right or wrong. I like the approach mentioned that with each time out the person builds a little more, or maybe replaces components they have purchased until they've built the entire guitar. But to each their own, ehh?

buy a preslotted and radiused fretboard...and build the neck before the body.it's a piece of cake,really.i love building necks...bodies are much tougher Yeah, that's not a bad idea. That would certainly save some time as well as the need to invest in more tools. (at least for the time being) And i'd have more freedom with my headstock design.

Cool, I think it's definitely got a Rickenbacker vibe to it, particularly the version with the cutouts. Also, as far as the headstock goes, I just picked the Warmoth headstock design that I liked the best and put it on there. I actually have another rendering with a slightly modified version of that headstock that flows more with the curve of the horns. I guess just leaving my options open with the neck is going to be the best way to go at this point. I really like the idea of building a mock-up of the guitar before construction. If it works out I could use it as a template, if not then I will have a better idea of what I need to change.

I guess I haven't ruled out building the neck. I just don't want to get in over my head the first time out and end up discouraged and not finishing the project. I suppose a safe course of action would be to build the body to certain standards, like strat scale length and neck pocket etc, so that I can leave myself with the option of either building or buying a neck.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to come across as if I was planning on doing something incredibly unique with my build. But I do see what you're saying in terms of similarities. I mean really, most guitars have a great deal of similarity amongst their designs, at least to one degree or another. Most of the great designs are very iconic. If we don't draw from those things then people have no context to understand the work. Some people like outrageous I suppose, but all i'm going for is something a hair different than what's been done before and that suits my tastes. You know, just to be able to look at something you built and say, "That's really cool and nobody else has anything else quite like it."

Also, to further differentiate from the 'tele' look, here is a version with the addition of a couple of cutouts if I were to go the semi-hollowbody route: My Design 1B

Westhemann, I believe this is the model you are referring to: Spalt Tele versus mine by comparison...Obviously with a carved top this moves further away from the Spalt design. However, even based simply on profile I feel mine is significantly different. The slant in the rear body gives a sense of motion, and the horns are simplified, even compared to the Spalt 'tele' style. Personally, I think the top and bottom horns on the Spalt just don't match one another that well especially in comparison to an original style tele. Regardless, just for a reminder here is my design for comparison: My Design 1

Hmm....I've spent a fair amount of time looking around the net and seeing what is available, and honestly I had not thought of this guitar being particularly 'tele-like'. If anything I was going for a 'Wolfgang' style look with fairly simplified and geometric horns and a little bit of forward motion in the tail end. I initially duplicated a wolfgang shape and then shifted everything slightly in illustrator and removed as many 'anchor points' as possible in the horns to see what would happen. Eventually I achieved a constant radius through the middle of the two horns that gave a simplified and I thought rather pleasing design. Certainly a tele wasn't my goal in this particular design, as I already have one of those and don't need another. But I do appreciate the feedback, apparently you've hit on something that I didn't see in the design visually. Maybe i've been staring at my tele for too long. Another thing that the rendering likely did not convey is that, if I think it is reasonable to try given my relative lack of skill, I may go with a carved top look, more like a PRS.

Sorry, apparently since I converted my original file from an illustrator file it was saved in CMYK format rather than RGB and photobucket really really did not like that!!! Fixed now.

Hello All, I've been lurking here for a few weeks. I am really quite the newbie when it comes to woodworking and luthiery in general. I am currently working on taking an old mexican fender telecaster and stripping it down and adding a flamed maple veneer and re-finishing it. I thought that this might be a good introduction to this particular genre. A little background on myself. I have a degree in Industrial Design, so i've made a number of models and worked with my hands a fair amount. However, in spite of my desire to do so for a number of years, I have never really found the time to actually focus on building my own guitar. In school I was more focused on completing projects rapidly rather than in learning craftsmanship or doing a particular technique in the 'proper' way. So, working with wood and all the necessary techniques to excel at building guitars are slightly beyond my previous experience. I thought this project of veneering and refinishing my old telecaster would be a good introduction into guitar building. I'm finding that it is far more involved than I ever imagined!!! Anyway, here is a mock-up that I did using Illustrator and Photoshop of a body design that I was thinking of doing for my first 'real' project. I'd love to get some feedback on it from some of the old pro's. I'm thinking a Koa over Mahogany body, perhaps using a Warmoth neck. (At least for my first time out of the box) All the hardware would be black or black chrome, if I can find it. This is where i'm at right now, but a semi-hollow body with some interesting or striking sort of f-hole in the body is not out of the realm of possibility. Again, I am a total newbie to this world and any feedback anyone might have to this design would be much appreciated. Thanks!!! Guitar Design 1