Just wondering if anyone here has ever built a guitar or builds guitars as a hobby? Im starting my first one and know Im gonna have some questions about this or that.
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Just wondering if anyone here has ever built a guitar or builds guitars as a hobby? Im starting my first one and know Im gonna have some questions about this or that.
<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">I haven't built one, but I have considered at one time. I may be able to point you in a direction or give you some suggestions.Quote:
Originally posted by solemn13:
Just wondering if anyone here has ever built a guitar or builds guitars as a hobby? Im starting my first one and know Im gonna have some questions about this or that.
What are you trying to build? Electric or Acoustic?
Im building electric, its a mix of a mosrite telecaster and LP looks prettygood so far. I just have technical questions about nut and bridge sizes like what goes with what and head piece angles and neck radius'.
I already have the body made need to rout the holes . I'm waiting for a set of p90s to come in. its not a monstrosity I took the bridge end of a mosrite, rounded but a bit off kilter and the neck end of a tele just a few differences, and the thickness and weight of a LP. I'm setting the electronics up as a Paul but I'm going to have to use the neck style of a tele or mosrite because I don't think the body style would go with a gibson type neck. I would rather have a gibson 3x3 neck and Im gonna try it out but might have to go with the straight 6 tuners
<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">Please don't take this as a total neg, but something troubling with your design makes me think you might waste a good piece of wood (expensive???) one. The weight of the lp body goes with a gibson neck/tenon for a good reason and the tele/strat body with a bolt on neck for another good reason. Just as a neck-through works with a heavy body guitar. A heavy body needs a solid neck. imho, a bolt-on or thin neck would/ could easily separate from the body if you go axe-crazy swinging on stage or drop it. On the otherhand, another design issue Gibson faced with lp specials (and later improved on) were with route holes too close to the neck body join, i.e. early lps had a weak spot because their route holes weakened the body/neck tenon connection. I believe they dropped the route holes further down in later models. A perfect illustration of this weakness is in gibson's head & nut and why you see a lot of headstock repairs with used guitars, because you've got an angled head plus you've got a routed area for the truss rod, combined with the tug of war tension between the strings and the tr, which makes for a very weak spot when you accidentally drop it.Quote:
Originally posted by solemn13:
I already have the body made need to rout the holes . I'm waiting for a set of p90s to come in. its not a monstrosity I took the bridge end of a mosrite, rounded but a bit off kilter and the neck end of a tele just a few differences, and the thickness and weight of a LP. I'm setting the electronics up as a Paul but I'm going to have to use the neck style of a tele or mosrite because I don't think the body style would go with a gibson type neck. I would rather have a gibson 3x3 neck and Im gonna try it out but might have to go with the straight 6 tuners
I've made a couple of electric guitars so far, but only Telecaster-type designs (which are my favorite) which were planned out thoroughly before the first cut and rout was made.
The only suggestion I can give you at this point in time is to get a book called "Make your own electric guitar" by Melvyn Hiscock which covers every aspect of the guitar making process and can guide you along questions such as scale length etc.
Here's the latest one I have been working on:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/Lostheart/Wood.png
It's a solidbody but the control layout was inspired by a Thinline Telecaster and it's getting a Thinline-type Pickguard when it's finished...
The body wood is Pine sealed with Shellac and sprayed several coats of black nitro lacquer which is curing at the moment and awaiting wet sanding and polishing...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58...Blackie_01.jpg
Cheers,
Sascha
I'm using ash for my body. and maybe neck also. it wasn't that bad only about $45 for enough to make 3 bodies and 1 neck from the leftover. I don't take suggestions as negative Thats what I'm asking questions for. Thanks for the advice.
Sascha thats a good looking guitar youre making there. with grain like that I think I might have stained that and left it alone.
<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">That would be one interesting beast you'd be making if I'm picturing what you're making/designing, because the telecaster and the lp are totally different animals. The telecaster has a low bridge/no-slight neck angle while the lp has a high bridge and angled neck, about 2 degrees if I'm correct. I have an old copy of Melvyn Hiscock's book, Make Your Own Electric Guitar, which could better explain the theory and details beyond what I wrote and probably answer more of your questions. Again, please post pics if you go through with your build. I for one would be interested in checking her out.Quote:
Originally posted by solemn13:
Im building electric, its a mix of a mosrite telecaster and LP looks prettygood so far. I just have technical questions about nut and bridge sizes like what goes with what and head piece angles and neck radius'.
<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">Yeah, but this one is a commission and he wanted it black...there was nothing I could do about it. But I got enough wood for maybe 10 bodies all of its grain is as nice as on the two pictured...Quote:
Originally posted by solemn13:
Sascha thats a good looking guitar youre making there. with grain like that I think I might have stained that and left it alone.
Got any pics of your project....I'd like to see it!
No pics yet I took my camera into the tunnel I used to work in and it got damp even though I kept it ziplocked. I need to buy one but I may be able to get some real quick with my daughters camera. I wondered about a pine body how is that working out?
<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">The very first Telecaster Prototypes from 1950 prior to the birth of the Broadcaster (which was later renamed into Telecaster) were black multi-piece Pine bodies and Fender has reissued those in very limited quantities in the last few years.Quote:
Originally posted by solemn13:
I wondered about a pine body how is that working out?
Pine is a very soft wood and it's less bright and twangy as ash...
<font color="#FFFF00"><font size="1">[ April 13, 2008 03:41 PM: Message edited by: lostheart ]</font></font>
<font color="#FFFF00" size="1">[ April 13, 2008 03:41 PM: Message edited by: lostheart ]</font>
hey I just got that book in and it answered all of my questions. I changed my design since I got it and I'm rethinking the whole thing. I would love to make a curly maple carved top but I would hate to ruin a nice piece of wood for my first try. . I dont know if you look at any custom builders online but these guys are sick
http://www.guitaristjeffmiller.com/guitars.htm
http://www.schroederguitars.com/gallery.php
Maybe in a few years.