Home built guitar number 2, a bit of progress

[STINNETT]

I discussed this new guitar a bit in my last thread, and here are a few pics showing my progress on this thing so far.

The neck is walnut / flamed maple, and the body wings are zebrawood.

I'm going with a Hipshot Hardtail bridge and a pair of Seymour Duncans, ebony fretboard with stainless steel frets.

I'm still trying to decide between a blank board or small dots along the top edge. Any opinions?

The design stage:

Sawing out the neck laminates

All three neck laminates squared up and ready to glue:

Neck glued up:

The next day, after squaring up the neck blank:

Trying the pick out the best grain for the body wings:

Here's what I came up with, and after a bit of milling on these boards:

Body wings sawed out:

Shaping up on the spindle sander:

Set in position with the neck blank....starting to look like a guitar already!

A little closer up.

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[Metaltastic]

Wow, looks fantastic so far man! And this step-by-step picstory fucking rules, keep it up!

EDIT: How are you gonna get the truss rod in the neck, by the way?

 

[RemoWilliams]

I definitely need to get a job ASAP so I can get on the waiting list for one of these beasts.

 

[KeithTidd]

i like the design alot.

 

[LydonB]

I really like seeing the building process. Cool looking guitar.

 

[kev]

Looks brilliant! Please keep more pics coming following the design process dude

 

[-J-]

I would think you'd need dots at least on the edge. I always look at the fret markers, not really conciously, but to find my way around.

Good call on the hipshot. I use a hipshot trem on my #1, and it's a well built piece of metal, very solid.

guitar looks great already, and it's only just begun!

 

[Metaltastic]

Yeah, I can't live without inlays, they're my crutch, especially for the high frets

 

[Chryst Krispies]

I'm seriously anti inlay. I think nothing is cooler than a blank board.

 

[Metaltastic]

I agree on aesthetics, but it's a function over form thing for me, and I still really like the mother-of-pearl flags on my EC-400, for example

 

[iekobrid]

I want your spindle. And not in a gay way.

 

[STINNETT]

Thanks everybody.

To answer your question, I'm using a double acting truss rod which simply sits in a flat bottom channel which will be routed in the neck before I glue on the fingerboard.

I think I'm going to go with small dots on the face of the board, but along the top edge, not in the center. I'm also thinking about scalloping the upper frets, just to try it out.

I'll keep up with the pictures as I go.

 

[Zack Uidl]

Looks like it is going to be killer

I also do not like inlay.

 

[RyanUsesThis]

We have the same table saw...

 

[STINNETT]

Thanks Zack.

I'm held up right now waiting for my truss rod to get here and a new fret pressing caul. (I'm switching to pressing in the frets rather than hammering). Hopefully I'll be able to post about some more progress after the weekend.

 

[Chryst Krispies]

Half scallop is really cool. My brother had a guitar with a half scallop and it was schweeeeeeet.

 

[STINNETT]

Got in my parts and hit the shop again this weekend.

Drawing out some templates on a sheet of MDF. I use templates and a flush cutting bit to do most of the finish machining on all the parts.

After bandsawing the template, truing it up with some straight edges on the router table:

Here is the finished template for the neck profile:

Traced onto the neck so I can layout my truss rod channel:

Routing the truss rod channel using an edge guide and some simple end stops:

I take several shallow passes, constantly checking the fit so I get the depth perfect....just about right here:

Next I bandsaw the profile of the neck, pretty rough at this point:

I clean it up by running it across the router table using the template I made to give me perfect faces all around. Here it is after routing:

And again, set in place with the body. Getting closer.

Next I'll be cutting the taper on the neck and the fretboard, gluing the board on and fretting!

 

[Radd]

Awesome thread watching you build this thing.

 

[Metaltastic]

Seriously, you are a master of your craft dude! Why not cut the heel down more, though, since it's neck-thru?

 

[STINNETT]

Seriously, you are a master of your craft dude! Why not cut the heel down more, though, since it's neck-thru?

Thanks dude.
I have to cut the neck profile straight across initially, so for now it lines up with the upper cut away. When I start carving the neck it will have absolutely no heel. Trust me, I hate heels!