HR Members guitar design and build thread

muttley600

Banned
20/09/2011 1pm GMT.

I'm going to edit the first post of this thread each time a decision is made so that new comers to the project can get upto speed fairly quickly.

OK seeing as how I'm out of the workshop for a few weeks due to a recent knee op, I thought I'd get you lot to design a guitar. Should be interesting... Here's how it works. We all get our ideas together and see what we come up with simple as that. I shall ask the questions so it all gets done in the right order. Hell if it turns out good I may even build it when I'm back on my feet.

Rules are, every aspect must be by majority consensus, I have casting vote. For vote to count a brief "why" should be posted. Once a selection has been decided upon it cannot be reversed. Suggestions for selections as we go along are welcome.

First selection.

Acoustic or Electric?

Electric 7 votes Acoustic 4
21/09/2011 10am . 4 hours to go

21/09/2011 1.22pm

Outcome - We are designing and building an electric guitar. Solid body or chambred to be confirmed..

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21/09/2011 10am GMT Jump to post #22

OK guy's currently electric has it 6-4. I shall let it run for a few more hours to give it a full 24 and then we decide.

Moving forwards I shall maybe place a few options concurrently to speed things up. The next question in building any instrument is scale length so get your reasons ready for that one. Following that the most obvious options will be set neck, bolt on or straight through.

Second selections. Scale length and Neck set.

Lets go with the standard choices and "other" please specify reasons for your choice for the benefit of others.

Count at the close of vote

Scale length

24.75" - 3 votes
25.00" - 2 votes
25.50" - 3 votes

Neck set ( giving half point for split preference)

Set neck - 3 1/2 votes
Bolt on - 1 1/2 votes
Thru neck - 4 votes

Updated 22/09/2011 11.24am GMT i 1/2 hours to close of vote..

Voting now open.
21/09/2011.26pm GMT

Will run until 1pm GMT tomorrow. Then move on to next decisions..

Jump to current thread position post #66

22/09/2011 - 1.15pm GMT

Voting held open for three hours because of tied result. casting vote taken by me if no result by 4pm GMT

Jump to current thread position post #95

23/09/2011 12.54pm GMT

No further votes cast on scale length so I'm taking the casting vote and going with 25.5" simply because I think those that gave reasons expressed them better.

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23/09/2011 12.54pm GMT

Stage Two. Style and type.


The next stage requires that we make some general decisions about style and type and toss around some ideas about where we see this going. So far we are leaning heavily towards a "surf" style guitar. That can change.

Once we some basic ideas together we can move forward to making some specific selections on wood and then the detail of the design. At that point we will get back to voting on choices. Most of the discussion so far on style and type starts around post #101.

If we have mor than one decent suggestion for style and type we shall take it to a vote. Onc that is done I shall start to put some ideas down on paper and let those taking part comment and suggest.

All ideas still welcome

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26/09/2011 1pm

A bit of progress over the weekend so now we vote on a body style.

So far we have three possible directions in which to go.

1 - Surf style possibly chambered or hollowbody
2 - Les Paul special style possibly chambered or hollowbody
3 - Strat clone style.

We'll take votes on each. If anyone wants some info on where we might take each design I'll point them to the relevant post. There's been far too much chat to wade back now and link to them specifically.

Once we have come down on a body outline style we'll start taking a look at how to tinker with it and also move on to timbers..

Current thread position post #257
 
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Cool idea Muttley!
This'll be an interesting one.

I'll vote electric. There is such an huge range of body shapes and styles. I think it'll be interesting to see where we end up.
 
I believe there are far more folks on this board with strong opinions about electrics. There are more easy to understand choices on electrics as well. For those reasons I thing an electric designed by committee would be more entertaining.

I vote electric
 
Really? There's Just as much planning in an acoustic build just different approach.

I was thinking things like PUP's (piezo, synth, mag), you've got more bridge option (i think), electronics.

Of course I've never built a guitar so I'm totally talking out of my ass.
 
I was thinking things like PUP's (piezo, synth, mag), you've got more bridge option (i think), electronics.

Of course I've never built a guitar so I'm totally talking out of my ass.

an acoustic has options such as bracing location and type. Bridge plate size and location, bridge type - pin or pinless, soundhole location and size, the size and type of enclosure make a huge difference more so than electric. the list goes on.
 
Cool idea.

Electric.

Why:
1. All the variables (Mutt probably got most of them) make designing an acoustic a pretty daunting task- how would you know what design feature did what? Electrics have fewer variables, or at least easier to change variables- you can swap out pups in an hour, whereas changing the top's bracing pattern requires rebuilding the entire guitar.
2. Results should be more interesting, at least visually.
3. If we are lucky enough to avoid a monstrosity (see "Ugly guitars" posts,) we might have a decent guitar. But as it will be done by committee, the smart money says "Ugly!"
 
Acoustic, but something out of the ordinary. A hybrid, like a solid body electric for the top. Resonant ports along the sides. Some weird monstrosity.

Reasoning: to do somethign out of the ordinary.
 
Acoustic, cos any fool with a hammer and chainsaw can build an electric. :)

Yea...a shitty one:D

But seriously, it would be way easier to build an amazing electric than it would to build a mediocre acoustic...I would imagine, anyway
 
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