Homebuilt guitar, almost finished

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Yes, he does.



He speaks his mind and doesn't suffer anyone who disagrees.



Yes, we are.

The reason Light can get away with his attitude is because he's way smart about all things guitar.

His input in this forum is much appreciated.

Careful now, or APL Custom guitars are going to stall on that steep learning curve, or are you being exactly what you accuse the man of?? I am reminded of a little quote about casting stones. Let he who is without....:)
 
apl, I work around a bunch of social-retard engineers, all of whom think that they are the most brilliant person on the planet and that everyone else is a dumbass.

Light is a refreshing change compared to what I have to deal with 9 hours a day! :D

Aspergers is a wonderful thing sometimes, we all have it to some degree. I wish I had a little more sometimes. Don't forget I did ask Light to be the asshole this week, my turn next week. I'm still recovering from a scrap with that guy in that temperament thread..:D
 
"Across 110th Street, Pimps trying to catch a woman that's weak"

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Sorry, just thought we could all do with a little relaxing.

Here you go...Never thought I'd have to use one of these in the Guitar and bass forum.
beer.jpg
 
Wow, thats a lot of posts about not a lot.

Metalhead well done for taking all this in the manner it was intended. The rest of you tread carefully if you need any help or advice, it may well be that Light, myself and others may just not be arsed because we never seem to get it right..

Next time your at the doctors and you can't talk, walk, see out of one eyes and your drooling from the left side of your mouth. Tell the quack he doesn't know what he's talking about because the pain was in your chest.


Some of you lot a re funny..
 
It has nothing to do with him being "brutally honest". That is a respectable trait in anyone...That has nothing to with what I said.

Go read his response to Fusion or whatever his name is. That is what I'm talking about.

Being an adult means if you're having a bad day or just hate your life, you don't snap or lash out at other people.

Muttley said:
And your a bigger one if you ever need help from someone who knows what they bare doing. Ever heard the story of the golden goose??

Honestly you guys are priceless. Well some of you..

What? If I ever need help from someone who knows what they are doing, I'll ask one of the many people I know who "know what they are doing", and don't think they are god-almighty for "knowing what they are doing". Oh, and they also have the ability to act like a respectable person and not like an immature asshole. So yeah...I'd rather take their advice. :D
 
What? If I ever need help from someone who knows what they are doing, I'll ask one of the many people I know who "know what they are doing", and don't think they are god-almighty for "knowing what they are doing". Oh, and they also have the ability to act like a respectable person and not like an immature asshole. So yeah...I'd rather take their advice. :D

So you know several luthiers with 30 years experience making, repairing and dealing with all things fretted? Thats good you can move along now because you are being an asshole too.
 
And to clarify, I am a total beginner. I have built one other guitar, and a couple of non-playable mock ups. This is my first effort that was this complex. Ironically, I did run out to Home Depot and buy a bunch of tools in order to build this guitar. :D
As already said you've got a good one for a first build. A little general tip abou tools. There are many ways of doing each job and many tools you can use. The specific tools for guitar building you can buy as you need them or in many cases make them yourself. Things like thumb planes, scrapers, all sorts. Next time give us a shout and I'll post up some pics and details. Lastly on tools ALWAYS buy the best you can afford. There is a real difference between DIY and pro tools. Pro will last a lifetime and hold an edge much longer.

Also learn to sharpen correctly. Sorry if this is already your view but worth mentioning.

Now on to a little of that info that Muttley suggested I provide:

I started with limited woodworking experience, but I wasn't a complete beginner. The tools I bought specifically for the job were a benchtop bandsaw, some sanders, the nicest router I could afford, and some handtools like a spokeshave, rasps, files, etc. I also owned a table saw, drill press, and a few small tools.
I bought a router base for my Dremel tool for the inlay work. I built a router table for doing template cutting, and I built a crapload of jigs and templates.
You can never have too many tools.:D

Add to your list a decent low angle block plane and a decent Shooting plane, say a No.5 or No 5 1/2. I have loads but these get used more than the rest.

Loads and loads of clamps, then get some more. It's also useful to learn to use a cabinet scraper and burnisher. You can make these from old saw blades in many shapes and sizes as well as different thicknesses. There are loads more tools you'll want if your going to do carved tops, gouges, thumplanes etc. Just ask for advice if and when.

All of the wood, except for the fingerboard which I bought preslotted from Luthier's Mercantile, came from a local Woodcraft store. I couldn't score a large enough piece of mahogony for the body without spending a chunk of money and special ordering it, and since I didn't think the guitar would turn out that great anyway, I went the cheap route and laminated the body as you see in the photo.
Once I glued everything up, I had to take everything to a local mill to have them planed and squared up, those were the only tools I didn't have access to.
How many hours have you put into that so far? I bet you kind of wish you had spent that little bit extra for a one or two piece body.;) My point is all those hours of work is a bigger price to pay than the cost of the timber. Get what you want if you can. It's kind of a false economy otherwise. As far as specific info on tonewoods, ask away when you think of your next build.

I rough cut everything on the bandsaw, but I cut the finished shapes of everything on the router table using templates I made out of 1/2" MDF. I spent alot of time up front making the templates because it seemed like the safest way to proceed. I made a template for the neck taper, the neck profile (based on a neck I measured), the neck pocket, the body, the headstock, pickup routes, etc. I hand finished the neck tenon to make it extra tight.
For carving the top, I screwed it to some scrap wood using screw holes where the pickups would be, and I routed a partial ledge around the perimeter to establish the height. I did the bulk of the carving with an angle grinder and a sanding flap disc. The rest I did by hand sanding.
Thats about the right way to go. Spend a lot of time on jigs and templates. Get them right and they will last a lifetime. You can get hundreds of bodies off of one template so get it right. The neck taper is important and the best way to do that is off a consistent center line right through the instrument. Many people cut the neck pocket and neck heel before routing the outline. There are also ways of getting the fretboard on and all the fret slots at right angles to the centre line. How did you do that?

There is nearly always a bit of clean upon neck pockets and dovetails. Thats the way it SHOULD be.;)

Carving the top? Thats the bit I would likely be most critical of if I saw it because that is my thing as an archtop builder. The archings and how well they are accomplished are a give away every time to a trained eye and one of those details that many are unaware of but really make an instrument stand out. In much the same way as light was talking about your curves. For me the arch has to be good to the eye and even all round. I have a system that I'll share sometime but this is'nt really the place. You can only really do this with gouges thumb planes and scrapers. Unless you have a CNC. Not being critical here just pointing it out. Look at lots of different tops, you'll get it.



I carved the neck with rasps and a spokeshave. I built a stand to hang the neck off the edge of my bench to support it and give me access to each side. I just carved on it until it started feeling good in my hand. This was the most enjoyable part of the whole thing I think. Before I started, I dry fit the neck into the body and penciled in where the 2 joined so that I could carve all the way up to there and avoid having a heel. I finished the neck completely before I glued in into the body.

I like doing necks too.:D. I disagree with light on the volute thing, but thats just me. I can't stand them, so I just don't do them. If you do then he is right in his comments.

I routed the control cavity from the front before the maple cap was attached. My plan was to route it to within around 3/16" of going through and then carefully saw out the remaining wood to make the cover out of. It didn't turn out so well, so I will be making a new cavity cover. :o I wish I had routed from the back and left a nice ledge for mounting the cover - I will be screwing in some small pieces to support the cover as it is.
I tried to come up with an interesting way of mounting the input jack. I'm not sure how well this idea will work, but it seemd that for hanging the cord over the strap button as I normally do - this design would be nice. If it doesn't work out well I'll do something different on my next guitar. I clamped the guitar up in a really funky angle in my drill press and cut that recess with a forstner bit. I'm surprised I didn't ruin something. :D
The only real way to get the cavity cover to match the back is to remove a slice from the blank before you cut the outline. If you haven't got resawing equipment or skills forget it, you need to take off about 3-4mm. That way you can have the right bit of timber and at the right size. Rather than blocking the cavity now, Why not rout a ledge around the cavity you have and cut a cover to fit that?

You have done a good job as I say and I can see you've learned a lot. Just ask about anything on the next and I'll tell you how I do it or what your best options are. The tricks and tips only come with experience. We are all still learning.
 
I felt like I was looking in a mirror the first time I read about it.
I felt like I was looking over the top of my monitor at another engineer on our team, the first time I read about it. :D
 
Not sure? It seems ZB and APL are playing some sort of autistic peek-a-boo at the moment.:confused:
...only to make the point that if you think Light is hard to get along with, you ain't seen nothin'. ;)
 
...only to make the point that if you think Light is hard to get along with, you ain't seen nothin'. ;)
Wifey is a SALT. I am acutely aware of behavioral issues in young people. I just couldn't do that job. Thank heavens for wood, glue and strings.;)
 
Wifey is a SALT. I am acutely aware of behavioral issues in young people. I just couldn't do that job. Thank heavens for wood, glue and strings.;)
Right, my wife is a Kindergarten teacher and she sees more than her share of problem children. There is no way that I could do her job.
 
Right, my wife is a Kindergarten teacher and she sees more than her share of problem children. There is no way that I could do her job.
Amen to that, as I know you know. Even the good kids are hard work. Wifey only see's the demanding ones. I struggle with mine because I have three (all great kids) and only two eyes..
 
I struggle with mine because I have three (all great kids) and only two eyes..
I'm right there with you in the struggle. Where did I put that Parenting Manual that came with those kids? :confused: ;)
 
Where did I put that Parenting Manual that came with those kids? :confused: ;)
I lost mine in the delivery room. At least I think thats where I left it. Anyway lets be honest, we're men, we don't read instruction manuals, maps or shopping lists. It's simply not done.
 
And we never, ever, ever, stop to ask for directions!
 
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