Have tele body, will build

[boomtap]

I like the wood on the body I think that will look nice if you show it off. As far as the neck goes, I don't think just anything will do, I bet you will come up with something sweet. Then you can start on one for me!

 

[dragonworks]

I am using a tune o matic roler bridge and will not need a bridge plate. Will be machining two plates from brass to hold the pickups. They will be minimum in size to expose more wood.
I bought a fretboard, ebony, with two chinese dragons in abolone inlay facing one another and breathing fire. I will have to install it and cut the fret slots and install the frets. Wish me luck, it will be my first time.
Much like the one pictured here, but chinese dragons.

 

[Treeline]

WOW!!

Hey DW, check out Stewart Macdonald's fret placement templates. Might be worth the trouble. And if your machines will do the measuring, go with the fret calculator; you can access it from the Stew Mac website and it will calculate fret placement for a given scale length.

Where in Hades did you get that fretboard??

One other question - if I send you the materials and specs, can you machine some fret slots in phenolic for me?

 

[dragonworks]

WOW!!

Hey DW, check out Stewart Macdonald's fret placement templates. Might be worth the trouble. And if your machines will do the measuring, go with the fret calculator; you can access it from the Stew Mac website and it will calculate fret placement for a given scale length.

Where in Hades did you get that fretboard??

One other question - if I send you the materials and specs, can you machine some fret slots in phenolic for me?

The machining process will be much more accurate than any fret placement template.
I bought the fretboard on Ebay, it is from Taiwan, cost me I think, 22 bucks.
The wood for the neck cost me 12.55 including shipping. I bought a set of gold tortoise shell tuning pegs off Ebay for 25.00, the truss rod will cost a little under twenty, etc.

Let me get a little proficient for myself before I set up shop and start "doing" for others.

 

[Dracon]

here is the actual body. should I put a nice mirror polished engraved brass pickguard on her? Or should I go with something minimal to show the wood? I can make whatever I want out of whatever I want.

I love the look of wood, but I think Brass on Wood is just phenomenal.
Hey how did you get that tiger stripe look?

 

[dragonworks]

I love the look of wood, but I think Brass on Wood is just phenomenal.
Hey how did you get that tiger stripe look?

I bought the body on eBay for forty five dollars. It is Brazillian mahogony with a 1/4 inch veneir(SP?) of Tigerwood on top. It is from a dealer in Brazil?

Check out some of the bodies and the prices.

http://stores.ebay.com/fineartwoodguitars_W0QQsspagenameZl2QQstorecachemissZfineartwoodguitarsQQtZkm

 

[dragonworks]

bought a gold roller bridge today, should be here in a week or so.

 

[dragonworks]

I also bought a book on electric guitar building with lots of tips in it. It has all the specs for the scale leangths. Machining the frets should keep them center to center of each fret within plus or minus .002 inch. Twenty thousandths wide circular saw blades are a bit tricky to keep running true.
I was thinking of building my own saw. They have those industrial erector sets and I have the machines and capability of doing it. Maybe even a CNC router, I know how to do all the programming and have the software cadcam packages allready.

Here is a link to an erector site
http://www.8020.net/

 

[Dracon]

You gotta post pictures as you go along. You just gotta.

 

[dragonworks]

I don't own a camera but one of my coworker has a phone that takes pictures so we can take pictures of all the machining processes as we go. So far it has been gathering the parts and doing all the planning and drawings and programming.
I still have to buy pickups and controls and a few other odds and ends, strap locks, string tree, jack plate, etc.

 

[dragonworks]

Tuning pegs arrived today. Will be ordering the truss rod from Stewart McDonalds tomorrow.

 

[dragonworks]

The truss rod arrived today, along with schecter strap locks. I planed the pieces of wood I glued together yesterday. Now to make all the final calculations and cut the neck. This should be done sometime within the next two weeks.

 

[guitar junkie]

whats new with this thing? any new parts did you take any pictures at all of this deal? come on man how is it going this is so cool i mean i built a guitar but not as nice as this one is going to be......

 

[thevirgin]

Hi Dragonworks,

How's the project going?

Wondered what you thought about the quality of the body that you purchased. I have been corresponding with Marcio in Brazil about doing some custom bodies for me since I have not had any of his work in my hands yet, I was hoping you could give me some feedback on his product.

Thanks,
ST

 

[dragonworks]

Supposedly the telecaster bodies neckpocket I bought is routed to tele specs.
A tele neck pocket is .625 deep. This neck pocket is .730 deep, so if I were to use a standard tele neck, I would have to shim it.
I emailed him and asked if all the tele bodies were like this? He emailed me back and said all tele neck pockets are cut to tele specks.

bzzzzzzt wrong.

 

[thevirgin]

Glad I Asked

Thanks for the info dragonworks,

Sorry to hear you have that problem. It makes me extremely wary of buying any pre-routed body of any kind from him, especially since there is no store where I can just walk in and put his body down next to a Fender and show them the problem.

Do you think they are hand routing using templates and screwed up or have they poorly programmed a CNC machine?

Makes me wonder if they are using EBay to unload their seconds.

Peace,
ST

 

[dragonworks]

I believe it was hand routed because there was a mismatch. I threw it up on a CNC vertical mill and kissed the bottom and levened her out. It was only like a five thousandth step, but it was a step.I may have to go back in and mill a two to four degree angle for the style of bridge etc I plan use. The whole project has kinda been on hold for other reasons, but I have alot of money invested so it will have to get done.
I have decided from now on if I continue on with this I will mill my own bodies.

That dude Dragon Mountain looks pretty reputable and he is in the states. He has the no reserve deals going on all the time. I haven't checked his feedback or anything though.

 

[thevirgin]

Suppliers *shrug*

I have purchased a couple of hardware bits from Willie at DragonMountain. Sometimes it is hard to get specs of what he is selling, what fits what etc. I'm also not sure his bodies are exactly what I am looking for.

He has his own way of doing business and is currently not selling except through auctions. I really want to deal with someone who I can call, say I want this and this and that and have them give me a price so I can buy the things I want. For now I will keep looking around till I have the skills to do it all by myself.

Peace

 

[jpw23]

Bought a body off ebay from brazil, 46.00 bucks plus 24 shipping. 1/4 inch thick tigerwood top with solid mahogony unerneath. Cut out for standard tele pickups and tele neck cutout. Back routed for electonics les paul style.
What do ya think, a gold bigsby would go nice eh?
I will machine a nice brass pickguard, get all gold hardware, nice locking tuners and good pickups.
I am looking for an unfinished neck with no inlays. Found one on ebay by a first time woodworker in a lutier class. On ebay going for sixteen bucks now. He bought the fretboard which has no frets installed but is cut out for them. Ebony on maple. If it stays low I will bid on it.

here is a picture of the tele body without the tigerwood top.

and a bass with a tigerwood top.

Go to http://www.stewmac.com they have tele necks ready to bolt on! Very nice stuff.....I have bought many parts from and I have never had a complaint!

 

[jpw23]

Tuning pegs arrived today. Will be ordering the truss rod from Stewart McDonalds tomorrow.

Sorry.....did not bother to read this far down! You already know!