Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

[Guest]

OK, I came her to learn stuff from you guys. I think I got most of the things down, got a good assesment of my capabilities (musical and otherwise, read $ and crafting abilities), and I think I got a realistic project (some time ago I had to stop as it was above my knowledge, ability and $).

So here's the idea. The tele body is just a body, I think I'll go with something more acoustic shaped, you can sugest shapes (mini Jumbo, Dread, classical, ect.).

Plywood body, thin body (think Gibson Chet Atkins), kind of acoustic in construction. Mohogany neck, fretboard material unknown but rosewood and ebony are probablily out of my reach, maple might be also. It will be what I can get my hands on. It will have a neck joint like an electric, made out of mohogany.

25 scale lenght, 25 frets (I'm putting in a 0 fret), 3/3 tuner arrangement with straight string line. Considering mini Grovers for the tuners.

Sustain block (I'm considering marble for tone and to balance the weight) or maybe just a post (wood) under the bridge (more on that later).

1 pup(neck), I'm thinking one of these three: Vintage Flat; Vintage Rails (only if I can split it and get it in series/parallel, I think I read it had limited wiring capabilities); Cool Rails (how does it sound split?). The order in which they appear is my preference. I'm going just with a volume and tone pots with ppush/pull switchees to control series/parallel and split (if appliable).

The bridge is where it gets strange, the picture is the clossest I could make with Kisekae but my idea is to have a block of wood at the bridge with bone incrustated to set the intonation (that will be fun) and a acoustic bridge a bit down (see the link bellow).
http://www.cybozone.com/fg/tobi.html

What do you guys think? I'm really pumped to get this done this time, I have the cash for this, it would suit my needs right now (a electric guitar with some acoustic properties) and it would be a nice beater guitar for years to come.

Give me your input, possible problems with my choices, what you like, what you hate, stuff like that.

TIA

 

[Guest]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

Oh, another thing, I'm also thinking of having the pickup slanted (like a Strats bridge pu).
What do you think? Would it be better to have it slanted at the neck or at the middle?
I ran that option through kisekae and altough it looked better (when slanted) in the mid, I realised I hould have to make the block even bigger I would have lees of an acoustic timbre (which lets face it won't be anywhere near a Dreadnought or Jumbo in any way), so I guess its got to be at the neck.

So what do you say, slanted or straight (renmember its a 24 fret guitar).

 

[Guest]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

Gee folks, look at all the answers I got... Come on, get to it, give me your opinions

 

[MikeS]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

How do you propose the bridge will work? That's an acoustic bridge, meant to be applied over a hollow cavity. I'm not sure how the strings would sit in there and how the bridge pins would function in a solid body. Semi-hollows are hollow on the wings only. You'll find solid wood at the bridge and pickup locations (with a bolt-on neck, you need that chunk for support anyway. Check out Warmoth's or USACG websites... I believe both show you what a semi-hollow electric looks like). Unless of course, you are propsing a true-hollow body electric guitar... in which case I would still select a bridge with adjustable intonation. I've also not seen a bolt-on neck hollow body. Not to say it hasn't been done, but it's not exactly an every day occurance (the builders will have to input their knowledge on that).

And plywood? Any particular reason? Plywood is a terrible tone wood.

Otherwise... it seems like it could turn out to be a good project. What would be cool would be to see someone do a hollow body electric with all the Tele fixings, including ashtray bridge, tele p/u configuration, etc...

 

[Guest]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

The idea is precisely a completelly hollow body.

I don't think I need an ajustable bridge (this is supposed to be a mock up/fun/inexpensive guitar). As I described, I can get the intonition and then incrust small pieces of Bone at the correct location. My idea is more or less like a LP, you have the part where you adjust your intonation (mine won't be capable of that, if I want other tunings I'll have another bridge set up for that) and a part where your strings go through (more or less as you can see in the site I posted). That second part will be more like an acoustic bridge.

I was thinking of putting a small block under the "intonation bridge", to increase some sustain. The "tailpiece" would be monted like a regular acoustic guitar bridge.

The neck will be glued to a piece of mahogany that will serve to hold the neck and the pickup. I will also assemble it in such a way as to get a heel like a warmoth (hard for me to explain how in english).

I'm choosing plywood because this is a mock up version, this is my first guitar, and when I get to more noble woods I'll use this project as a beater guitar.

I may have explained myself badly, sorry, my English, it seems, is a bit out of practice, read my post, and look at the pictures a little closer.

Your hollow body tele is set to be my 3rd project (the second being a lp special) BTW

 

[Xeromus]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

um plywood?

I don't know man. That sounds like a pretty awful design for a guitar overall.

 

[Guest]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

Yeah I know Xeromus, but think of it this way, the most expensive part will be the pickup, which can be latter placed in something better, and I'm actually considering getting the cheapest thing I can get, but then again anything will help in getting it to sound any good.

Either way, I'm trying not to think about the woods, after all, isn't the Red Special made out of Ply (or even some of the first Dano's/Sears, and even later with the plastics which are far from tonewoods)? You have to agree a lot of people like that. Me, not so much, but for what its for it will do nicelly. As I said its meant to be a beater and a fun thing to do, not to mention a way to get some more experience so that one day I can build them for real.

You said it sounds like a pretty awful design overall. The entire idea? Or just the woods? If its the woods, well, I think I made the intent of this instrument clear (to be played until destruction and not care about it as its inexpensive). If there are other bugs please share.

 

[Xeromus]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

plywood is junk. I don't even know if you can get a body made out of it. I don't know you would want to when there are other alternatives that are cheap, like alder, poplar, basswood, etc. Also that acoustic bridge you can't use unless the body is completely hollow. Also, 25 frets won't work. Why do you really need the first note of the 3rd octave? Plus why a 0 nut? Do you really need it?

I'm not being negative, I just always try to be the voice of reason. If you build a guitar like this later on without a doubt you'll be like "what in the hell was I thinking". And you will never be able to sell it. Especially if it's plywood, you might as well burn it.

 

[H8Red442]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

Yeah I know Xeromus, but think of it this way, the most expensive part will be the pickup, which can be latter placed in something better, and I'm actually considering getting the cheapest thing I can get, but then again anything will help in getting it to sound any good.


Then why bother?

You said it sounds like a pretty awful design overall. The entire idea? Or just the woods? If its the woods, well, I think I made the intent of this instrument clear (to be played until destruction and not care about it as its inexpensive). If there are other bugs please share.

But it will play and sound like sh*t and be a lot of frustration for no reason. Whatever floats your boat dude but I wouldn't waste my time.

 

[Xeromus]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

But it will play and sound like sh*t and be a lot of frustration for no reason. Whatever floats your boat dude but I wouldn't waste my time.

Basically, there you go.

 

[H8Red442]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

It looks like a pretty nice guitar interesting design on your little graphic there but plywood? whuh? accoustic bridge? are you just trying to take as many different design elements form different kinds of instruments and jam them into a single instrument that is supposed to resemble a guitar? Why not some valves from a wind instrument or use a mandolin bridge and some reeds... throw a couple piano keys in there too.

Like i said the design looks nice but your implementation doesnt sound so hot. Actually make it an electric hollow body with the proper components and yeah it sounds great but again, plywood?

 

[Guest]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

Ok, I'm getting it. Maybe I am trying to get to much into this, and altough I'd never actually sell the guitar no matter how it wound up, It would be nice that my first instrument, altough not perfect, would make me pick it up instead of putting it by the wall or in a closet.

I don't actually need the 24 frets, I just wanted something a bit different, 21/21 frets seem to be the norm. Players like Santana and May also use 24 frets and the fact that it is an even number makes sense to me.
In regards to the 0 fret I just wanted to experiment, as I always been curious in regards to that and since it wouldn't be so hard to get rid of this would be the perfect project for it.

OK, what do you guys suggest. Woods, shapes, whatever. All I know right now is that I really want it to be hollow as opposed to semi-hollow and have only a neck pick-up.

 

[rainsong86]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

how do you make these graphics? http://www.cybozone.com/fg/tobi.html .. I always have trouble imagining in my head what would look good on a project.. what program makes these graphics?.. photoshop?

 

[rainsong86]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

oops.. I meant THIS graphic LSPanima.jpg

 

[Guest]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

I never remember the link but google for kisekae. It will be the 3rs/4th link. Kisekae guitars.

 

[Guest]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

Now that I've learned how to post an image I might as well post here what gave me this idea. My idea wouldn't really look much different from this, and I think its more or less cool but thats just my aesthetic taste... or lack of it

You guys keep telling me what you think. Whether you like it or not, just give me your input. And thanks to those who posted so farm keep it up.

Oh, I think I made a bad mistake when translating the "wood's" name, but I'll keep that to myself until I'm sure.

 

[Guest]

Re: Check this out! My idea for a summer project...

Ok, I was just browsing some sites and I saw this one. Carvin AE185 (25 inch neck, tele shaped, acoustic bridge, 24 frets) it almost seems to be a form of aprés-vu, lol. Just don't like the color, the rest is cool.

AS to my project, I'm considering altering some factors, will show the final result.