My Two Projects

BunnyGuitarShredder

BunnyGuitarShredder

New member
So i decided to train my luthier skills up since i can't see myself in any other profession besides music and instruments.

I have two projects, one is an Explorer set neck glue it in (blah blah) pretty much just a kit guitar. I didn't feel the need to do a solid color so i am going to veneer it with curly maple great deal on a lot of 11 sheets of 8" x 32", was cheaper than just one sheet of quilted maple, just iffy on each sheet being 1/42" and accepting a dye. the whole guitar excluding the fretboard is poplar and the fret board is rosewood. Oh great pickup wizards and your infinite wisdom, I beseech you to endow your knowledge of a great pickup combo for this guitar, its an H-H with all the fixins :bowdown:

My second project is going to be a violin so i can build up my hand building skills instead of bandsawing the shape lol. I don't know if I am allowed to post that build up on here, but I am starting this project first since I have the materials ready on hand except for the sides, now if only SD would come out with a pickup for this, I would totally rock it. oh yeah, the tone woods are a mixture of Juniper thats been sitting on the shelf since the 60s, and a block of maple thats been sitting around since 1939 so pretty good tone woods that have had enough time to dry out.

EDIT - forgot to mention i am detailing the builds with pics, or it didn't happen
 
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Re: My Two Projects

Explorer gets EMGs because they'll sound fine in poplar and its an Explorer.

I am wanting to build a solidbody electric violin too... my girlfriend plays and is awesome. I'm extremely interested to see how yours turns out. I think a Cool Rails or a Hot Stack would make a great violin pickup but i base that on absolutely no experience.

Good luck :smokin:
 
Re: My Two Projects

i wouldn't touch EMGs mostly because i feel they are generic in tone with no variation between pickups, also haven't bought the explorer kit yet it'll be towards the end of the month so you guys are going to be subjected to my violin build for sustenance.

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the Juniper i snagged was ready for book matching, i tried my best to make the glue line as minimal as i could, rookie builder here

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using a wood file to shape it, didnt feel like bandsawing, I used a handsaw on the C-bouts cutting close to the line in 3 spots and used a wood chizel to cut the wood off towards the bottom, explaining the square shape of the C-bouts right now.

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how far i got with the wood file after a couple minutes of filing
 
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Re: My Two Projects

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almost done doing the final shaping, trying to match up the sides, could care less of it being like a fine crafted Stradivarius, as long as it looks nice and touched up and sounds/plays great I am happy, though I don't like the normal scroll work on violins, great classical look, so for the scroll I might do something custom.

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here is the neck blank, I'll begin shaping it when I get done packing stuff for the move to a new place or work on it in the same room with my wife lol, she will compromise for me as long as I am keeping her company. I will cut it with the scroll shape to leave some space for error with the custom scroll. (I don't go anywhere without my bat-utility belt)

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just for good measure the other project this is pretty much all of the space i get for wood working =/, off to the side (Protip - punching bags are great for frustration when working on unruly wood)
 
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Re: My Two Projects

I'll keep this updated when I am not too busy with the move this week.

I decided to use the neck as an example of how I am rough shaping the instrument.

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I marked it off where I was going to cut into with a pull-saw. After cutting down not too close to the line I used a wood chisel like I explained before to remove a chunk of wood. I feel it's a bit safer yet slow, but this is the end result.

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The chunks that I cut out will be used as a part of the ribs later on. As soon as the kit guitar comes in I am putting the violin on hold til I can get some more supplies lol, I only have enough stuff for fixing up a guitar.

Hope you guys are learning something or laughing at my attempts.
 
Re: My Two Projects

So I hit a bit of a dilemma, can't find a decent lot of quilted maple for my explorer. I checked veneersupplies.com and they have 2 lots in stock but the grain pattern is way too spaced out. Anyone have any better suggestions as to where to get a cap or lot of quilted maple?
 
Re: My Two Projects

So the kit arrived and to my surprise the box was rather small, I opened it up and a very bright white poplar body and neck were inside with the stock hardware (I didn't know you could fuse metal with poop).

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They messed up the neck pocket and cut too much out of the left side of the neck pocket but little shaping really needed to be done but i am still going to fix that gap for an almost seamless fit, the guitar is going to be stained after all.

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Re: My Two Projects

I was going to try this with a V but haven't yet. i'm interested to see how it goes. i will fwd a couple of links for possible veneer suppliers, stuff's usually kind of pricey.
i agree with guy above re pups EMGs 81 and 85 active, not sure about passive, but duncan's always a good bet.

Here's a top wood supplier, kinda high but you know... check out the buckeye burl, other woods on left sidebar nav:
http://www.walnutwoods.net/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=31&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2

yummy
 
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Re: My Two Projects

Sounds like a good idea for any of my other guitar builds i might do, that buckeye burl is too beautiful for this guitar lol, i would have to get some high quality figured woods to match for what i am thinking of using it for.

Also an update on whats going on, i am staining the guitar and like a jackass i didn't sand down the wood with fine grit sand paper to get the scratches out, and now i have dark scratches in the stained parts so lots of sanding and starting over for me.

Oh and i lucked out and the poplar i got has a really light figure to it and its spaced out filling a small area behind the bridge and has a figure between the pickups, and on the backside the same i'll get pics up and see if you can't spot it
 
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