HuntinDoug Posted January 14, 2013 Report Share Posted January 14, 2013 Peavey did it also. I worked on bass like this one a couple years ago. It had an obvious seam in the center of the maple board. Beautiful builds BTW... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Clancy (the customer) was here yesterday and dropped off his design for the body profile. So I was then able to start finalizing the body laminations Yesterday - Padauk top to the Mahogany back: Today after planing I added a thin maple stripe, then a stringer of padauk on mahogany followed by a thick maple stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 The last month I've been feeling really burned out in relation to guitar building, so I've been taking it pretty slow. Basically I was doing building for 30ish hrs a week along side my factory job. It was getting a bit much. I've still been getting out there and tinkering, but I've only got one customer order at the moment and it's waiting on supplies, so I'm just pacing myself. Neck carves on two wenge neckthru's: This is the, ummm, bright?? binding that the customer supplied for the star I'm building him: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 There is just something I like about your wood choices that I can't put my finger on exactly.It's like they are utilitarian and aesthetic in equal parts without being too much of either one...not sure about the blue binding,but hey,it's the customer's choice,eh? I like the carves you do on your superstrats as well...it's like a blend of a carved top and a radius top...does away with the awkward part around the horns that so many carved top superstrats seem to have.I would have never thought of it myself but it only seems natural now that I have seen it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 I like the carves you do on your superstrats as well...it's like a blend of a carved top and a radius top...does away with the awkward part around the horns that so many carved top superstrats seem to have.I would have never thought of it myself but it only seems natural now that I have seen it Thanks. Took me quite a few guitar carves and a few scrap trials as well before I came up with a superstrat carve I was happy with. I liked the look of the radius carve and was doing them for a while, but its not as comfortable to play as this carve. Also the horns part you mentioned - on most I also disslike that. The inner scoops most of the time look wrong somehow and the inner horn carve most of the time looks awkward. So I just dropped them all together! ...not sure about the blue binding,but hey,it's the customer's choice,eh? Yeah - there was a few things about this build that I screwed my face up to start, but the guy is someone I've known for a couple of decades and I'm helping him out with his "dream" guitar. I'd normally have refused quite a few specs in this build otherwise and some of his requests I did say no! For example he bought some blue plastic square inlays from ebay and I put the foot down there. Told him theres a real fine line between "over the top" and "completely tacky". I also refused to do the inner bites in his body plan. I also refused to do the hooks at the start but every time I saw him he kept saying it meant a lot to him that they were there, so I caved in. When he was here yesterday I told him that this guitar is as if a kid in the 80's (hence the 70's colors and the 80's styling) had a dream guitar then has been in a coma for the last few decades and now has woken up as an adult is getting his dream built. It sounds kind of insulting, but this guy got it, had a laugh and agreed. He then commented I was right about the 70's colors and that "back then" they had a lounge suite in these colors! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 There is just something I like about your wood choices that I can't put my finger on exactly.It's like they are utilitarian and aesthetic in equal parts without being too much of either one... I comepletely agree. The wenge neck through looks great. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Little bit more work on this multi lam guitar today. Checking that the headstock thickness is close: Heres all the pieces drum sanded and layed out in order: Headstock glue up: Scarf pieces glue up: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted January 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 In between carving necks I was also able to get a few baby steps done on the star headstock and scarf laminations after yesterdays glue ups. Filing the curved edge by hand and the straight edges on the belt sander: Dry fit just to make sure they line up etc: Another glue up: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 It bears repeating: you have an excellent eye for wood & color combinations. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted February 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2013 Scarf joint today. After working out the exact position I rough cut a couple mm in front of that line with the bandsaw followed by a few seconds on the belt (bench) sander: Using a jointer and this 12 degree jig I made, I make passes over the jointer until the surface is perfect. Once it looks right to the eye I test it, holding up to the light with a straight edge. Fresh off the jointer: Then clamp up to the headstock section which I prepared earlier after performing a quick resurface on the headstock lam using the drum sander and checking with the straight edge just to make sure its perfect: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted February 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2013 I also glued up this Camphor Burl top and the Mahogany back for it to go on today. I'm thinking this might be the first fixed bridge superstrat I've done in years! Might, didn't say it's locked in yet. This pic is obviously prior to the join line being planed: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted February 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Every now and then when you're building you have a bad day, I've been due for weeks and here it is. Screwed up the location of the headstock with the scarf joint by 17mm. Dont know how, I measured it twice. Anyway, no point crying about it, time to fix it. Bandsaw: Resurface the scarf: Make a new headstock: I decided that if I make a new headstock it has to be better than the last one, so I've put in four more laminations this time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maull Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 dude, that is sick. I am so excited to see this finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 \m/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted February 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 Headstock V2.0 Still need to knock a mm off both the top and bottom Wenge layers. I left thicknessing the outside surfaces to last so I didnt have to use clamping cauls While I had some clamps free I threw this Camphor Burn onto a Mahogany back with the help of two nails (in the not yet removed cut away area) to keep the center line in place: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Our Souls inc. Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 Looks like colorful plywood......... pretty. How'd you get 17mm off if you "worked out its exact position" ? That's no small boo-boo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted February 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 How'd you get 17mm off if you "worked out its exact position" ? That's no small boo-boo. I don't think I'll ever know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 I don't think I'll ever know. We've all been there. Certain you did everything right and left scratching your head afterwards... Sucks. At least it's not a terrible fix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Looks like colorful plywood......... pretty. How'd you get 17mm off if you "worked out its exact position" ? That's no small boo-boo. Happens to the best of us. I find that developing my defensible working methods for anything leads to mentally creating shortcuts also. When something goes wrong you end up scratching your head asking yourself "why why why" before realising the reason. I do this a lot despite the "measuring twice" thing. I am doing my best to work my brain out of the mental shortcuts which will remember the same erroroneous methods from the first calculation, introducing them to the second. Sometimes measuring twice just isn't enough for the busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Sometimes measuring twice just isn't enough for the busy. True 'Dat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Beautiful stuff you have going there; and I like that jointer scarf jig. I'll have to try that out. I currently use the router to prep the scarf, but it always needs cleaning up after. This seems like a better method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted February 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Guitar2005: I've tried heaps of different scarfing methods, this by far is the best. This is my second version of this sled, removed some flaws the first version had. Last year I created a thread on it, there'll be better pics there, the idea is simple though, two outside pieces with a flat center piece at the correct angle. It all has to be wide enough to fit your biggest neck but narrow enough to fit your jointer. Has to also be long enough to keep the angle without being a seesaw, which was my original sleds issue. So when using it I clamp the neck square against the edge/side lip of the sled and then when passing over the jointer the sled is pushed square against the fence of the jointer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Do you have a plan of that jointer sled? I'd build one. Do you pre-cut on the bandsaw 1st? That would save the jointer blades. I've tried a bunch of different methods and the router method is my 2nd, better method. I did try the jointer without a jig before but felt it was too dangerous. This take the risk down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted February 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 A plan? No. I just went out and made what was in my head. You dont need a plan for something like this. Two pieces of wood with another one screwed at the engle you want your scarf. Simple. Then another cross piece in there saomewhere just to make it stable. Yes, I cut on the bandsaw first, this is just to clean it up. You can see that in the pic directly above the sled pic. Without a jig, or even with my old "seesaw" jig which I've seen some other members here use, the end surface can be not quite straight. This ensures a straight travel path during the pass. Also, worth mentioning that the first time I used this sled, I used quick grip clamps but found they didn't hold and the blank was moving, hense why you see real clamps in my newer pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted February 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 Pre drilling the electronics holes in the wings prior to glue up: Throw it in some clamps: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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