Rabs Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Yes, think you are right. Am inclined to save money and try building a cab myself. Probably couldn't do any worse than what I've already got. What wood should I use? I've got some MDF but that's probably not good enough. The only power tools I have are an electric drill and screwdriver! I remember my very 1st cab was an old Vox 15" which was built like a brick sh*thouse and incredibly heavy. Need to look at some 'building a cab'-type vids on Youtube next.... Man.. I have so much wood.. Im sure I could rustle up something for you if you let me know the dimensions :) Or you could try my original wood trick.. Find a local joinery company and see if they have any suitable sized offcuts they are willing to sell... I think I still have about 3-4 of these meranti panels... Its an Asian Mahogany but not a dense one.. I wouldn't use that wood for a neck say.. But a body, yes.. As for how they would be for a cab id need one of our experts to chime in :) (maybe too thick?) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 :-k OOh Rabs that looks nice. Must PM you. So basically I better measure up and come up with a design of sorts. Think I could make the box a bit bigger with more smaller vents perhaps, so I could put handle on top...or I could have 2 handles (on sides)... ....don't have the tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted November 6, 2017 Author Share Posted November 6, 2017 :-k OOh Rabs that looks nice. Must PM you. So basically I better measure up and come up with a design of sorts. Think I could make the box a bit bigger with more smaller vents perhaps, so I could put handle on top...or I could have 2 handles (on sides)... ....don't have the tools Here’s a quick sketch of what I would probably do. Give it a small vent on top and make a seperate front panel with a big vent in it which can be (painted matte black and) covered with grill cloth. You could use the Vox diamond pattern grill cloth, white piping, black screws, and black plastic corner protectors to give it a Vox aesthetic. I think you can also buy a Vox handle I would totally build the cabinet for you but shipping would probably be expensive. If you need it, I could cut the pieces and dovetail them and everything and send it flat for you to glue together and tolex 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 I think you can also buy a Vox handle Mojotone has a decent Vox style handle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Many thanks for the sketch Dub, thinking along the same lines as I was; make the big vent in the front rather than on the top, so then I can have a handle on top. I'm not worried about making it 'look Vox'....and (sorry, Surf) never liked those handles. I'm thinking polished wooden finish, perhaps with a posh leather handle... I may ask Rabs for a hand on this one, but due to economics - lack of ££ - what I should do is....do it myself, it would teach me a lot. And this is the DIY thread! Then again there is a guy lives up the road from me who does woodwork and joinery in his garage most days with the doors open, so I might ask his advice too. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 I'm not worried about making it 'look Vox'....and (sorry, Surf) never liked those handles. I'm thinking polished wooden finish, perhaps with a posh leather handle... No worries.... me neither. I just remembered seeing them there when I was buying a Marshall style handle for an amp head cab I built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Many thanks for the sketch Dub, thinking along the same lines as I was; make the big vent in the front rather than on the top, so then I can have a handle on top. I'm not worried about making it 'look Vox'....and (sorry, Surf) never liked those handles. I'm thinking polished wooden finish, perhaps with a posh leather handle... I may ask Rabs for a hand on this one, but due to economics - lack of ££ - what I should do is....do it myself, it would teach me a lot. And this is the DIY thread! Well, I am happy to cut them to size for you. But if you have someone who may have some nice bench tools I am quite happy just to send you some wood and he can do it. And yes I went and checked today and have a couple of those panels left :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Well, I am happy to cut them to size for you. But if you have someone who may have some nice bench tools I am quite happy just to send you some wood and he can do it. And yes I went and checked today and have a couple of those panels left :) PM sent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 (edited) Thought id give this thread a bump.. Not been doing much lately... Been busy with family stuff... BUT I do have a custom build on the go which should be interesting. Its going to be a black walnut neckthrough with ash wings. Something sorta like this Then I still have the second African walnut guitar that's waiting to get a few finishing touches before I can oil THEN I am doing a guitar for a good friend of mine.. He likes his glam style so its a bit out there for my usual taste but should be cool.. Its going to have a piezo bridge too which should be interesting.. Something sorta like this I have also had thoughts about making it just a bridge pickup and piezo and then I can have the usual controls and switching and the piezo wont need a separate volume (it would get crowed with more knobs) When I got the neck through piece, which I found in an actual proper timbre yard, I had to buy a huge bit of it which is actually long enough for two neck throughs (or maybe a huge double bass :) ) I also found some of their off cuts which are big enough for two bodies also black walnut.. So I am looking forward to getting cracking on those :) At the moment I have two ideas for an all black walnut guitar So that's lots :) Hopefully I will really get going again soon and can post some interesting stuff here ;) Edited December 12, 2017 by Rabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayinLA Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 I'm not a DIY guy but here's my recently fully-serviced and working Vox AC10 amp. This was given to me in a non-working state in the late 80s and since then I have spent £££ over the years on getting it going. Finally last month our harmonica player's father who is a valve amp enthusiast looked at it and replaced £20 worth of parts - caps, jacks, etc. It sounds absolutely superb now but doesn't look so good as you can see. The original AC10 was a 10" combo so this is the amp head alone which must have been taken out of the combo and put in this box. It'll do but perhaps I should repaint it or Tolex it (how do you do that well? I have no idea, or tools) - and ideally I should make or get a new box for it. Unfortunately me and carpentry is like Basil Fawlty and his non-starting car! Notice the way it's built with the valves inside at right angles to each other, and one of them has a mesh inside the valve itself. The controls were always at the top on Vox amps. BBP and Dub, I'd love to hear what you think..I know you are both accomplished cabinet builders so I can guess you'd have no hesitation (or trouble) in making a new box. Top Underside Front (that handle has got to go) And the back which I...uh...decorated after I got it fixed the 1st time (oh dear!) I named thee...Shredmaster! Best wishes folks! I think you're supposed to roll it down a flight of stairs to make sure the valves will stay working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayinLA Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 Thought id give this thread a bump.. Not been doing much lately... Been busy with family stuff... BUT I do have a custom build on the go which should be interesting. Its going to be a black walnut neckthrough with ash wings. Something sorta like this Then I still have the second African walnut guitar that's waiting to get a few finishing touches before I can oil THEN I am doing a guitar for a good friend of mine.. He likes his glam style so its a bit out there for my usual taste but should be cool.. Its going to have a piezo bridge too which should be interesting.. Something sorta like this There is something about walnut that is just beautiful for guitars. Very pretty. I don't think I'd seen that one yet. I have also had thoughts about making it just a bridge pickup and piezo and then I can have the usual controls and switching and the piezo wont need a separate volume (it would get crowed with more knobs) When I got the neck through piece, which I found in an actual proper timbre yard, I had to buy a huge bit of it which is actually long enough for two neck throughs (or maybe a huge double bass :) ) I also found some of their off cuts which are big enough for two bodies also black walnut.. So I am looking forward to getting cracking on those :) At the moment I have two ideas for an all black walnut guitar So that's lots :) Hopefully I will really get going again soon and can post some interesting stuff here ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted December 14, 2017 Author Share Posted December 14, 2017 Rabs I love that pic of your little car with the huge pieces of wood!! My car is like a low rider in the back because of all the tools I had some extra material left over on a job site that I used to make some quick floating shelves to hold my pedals. It’s nothing fancy, I’m not even scribing the shelves to the walls of finishing the wood, but it’s a lot better than the pile on the floor. I couldn’t get them all to fit but I think one more shelf could fit the rest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayinLA Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Just me, but why don't we have a swap meet thread? Post pics of stuff you'd sell or trade and see what comes of it? I see lots of tasty gear, and I'm sure I've got some stuff that someone would make better use of than me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted December 15, 2017 Author Share Posted December 15, 2017 Just me, but why don't we have a swap meet thread? Post pics of stuff you'd sell or trade and see what comes of it? I see lots of tasty gear, and I'm sure I've got some stuff that someone would make better use of than me. We used to have a forum section called the trading post but it was recently removed. I’ve sold a grip of pedals to people through the forum over the years but never through the trading post haha I’m not sure what to tell you on that one 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Okye Dokey.... Back to this again :) So that guitar I posted above that I was working on is now now finished and with its new owner (just today) so I will post some of the pics from the build. So this was the last mock up I did before I started work on it (very rough mind you) And here is the wood.. Black Walnut neckthrough with Ash wings and an Ebony board Truss rod in Neck to shape with the angle cut in to the body Wings glued on Body cut out Then the guy didn't want binding so instead had like a roundover with a small ledge on the top and a normal roundover on the back More below Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Then the fretboard goes on.. You tape the top of the channel up so you don't get glue all in there and mess the rod up Fretboard inlays (MOP dots) Radiusing 9.5" Even more below :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Fretting Neck shaping Then I did my filling the fret slots thing So that's all for today.. I will update with more pics tomorrow :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 A through neck! Does that mean using smaller pickups? And will you allow the centre section to show through after finishing? That neck radiusing must take an age. Looks like ebony . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 Lookin cool Rabs and I like your concept for the Walnut guitar on the last page (the one that’s like an LP special esque body with SG-like bevelling) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 A through neck! Does that mean using smaller pickups? And will you allow the centre section to show through after finishing? That neck radiusing must take an age. Looks like ebony . Yes its all natural.. I love the natural look :) And yes that's Ebony.. Radiusing the board is one of the most boring jobs and if you just go at it like a mad man you will end up with an unlevel board... you have to make sure you use the same pressure with each swipe and measure the sides to make sure that its all the same height.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Lookin cool Rabs and I like your concept for the Walnut guitar on the last page (the one that’s like an LP special esque body with SG-like bevelling) Yeah we will see what comes next.. I will probably do the guitar that I have promised to a friend of mine.... :) THEN will be the all black walnut double cut.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 Yeah we will see what comes next.. I will probably do the guitar that I have promised to a friend of mine.... :) THEN will be the all black walnut double cut.. Are you going to route out a solid back to make the one for your friend hollow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Are you going to route out a solid back to make the one for your friend hollow? Yup... Steaming and bending veneers is a bit out of my reach at the moment id have to get a WHOLE load of other equipment for that :)... Plus ive always said id rather have a 336 than a 339 just for that reason cos I think it will make a more rocking guitar.. Even though its going to have some kind of Piezo system which im still working out which is going to be the best way to achieve that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Ok so heres some more Giving the fret ends some shape Wiring holes Control cavity Back plate Final sanding All ready for its oil Headstock decal Wiring ready More below :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 So this will be the final post on this build... When I use ash I tend to fill the grain with ebony dust which helps highlight it And let the oiling commence :) (always an exciting point of the build) All ready for full assembly And all assembled :) Probably the most important picture of all.. the guitar having its first play by its new owner :D So there we are all done ... On to the next one :) And then I got just a few seconds of footage of him playing cos it seems to put a lot of people off... And indeed as soon as he looked up and saw me filming he made a mistake which is why I stopped filming. But its better than nothing.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NT0pvZc_S0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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