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Looking to build my first guitar from scratch


Dub-T-123

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1 hour ago, Retired said:

Thanks Rabs. No, I really didn't know that answer for sure. I knew the tops, sides and back on Acoustics were much thinner and was pretty sure the make of the woods made a difference in tones but I didn't think it made a difference at all on thicker woods on electrics. But I was wondering if all woods are used in making electric guitars or just a few? 

For the body I say yes. You can use pretty much anything..  For the neck and fretboard the only consideration is, is it hard enough to do its job.

Then you have workability.. Meaning how dose the wood carve, glue and finish... If the wood used is super hard then you will go through your blades quicker.. Doesnt really bother someone like me who makes one guitar at a time but for a big factory that could be an issue.

Then after that its obviously the looks and also the weight...

All of these things are a factor in choosing wood but really you can use whatever. Like Mahogany is great for carving, doesnt weigh too much and is pretty.. Which is why its used a lot.

A good example on when you can hear the difference is a LP Standard and then a LP Junior or Special.  The Standards and the like have a maple cap. The idea behind it being that the mahogany gives a nice warm sound and the cap gives it a bright snap.. Specials and Juniors are usually darker in tone.

Also theres the history of stringed instruments and really mahogany and maple are standards in the use of say violin making and is tried and tested if you like. So for example a Stradivarius is made with a Spruce top and a Maple back. and neck..  A lot of stringed instruments use Spruce I think just cos its traditional and probably cos it has just the right properties of all the things I mentioned above.

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3 hours ago, Rabs said:

For the body I say yes. You can use pretty much anything..  For the neck and fretboard the only consideration is, is it hard enough to do its job.

Then you have workability.. Meaning how dose the wood carve, glue and finish... If the wood used is super hard then you will go through your blades quicker.. Doesnt really bother someone like me who makes one guitar at a time but for a big factory that could be an issue.

Then after that its obviously the looks and also the weight...

All of these things are a factor in choosing wood but really you can use whatever. Like Mahogany is great for carving, doesnt weigh too much and is pretty.. Which is why its used a lot.

A good example on when you can hear the difference is a LP Standard and then a LP Junior or Special.  The Standards and the like have a maple cap. The idea behind it being that the mahogany gives a nice warm sound and the cap gives it a bright snap.. Specials and Juniors are usually darker in tone.

Also theres the history of stringed instruments and really mahogany and maple are standards in the use of say violin making and is tried and tested if you like. So for example a Stradivarius is made with a Spruce top and a Maple back. and neck..  A lot of stringed instruments use Spruce I think just cos its traditional and probably cos it has just the right properties of all the things I mentioned above.

OK, Thanks. That answers my questions then, "why are different woods put in backs, sides or fronts." And why our sons electric Vendetta a very cheap guitar had such a deep bass tone. Yeah, That makes since. Thanks Rab. 

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I don’t have a drill press at home but I wanted to install the inlays and wanted a more accurate depth stop on my drill bit than masking tape. So I realized since I was using a 1/4” bit, I have a bunch of 1/4” shank router bits which have perfectly sized little retaining collars. Viola, worked like a charm

 

AA4JyI0.jpg

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4 minutes ago, Dub-T-123 said:

I don’t have a drill press at home but I wanted to install the inlays and wanted a more accurate depth stop on my drill bit than masking tape. So I realized since I was using a 1/4” bit, I have a bunch of 1/4” shank router bits which have perfectly sized little retaining collars. Viola, worked like a charm

 

AA4JyI0.jpg

 

Excellent idea. Self centring drill bit too! 

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I think it ended up being even easier than the drill press because I could just keep putting a clamp right next to the hole I’m drilling. So instead of trying to push the template tight against the fretboard to avoid tear out, the clamp does the work for me. 
 

I think that will be my new method for dot inlays it was really fast and easy

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Binding channel routed on the backside first. She got a little chip on her shoulder and naturally my router base scratched it up a bit. It’s all good, I’m doing the binding just a bit high so I will scrape it down perfectly flush later 

zC1oqC7.jpg

I was talking about carving the back like my brothers Telecaster ultra but I decided to make another set of templates just for that body instead and do this one double bound. I was also going to paint this black but my wife suggested a transluscent chartreuse and now I can’t get that idea out of my head. Green is my favorite color. I think I’m going down the rabbit hole on mixing my own color for that instead of using the black that I already have. Dunno

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1 hour ago, Dub-T-123 said:

...my wife suggested a transluscent chartreuse and now I can’t get that idea out of my head. Green is my favorite color.

 

 Searcy would approve...[wink]

Will look good with binding 👍

Edited by jdgm
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I must have spent about 3 hours just on the back. Of course I wasn’t thinking that the back is actually more difficult than the front, I was just thinking it would be preferable to practice on the back side. Oh boy.. that heel is seriously tricky to wrap binding around.

 

I had to get creative and clamp a router bit and pencil into that little radius by the neck to keep it all tight. I’ve got a new respect for bound guitars.. this was tricky

 

2S5OJcP.jpg

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2 hours ago, Dub-T-123 said:

I must have spent about 3 hours just on the back. Of course I wasn’t thinking that the back is actually more difficult than the front, I was just thinking it would be preferable to practice on the back side. Oh boy.. that heel is seriously tricky to wrap binding around.

I had to get creative and clamp a router bit and pencil into that little radius by the neck to keep it all tight. I’ve got a new respect for bound guitars.. this was tricky

 

You are doing one fukk of a job there friend.  It has been a real joy to watch.

If it is any help, Leo did not want to bind Fenders, he thought it was way too hard and not worth it for what they would have to charge.

When Gibson dumped the Les Paul, Fender went all slab rosewood boards.  Forest White had wanted to bind the top and backs of Teles, and Leo finally said ok, but no necks.  That would defy his belief the guitar players should be able to refret their guitars if needed.  So anyway, Forest spent a week at CFMartin and learned how to bind guitars.  BAM!!!  1960 Custom Telecaster, but only lasted a few years.  I need one.

rct

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Thanks guys! Yeah rct Leo made it so easy and then the binding comes in. Now that I see how this goes I’m going to make a little clamparatus for next time. It actually shouldn’t be that difficult I was unprepared today. 
 

Luckily it came out perfect anyways so onward tomorrow

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6 hours ago, merciful-evans said:

What stage is the double cut at now? Still applying finish?

The Jr is languishing a bit because of weather and my wife was complaining about the lacquer smell coming in from the patio. So I gotta either tape off the door or something or spray back at the shop. The problem being that the shop is usually too cold until the afternoon when we’re about to leave. I’ll figure it out.. probably just gonna tape off the patio door

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Pickups that are not Fender singles tend to be in the 7/8" deep range.  If you later, or you sell it to someone else, wants to put something besides a vintage type Fender single  in they'll be routing it.

rct

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I certainly wouldn’t be afraid to whip out the router in that case but I’m a big fan of the normal Tele pickups. With that said I’m definitely intrigued by the idea of a humbucker or p90 in the neck position. Changing the bridge pickup would be kinda sacrilege 

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Yesterday I fretted the neck and thicknessed the headstock

 

uOIlK3U.jpg

 

then I carved the neck. I’m going to do a little more work on the heel and headstock transitions then I’m ready to seal. I’m thinking about sealing this with tru oil because it will be convenient to apply at home and I want the maple to turn a bit yellow. I have some good shellac flakes but they stopped selling denatured alcohol in California and I can no longer find it in stores. The bottle of tru oil that I have says “not for sale in California” right on it but I don’t remember where I bought it

GABz9IU.jpg

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Wow..  Thats a lovely looking neck.. It will finish nice...  To show up the flame you should stain it black and sand it back again..  Thats the way to really get it to pop... Try it on a test piece, you will see. 

Tru Oil.. Amazon or Ebay 🙂 

Amazon.com: Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil Stock Finish 3 Ounce: Sports & Outdoors

Birchwood Tru Oil Water Resistant Gun Stock Finish 3oz 23123 29057231236 | eBay

Now you can see why I choose an oil finish.  It really is so much easier and gives the wood a nice natural finish..  Especially in this cold wet place I live in....

Edited by Rabs
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Thank you Rabs! A stain would definitely make the grain pop and I love that idea for other guitars but somehow I’m just not really into that look on Fender style stuff. I want to keep the neck subtle and natural for this project.

 

I love oil finishes and tru oil. I may do the neck only in tru oil. I’m a fan but for me spraying lacquer is way easier. I can spray a finish in one day that would take a month to French polish. I’m not suggesting that my objective is to build up a thick finish, but for the type of finish that I want it is an intense amount of labor to do French polishing vs spraying

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13 minutes ago, Dub-T-123 said:

Thank you Rabs! A stain would definitely make the grain pop and I love that idea for other guitars but somehow I’m just not really into that look on Fender style stuff. I want to keep the neck subtle and natural for this project.

 

I love oil finishes and tru oil. I may do the neck only in tru oil. I’m a fan but for me spraying lacquer is way easier. I can spray a finish in one day that would take a month to French polish. I’m not suggesting that my objective is to build up a thick finish, but for the type of finish that I want it is an intense amount of labor to do French polishing vs spraying

Well I can finish a guitar in about a week with Tru Oil..  Then it doesnt need to cure like Nitro does...    It is what it is, we all do what works for us, no right or wrong about any of it, its all good  🙂    If you add some white spirits (mineral spirits) it thins the oil down and makes it dry much quicker too (a small trick I picked up).

Tru Oil is kind of french  polishing but I did a course on that a while back.. Now that would take a long time to get a decent protective finish for a guitar.. Another reason I like tru oil, I believe it has some kind of hardener in it which is why its a good gunstcock finish. Fairly hard waring. and thus I think a good guitar finish too. 

Edited by Rabs
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