Dub-T-123 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 Excellent stuff man.. You've made a better start than I have.. I wish you all the best of luck with it Not to diminish Ryan's success, but selling pedals is a lot easier than guitars Rabs. Something that costs a couple hundred vs something that costs 1K+ is a huge difference. I think your passion for guitar building is enough to eventually bring you some success, keep at it buddy. By the way, it'd be cool to see some posts of your work in here, I didn't make this thread just for stomps! (even though that's pretty much all I've posted :P ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 ... selling pedals is a lot easier than guitars Rabs. What he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 What he said. Cheers guys :) And yeah I know its a different thing.. But those contacts hes made are awesome.. And that's what its all about really.. Getting noticed.... And ok cool... Heres some stuff.. The latest Half n Half im working on, this time a neck through Plus I have some really interesting new tops... This is Oak And more recently I just ordered these Black Walnut tops... And something different im trying.. What im calling a Frame build at the moment... So I start off with a thin long piece of Oak and cut it to this shape You can see its big enough for my template then I glue a Meranti board each side of the frame And cut it to shape.. So this is like a chambered body :) of course this is all on my facebook page if you are interested in following https://www.facebook.com/RabsWoodGuitars/ Ohh and heres a new vid I just made of one of my builds Hows that for an update ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 And something different im trying.. What im calling a Frame build at the moment... That seems like a brilliant idea! The cavity should leave lots of room for wiring, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Not to diminish Ryan's success, but selling pedals is a lot easier than guitars Rabs. Something that costs a couple hundred vs something that costs 1K+ is a huge difference. I think your passion for guitar building is enough to eventually bring you some success, keep at it buddy. By the way, it'd be cool to see some posts of your work in here, I didn't make this thread just for stomps! (even though that's pretty much all I've posted :P ) Everything he said ^ And I hope you all know that if one of my "celebrity" clients requires something outside of my area of expertise but inside one of yours, I'll be sending them your way ;) -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 I may be a ghost, but things are always happening... Can't find much info on the brand, it's called Premier. The electronics are decent, the color was blue in the inside but dry rotted green before i took it out. I want to say it's a cheap brand, but the quality of the neck wood is making me rethink it's origins. China? Japan? Maybe. The hardware itself is decent. Nothing really screams low quality, but nothing screams premium either, it does have a four piece body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 I may be a ghost, but things are always happening... Can't find much info on the brand, it's called Premier. The electronics are decent, the color was blue in the inside but dry rotted green before i took it out. I want to say it's a cheap brand, but the quality of the neck wood is making me rethink it's origins. China? Japan? Maybe. The hardware itself is decent. Nothing really screams low quality, but nothing screams premium either, it does have a four piece body. Hey man.. Hows things... So what you going to do to it? I just found this, not sure if its the same company or not? https://www.facebook.com/PremierBassGuitars/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Nice to see you dem00n!! That thing really looks like an 80s or 90s Japanese bass, but who knows? Nice looking neck Here's a silicon Fuzz Face I finished up yesterday. I got this repro PCB for free with the fuzz face enclosure that I bought a while back and the material is kinda brittle around where the holes were drilled. I blew out one of the holes where the input cap goes which is really bothering me, but other than that this is a pretty sweet fuzz. Trannies are NOS Texas Instruments BC183 made in Germany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted April 12, 2016 Author Share Posted April 12, 2016 I made this Fuzz Factory yesterday so I don't have to worry about somebody stealing or damaging my super cool custom painted Zvex But mostly I just made it for fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 I made this Fuzz Factory yesterday so I don't have to worry about somebody stealing or damaging my super cool custom painted Zvex The powdercoats are looking great, man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted April 12, 2016 Author Share Posted April 12, 2016 Thanks. I'm gonna try and powdercoat 10 boxes today. Not sure if I have time though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Heres the latest build with one of those Walnut tops.. The back wood is Meranti (I think :)) Just about big enough for a one piece back And I decided to do a bit of weight relief as its fairly heavy wood (its the hard type of Meranti).. Lets call this, semi chambered :) And heres the neck, also Meranti (or it could be Utile?) It sometimes hard to tell.. And the Walnut top which I have now glued together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 That looks pretty cool Rabs. How do you start going from neck blank to neck? Do you glue the fretboard on and use a flush-trim bit to get the blank down to the fretboard size or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 That looks pretty cool Rabs. How do you start going from neck blank to neck? Do you glue the fretboard on and use a flush-trim bit to get the blank down to the fretboard size or what? Cheers man. This is what my blanks start out like In this case yes that exactly what I will do, use a router bit with a guide bearing. But that's because I have a fretboard to size (a pre-made one :)) so that's the easiest way... HOWEVER because I use a jigsaw and don't have a band saw cutting out fretboards can be risky, before the frets go on and its glued they are quite fragile.. I have killed a few that way so I tend to glue them down which gives the board support when I cut and then get them too size using the neck blank as a guide. Heres a few more pics... I glued the top to the body which you need to leave overnight, so back to this tomorrow.. I think I used enough clamps :D And then cos I didn't have much else to do I started on another body.. This one is Beechwood and needs a top I really like Beech.. Nice hard wood with lovely grain By the way, I just thought id mention.. Some people may have noticed that my pics have been getting a bit rough.. that's cos my so called dust/water proof phone has dust in the lens so it finds it hard to focus properly.. getting a new one in a month or so ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 Cheers man. This is what my blanks start out like In this case yes that exactly what I will do, use a router bit with a guide bearing. But that's because I have a fretboard to size (a pre-made one :)) so that's the easiest way... HOWEVER because I use a jigsaw and don't have a band saw cutting out fretboards can be risky, before the frets go on and its glued they are quite fragile.. I have killed a few that way so I tend to glue them down which gives the board support when I cut and then get them too size using the neck blank as a guide. Heres a few more pics... I glued the top to the body which you need to leave overnight, so back to this tomorrow.. I think I used enough clamps :D And then cos I didn't have much else to do I started on another body.. This one is Beechwood and needs a top I really like Beech.. Nice hard wood with lovely grain By the way, I just thought id mention.. Some people may have noticed that my pics have been getting a bit rough.. that's cos my so called dust/water proof phone has dust in the lens so it finds it hard to focus properly.. getting a new one in a month or so ... Lol yeah my phone is all full of dust too from swimming around in sawdust all day :P So after the neck blank matches the fretboard shape, what do you do to start shaping the back of the neck? I'm extra curious because I've seen some cool bodies on eBay and I'm thinking about making a neck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Lol yeah my phone is all full of dust too from swimming around in sawdust all day :P So after the neck blank matches the fretboard shape, what do you do to start shaping the back of the neck? I'm extra curious because I've seen some cool bodies on eBay and I'm thinking about making a neck Well its not that hard really... I think anyway.. The very first neck I did using rasp files, but man that was painful, probably took me three sessions to get it finished (like filing until my arms cant move any more)... But I got it right.. Then I found out a way of doing it with an angle grinder that has a sanding disc pad attachment.. Its really messy and you gotta be careful not to take it too far but its a really fast way of doing it. Which I made a video of (and this was the first time I ever tried it) I get it down to rough size like that and finish with files and various sanding machines (mostly an orbital sander (they are great)... Most people tend to use rasps or spoke shaves which I want to try some time.. its certainly a less messy way :) Theres loads of vids on youtube about this, worth watching a few, the more you watch the better idea you will get. And also I saw this vid which I thought was a really cool idea.. I haven't tried it yet, but I may do on this build. The best advice really is to keep checking.. File a bit, check it, file a bit check etc.. You can use tools to check the shape but I mainly do it by eye and feel and check with callipers how thick it is (which is probably the most important aspect) you don't want too go too thin, I think my headstock ends are usually about 22mm thick (obviously including the fretboard).. Also I do something that im not sure many people do.. I usually carve the neck after its joined to the body.. And I do that cos I don't have any set dimensions, I let the guitar tell me how it wants the neck to be (if you see what I mean :)) Well if you have any other questions always feel free to ask :) (even though youtube has way more info than I can ever impart) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Lol yeah my phone is all full of dust too from swimming around in sawdust all day :P So after the neck blank matches the fretboard shape, what do you do to start shaping the back of the neck? I'm extra curious because I've seen some cool bodies on eBay and I'm thinking about making a neck Also thinking about it.. One of the harder aspects that needs some time to get right is the tenon... Especially if you are doing a LP type build. You gotta get the angle right and it has to be dead straight or you will see it in the join... And also its taken me a while to realise how important that step is, I used to try and do it after I glued the fretboard on which is really difficult as you need to cut under where the fretboard is.. And I did that to allow for any movement when gluing cos obviously if you don't glue it in the right place its not going to fit properly. But I made it hard for myself.. So im doing it the correct way these days Heres a cool jig idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 Also thinking about it.. One of the harder aspects that needs some time to get right is the tenon... Especially if you are doing a LP type build. You gotta get the angle right and it has to be dead straight or you will see it in the join... And also its taken me a while to realise how important that step is, I used to try and do it after I glued the fretboard on which is really difficult as you need to cut under where the fretboard is.. And I did that to allow for any movement when gluing cos obviously if you don't glue it in the right place its not going to fit properly. But I made it hard for myself.. So im doing it the correct way these days Heres a cool jig idea Hmm lots of helpful info there thanks! I like the locator pin idea for the fretboard. Cutting the tenon angle looks pretty intense, as does the headstock angle. Have you ever thought of using a round over bit to get the neck profile started? That's my first thought, but I guess it would be all about getting a size and shape that gets you going in the right direction There's seriously a lot to digest on just making a set neck.. Much respect to you Rabs! Part of me wants to stick with the safety of my electronics know-how, part of me wants to expand the ol horizons :0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Hmm lots of helpful info there thanks! I like the locator pin idea for the fretboard. Cutting the tenon angle looks pretty intense, as does the headstock angle. Have you ever thought of using a round over bit to get the neck profile started? That's my first thought, but I guess it would be all about getting a size and shape that gets you going in the right direction There's seriously a lot to digest on just making a set neck.. Much respect to you Rabs! Part of me wants to stick with the safety of my electronics know-how, part of me wants to expand the ol horizons :0 Well if you have a band saw the headstock is easy... When I do it with a jigsaw theres always the chance that the blade doesn't go quite straight so I usually give myself I donno a 10mm maybe more leeway... And then I sand down the rest with the angle grinder or orbital sander if theres not much too take off... The best thing to do, which is how I started is find some really cheap of free wood.. Like the old doors I was first using and I also went around a local industrial estate when I wanted some scrap wood and found some pallets... And I used that to test on first before I used the good wood... It only takes a few times to get it right.. And if you do the research and can follow the instructions well from youtube you could probably get it right first time. Id say go for it man.. You got not much too loose and everything to gain .. But then I would say that :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 Well if you have a band saw the headstock is easy... When I do it with a jigsaw theres always the chance that the blade doesn't go quite straight so I usually give myself I donno a 10mm maybe more leeway... And then I sand down the rest with the angle grinder or orbital sander if theres not much too take off... The best thing to do, which is how I started is find some really cheap of free wood.. Like the old doors I was first using and I also went around a local industrial estate when I wanted some scrap wood and found some pallets... And I used that to test on first before I used the good wood... It only takes a few times to get it right.. And if you do the research and can follow the instructions well from youtube you could probably get it right first time. Id say go for it man.. You got not much too loose and everything to gain .. But then I would say that :) Hmm yeah I do have a bandsaw and that should make it pretty easy huh. I was thinking a little over complicated. I can imagine that doing that with a jigsaw absolutely sucks. My jigsaw blade never goes straight, so I don't really rely on it at all for straight cuts. I dunno if I've told you but I build custom cabinets so I've got all the tools and materials of your dreams, just none of your luthier skills haha Where do you find templates and things? I'd love to find a template for a gretsch astro jet neck but that seems really unlikely.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Hmm yeah I do have a bandsaw and that should make it pretty easy huh. I was thinking a little over complicated. I can imagine that doing that with a jigsaw absolutely sucks. My jigsaw blade never goes straight, so I don't really rely on it at all for straight cuts. I dunno if I've told you but I build custom cabinets so I've got all the tools and materials of your dreams, just none of your luthier skills haha Where do you find templates and things? I'd love to find a template for a gretsch astro jet neck but that seems really unlikely.. Hmm, well... Id say you should be able to do it... Templates.. Hahaha.. Well my for my double cut shape.. errrm I used my Gibson DC :unsure: :) Literally drew around it on some MDF and cut the MDF out and maybe change the horn shape slightly... The other shapes I did myself. My Arrow shape started as a Tele template I printed out from the internet and then I just drew it on the MDF re-designed it a little by hand. This one And this one, its a kind of DC shape, but I made the body a bit smaller (originally to fit the wood I had) and did my own horns again You can also get loads off the internet which you may just have to scale up or down a bit.. And if you only have an A4 printer you can print it out on 4 sheets and stick it together, cut it out and MDF it. I made my own cavity and pickup templates, again out of MDF :) But you can also buy those off ebay easy enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 Thanks again for all the help/inspiration! I'm gonna check out some YouTube videos now that I need to stop annoying the neighbors with the new fuzz factory build My big problem right now is time haha. I want to plunge in on a guitar build but need to build a new amp first because the ac30 has been crapping out constantly. And ya know, planning on building WAY more pedals I think my time could be spent doing research on guitar building in the meantime, so get ready for lots of questions pretty much every time you post Hmm, well... Id say you should be able to do it... Templates.. Hahaha.. Well my for my double cut shape.. errrm I used my Gibson DC :unsure: :) Literally drew around it on some MDF and cut the MDF out and maybe change the horn shape slightly... The other shapes I did myself. My Arrow shape started as a Tele template I printed out from the internet and then I just drew it on the MDF re-designed it a little by hand. This one And this one, its a kind of DC shape, but I made the body a bit smaller (originally to fit the wood I had) and did my own horns again You can also get loads off the internet which you may just have to scale up or down a bit.. And if you only have an A4 printer you can print it out on 4 sheets and stick it together, cut it out and MDF it. I made my own cavity and pickup templates, again out of MDF :) But you can also buy those off ebay easy enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Ok so heres the latest for today... Cap glued successfully Im going to trim the top with a router bit that has a bearing at the bottom so will follow the body shape Nice.. there were a few small places where the join wasn't perfect but I will show you how I deal with that in a different post...... But generally it worked well Sweet.. Im really excited about this build.. I just cant decide if I want to do binding or not for this.. I get a gut feeling that it may look nicer with just a nice roundover?? I will think about it Then I wet the front a bit cos you get a nice idea of what it will look like with some finish on it. Hmmmmm And the side And I decided t trim the neck a bit.. So theres still a mm or two each side.. Which you want because you shouldn't try and take too much off at once with the router.. But a couple of mm is just perfect. Now I just need to do that DARN neck tenon ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Then I wet the front a bit cos you get a nice idea of what it will look like with some finish on it. Hmmmmm That grain is cool. Very unique! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 That grain is cool. Very unique! I know right, I got it from another Luthier on a guitar building forum I look at he let me have them for a great price too :) and I think the second set I have are even nicer than this top... What do you think.. Binding or no binding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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