Lefty Bill Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I've been futzing with an Epiphone mahogany body as a project, which is a very enjoyable pastime for me, and it's also popular among numerous forum members. The used body and neck and various other hardware pieces were eBay items gathered along the way. The double cutaway was fairly easy, involving some basic layout work, a couple of templates and a 2-1/2" hole saw mounted in a small drill press. After the bout material was trimmed away, shaped and sanded.. trying to not involve the finish on the front of the body to avoid the need to blend finish products to exactly match the original WR finish. So it's no exquisite example of guitar design, just an improvised guitar to try various other experiments on. I though the original theme of the WR models looked good, so I stuck to the all-black hardware style that Epiphone had chosen. The pickups are an Epi 57CH classic humbucker set, rewired with 4-wire leads and have plastic covers over them (metal covers removed). The bridge is a Wilkinson deluxe roller version (allows a wider range of bridge body movement for intonation adjustments and securely clamps to the posts). The tailpiece studs are a unique locking 3-piece design which clamps the tailpiece securely to the posts/studs (they also allow easier access when wanting to pull out the pickups or other tasks involving lifting the tailpiece when the strings are loosened/adjusted slack). The nut is a black Tusq XL. The clear acrylic sheet material was cut to have tabs which extend under the p-up rings so no additional holes need for mounting the pick guard (the screws for the rings pass thru the extended guard material). Mirrored window film was applied to the back of the acrylic after the guard outline was shaped and the edges were rounded. Future styles may include wide chamfered edges, more commonly seen on guards, and LEDs under the rings to add more visual effects. The p-up rings are notched/rabbited at the edges where the guard extensions fit under rings. I haven't added a coil-splitting switch or other various modifications yet, so the controls are just the basic original circuit for now. Other images with brief descriptions can be seen in my other Photo Sets here http://www.flickr.com/photos/52345158@N03/sets/ Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Great job Bill the PG looks fantastic, as does the double cut, all very well done, and ya' can't beat those Wilkinson rollers for value, thanks for sharing mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upsidedown club Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 very nice mod and beautiful guitar[woot] how bout some scrolling inlay or fancy headstock inlay? maybe xtra jumbo frets... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I've got to say that I hate the pickguard with a passion BUT the guitar itself is gorgeous. Swap the H/B's for some P90's and I think you've built my dream guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Thank you much.. the Wilkinson deluxe-style roller bridges are an exceptional value, IMO. They offer more range of adjustment than one can get from a T-O-M *tunamagic* style, where the T-O-M may lack enough range of adjustment for correct intonation adjustments, IME. Schaller has at least one bridge model which has a considerably wider body than a T-O-M, and also features string spacing adjustable saddles, which a Bigsby bridge model also includes IIRC. I started looking at roller bridges when I encountered difficulty determining which replacement saddles might, or might not, fit some original equipment/stock bridges.. the roller type bridges are essentially immune to developing deep grooves (which happens with all stock saddles made from zinc alloy potmetal). The additional bonus of a roller bridge is, they can cost less than a set of aftermarket replacement saddles (synthetic, brass, steel or titanium materials). More recently, I discovered roller saddles available as separate replacement parts from eBay seller Bezdez, although again, the range of adjustment for good intonation in a tunamagic bridge may be inadequate.. depending on bridge stud placement and maybe some choices of strings. Just my amateur observations. Bill Great job Bill the PG looks fantastic, as does the double cut, all very well done, and ya' can't beat those Wilkinson rollers for value, thanks for sharing mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Well, pics from a cheap camera can be deceiving.. the condition of the body isn't that great, but yep, the translucent Wine Red finish can look gorgeous in certain lighting situations. I'm not a big fan of dot fretboard inlays. I bought an old pantograph engraving machine a while ago, for several reasons, but one reason is to attempt to create some interesting inlays. Years ago, when my eyesight was great, I'd have just done it manually with carving tools, but the freehand method just seems to be too time consuming now (although I do have some very good magnifier lamps). When I find some instructional information or figure out a guide fixture/setup for a small router, I'd also like to try adding binding to necks. Lots of adventures in modifying just plain body components, yet to be discovered and enjoyed. Bill very nice mod and beautiful guitar[woot] how bout some scrolling inlay or fancy headstock inlay? maybe xtra jumbo frets... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Thanks, I appreciate your opinions Wiggy. I've used the mirror film in the past, and when a pick guard fabricated from polished sheetmetal was proposed recently, I thought of acrylic as a potential alternative. I've worked with sheetmetals and some methods of cutting will result in the edges being somewhat severely distorted, which is especially obvious with polished finishes. There are so many affordable components available presently, everyone should consider at least one project to create their own favorite style of guitar.. I like the looks of double cutaway bodies more than the traditional Les Paul shape. I've got 2 Epiphone SGs (atill mostly original), and a couple of other Epi LP bodies and necks as project "materials", in addition to a couple of strat style guitars.. so there are numerous possibilities awaiting inspiration (which I find a lot of here in this forum). Bill I've got to say that I hate the pickguard with a passion BUT the guitar itself is gorgeous. Swap the H/B's for some P90's and I think you've built my dream guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNick Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Outstanding bit of engineering with the guard and ring fittings. Congratulations on the mods. Great work, Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 Thanks, SNick.. the guard secured by ring screws idea was an empathetic response to the many comments expressing concern over drilling guard mounting holes in beautiful, new and expensive guitars. I don't have an arch topped model to make a prototype on, but that body style may require thick/tall pickup rings (maybe $6-10/pair) which can then be slotted to accept an extended edge of a guard in the same way, so no holes need to be drilled in the body. For an archtop, because of the swooping contours, a guard may require a thick wool felt or other "block" of soft-faced material for support to prop up the elevated guard's long section. Bill Outstanding bit of engineering with the guard and ring fittings. Congratulations on the mods. Great work, Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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