Tips for a virgin electric builder.

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nnickusa
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Re: Tips for a virgin electric builder.

Post by nnickusa » Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:51 am

There are better sources than me on here for solid body timbers, but Blackwood and Qld Maple are pretty common and both can have some awesome figure in them. Even un figured, they are attractive timbers. Or, you can do a drop top of almost anything, Eastern Maple, blackwood, etc, etc. I made a tele out of scrap timbers left over from a bathroom renovation I did at home.
image.jpg
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The top is Silky Oak, dyed blue and everything else is New Guinea Rosewood.

I'm also working on a neck thru copy of an Ibanez Musician with a Qld maple neck and blackwood wings that I got off a mate a while back...

You might have a look a Demonx thread in his guitars in the gallery. He favours a style similar to what you are chasing and has some examples of his work in that thread.

Of course, you can pick up a chunk of mahogany, and paint it, so it'll look like whatever you want it to....Lots of alternatives and only your imagination can limit you.

Re: the pick up. I had a guitar with lacetones in it before. Good pickups.
I wish I was half the man my dog thinks I am....

Cheers,
Nick

https://www.facebook.com/pages/DMI-hand ... 744?ref=hl

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dougmurray85
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Re: Tips for a virgin electric builder.

Post by dougmurray85 » Wed Jul 30, 2014 11:44 am

That is a very sexy tele :cl

And Searls are some very inspiring axes \m/

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demonx
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Re: Tips for a virgin electric builder.

Post by demonx » Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:36 pm

For a first ever build, I'll offer the following advice.

Forget CAD modelling and CNC as if you cannot build by designing on paper and then building with handtools, then operating a CNC isnt' going to happen, think of the CNC as just a router, you still need to be able to do everything by hand.

Try to keep things as basic as possible, no expensive exotic timbers or hard to work with specs. Most people end out stuffing up their first guitar so you don't want to blow out some wicked timber on something you're just going to burn, I'd suggest something you can buy that is plantation grown and easy to source like Mahogany or Maple. They are also tried and tested bread and butter guitar timbers.

Don't expect anyone at a woodworking club to be of much assistance. My experience with local woodworking clubs is they are great at making letterboxes or birdhouses and that's about it. If you get an advanced guy he may be able to turn you a pen! You'll get more help on a guitar forum.

The specialized tool list is extensive. Expect it to be more expensive than going out and buying a custom built guitar. This is where most people fail to plan, they think they'll just work on bare minimums tool wise and then their lack of purpose tools means failure of a finished item. Clamps is another thing that most first time builders underestimate.

You'll need LOTS and they are expensive. For example, today I did a top lamination and used maybe twenty clamps. Every time I glue a fingerboard I use ten clamps AND a caul. You also will need bigger clamps and smaller clamps, so one set will not work for all. In other words, expect to spend about three hundred or more on clamps - minimum. That is assuming you guy cheap and nasties. The same amount (20) in a decent brand will cost you over a grand and that is just the small F clamps, you'll also need a handful of sash clamps (about fifty bucks each) for gluing bodies. The list of tools goes on and on.

I cannot remember if the stewmac mitre box is wide enough for a 8 string board. You may want to check into that before blowing your cash. I use the stewmac templates, but not for baritones and I've cut my stewmac mitrebox up and attached it to a saw, so I don't have a width issue hense why I cannot remember how wide it is.

I'd suggest making your body thicker. 45mm is standard. I make mine a bit thinner unless the customer special requests a thick body, which I recently did on a recent build.

Also, if you use the Lace pickups as you mentioned, make sure to follow their wire diagrams as they have non standard wiring. The two wires you'd normally twist together to complete a loop, one of them needs to be earthed and the other left open, unless you're coil splitting. Don't expect the Lace Deathbar to stand up to their marketing hype. it's like a EMG with the gain turned back a bit.

That should give you a few things to think about for now.

Cheers

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dougmurray85
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Re: Tips for a virgin electric builder.

Post by dougmurray85 » Tue Sep 02, 2014 7:10 pm

Cheers for all that Demon.

A failure to plan, is a plain to fail. :dru

I am still holding on to the dream of the build, but as I assumed the lutherie specific tools are probably going to push the budget past feasible :( I definitely wasn't going to touch exotic woods and laminate tops were out of the question 8) Heck I'd be happy to use radiata pine if it is suitable.

Wade, an ANZLF regular, and a mate of mine here in Newcastle has offered to help me and states that he has the space and most of the tools to get an electric project going, but as far as I'm aware he's only built acoustics at this point. I'll suss out what is in his arsenal.

What tools do you suggest are essential for an electric build?

The choice of the lace deathbar is going off many people over at the 7string.org forum highly recommending them, plus they're just that little bit cheaper than a Duncan. I actually didn't mind the EMGs in my 6, but swapped them out as replacing the batteries was a total pain. Anything else is way too expensive. Going off my experience in servicing and playing my mate's RG2228 with EMG808s you want less gain the lower you tune.

From the Duncan soundbites the Pegasus is deffo the go to pickup if the Lace indeed proves inadequate.

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demonx
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Re: Tips for a virgin electric builder.

Post by demonx » Tue Sep 02, 2014 9:30 pm

Routing templates for starters - an acoustic only builder will not have any!

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dougmurray85
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Re: Tips for a virgin electric builder.

Post by dougmurray85 » Tue Sep 02, 2014 9:43 pm

:lol:

And of course here's me wanting to attempt a non standard shape, scale length, and string number for a first build :twisted:

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dougmurray85
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Re: Tips for a virgin electric builder.

Post by dougmurray85 » Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:21 pm

Alas my financial position has changed and my build will have to wait another year :(

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demonx
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Re: Tips for a virgin electric builder.

Post by demonx » Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:24 pm

Always happens with the things we "want".

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dougmurray85
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Re: Tips for a virgin electric builder.

Post by dougmurray85 » Fri Sep 05, 2014 8:16 pm

What sucks even more is the things we need are so damn expensive. Responsibility sucks :oops:

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