Junior builds a Les Paul Junior

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:11 pm

Thought I'd post this of another young guitar builder My grandson Jake built this solid body guitar some years ago. At the time he was 9-10 years old. With my supervision he went through the whole process using all the machines. He fretted it too. He finished it with U Beaut wax's. Plays pretty good. Thanks for looking.

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:28 pm

That has to be the coolest thing I ever heard, fancy the bragging rights at school and later with that under your belt! "You been 'play'in' since you were 10. I had built my first Les Paul rip by then sunshine"

Taffy, the boy must think you are the coolest Pop that ever lived, well done.

Cheers

Kim

sebastiaan56 · Post by **sebastiaan56** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:41 am

That is so cool Taffy, so who has the bragging rights at the skate park eh.... There is a similar thread going on on the WWForum here. http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=70739

How is the wax holding up?

ozziebluesman · Post by **ozziebluesman** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:20 am

Yep, I would say Jake is a very lucky young man. It is great to see what apperars in the picture is an instilled pride and patience in such a young man. Great little guitar!! Congratulations to you both.

Cheers

Alan

Hesh1956 · Post by **Hesh1956** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:54 am

Great post Taffy and Jake looks like he has the touch already! What does he want to be when he gets older - has he said?

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:55 pm

Good on you Taffy. Not every parent or grandparent has the patience to deal with a short person in their shop. I'm sure he will treasure the memories of spending time with you as much as the guitar itself.

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 2:48 pm

That is very cool. I was into making stuff as a kid but never had access to any decent tools or techniques. I would have done anything to be Jake. Now I have a cool workshop but my family is in WA. But my 8yr old nephew came over at Xmas and we started buiding a guitar for him. It was fun. We had one rule,

Finish the day with the same number of fingers you had when you started.

Jake must have been very pleased with himself.
Cheers
Dom

snidermike · Post by **snidermike** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:02 pm

Way cool. And he even used a drawknife!

James Mc · Post by **James Mc** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:04 pm

Gery cool! Great to see you passing on the skills... a very lucky kid

What else would you use to shape a neck? I tried a spoke shave but it didn't do the job as well as a draw knife.

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:52 am

Thanks for the comments guys.
Jakes two sisters have also spent time in the workshop. In the early days my biggest fear was that all the machine tables were at their head hight. But no blood. One grandaughter has built a dulcimer and the other, much younger, built a "bisuit tin" banjo.
I do not force them into it so they only do it if they ask. The youngest one wanted a guitar for school, I have photo's of her repairing a nylon string from my stash of future projects. She did a good job and still plays it. I showed this photo to my wife who produced a forgotten photo of my daughter, her mother, doing the same thing at the same age, 7years old.
As cleaning up is part of the process I have 4 different size brooms so that long broomsticks do not knock the crap out of my workshop. Yes you guessed I have 4 grandkids that share time in the workshop. Its time consuming but rewarding for all. The Dulcimer was put into a craft exhibition it won first prize. But in the adult section with my name on it as they did not believe she made it. Courtney said she did not mind because the adult prize money was higher, we did get them to change the certificate though. I have video'd her second build process just in case.

sebastiaan56 · Post by **sebastiaan56** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:14 pm

Taffy,

You are a bloody gem mate!

matthew · Post by **matthew** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:25 pm

I made an electric guitar when I was about 14. Didn't have any plans, or any idea how to do it. My dad had a workshop and tools but like me, he had not a clue about instruments. I used pine and tassy oak i think. I remember it was painted bright red, and had a neck like a banana. I had no idea about truss-rods or anything like that. Unplayable really, but I wish I still had it. No photos as far as I know. I wound pickups by hand onto common or garden magnets stolen from toys. very thin sound.

I also built my own "fuzzbox", just a simple distortion circuit, and wired it into a tobacco tin. I was the only kid with a fuzzbox at the time, so this was a real bonus.

for an amp, I used the mic input on my Dad's National cassette-radio, the type with the pushbuttons on the top, and a giant 3" speaker. Managed to totally blow that one up.

I also built a triangular bouzouki-like-object with four strings made of plywood, galv wire, and frets made of ... fencing wire and picture-wire araldited into the slots. I remember that one actually sounded OK. And I have NO IDEA where it went ... I guess someone souvenired it or lent it to someone when I was in sydney studying.

All good memories. I still have a recording done on the National of me and my mate playing smoke on the water, aged 14. hilariously bad, but i must say, i've heard worse!

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:58 pm

Hi Mathew
Love that story, the first riff my son played to me was Smoke. the first instrument I built was a mandolin, I had no plans and nothing to copy. I had a photo of a guy plaing a mandolin and worked out if a mans hand covers a third of a mandolin this it must be three hands long, soooo...........
Anyway thinking back, it would have made a good flat back Bouzouki if I had it today.

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:53 pm

Taffy, where were you when I was a wee bairn ?

This sounds like the perfect childhood 'round at Taffy's pad !!!!!
And a big well done to Jake on the build.
Definitely something to be proud of

cheers, Stu

Dennis Leahy · Post by **Dennis Leahy** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:35 pm

Wow! How cool is that!

At age 9, I took things apart, but seldom got them back together right. What a difference a mentor can make.

What a great experience for the both of you. Thanks for sharing, Taffy!

Dennis

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Junior builds a Les Paul Junior

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