A few more photos.
Cheers
Ricky
A few more photos.
Cheers
Ricky
Lovely handiwork. Looking forward to the next update.
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Kit builds: JBA-4M | STA-1M | AIB-1Q | TL-1 (in progress)
Side projects: Artist TC59 | Sheoak Dreaming | Spalted Marri Metal | Randy Vs | Sassafrassin' | St. Vincent
Well, the shed project is finished!
Polished, strung and intonated. (now all I have to do is learn to play it)
The neck is a "D" shape so slightly thicker than the norm. I also made it 2mm wider all the way down as there are some bits of music I play where my fingers struggle with the Gibson sized neck. It is only an experiment but so far I have found that I can control the faster runs and riffs a bit better - my fingers do not slide off the edge of the neck.
Tone is fantastic! I think this is mainly due to the solid mahogany centre beam. It is 4 inches wide and runs full length of the body. Possibly also due to the Warman Tennessee pu's.
Bridge is at a bit more of an angle. I was trying to avoid running out of intonation space as it is a home build and measurements could be a bit off. As it turned out it intonates well.
She is heavy but no tendancy to nose dive that I can see although I tend to play seated anyway.
Finish is Omi-Cron 2k automotive lacquer - you definitely need good masks for that stuff.
Probably about 24 coats - 4 at a session/day.
Lots of wet sanding and then many hours of hand polishing with T-Cut etc.
Great project and I loved every minute of it.
If you have not built a guitar from scratch I can recommend it. Take each task as a separate project and take your time.
Photo time.
Cheers
Ricky
A couple more pics.
Cheers
Ricky
Good job mate. Very tidy on the volute as well.
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Build #1 - TLA-1Q
Build #2 - Scratch Thinline Tele
Build #3 - Scratch Rickenbacker 330/12
Build #4 - Scratch All Aussie Timber Strat
Build #5 - 1st Violin/Fiddle
Pedal Build #1 - Aion Gale
Pedal Build #2 - Aion Aurora
Do you mean the original Gibson 335? The centre blocks in the original was maple. They had two routes near the neck pocket and near the bridge for wiring. I had a 335 Fatneck Dot reissue at one point. The body on the real first ones was 5-ply front and back but for years Gibson has used 3-ply and maple-poplar-maple. I think the top end Historics are maple-maple-maple but still 3-ply. I think the f-holes today are routed once the body's glued.
Thanks mojo and woltz!
I think it is more dogged determination than skill really but I love working with wood.
Dacious, you are right. The original (and current, I believe) centre block is maple with a mahogany end cap.
I looked at using maple but the price was ridiculous so I opted for mahogany. It is made from 2 laminations of mahogany 'plank' glued together and then the end cap glued to that.
I thought that using a softer wood would be pointless in achieving what I was looking for (but it would have been much cheaper).
I think Gibson create their ply during the construction process rather than using a sheet of pre-made ply. Again, this was a process that was not available to me so I used marine grade 3-ply mahogany faced and then glued a maple veneer on top.
And, yes, I routed the F holes after the body was assembled - less chance of any splitting when the bend was clamped in.
Cheers
Ricky
Well done, Ricky. Something you can be proud of. Doing a semi-hollow body as your first full scratch build takes a lot of guts but you did it.
So what's the next one going to be?
I love the guitar. Really love the neck - the colours go together so well.
PitBull Builds: FVB-4, LP-1SS, FBM-1, AG-2, TB-4, SSCM-1, TLA-1, TL-1TB, STA-1HT, DSCM-1 Truckster, ST-1, STA-1, MBM-1.
Scratch Builds: Pine Explorer, Axe Bass, Mr Scary, Scratchy Tele's.
The little voices in my head keep telling me "build more guitars"