@steadda well your first build looks great, sadly I don’t have enough experience to offer advice on your thickness query. I’d be inclined to say it’s personal preference if you’re making it chambered to reduce the weight or for aesthetics, if it’s to get a louder, rounder sound when noodling unplugged I’d expect there’s more science behind it!

@steadda.

Great first build Dave. I'd reduce the thickness of the body by the thickness of the Cap. It would be one chunky guitar otherwise and quite heavy.........but I guess it is all down to preference.

Cheers,

Russ

🙂🎶🎸🙏

My first build is a CrasterCaster - named after a small fishing village in my home county of Northumberland, and it's meant to look as though it's been made form an old barrel or fish box.

@steadda Hey Dave, that’s a great name for your guitar, I absolutely love that part of England, in terms of beautiful scenery and warm people. My wife and I have been to Craster many many times, a good walk to Dunstanburgh Castle and back, then into The Jolly Fisherman for food and a pint (ok two.....) and then buy some kippers from the smokery. We mainly stay in Bamburgh but we always take a trip to Craster, it’s tradition now. 

In terms of your second build, I would say plane 10 to 12mm off the body blank so your 8mm top will make up the full thickness of the blank when you glue it on. A standard body blank should be about 40mm thick, give or take a few mm depending on the design. 

I’m glad you found us, it’s a great resource and full of helpful people. So keep building and don’t worry about making mistakes, we all do them. Any time you have questions or just want any advice, come and talk to us here in the forum and we will help. Keep in touch and good luck. 👍

Thanks Boo. If you look closely at the pictures on the wall behind me you might recognise the greatest castle in all of England, imho.

If you look closely at the pictures on the wall behind me you might recognise the greatest castle in all of England, imho.

@steadda Looks like the fantastic Bamburgh Castle to me, love it. 

and...... barring a couple of mistakes (which I think I've hidden) I have almost proved him right. 

 

You certainly proved him right, great guitar! I've made about 20 guitars and basses now, not one of them without making a mistake. As for your next build I would advice to use a thinner body blank (somewhere between 35 to 37 mm). The guy I buy my woods from planes the body blanks (and neck blanks) to the thickness I ask, only takes him a few minutes. I'm sure if you order a body blank from Mark and ask him to plain it to the thickness you want that will be no problem.

The cap is about 7-8mm thick and the bodies supplied by Mark are 44mm. My question is, would the body and cap be too thick, should I (a) try to get a thinner body or (b) should I reduce the thickness of the mahogany to compensate?

It's largely a matter of personal taste.

Guitars vary in shape, weight and size, largely to appeal to different tastes.  But, a total of 52mm is towards the thick end of the spectrum - even if you will chamber the body to keep the weight sensible.

What tools have you got to reduce the thickness of the body?  Alternatively, Mark might sort that out for you, before sending it.