@markbailey 6 months ago I signed up for your build your own electric guitar course, drew some pictures, ordered some blanks and a fretboard from you, got a load of parts, changed my mind, changed the drawings and set to work. Today I played the nicest guitar I’ve ever picked up, one of your videos talked of it feeling like an old friend when you pick it up and it did. Thank you for putting together an online course, thank you for answering all my questions and thanks for building a fantastic online community. I could never find the time and resources to attend a guitar building course in person so finding your gem of an offering was a real dream.
I’m so proud of what I’ve made and huge thanks to all the people here who have supported and encouraged me along the way, I’d would go for naming names but I’m sure I’d miss someone!!
I’ve a few bits and pieces and finishing touches to go and I’ll post up final pictures soon, at the moment it looks like this
…on an elaborate journey to turn trees into music.
@rocknroller912 Thanks, it’s tricky, obviously my aim was perfection so these small things do niggle me but as I think boo pointed out, if I don’t mention them most people just wouldn’t notice these things. Have to admit too from the 3 people who’ve seen it, not one of them noticed the broken screw!
…on an elaborate journey to turn trees into music.
Back atcha @tej - It is a simple fact that without you and the others none of this would exist. So thanks to you and everyone else here!!
Measure twice, cut once...
@tej Great job man. Feels good doesn’t it?
Glad you enjoyed it. What you got planned next? You know you want to. 😉👍🎸
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
What you got planned next? You know you want to. 😉👍🎸
@boo next will be a 7 string, I borrowed one off someone a week or so ago and really enjoying it. There will be a lot more carving, looking into more intricate inlay work too. Also want to make the fretboard too so this will be a much longer project. What I need to do before any of that though is figure out how I want to finish it though. Much as I love the look of the Wudtone finish I used on this build it’s just not at all durable and marks so so easily. I’ve since made the current one worse trying to get the one pickup surround off as scratched across it, I’ll post with pics in another thread in the hope you’ve some more safe advice!
The other thing I want to do is make a more unique headstock. Other considerations are a laminate neck if I can find the wood I’d want but also might look at a through neck design. Basically all the things That would have been pushing it for a first build.
…on an elaborate journey to turn trees into music.
next will be a 7 string, I borrowed one off someone a week or so ago and really enjoying it. There will be a lot more carving, looking into more intricate inlay work too. Also want to make the fretboard too so this will be a much longer project. What I need to do before any of that though is figure out how I want to finish it though. Much as I love the look of the Wudtone finish I used on this build it’s just not at all durable and marks so so easily. I’ve since made the current one worse trying to get the one pickup surround off as scratched across it, I’ll post with pics in another thread in the hope you’ve some more safe advice!
The other thing I want to do is make a more unique headstock. Other considerations are a laminate neck if I can find the wood I’d want but also might look at a through neck design. Basically all the things That would have been pushing it for a first build.
@tej Very ambitious, good for you. Now you have built a basic one and gained that essential experience, it’s all doable and I’m positive you can and will do it.
Yep, I think finishing is still one of the most difficult bits of guitar building and finding the right products to use can be very difficult. It’s not just finding the products, it’s the application techniques that can be half the battle. There are loads of products out there that I still haven’t tried and that I have no idea or experience of how to apply them. Experimentation is the way forward, it’s all trial and error.
Even though I have painting experience, I’m still learning about spraying onto wooden substrates, it’s different to what I’ve been used to in metal substrates. There are lots of paints I haven’t used before but now I have full licence to experiment with them. There will be triumphs and failures but I’ll figure out what works and what doesn’t and share things in this forum so it can perhaps help others to make good choices and avoid the pitfalls.
Good luck in your endeavours. 👍🎸
Boo.
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
There are loads of products out there that I still haven’t tried
There are more that I haven’t I can assure you 🙂 I’m somewhat limited by not being set up to spray but there are still quite a few options. You’re bang on with experimenting being the way forward, really fell foul of that this time. Annoyingly, and I still don’t know why, the test piece was so different to the actual finish I ended with. The good thing being I loved the colour it ended up 😀
What I need is to find a rub in topcoat that’s genuinely tough, someone did post a product that became available in the UK so I need to find that thread again!
…on an elaborate journey to turn trees into music.
