Semi-ergo .strandy* inspired 7 string first-build

asher · 11-02-2011, 12:53 AM

Hey guys! Finally getting off my ass about making a proper custom guitar, which I've wanted to do for a while now. I have a bunch of design ideas floating around in this other thread but I started a prototype!

The design I'm going to be running with for a while is the black lines, just for a 7 (red lines are my initial idea):

Proposed specs:
7-string
neck-thru; rosewood, maple, wenge, walnut, purpleheart are current laminate component thoughts
body wings of black limba
top of very possibly myrtlewood, and if not likely walnut or redwood.
fingerboard unknown, pistachio, ziricote, or ebony are likely.
considering 27" scale.
I'd like to mock up a trapezoidal neck carve, too, to see if I like it, especially as Rick Toone is looking to even have one-off private builds license the thing.

Enough clamps? Am I doing that right? The facilities fab. manager (henceforth known as "the shop lady") gave me a pretty weird look about this many clamps, but no actual objections.

It's some random semi crappy wood that's reasonably soft and I have a bunch of fir (it was free) to make wings out of. If the proto goes well I might throw some nylon strings on or something and make a solid body nylon acoustic w/pickup like scherzo did. I just ripped them on the tablesaw and threw them together, and will plane them to a consistent thickness and then trim the fir down to match. After that I'll very likely chuck it on the CNC router we have, since that's what started the idea in the first place.

scherzo1928 · 11-02-2011, 10:50 AM

My only advice is to not use the clamps directly on the wood. It leaves marks that are difficult to get off. And, if you use pieces of wood, mdf or metal between the clamps and the wood, you can get a more even distribution of the preassure.

Other than that, I'm really digging the black line shape.

asher · 11-02-2011, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scherzo1928

My only advice is to not use the clamps directly on the wood. It leaves marks that are difficult to get off. And, if you use pieces of wood, mdf or metal between the clamps and the wood, you can get a more even distribution of the preassure.

Other than that, I'm really digging the black line shape.

When I run through with the proper build I'll make sure I do that.

Spaceman_Spiff · 11-02-2011, 01:02 PM

Y U NO KEEP SEXX-EE BAER DESIGN????

I'm liking the new design actually...Also as Scherzo said, using some kind of buffer between the wood and the clamps will save you the headache of sanding away indentations later on.

Good luck on the build man!

asher · 03-16-2012, 03:06 PM

Ima just leave this here.

I've only got the rest of this semester to actually have shop access, so I need to get my butt moving!

Since I've acquired a JP7 in the meantime, this is turning into a 28.628" 8 string. Headstock has been cleaned up, bridge template dropped in... I think those pickup sizes are right for Lundgren M8s, but they might need to be a hair bigger for the actual cavity routes. Control placement is off. Slightly worried about balance. Will try to run an MDF mockup through the CNC in the next week or tow.

Just A Box · 03-16-2012, 05:11 PM

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the reason that the Strandberg design works is that it's a headless design. The guitar's design looks awesome, but if you were to throw up in the air it would surely come down like a lawn dart every time.

asher · 03-18-2012, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just A Box

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the reason that the Strandberg design works is that it's a headless design. The guitar's design looks awesome, but if you were to throw up in the air it would surely come down like a lawn dart every time.

I think it'd be fine as a sixer, but the 8 width and long scale might well make that happen. I'm very open to suggestions on where to nicely put that extra mass, though.

HighPotency · 03-18-2012, 03:43 PM

This is a somewhat crazy thought, but could you remove some of the headstock wood under the strings? Kind of like what the Floyd Rose speedloader guitars look like.

EtherealEntity · 03-18-2012, 03:48 PM

I don't think you have anything to worry about with a nice long upper horn like that! Especially one that fat

asher · 03-23-2012, 12:51 AM

So I ordered some wood.

On the right most pieces, we have the 3 piece Black Limba body and the 1 piece Palisander neck blank, respectively. Palisander is a variety of rosewood that is apparently extremely workable and stable. Both are from Gilmer Wood.

Top wood is this nicely flamed set of myrtlewood:

Build is moving down to a 27" scale as I was having a really hard time finding long enough pieces of wood for necks, it should still be more than fine for playability, likely. Will just use slightly fatter strings. It's also, both for the same reason and for ease of potential bug fixing, now going to be a bolt-on.

Now: Considering a stripe or of wenge or maple for the neck from LMII, as well as the fact that I still need a fingerboard. Input?

BlackMastodon · 03-23-2012, 07:20 AM

I think a flame maple stripe would go very nicely with that neck

. Some very nice wood there too! I'll have to check out Gilmer sometime.

asher · 03-30-2012, 01:19 PM

Ordered some Macassar Ebony from lmii with their 20" radius service. Time to go about grabbing some basic hardware, I think!

Question: Should I be worried about neck stability with a one-piece and just a truss rod, or should I throw in some carbon fibre stiffeners?

ElRay · 03-30-2012, 01:34 PM

Great start. Added the member built tag. Don't for get to post here: Guitars built by members of SS.org stickied thread when complete.

Ray

Levi79 · 03-30-2012, 01:44 PM

Your neck should be totally fine dude. I've never heard of that being necessary.
This is gonna be cool. Very ambitious first build.

asher · 03-30-2012, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Levi79

Your neck should be totally fine dude. I've never heard of that being necessary.
This is gonna be cool. Very ambitious first build.

I'm waiting for that last bit to bite me in the ass

thanks guys!

asher · 04-02-2012, 11:12 PM

Shitty camera phone pics incoming. All pieces hit with a little mineral oil, which is really only noticable on the top wood:

The grain will definitely need some enhancing to bring out the flame, but it's definitely in there.

Neck feels extremely hard and a little bit oily. I can imagine that the cross grain, very finely sanded, will look sweet and wavy and feel great.

One side of the limba pieces. I'm really, really, really psyched about how these look.

Other side.

Need to:
Order a truss rod from StewMac, decide on some tuners (suggestion? Locking would be great), order the hipshot 8 bridge, and decide on some pickups. Also going to get some MDF to test out my intended procedures and make sure the shape balances.

I was thinking of Lundgren M8s, but they are rather expensive. Lace Bass Bars are another idea. I'm a little hesitant to go active, and I'd like extremely versatile pickups; any suggestions?

scherzo1928 · 04-03-2012, 08:08 AM

Wood looks sexy as hell!

Quote:

Originally Posted by asher

Need to:
Order a truss rod from StewMac, decide on some tuners (suggestion? Locking would be great)

I looove my hipshots.

endo · 04-03-2012, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scherzo1928

Wood looks sexy as hell!

I looove my hipshots.

+1

asher · 04-03-2012, 10:15 PM

Done some tweaking to the body shape while working on building it into 3d, specifically thinning out the upper horn and beefing up the bottom (also shaping a neck heel):

Whatcha think?

scherzo1928 · 04-03-2012, 10:25 PM

Looks sweet. Have you tried making a mockup to see if it's as comfortable as you think? always a great idea, also helps position the controls better.

asher · 04-03-2012, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scherzo1928

Looks sweet. Have you tried making a mockup to see if it's as comfortable as you think? always a great idea, also helps position the controls better.

Gonna pick up some MDF and rout shortly to give it a whirl

asher · 04-05-2012, 04:38 PM

MDF acquired, for free nonetheless. 3/4" thick, so split the big chunks down to two layers (there were five sheets glued together) and got a 3/4" long piece for a neck. I bandsawed out the neck shape and I'm going to leave it at that; I transferred some of the template onto the body block for reference for when I test the flip milling.

Really need to get them together to see about balance. The leg curves are probably gonna get tweaked a little bit as well.

Next up is to get the Rhino file cleaned up and more detailed so I can run it through MasterCAM and get some machine code. Things like an arm and belly carve and neck bolts...

I also really, really need to order hardware now. What do you 8 stringers do for nuts?

Solodini · 04-05-2012, 05:06 PM

Cow shin.

JamesM · 04-05-2012, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solodini

Cow shin.

Solodini · 04-05-2012, 05:34 PM

Bacon strips and sauwce?

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11-02-2011, 12:53 AM	#1
asher n00b with an axe Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlottesville, VA/Oakland, CA Posts: 1,238 Thanked: 15 Feedback Score: 6 reviews	*Semi-ergo .strandy inspired 7 string first-build** Hey guys! Finally getting off my ass about making a proper custom guitar, which I've wanted to do for a while now. I have a bunch of design ideas floating around in this other thread but I started a prototype! The design I'm going to be running with for a while is the black lines, just for a 7 (red lines are my initial idea): Proposed specs: 7-string neck-thru; rosewood, maple, wenge, walnut, purpleheart are current laminate component thoughts body wings of black limba top of very possibly myrtlewood, and if not likely walnut or redwood. fingerboard unknown, pistachio, ziricote, or ebony are likely. considering 27" scale. I'd like to mock up a trapezoidal neck carve, too, to see if I like it, especially as Rick Toone is looking to even have one-off private builds license the thing. Enough clamps? Am I doing that right? The facilities fab. manager (henceforth known as "the shop lady") gave me a pretty weird look about this many clamps, but no actual objections. It's some random semi crappy wood that's reasonably soft and I have a bunch of fir (it was free) to make wings out of. If the proto goes well I might throw some nylon strings on or something and make a solid body nylon acoustic w/pickup like scherzo did. I just ripped them on the tablesaw and threw them together, and will plane them to a consistent thickness and then trim the fir down to match. After that I'll very likely chuck it on the CNC router we have, since that's what started the idea in the first place.

11-02-2011, 10:50 AM	#2
scherzo1928 has wood for you Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mexico City Posts: 4,691 Thanked: 33 $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ Feedback Score: 0 reviews	My only advice is to not use the clamps directly on the wood. It leaves marks that are difficult to get off. And, if you use pieces of wood, mdf or metal between the clamps and the wood, you can get a more even distribution of the preassure. Other than that, I'm really digging the black line shape. Spaceman_Spiff and Navid like this. Is this... guitar?

11-02-2011, 01:02 PM	#4
Spaceman_Spiff SS Contributor Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Akron, Ohio Posts: 850 Thanked: 16 Feedback Score: 3 reviews	Y U NO KEEP SEXX-EE BAER DESIGN???? I'm liking the new design actually...Also as Scherzo said, using some kind of buffer between the wood and the clamps will save you the headache of sanding away indentations later on. Good luck on the build man! "You took the best thing about natural finished guitar bodies and applied it to the neck. I'd compare it to dipping solid chocolate into chocolate mousse, having a lucid dream within a dream, receiving fellatio while having sex, producing energy while burning no fuel. You sir are a genius.'' - in-pursuit "Parker PM 10 trade?" - JackWilliamBellow

03-16-2012, 03:06 PM	#5
asher n00b with an axe Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlottesville, VA/Oakland, CA Posts: 1,238 Thanked: 15 Feedback Score: 6 reviews	Ima just leave this here. I've only got the rest of this semester to actually have shop access, so I need to get my butt moving! Since I've acquired a JP7 in the meantime, this is turning into a 28.628" 8 string. Headstock has been cleaned up, bridge template dropped in... I think those pickup sizes are right for Lundgren M8s, but they might need to be a hair bigger for the actual cavity routes. Control placement is off. Slightly worried about balance. Will try to run an MDF mockup through the CNC in the next week or tow. Bigfan, scherzo1928 and Aevolve like this.

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03-16-2012, 05:11 PM	#6
Just A Box ss.org Regular Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 221 Thanked: 5 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the reason that the Strandberg design works is that it's a headless design. The guitar's design looks awesome, but if you were to throw up in the air it would surely come down like a lawn dart every time. MAXOFMETAL: It's okay, words are funny. While I see how you could have thought that I meant "ignorant" in the form of, "Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated.", when in actuality I meant it as "Lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular", which is far from an offence. I'm sorry you're being so defensive.

03-18-2012, 03:43 PM	#8
HighPotency SS.org Regular Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 366 Thanked: 2 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	This is a somewhat crazy thought, but could you remove some of the headstock wood under the strings? Kind of like what the Floyd Rose speedloader guitars look like.

03-18-2012, 03:48 PM	#9
EtherealEntity T=UWx(2xLxF)^2/386.4 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Southend-on-Sea, Essex, U.K Posts: 8,262 Thanked: 75 Feedback Score: 1 reviews	I don't think you have anything to worry about with a nice long upper horn like that! Especially one that fat

03-23-2012, 12:51 AM	#10
asher n00b with an axe Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlottesville, VA/Oakland, CA Posts: 1,238 Thanked: 15 Feedback Score: 6 reviews	So I ordered some wood. On the right most pieces, we have the 3 piece Black Limba body and the 1 piece Palisander neck blank, respectively. Palisander is a variety of rosewood that is apparently extremely workable and stable. Both are from Gilmer Wood. Top wood is this nicely flamed set of myrtlewood: Build is moving down to a 27" scale as I was having a really hard time finding long enough pieces of wood for necks, it should still be more than fine for playability, likely. Will just use slightly fatter strings. It's also, both for the same reason and for ease of potential bug fixing, now going to be a bolt-on. Now: Considering a stripe or of wenge or maple for the neck from LMII, as well as the fact that I still need a fingerboard. Input? scherzo1928 likes this.

03-23-2012, 07:20 AM	#11
BlackMastodon \m/ (ﾟДﾟ) \m/ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Windsor, ON Posts: 3,158 Thanked: 12 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I think a flame maple stripe would go very nicely with that neck . Some very nice wood there too! I'll have to check out Gilmer sometime. "Metal is for Vikings; if you're not a Viking, get off the boat." - The Beard "He doesn't even like Metallica, that's how metal he is." - My friend describing my musical tastes to her friends.

03-30-2012, 01:19 PM	#12
asher n00b with an axe Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlottesville, VA/Oakland, CA Posts: 1,238 Thanked: 15 Feedback Score: 6 reviews	Ordered some Macassar Ebony from lmii with their 20" radius service. Time to go about grabbing some basic hardware, I think! Question: Should I be worried about neck stability with a one-piece and just a truss rod, or should I throw in some carbon fibre stiffeners?

03-30-2012, 01:34 PM	#13
ElRay Mostly Harmless Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NoIL Posts: 2,237 Thanked: 32 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Great start. Added the member built tag. Don't for get to post here: Guitars built by members of SS.org stickied thread when complete. Ray Konfyouzd likes this. The Ultimate Question: What string gauge is needed for 18.84# of tension when tuned to E2 on a 27" scale guitar?

03-30-2012, 01:44 PM	#14
Levi79 SS.org Regular Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Alberta Posts: 1,680 Thanked: 22 Feedback Score: 30 reviews	Your neck should be totally fine dude. I've never heard of that being necessary. This is gonna be cool. Very ambitious first build.

04-02-2012, 11:12 PM	#16
asher n00b with an axe Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlottesville, VA/Oakland, CA Posts: 1,238 Thanked: 15 Feedback Score: 6 reviews	Shitty camera phone pics incoming. All pieces hit with a little mineral oil, which is really only noticable on the top wood: The grain will definitely need some enhancing to bring out the flame, but it's definitely in there. Neck feels extremely hard and a little bit oily. I can imagine that the cross grain, very finely sanded, will look sweet and wavy and feel great. One side of the limba pieces. I'm really, really, really psyched about how these look. Other side. Need to: Order a truss rod from StewMac, decide on some tuners (suggestion? Locking would be great), order the hipshot 8 bridge, and decide on some pickups. Also going to get some MDF to test out my intended procedures and make sure the shape balances. I was thinking of Lundgren M8s, but they are rather expensive. Lace Bass Bars are another idea. I'm a little hesitant to go active, and I'd like extremely versatile pickups; any suggestions?

04-03-2012, 10:15 PM	#19
asher n00b with an axe Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlottesville, VA/Oakland, CA Posts: 1,238 Thanked: 15 Feedback Score: 6 reviews	Done some tweaking to the body shape while working on building it into 3d, specifically thinning out the upper horn and beefing up the bottom (also shaping a neck heel): Whatcha think? vampiregenocide, BlackMastodon and Solodini like this.

04-03-2012, 10:25 PM	#20
scherzo1928 has wood for you Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mexico City Posts: 4,691 Thanked: 33 $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Looks sweet. Have you tried making a mockup to see if it's as comfortable as you think? always a great idea, also helps position the controls better. Is this... guitar?

04-05-2012, 04:38 PM	#22
asher n00b with an axe Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlottesville, VA/Oakland, CA Posts: 1,238 Thanked: 15 Feedback Score: 6 reviews	MDF acquired, for free nonetheless. 3/4" thick, so split the big chunks down to two layers (there were five sheets glued together) and got a 3/4" long piece for a neck. I bandsawed out the neck shape and I'm going to leave it at that; I transferred some of the template onto the body block for reference for when I test the flip milling. Really need to get them together to see about balance. The leg curves are probably gonna get tweaked a little bit as well. Next up is to get the Rhino file cleaned up and more detailed so I can run it through MasterCAM and get some machine code. Things like an arm and belly carve and neck bolts... I also really, really need to order hardware now. What do you 8 stringers do for nuts? scherzo1928 and Solodini like this.

04-05-2012, 05:06 PM	#23
Solodini Thread Killer. Join Date: May 2011 Location: East Lothian, Scotland. Posts: 2,150 Thanked: 21 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Cow shin. Check out my book: "Playing Guitar Musically: A Guide to Creativity on Guitar & Bass" FREE Sample Chapters Here Buy the full book here. PM me if you want to discuss it or just fancy a chat. I also give lessons over Skype, Bandhappy and within the Lothians.

04-05-2012, 05:34 PM	#25
Solodini Thread Killer. Join Date: May 2011 Location: East Lothian, Scotland. Posts: 2,150 Thanked: 21 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Bacon strips and sauwce? Check out my book: "Playing Guitar Musically: A Guide to Creativity on Guitar & Bass" FREE Sample Chapters Here Buy the full book here. PM me if you want to discuss it or just fancy a chat. I also give lessons over Skype, Bandhappy and within the Lothians.

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