# Headless 7-String Build



## Customisbetter (Jul 22, 2010)

I bought a slab of Sapele today... It shall be mated to my Walnut neck and rosewood fretboard setting upstairs....

next comes 7 saddles from Strandberg

















ALL TO MAKE THIS

well, kinda


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## leandroab (Jul 22, 2010)

O SHI-


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## Justin Bailey (Jul 22, 2010)

interested to see how this comes out, of course


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## technomancer (Jul 22, 2010)

Very cool, good luck with the build


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## aiur55 (Jul 22, 2010)

Sounds like its gonna be sweet! Where did you get that fretboard blank? it looks so clean.


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## Despised_0515 (Jul 22, 2010)

Bookmarked


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## Customisbetter (Jul 22, 2010)

aiur55 said:


> Sounds like its gonna be sweet! Where did you get that fretboard blank? it looks so clean.



the blank came from LMI. I think it was on sale or something. i know i paid almost nothing for it.

thanks guys!


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## ixlramp (Jul 22, 2010)

Very nice ergonomic design


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## Justin Bailey (Jul 23, 2010)

What kind of neck joint are you planning?


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## Customisbetter (Jul 23, 2010)

blakmachine type AANJ


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## Empryrean (Jul 23, 2010)

Ed this better be worth keeping this thread bookmarked and checking it every 3 hours for the past day


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## darren (Jul 23, 2010)

I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out, especially looking forward to hearing your impressions of the Strandberg bridges.


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## Customisbetter (Jul 23, 2010)

Well i decided to just straight up copy the strandberg design for two reasons...

1) there is a LOT more research behind that body than anything i could put into a modified design...

2)im lazy and have a strandberg template

Her is the template is nearly finished....

here is a pic with another neck....






and in comparison to an RG template....


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## Customisbetter (Jul 23, 2010)

sorry about only three clamps, but im broke.


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## DUY1337GUITAR (Jul 24, 2010)

I'm going to enjoy this


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## ola_strandberg (Aug 23, 2010)

Customisbetter said:


> Well i decided to just straight up copy the strandberg design for two reasons...
> 
> 1) there is a LOT more research behind that body than anything i could put into a modified design...
> 
> ...



Cool! Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Will you hollow it out at all?


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## JohnIce (Aug 23, 2010)

ola_strandberg said:


> Cool! Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Will you hollow it out at all?


 
Wow, the man himself! I egen hög person 

I'm definately a fan of your work Ola, and it's cool that you're offering to help non-customers aswell!


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## anthonyferguson (Aug 23, 2010)

MOAR
Good job so far man  glad to see someone else doing a headless ERG!


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## Customisbetter (Aug 23, 2010)

ola_strandberg said:


> Cool! Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Will you hollow it out at all?



Wow thank you so much! I may hollow it out if i can find a suitable top for it. When i save up some cash I'll go burl shopping.


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## ola_strandberg (Aug 23, 2010)

JohnIce said:


> Wow, the man himself! I egen hög person
> 
> I'm definately a fan of your work Ola, and it's cool that you're offering to help non-customers aswell!



You bet! It's just flattering to be copied  The drawings are free to download from my home page as long as you follow the licensing rules of Creative Commons.

Cheers,
Ola


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## technomancer (Aug 23, 2010)

Ola


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## HumanFuseBen (Aug 23, 2010)

oh wow!!!!!!!!!!!! this looks amazing, can't wait to see the final product!


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## Customisbetter (Aug 23, 2010)

Also i totally forgot to update the mockup for this build.

Here is the final plan. Kind of a Blackmachine-esque design. 







Mockup credits go to Mr. Justin Bailey.


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## Justin Bailey (Aug 23, 2010)

really excited to see this thing come together!


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## ola_strandberg (Aug 24, 2010)

Customisbetter said:


> Also i totally forgot to update the mockup for this build.
> 
> Here is the final plan. Kind of a Blackmachine-esque design.
> 
> ...



That looks awesome!


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## flo (Aug 24, 2010)

Cool to see a "smart" guitar design, nothing against the RG builds on here but I love to see builds that inspire, and show some new ideas. How on earth can I have missed Strandberg until now? Fan ochså... de är balla.


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## ola_strandberg (Aug 25, 2010)

Justin Bailey said:


> really excited to see this thing come together!



Hey Justin,
if you want actual pics of Strandberg hardware for future mockups, let me know what formats/sizes and I will get you some.

Best,
Ola


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## damigu (Aug 25, 2010)

i love headless guitars/basses. and i love 7 strings.

and i love your mockup. i hope the final guitar looks just as good and--more importantly--plays excellently!


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## Justin Bailey (Aug 25, 2010)

ola_strandberg said:


> Hey Justin,
> if you want actual pics of Strandberg hardware for future mockups, let me know what formats/sizes and I will get you some.
> 
> Best,
> Ola



Thanks, Ola! I think I'll use the full scale outline you have on your site to make templates for the bridge and string retainer units, though.

Oh, if you ever want me to do any mockups for you or your costumers, don't hesitate to ask!


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## SYLrules88 (Aug 26, 2010)

hurry up and finish this ed!


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## Customisbetter (Aug 26, 2010)

Class starts as of today. My already tiny time budget is now even smaller.


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## Pauly (Aug 26, 2010)

I've really been drawn in by Strandberg's work, in fact all these ergonomic guitars are really putting me off traditional ones! Are you going to go with the trapezoid neck? I'm really curious as to how that plays. Anyway, look forward to seeing this build.


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## Customisbetter (Aug 26, 2010)

^Don't tempt me 

I am going to try for a a reproduction of my 7421 neck.


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## Despised_0515 (Sep 22, 2010)

Moar?


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## Customisbetter (Sep 23, 2010)

Chakte-Coc


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## anthonyferguson (Sep 23, 2010)

Hawt wood! Damn that is red.... Really impressed and enjoying this thread so far, keep updating us!


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## scherzo1928 (Sep 23, 2010)

wooow!!!!! I looked all over the place for chakte coc, and chakte viga for my fretboard, but I could only find it in tile sizes for floors. I love it how all these woods I looked for are from Mexico (or around here), and I can only find them outside the country!

Btw, it seems like a greatly aged piece, since I believe it turns red after a good while.


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## Customisbetter (Sep 23, 2010)

^Yeah the inside is fairly yellow. I nabbed it form my local store. It has been sitting at the back of the "badass colors and grains" pile for a while too.


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## scherzo1928 (Sep 23, 2010)

Customisbetter said:


> It has been sitting at the back of the "badass colors and grains" pile for a while too.


Well, I might just go into a nerd rage then!!
I bet they also have katalox, chechen, and every other cool wood I looked for.

Edit: Great choice btw. Why (or how) did you chose that wood. Ive only ever seen one (and not in person) fretboard made out of chakte coc, and it's on a conklin:




damn I love conklins...

The website says it's "paela" but that's the name for figure chakte coc.


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## Customisbetter (Sep 23, 2010)

FUUUUCK!!! 






I will be waiting for that shit to harden and then i will buy a shorter router bit to continue. Looks like the Sapele is gonna get painted. 

@Sherzo

Conklin 

Also I chose this piece of wood because all of the purpleheart they had was MASSIVE. Honestly they didn't have anything less than 6 feet long.  I might still get some smaller Purpleheart pieces from a different pile for my Airline. The neckthrough lets me getaway with really tiny smidgens and not have to worry about matching as much.

EDIT:

Pic of Purple heart section.from a few months ago. Its much larger now....


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## ola_strandberg (Oct 3, 2010)

I guess you're well on your way already, but for what it's worth: I have created a step-by-step guide on how to build your own EGS guitar! 
Strandberg Guitarworks » Blog Archive » A DIY EGS Guitar


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## Customisbetter (Oct 3, 2010)

^You are amazing Ola.


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## technomancer (Oct 3, 2010)

ola_strandberg said:


> I guess you're well on your way already, but for what it's worth: I have created a step-by-step guide on how to build your own EGS guitar!
> Strandberg Guitarworks » Blog Archive » A DIY EGS Guitar



I was just about to post a link to this


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## Pauly (Oct 4, 2010)

Me too!

I really want to try one of these trapezoid necks... I know this lovely girl from Vasteras who I haven't seen for a couple of years. Strandberg is in Uppsala which isn't massively far away... maybe I should book a trip sometime lol.


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## ola_strandberg (Oct 4, 2010)

You're welcome any day! Cheers!

I'm on my way to Newark, NJ, San Antonio, TX and then Orlando, FL. If anyone wants to hook up for a drink, holler!


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## Daggorath (Oct 4, 2010)

This is awesome, you're a very humble and courteous man Ola! I look forward to watching this build. I'm a fan of the design, especially on the multi-scale instruments. When I've got a little more confidence in my building I may have to order some of those saddles.


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## asher (Oct 4, 2010)

This looks really awesome. I'm vaguely sorta starting to plan out something I might make next year with the woodshop here at school and the body shape has been catching my eye (though I'll probably do it normally, with a headstock and a regular bridge).


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## Skyblue (Oct 4, 2010)

Great, all this Strandberg talk isn't helping my headless GAS! Now if only I have the money/ wood working skill....  

definitely planning on getting a Strandberg one day though, by the looks of it :]

Can't wait to see more progress on this build!


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## flo (Oct 4, 2010)

Customisbetter said:


> FUUUUCK!!!



I feel your pain mate 
Everytime I fuck something up, I tell myself "only a replaceable piece of wood, glad it wasn't my hand"
It doesn't help really, but live goes on.


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## Customisbetter (Oct 4, 2010)

^Im going over it with the router again tonight. We'll see how nasty that looks...


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## Customisbetter (Oct 15, 2010)




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## scherzo1928 (Oct 15, 2010)




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## Customisbetter (Oct 15, 2010)

Mineral spirits and A Chakte-kok neck?


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## Customisbetter (Oct 19, 2010)

FUN FACT: Broken router bits can ruin your fucking day.

I managed to finish my neck template and it came out great! 

Then came the routing the Truss rod channel. Everything went swimmingly until BAM!

One of the blades on the bit chipped and grabbed the neck, PULLING IT OUT of the chuck and eating its way almost all the way up and out of neck.

Needless to say, both the bit adn the neck blank are toast. 

On the plus side, I still have enough wood for 4 more blanks. B)

I'm buying a new bit today and will update this evening...

Here is the neck template....


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## ralphy1976 (Oct 19, 2010)

crap!!!! that sucks man!!!


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## Andrew_B (Oct 19, 2010)

time to start taking shallower passes?

its a pain in the ass when router bits fail, but thts life lol

goodluck with the rest of the build 


also a trick i use, 
is to water down some titebond a tiny bit and wipe it along the edge of my mdf templates,
they keep a bit longer


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## Customisbetter (Oct 19, 2010)

^Thanks awesome tip! I will definitely tr that this evening. I just picked up a new 1/4" bit and a box of Fostner bits as well. I will be posting pics of the new neck this evening. Remember that I bought that huge board of chakte-kok.


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## Customisbetter (Oct 19, 2010)

Well within an hour this evening i fixed everything and progressed further than I did this morning...

First I chopped off another hunk of Chakte-kok...

then I measured out the truss channel so it will set flush at the end of the finished neck. Routed in two passes with my new router bit. 

Now All that is left is to follow the template. Since I don't want to rush I am going to leave that for another day when i can secure the neck to the template properly. I did however cut off the excess with the bandsaw. 

PICS!


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## willy petro (Nov 25, 2010)

Dude this is Awesome! I hope it turns out great! Im looking forward to seeing this beast!


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 25, 2010)

hmm, I wonder how come I dint notice the last updates...
anyways, sucks you lost a neck blank. be glad it was just that tho 

how are you cutting the taper of the neck?

edit: derp, just noticed, so disregard my question...


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## joaocunha (Nov 25, 2010)

Congrats, man. It's becoming a little monster.

And also cheers to Ola, the guy is so great that his name means "Hello" in portuguese!


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## Customisbetter (Mar 10, 2011)

Finally got around to ordering the Strandberg hardware. More updates coming up!

In a perfect world I'll have something to show Chris Letchford when I meet him this month.


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## Customisbetter (Mar 21, 2011)

Pic update. 

I'm testing different finishes. The chakte kok, Ash burl and Sapele have a couple coats of Tung oil. Im also testing some random Minwax stain thats a little darker on the ash.

Any suggestions for glues to use while applying the top veneer? I assume i shouldn't use regular wood glue...


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## Customisbetter (Mar 23, 2011)

I got some Mail today.


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## ev1ltwin (Mar 23, 2011)

simply gorgeous dude


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## ola_strandberg (Mar 23, 2011)

Looking good! I'm happy they made it - don't hesitate to ask if you run into questions.


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## scherzo1928 (Mar 23, 2011)

om nom nom. I really like the darker stain on the veneer. And the chakte kok looks stunning.


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## Customisbetter (Mar 23, 2011)

Last update for today. The neck outline is 95% done. Jut need to finish the heel side.

This guitar is going to have a scale length of 24.125 inches because I personally tune my guitars up. This one will likely reside in Drop Bb with 9-56 gauge strings. Also it will only have 21 frets because I never use anything about 14. 

Next up:

Slime body down 7 mm
Add rear bevels
Order some Pickups. 
the rest...


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## JamesM (Mar 23, 2011)

Horee fock.


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## Ippon (Mar 24, 2011)

Wow! I'd hit it hard!


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## Thrashmanzac (Mar 24, 2011)

looking awesome


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## Justin Bailey (Apr 6, 2011)

Awesome, sir


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## technomancer (Apr 6, 2011)

\m/


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## Customisbetter (Apr 6, 2011)

Thanks guys. 

Expect some SERIOUS updates this weekend. I'm going for the lighter finish on the Burl because in real like that darker one fails to impress. I got my Binding router bit as well. Was a bitch to fit a rabbeting bit for 1/16th inch cut.


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## asher (Apr 7, 2011)

Looks tasty. and like someone got awful excited 'bout that fretboard... 

To be serious though, I really like this design - except it starts to look really oddly proportioned to me when people actually wear it (including people Not-Chris-Letchford, who is quite tall). I wonder if it'd look better scaled up (perhaps also moving to a longer scale neck) but would also still balance right?


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## flo (Apr 9, 2011)

Your guitar makes me hungry for chocolate


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## Customisbetter (Apr 23, 2013)

Bought a couple pickups a few years ago. Rio Grande Tallboy 7 Humbucker and Vintage Tallboy Single Coil.











And I finally got around to measuring hte final neck pocket depth. It took some finagaling. Now onto hte actual pocket shape.


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## Customisbetter (Apr 24, 2013)

Made a little progress on the neck pocket today. Not enough time to pull out the router but that should be done this weekend. lol

My drill press needs a new belt badly. i couldn't get any torque going, thats the reason for the 50 million small holes.


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## scherzo1928 (Apr 24, 2013)

MAN, I love re-reading these build threads. Great that you are back into this build!


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## skeels (Apr 24, 2013)

Yup.


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