# New headless 7-string build



## Serratus (Nov 26, 2013)

I've not really started the guitar build yet but I have been working on the hardware, because I wanted to try making my own!!
So here are a few pics of where its at so far:

Firstly, the plan as it was a few weeks ago, its changed a bit now as it's gonna have a neck pickup too:






This was the first assembly of the tailpiece after I'd roughly cut all the brass pieces:





And after I'd cleaned up all the edges, etc:





These were the tuning knobs after I'd made them:





And then this was the first assembly of all the tailpiece parts. In this pic I had screwed it down to my work bench and tuned up a top E string in the middle tuner to test the tuning stability. Seemed ok!:





Finally, this is the locking nut that will go behind a zero fret to lock the strings in place, made from a piece of square brass bar:





All made in my shed using fairly basic tools (plus a lathe and dremel - most important!!). Now I have to wait for a few parts coming in the post before I start building the guitar properly!!

Specs will be:
7-string 25.5" scale 24 fret rosewood fingerboard
Mahogany neck-through with mahogany wings and thick flame maple front
7-string tune-o-matic bridge with roller saddles and home made tuning tailpiece
Two Lace X-bar pickups
Volume with push-pull coil tap and 3-way switch
Flame maple dyed red with oiled finish

All an experiment but then I like experimenting with guitar builds!!


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## chrisxrome (Nov 26, 2013)

Nuts! Looks sick. Will be following this


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## schwiz (Nov 26, 2013)

Wow... you fabricated that bridge yourself? Very impressive. Sub'd.


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## Pikka Bird (Nov 26, 2013)

That looks very cool, I must say. A couple of questions:
Is it only held to the body with two screws?
How are the outer tubes fastened to the rest?


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## mike90t09 (Nov 26, 2013)

Excited to see this finished.


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## Serratus (Nov 26, 2013)

Pikka Bird said:


> That looks very cool, I must say. A couple of questions:
> Is it only held to the body with two screws?
> How are the outer tubes fastened to the rest?



Well, the plan is/was to bolt through the body using those two holes but I'm not 100% sure on that yet. I may re-make those L-section pieces with 4 holes instead of 2 and then use screws. I haven't decided yet 
And the tubes are just held in place by the three long bolts that go across the whole thing. The tubes slot in tight between the bolts which holds them pretty firmly, and then when the bolts are tightened they clamp them as well. There's actually very little pressure on the tubes because the pull of the strings is transmitted from the head of the tuners to the plate along the back and then onto the 8 frames, so the strings don't pull on the tubes at all


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## nomoneyatall (Nov 26, 2013)

i gonna try somethin like that....


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## BlackMastodon (Nov 26, 2013)

That is just way the f**k too cool. Definitely going to be paying attention to this one.


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## ElRay (Nov 27, 2013)

What thread pitch are you using? 

As an aside for the folks thinking of following, McMaster-Carr & Thorlabs have some 80tpi & 100tpi bolts/adjusters.

Ray


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## Serratus (Nov 28, 2013)

Well, for the first attempt I've just used M5 threaded rod, which I think is about 32tpi. I did that just because it's easy to get hold of the threaded rod and the tap needed to cut the thread in the string retainers. But I was always aware that this might be a bit coarse and I might need to re-make the bolts and string retainers with a finer thread. However, when I strung it up on my bench it seemed fine to me. I could do fine adjustments ok and it held it in tune ok, so we'll see!


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## Serratus (Dec 23, 2013)

Finally uploaded new progress pics


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## jahosy (Dec 23, 2013)

Holy shit this is insane! Very impressive mate!


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## XxJoshxX (Dec 23, 2013)

This looks so cool! I need to try a headless soon.


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## Neilzord (Dec 23, 2013)

Wow, Impressive work! Love all the fabricated bits. Look forward to more progress on this beast!


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## Konfyouzd (Dec 23, 2013)

I like where this is going


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## BlackMastodon (Dec 23, 2013)

Some real clean work on those fret ends.


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## technomancer (Dec 23, 2013)

Wow this is awesome, some really nice work there


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## tommychains (Dec 23, 2013)

oh lawdy lawd, bless this thread.


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## gigawhat (Dec 23, 2013)

Damn! I like your work sir! I intend on doing something similar myself here soon, so I'm subbing to keep an eye on this.


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## jemfloral (Dec 23, 2013)

great work on this build thus far, i'll be paying attention as it progresses


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## FIXXXER (Dec 23, 2013)

this looks insane man!

how did you make the fret edges so /roundsmooth?


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## darren (Dec 23, 2013)

Very cool hardware!


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## Prophetable (Dec 23, 2013)

I really, really dig that bridge. I think it's the first one I've seen that actually made me want a headless guitar.

No kidding.


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## MikeyLawless (Dec 23, 2013)

Amazing build. Now im tempted to try something like this.


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## Serratus (Dec 24, 2013)

FIXXXER said:


> this looks insane man!
> 
> how did you make the fret edges so /roundsmooth?



Took ages to get them like that - I did each frets ends before it got pushed into the fingerboard. So I measured the slot in the board, then cut the fret wire to that length, then ground off the tang at each end for the binding, and then rounded each end to a ball shape with a file, and then polished with fine sand paper and wire wool. Then pushed the fret into the board. Took a lot longer than normal fretting though.

Thanks for all the comments guys!


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## pondman (Dec 24, 2013)

Great work Rich - you still have the magic touch .
Did you machine all the bridge parts yourself ?


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## Serratus (Dec 24, 2013)

All the tail-piece parts and the locking nut I did myself from brass plate, tube, rod, threaded rod, etc. Then I bought the tune-o-matic and some roller saddles for it


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## Negav (Dec 24, 2013)

Please, oh, please don't leave us hanging. Finish this beauty and let us see the progress!


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## Serratus (Jan 3, 2014)

A few more pics:

This was after I'd roughly shaped the back of the neck:






This was after making the maple shelf for the locking nut to go onto:





And fret levelling:





Lots of sanding next before staining


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## Serratus (Jan 3, 2014)

Oh, and I'm going to make the belly contour a bit bigger - for more comfort


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## CD1221 (Jan 4, 2014)

Hell. Yes.

Great work, love this build.


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## JoeGuitar717 (Jan 4, 2014)

This is coming out really cool Rich. Very nice!


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## straightshreddd (Jan 4, 2014)

For the love of every christ-like figure that has ever existed. This is amazing, broseph. Please post a vid after, too. 

Wow, though, dude. I really like this design. I'd love to have one of these, but somehow with a flat, hardtail bridge instead of the TOM. I'm not sure how it'd be possible, but it'd be dope.


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## Serratus (Jan 5, 2014)

Thanks guys 

I'm waiting for more sanding discs to arrive in the post, and while I'm waiting I thought I'd have a test run!! And it all works fine - I was concerned obviously about the tail-piece holding it in tune, and about the locking nut holding solid, and it all seems to work perfectly! So I'm very happy so far.
Next I have to disassemble it again, do lots of final sanding and shaping, then stain and oil and assemble it again


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## Syriel (Jan 5, 2014)

Could you build me one? PRETTY PLEASEEEEE XD

Seriously. That's beautiful. And that bridge tuner piece is awesome. Nice work.


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## simeonharris (Jan 5, 2014)

the body shape is really nice...kind of like a cross between a parker and a strandberg. looking forward to seeing this finished


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## Thasman (Jan 5, 2014)

Wow, this is one of the cleanest builds I've seen. The guitar looks amazing, can't wait to see it finished


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## trayenshreds (Jan 5, 2014)

simeonharris said:


> the body shape is really nice...kind of like a cross between a parker and a strandberg. looking forward to seeing this finished



This is exactly what I was thinking but didn't know how to say it. It's a friggen hybrid! Wow man, awesome work on this. I couldn't imagine the level of steady hands and knowledge of craftsmanship that go into constructing your own guitar as accurately as this. Just wow. Congrats and thanks for sharing!


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## Serratus (Jan 12, 2014)

After the black stain had gone on the front:






And after I had sanded most of the black away, just leaving it in the flame of the maple:






After the first coat of oil on the back:






And after the red stain and first coat of oil on the front:






Won't be long now


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## darren (Jan 12, 2014)

Looking fantastic!


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## CD1221 (Jan 13, 2014)

My word. Outstanding.


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## Walterson (Jan 13, 2014)

Very nice!


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## Fiction (Jan 13, 2014)

Wow! Great job duder.


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## Goatchrist (Jan 13, 2014)

WOW! Stunning! So simple, yet very elegant. Really like it.
The finish is stunning, very clean work!


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## silent suicide (Jan 13, 2014)

I am throwing money at the screen but nothing is happening.
Darned...

Honey, fetch me more money.


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## Prophetable (Jan 13, 2014)

This is the first Strandberg-style guitar I've wanted. Nothing against his guitars, they generally just aren't my taste. This guitar, however, is immaculate.


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## joshuallen (Jan 13, 2014)

Love the guitar. I wish I had the facilities to do that kind of metal work, because headless hardware is crazy expensive to buy.


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## foreright (Jan 13, 2014)

A quick question about the bridge if I may - how do you stop the string retainer from spinning when the string is tightened?

Killer work though - very clean and impressive!


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## DistinguishedPapyrus (Jan 13, 2014)

Yea man, as everyone else has said, you're blessed with talent here. Tell me, how many builds have you done?


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## rockskate4x (Jan 13, 2014)

How in the flying falk did i miss this?!? You do outstanding work, my friend. I especially love the DIY hardware, but everything is top notch classy. I would play the living hell out of that thing!


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## Serratus (Jan 13, 2014)

foreright said:


> A quick question about the bridge if I may - how do you stop the string retainer from spinning when the string is tightened?



The tube that the retainer slides in has a small hole drilled in the bottom with a brass pin that pokes through into the inside of the tube. And the string retainer has a slot cut along the bottom of it that the pin locates in. That stops it rotating when I turn the tuner 

And to answer DistinguishedPapyrus, I've built a few dozen guitars from scratch, and modified/customised/painted hundreds! 

Thanks for all the nice comments everyone - I've wax polished the finish now so I'll hopefully get it put together in the next few days.


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## foreright (Jan 13, 2014)

Serratus said:


> The tube that the retainer slides in has a small hole drilled in the bottom with a brass pin that pokes through into the inside of the tube. And the string retainer has a slot cut along the bottom of it that the pin locates in. That stops it rotating when I turn the tuner



Awesome - thought it might be something along those lines - looks amazing.


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## davidgotmilk (Jan 13, 2014)

Serratus said:


> After the black stain had gone on the front:



May I ask what stain, and how many layers of it did you do to get this dark color?


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## Serratus (Jan 14, 2014)

It's a water based spirit stain, and that was just one generous coat


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## Serratus (Jan 17, 2014)

It's all finished!! I love it


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## Serratus (Jan 17, 2014)

A few more pics:


















These were all just phone pics, I'll try to take some better ones with my camera sometime.


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## Allealex (Jan 17, 2014)

God man that's just great!


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## nomoneyatall (Jan 17, 2014)

simple ...and sweet...


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## TheFashel12 (Jan 17, 2014)

You're talented


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## capone1 (Jan 17, 2014)

Serratus said:


> Firstly, the plan as it was a few weeks ago, its changed a bit now as it's gonna have a neck pickup too:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



More pics of the bridge? Very impressive. Do the saddles stay in place from friction?


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## Goatchrist (Jan 17, 2014)

I think I just fell in love.


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## Tharin (Jan 17, 2014)

Wow nice, it's really close to what my next build is going to be.

Clean work althogether.
What is the neck made of ? one piece mahogany ?


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## Serratus (Jan 17, 2014)

Yeah the neck is one piece sapele mahogany.

And yes, the tuners just use friction to stay in place. This was one of the things I was worried about; whether the vibration of the strings would cause the tuning to slip, but it seems to be ok. I've had it tuned up for 2 days with a few hours playing in that time and haven't needed to retune it so I'm hoping it's ok. I'm still paranoid about it all at the moment - I'll probably continue to be until I've had it for a while and I know it's all solid! But the signs are good so far 
Also, someone had a concern earlier that the tailpiece was held down with only two screws but again that seems fine so far. As you can see in the pics, the tailpiece is recessed slightly into the top (at a slight backwards angle) and so it sits against the front of the recess which takes a lot of the force of the strings. So the screws are just to stop it tipping forward, and are holding fine.

Here are a couple more pics of the tailpiece:


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## Rojne (Jan 17, 2014)

Looks really solid man!


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## Durero (Jan 17, 2014)

Beautiful job!


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## Prophetable (Jan 17, 2014)

It, obviously, looks amazing in red. That said, I think I actually prefer the black you threw on to bring out the grain before you sanded it. Haha.

Outstanding build.


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## Pikka Bird (Jan 17, 2014)




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## BlackMastodon (Jan 17, 2014)

Absolutely killer. Looks real good with the red and the gold hardware.


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## ElRay (Jan 17, 2014)




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## Zhysick (Jan 17, 2014)

Now I want to make some cuts and shape my RG8 into a headless "strandberg-ish" 8 string guitar...

Oh yeah! That was amazing!

Fantastic job. Congratulations!! You deserve my admiration!


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## Danukenator (Jan 17, 2014)

Holy shit! By far one of the best builds I've seen around here. DIY hardware is insanely impressive, especially headless stuff!.


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## CD1221 (Jan 17, 2014)

That is really tasty. Outstanding work there, especially the home made hardware.

Like very much.


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## danresn (Jan 17, 2014)

That is clean


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## pondman (Jan 18, 2014)

Thats one of the best builds I've seen for ages. Just stunning ! nothing more to say.


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## Pablo (Jan 18, 2014)

Amazing build - congratulations on a job incredibly well done!


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## Serratus (Jan 20, 2014)

Prophetable said:


> It, obviously, looks amazing in red. That said, I think I actually prefer the black you threw on to bring out the grain before you sanded it. Haha.
> 
> Outstanding build.



Hahaha, I knew someone would say that!!  I have to admit that I thought it looked really nice black and I was tempted to leave it like that, but I thought the gold hardware would look best against the red so I stuck to the original plan! It's very rare for me to do a red guitar but I'm pleased I did


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## Helstormau (Jan 22, 2014)

Holy shit man this is a beauty. Love that red


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## blindsagacity (Jan 23, 2014)

any chance you'd sell these tailpieces/nuts?


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## 72xmulch (Jan 23, 2014)

yeah im a little confused about the hardware, and am still trying to build my own that im happy with. is there any way you could post a picture of the part that holds the string? or maybe a blowup of all the parts? i know thats kind of alot of work, but would do a huge favor for everyone.. anyway, awesome job!!


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## Neilzord (Jan 24, 2014)

Looks amazing completed, Fair play!


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## jahosy (Jan 24, 2014)

Amazing build mate! Love it!


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## Serratus (Feb 5, 2014)

No plans to make any more of the tailpieces at the moment, I just built it for this project and so I have no plans to sell them or anything. And yes I'll try to get some decent pics of the tailpiece sometime, although it's not that complicated really!


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## schwiz (Feb 5, 2014)

I'm not a fan of the headless guitars looks wise, but yours really turned out exceptionally well. Great job!


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