# Rusti's first 7 string :)



## Rusti (Jun 7, 2010)

Hi guys.. 
so im on this forum since some months and i dont have a 7 string yet.. wtf!

I guess its my time to have fun 

When started really thinkin about building it, maybe one month ago, i started with the idea of making a prs-like hollowbody 7 stringed with piezo, i made the project on autocad.. and this WAS the project 








I mailed bare knuckle pup for having some advice about wich pu to mount on a hollowbody and they answered The Mule would be the best for this, so i bought it






Lol they sent me 6 strings with a 7 seven stringed pu 






My other guitars.. 









I started making a prototype of the carved top of it on some spruce just to get a better idea of what i was goin to build 
Routed with cnc machine and then grinded


























Looks better 






Routed!






Time to GRIND!! 






lol at the wood dust on the floor XD











A bit too much carved.. i decided to thin it with some chisels









Then i went to show my project to a friend luthier and he didnt encourage me a lot 
He said its quite hard to know what kind of sound im goin to have on this kind of guitar, and there are possibilities that the it won't sound well unless i know how to tune the wood, wich i dont 

Considering that im spending a lot of money on this guitar and considering that i planned to glue the neck joint, im not much happy thinking i have a lot possibilities that this guitar will sound bad 

So i left the hollowbody project and the prs shape too.
Lets start again! xD

I will use all the same parts i have planned to use, just not hollowbody and new body shape.
I drawed these at the moment, i think im goin with the second unless i draw other shapes.. let me know what you think 







This is the longest post xD

Oh i forgot the specs!

Scale 27.7"
Compound radius
Flamed Maple neck with laminated rosewood
Ebony fingerboard
Mahogany body
Quilted maple top
The Mule BKP on bridge and neck positions
Abm bridge
Sperzel tuners

More photos to come 

p.s. sorry for my bad english


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## yacker (Jun 7, 2010)

Uhh dude....that looked awesome, why give up because somebody wasn't encouraging? If it sounds bad then just move the expensive stuff over to your next guitar, the wood itself is relatively cheap to experiment with. If the first guitar sounds bad take the pickups, truss rod, tuning keys, etc over to the next guitar. 

I think that first top looks outstanding though.


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## FYP666 (Jun 7, 2010)

That wood looks absolutely delicious, can't wait to see some progress! Go for it man!


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## Rusti (Jun 8, 2010)

yacker said:


> Uhh dude....that looked awesome, why give up because somebody wasn't encouraging? If it sounds bad then just move the expensive stuff over to your next guitar, the wood itself is relatively cheap to experiment with. If the first guitar sounds bad take the pickups, truss rod, tuning keys, etc over to the next guitar.
> 
> I think that first top looks outstanding though.



Thanks, i liked it too, but the wood cost me about 200 plus theres a lot of work building neck and body, im dont want to take this risk 


Here are the sperzel machine tuning, the abm bridge and the ghost system preamp


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## s_k_mullins (Jun 8, 2010)

Dude, all of the work you had done on the top looked great... I really hate to see you scrap this project and start over


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## Empryrean (Jun 8, 2010)

this is soo nice man, keep the updates comin


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## Berserker (Jun 8, 2010)

I'm sorry, did you say your "luthier" friend said you need to know how to tune the wood? That's the biggest pile of crap I've ever heard! Did he by any chance offer to "tune" it for you for a vast sum of money?

You can't go wrong with a mahogany body and maple top... and with the level of workmanship you displayed above, it would be awesome!! Stick with your original plan my friend...


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## yacker (Jun 8, 2010)

Rusti said:


> Thanks, i liked it too, but the wood cost me about 200 plus theres a lot of work building neck and body, im dont want to take this risk



Where did you purchase the wood from? Was it a body blank purchased online from a dedicated guitar building resource? If so that would be why it was so pricey. Spruce is an expensive wood, but if you purchase your lumber from a lumber yard there's really no reason you should have to pay that much, even for spruce. If you don't have surfacing tools a lot of lumber yards will surface for you for a very reasonable price. You just have to purchase an entire board and pay by the board foot. This would give you enough wood for several bodies.



Berserker said:


> I'm sorry, did you say your "luthier" friend said you need to know how to tune the wood? That's the biggest pile of crap I've ever heard! Did he by any chance offer to "tune" it for you for a vast sum of money?



"Tuning" or "voicing" an acoustic instrument isn't an uncommon practice. Whether or not it would have made a difference on a predominantly electric instrument where the pickups will be playing a huge roll in the tone is another discussion altogether though. I agree and think it would have been fine, but I do see where the luthier would have been coming from....especially if the luthier primarily builds acoustic guitars.

Here's an interesting article written by Ervin Somogyi about his class that deals with voicing acoustic guitars if you have any interest in it.
Ervin Somogyi: Classes and Consultations


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## MF_Kitten (Jun 8, 2010)

"tuning" the wood just means getting the right thickness and stuff to make it resonate like this and that so it has a certain voicing.

did you ever get to the hollowing out part of the build? if not, then just use that body! it´s still a hollowbody, but with nice f-holes for decorational purposes!


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## JohnIce (Jun 8, 2010)

Dude, don't let this friend of yours spoil this! As it's been said, it's still an electric guitar and most of the tone will come from the pickups, and the wood is clearly of good quality. What kind of guitars does this guy make anyway?

I say that Hollowbody is way too promising to let go of.


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## cyril v (Jun 8, 2010)

that whole tone-tapping, wood rubbing thing? Thats completely beyond my scope... hopefully someone can fully explain it. You also have to look into the whole "chambering" thing too I suppose. The only reason I can see why this stuff might be an issue is if you're speaking soley about the acoustic properties of the guitar, because unless you're really experienced with building it's probably impossible to know how the acoustic properties will react in your finished product when it's actually got pickups in it. Can't hurt to try though...

Here's a few vids I was checking out a while ago on the topic...





the idea seems very abstract and subjective, but I guess at a certain point a master lutheir is able to focus those abstracts into a solid cohesive thought and work the ideas together to get the desired results at will. Hufschmid talked a bit about this a bit but I'm not sure if he really let loose on the topic at any point, the whole "grand scheme of things" when choosing your tone wood and hardware/electronics.

All that said, I'd imagine it's a bit easier to obtain certain sounds you're after with electric guitars since you can tailor the pickups to the strengths/weaknesses you want from your guitar.


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## JohnIce (Jun 8, 2010)

Let's put it this way... I dialed in a nice jazz tone on my axe-fx, put a graphic EQ at the start of the chain boosting 250 Hz and 2 kHz, and all of a sudden my Warmoth with singlecoils pretty much sounded like a semi-hollow... every part of the guitar is an EQ, from woods to pickups to bolts and glues, and as such, a lot of it can be dramatically changed with an EQ aswell, or switching pickups, saddles, nut etc.

So really, don't give up on this guitar! If you had reason to believe that it wouldn't sustain well or be brittle then sure, scrap it, but this whole tuning thing seems to me like someone's just trying to discourage you.


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## BigPhi84 (Jun 8, 2010)

Would you be willing to share those sweet CAD drawings?


BTW, I just noticed your location and it reminded me of Assassin's Creed 2. I gotta play that game again some day.


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## Maurobrazil (Jun 9, 2010)

I have listen to many cheap chinese guitars sounding jazzy that i doub´t that your guitar, with this maple top, will sound bad or not jazzy ...
Any way, you project seens to be semi-hollow ( ES-335 ) or chambered ( LP´s ) than a hollow ...
But if you will not do, maybe we can deal, you can sale to me this top eheheh!!!
Can you make a body remplate with pickup routing?

Here i´m gona to grandma farm, 600km distance ... some fishing and  supposed to be there a broken table, where i´ll get a rosewood neck and maybe a mahogamy body core ... wish still in usable condition.

Mauro


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## yacker (Jun 9, 2010)

Ahhh, after rereading your first post I'm starting to see where all the expense for the wood you bought could add up. If you are using a quilted top and figured woods for the neck and such it could definitely get expensive quick. Based on how good the prototype turned out I'm sure whatever you make will look great though. I just would have personally practiced on some less expensive wood and then moved up to the figured stuff later on. 

Good luck, I'm sure it will be awesome!


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## Rusti (Jun 10, 2010)

Hi guys, sorry for the delay ive been a lot busy 
Thanks for the many posts, im goin to answer to everyone 



Berserker said:


> I'm sorry, did you say your "luthier" friend said you need to know how to tune the wood? That's the biggest pile of crap I've ever heard! Did he by any chance offer to "tune" it for you for a vast sum of money?



Tuning the wood (talking about the sound and not about the look) would make the difference from a liuthery guitar and one builded in an industry, thats what he says. He started build electric and acoustic guitars, lutes in the 70s and hes really a good and experienced luthier, thats why i changed my mind quite fast 
No he didnt offer to tune it for money, its was just a suggestion from him 
Btw for tuning the wood most uses a stroboscope, one of the most common is the peterson, hes got this one with a "clip" pickup that you can clamp directly on the wood :







yacker said:


> Where did you purchase the wood from? Was it a body blank purchased online from a dedicated guitar building resource? If so that would be why it was so pricey. Spruce is an expensive wood, but if you purchase your lumber from a lumber yard there's really no reason you should have to pay that much, even for spruce. If you don't have surfacing tools a lot of lumber yards will surface for you for a very reasonable price. You just have to purchase an entire board and pay by the board foot. This would give you enough wood for several bodies.



I bought the mahogany body from a carpenter in 2005 i think, dont remember exatcly the price i payed, plus i bought 2 meters of it, this is what is left today







The top im goin to use is this one, bought about in the same period on ebay i think. 28mm thick:












There are the maple neck and ebony fingerboard, bought this year from a wood shop here in italy, i spent here 110






I think tuning a wood really means to tune it to a certain note, not only to make it thick and make it resonate. I dont where to start for tuning a wood, removing wood from the body or the top will change the note that it will emit, but tuning it separately its usuless since when you glue it together they change note, and its hard to tune it removing wood from inside when they are glued. Its just a hard process that needs experience that i dont have. 

Maybe after this guitar i can make some hollowbody experiments with some low quality spruce, wich i can have for free.

Thanks to cyril v for those videos, they are very interesting 



BigPhi84 said:


> Would you be willing to share those sweet CAD drawings?
> BTW, I just noticed your location and it reminded me of Assassin's Creed 2. I gotta play that game again some day.



Sure! here it is the drawing in mm:
MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

Eheh yep the game is setted in my city too.. i had to play it 



Maurobrazil said:


> I have listen to many cheap chinese guitars sounding jazzy that i doub´t that your guitar, with this maple top, will sound bad or not jazzy ...
> Any way, you project seens to be semi-hollow ( ES-335 ) or chambered ( LP´s ) than a hollow ...
> But if you will not do, maybe we can deal, you can sale to me this top eheheh!!!
> Can you make a body remplate with pickup routing?
> ...



The top on the previous post is just a prototype made with a low quality spruce, so its really not good for using on a real guitar 

About the body template, sure with the cnc machine i can work the shapes and the pickup\electronic routing "rooms" very quickly starting from a cad drawing.



yacker said:


> Ahhh, after rereading your first post I'm starting to see where all the expense for the wood you bought could add up. If you are using a quilted top and figured woods for the neck and such it could definitely get expensive quick. Based on how good the prototype turned out I'm sure whatever you make will look great though. I just would have personally practiced on some less expensive wood and then moved up to the figured stuff later on.
> Good luck, I'm sure it will be awesome!




Yep thats why i spent a lot of money 
Thanks to everyone for encouragements 

Im goin to male a new post with some update pics


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## Sebastian (Jun 10, 2010)

Now thats a nice top !

Good to see the project going on


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## Rusti (Jun 10, 2010)

So here we go!
Cutting the neck! 











Cutting the headstock






Rosewood veneers 






Inspiring music 


























Glueing the veneers











Here i wasnt trying to push the roof higher 







Its all for now


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## technomancer (Jun 10, 2010)

Shame you didn't finish the hollow body, that looked amazing 

That said the new top wood looks sweet


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## Rusti (Jun 10, 2010)

technomancer said:


> Shame you didn't finish the hollow body, that looked amazing
> 
> That said the new top wood looks sweet



Well that top was just a prototype of what it had to look like. Its some pieces of spruce glued. This maple top is the one i wanted to use from the beginning 
btw hollowbody or not, the neck project is the same


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## damigu (Jun 10, 2010)

all of them look bitchin' so far.


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## Rusti (Jun 15, 2010)

Small update


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## Rusti (Sep 3, 2010)

Hey guys!
lol long time since the last post, ive been quite busy lately 
I had time to go on with works these days so here is my 24 frets ebony fretboard with compound radius 
Starts at nut with 10" radius and ends at 24th fret with 13.85" the bridge is 16".

sorry about the photos not perfect focused but the autofocus on my camera is broken :/






sanded:






fret slots






cutted the edges


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## Ruins (Sep 3, 2010)

looks great so far!! i really like the design too.
you are working with autocad mechanical aren't you? i didn't search for it perhaps you already answered it but, are you a studying engineering?
your work shop looks great and the fact that you have the access to cnc or even know your self how to programme them makes me envy you and in the same time it is inspiring me.


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## SD83 (Sep 3, 2010)

That will be one hell of a beautiful guitar


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## Rusti (Sep 4, 2010)

Ruins said:


> looks great so far!! i really like the design too.
> you are working with autocad mechanical aren't you? i didn't search for it perhaps you already answered it but, are you a studying engineering?
> your work shop looks great and the fact that you have the access to cnc or even know your self how to programme them makes me envy you and in the same time it is inspiring me.



I have Autocad 2010. I didnt study engineering but mechanics.
Yeah cnc helps a lot, you know the fretboard is the most important part of the guitar, i mean talkin about measurements not about sounds.. it must be perfectly straight and radiused, with cnc you can have it exactly how you want it. I made other 2 guitars on classic way, so a lot of hand work, ebony is an hard wood to work, high grit sandpaper get full of wood quite fast and it took me about a week to radius a fretboard wich wasnt comparable with one made on a cnc. Also with cnc you can build a compound radius, or stop the fret slot 2mm before the edge of the fretboard without cutting it completely  
So im doing some work like fretboard of the body\headstock shape with cnc and im still doing the neck or the carved top by hands.

I decided to leave the prs shape and im going with a new one. I hope i can post it soon 



SD83 said:


> That will be one hell of a beautiful guitar



Im sure it will come out nice


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## alexggbr (Sep 11, 2010)

Man, using cnc and autocad is just genius. I have some experience with autocad drawings, but I have no idea of how to design this kind of thing for CNC cutting.
I wonder if you could you give me some directions? Books or websites and whatnot? I am planning on my first guitar building and there is a guy here where I live who works with laser and cnc cutting, and it would be just perfect if I could use it.

Anyway, great stuff


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## Rusti (Sep 13, 2010)

alexggbr said:


> Man, using cnc and autocad is just genius. I have some experience with autocad drawings, but I have no idea of how to design this kind of thing for CNC cutting.
> I wonder if you could you give me some directions? Books or websites and whatnot? I am planning on my first guitar building and there is a guy here where I live who works with laser and cnc cutting, and it would be just perfect if I could use it.
> 
> Anyway, great stuff



Thanks 
Well i cant suggest you any website to visit or book to read about autocad drawing since i first learnt it at school and then i practiced at home.
Most of cnc workings on a guitar can be done by starting from a 2d draw. So first draw on autocad a complete plan\project of the guitar you want to build, then you can separate all the parts you need to work and export then into your cnc software.
I use to make simple workings with the software that controls my machine, that is Deskcnc. I do other kind of workings that can be a little more complex with Mastercam.
When you need for example to cut the shape of the body, or route the cavity of pickups or electronics etc you can start from a 2d drawing and just give the depth on the z axis.
Other kind of working like fretboard radius or compound radius, or the fret slotting like i did needs a 3d drawing.
Anyway it all depends of your cnc machine and software.

I hope i did explain well 
Ask me if you need more infos


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## alexggbr (Sep 13, 2010)

Rusti said:


> Thanks
> 
> I use to make simple workings with the software that controls my machine, that is Deskcnc. I do other kind of workings that can be a little more complex with Mastercam.
> When you need for example to cut the shape of the body, or route the cavity of pickups or electronics etc you can start from a 2d drawing and just give the depth on the z axis.



Rusti, thanks for the info! You did explain to me well enough. This is precisely what I needed. I suppose the Z depth is done on the CNC software, right? I got to check which one the guy uses.

I don't actually plan on doing compound radius, or anything that will require 3D modeling, what i wanted was to make things that only require straight Z depth, like body shape, pickup cavities, mortise joint, purfling channel. Most importantly, inlay slots, both body and fretboard. You said that fret slots would require 3D modeling. Is that in your case only, because you did the compound radius? I thought that making it in a flat board would only require the simpler drawing...please correct me if I'm wrong in any way.

I do have a question about the radius, though. I've seen videos and talked to luthiers and they usually make the inlay slots in the fretboard while it's still flat, then, after having them glued on the board, they'll do the radius shaping, in this case with a radius-sanding block. HOW could one do that when the board was shaped a compound radius? 

Anyway, thanks for the info!!


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## Rusti (Sep 13, 2010)

alexggbr said:


> Rusti, thanks for the info! You did explain to me well enough. This is precisely what I needed. I suppose the Z depth is done on the CNC software, right? I got to check which one the guy uses.
> 
> I don't actually plan on doing compound radius, or anything that will require 3D modeling, what i wanted was to make things that only require straight Z depth, like body shape, pickup cavities, mortise joint, purfling channel. Most importantly, inlay slots, both body and fretboard. You said that fret slots would require 3D modeling. Is that in your case only, because you did the compound radius? I thought that making it in a flat board would only require the simpler drawing...please correct me if I'm wrong in any way.
> 
> ...




Yep, those kind of working can be done just following or hollowing the lines of a 2d drawing. The depth is setted once you start working.
It may depend on the software you will use but i guess you will need a 3d drawing also for a standard radius fretboard.
I think the fretboard is the most important part you really should do on cnc, cause you will save much time and get a perfect fretboard.

Talking about fret slots.. im not good at english and this can be a little complex to explain .. well i use stewmac wide pyramid frets, the tang is 0.6mm thick and 1.8mm depth, so i need a bit with 0.6mm diameter and a cut about 2mm depth. Problem is that the cutting depth of the bit is about 2mm and this will work only if the bit is following the radius, making a flat cut will need a longer cutting teeth on the bit, and probably this doesnt exist because a 0.6 diameter would be too much fragile with a cutting part longer than 2mm.. ok i know i didnt explain well, hope i can do it better with this drawing:





This said, if you have a bit longer enough you can make a flat cut from a 2d drawing 

I think compound radius cant be done with normal sanding blocks.
Doing it with a cnc machine you can simply make the inlay after the radius.
Just because i wouldnt use the bit on the mother of pearl. If you plan to do a wood inlay you can slot and paste it before radiusing the fretboard.
Hope i undestood well the last answer


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## alexggbr (Sep 13, 2010)

Yes, I understood it just fine! I see the issue here, thanks for the picture too hehehe. Anyway, as I can't rely on 3D, I will be plenty satisfied on having the slots at least marked so I can deepen then as I need, using a regular fret saw. 

About the MOPs, I think it's really a bad idea to use any sort of powered tool on them. I once used a dremel to slice up a whole shell and some thicker slices got "burned" from the heat, forming brownish-like rings and losing the shiny character. I don't know if that happens to all species, but it did happen to the one I was slicing up.


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## Rusti (Sep 13, 2010)

alexggbr said:


> Yes, I understood it just fine! I see the issue here, thanks for the picture too hehehe. Anyway, as I can't rely on 3D, I will be plenty satisfied on having the slots at least marked so I can deepen then as I need, using a regular fret saw.
> 
> About the MOPs, I think it's really a bad idea to use any sort of powered tool on them. I once used a dremel to slice up a whole shell and some thicker slices got "burned" from the heat, forming brownish-like rings and losing the shiny character. I don't know if that happens to all species, but it did happen to the one I was slicing up.



Hey if the only problem is drawing in 3d.. well.. its not a problem  The fretboard is quite easy to draw.. when you'll have to do it i can try to teach you or just draw it for you.
Im planning to cut the mop for inlays with cnc, hope it wont get burned lol 
If it heats up too much ill cut it slowly underwater i guess.


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## alexggbr (Sep 13, 2010)

wow! Thanks for the help, I'd really like that! I have autocad 2010 here.

About the mop they actually do that, or even cut it in low-temperature (don't know how).
A friend of mine has a button factory and they make MOP buttons too. He said that they do it in low temp to avoid the "burning".


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## Rusti (Sep 13, 2010)

alexggbr said:


> wow! Thanks for the help, I'd really like that! I have autocad 2010 here.
> 
> About the mop they actually do that, or even cut it in low-temperature (don't know how).
> A friend of mine has a button factory and they make MOP buttons too. He said that they do it in low temp to avoid the "burning".



Yeah i think the easiest\cheap way to do it at home is doing it underwater.. i had some experience cutting plexiglas and it was quite hard because it used to heat up very fast and fuse creating a "ball" of plexiglas around the bit that couldnt cut anymore 
Well water saved me


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## alexggbr (Sep 13, 2010)

Can u add me on msn messenger? I'll send you a pvt msg with my address. I'd really like you to give me some tips on 3D stuff.


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## Rusti (Sep 13, 2010)

Ook here is a small update:
i was planning to cut to the top later but i needed a piece of it for covering the headstock, so i went with the top first.
This are the bridge slot and potentiometers holes on front side:






routing the back, pickups and neck slot:






Routing the shape:






And here it is my baby 
As i said on firsts post i left the prs shape and i went with a new one
Top thickness is 21mm and i will hand carve it a lot.. but not before ill finish the neck, so be patient 


























I love it <333

I cutted a piece of top fot the headstock cover, and here it is:






Glued






Tomorrow i will cut the headstock shape


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## Rusti (Sep 13, 2010)

alexggbr said:


> Can u add me on msn messenger? I'll send you a pvt msg with my address. I'd really like you to give me some tips on 3D stuff.



added


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## Floody_85 (Sep 14, 2010)

Dude, this is some awesome work!!! I love the shape man.
And im envious of your cnc skills!! Keep it up man


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## MacTown09 (Sep 20, 2010)

Man this thing is awesome! Wish i knew how to create such fine works. I want a CNC machinee!


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## Rusti (Sep 20, 2010)

very small update


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## aleXander (Sep 20, 2010)

This thing is going to be beautiful >< please keep the pics coming!!!


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## Rusti (Sep 22, 2010)

Yo! just wanted to show you some new toys i bought 

I got this for 110, its not big nor very good but i guess its ok for work i have to do with it.







And this one was 600 but i payed it 400 cause it was the last piece on sale 
I did try one wich price was 150 but i was really unhappy with it, so i went for an expensive one.






Same machine working as "i-dont-know-the-english-name".






Soon i hopefully post some real update


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## Rusti (Oct 6, 2010)

lol ive been quite busy lately then i had to wait for the mop to get here..
finally i have it


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## scherzo1928 (Oct 6, 2010)

Oh man, now I really want a CNC


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## leandroab (Oct 6, 2010)

CNC does it.


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## Rusti (Oct 7, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> Oh man, now I really want a CNC


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## JamesM (Oct 9, 2010)

I have ACCESS to a CNC, I just don't have the KNOW-HOW.


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## TomParenteau (Oct 9, 2010)

Geez, he makes it look so quick & easy! Sweet, sweet guitar.


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## Elysian (Oct 9, 2010)

This build is really cool.


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## Rusti (Nov 7, 2010)

lol finally some updates, i recently had some problems with loading the forum and other websites due to some redirect cookies that used to send me to some stats site, fortunately i did solve it installing AdBlock Plus..
Well progress is going really slow but here's some pic anyway 
I carved the top with grinder and sandpaper.
its still a bit raw, i have to finish it yet.
















lol the floor is filling with dust 
















I changed my mind about the body so it will be in poplar and not in mahogany like i planned before. 25mm thick (+the top oc).
its all for now. See ya


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## cerfew (Nov 7, 2010)

Lucky you, have a CNC machine... You'll get a factory-quality guitar. I'm jealous. Haha.


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## sevenstringj (Nov 7, 2010)

Holy shit. This is righteous.


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 7, 2010)

love the carve on the "top horn"


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## SirMyghin (Nov 7, 2010)

Some nice looking work there. Shame you gave up on the hollow though. I think a lot of that tapping/tuning wood is nonsense though, unless you are working an acoustic instrument. You cannot predict how the wood/guitar will behave as a system well through the sum of its components. When you see it for electrics it is definitely snake oil.


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## Hollowway (Nov 7, 2010)

Holy crap! This is unbelievably impressive! That CNC machine does awesome work. I can't believe how precise it gets.


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## JamesM (Nov 7, 2010)

Do want!


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## TheWreck (Nov 7, 2010)

Must feel like your're God, owning a machine like that!

Always liked PRS style guitar, your shape is really nice, it reminds me Abyss 7's.
This will look killer!!


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## MikeH (Nov 7, 2010)

You win all the internets. Forever.


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## Rusti (Nov 11, 2010)

SirMyghin said:


> Some nice looking work there. Shame you gave up on the hollow though. I think a lot of that tapping/tuning wood is nonsense though, unless you are working an acoustic instrument. You cannot predict how the wood/guitar will behave as a system well through the sum of its components. When you see it for electrics it is definitely snake oil.



Yeah i gave up since i dont know much about hollowbody construction and i dont want to lose so much time and money on something i dont know how to do, when im done with this one ill do some hollow experiment with some cheap woods.

Imo the wood is the guitar part wich can make the difference from a factory guitar. A wood that sounds well can transmit vibrations better than another one, and vibration=sound. Also choosing the right woods makes the difference, even in an electric instrument.

This said, its just my opinion im not pretending to teach the truth


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## Mattmc74 (Nov 11, 2010)




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## Rusti (Nov 11, 2010)

Finally the body!
Poplar


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## TheWreck (Nov 11, 2010)

Damn! that body is sexy! Keep up the Good Work!


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## MABGuitar (Nov 11, 2010)

Damn I really love that body! I am looking forward to see this project finished.


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## yacker (Nov 11, 2010)

Dude, I love this build. The headstock inlay is absolutely awesome.


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## Goatchrist (Nov 11, 2010)

Wow this looks good! Definetly gonna check on this thred!


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 11, 2010)

wow dude, that's soooo nice.
I mean, the CNC part is obviously flawless, but the design itself and the layout of everything extremely nice. 
also looks like action is going to be incredibly low, with the neck laying a bit lower than the top of the body, and the bridge being recessed. super pro.


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## Rusti (Nov 11, 2010)

Thanks very much to everyone ^^



scherzo1928 said:


> wow dude, that's soooo nice.
> I mean, the CNC part is obviously flawless, but the design itself and the layout of everything extremely nice.
> also looks like action is going to be incredibly low, with the neck laying a bit lower than the top of the body, and the bridge being recessed. super pro.



I still have to sand down about 1mm all the top till its at the same level as the neck, then the fretboard will lean on the top and the bridge plate will be completely inserted on the top.
lol my english sucks, i didnt know how to write this one and i hope i did explain


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## BlackMastodon (Nov 11, 2010)

Goddamn man. Can't wait to see this finished.


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## sk3ks1s (Nov 11, 2010)

Rusti said:


>


 
Those carves. Dear god... perfect.


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## cerfew (Nov 12, 2010)

This thread isn't allowed to be classified as human-made... You are a GOD. xD


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 12, 2010)

Rusti said:


> Thanks very much to everyone ^^
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 gotcha!


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## Rusti (Mar 20, 2011)

Hi guys, i guess someone forgot this thread since i didnt have much time to work on the guitar due to other projects and due to the winter coldness 
From now i will be able to go on with the building so i guess its time to update the thread with some pics 
I did sand down the top about 2mm, damn that wood is so hard to work.. i didnt take a pic of it but its pretty similar to how it was on the last pics.

So here is the neck, i roughly shaped it on the cnc.
















I worked the neck profile with a scraper blade and then with sandpaper, and the volute with the grinder first then with files.
This is how it came out











Zoom on volute






Now its time to work the heel, again i did it first with the grinder and then with some files and sandpaper.
















This is how its looking on the body


























I just did the neck heel when my cousin come to check job 
Looks like he liked it 











Win!


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## Ghost40 (Mar 20, 2011)

This is quite possibly the sexiest thing I have ever set eyes on.


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## scherzo1928 (Mar 20, 2011)

I still cant get over how well thought out that guitar is.

And the carving... oh the carving...


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## b7string (Mar 20, 2011)

Your neck joining system is absolutely ingenious. Well done


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## ivancic1al (Mar 20, 2011)

Mother of God...

This is such an unreal build. Those contours  Can't wait to see more progress pics.


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## BlackMastodon (Mar 20, 2011)

Completely forgot how glorious this build is.


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## scherzo1928 (Mar 20, 2011)

BlackMastodon said:


> Completely forgot how glorious this build is.


 
I was just going to say you should watch this thread


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## Khaine88 (Mar 21, 2011)

Jesus, its coming together so well, looks so fucking pro D:, cant wait to see the finished article dude


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## iacovetti (Mar 21, 2011)

so when do you start building mine?


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## CD1221 (Mar 22, 2011)

gorgeous guitar here. awesome work.


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## Rojne (Mar 23, 2011)

Can't say anything other than THIS looks fawking gorgeous!!!
I love building threads, can't wait see this finished.. and to get teh stuff for my Ibanez-RG-replacement-body-building!


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## vansinn (Mar 24, 2011)

I've always had a weekness for Italian design, the shoes, the clothes, the cars, the icecream and the women 
This is Italian design! Cool works, Rusti 

Different approach than the more usual handwork, and very interesting to get some insight into what it's like working with CAD software and such machinery.

Is this your own CNC or do you have access to it? And the price?
I woudn't be surprised if it isn't even too expensive; I've seen routers for electronics boards (which isn't etched anylonger but are routed) at some &#8364;1000..

Would you mind doing a quick rundown on this setup, i.e. which router model, needed software, prices, what you feel it's good at and which limitations you've found..? (I'm aware you mentioned some details earlier)


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## Jontain (Mar 25, 2011)

Wow, jsut wow. 

The materials and workmanship of this build are very high quality indeed, will be great to see it all strung up.


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## Rusti (Mar 31, 2011)

Hi and thanks everyone 
lately ive got a damn bronchitis and illness :/
today its first day i feel better, i was goin to answe vansinn when i decided to take a pic of the small lab i made over the years.







Well yes, the cnc is mine, i bought it about 1.5 years ago from a small italian builder and i payed it about 3500 cause it was one of the first prototypes.
You can see the machine on the photo. I got with it the pc also, which its case is placed over the metal panel to protect it from the dust.
It runs Windows Xp, i draw on AutoCad and then i send the drawing to DeskCnc, the software that i got with the cnc.
It has a working plan area of about 40x80cm. I use the Kress 1050 as router, its quite cheap but its doing his job really well.






Talking about good and bad points mm.. well sure I had to think on it before buying a cnc since im not rich. I just love to spend money on my hobbies  
This said im really happy of it! it takes some time to learn how to use its software, i already knew how to draw on cad, it takes time on planning how to do some kind of working, how to fix a blank on the desk area.. but once its done, if you kept a lot of attention to it, the result is quite perferct. It can do a compound radius, it can cut the fret slots without goin out the edge of the fretboards, and the works are very clean. Of course some jobs are still impossible to do with its and i do it on the traditional way.
I soon discovered that often its harder to draw something than doing the rest of the job. 
I hope i answered you, feel free to ask if you want to know something else or you want some pics of some parts 

Cya!


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## sk3ks1s (Mar 31, 2011)

Rusti said:


>



I hate your face...


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## kmanick (Mar 31, 2011)

looking really good!


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Mar 31, 2011)

Perchè non l'ho mai vista prima??? grande Rusti!!!


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## Rusti (Mar 31, 2011)

sk3ks1s said:


> I hate your face...







FrancescoFiligoi said:


> Perchè non l'ho mai vista prima??? grande Rusti!!!



.. e che ne so.. dormivi!


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## Erick Kroenen (Apr 28, 2011)

great! forwarding for more MORE


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## Rusti (May 5, 2011)

Yo yo so i dont have real progresses since this quilted maple is really heavy and hard and its fuckin complicated to stain it getting a nice result, so i had to try in like 10 different ways (on the same piece of wood that i used for the top), and this is the last try, which i think is the best one i got till now.
In this pic the stain is dried and there is no finish on it yet.
What do you think?






Well.. while im here im goin to post a couple of pics of one of the new woods i received recently.

Camphor Burl!






Wet






And this is the same wood still wet under another light, it nearly turned to red 








Tomorrow im going to apply the finish on the maple, please tell me what you think of how the stain and the grain came out.
Thanks


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## cyprian0810 (May 5, 2011)

So sick bro... hats off to you.


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## CD1221 (May 6, 2011)

not only is that camphor burl farking gorgeous, it is freakin' thick!

awesome.


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## Edika (May 6, 2011)

Awesome thread and project! This is shaping into a fine looking guitar. 

The stain looks very nice and I hope it turns out as you expect it. From what I have read in other threads (since I don't have any building experience) is that other guys building guitars (that seem to know what they are doing) do a process of staining and removing the stain by sanding three or four times. As I understand the procedure, they don't remove all of the stain but most of the stain. There is some residual on the wood so as they pass another coat they have a more pronounced and 3D result. Of course I may be wrong so feel free to correct me (as I said zero building experience).

Can't wait to see the guitar finished!


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## Rusti (May 6, 2011)

Yep that is the usual process to follow but it didnt work in this case because this wood is too much hard and the stain doesnt go deep on the grain. Then even with a light sanding i was removing all the stain 
I took me quite a lot of tries to get this result staining only once and without sanding it..


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## scherzo1928 (May 6, 2011)

Rusti said:


> Yep that is the usual process to follow but it didnt work in this case because this wood is too much hard and the stain doesnt go deep on the grain. Then even with a light sanding i was removing all the stain
> I took me quite a lot of tries to get this result staining only once and without sanding it..


 
Is your stain water based?


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## Rusti (May 6, 2011)

I use the one sold on stewmac. STEWMAC.COM : ColorTone Liquid Stains
It can be used with alcohool or water, i tried both ways and this one is done with water.
What do you think of it?


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## scherzo1928 (May 6, 2011)

It's what I'm going to use...

That must be one stuborn piece of maple. I think it looks amazing just on the offcut. Cant wait to see the entire top.


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## Rusti (Aug 4, 2011)

Hey guys!
time for update! sorry about the quality of the pics, i took most of it with the phone cause i was too lazy to use the camera 

lets go

well this was the top
















Recessing the knobs and selectors





















Here im goin to build the plate of the bridge out of ebony since the saddles are piezos and i want to hear the difference between the original plate and an ebony one.


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## nojyeloot (Aug 4, 2011)




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## ECGuitars (Aug 4, 2011)

Aboslutely stunning!


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## thedarkoceans (Aug 4, 2011)

sta venendo davvero una figata,non vedo l'ora di vederla finita.anzi,se c'è la possibilità quando è finita vengo a vederla dal vivo,se mi dici dov'è il tuo studio della follia.i hope the mods dont ban me for a little italian post


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## sk3ks1s (Aug 4, 2011)

Dude...
Seriously...
Fuck me...
Seriously.......


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## BlackMastodon (Aug 4, 2011)

Dat top carve! Must be nice having a CNC machine


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## scherzo1928 (Aug 4, 2011)

We are worms!


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## sytraxiplague (Aug 4, 2011)

Ugh... That is freaking gorgeous. That hollow body top was perfection though


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## Watty (Aug 4, 2011)

That looks awesome, you do great work. 

The one thing I don't dig is how "busy" it got when you added all of those knobs and switches. I think less is definitely more when it comes to the controls and placement, adding too much makes it look like your sound is more about what knobs you tweak rather than how you actually play...Doug and PRS have it down to a Science IMHO.


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## Rusti (Aug 4, 2011)

thedarkoceans said:


> sta venendo davvero una figata,non vedo l'ora di vederla finita.anzi,se c'è la possibilità quando è finita vengo a vederla dal vivo,se mi dici dov'è il tuo studio della follia.i hope the mods dont ban me for a little italian post



Si quando ho finito te la faccio provare 



BlackMastodon said:


> Dat top carve! Must be nice having a CNC machine



The carve is done by hand with a grinder, check page 3 



watsonb2 said:


> That looks awesome, you do great work.
> 
> The one thing I don't dig is how "busy" it got when you added all of those knobs and switches. I think less is definitely more when it comes to the controls and placement, adding too much makes it look like your sound is more about what knobs you tweak rather than how you actually play...Doug and PRS have it down to a Science IMHO.



Yeah there are a lot of switches but since it has a piezo pickup and it needs 1 volume and 1 switch just for it. the other vol and switch are for pickups and the last one is a tone push pull that splits pup.
Anyway i never used so many of them and i guess this is the last time 

Incoming more pics


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## Rusti (Aug 4, 2011)

Glueing the neck on the body

















Glueing the top


























Building clamps




































Glueing fretboard


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Aug 4, 2011)

STUPENDA!!! Go Rusti Go


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## vansinn (Aug 4, 2011)

Gorgeous stuff! me like a lot..
Those fretboard clamps are really cool; reminds me of the traditional Swizz ones Huf is using.
Looking forward to the finish


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## AChRush1349 (Aug 4, 2011)

THIS BUILD!!!!!!


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## Ruins (Aug 4, 2011)

damn it this turns out so fucking sexy!!!!!


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## BlackMastodon (Aug 4, 2011)

I can't find the right words to describe how I'm feeling. Massive amounts of jealousy, envy, and admiration are involved though. Awesome that you made your own clamps, and the build looks even better now that it's really coming together. The icing on the cake is definitely that string retainer that you made on the back of the guitar (I assume it's from your neck?).


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## vampiregenocide (Aug 4, 2011)

This is looking seriously gorgeous. You thinking of becoming a luthier?


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## thewildturkey (Aug 4, 2011)

Cant believe I missed this thread... 

This build looks fantastic, loving the headstock design! 

I also really like the fretboard glueing Jig, thats a really clever trick!


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## Rusti (Aug 4, 2011)

BlackMastodon said:


> I can't find the right words to describe how I'm feeling. Massive amounts of jealousy, envy, and admiration are involved though. Awesome that you made your own clamps, and the build looks even better now that it's really coming together. The icing on the cake is definitely that string retainer that you made on the back of the guitar (I assume it's from your neck?).



yep



vampiregenocide said:


> This is looking seriously gorgeous. You thinking of becoming a luthier?



yeah at the moment im doing it in my free time but id love to do it as a job, so i wont stop here 

If i will be completely happy on how this guitar will turn out and sound, i will put if for sale. I will keep it for myself if i will not be 100% satisfied.


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## Rusti (Aug 4, 2011)

Frets!


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## thedarkoceans (Aug 5, 2011)

long scale for the win!


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## project25_01 (Aug 5, 2011)

My God man! That Baby is...
is...
My God!

One of the sexiest tops I've seen, EVER!


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## ShadowFactoryX (Aug 5, 2011)

i cant blow any more load to this thread

im tapped out

this is one of the finest guitars i've ever had the privilege of viewing being built here on ss


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## flo (Aug 5, 2011)

You redefined the word "perfect".

Can't say any more really, I'm still too shocked.


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## anthonyferguson (Aug 6, 2011)

Fuck a dog.


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## Nyarlath (Aug 6, 2011)

Excellent! Looking forward to the finished guitar!


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## Pikka Bird (Aug 7, 2011)

Finally someone else insists on blending the comfort contours into the body's outline! If the awe-inspiring look of everything else hadn't already won me over, that'd have done it. Also, that slice of neck scrap that's going to hold the string ferruless on the back is just pornographic.


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## Aevolve (Aug 8, 2011)

I am so pissed that the pages ran out on this thread.

I'm not finished fapping yet.



Can't wait for moar pics so I can resume the sesh.


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## Levi79 (Aug 8, 2011)




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## TheBloodstained (Aug 10, 2011)

Pikka Bird said:


> ...just pornographic.


CRAP!!! I'm not supposed to watch porn at work! 

but seriously, that's one of the best builds I've seen on this forum so far! 
So you're going to give it a black stain?


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## Rusti (Aug 10, 2011)

TheBloodstained said:


> CRAP!!! I'm not supposed to watch porn at work!
> 
> but seriously, that's one of the best builds I've seen on this forum so far!
> So you're going to give it a black stain?




Nope ive tried so hard to stain that top but the result is not good enough 
That wood is one of the most hard-working ive ever worked on.. Imagine how hard was carving it XD
Its so hard it barely takes the stain.
i already finished it natural some days ago. i just need to take some pic 






Thanks to anyone for kind words


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## sidesane (Aug 11, 2011)

where did you learn to build guitars like that? there are so many little things that usually are over looked, or forgotten.
Build is not the correct word for this.
Craft is much better, weave in to existence perhaps 
This project is very well done, sound samples and more pics please!! XDDD


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## vansinn (Aug 11, 2011)

Rusti said:


> Nope ive tried so hard to stain that top but the result is not good enough
> That wood is one of the most hard-working ive ever worked on.. Imagine how hard was carving it XD
> Its so hard it barely takes the stain.
> i already finished it natural some days ago. i just need to take some pic



With such beatyful woods, I'd expect a natural finish looking really good.
The other day my dirty mind was thinking about a whitewash/satin finish..

Looking forward to the pics


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## XEN (Aug 11, 2011)

Pardon my crassness, but pucchiacca Eva, ma quant' è bona quella li. Sei veramente un proprio maestro.


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## thatguy87 (Aug 11, 2011)

:O I'ts.... sextacular.....


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## Rusti (Aug 11, 2011)

sidesane said:


> where did you learn to build guitars like that? there are so many little things that usually are over looked, or forgotten.
> Build is not the correct word for this.
> Craft is much better, weave in to existence perhaps
> This project is very well done, sound samples and more pics please!! XDDD



Well i learnt checking on the web how other luthiers works and i also found very useful to watch all the tools for sale on stewmac: you often dont really need to buy every single tool but they just give you a good input on what you need to do a certain job, you can probably build on your own some of those tools or just modify a standard tool to your needs.

Another good way of getting a good result on a job im doing for the first timr that i dont really know how to do yet is getting out of the lab, maybe going on pc and thinking the best way to do that job. I will may need to buy a new tool but this doesnt bind me to use those tools i got in front of me on my lab only.

I know that my english sucks but i hope i was understandable 




urklvt said:


> Pardon my crassness, but pucchiacca Eva, ma quant' è bona quella li. Sei veramente un proprio maestro.



LOL where did you learn this? 




I've got to slot the nut and mount strings, then will come other pics


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## SilenceIsACrime (Aug 11, 2011)

Ok, just discovered this and am *completely blown away*. What with all the stellar carves and that classy top....  Please post more pics soon!!


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## ShadowFactoryX (Aug 12, 2011)

!!!!!!!


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## youshy (Aug 12, 2011)

WE NEED UPDATE!!!!!11oneone


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## thedarkoceans (Aug 13, 2011)

urklvt said:


> Pardon my crassness, but pucchiacca Eva, ma quant' è bona quella li. Sei veramente un proprio maestro.




hahahahah so you speak italian?


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## XEN (Aug 13, 2011)

hehe I lived in Italy for a few years.
Dude, seriously, your skills are top notch!


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## thedarkoceans (Aug 16, 2011)

updates?


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## HexaneLake (Aug 18, 2011)

You have inspired me..*commits suicide


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## Syriel (Aug 21, 2011)

Ok I need a PM from you when you decide to turn into a luthier.

I'll gladly blow my bucks to you.


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## JaeSwift (Aug 21, 2011)

Syriel said:


> Ok I need a PM from you when you decide to turn into a luthier.
> 
> I'll gladly blow my bucks to you.



Seconded. Fuck, I'de fly over to Italy to come pick it up myself


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## CD1221 (Aug 21, 2011)

Stupendous. Bravo rusti, that is a thing of beauty.


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## Tisca (Sep 27, 2011)

Inspirational stuff, keep up the good work!
I'm about to enroll in an Autocad/Inventor course for design work and now I'm seriously considering building a guitar or 50.


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## Erick Kroenen (Sep 29, 2011)

estupenda guitarra ! bravo!


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## endo (Oct 2, 2011)

So I was holding my guitar while looking at this thread and when I finished, I looked down to start playing and noticed I had absent mindedly drooled on it (the guitar). I didn't even know I did it and I don't drool. Amazing man, it literally is perfect.


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## Rusti (Nov 19, 2011)

Updates??


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## Navid (Nov 19, 2011)

It's fucking beautiful!


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## sk3ks1s (Nov 19, 2011)

Wow. That is amazing...


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## Rusti (Nov 19, 2011)

Here's the link of it completed 

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/177943-ngd-rusti-27-7-7string.html


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## Purelojik (Nov 19, 2011)

i think this is the most meticulously detailed build story i've ever seen. such fucking precision. Kudos dude! you could easily start a business.


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## BlackMastodon (Nov 19, 2011)

Did you spray it with satin or are those last few pics without the clear on it? Either way the figure in that top and the neck looks amazing.


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## Rusti (Nov 20, 2011)

used only a statin finish on it. the firts pic after it being sprayed was just not sanded yet


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