# Purple Apparatus 8 String



## sk3ks1s (Jun 21, 2010)

Hey guys. So after waiting some time to get some boards cut to reconstruct the neck for my 8 string project... see -> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...nd-customizations/115827-8-sting-attempt.html , I have had some time to rethink my design. While I did like my previous choice, I have decided to go a different route. Most specs are the the same, some different...

-ash body.................. 1"
-mahogany laminate.... 1/4"
-wenge top................ 1/8"
-5 (maybe 7) piece neck mahogany w/ wenge fillets
-very acute (3-4 degree) h/s angle
-matching wenge h/s
-oil finish
-27" scale
-24 frets
-2 1/4" at the nut
-no inlays
-infinite radius
-maple fretboard 
-Sperzel locking tuners
-HipShot bridge
-1 vol. / 3 way switch
-still don't know what p-ups (probably BKP... )

... still on the fence about:
-ivoroid binding (body/headstock)
-mahogany binding (neck)
I like a plain maple neck, but I think that binding the neck with the same material as the neck would make it blend together better. And finding a place to get ivoroid in Canada is not easy...

Anyhoo, enough gab...

Front






Back





More to come...


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## SYLrules88 (Jun 21, 2010)

this sounds hot and i like all of your specs. ill be monitoring your progress


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## sk3ks1s (Jun 21, 2010)

Thanks... and SYL DOES RULE!!!


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## sk3ks1s (Jun 22, 2010)

Started glueing the neck laminates together...


























There's enough there for me to carve a 4-6 degree angled headstock. I think I might do that instead of a scarf joint.


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## sk3ks1s (Jun 28, 2010)

Updates:

Started glueing the body laminates together. Planed the neck and started on the headstock.


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## Jeroenofzo (Jun 29, 2010)

+rep for handsawing the headstock.

Nice project you got there!


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## TomParenteau (Jul 1, 2010)

Excellent photos. 'Preciate it!


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## sk3ks1s (Jul 1, 2010)

Thanks guys.
I actually bunked the ash up. I cut out the shape as if it were the front instead of the back (if you can picture it). So I'm actually using a different peice of ash. Pictures will follow...


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## djhollowman (Jul 2, 2010)

sk3ks1s said:


> Thanks guys.
> I actually bunked the ash up. I cut out the shape as if it were the front instead of the back (if you can picture it). So I'm actually using a different peice of ash. Pictures will follow...



Make a leftie??
Or even just a leftie body?

And yeah, kudos on cutting the headstock angle with a handsaw! I'm guessing you don't have a bandsaw?

DJ


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## sk3ks1s (Jul 3, 2010)

Nope... no bandsaw. Maybe one day. I have a jigsaw that I do most of my cutting with, but it only does a 2 1/2" depth. Plus sometimes the screw comes loose and the blade goes off 90 degrees, so I don't really trust it for the delicate stuff.


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## sk3ks1s (Jul 19, 2010)

Update:

Body is pretty much cut and carved.





















































Ivoroid binding will be going around the body at the thickness of the wenge/mahogany.
More to follow...


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## Justin Bailey (Jul 20, 2010)

I'll take it! awesome looking man!


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## scherzo1928 (Jul 20, 2010)

That's exactly what I'll be doing to level the top on my build... glad to see it works fine.

BTW, i think you will end up with an extremely nice axe mang.


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## sk3ks1s (Jul 22, 2010)

Yeah. Works like a charm. I did it for each laminate as well. The router bit (3/4") leaves a few ruts and marks on the wood, but its nothing a bit of sand paper and elbow grease can't clean up.


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 1, 2010)

Hey guys. It's slow going... but there is some progress. Just a couple of quick snaps to post (shameless bump). Still a bit of work to go.


























More to come... (hopefully sooner than later)
-Jeff


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## All_¥our_Bass (Sep 2, 2010)

Nice.







But...






None of it's purple!?!?


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## Justin Bailey (Sep 2, 2010)

lookin good!


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## Stealthdjentstic (Sep 2, 2010)

Looking good!


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## jaskasm (Sep 2, 2010)

This looks epic


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 2, 2010)

All_¥our_Bass;2122938 said:


> Nice.
> But...
> None of it's purple!?!?


 
Some Blackmachines aren't black. And yes, I am comparing my work to that of Doug @ Blackmachine... And also Jesus. 
(just kidding about the Doug part)


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## technomancer (Sep 2, 2010)

Nice Blackmachine ripoff


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## scherzo1928 (Sep 2, 2010)

Its looking great! how thick is the neck btw?

About the headstock, did you route that part of the laminate to level it, and glue the wenge cover? Just asking since that's where im at on my build, while I wait for my pieces to arrive.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 2, 2010)

jeez, you made it look blackmachine as hell too, really close to the actual design.

just don´t try to do that as a way of making money. only sell your own personal designs. no-one likes ripoff luthiers.

looks awesome so far, can´t wait to see it progress!


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## Justin Bailey (Sep 2, 2010)

you gotta start somewhere, PRS was doing LP JR's for a long time in his attic before he made the SA.


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## MF_Kitten (Sep 2, 2010)

Justin Bailey said:


> you gotta start somewhere, PRS was doing LP JR's for a long time in his attic before he made the SA.



of course, that´s why i´m saying he shouldn´t make money by using those designs, but practice makes perfect. for personal use, why wouldn´t you copy something you want?


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 2, 2010)

MF_Kitten said:


> of course, that´s why i´m saying he shouldn´t make money by using those designs, but practice makes perfect. for personal use, why wouldn´t you copy something you want?


 
I want a Blackmachine. I, a) can't afford one, and, b) don't much care to wait until I'm 56 to get one. I'm not saying this build quality is even in the same arena as Blackmachines... but I figured I'm building it... why not build what I want?
As for selling... I haven't even got this thing off the ground yet. I have absolutely no intentions on building a guitar to sell... except my new Vampire line of guitars that will outplay any ESP Custom Shop out there. Don't beleive me?


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 2, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> Its looking great! how thick is the neck btw?
> About the headstock, did you route that part of the laminate to level it, and glue the wenge cover? Just asking since that's where im at on my build, while I wait for my pieces to arrive.


 
Thanks. Neck is about 19mm thick. I did it the same way as the body. Glued the wenge to a slab of mahogany. Then shaved it down with the jig you saw in the pictures. If I was smart, I would have done that before I glued the headstock onto the neck. But I did it after. A little tricky, but I got the job done. Had to shave both sides too, the h/s was way too thick.


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 2, 2010)

technomancer said:


> Nice Blackmachine ripoff


 
Thanks. The idea to copy the design was completely mine.


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## scherzo1928 (Sep 2, 2010)

sk3ks1s said:


> Thanks. Neck is about 19mm thick. I did it the same way as the body. Glued the wenge to a slab of mahogany. Then shaved it down with the jig you saw in the pictures. If I was smart, I would have done that before I glued the headstock onto the neck. But I did it after. A little tricky, but I got the job done. Had to shave both sides too, the h/s was way too thick.


 
 just noticed the pics of the back of the neck. I keep forgeting it's not a neckthrough...

btw, have you decided on pickups?


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## Razzy (Sep 2, 2010)

If he's not gonna sell it, I don't see the problem. It's looking great dude!

The Vampire guitars remark made me laugh out loud too. haha.


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 2, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> just noticed the pics of the back of the neck. I keep forgeting it's not a neckthrough...
> 
> btw, have you decided on pickups?


 
Maybe a neckthru on a build in the future. Figured a bolt on would be easier for my first build.
Got a pair of Miracle Men on the way from AxePalace.


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## Jayystew (Sep 4, 2010)

i thought it said asparagus 8 string  

but this is an awesome project none the less! haha


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 4, 2010)

Jayystew said:


> i thought it said asparagus 8 string


 
I toyed with the idea of using asparagus. But I like mine boiled a little, which severly compromises the structural integrity of the vegetable. I thought about running strips of frozen snap peas through the entire length, but they would eventually thaw anyway. Maybe carbon fibre.........


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## Whiskey_Funeral (Sep 4, 2010)

This is going to look awesome when it's finished! Excellent work!


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## aleXander (Sep 4, 2010)

that headstock is crazy looking!


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 4, 2010)

aleXander said:


> that headstock is crazy looking!


 
Thanks. It's a complete original! I will be selling this guitar for $5300USD. 

Let the bidding on this one of a kind guitar begin!


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## technomancer (Sep 4, 2010)

sk3ks1s said:


> Thanks. The idea to copy the design was completely mine.


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## Durero (Sep 4, 2010)

Your sense of humour is fantastic Jeff. Nice build too


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 4, 2010)

Durero said:


> Your sense of humour is fantastic Jeff. Nice build too


 
Thank you.


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## TheSilentWater (Sep 4, 2010)

Nice build, and I agree about your sense of humour.


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## caparison_x (Sep 5, 2010)

hey, great build, it looks so close to being perfect but still lacks something.
Of course whether the guitar looks good is second to how it sounds

I really hope you can finish this build and have a great sounding guitar

Mark


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## signalgrey (Sep 5, 2010)

sk3ks1s said:


> Thanks. It's a complete original! I will be selling this guitar for $5300USD.
> 
> Let the bidding on this one of a kind guitar begin!




hhahaha

i offer 6000 KRW

(exchange rate joke)


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 5, 2010)

caparison_x said:


> hey, great build, it looks so close to being perfect but still lacks something.


 
Please share. I want this to be a good as I can make it. Input is more than welcome.


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## Prydogga (Sep 5, 2010)

OHHH I get it, Purple Apparatus/Black Machine. I was so confused. 

If I could give any advice I'd say to do some fine work on the binding and arm contour, because it was my understanding that Doug applies binding before doing the arm contour, so the binding still had a line across the bottom of the contour.

Yours looks fine, just make the binding merge with the cut better.


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 5, 2010)

Yeah, I wanted to do that too. To have the binding the same thickness as the mahogany so it would continue through the cut out. The binding I got was only 1/4" [ridiculously hard to get ivoroid binding in Canada (not to mention stupidly expensive)]. I tried glueing the two together to make it thick enough but that was a mess. 
I think I will make another pass through with my chamfer bit to give it a more polished look though.
Thanks for the advice.


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## Prydogga (Sep 5, 2010)

No problem, this is a great looking build, I love the Blackmachine shape, and your woods really pull the ensemble off, especially that ash, I'm so picky over ash grain.


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 5, 2010)

Thanks. Yeah... I find ash is either very striking or very bland. If the grain isn't tight, it kinda looks like a mess in my opinion. Believe it or not, got enough ash (of the same board) for 4 bodies for less than $40CDN at a local hardware store. Why I bought so much? I don't know...


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 8, 2010)

hey strated to cavre teh neck todya cant put up pics til netx month heres waht it looks liek tho














I kid. Did actually start shaping the neck. Hasn't been fine sanded or anything.










More to follow.


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## Justin Bailey (Sep 8, 2010)

sexy


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Sep 8, 2010)

lookin good broseph


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## scherzo1928 (Sep 8, 2010)

pro scarf joint is pro


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## Bungle (Sep 9, 2010)

sk3ks1s said:


> Thanks. The idea to copy the design was completely mine.


 love it.

Build is looking sweet so far too


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## Rashputin (Sep 9, 2010)

Keep the pics coming man. Can't wait to see how it turns out.


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## theo (Sep 9, 2010)

that is an AWESOME first build, looking really nice!


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 9, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> pro scarf joint is pro


 
It came out pretty good. However I do wish it was a little closer to the headstock. The neck profile is thin... (22mm). Hoping it'll stand up to the tension.


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 12, 2010)

Oh, the perils of fretting...
Used a coping saw. The blade was a sliver too thick. The tangs caught, just a tad. CA to the rescue. I've read online that some companies used to make oversized fret slots and rely only on glues/epoxies. So I filled in the slots with CA... and it is solid. There is still some residue that I am (extremely tediously) removing, as you may or may not see in the pictures. Trimmed the frets and leveled them. A lot more to go yet, but its getting there... one intimidating, tedious task at a time.


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## No2EMGs4Me (Sep 13, 2010)

MOOOORRRREEEEEEE!!!!!!


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## JoeyBattle (Sep 14, 2010)

No2EMGs4Me said:


> MOOOORRRREEEEEEE!!!!!!



+1


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## scherzo1928 (Sep 14, 2010)

those frets 6000s? they look huge


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 15, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> those frets 6000s? they look huge


 
That is correct. Bigger is better.


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## sk3ks1s (Sep 22, 2010)

Small update.




















That is all...


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## scherzo1928 (Sep 22, 2010)

sk3ks1s said:


> Small update.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
It is indeed getting there... one intimidating, tedious task at a time.
lol, I think I might steal that phrase for my sig for a while .


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## Daemon (Sep 23, 2010)

Great man !
Good job, keep rocking =)


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## Jontain (Sep 24, 2010)

Looks stunning, coming along really well man, keep up the good work!


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## JamesM (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm envious of the way it looks. The neck is by far the most intimidating factor of building a guitar to me.


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## sk3ks1s (Oct 2, 2010)

It is a little tricky. But paitience and a fine touch help. I'd recommend starting with a neck and building a body around it. I should have done that. Took me a few tries to get this one right.


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## sk3ks1s (Oct 5, 2010)

Getting closer.
Just had to put the hardware on and get a little look-see.











The headstock is a little bigger than I thought it would be. Looks a little too proportional. One of the things I like about the BM8 is that it looks like all the stuff was crammed onto a 7 (maybe even 6) string body.


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## bostjan (Oct 5, 2010)

It's really coming together! 

That's a pile of tuners!


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## JamesM (Oct 5, 2010)

That's a good cut of wenge man, really. Looks fantastic.


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## Daemon (Oct 5, 2010)

Good job, very sexy =)


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## scherzo1928 (Oct 6, 2010)

Almoast there!!!!


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## sk3ks1s (Nov 11, 2010)

Done!

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/136872-my-new-guitar.html#post2210741


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 11, 2010)

/cream


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