# Home Depot Build Challenge V2 - RV FF8



## RV350ALSCYTHE (Sep 1, 2013)

My Home Depot Build is going to be an ESP style RV inspired by the original ESP Alexi custom models (RV350ALSCYTHE Specifically). FF8 either 25.5-28 or 23-25.5. Tuned with a low E to high E or low B to high A respectively (haven't decided which scale I will go with).

Materials thus far are leftover scrap wood:
Cedar from a picknick table build
Oak strip from a homemade guitar stand
Purpleheart bits leftover from a bass build.
Still searching for a fretboard idea, no material as of yet.

Hardware:
Plan to create my own single saddles from Home Depot materials.
Using Steinberger Gearless tuners that I haven't found a use for.
Two Humbuckers, either leftover ESP or Ibanez 8 string set. Possibly only instal a bridge humbucker to mimmick the Alexi models more.
Leftover Pots and switch. Maybe do standard volume and tone, maybe just a volume.

Body: ESP Roads V style, Cedar Laminate
Neck: Oak center, Cedar side laminates with Purpleheart slices for looks (the Cedar wasn't long enough to span the length of the neck, to break up the ugly cedar/cedar glue joins along the length I sandwiched 1x1 x 1/4 pieces of purpleheart. It will be more clear in pictures).

Body and Neck Blanks are laminated and roughed out, and I haven't spent a penny yet, all free scrap wood . Pics soon to follow, hopefully later in the day I can get them up.


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## XxJoshxX (Sep 1, 2013)

EDIT:Nevermind, i read closer


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Sep 1, 2013)

Here is an example of the scrap wood I'm using.





Inspiration for the project traced onto a template, which is split down the centre to adjust the proportions to the wider neck.





Laminated the cedar boards, traced my template and rough cut the body shape. I left the upper fret access cutout intact until I have the neck heel dimensions.













Neck blank laminated together. Oak centre with cedar and purpleheart.









After hand sanding one face













In hindsight I should have spent the extra time to even the sides and faces of my laminates for better joins and less time needed to even everything out by hand plane and sanding. I started this as something to kill some time until this contest began (had no plans of it becomming anything). Instead of buying new wood from Home Depot I am going to continue this rough build and make something of it.


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## jonajon91 (Sep 1, 2013)

Any project that involves purpleheart in any way cannot fail!


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## Erick Kroenen (Sep 1, 2013)

Love the idea!! can't wait to see the progress


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## muffinbutton (Sep 1, 2013)

As nice as this looks, end to end joints scare me. I hope this turns out alright/


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## Negav (Sep 1, 2013)

Hm I hope it doesn't snap at the purple heart joints when applying string tension. Looking good though!


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Sep 1, 2013)

I figure the end to end joints should be fine in this case, they can't be weaker than the soft cedar being used.

I'm hoping the dense stiff Oak will take most of the stress from tension as it will resist movement more than the cedar sides. 

If it fails it's no problem, I'm game to make another neck out of Home Depot woods if I need to.


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## muffinbutton (Sep 1, 2013)

do you plan to use carbon fiber?


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Sep 1, 2013)

I plan to use a single truss rod.

I'll consider some sort of stiffening rods depending on what I find at home depot.

I haven't made the trip there yet to source hardware ideas.

I should also add that this neck blank is much wider than the fretboard template. The majority of the end to end joins will be removed once the actual profile is cut along the length.


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## muffinbutton (Sep 1, 2013)

RV350ALSCYTHE said:


> I plan to use a single truss rod.
> 
> I'll consider some sort of stiffening rods depending on what I find at home depot.
> 
> ...



that's what it looked like. you probably could have just glued the cedar on at the bottom where the oak stops being thick enough. less waste.


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## Just A Box (Sep 2, 2013)

If it works, that'll be a cool looking neck. I almost picked up a butchers block for my body A' La the Ikea Guitar, but it was too cost prohibitive.


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## XxJoshxX (Sep 2, 2013)

I just looked at your bass build and it is awesome.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Sep 9, 2013)

XxJoshxX said:


> I just looked at your bass build and it is awesome.



Thanks!

Don't expect those results with this build though 

Feeling behind compared to the other Contest Threads.
Been too busy working overtime...and constantly changing the plans as I go.

Did a Tung Oil application to the body and neck blanks to see if I should add a top, paint it white or leave it natural.
Here are some mockup pics. The headstock looks too much like a dean RC8, I tried to make a straightened ESP style. I may scrap the whole design and copy either a DC800 or RG8 headstock for the hole pattern and design around that template.













I had a look at Home Depot and decided to use more scrap from home.
I have two purpleheart pieces I will Bandsaw into 4 plates and make a 4 piece fretboard. I also have a leftover sliver of rosewood from my bass build which I may try and slice into thin strips for a bound board or whatever else comes to mind. Lastly one thin square I will trim down into a purpleheart pickup cover.


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## Neilzord (Sep 11, 2013)

Look forward to seeing more on this beast!!


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## Najka (Sep 11, 2013)

really awesome, keep on posting!


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Sep 11, 2013)

Photobucket is shutting me down, 2/2 with my build threads now.
I'll be reposting working pics/links once I quit photodump and move the pics over to imgur.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Sep 14, 2013)

Reposting of pics...





































...and a couple taken today.

Split the Purpleheart blocks and Rosewood strip. My Bandsaw is not precise resulting in the not so straight pieces.
You get the idea of where I'm headed with this fretboard though.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 5, 2013)

Truss rod and saddles arrived today. I may not use the saddles because I'm not keen on doing a string through. Also received my bass truss rod and ABM clone bass single bridge for a near future 34-38" 6 string bass, these were only $22cdn for all 6 and they are visually identical to the bridge on my dingwall combustion.






Now that I have a truss rod I might as well do something.
Cleaned up the end of the neck blank on the table saw.
The guard is removed because it is a terrible design which only works for material 3/4" thick or less.






Measuring/marking where I will route the truss rod channel.











Using the router and guide to make multiple passes to gradually cut the channel depth.











The truss rod like the one I used in my last build is slightly larger on the threaded end with the nut. I used the same guide and adjusted it to make 2 cuts to widen the channel near the nut end of the rod while widening the part of the channel where the adjustment tool will be used.


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## skeels (Oct 5, 2013)

Your work area is so clean, well organized and brightly lit.

I can't stand it.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 6, 2013)

skeels said:


> Your work area is so clean, well organized and brightly lit.
> 
> I can't stand it.



Maybe these pics will change your mind 












I really only have a radius of 2-3 feet to actually work because of the horde around me. It's really clean looking because most of the work goes on outside, otherwise I have to spend time cleaning the dust before I drag it all over the carpeted upstairs.

Some progress.
Started to glue the fretboard pieces onto the neck blank one at a time.
I find it easier to clean the dried glue out of the joint with a file before gluing the next piece of fretboard down compared to wrestling all 4 pieces + clamps into alignment in one go.






The gluing face of the fretboard is smooth but the other will have to go through the planer once they are all glued. I also hand sawed the nut end of the fretboard at an angle of 40 degrees. I tried to make the grain as continuous looking as I could. It looks OK on the smooth glue face, hopefully it also aligns decent on the other side.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 11, 2013)

Finished gluing the fretboard pieces onto the neck blank and it's now ready for a thickness planing.











After a few days oxidizing it will regain the darker purple colour.











It was a pain to clamp the seams together with the rough surface for the clamp to grip on. Overnight the pieces shifted a bit.











I regret cutting the nut end of the fretboard. It was tough to clamp the seam shut and not shift overnight. I have plenty of purple chips to grind up and make a fill.


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## Stereordinary (Oct 11, 2013)

Well I'm impressed so far!


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 12, 2013)

Stereordinary said:


> Well I'm impressed so far!



Thanks!


Roughed out the neck using the bandsaw.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 12, 2013)

I cleaned up the saw marks on both sides of the neck using an oscillating drum sander.


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## Floppystrings (Oct 12, 2013)

Dude is that a possum?

I fear them. I fear little, but that thing looks evil.

Respect.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 13, 2013)

2.2 lb Dumbo Rat.

Had 4 rats getting exercise and this guy took a piss on my fretboard


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## Carnage (Oct 14, 2013)

this is looking so nice, cant wait to see more!


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 17, 2013)

My very First attempt at cutting fret slots. This is the build part that has kept me from building the past 15 years, well that and lack of tools and/or money 

I'm doing a fanned fretboard so any type of mitre box won't make this any easier. To begin I spring clamped two paint mixing sticks to the neck as a guide to keep the saw movements straighter than freehand.






Next I place the saw against the guide.






Using a piece of scrap with a flat bottom and perpendicular side I applied light pressure to force the sawblade flat against the clamped guide rail.
I made slow motions until the depth stop hit the fret board.






Seems to work really well.






An hour later and I'm Done!






As I was reaching the end I started to get a little zealous. Luckily I only messed up the zero fret.






Slot cutting was much easier than anticipated, now I'm going to go back and fret my fretless bass!


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## AndrewG716 (Oct 17, 2013)

I love the look of the purpleheart fretboard!

Here's a link to a slot cutting jig that I made (with a few inconsequential modifications):

Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum &bull; View topic - Multiscale Fret Slot Jig

It works quite well, and depending on how fast you can do your method, could save you some time, and probably hassle. Plus it has magnets.

Anyway, keep it up. Really starting to look cool.

EDIT: The jig won't allow the use of the depth stop without some redesign, which could be a disadvantage.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 21, 2013)

AndrewG716 said:


> I love the look of the purpleheart fretboard!
> 
> Here's a link to a slot cutting jig that I made (with a few inconsequential modifications):
> 
> ...



The depth stop was slightly in my way with my method as well. It just took away about 2 inches of blade travel.

Your Jig looks easily modified to work with the depth stop. Appears to only need some clearance cut into it. Or use smaller thumbscrews on the saw as the ones that came with it are pretty bulky.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 21, 2013)

I settled on a headstock shape and rough cut the outer design.

ya...It may looks like the Iron Shiek's boot right now but it will look more like a Halberd/Voulge after the blade-like edges are rasped into it. I'm also considering leaving the thickness in-tact and counter-sinking the gearless tuners almost to the point that they do not protrude above the face of the headstock.
I also didn't expect 4 feet of fretwire to not be enough. I made it to the 16th fret then ran out, now I have to wait for another shipment.






Here's a mockup of the current status.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 26, 2013)

Started work on counter-sinking the tuners.
I used a dremel and the stew mac router base for the dremel.
What a great dremel add-on. The original base sucks and doesn't perform at all, but this stew mac part is excellent and gives me the confidence to try intricate inlays in the future. I would prefer to use a Drill-Press and proper sized drill bits but I'm stuck with the little router bit for now.

I'm using Steinberger Gearless Tuners I picked up used in the marketplace a while back. I've countersunk them to give the strings more angle over the nut while keeping the head-stock thick, as well as streamline the appearance more.






I've also countersunk the back so only half the tuning knob protrudes to get a more streamlined look like the front. The working position sucked and gave me a super sore and stiff back so I had to take a break and left the rest for another day.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Oct 27, 2013)

Finished the counter-sunk holes.











Now onto the nut, which will be composed of two 6 string bass bone nut blanks.
And the truss rod cover. I never used the cover on my bass build, so I trimmed that one to fit the angled fretboard.


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## dudeskin (Oct 27, 2013)

@Andrew, the link doesnt work. i could do with having a looks.haha

looking good dude! loving the purpleheart!


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 11, 2013)

Roughed out the nut, which was made of two 6 string bass nuts (bone).
Drilled/countersunk the trussrod cover and installed it.
I rough shaped the neck to a trapezoid with an offcenter centerline. Mostly out of boredom waiting for my fretwire. So far I'm not liking trap profile so I'll round it more while leaving the off-center centerline (not sure what the proper terminology is: thicker on the treble side near the body and thicker on the bass side near the nut).

I also rasped the bevels on the face of the guitar like most V's and RV's.
I don't think I'll take the time to bevel the back, maybe just round the edges.

Did 3 passes with the router then some dremel router and chiselling to clean up the neck pocket as best I could with soft wood and dull chisel 
I still need to do one more pass to deepen the pocket.

Everything I do is freehand hence the roughness.

Here are some after pics. Getting close to completion.
I widened the RV profile after tracing but it still looks undersized IMO.


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## skeels (Nov 11, 2013)

Sweet!


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## XxJoshxX (Nov 11, 2013)

I thought that you could leave the nut straight if you had a zero fret on a multiscale.


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## BlackMastodon (Nov 11, 2013)

Dat headstock. I like.


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## Jacobine (Nov 11, 2013)

RV350ALSCYTHE said:


>



You could just use a straight edge and a knife/box cutter to cut the guides into the wood for your saw teeth to sit in. But them slots look great your way too 

This build is pretty epic. I'm loving that purple heart!


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## Slunk Dragon (Nov 12, 2013)

Okay, seeing the updates on that headstock make this guitar 100 times sicker.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 14, 2013)

XxJoshxX said:


> I thought that you could leave the nut straight if you had a zero fret on a multiscale.



You can.

I personally like the appearance of the nut being angled with the frets, that's the only reason I made it this way.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 14, 2013)

Fretwire from stewmac arrived, Wide/Highest.
This time I went for the 1lb purchase instead of the skimpy order I did last time.
In the end I used over 7 feet to fret this thing, much more than my guess of 4 feet 

I was excited to get the frets in and forgot I did some sanding on the fretboard and needed to deepen the slots. I didn't find out until I reached the upper section where it changes from zero to 20in radius. After pulling a fret then deepening the remaining slots I noticed that the saw depth guide left some marks on the board. Maybe I'll try a flat razor to clean it up as I'll probably make it worse trying to sand in between the wire.







I free-handed the fret ends flat with a file against the fretboard edge, then filed the 45 degree angle (free-hand so not perfectly 45, mostly just getting the sharp rough ends ground down for finish filing).






There is still a little bit of nut to remove and shape.






I couldn't resist Tunging the board, I love the look of oiled purpleheart.
I left the truss cover for comparison of how tung oil changes the purple.


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## darren (Nov 14, 2013)

LOVE that headstock! That's the beauty of the Steinberger gearless tuners&#8230; You can literally make the headstock almost any shape, since the tuner knobs are accessed from the back, rather than the side.


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## skeels (Nov 14, 2013)

^yup. I like big headstocks- I cannot lie.


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## tmo (Nov 14, 2013)

RV350ALSCYTHE said:


> (...) now I'm going to go back and fret my fretless bass!



Please don't do that. Build a fretted one.


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## PoonMasterMaster (Nov 16, 2013)

So awesome. I've always wanted to do something like this. If you don't mind, how much did the materials set you back?


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 16, 2013)

PoonMasterMaster said:


> So awesome. I've always wanted to do something like this. If you don't mind, how much did the materials set you back?



All my wood was leftover ends laying around the house and garage.
I've spent around $40 on new hardware and the rest is salvaged from my pile of leftover stuff.

When I purchased wood for my bass build it cost $52 for the maple and purpleheart (it's much cheaper than home depot as the wood is bought rough). Then another ~$300 on tuners, bridge, pickup, wiring and pots, etc.

In total the bass cost less than $500 to make, this current build will cost about $80 in materials due to most of it being free junk laying around.

So far I've made one purchase at Home Depot, 5 neck bolts and inserts. I botched the insert installation and they shifted off-center and into the softer of the two neck woods. So those won't be part of the build. I removed the inserts, re-drilled the holes to clean the sides and widen it for my homemade purpleheart dowel.
I bandsawed a little block, then chucked it in my hand drill and spun it against some files and sandpaper till it was round.
Here are the purpleheart plugs glued in.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 22, 2013)

Starting to think I might not finish by the end of the month.
I'd like to spend at least another month on this.
I'm going to try and get it together and playable by the end of the month.
I always have the option to do more to it afterwards since I won't be able to finish some aesthetic details.

Second thought is to redo this build with proper woods and treat this as a learning template. I didn't spend any time really planning this one and it shows 

Started a homemade bridge baseplate out of purpleheart.
I made 2 blocks by cutting scrap on the bandsaw then finishing the sides smooth and true (as best I could) with files. I then glued and clamped the two together overnight. Once dry I began filing the joins smooth.
I also Tung Oiled the body and neck a couple times.
Ugly neck pocket routing, that's what you get with free-hand 






The body is quite thin and the neck pocket is as deep as I'm comfortable to go in this soft cedar, therefore the bridge height and string height will be high.
I'm thinking of making a purpleheart neckplate glued onto the body to take most of the neck scew pressure off the cedar.






Oiled headstock, front and back, with and without flash.





Power Sox!









Purpleheart icecream tub in the background.


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## Prophetable (Nov 22, 2013)

The headstock makes me think of elf shoes.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 23, 2013)




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## dougk (Nov 23, 2013)

Have you strung this up yet? I'm afraid your strings are going to bind at the leading edge of your counterbores. I use the Steinie's on my Banshee model (so about 75 times now) and the strings will be pulled over the metal ferrule of the tuner. 

It's not and end of the world thing, you just may run into some issues there. 

Doug


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 24, 2013)

dougk said:


> Have you strung this up yet? I'm afraid your strings are going to bind at the leading edge of your counterbores. I use the Steinie's on my Banshee model (so about 75 times now) and the strings will be pulled over the metal ferrule of the tuner.
> 
> It's not and end of the world thing, you just may run into some issues there.
> 
> Doug



I was thinking of sanding away the edge the string will rest against and taper down towards the nut a little to allow some clearance.
It will definitely be an issue for the strings resting against cedar.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 25, 2013)

Finally! The neck is bolted on.
Side by side with inspiration for this build. 6 strings feel so...wimpy and small now.











Working purplheart by hand really sucks and takes awhile. I still need to finish the outer dimensions of the neck plate, but here it is doing its job of reinforcing the wuss cedar. With and without flash, including 2/4 intrigued Stinkbags.











Another setback due to no planning. I started designing my bridge plate based on where the initial measurements for scale ended up. Unfortunately once the neck was bolted on I realized that things have changed. Most notably the angle of the bridge. Now I have to re-make a purpleheart bridge plate by hand.






The line closer is the incorrect one, the line further from the neck is the correct angling. I may be able to tilt the bridge plate then widen the saddle screw holes to let them align with the neck. I haven't decided where I'm going with this issue.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 28, 2013)

Let's call that first bridgeplate a prototype and push it aside 

Started a second bridge with the correct angling. This time I used a scrap of maple from the neck of my last build to support the intonation/saddle screws, which is not yet glued to a thinner but wider scrap of purpleheart.
It looks much better than the massive chunk bridge I slapped together first.











This bridge is going to be string through. I only have 6 ferrules in my random parts drawer, but plenty of small wood bits.
Instead of the ferrules I think a purpleheart block will both look better and provide the hardness to anchor the strings.
I plan to round the ends and inset it into the back of the body so it is flush with the cedar back.


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## XxJoshxX (Nov 28, 2013)

That blanket=win


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 29, 2013)

XxJoshxX said:


> That blanket=win



It's pretty neat. My girlfriend hand-crotcheted the entire blanket from scratch without any plans or template, 100% one-off.

It's supposed to resemble a Polaroid picture with writing on the bottom.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 29, 2013)

This evening I did some more work on my build.
I used some double sided tape to stick the bridge to the body while I measured and adjusted it to the two sale lengths...which after some confusing I came to realize it is 22.5 - 26. I don't know why I was thinking 22 - 25.5, Pretty big difference there 

Once I had the bridge placed nicely I marked the outer dimensions and made the cuts.
Spent most of the time with the rasp and sandpaper making it look a little nicer.
















I also did some rasping/sanding on the neck plate so it is less noticeable in-hand. I smoothed out every edge and flattened the plate a little.
















I strung it up with fishing line, my go to substitute for marking nut-cutting locations and helping align the bridge and string spacing down the length of the fretboard. I haven't cut the nut yet, which is why the fishing line isn't straight.
Here are some headstock pics including the gearless tuners.





















So close to the finish and only one working day left.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Nov 30, 2013)

Done!
I went downtown to find some strings expecting to find a small selection of singles for odd gauges or at the very least a pack that included an 8.
Smallest available is a 9 and largest is 56. I ended up with 2 packs of 6 string sets and added another from home to make a Frankenset.
3 high strings are cobalts, next 4 are regular slinky, and the last is the EB 56
I'm not sure what gauges I actually want on it yet, so this will do for the sake of completing the build before the deadline.











The rear cover and string block could use more finishing.
There are still some file marks to remove.











I haven't adjusted the intonation or action yet. The strings are a little high at the moment. The next pic is an illusion due to the high action, the lowest string is really not over the edge. Though it is close.






Final Specs:
Cedar/Oak/Cedar Bolt-on Neck with Purpleheart accents
Cedar Body
4 Piece Purpleheart Fretboard
Purpleheart Truss Rod Cover
Bone Nut
24 Wide/Highest Stew mac fretwire plus Zero Fret
Steinberger Gearless Tuners
Purpleheart/Maple Bridge with roller saddles
EMG 808X single volume and input

Here's some group pron.

































All the wood was free.
Majority of the other materials were already sitting in drawers like the bone nut blanks and screws.
I spent $5.65 at Home Depot for some neck screws.
The gearless tuners were already here.
I pulled the EMG out of my RG8 neck to avoid needing to ground the bridge.
The saddles cost $13.35 for 2 sets of 6, which I bought for this build.
Used the black volume knob from the RG8.

Counting all the hardware the total is above $100
Using resources around the home and less than $20 has resulted in a guitar though 

I'm glad this is over and I can now relax.


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## dougk (Nov 30, 2013)

That's FANTASTIC!!

BTW if you have any problems with your bridge later, consider making new ones from purpleheart but do it in 3 laminations with alternating grain directions. It'll be more likely to resist cracking that way.

Did you have to buy two sets of Steinbergers or is there a source for them by the tuner?


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Dec 1, 2013)

dougk said:


> That's FANTASTIC!!
> 
> BTW if you have any problems with your bridge later, consider making new ones from purpleheart but do it in 3 laminations with alternating grain directions. It'll be more likely to resist cracking that way.
> 
> Did you have to buy two sets of Steinbergers or is there a source for them by the tuner?



I bought the 8 tuners as a used set from a forum member. 
I'm not sure if they can be purchased individually.


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## skeels (Dec 1, 2013)

Great job man!


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## pondman (Dec 1, 2013)

loving this one


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## Eliguy666 (Dec 1, 2013)

I'm planning to build an 8 string multiscale V myself soon.

So... You win this contest.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Dec 1, 2013)

Just played it through an amp. Sounds pretty good.
A little chubby or bouncy but the 808X keeps it crisp.

Getting good lead tones, almost exactly what I wanted. Similar to standard scale with a middle pickup. I guessed on pickup placement and angle and it turned out good.

The 26" bass side really tightens up the B string for some quick riffs and mutes.

I like the tone and feel of the strings across the entire board. There is some fretbuzz near frets 3/4 but the rest plays great without a dressing/crowning.

This is definitely going to get a lot of play time!


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## ridner (Dec 12, 2013)




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