# Build 3



## dankarghh (Jul 14, 2015)

Hey friends, 

I've been quiet for a little while, I (fairly regretfully) sold my last build so am getting stuck into its replacement straight away.

The last one was somewhat of a prototype for this guy.
I've refined my body shape and headstock shape some more. A few friends are keen to get some guitars built soon too which i'm excited about, one of which is an 8 string  

Anyways,

6 string
24 fret ebony bolt on neck
rosewood/maple 5 piece neck
swamp ash body
burl poplar top
nickel covered nagzul/sentient set
matte laquer finish on rear and neck 
top finish?? undecided, i want to play with some stain, the 7 string wreck custom build thread definitely gets me going though..

Woods


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## pettymusic (Jul 14, 2015)

About time, man! HAha, just kidden!! You just can't beat a nice burl top, that's just me though. 

You should check out Taylor's "Nebula Burst" over here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/luthiery-modifications-customizations/288051-second-build-multi-scale-seven-3.html

Maybe you can get some inspiration there? 

Congrats on selling your previous build!! I knew it wouldn't last long. 

Looking forward to seeing this one being built!!!


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## dankarghh (Jul 14, 2015)

Haha thanks man. I've been following that thread closely, don't worry. My top isn't super glorious, it definitely needs some stain. You should see the burl jahosy is sending me though  build no.4. I won't put a drop of stain on that one.


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## TamanShud (Jul 14, 2015)

Dude if you can get even slightly close to the beauty of that Wreck 7 top I think my face will explode. 100% subbed!


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## Taylor (Jul 14, 2015)

dankarghh said:


> I've been following that thread closely



Right back at ya!


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## immortalx (Jul 14, 2015)

Dank, you've raised the bar so high with your 2nd build that I expect to see wonderful stuff here!


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## dankarghh (Jul 15, 2015)

immortalx said:


> Dank, you've raised the bar so high with your 2nd build that I expect to see wonderful stuff here!



Aw mannnn, talk about pressure. Thanks for the words ya'll. Hoping to do you all proud.


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## dankarghh (Jul 17, 2015)

Bound. Had a small disaster while routing neck pocket, i'll try again tomorrow..


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## Steinmetzify (Jul 17, 2015)

In and subbed. YAY ANOTHER DANK BUILD!!!


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## feraledge (Jul 18, 2015)

That burl is sick. The progression here is awesome. Just promise that when you make the leap and become an "official" builder that you won't rip anyone off here. Let's get that out of the way now, because it seems like a path you might want to consider with your speed and ability.


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## BlackMastodon (Jul 18, 2015)

The only thing that would kind of worry me is having just the burl top over the control cavity. Just isn't as strong as if you were to leave some of the swamp ash there, too. Other than that, though, this is looking damn good and really clean. Can't wait to start seeing some stain work on the scrap burl.


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## dankarghh (Jul 18, 2015)

BlackMastodon said:


> The only thing that would kind of worry me is having just the burl top over the control cavity. Just isn't as strong as if you were to leave some of the swamp ash there, too. Other than that, though, this is looking damn good and really clean. Can't wait to start seeing some stain work on the scrap burl.



You're right. I think i'm going to glue in a little maple veneer as theres quite a few holes in that part of the top as well.. 

So yesterday my templates slipped when i was routing the neck pocket, it was rough, i held back tears and glued in a few bits of maple. Today I levelled it all out and rerouted, the result? Not bad.






Close up of the slip, I think with stain, it'll be fine and i'll be able to live with it.


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## Hywel (Jul 18, 2015)

Shame about the templates slipping but the fill looks good and I doubt anyone will really notice once the finish is on, especially on a busy burl top!

It's looking great so far.


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## Steinmetzify (Jul 18, 2015)

What Hywel said....if it was just cleared maybe, but if you're going to stain it no one will notice. Can't wait for this one. 

You change your headstock from last time? I know that string pull thing bugged you about the last one....


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## TamanShud (Jul 18, 2015)

That burl is like a Rorschach test! Made any decisions on the stain yet Dank?


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## dankarghh (Jul 18, 2015)

steinmetzify said:


> What Hywel said....if it was just cleared maybe, but if you're going to stain it no one will notice. Can't wait for this one.
> 
> You change your headstock from last time? I know that string pull thing bugged you about the last one....



Yep, should be all fixed now I hope, not perfect but not foul like the last one


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## dankarghh (Jul 18, 2015)

TamanShud said:


> That burl is like a Rorschach test! Made any decisions on the stain yet Dank?



I'm thinking green or blue, maybe moreso green (though I only have blue and black stain...) burst, black around the edges. I've been googled skerv finished and a few of those popped out as looking great.


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## dankarghh (Jul 22, 2015)

Bit of a boring update here. Measured and drilled my string through holes. This part is always fairly scary for me, not anymore! I used an oversized right angle wooden block and oversized drill bit, drilled the outside holes right through, then the remaining holes half way on either side. I feel like I could have drilled them all straight through, they're dead straight. Wish i didn't order a portable drill press thing now..

Drilled side dots too.


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## dankarghh (Jul 28, 2015)

Got a bit of work done today. Firstly, the binding didn't run all the way to the neck pocket after the router slip, so i rerouted, trimmed up, and glued in a new piece.






Routed pickup cavities and rough shaped neck!











My pickups arrived today, and i discovered the dimarzio covers I have won't fit the SDs. Oh well, i'll use them next time.


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## Steinmetzify (Jul 28, 2015)

Diggin this...really like your HS shape man.


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## dankarghh (Aug 1, 2015)

steinmetzify said:


> Diggin this...really like your HS shape man.



Thanks man, me too. Not that its super original, but what is nowadays..

Played with stain today, just kinda went for it. These are pictures after it dried, re-wet. I'm into it. 












And yeah, forgot to drill my tuner holes, and got too excited to stain to do it.


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## Hywel (Aug 1, 2015)

That actually looks easily on par or better than many of the Skervesen or Mayones finishes I've seen. Absolutely stunning...


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## DredFul (Aug 1, 2015)

HOT DAMN


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## Deegatron (Aug 1, 2015)

EPIC WIN. Well done sir!


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## pettymusic (Aug 1, 2015)

Absolutely beautiful!!


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## StarbardGuitar (Aug 1, 2015)

Wow, holy S**T that finish is very impressive!


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## pondman (Aug 1, 2015)

Wow


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## Steinmetzify (Aug 1, 2015)

Dude holy crap....that looks fantastic!

You gonna clear that?


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## Locrain (Aug 1, 2015)

Woooow...that is really, really awesome. The stain you did looks INSANE with that burling. One of my favorite burl tops and finishes that I have ever seen, seriously.


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## KnightroExpress (Aug 1, 2015)

Daaaaamn. Well done.


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## BlackMastodon (Aug 1, 2015)

I say goddamn! Great work on that stain, man!


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## Taylor (Aug 1, 2015)

Oh, oh yes.


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## TamanShud (Aug 2, 2015)

Duuuuude! That's a next level beyond the Wreck guitars stain, where do I send my deposit?


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## dankarghh (Aug 2, 2015)

Haha thanks for all the kind words. I'm even more stoked on it now. Drilled tuner holes today. Next time I get a chance to work on it i'm going to drill holes for everything in the body and prep for epoxy.


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## xiphos11 (Aug 3, 2015)

hey mate, where did you source the ash from - was it local?
i can get everything from my local place except american ash. I'm in sydney.

build looks unreal and I'm envious. can't wait to see more


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## dankarghh (Aug 3, 2015)

xiphos11 said:


> hey mate, where did you source the ash from - was it local?
> i can get everything from my local place except american ash. I'm in sydney.
> 
> build looks unreal and I'm envious. can't wait to see more



I'm envious of you for having a 'local place!'

[email protected] is where i got the ash for my current build, it's not amazing but it was pretty well priced. The last one was from ebay from the states, shipping stung me of course.

Whats your local?


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## Steinmetzify (Aug 3, 2015)

dankarghh said:


> Haha thanks for all the kind words. I'm even more stoked on it now. Drilled tuner holes today. Next time I get a chance to work on it i'm going to drill holes for everything in the body and prep for epoxy.



Nice...I remember when you did the blue one how everything popped out afterwards. This top is insane, I can't wait to see it done and gleaming!


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## warped (Aug 4, 2015)

This looks great - did you source all your wood in Australia? What are you using for stain?

The Aus online wood suppliers I've contacted have been somewhat elusive, and mostly geared towards acoustics/really high end (ie, expensive) wood.


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## xiphos11 (Aug 4, 2015)

awesome, thanks mate.
my local is trend timbers, they have maple, mahogany, blackwood and ALOT of other stuff. look on their site its all listed.

I'm getting fijian mahogany 1 pc body blanks at the moment, they have a load of it


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## dankarghh (Aug 4, 2015)

warped said:


> This looks great - did you source all your wood in Australia? What are you using for stain?
> 
> The Aus online wood suppliers I've contacted have been somewhat elusive, and mostly geared towards acoustics/really high end (ie, expensive) wood.



Yeah, it's not easy to find tops that aren't a million dollars. Neck wood is always from AUS. The rosewood from an AUS eBay seller, he always has loads, even has rosewood tops which i admit have peaked my interest..

Guitarwood.com.au for fretboards and maple. The guy is actually great, will cut to spec for a great price. Just nabbed a nice big maple board for a neck thru from him super cheap. I also have 2 glorious buckeye burl tops on the way (eBay US). New builds are going to be super fun!

Oh and stain is colortone or something from stewmac. I've gotten neck blanks from them too, always great and they deliver in like, 3 days, from the states. Like, actually.


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## dankarghh (Aug 5, 2015)

Hey dudes. Question time!

I put my first coat of epoxy on yesterday, the poplar is thirsty. It soaked up real fast. I noticed when scraping off excess there was a slight green tint in it. I guess I should have done a few clear coats in between... Is it still worth doing at this time? Will subsequent coats of epoxy re-melt the lower layer and potentially cause more and more problems or am i safe now?

Pic looks weird due to the way the epoxy absorbed unevenly, obviously not a long term issue


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## Steinmetzify (Aug 6, 2015)

Can't help you with this issue but I can drooooooool.


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## warped (Aug 6, 2015)

Looking great! Really cool body shape too, your own design?


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## dankarghh (Aug 6, 2015)

warped said:


> Looking great! Really cool body shape too, your own design?



Its not a copy or anything. I modified some BM plans to get something relatively unique, but I mean its all been done before.

No one has any advice re:epoxy? I'm going to do another layer today, and you're all personally responsible if anything bad happens..


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## Steinmetzify (Aug 6, 2015)

I'll send you a buck for my part in the failure, ok?


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## haieb (Aug 7, 2015)

Holy ...ing S**T!  That top is just breathtaking! Looks even "better" than my Skervy :X


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## dankarghh (Aug 9, 2015)

So because i'm an idiot, I applied the first epoxy layer on the back and sides and didn't protect the top. As a result I got pieces of the foam mat i was working on glued to the top.






Generally it was okay and I could sand them off, but in a few spots the sanding resulted in sand throughs to the colour, and light patches in the finish. SO, I applied a diluted black stain around the edges to try cover it up. It's not perfect and i can blend it better later, but what do you all think? Worth sanding back and re starting? Would you be bummed if you bought this?

Also, Matte or Gloss? I kind of want to go matte now.


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## Steinmetzify (Aug 9, 2015)

I'd be cool with it. Also, matte cause yeah.

Don't remember what you were going to do for hardware but that black edge would be cool with all black.


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## Locrain (Aug 9, 2015)

Well, it looks fine to me from here, but honestly, I don't know if I can really see it well enough.

...erm, I mean, it's ruined. I'll give you $50 for it. 

And I would personally go gloss just because the top and stain is so spectacular. I like the idea and feel of a matte top, but IMO they are usually a real let down as far as making the stained top pop.


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## haieb (Aug 9, 2015)

To be honest i would redo it cause it is too dark for my taste but you should't listen to me cause I have no Idea how much work this is 
Still a pretty cool top  
I'd go with matte


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## TamanShud (Aug 10, 2015)

I'm generally more of a matte kinda guy but I really want to see this in gloss


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## dankarghh (Aug 11, 2015)

So today was kind of productive. I decided to sand back the stain because I wasn't 100% happy with it.






Epoxied some rosewood into my control cavity for strength/to fill:






Got my board radiused and frets in:






And i re-stained, much darker this time. I think some of you may dislike it, but i'm not really into the flashy 'look at me' type finishes. I'm not sure if i'm happy with it yet, I may try again yet, but i forgot to take a photo before clamping it upside down to glue the rosewood. Sorry. 

So I nabbed a photo of some wood for build no.5 as consolation.


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## BlackMastodon (Aug 11, 2015)

I didn't mind the darker black edges but props for taking the time to sand it back and work at it until you're pleased with it. And good call with the rosewood in the control cavity.


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## Hywel (Aug 11, 2015)

dankarghh said:


> So today was kind of productive. I decided to sand back the stain because I wasn't 100% happy with it.



Good call! Better the extra work now than thinking you could have done it better originally every time you see it. If in doubt, just ask yourself WWPOD (what would Perry Ormsby do)? 

Good idea with the rosewood as well.

Whatever you do to that top, I'm sure both it and the build in general will be amazing.


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## neun Arme (Aug 12, 2015)

This is gonna look awesome!!!!


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## dankarghh (Aug 16, 2015)

This is what the stain looked like pre epoxy (minus a few hole fills as you can see). Post epoxy looks very different. Really green and not very blue at all. I'm hoping after i flat sand it all and finish it matte I can get this look back.






It looks a lot prettier in real life. It's really hard to photograph. Promise.


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## StarbardGuitar (Aug 16, 2015)

That's looking awesome! I liked the original stain idea you had on this guitar as well. Either one would look great on the final product. Nice work! Can't wait to see this finished


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## Blue1970Cutlass (Aug 16, 2015)

dankarghh said:


> Post epoxy looks very different. Really green and not very blue at all. I'm hoping after i flat sand it all and finish it matte I can get this look back.



Green or Blue (or somewhere in between) either way, this is looking NICE


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## dankarghh (Aug 17, 2015)

Question:

I recently got a sentient/nazgul set for this guy, and wiring on the sentient (neck) is backward to what I expected, in that the wire comes from the top left of the pickup, and not the bottom right as normal? Unless the 'seymour duncan' word is just facing the wrong way?

Its pretty annoying because my cavities are super tight and the wiring was routed to come from the bottom left as you'd expect...

Edit, just saw this http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/products/electric/humbuckers/501005-110.pdf

UGHHHHH


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## TamanShud (Aug 17, 2015)

Man that pickup wiring business is a shame. I can't imagine anyone wanting the wiring at the top instead of the bottom... Oh, Seymour Duncan


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## dankarghh (Aug 29, 2015)

I'm actually kind of embarrassed about posting the pickup dilemma, possibly the easiest fix in the world, it was some time ago, but lets put it down to lack of sleep?

Updates have been slow so my apologies. Its mostly due to the fact that until the clear coat is on its really difficult to find good lighting to get photos of the finish. At the moment I've put my final rub coats of epoxy on and i'm ready to spray clear.

For anyone wondering. I stained the top, then built it up with epoxy coats. The burl was thirsty so took many coats to get reasonable. the back I think I did 3 coats, sanding between with 320 grit to get things flat. 

The final epoxy coat isn't sanded back, but instead rubbed on with a cloth. This ensures a nice flat surface for clear coats.

Test fit for tuners:







Picture of the top. Basically it just looks black whenever i try to photograph it, sorry..


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## dankarghh (Sep 6, 2015)

Shooting final clear coats today. Then its just polishing frets and installing hardware to go!


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## dankarghh (Sep 10, 2015)

Liiiitle bit of hardware:


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## knet370 (Sep 10, 2015)

dude that is insane!


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## bombonx101 (Sep 10, 2015)

Oh,oh,oh....that's my favorite green .It's going to be on my new one I started couple days ago.This is too good!!!


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## hardcoreman (Sep 10, 2015)

wow...nice finish


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## Deegatron (Sep 10, 2015)

This looks epic!
congrats on a fine build sir....


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## BlackMastodon (Sep 10, 2015)

That's the same colour I imagine Cthulhu's skin is. 

Came out beautiful, man! Great job.


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## electriceye (Sep 11, 2015)

So can you fill us in (pun intended!) on how the epoxy is used? Is that just to fill the holes in the burl, or do you lay it on real thick to fill and use as a clear coat? Always wondered how the burled tops were sealed.


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## dankarghh (Sep 11, 2015)

As above my friend!

For anyone wondering. I stained the top, then built it up with epoxy coats. The burl was thirsty so took many coats to get reasonable. the back I think I did 3 coats, sanding between with 320 grit to get things flat. 

The final epoxy coat isn't sanded back, but instead rubbed on with a cloth. This ensures a nice flat surface for clear coats.

Its mostly used to fill + seal I suppose, clear coats are on top, I wouldn't use epoxy as a final coat.


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## dankarghh (Sep 15, 2015)

All done! Just needs to be set up a little better. Might have to file the nut a tad to get it all perfect. I've only have a brief play through the 6505 but i really like the SD's - real nice tone.

Some quick snaps:


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## feraledge (Sep 15, 2015)

That is absolutely stunning!


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## cult (Sep 16, 2015)

It looks lovely!


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## dankarghh (Sep 16, 2015)

Thanks guyyys.


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## SkyIllusion (Sep 16, 2015)

Hot damn that's a nice color. I think it would look disgustingly hot with gold hardware... then again I'm a sucker for it through and through. But you have done some nice work here! Can't wait to see what you cook up next!


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## fogcutter (Sep 16, 2015)

WOW. 

Amazing work, man!


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## CaptainD00M (Sep 16, 2015)

So much win dude!

Gods I can't wait till I'm back home to try my hand at building (and probably realise its harder than it looks, get depressed, stop for a bit, then convince myself to start again and realise that YES it can be done just takes work like everything&#8230; In THAT order  )

I'm really impressed at the finish you got on the burl and the neck. That neck looks lovely man. Sound clips?


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## canuck brian (Sep 16, 2015)

dankarghh said:


> Question:
> 
> I recently got a sentient/nazgul set for this guy, and wiring on the sentient (neck) is backward to what I expected, in that the wire comes from the top left of the pickup, and not the bottom right as normal? Unless the 'seymour duncan' word is just facing the wrong way?
> 
> ...



That's prety much how every manufacturer makes pickups. If the wire is coming out of the neck pickup side closest to the controls, you've most likely got the pickup installed backwards. Every Duncan, BK and PRS pickup i've had thru my shop (that's a lot) are like this. WHY i dont' know as its incredibly stupid.

(Nordstrand doesn't do that.  )

Killer work - I've been checking these threads out pretty much every day.



CaptainD00M said:


> Gods I can't wait till I'm back home to try my hand at building (and probably realise its harder than it looks, get depressed, stop for a bit, then convince myself to start again and realise that YES it can be done just takes work like everything&#8230; In THAT order  )



It's only hard at the beginning, but you gotta start.  Pick up some tools now to work on specific aspects (fretwork is top of that list).


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## dankarghh (Sep 16, 2015)

CaptainD00M said:


> So much win dude!
> 
> Gods I can't wait till I'm back home to try my hand at building (and probably realise its harder than it looks, get depressed, stop for a bit, then convince myself to start again and realise that YES it can be done just takes work like everything In THAT order  )
> 
> I'm really impressed at the finish you got on the burl and the neck. That neck looks lovely man. Sound clips?



I'll get some clips next week for you man. Dive in, I love building, and its prettty rewarding.


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## CaptainD00M (Sep 17, 2015)

canuck brian said:


> It's only hard at the beginning, but you gotta start.  Pick up some tools now to work on specific aspects (fretwork is top of that list).



Thanks for the encouragement man, Originally I was really freaked about the idea but I have a little less than a year before I will have the time and facility so I'm in the planning phase.

I think the thing that freaks me out the most is the neck profile and string alignment, but measurements. Like you say you have to start somewhere.

I was planning on using hand tools for some of the work, i.e. rasps to shape the neck, tummy cut and arm contour. Drill press and router to do the cavities, round over. I think I have access to a proper band saw, but may not have one to sanding machine, do you advise that by hand? 

Then small files for frets and that fret press from stew mac. Does that sound like a good start?



dankarghh said:


> I'll get some clips next week for you man. Dive in, I love building, and its prettty rewarding.



Thanks man, I think its probably the only way I can get guitars to my desired spec without dropping $3000+ on custom builds, then having to get them shipped to NZ. I just hope I can turn out some good looking wood.


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## pettymusic (Sep 24, 2015)

Looks sooooo good! Great work! I know you are proud of that thing.


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## jahosy (Sep 25, 2015)

Wow big thumbs up mate! ! Stunning work!


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## Steinmetzify (Sep 25, 2015)

Dude this came out so good. I like this one even better than the black matte one you did. Super cool job!


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