# Avenger 7 Multi-Scale Build



## JStraitiff (Apr 4, 2012)

I have been toying with the idea of building a guitar for a while now. Oddly enough the thing that got me going the most was a 7 string telecaster.

This morning i was going to draw up a scale mockup and in the quest looking for cardboard to draw on i came across the perfect wood to use for it. I have an old waterbed frame that is just thick enough if i put a 1/4" top on it. It may not be the best wood to use but this is my first build so i wont be wasting expensive wood. I dont have any money for parts right now so im going to build the body and neck first then hopefully by then ill have enough for a truss rod and fretboard wood. Ill have to work as i can afford it so i apologize if it moves at a slow pace after these first few stages.

EDIT: i actually didnt realize how cheap truss rods are. Guess that wont be an issue 

Now to the details:

7 String
Schecter Avenger body style (Unknown wood)
Regius headstock
3 piece set neck (unknown wood/maple)
Rosewood fretboard
Quilted Maple Top (Natural finish)
25.5" - 27.5" scale
EMG 707's
Probably Grover tuners
Graphtech nut

To start you off here are some pictures of my plan:


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## ROAR (Apr 4, 2012)

I have an Avenger!
Rad shittt


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## OrsusMetal (Apr 4, 2012)

Very cool! I probably wouldn't waste money adding a figured maple top to something that you don't know what the woods are in the body. I'd save that for a 2nd build when you have more experience and pick up some other woods to go with it.


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## ILuvPillows (Apr 4, 2012)

You've done it! You've found a headstock that actually fits the avenger shape. Schecter! SCHECTER COME AND SEE!


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## JaeSwift (Apr 4, 2012)

Nice design! If I can give you a tip, maple is rather in-expensive so you could easily build a neck and end up messing it up without losing more $30. You'll want the guitar to sound good at one point so you could prototype it with the wood you have, make adjustments if needed and transfer those adjustments to some real body wood later on.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 4, 2012)

As an update on the crappy wood situation, it turns out its pine and it has apparently been claimed, Which im having trouble understanding as it is a part of my bed 

Anyway it looks like ill be picking up some better woods to use. I guess now that i have to buy it ill try and find some mahogany to make the body out of. Any thoughts on woods for the neck? Would it make sense to do a stip of mahogany in a maple neck? or should just go maple neck all together? What other woods sound good with maple?


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## Shredderboy1658 (Apr 4, 2012)

Pete's Guitar Build

Check out the Schecter Guitar Forum! One of our guys is making a 6 string Avenger... Lots of random bullshit throughout the thread, but he is to the point of setting the neck.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 4, 2012)

Considering neck through now. Ill see what i can find on the woods front. If i can find something reasonable thats long enough ill do that. Im thinking it would be badass to have the neck-through showing on the top with two quilted top pieces on the sides of it.

Does anyone have any good resources for buying woods?


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## brynotherhino (Apr 4, 2012)

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...91975-pictures-woods-their-info-new-post.html


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## JStraitiff (Apr 4, 2012)

^ Buying resources, Wood dealers


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## ASoC (Apr 4, 2012)

^ There's a thread that's stickied dedicated to this


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## JStraitiff (Apr 4, 2012)

^ aw geez. I better use my eyes haha. ive been up for about 24 hours so im half out of it


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## ElRay (Apr 4, 2012)

Great start.

I added the member built tag. When it's complete, be sure to post here: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...1-guitars-built-members-ss-org-pic-heavy.html

Ray


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## JStraitiff (Apr 5, 2012)

I did some practicing on the pine i had. I didnt bother to sand off the finish except in the sections i was gluing. I did the scarf joint for the headstock. The piece i had was a little thick so once the joint was cut i took about 3/4" off the headstock piece so it was a little more workable. I glued that up. I also glued two larger pieces together for a body blank. 

Tomorrow when those are both set ill do some sanding and then probably route the truss rod channel. In this practice build im just going to set the neck but i have decided upon going with neck through on the final build. Should be interesting cause im doing quilted maple tops on the two wings rather than doing it over the neck as well.

Dont fret, this is not the final build








Oh and i accidentally did this hehe





On another note im making final decisions on woods and other parts.

5 piece maple neck thru with walnut strips, Mahogany wings, Quilted Maple tops, Rosewood fretboard.. Im going to carve a bridge baseplate and use standard saddles. I havent decided on what wood to use for the bridge though.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 6, 2012)

Today i planed and sanded all the surfaces to remove any finish and level the joints i glued yesterday. Everything is turning out great on this practice build.

I am going to try to purchase most of the woods for the final build tonight or this weekend. Im going to order the mahogany wings and quilted maple top from exotic woods, the rosewood fretboard from stewmac, and im going to try to find the maple and walnut for the neck from local stores tomorrow.

If anyone knows of a cheaper place to get the top from rather than exotic woods please let me know. I wont be buying that until im ready to put it on.

Oh and i was looking into bridges and i think i have decided upon doing a custom carved bridge plate for some standard saddles. I contacted kurt from agile because i heard they will sell you individual bridges for a fraction of the cost of ABM's but he has been less than helpful. I have heard more about stock and the pendulum guitars than i have about the bridges. 

Here are some pics of the practice build from today:

Neck after scarf joint, planing and finish removal.









Body blank after joining and leveling. Body shape drawn on.





Low angle shot to show how tight that joint is. Look how pretty!





Body after rough cut.





Tomorrow is routing day! I am going to route for the truss rod and route the body for the neck joint, pickups and control cavity.


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## pondman (Apr 7, 2012)

Good work so far.


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## eddiewarlock (Apr 7, 2012)

dude, you might want to use another neck wood....

It has a huge ass knot on the treble side...

On the body wood, it might be, let´s say, forgivable, but not on the neck...


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## JStraitiff (Apr 7, 2012)

So i went to a couple stores today looking for maple as thats the most common wood in my project. I got SUPER lucky. Lowes had maple and check out what i found:






Awesome! So i got an 8 ft section of that. I will have to go back to get another piece for the center of the neck laminate but i only had enough for this today. There are going to be some really nice flames in my neck


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## aaron_rose (Apr 7, 2012)

dude, where did your thumb go?


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## JStraitiff (Apr 7, 2012)

^ its magic 

I have a question for anyone with staining experience. I want to stain the mahogany wings and the top but i dont want any stain to bleed off onto the neck thru at all. So would i be able to just tape over the neck and stain that way? Would that stop any stain from bleeding over? I want it to look like the back of a mayones with the dark mahogany next to the maple neck going through the body. Im curious if tape will be enough.


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## brynotherhino (Apr 8, 2012)

JStraitiff said:


> ^ Buying resources, Wood dealers



My bad! Guess I can't read gud haha


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## JStraitiff (Apr 9, 2012)

ive worked out my finishing issues. It should be relatively straight forward to finish this guitar.

Now what color should i do? I really love eriza verde but i dont know if it will look too good. Give me some other suggestions. Im debating leaving the top natural color as another option.

On another note im determined to order the wood tomorrow. All except for the top for now. Then if i have any money left im going out to a hardwood dealer relatively close by to find some 1/2" strips of walnut and stopping back at lowes for another strip of maple.


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## silent_k (Apr 9, 2012)

Are you planning to do the top and sides as the same color or different colors? One option would be to leave the sides and back natural and do a "faux" binding for the top, PRS style, which I did for a quilted maple project recently and it looks great. Depending on your color choice for the top, you might want to give it a two-part dye job to really pop the figure. The exposed end grain (all that nice, wavy stuff) will absorb more dye more deeply, so you can apply a darker color, sand back, then apply your main color to get a nice contrast. Do some testing on scrap and see what looks best to you. I like Behlen Solarlux dyes, which are available at Woodcraft if you have a store near you.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 9, 2012)

^ Thats actually exactly what i plan to do if i understand correctly. Im planning to seal the back and sides and then do a two part dye on the top masking off the center block. This will leave a strip of natural maple along all the edges. Im actually going a step further and im going to cut in an angle on the bottom horn so the mahogany meets the maple in the cetner of the cut exactly like on a custom 24.

I went to a local store today and bought a nice piece of black walnut for the stripes in the neck. it has very little run off in the neck portion. There are some really cool grains in the body section as well which will look nice. I had them plane it down to 1/2" for me right there so now i just have to get one more piece of maple for the center strip and ill start work on laminating them.

funny story, the guy who worked at the lumber place builds guitars as well and apparently work(s/ed) at a local guitar place where they built customs. After an hour of talking past closing time i got this bad boy home.







The guy gave me a lot of tips but there was one that i found particularly useful. He mentioned using a drill press as a fret press. I think im going to try it just for fun.

Edit: Just ordered the truss rod, router bit for truss rod and fretboard. Tomorrow im going back to the lumber yard for the mahogany wings and ill stop to get the last piece of maple too. Then i can begin work on the real deal!


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## Munch (Apr 10, 2012)

Dude! Looks like this is going to be awesome.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 10, 2012)

Picked up another piece of maple and laminated them all together. Clamped and curing for the night 






This neck is a little on the thick side but i didnt have access to thick enough maple to thin the strips of walnut so im just rolling this way. Should still be nice. The outside strips may also get a little thin once its tapered.


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## silent_k (Apr 11, 2012)

JStraitiff said:


> This neck is a little on the thick side but i didnt have access to thick enough maple to thin the strips of walnut so im just rolling this way. Should still be nice. The outside strips may also get a little thin once its tapered.



If you have access to a good bandsaw and a jointer (sorry if you've already posted about tools) you can probably get more than one neck blank out of this. Depending on your final thickness a blank only needs to be about 7/8ths thick (the stewmac blanks, I believe, are 13/16ths). I've done this a couple of times with pieces that weren't thick enough to be blanks on their own and ended up with at least two or three blanks from one glue-up.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 11, 2012)

Cleaned up the block and leveled all the sides. Tomorrow im going out to get some mahogany and new rasps and then im gonna go ahead and cut out the neck. Ill cut the practice piece first and then ill cut the real thing.


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## BlackMastodon (Apr 11, 2012)

I agree with silent_k, it might not be a bad idea to cut that into 2 neck blanks. Just seems like a waste to me to only make it into one neck. Looking pretty nice though so far.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 12, 2012)

Thanks guys for the suggestion. ill try my best to get another neck out of it


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## JaeSwift (Apr 12, 2012)

Nice slabs of wood there!

Regarding your questions about finishing (though you seem to have the answers already); if you want to leave parts natural and other parts dyed/stained, the best thing to do is to use one coat of sanding sealer on the part you want to leave natural (tape off the parts you want stained), then when it's dried tape off the part you used the sanding sealer on and stain the rest. No matter how awesome your tape is, some bleed through will always happen and having to very precisely sand one area is ridiculously annoying.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 12, 2012)

Roughly cut the neck shape on the practice neck with a rasp. I also cut out the headstock. Everything looks good so far. Im hoping to buy the mahogany tomorrow. I am undecided if im going to risk gluing the wings on before i have the maple top in case the dimensions are wrong.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 13, 2012)

Picked up 8' x 6" of 1 3/4" mahogany today. I also got a package from stewmac with a truss rod, router bit and a rosewood fretboard blank.










Whoops not long or wide enough...





I need advice on an angled headstock with the tilted nut. If anyone has done this how did you lay out the angle? Im not sure how i can do a headstock cap flush to the nut with that extra gap there. Unless i cut the angle so its starting point is the short side of the nut in which case i would have a difficult time seating the nut..

I was thinking about finishes again and curious what white would look like on quilted maple with a black undercoat sanded back. Anyone ever seen this?


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## JStraitiff (Apr 14, 2012)

Im starting to have second thoughts on the multiscale portion of this. Im going in blind when it comes to positioning the pickups. I dont know how 707s will sound at that alignment or if they will even align at all. Im also concerned about the headstock and how i will cut it to fit the angled nut. Going with one scale length would eliminate the need for me to make a custom bridge too. Any experiences would be helpful. 

Its mostly the headstock/nut im worried about. If i can resolve that issue ill be able to push through the rest.

Edit: Im looking at a few other multiscale guitars and noticing that they either cut the scarf joint at an angle so the headstock sits cocked or they recess the nut into the fretboard and leave it square then butt up the cap to the fretboard. I think ill do the recessed nut option 

Now that i've got that figured out i need to address the pickup situation. I need to measure the string spacing and the angle to find how wide the spacing will actually be and then compare that to the EMG specs. Im starting to consider a smaller fan (26.5" - 27.5") in order to make it easier. Ill see how the pickups fit first.


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## silent_k (Apr 14, 2012)

JStraitiff said:


> Now that i've got that figured out i need to address the pickup situation. I need to measure the string spacing and the angle to find how wide the spacing will actually be and then compare that to the EMG specs. Im starting to consider a smaller fan (26.5" - 27.5") in order to make it easier. Ill see how the pickups fit first.



There are a couple additional ways to approach the pickup situation: one is to simply mount the pickups straight, as in a normal guitar. I'm doing that for my 8-string because I can't afford custom angled pickups at this point, and also because I have, on this site and elsewhere, seen professional builders do this (like Ola Strandberg) and it doesn't seem to have been a huge problem. It's a different sound but an easier approach, and for my first multiscale the simplicity of that approach won the day.

Another option is to check out Lace pickups, which come in a variety of wider configurations and don't have pole pieces you have to align. Again, a different sound, but they're plenty hot if that's what you're looking for. They've recently come out with some new designs aimed at the ERG and multiscale markets: Lace Music Products | Since 1979 - Lace Sensor electric guitar pickups, Alumitone, bass pickups, California Acoustic pickups - A pickup for any style of music.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 14, 2012)

^ Yea this is the issue im facing. I dont know if im willing to sacrifice the tone for the multiscale. Id really like to keep the tone of the EMGs. Again im just hoping it works out lol. If not im gonna have to drop the ball on the fan


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## aaron_rose (Apr 14, 2012)

stay the course, if u planned on emg's then use emg's, lace deathbars are the same route as emg if not real real close to the same. The dimensions are similar and the way they do not have poles makes them ideal for ms designs.

as for the nut, i have a similar situation to overcome with my build. Mine is only a 1 inch diff from the 1st to the 7th string but it still similar. my plan for overcoming it is with a 5/16 fretwood which brings it up just a little higher from the neck plane than it normally would have been. I plan on just removing a tad of wood then maintain the same reveal under the strings and beef it back up with a diagonal volute or whatever it's called on the backside of the neck.

But I see no reason at all why you with a ff design cant use a emg slanted parallel with your bridge.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 15, 2012)

^ Nice. Im probably going to take the conklin apporach something along these lines:





Im going to use a graphtech nut and mount it right at the edge of the rosewood and then maybe ill do an inlay or something on the excess piece of rosewood too.

Edit: Im still going back and forth on whether to do the multiscale or not. I got to thinking about the bridge itself. I want to use a hipshot style bridge rather than individual bridges which means that ill have to machine a custom baseplate to accommodate the fan. I guess if i can work out how to do this ill stick with the plan.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 15, 2012)

Alright i have a few ideas for what to do on the bridge. Obviously theres the ABM individual bridges but i dont want to use those. 

Novax uses something like individually cut strat bridges or hipshot bridges. This is an option as i can just bend the base pieces and drill mounting holes.

I found one that had a flat metal plate mounted on the body and then the saddles were held in place by a wooden strip behind the plate. This looks like crap but ill hold it in reserve as a last resort

I could cut a plate and bend it and drill the holes at an angle to make a one piece strat style bridge

I saw a bridge that had a baseplate and then poles with holes in each for the saddles. This could be an option with a metal baseplate and wooden dowels. Again this looks like crap.

I could probably get long saddles and screw them down to a baseplate. The action screws would keep them elevated and the screws would have enough room to move to adjust intonation and then lock them down.

Im leaning towards either individual novax style or a bent strat style.

Edit: And now im back on my idea of carving one out of wood... lol (i told you im back and forth) It doesnt matter what the saddles are attached to, just whats under them. The reason i second guessed this is because i thought metal would transfer vibration to the body better. Im thinking im just going to go back to this plan and i could probably place a metal baseplate beneath the saddles if need be. Not sure if the difference would even be worth consideration.

Now you've all had the pleasure of witnessing my indecision haha.


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## BlackMastodon (Apr 15, 2012)

I think making a wooden bridge would be the cheapest/best solution. You could get a piece of metal or plexiglass as a baseplate for the saddles to sit on.


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## scherzo1928 (Apr 15, 2012)

an easy solution for the nut, is to have a zero fret, and place a nut behind the zero fret, with the nut being perpendicular to the strings. Now you have the benefits of zero frets (easy low action, same sound on open strings...) and don't need to break your head if you can't visualize other methods.

Edit: for the bridge, try using single wilkinson type saddles, and have a plate (try brass, works great) machined to mount them on. ANY metalworker (or even you) can make a plate.


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## aaron_rose (Apr 15, 2012)

that is exactly what I was thinking about by removing wood the maintain the same reveal, awesome!


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## aaron_rose (Apr 15, 2012)

aaron_rose said:


> that is exactly what I was thinking about by removing wood the maintain the same reveal, awesome!



look at my build http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...049-my-adventure-my-first-7-string-build.html

and you can see the saddles I went with, I highly suggest going the same route. they are way more affordable than novax "which u can't really order cause they will say they don't have enough" or stranberg which is a gnarly no go due to customs, tax, shipping, fanfair hype, absoultly badass engineering using the best materials known to man, and all that jazzz that comes with a company like that. Ola and his hardware are second to none so im sure you will pay at least a grand for one and have to cut the head off your guitar as well.

option 3, make it all yourself.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 15, 2012)

^Those are pretty similar to the novax ones. Id be willing to go with those. Where did you say you got them from? A search on purelogik saddles/bridges returns nothing.

Edit: Oh i see that purelojik is a user here haha. 



scherzo1928 said:


> an easy solution for the nut, is to have a zero fret, and place a nut behind the zero fret, with the nut being perpendicular to the strings. Now you have the benefits of zero frets (easy low action, same sound on open strings...) and don't need to break your head if you can't visualize other methods.
> 
> Edit: for the bridge, try using single wilkinson type saddles, and have a plate (try brass, works great) machined to mount them on. ANY metalworker (or even you) can make a plate.



I considered a zero fret briefly. I saw that was how you did it on your build. I know very little about zero frets but with the solution i decided on i think it will work just as well. I would also be concerned about the wear on the zero fret with heavy bending which would be more of a prominent issue with steel strings. As for the bridges this was what i was actually referring to when i mentioned screwing the saddles down to a base plate. Just like on the wilkinson bridges.


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## aaron_rose (Apr 15, 2012)

Rondo music!


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## scherzo1928 (Apr 15, 2012)

JStraitiff said:


> I would also be concerned about the wear on the zero fret with heavy bending...


 
stainless steel.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 15, 2012)

aaron_rose said:


> Rondo music!



You're kidding. i contacted them about buying the saddles from them and was told they are out of stock until summer.


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## aaron_rose (Apr 15, 2012)

tell him to order a crapload for this summers builds!


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## JStraitiff (Apr 15, 2012)

It looks like Agile uses 8 string EMGs on their 7 string pendulums with a similar fan to mine. I guess it wouldnt make a difference because of the blade. I think this is what ill do.

So now ive got my nut/headstock planned, bridge issue solved and pickup issue solved. Im good to go! Time to get back to work. Ill try to cut the neck out tomorrow if i have time. If not tuesday.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 16, 2012)

Random piece of advice: fret find 2d is really good for getting all the measurements for fret work BUT there is nothing accurate about the print out PDF or diagram. It's necessary to measure everything... (Could just be my printer or something like that)

For reference on EMG 707s The maximum recommended overall string width is 2.625". This is
measured at the bridge, from outside to outside. (Info from EMG)

-----

Today i did a rough cut out on the neck. Everything is looking great. I need to get a digital caliper so i can measure especially the frets properly. Ill do that tomorrow. I need to decided how thick i want the body to ultimately be and also make a final decision on how thick i want my top to be so that i can plane down the wings to the right size. Im undecided if i want to mount the wings before i get the top as if my top is off my just a small amount ill be in bad shape. 

Im going to carve the top so im thinking i need at least a half inch top. Any input on that?

I have been toying with the idea of adding piezo to this as well. There are some particular songs i want it for and they are on a 6 string so i may save that for a future 6 string build.

Neck cut out roughly






Neck with mahogany wings held up next to it.





Managed to cut the neck out saving a piece one inch thick all the way down. Thicker in one area to allow a heel. This should be plenty for a bolt on or set neck guitar.





Hopefully going to sand the headstock and back of the neck flat and level tomorrow. Im also going to measure the fretboard and frets out and if i get to it spend some time on the wings.


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## aaron_rose (Apr 17, 2012)

dude from the beginning of this thread to where it is now, looking good.!


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## JStraitiff (Apr 17, 2012)

^ lol thanks. I'm glad i scrapped the pine plan.

Picked up a digital caliper today and double checked all my measurements. I also managed to get a print out of my fretfind2d layout that was completely accurate. I wasnt aware that you are supposed to align the light grey border.

I also leveled the edges of the mahogany for the wings and put a little work into leveling the back of the neck. I just want to get it so its level, not perfect as a lot of it will be taken off when i create the neck shape. I hope i dont have to take down the top to add more fretboard height because i would be undoing all my work to get that level.

Thats about all i did today. I dont have any pics.

-----

Ive been debating what color to stain the top. Ive thought about just about every color but one i really like is something like eriza verde. Im down to 3 options.

Green with a darker green sanded back like this
http://jelyfingerguitars.com/images/TRM EV Q10-3.jpg

Green with a black sand back
http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/images/bodies/large/PS6344a.jpg

Or possibly natural finish with a little amber sand back like this
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/4379/screenshot20120417at950.png

Give me your opinions

Edit: Ive narrowed it down to two now


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## JStraitiff (Apr 18, 2012)

Truss rod cavity routed


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## silent_k (Apr 18, 2012)

JStraitiff said:


> Im going to carve the top so im thinking i need at least a half inch top. Any input on that?



It depends on the depth of your carve, of course, but most tops intended for carving (like LP style) are 3/4" thick, so you may want to seek out something a bit thicker. 1/2 could certainly work but will obviously be more subtle.

And good call on measuring everything carefully whether you get a good printout from Fretfind or not. I'm planning to do that as well -- seems like the safest option. Looking good!


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## JStraitiff (Apr 18, 2012)

^ Im planning on buying the top wood from here
Quilt carved tops

They have one thats a little over 1/2" then it jumps up to almost a full inch. I dont want that thick of a top so ill get that .57 one. I dont need the carve to be crazy. Im going for that PRS style fake binding and enough carve to add a contour.


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## JStraitiff (Apr 30, 2012)

Alright! Ordered up some wood today. I got .57" thick quilted maple for the top, a quilted maple headstock cap, indian rosewood fretboard and a 16" radius block.

I had to get a piece of rosewood cut for a 6 string bass because they didnt have any regular bass ones in stock (which would have been the perfect size). Im obviously not worried about cutting it down but i wish i could have gotten the thinner piece as the site i ordered from will radius it for you except on the 6 string boards lmao. I could have gotten another type of wood but i didnt see anything that appealed to me.

So feel free to expect updates this week!


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## JStraitiff (May 6, 2012)

Got my quilted maple top in yesterday. Tomorrow I'm going to get the wings planed to the size I need






I'm going to be posting the minimal number of pics I have to for a few days cause I stuck using my iPad until I get a new power supply for my laptop.


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## pondman (May 7, 2012)

Wow ! this is an amazing build . Kudos for it as a first build as well.


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## JStraitiff (May 8, 2012)

Okay, really big update. I glued on the wings cut the rough body shape, routed the control/battery cavities and wire channels and glued on the tops. 

And why you're all here - pics:

Neck and wings just after rough body cut





Cavities/channels coming through the wings





Cavities from the back





The tops are still in the clamps so I'll post pics tomorrow after I trim them.

I got my fretboard, headstock cap and radius block in the mail as well so I'll be starting work on the neck end soon.


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## JStraitiff (May 10, 2012)

As promised, though a couple days late, here are the pics of the guitar after installing the tops. I flushed them to the body with the router so they are both ready to be final shaped. I need the exact string spacing of the rondo individual bridges before I'm comfortable cutting the neck taper. So if anyone could give me the measurement across 7 saddles from middle to middle of the outer ones I would be greatly appreciative. I calculated the spacing for the template by assuming the spacing between each was 7/16" giving me 2.622", but I want to be certain.

















Consider yourselves lucky that I'm going through the trouble of posting this from my iPad haha


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## swollenpickle (May 10, 2012)

Ipad lawlz! Looks interesting!


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## scherzo1928 (May 10, 2012)

I like where this is going.

Btw, it's a bit more precise to meassure a single saddle with a caliper, and then multiply that by 6 to get the total string spacing. That way you don't need to guess where theexact middle of the outer saddles is.


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## JStraitiff (May 10, 2012)

^ Oh. Then in that case I should be right on the money for the most part. If they're exactly 7/16" wide each the saddles can't get any closer than the base plate of each allows. Cool.

Alright. Tomorrow will be another big day hopefully


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## scherzo1928 (May 10, 2012)

Just keep in mind that it's only true if you keep them perfectly close together.


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## aaron_rose (May 10, 2012)

baby got back!!!! how thick is that dude?


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## JStraitiff (May 11, 2012)

^ About 1.6". Definitely not ultra thin but once I carve the top it won't seem as thick as now.


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## aaron_rose (May 11, 2012)

ahh right on, looks great man, like how you show perseverance! The pics made me think it was over 2 inches thick in some shots sorta made me go WOW!!! but now that you say 1.6 makes me wanna plane mine hahahah I am at 1 7/8'' D:


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## JStraitiff (May 11, 2012)

^ haha awesome lmao. I thought yours was thinner too. Must be the angles haha.


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## JStraitiff (May 17, 2012)

I finished cutting the taper on the fretboard today. I also decided to thin the headstock. Last time im ever making a wide cut on the band saw. It may be too thin now because the blade moved around and the thinnest spot with the headstock cap comes out to just under .50.

What do you think is a good thickness for the headstock? I may just have to laminate a piece on the back to thicken it up again.


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## scherzo1928 (May 17, 2012)

I like a good 14 or 15mm... so a bit less than .6"

Check with your tuners though. Some won't work on such thick headstocks.


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## ElRay (May 18, 2012)

JStraitiff said:


> Random piece of advice: fret find 2d is really good for getting all the measurements for fret work BUT there is nothing accurate about the print out PDF or diagram. It's necessary to measure everything... (Could just be my printer or something like that)


It very likely is your printer; however, as long as the error is proportional, it won't really matter if you wanted a 25-1/2" scale and got a 25.497" or 25.524" scale. Also, if the error is consistent, but small, you should be fine too.

One thing you can do is measure from the nut to the last fret, figure-out the percentage of error, change your scaling in the print dialog box, re-print, and then spot-check to ensure the other critical dimensions are accurate.

When I get to this point, I'll pay the $'s and have everything printed out on a reasonably high-end plotter.

Ray


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## JStraitiff (May 18, 2012)

^ i actually resolved that issue. It turned out that i wasnt aligning the pieces properly.



scherzo1928 said:


> I like a good 14 or 15mm... so a bit less than .6"
> 
> Check with your tuners though. Some won't work on such thick headstocks.



I hope its stable enough at the current thickness. Im a little concerned about it. Im gonna spend a little time on it tomorrow to even it out and try to keep it as thick as possible. I guess worst case scenario i can put a piece of something either on the back or between the cap and the headstock. Itd only be like .1 thick.

The moral of the story is only use a bandsaw for flat cuts...

I think im going to use the router to shape the headstock now. The bandsaw and i arent speaking right now.


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## JStraitiff (May 23, 2012)

Ordered some stuff today for fretting. Fretwire, Fret caul, fret slotting saw and i also got a nut blank from graphtech. Im gonna buy end nippers, files and hammer locally. Still waiting on the rondo bridges to become available. Ive been bugging the shit out of kurt so i dont miss them.

I need to finish evening out the headstock and then ill go ahead and start on radiusing the fretboard and such.


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## aaron_rose (May 26, 2012)

scherzo1928 said:


> I like a good 14 or 15mm... so a bit less than .6"
> 
> Check with your tuners though. Some won't work on such thick headstocks.



No problem add in a stringer veneer to build the thickness back up \m/


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## JStraitiff (Jul 13, 2012)

Sorry i havent been updating this. I havent been doing any work on it recently. i havent been doing a whole lot of anything recently actually. Im going to start working on this again sunday if i can. Should start moving along a bit faster.

Rondo still doesnt have the saddles back in stock that i need and im getting a little pissed. Kurt stopped responding to my emails. Obviously they arent a very reliable company. I wish i had another option but i already designed the guitar around those bridges so my next option is to make them myself or make something with the same spacing. If they arent back in stock by the time i need them i guess ill have no choice.


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## ElRay (Jul 13, 2012)

JStraitiff said:


> ... Rondo still doesnt have the saddles back in stock that i need and im getting a little pissed. Kurt stopped responding to my emails. Obviously they arent a very reliable company. ...


They're a small, low-to-mid-end import guitar vendor. They happen to sell some of the left-over pieces and parts from that business. They're not a parts supplier.

I don't think I've ever seen pieces/parts from Rondo that weren't available elsewhere. Was there something unique about the saddles from Rondo?

Ray


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## aaron_rose (Jul 13, 2012)

I don't think it's got anything to do with reliability, Kurt is probably waiting for them as well.


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## Levi79 (Jul 13, 2012)

Man this is going to turn out pretty damn cool. i really like the Avenger shape and it'll look so good as a multi scale.


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## abadonae (Jul 13, 2012)

awesome so far


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jul 13, 2012)

Fuck yes


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## JStraitiff (Jul 17, 2012)

ElRay said:


> They're a small, low-to-mid-end import guitar vendor. They happen to sell some of the left-over pieces and parts from that business. They're not a parts supplier.
> 
> I don't think I've ever seen pieces/parts from Rondo that weren't available elsewhere. Was there something unique about the saddles from Rondo?
> 
> Ray



If you know of another dealer who sells those individual saddles as seen here

Pendulm Bridge / Saddle at RondoMusic.com

Please let me know ASAP. These ones are simple and inexpensive. I dont want to use abm as they are waay to expensive. If not i may have to make my own base plates and use graphtech saddles.

Okay forget everything i have a better idea. Im going to get my own baseplates made by this company out of plastic. Since no tension will be put on the base plates being string through the material will be fine. 

http://www.shapeways.com/

Then ill just get some string saver saddles.


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## JStraitiff (Oct 8, 2012)

I finally got my order in with rondo for the individual saddles. im happy as fuck.

Work on this guitar officially begins NOW!


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## ElRay (Oct 8, 2012)

JStraitiff said:


> I finally got my order in with rondo for the individual saddles.


I just checked, there's only one left! I guess you bought exactly seven? I may have to just buy that last one. I was planning on building a 6-string, simply because I can keep the cost down by using Tele Bridge pick-ups, but I may have to take this as a "sign" that I really should build a seven-string and spend more on the pups.

Ray


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## JStraitiff (Oct 8, 2012)

ElRay said:


> I just checked, there's only one left! I guess you bought exactly seven? I may have to just buy that last one. I was planning on building a 6-string, simply because I can keep the cost down by using Tele Bridge pick-ups, but I may have to take this as a "sign" that I really should build a seven-string and spend more on the pups.
> 
> Ray



Oh shit really? im lucky i got in right under the wire.


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## ElRay (Oct 9, 2012)

JStraitiff said:


> Oh shit really? im lucky i got in right under the wire.


Rondo's shopping cart has a "feature" that will tell you how many are in stock. Just add 999 of the item to your shopping cart, and it will says that there's not enough to compete your order and tell you how many are available.

Ray


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## JStraitiff (Dec 1, 2013)

Work resumes......





NOW!! Ill be releasing updates and porn regularly starting this week. Look forward to a brighter holiday haha


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## JStraitiff (Dec 15, 2013)

Today i routed the neck edges so now everything is nice and flush. Next phase will be finalizing the body shape with a drum sander, then ill go ahead and start on the neck and body contours. 

On a side note, in the future i would probably approach this style of top and neck through design a little differently during the laminating phase. On this build i laminated the mahogany wings to the neck then did the two maple tops separately. In the future i would laminate the tops to the wings before gluing them to the neck. this way i could plane the edge of them both and have a perfect line where this way there are a few areas where it could be tighter. In a way this was a bit of an experiment as ive never seen a carved top with the neck woods showing on the face.


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## skeels (Dec 15, 2013)

Love pictures with sawdust in 'em.


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## schwiz (Dec 16, 2013)

That top is purdy


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## HurrDurr (Dec 16, 2013)

Woah, one year later... I think this thread deserves an explanation on the 'meanwhile' activities


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## JStraitiff (Dec 22, 2013)

i had a pretty productive day today if i do say so 

i started out by sanding out the edges of the body to get the shape nice and neat.

My weapon of choice was this drum sander on a drill.





Which left me with this





Then i started working on the neck profile a bit.





I wasnt planning on getting this deep into it today but i ended up doing a good portion of the back contours and heel.

















i did most on this with rasps and a palm sander

Looking pretty swanky already. I need to do the belly cut and work on the edges and a bit still but this is a good start. I lost my original drawing of the fret layout so ill have to draw a new one in fretfind. Luckily i remember the measurements i used. Only thing i cant really remember is where the perpendicular fret was. I want to get the fretboard glued so i can get to work on the headstock and volute.


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## Konfyouzd (Dec 22, 2013)




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## JStraitiff (Dec 24, 2013)

I actually found the original PDF that i saved of my fret layout. I found it after i drew up a new one. After comparing the two, the only difference was of course the parallel fret distance. The old one had it at the 10th and the new was at the 9th. I chose to use the old one. So from there i proceeded to radius the fretboard using a radiused sanding block that i bought a while back. The radius is 16" and it took a lot less work than i expected. Now im drawing up a headstock design so that i can go ahead and cut that out. Ill spare you the pics for now but there should be a couple fun ones coming up!


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## skeels (Dec 31, 2013)

Glad to see you coming back to this man.

Your shop looks warm. Is it warm?


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## SeductionS (Jan 13, 2014)

Any updates on this?
I think the fanned frets are made for the Avenger-shape


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## HanSulu (Jan 14, 2014)

I love where your going with this, Had an older Schecter Revenger 7 at one time, I always loved that body style haha.


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## JStraitiff (Jan 16, 2014)

sorry guys. had a busy couple weeks with the holidays. I cut out the headstock the other day. Im gonna do a little more hacking before i post more pics. This weekend looks like the time!


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## givemeajackson (Feb 11, 2014)

you built the guitar i'm going to build! nice work man, this will be a stunning guitar!


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