# A heavy flyin-V



## airpanos

Hi to all there,i want to build a custom 7 string guitar,i have a lot of experience with woodwork,but i've never try that one.
The specs will be:A longer neck,probably 10 cm longer than the usual,and i want to do a solid construction so i will make it neck -through.
2 humbuckers maybe active,i haven't decide it yet,and i think to put a fernandes sustainer.
The bridge will be solid,no trem and stuff.
I need some opinion for the wood,will pine do the work? It's the only wood available for the moment,i've read they use it on old telecasters,but will it work for a heavy metal guitar?
Any advice will be acceptable thanks!


----------



## airpanos

Well,anyone who has experience on guitar building could give me some tips?


----------



## RestorationAD

Pine will be fine as a body wood. It is very musical. There are considerations with pine. Try to find good clear dry pine. Pine knots are horrible. They move and spew sap for years... also Pine is very sappy so make sure you get a good dry piece. 

Pine will not work for the neck though. You will need a harder wood for that.

And any guitar can be a heavy metal guitar... the dude playing it makes it metal. \m/
What you want to do is build the best sounding guitar you can then let the player dictate what it plays.

Check the "woods for a metal guitar" thread


----------



## airpanos

RestorationAD said:


> Pine will be fine as a body wood. It is very musical. There are considerations with pine. Try to find good clear dry pine. Pine knots are horrible. They move and spew sap for years... also Pine is very sappy so make sure you get a good dry piece.
> 
> Pine will not work for the neck though. You will need a harder wood for that.
> 
> And any guitar can be a heavy metal guitar... the dude playing it makes it metal. \m/
> What you want to do is build the best sounding guitar you can then let the player dictate what it plays.
> 
> Check the "woods for a metal guitar" thread



Thanks for the information,i search for some solid wood for this.
Today i make a fast plan,it will be a little sharp at the ends.


----------



## LEWY7777777

Pine will be a very conductive guitar body wood as long as its a suitable piece, I believe it will produce a warm rich sound , this could be very pleasing.
And yes definitely use a nice hardwood for the neck. You don't have to use maple. Although maple would work very nicely. I would use rosewood , wenge, or ebony. Just because every guitar off the shelf and its brother is a maple neck guitar. Maple adds a fizzy brightness and is somewhat rich yet flat with a reflective quality to the sound -Great for live high volume applications for the reflective tone aspect. 
I would use it as a backing soundboard before anything else only for this purpose. Its greatest strength. maybe with some other wood for the top. Like swamp ash. Yep with pine thats what I would do make a semi hollow or chambered pine body with maple back and swamp ash top of course thicknesses are very important in this type of application. Thats just me of course. Now considering looks and std. procedure would dictate that you just use a pine body with maple top or no top and glue them on the neck wood. Wich would work. Sorry for the long post just some guitar nerdature. Good luck.


----------



## gnroach

airpanos said:


> Hi to all there,i want to build a custom 7 string guitar,i have a lot of experience with woodwork,but i've never try that one.
> The specs will be:A longer neck,probably 10 cm longer than the usual,and i want to do a solid construction so i will make it neck -through.
> 2 humbuckers maybe active,i haven't decide it yet,and i think to put a fernandes sustainer.
> The bridge will be solid,no trem and stuff.
> I need some opinion for the wood,will pine do the work? It's the only wood available for the moment,i've read they use it on old telecasters,but will it work for a heavy metal guitar?
> Any advice will be acceptable thanks!


10 more centimeters are a lot! its like 4 inches!! do you want a bass??
pine is too soft in my opinion to use for an electric guitar, it bends too easily, and this could be aproblem with changing humidity.
if you are searching in the "construction" woods, try oak or mahogany...those will be much better


----------



## airpanos

LEWY7777777 said:


> Pine will be a very conductive guitar body wood as long as its a suitable piece, I believe it will produce a warm rich sound , this could be very pleasing.
> And yes definitely use a nice hardwood for the neck. You don't have to use maple. Although maple would work very nicely. I would use rosewood , wenge, or ebony. Just because every guitar off the shelf and its brother is a maple neck guitar. Maple adds a fizzy brightness and is somewhat rich yet flat with a reflective quality to the sound -Great for live high volume applications for the reflective tone aspect.
> I would use it as a backing soundboard before anything else only for this purpose. Its greatest strength. maybe with some other wood for the top. Like swamp ash. Yep with pine thats what I would do make a semi hollow or chambered pine body with maple back and swamp ash top of course thicknesses are very important in this type of application. Thats just me of course. Now considering looks and std. procedure would dictate that you just use a pine body with maple top or no top and glue them on the neck wood. Wich would work. Sorry for the long post just some guitar nerdature. Good luck.



Thanks for the answer,your version seems it will work great,however,i came with the plan A which is :a neck through pine neck and pine body,with ebony fretboard,the neck will be thicker than a usual ,with a thicker truss rod.That's because it will be a cheap project,well it is my first attempt and i do not want to mess with expensive woods.


----------



## airpanos

gnroach said:


> 10 more centimeters are a lot! its like 4 inches!! do you want a bass??
> pine is too soft in my opinion to use for an electric guitar, it bends too easily, and this could be aproblem with changing humidity.
> if you are searching in the "construction" woods, try oak or mahogany...those will be much better



I do not want a bass,i want a heavier sound than usual,well maybe the length will be 2''inches more,i have not decided yet.
Those woods work great but as i said i want a cheap solution.
I will give it a try,maybe it will be a waste of time at the end,but i want to see how it works.Thanks for the advice!


----------



## airpanos

In the past week i search for some hard pine wood in the forest near my house,so i found a half-dead pine dropped down,i think it's kinda hard but it sure needs to let dry for some weeks, maybe months.
Anyway i cut 3 pieces of that poor tree,one for the neck and 2 smaller for the body.


----------



## airpanos

I need a lesson about posting pics here...


----------



## airpanos

I don't have any special tools for wood,so it is hard to give fast the shape i want,here i use a tajima handsaw and a hammer-chisel technique like ancient people did to square those woods.


----------



## airpanos

&#932;he idea is to plan those pieces straight,so i first use the angle-grinder with
16'' grit and then sand them down to flat enough with a 60''grit paper glued
on a straight piece of wood.


----------



## airpanos

..http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...ditAlbumPhoto&albumID=371438&imageID=16400252
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...ditAlbumPhoto&albumID=371438&imageID=16400251


----------



## ralphy1976

you are going to do all this with just 1 tool? really?

also to load pictures you need to upload them in a place like photobucket and then copy the address of each pics in something like this : 







or press on the 2nd icon from the right (when you reply) and paste in your picture link


----------



## airpanos

Yeah,i am not a pro,but i have some tools,but cutting those ones will be done 
with a handsaw,real slow,but now i have no job so i don't bother to make it fast.
Thanks for help.


----------



## darren

Those pieces of wood don't look very straight-grained and they seem to have a lot of knots. Not sure if they're going to be stable enough for building a guitar out of.


----------



## SirMyghin

Cudos for attempting to build without most basic tools, but I really do not think it is the best idea. Working with rough lumber like you are showing is a very bad idea though. You will need to season it for months, not to mention the pieces you are showing are quite inadequate.


----------



## airpanos

darren said:


> Those pieces of wood don't look very straight-grained and they seem to have a lot of knots. Not sure if they're going to be stable enough for building a guitar out of.



Yes there are a lot of knots but i think this wood is good for making at least the body,my biggest concern is for the neck,i am afraid to use this kind of wood for the neck because it doesn't seem so solid.
By the way i check your site it is very good,i get so much info from your articles,you do a hell of a job on those hand-crafted guitars.


----------



## airpanos

SirMyghin said:


> Cudos for attempting to build without most basic tools, but I really do not think it is the best idea. Working with rough lumber like you are showing is a very bad idea though. You will need to season it for months, not to mention the pieces you are showing are quite inadequate.



Yes it is not the best solution but as i said i don't want to buy anything, except from things a can not make my self.
I don't care how much time will that build take,as long it's gonna be at least good.Thanks for support,and as you wrote i will need more wood for the body.

I make a plan for the body construction,and i think i will make it this way,2 pieces of pine glued together for the body,the back layer's strains will follow the neck's flow and the upper layer of wood will be set vertically,for added strength.
However i don't know how that will affect the sound.


----------



## Raist

Lumber which you are using is unusable for building a guitar as it is, as above posters have stated the wood that is used in instrument building needs to be dried and seasoned for months or preferably years to get usable moisture levels and prevent warping and the destruction of the whole instrument. The wood will in addition be moist and harder to work with and heavier as an instrument to play. It isn't really good for the purpose you're using it.


----------



## airpanos

I am not a luthier or something,but just look at this guy

tell me this is something proper to make a guitar out of...


----------



## airpanos

A quick plan for the neck here.
According it will be at 27''scale,how long should the truss rod must be?

http://s942.photobucket.com/albums/ad263/airpanos21/?action=view&current=jjjjjjj.jpg


----------



## scherzo1928

I think that a standard 18" truss rod will do fine.


----------



## SirMyghin

airpanos said:


> A quick plan for the neck here.
> According it will be at 27''scale,how long should the truss rod must be?
> 
> jjjjjjj.jpg picture by airpanos21 - Photobucket



How long is your neck, you do not want the truss rod to extend into the body, it will anchor near the last few frets. So assuming you have a design, just find the closest to that length.

As far as a shovel being proper, that guy obviously knows what he is doing, has the tools, and not to mention a shovel would have a maple or ash handle, typically seasoned and clear grained so it can stand up to work better. Your wood shows none of those properties.


----------



## TomParenteau

RestorationAD said:


> ...any guitar can be a heavy metal guitar... the dude playing it makes it metal. \m/
> What you want to do is build the best sounding guitar you can then let the player dictate what it plays.


 
Excellent.


----------



## Demiurge

I may have missed someone else sharing the same misgivings, but I would suggest that you reconsider the body wood for the reason of weight-distribution.

Different-shaped guitars have different weight distributions. A flying-V guitar at a normal scale length can often be "neck heavy"- now, think about adding a few inches in scale length (= more mass to the neck-side of the strap button) and using a body wood on the lighter end of the spectrum.


----------



## airpanos

UP-date


----------



## airpanos

It's a pain in the ass to cut those woods without power tools

























That's all so far


----------



## drmosh

haha, I cannot wait to see what it will look like when done


----------



## JamesM

Curiously anticipating this to unfold...


----------



## airpanos

Here cut the head,no wonder why it looks like Rattlehead's diamond


----------



## avenger

I think its pretty awesome you went into the woods hacked up a fallen tree and now have something that looks like a neck!


----------



## SirMyghin

Is that wood bleeding water/sap, judging between the pictures it looks as if it had. You really should have let that sit a lot longer before you even thought about working it. It is going to twist and warp heavily. Not to mention the strength and stability of pine as a neck is going to lead to a lot of trouble. This will end in not but wasted time. I however still look forward to seeing how it plays out on the way.


----------



## airpanos

Some Moar pics I cut a trussrod slot and do more grinding/cutting


----------



## airpanos

SirMyghin said:


> Is that wood bleeding water/sap, judging between the pictures it looks as if it had. You really should have let that sit a lot longer before you even thought about working it. It is going to twist and warp heavily. Not to mention the strength and stability of pine as a neck is going to lead to a lot of trouble. This will end in not but wasted time. I however still look forward to seeing how it plays out on the way.




Well if it doesn'work i can always use it for room decoration


----------



## Daiephir

Not if, it *will* not work, when attempting to build a guitar, you preferably want to have a hard, tight (sp?) grained, quarter sawn piece of lumber, preferably dried over the course of many years *in* the workshop you will build it in. What you have there is floppyness in a stick form, and it's not even dry, it will warp, twist, bend, crack and just be a waste of material that could've serve has a almost good IKEA table. Also, there is way to much nots to make it usable, even if it was hardwood.

Also, your "plans" are actually quite poor drawings of the thing and I would suggest, if you're really dead set on actually building a guitar, that you draw a really 1:1 scale plan with cotation marks, a side view, actual fret markings, etc, because from a luthiers point of vue, you're hacking up some wood with an imaginary plan in your head, you shall make errors and you might mess up the precious work you've done with that. You also seem to not have any work order set up, you just felt like starting with building a 27" scale necktrought neck.

And for a guy who has alot of woodworking experience, you sure don't have that many tools to work with... 

Also: ARGH!!!!!! LOOK AT THAT NECK, IT'S NOT EVEN FLAT ON THE 2 JOINTED SURFACES!!! (I have horrible english )

Good day to you, sir


----------



## airpanos

drmosh said:


> haha, I cannot wait to see what it will look like when done[/QUOTE
> 
> I have the same desire


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> Curiously anticipating this to unfold...



even if it is a waste of time?


----------



## airpanos

Daiephir said:


> Not if, it *will* not work, when attempting to build a guitar, you preferably want to have a hard, tight (sp?) grained, quarter sawn piece of lumber, preferably dried over the course of many years *in* the workshop you will build it in. What you have there is floppyness in a stick form, and it's not even dry, it will warp, twist, bend, crack and just be a waste of material that could've serve has a almost good IKEA table. Also, there is way to much nots to make it usable, even if it was hardwood.
> 
> Haha when you mention about IKEA tables the first thing that comes in my mind is this http://zacharyguitars.com/120300pics.htm
> http://www.esquire.com/the-side/qa/guitar042307
> 
> 
> Also, your "plans" are actually quite poor drawings of the thing and I would suggest, if you're really dead set on actually building a guitar, that you draw a really 1:1 scale plan with cotation marks, a side view, actual fret markings, etc, because from a luthiers point of vue, you're hacking up some wood with an imaginary plan in your head, you shall make errors and you might mess up the precious work you've done with that. You also seem to not have any work order set up, you just felt like starting with building a 27" scale necktrought neck.
> 
> I agree the most important is the fretboard length,so i decided to make it on 70cm scale.Here we do not use inches That means the fretboard is going to be 52,5 cm long
> If i make errors there is always some glue to fix it haha
> I said in the begining it is going to be a baritone Flying-v shaped isn't that enough?
> 
> 
> And for a guy who has alot of woodworking experience, you sure don't have that many tools to work with...
> 
> If you are a luthier you should know that tools don't make the master,
> skills make him.
> I do not own a shop to have all those expensive tools,i gain some
> experience by working on a sailing yacht company,there i was making furniture out of raw wood for smart-asses.
> 
> Also: ARGH!!!!!! LOOK AT THAT NECK, IT'S NOT EVEN FLAT ON THE 2 JOINTED SURFACES!!! (I have horrible english )
> 
> My English sucks too lol
> 
> Good day to you, sir


----------



## dudeskin

why not. it goes wrong, it gets put on a wall, job done.
its something to do, and keep you busy.
i agree that its not gonna be the straightest guitar around, but im not gonna put him down.
each to their own.

look forward to seeing it done tho dude!!


----------



## airpanos

dudeskin said:


> why not. it goes wrong, it gets put on a wall, job done.
> its something to do, and keep you busy.
> i agree that its not gonna be the straightest guitar around, but im not gonna put him down.
> each to their own.
> 
> look forward to seeing it done tho dude!!




Hands UP


----------



## dudeskin




----------



## airpanos

Demiurge said:


> I may have missed someone else sharing the same misgivings, but I would suggest that you reconsider the body wood for the reason of weight-distribution.
> 
> Different-shaped guitars have different weight distributions. A flying-V guitar at a normal scale length can often be "neck heavy"- now, think about adding a few inches in scale length (= more mass to the neck-side of the strap button) and using a body wood on the lighter end of the spectrum.





You mean if it turns to be neck-heavy it will be harder to play when i stand up?


----------



## Demiurge

airpanos said:


> You mean if it turns to be neck-heavy it will be harder to play when i stand up?



With _neck heavy_ comes _neck dive_. What that means that when you have the guitar on a strap and you're standing, you'll find that the neck will often "want" to point towards the floor. It can be a pain in the ass. You want your fretting hand to worry about playing, and not holding-up, the guitar.

Obviously, some designs are more prone to neck dive than others. As a poster recommended above, planning is key- that's not limited to having everything drawn-out on paper but also with dealing with logistics for the materials involved.


----------



## dudeskin

my b.c rich warlock does that, too hard to use at gigs, without looking like a nob or hurting your hand


----------



## leandroab

Should have waited a couple of months to work with the wood man. With such freshly cut wood, twisting and warping is BOUND to happen.

But yeah, if it sucks dick, hang it on the wall!


----------



## airpanos

avenger said:


> I think its pretty awesome you went into the woods hacked up a fallen tree and now have something that looks like a neck!



Hell yeah!
I want to mention that the upper part of the tree (part of the neck)was dryer than the lower parts close to the roots,that tree was fallen down half-dead
and was starting to dry,but the wood has moisture in some places.
I will let it for a while tighten to a board to dry.


----------



## Goatchrist

It's so cool that you took wood from a tree in the woods!  Just awesome!
Can't wait to see the result!


----------



## airpanos

I draw some plans on 1:1 scale today,not so good pics lol
the overall length will be 119cm,it's going to be loooooong.
As you mention about neck dive,i will try to balance the instrument by
making a thicker body/more weight on the back.Also the neck profile will be very thick,about 3,5 cm.at the lower frets.


----------



## SD83

I like this project! Sure, the neck won't be the most straight neck around, but you're not going to sell it... and as it's the first attempt at building a guitar, I'm pretty sure you WILL make mistakes. So... if the neck doesn't break and it's playable, who cares if the wood was not "good enough" for guitar building? Once you're done, build a clone of this one with some "tone wood". I'd love to see a direct comparison between the two


----------



## SirMyghin

airpanos said:


> Hell yeah!
> I want to mention that the upper part of the tree (part of the neck)was dryer than the lower parts close to the roots,that tree was fallen down half-dead
> and was starting to dry,but the wood has moisture in some places.
> I will let it for a while tighten to a board to dry.



This probably will not work, you will just build up stresses instead of deflection ,when the clamps come off it will move either way, This is the importance of drying the wood before you work it.


----------



## airpanos

Goatchrist said:


> It's so cool that you took wood from a tree in the woods!  Just awesome!
> Can't wait to see the result!



Thanks mate!
I hope it won't warp until i finish it


----------



## airpanos

Demiurge said:


> With _neck heavy_ comes _neck dive_. What that means that when you have the guitar on a strap and you're standing, you'll find that the neck will often "want" to point towards the floor. It can be a pain in the ass. You want your fretting hand to worry about playing, and not holding-up, the guitar.
> 
> Obviously, some designs are more prone to neck dive than others. As a poster recommended above, planning is key- that's not limited to having everything drawn-out on paper but also with dealing with logistics for the materials involved.





And how can i avoid neck dive?
If i make a thicker body than the standard?
It will be heavy in the back end ,but it will produce a fat sound?


----------



## airpanos

SD83 said:


> I like this project! Sure, the neck won't be the most straight neck around, but you're not going to sell it... and as it's the first attempt at building a guitar, I'm pretty sure you WILL make mistakes. So... if the neck doesn't break and it's playable, who cares if the wood was not "good enough" for guitar building? Once you're done, build a clone of this one with some "tone wood". I'd love to see a direct comparison between the two



Haha well it is a cheapo project,i will try to make it straight as possible,
but hey,your idea is cool,to compare this crappy one with a tone-wood
crafted clone!


----------



## airpanos

The story so far.
I glued some wood at the back of the neck for extra strength,
and drill the tuner holes.
Picstory:



I used polyurethane glue:












And today i grinded it to flat and drilled the holes...


----------



## airpanos

This "exotic"piece is for the fretboard,it was under my bed for
at least 10 years.I may use this kind of wood for the body,i have lot
of this crap.
Cutting it in half was a bloody job,it still needs some planning to become straight.


























That's all for now


----------



## Raist

This thread is getting absurd. I'd love to see what is coming out of this project.


----------



## airpanos

Raist said:


> This thread is getting absurd. I'd love to see what is coming out of this project.



This is insane.
Hopefully I found some dry wood for the body.
It is also Pine,here we call it ''Swedish''.Probably cause it's from Sweden









It's glue time...








I only have 4 clamps for the moment,so i use some imagination to tight'em


----------



## SD83

Wtf? I once saw somebody glue a multi-piece body together like that (using about 4 or 5 different types of hardwood) and all the "experts" were totally freaking out. I don't think that guy ever finished his guitar, I wonder if it might have worked... and if this will work. If so, I guess it will proof some people wrong. Which would be interesting, as I like the kind of "I have not tried this and no one I know ever did, but it sure will not work" statements to be disproved  However, if they are right... be careful when you try to put some strings on it and tune them


----------



## airpanos

SD83 said:


> Wtf? I once saw somebody glue a multi-piece body together like that (using about 4 or 5 different types of hardwood) and all the "experts" were totally freaking out. I don't think that guy ever finished his guitar, I wonder if it might have worked... and if this will work. If so, I guess it will proof some people wrong. Which would be interesting, as I like the kind of "I have not tried this and no one I know ever did, but it sure will not work" statements to be disproved  However, if they are right... be careful when you try to put some strings on it and tune them



I think this glue is strong enough to hold those pieces together,
the problem is how long it should last if it works
Gluing all those pieces together is too much time for a professional.
that means loss of money.

Oh and I had a cheap skylark guitar from basswood and the body is
(glued pieces together style).I find that out when i sanded it down
for repaint cause i didn't like it black anymore.


----------



## scherzo1928

SD83 said:


> Wtf? I once saw somebody glue a multi-piece body together like that (using about 4 or 5 different types of hardwood) and all the "experts" were totally freaking out. I don't think that guy ever finished his guitar, I wonder if it might have worked... and if this will work. If so, I guess it will proof some people wrong. Which would be interesting, as I like the kind of "I have not tried this and no one I know ever did, but it sure will not work" statements to be disproved  However, if they are right... be careful when you try to put some strings on it and tune them


 
Well, I want to see how this body handles the tension of the strings. If it isnt incredibly straight, or if the faces of each piece were not perfectly square... it wil probably warp wuite a bit.

I would have at least used some dowels, lol.


----------



## airpanos

scherzo1928 said:


> Well, I want to see how this body handles the tension of the strings. If it isnt incredibly straight, or if the faces of each piece were not perfectly square... it wil probably warp wuite a bit.
> 
> I would have at least used some dowels, lol.




I use dowels in where they needed,the whole body will be from 3 layers
of that wood placed vertically and horizontal.When glued together they
will hold up strong enough.


----------



## airpanos

A little progress here.
I glued the second piece of the sandwich with the same method






It holds good but it's kind of elastic for the moment








I cut them into a larger V-shape






Bad pic lol














Do i need to say Moar??


----------



## airpanos

Today i made the center part of the body.
Here i used dowels because these parts will glued aside the neck,
so i need stability there.
Pre-glued pic:






I made some nice round dowels from the excess wood lol:























Ready for Attachment

















Slippery when wet lol






And finally tight them down and wait till next day...






I also sanded down the fretboard to became flat with a very small radius.
It is about 1/4-inch thick now.






Progress  :










The head needs work.Later.


----------



## airpanos

More progress

The neck is finally glued with the first part of the body.
Now it starts to look like a V

Here i cut the neck with a strange method


























extra thin






























...and here are the other 2 blocks,will be glued like a sandwich.
my project is really sick


----------



## dudeskin

I LOVE GRINDERS!!


----------



## Goatchrist

This thread is cool!


----------



## avenger

This is badass!


----------



## airpanos

dudeskin said:


> I LOVE GRINDERS!!




 Angle grinders is probably the best tool invented after the hammer-chisel


----------



## airpanos

Goatchrist said:


> This thread is cool!





avenger said:


> This is badass!




Thanks dudes!!

Some moar pics now.

The 2nd layer glued up






Before gluing i sanded down the surfaces to flat as good as possible.
I spend 1,5 hour on each side











This glue is like honey but after 10 minutes it rises up and become foam







































Tomorrow more progress


----------



## airpanos

A quick question here,which are the standard measures for pickup templates?
I found this plan it is from blackouts phase 2,is it standard for all pickups?


----------



## airpanos

Nevermind that. so far so good so what?
I made some work on the past days:cutting and shaping the top,homemade trussrod and other exciting stuff like pickup and electrics cavity.
So i let the photos speak lol


























Here is what i did for the wiring.I use some straws to pass the pickup and jack wires after i glue the top.














And here is the top.I grinded it down to 1,4cm and needs more,but after gluing it cause it is breakable for the moment.































Here ready to fit


----------



## airpanos

It's glue-time again










This glue is coming up fast,no time for waiting





Pressed up!










I will let it dry overnight,tomorrow will be a pleasant grind-day
Total cost so far:about 10 euros-mostly spended on sandpaper


----------



## slapnutz

This build is just too "real man" awesome. Keep it coming dude!


I wish I had woods where I live.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Did not expect to see the straws glued into the body . This should be awesome, can't wait for it to be done.


----------



## JamesM

Damnnnnnnnnnnn.


----------



## airpanos

Wow thanks dudes!
I am so excited to finish this! but i don't want to rush to avoid mistakes

today i gave the body more style with my lovely grinder

I also put a strap and see how it balance,for the moment it is''body heavy''
which means it has no neck dive,i want see it with hardware on.

Progress pics







































Here i passed an old string through the straws before gluing,to help the jack wires pass later






jack hole





It even stands without a stand lol














It is about time to work on the head now


----------



## airpanos

More pics please

in order to finish the head,here is what i came up with:

First i glued the truss-rod





Then add some extra wood for add stiffness










...and clamped it down






And as i waited for clamp-off i search for some kind of metal-sheet,i had an idea spinning in my mind for days to add some metal touches on,so i found this:





I am not a drunk but the summer here beer is a must,so i got some empty cans,here is the metal.
Always remember that free stuff is the best
























guess what...it was grinding time again


----------



## airpanos

...here marked for drilling





The next day the glue dried so i gave the head a nice grindcore-to flatting and square the surfaces,when i reach a critical thickness i hand-sand it to avoid mistakes.





















Next thing was drilling the tuner holes





And marking the fret positions is a must
so here is the job so far


----------



## airpanos

Radius block 







...the neck profile is really fat!






so here it is so far,slowly progressing to details,they need their time


----------



## kylendm

Looks interesting. 

I'm gonna watch.


----------



## JamesM

Best build ever?!


----------



## airpanos

kylendm said:


> Looks interesting.
> 
> I'm gonna watch.




&#933;es indeed.
My most concern is how the pine neck react on strings stress.
It is thick like a brick now!


----------



## ev1ltwin

this is pretty fucking awesome


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> Best build ever?!



&#914;elieve me after all this gluing/grinding it is not funny anymore


----------



## airpanos

ev1ltwin said:


> this is pretty fucking awesome



let's Rock!

So it was time to make the fretboard.
I finally decided to do it in 28'' scale(70cm)
I print the fret distances from a fret calculator that is free on the web,and i mark them,then i re-measure them to be sure where to cut






Then i started the cutting but not so deep,i must get the fretwire to be sure how deep i must go.
As i have no special tools for this i used a steel blade grinded and thinned to 0,6mm,and i use this method to make sure it goes straight





I use a feeler gauge at 0,8 mm here,it must have a little space for the blade to move freely when cutting.






It took me 1,5 hour to do it all,patience is a must here





After that i sanded it down until the marks erased


----------



## airpanos

That wood is too light and needs some colour








so what better than to ebonize-it






I used some automotive clearcoat 2/1 and added some black paint to dark it






applied with a brush,first a light coat






then 2 heavy coats every half-hour






while drying i carefully remove the excess paint from the fret slots









then another job came
cutting this


----------



## JamesM

^Badass work with the transfer paper, fuck!


----------



## SD83

airpanos said:


> patience is a must here



Most important rule when building a guitar. And second, maybe even third 
I'm really looking forward to some final results, very interesting build.


----------



## airpanos

SD83 said:


> Most important rule when building a guitar. And second, maybe even third
> I'm really looking forward to some final results, very interesting build.




&#933;eah man i need patience here!
By the way i looked at your weird build thread and look innovative!nice!



The Armada said:


> ^Badass work with the transfer paper, fuck!



I love it


----------



## RestorationAD

I haven't read the whole thread and I am sorry if this has been mentioned. 

Your grain orientation is wrong on your body and headstock plate. 

In a very general statement because there are exceptions 

Structural Grain should always runs ||| on a guitar not === 

The rest is a good start. \m/


----------



## airpanos

RestorationAD said:


> I haven't read the whole thread and I am sorry if this has been mentioned.
> 
> Your grain orientation is wrong on your body and headstock plate.
> 
> In a very general statement because there are exceptions
> 
> Structural Grain should always runs ||| on a guitar not ===
> 
> The rest is a good start. \m/



Thanks for that notice,if you see my previous pics the body and headstock's grains are actually ||| (i mean the inner layers)


----------



## airpanos

A little update,things will go slower now





i decided to throw some metal on this 





ready for press









































this needs sanding to become glossy






hard sanding on the body today,it still needs more to the corners/edges.


----------



## airpanos

sanding is a bloody job i hate it
but it's necessary


----------



## anthonyferguson

Good job man! Keep it up, but take your time and be a perfectionist!! Great job so far. I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing how this turns out!


----------



## airpanos

tonywozere said:


> Good job man! Keep it up, but take your time and be a perfectionist!! Great job so far. I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing how this turns out!



Thanks mate!

More detailed job today.

First i sanded the fretboard with 320 sandpaper,as it seems it needs a
few layers of lack,this time with a spray gun,and some tricky colour
i taped the fret slots to avoid paint them too.





next job was to inlay those metal sheets
but first i drill the string holes





















Not bad for free-hand drills















then curving with a sharp knife,sorry no special tools for this




















ready!






headstock will be next


----------



## airpanos

The same job on the head


----------



## JamesM

Sick job dude. I sure hope you have a way of recording this when you're done, so we can hear it.


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> Sick job dude. I sure hope you have a way of recording this when you're done, so we can hear it.



Yes sir i got a state-of-the-art recorder!well you will listen it if it sounds good.

Some stunning colour on the fretboard today,i throw on it some pearl-black
with metal flakes



metal











yes!!


----------



## airpanos

It's about time for a little progress here.

i waited 5 days to let the fret board dry from lack and i glued it on the neck










Then i decided to make a nut and a steel bridge






from this piece
















here you go.tomorrow i will go for the nut


----------



## Semi-pro

Looks cool bro. The sparkly fretboard looks very interesting! One question though - how will you adjust the intonation with that bridge?


----------



## airpanos

Semi-pro said:


> Looks cool bro. The sparkly fretboard looks very interesting! One question though - how will you adjust the intonation with that bridge?



Thanks !

I made this bridge to test the whole ''thing'' 

If it works as expected i will order a serious tom


----------



## airpanos

here is a little test with strings on,
i made the nut and bridge from steel so it has a little bright sound
now i must order some fret wire,i think i'll go for stainless steel.










































there is a lot of job to be done yet
i sprayed the body a few layers of darkened clearcoat and now it needs sanding.
The neck needs a lot of round shaping
Also i noticed a neck-dive with the tuners on,i will see how it will balance
when i put pickups.


----------



## SD83

I normally don't like V-style guitars, their look, and I'll be honest, I don't like the way your guitar looks, but it still is a damn cool project and fun to watch.


----------



## airpanos

SD83 said:


> I normally don't like V-style guitars, their look, and I'll be honest, I don't like the way your guitar looks, but it still is a damn cool project and fun to watch.




Thanks mister!

Since i tested the strings on tension,and run out of money this month,
(no hardware-pickups order)yet,i will work for a while on the colour.

I sanded the sprayed body and re-paint it,it needs multiple coats of lack
to become smooth and the wood got a little harder.

now i must wait for the second layer do dry good.
















I again used automotive clearcoat mixed with black paint to dark it,
when this styff dries it gets really hard.





messy job on these holesbut they work


----------



## BlackMastodon

airpanos said:


> I again used automotive clearcoat mixed with black paint to dark it,
> when this styff dries it gets really hard.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> messy job on these holesbut they work



Now we're talking! Looks much better with a solid finish imo. Also did you add two more knob holes on the body?


----------



## JamesM

So sick. So, so sick. You are very good with your hands my friend.


That's what she said.


----------



## Dark Aegis

I like it so far, thats a very interesting control lay out.


----------



## Meatbucket

V-wings are the only guitars I use. I beg you to make an 8 string next.





...Then ship it to me for free...


----------



## airpanos

BlackMastodon said:


> Now we're talking! Looks much better with a solid finish imo. Also did you add two more knob holes on the body?




Yes 2 more holes for extra options.Now with colour on it seems more solid



Dark Aegis said:


> I like it so far, thats a very interesting control lay out.




I saw a seymour duncan wiring plan and i got the idea


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> So sick. So, so sick. You are very good with your hands my friend.
> 
> 
> That's what she said.




Wow i'm glad she speaks





Meatbucket said:


> V-wings are the only guitars I use. I beg you to make an 8 string next.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...Then ship it to me for free...





I was thinking something with 10 strings


Come on, you must at least pay the shipping-taxes !


----------



## Goatchrist

> Wow i'm glad she speaks




Seriously dude, this thread is awesome!
I kinda liked the how it looked with the dark clear finish. It looked fucked up, but cool. 


>


----------



## airpanos

Goatchrist said:


> Seriously dude, this thread is awesome!
> I kinda liked the how it looked with the dark clear finish. It looked fucked up, but cool.



yeah it looked very disstressed!but i want to make it look more serious.


i took some daylight photos today.
now i must wait at least 3 days before re-sanding,i'll take my time

This wood absorbs the paint like a sponge


----------



## BlackMastodon

That neck looks incredibly thick, usually the guitars that are built on this sight have the super thin necks, kinda nice for a change.


----------



## Customisbetter

holy shit that neck is a 2x4. Are you going to trim that down?


----------



## ev1ltwin

Customisbetter said:


> holy shit that neck is a 2x4. Are you going to trim that down?



A neck only Rachmaninoff could love

(inside joke for piano players)


----------



## Meatbucket

Okay, okay, I give. With how INCREDIBLY AWESOMELY EPIC this guitar is turning out, I -could- pay the shipping costs for the next one because there's no such things as "free".


I kid, keep up the awesome work, maybe one day when I'm really not a broke son-of-a-bitch I'll legitimately purchase one.


----------



## airpanos

Customisbetter said:


> holy shit that neck is a 2x4. Are you going to trim that down?




&#925;&#959;, i will let it fat as it is now, i would like to make it a little more thinner
but a haven't see a pine neck before , so i won't take a risk at this point.

Ultra-thick!!


----------



## airpanos

BlackMastodon said:


> That neck looks incredibly thick, usually the guitars that are built on this sight have the super thin necks, kinda nice for a change.




Yes i like it too it isn't the most comfortable neck but syre looks stiff







ev1ltwin said:


> A neck only Rachmaninoff could love
> 
> (inside joke for piano players)



damn he will play from upside-down!






Meatbucket said:


> Okay, okay, I give. With how INCREDIBLY AWESOMELY EPIC this guitar is turning out, I -could- pay the shipping costs for the next one because there's no such things as "free".
> 
> 
> I kid, keep up the awesome work, maybe one day when I'm really not a broke son-of-a-bitch I'll legitimately purchase one.




Welcome to the broke-sons-of-a-bitch club mister!

My guitar friends always tell me -hey man you should really buy that flamed-top-mahogany-ultra expensive guitar we saw yesterday-that will make you a better player

So i after read some build threads in here i say i will give it a try,
even it is not the best guitar out there at least i will say i gave it a try
plus i designed it in my way of view

So back to work and as i wait for the lack to get really hard,
i will make a detail work at the fret-board.

Since i am not an inlay - artist and here is hard to find(even if i found one i will still do it myself and they are expensive),and have lots of experience with air-brushing and styff like that, i will just paint the ''inlays''and then cover it with a fat layer of clear-coat so they won't wear-off.

Here is what i think-do some sick nuclear-inlays


----------



## Daiephir

Ok, I retract my previous statement, this guitar is wicked, continue on dear fellow


----------



## airpanos

Daiephir said:


> Ok, I retract my previous statement, this guitar is wicked, continue on dear fellow




That's ok sir i always like opposite opinions i learn as long i will live


I will continue with something like this


----------



## Jontain

Wow, man I cant wait to see this beast finished!


----------



## airpanos

Jontain said:


> Wow, man I cant wait to see this beast finished!




Yeah i love it so far!!
Just some thoughts on the final colour. It will be sparkly white,i have some remaining suzuki hayabusa colour-it will be cool-with some tricky paintjob on the front,i imagine it will look killer or sweet,i will see

But first i have to finish those fake-inlay-job!bloody work damn






The colour tone will be like this-pearl mirage white.


----------



## airpanos

Today i had some free time to work on the fretboard.

Here is the progress:






First i taped the areas where the signs will be






Then i draw the center lines











...and start cutting out the inlays with a small blade.

















i am starting to like it


----------



## JamesM

Me too! Super sick.


----------



## slapnutz

Keep it coming dude, nice stuff.

I'm really curious as to how the final product with look with that neck. It look crazy thick but I'm probably not picturing right just yet.

I think more people to add reps to this dude, coz its threads like this that make this place so fascinating.

Thanks for the pix!


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> Me too! Super sick.





Yeeeeeeah






slapnutz said:


> Keep it coming dude, nice stuff.
> 
> I'm really curious as to how the final product with look with that neck. It look crazy thick but I'm probably not picturing right just yet.
> 
> I think more people to add reps to this dude, coz its threads like this that make this place so fascinating.
> 
> Thanks for the pix!





Thanks for the nice comments, i appreciate it

The neck looks very fat but it is playable,just not the most comfortable neck but i kinda like it.


Time for those graphics now











not the finest job but they look cool!

time for some colour on


----------



## airpanos

The good part about this is when i pull the tapes off

sorry for the dark pics 












now the insides


























and finally i've got inlaystomorrow i will throw some clear coat on!


----------



## JamesM

Yes! Turned out GREAT!


----------



## scherzo1928

ha! that's awesome!

edit: oh shieeee 1000 posts


----------



## BlackMastodon

Looks amazing man


----------



## lookralphsbak

Man this is epic!


----------



## Sullen

I really want to hear it, for realz!!! You have big "cojones" my friend, it turned out great and if it doesn't sound adequate after all it will serve as a gorgeous decorative wall piece and a statement to yourself and others that "I wanted to do it and I DID IT!!!" And you'll feel proud everytime you look at it, congratulations!


----------



## Sebastian

Why didn't I see this thread earlier 

Amazing wok and some great pictures ! 

keep it on


----------



## airpanos

Wow thanks dudes!! this forum is so cool and keeps me going forward

Yesterday i sprayed the clear coat :

First i masked the fret slots







time to shoot






But i added some fine pearl on the clear- sparkly?yes


























the bad thing is waiting for this to dry good needs 4-5 days to refinish it and move on with the body


----------



## Jontain

This is looking so awesome, a real different approach to building.

In regards to the neck even if it is too thick so long as the truss rod cavity is not to deep there is no reason this cannot be changed at a later date if it feels to thick?

Keep up the good work man, really looking forward to seeing this one finished and strung up


----------



## Unto The Sky

Just read through the whole thing. Hats off to you man, was particularly impressed with the bridge you made. Good stuff!


----------



## airpanos

Jontain said:


> This is looking so awesome, a real different approach to building.
> 
> In regards to the neck even if it is too thick so long as the truss rod cavity is not to deep there is no reason this cannot be changed at a later date if it feels to thick?
> 
> Keep up the good work man, really looking forward to seeing this one finished and strung up




yyeah this is sick!!

The neck can trimmed down 1 cm or more but i am not sure about the strength of pine,also no one makes pine necks except from builders as far as i know.
Maybe i reduce the thicness after a time of playing,i will see on the way


----------



## JamesM

Super sick duder. Damn this thing is so cool.


----------



## slapnutz

Great update once again dude, thanks!

Having a better look at the neck, personally for my tastes, I dont think its the thickness but rather the CONTOUR of the neck that gives the impression of it being crazy think.

I've seen some old Gibsons similar to that thickness but they were more contoured/rounded around the back which helped.

Eitherway, its impossible to hate this guitar due to the fact you just walked into the woods and chopped the wood yourself. Too metal!!


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> Super sick duder. Damn this thing is so cool.




I like your avatar,it always reminds me the pirates of the carribean


----------



## CD1221

slapnutz said:


> Eitherway, its impossible to hate this guitar due to the fact you just walked into the woods and chopped the wood yourself. Too metal!!







freakin awesome work on the inlays and fretboard.


----------



## airpanos

slapnutz said:


> Great update once again dude, thanks!
> 
> Having a better look at the neck, personally for my tastes, I dont think its the thickness but rather the CONTOUR of the neck that gives the impression of it being crazy think.
> 
> I've seen some old Gibsons similar to that thickness but they were more contoured/rounded around the back which helped.
> 
> Eitherway, its impossible to hate this guitar due to the fact you just walked into the woods and chopped the wood yourself. Too metal!!





Me thanks!

I just celebrating new year's eve by lackering the body again

This time 4 coats 1 every 20 minutes.

But the pics are pretty bad cause i run out of flash on my cameradamn cheap devices!!

I'll post some daypics tomorrow






















That build gets me psycho, well i go out for a couple of beers,almost midnight here,cheers and a cool new year to everybody!


----------



## lookralphsbak

I just showed my mom this thread... Seriously, even if the guitar ends up warping like crazy or sounds like shit, the fact you cut wood out of your backyard is so fucking epic. This is a real mans guitar.


----------



## airpanos

scherzo1928 said:


> ha! that's awesome!
> 
> edit: oh shieeee 1000 posts




hahahaha cool!!



BlackMastodon said:


> Looks amazing man




Thanks bro!



lookralphsbak said:


> Man this is epic!




If it plays good,it will be nasty!



Sullen said:


> I really want to hear it, for realz!!! You have big "cojones" my friend, it turned out great and if it doesn't sound adequate after all it will serve as a gorgeous decorative wall piece and a statement to yourself and others that "I wanted to do it and I DID IT!!!" And you'll feel proud everytime you look at it, congratulations!




Thanks mister!! i think it is cool for first build!





Sebastian said:


> Why didn't I see this thread earlier
> 
> Amazing wok and some great pictures !
> 
> keep it on




I will keep updating this thanks a lot!
Perhaps you are not digging the build threads so much.



Unto The Sky said:


> Just read through the whole thing. Hats off to you man, was particularly impressed with the bridge you made. Good stuff!




Thank you too,the bridge was a hard part to make it as straight as possible with free hand,it turned out good.



lookralphsbak said:


> I just showed my mom this thread... Seriously, even if the guitar ends up warping like crazy or sounds like shit, the fact you cut wood out of your backyard is so fucking epic. This is a real mans guitar.




Yay! this is cool for all the family to watch!
thanks for positive comments!!

This is my christmas present


some daypics with fat clear-on:


----------



## arsonist

i must honestly say that even if that neck profile scares the sh*t out of me, i love the totally DIY concept you have going. i'm very curious to see the end result!!


----------



## highlordmugfug

I  that fretboard and the markers.


----------



## SD83

highlordmugfug said:


> I  that fretboard and the markers.


Me too!


----------



## JamesM

I can't wait to hear and see this thing being played!


----------



## airpanos

Right now i wait for the paint to mature and get hard and dry,like this:

















well,not so long waiting.


----------



## tacotiklah

SD83 said:


> Me too!



+3.


At first I thought this might turn out bad, but I was very much wrong about that. As other's have said, even if it warps or whatnot, this would be a GORGEOUS wall piece.


----------



## JamesM

DON'T WAIT TOO LONG.



I wanna see.


----------



## SirMyghin

ghstofperdition said:


> +3.
> 
> 
> At first I thought this might turn out bad, but I was very much wrong about that. As other's have said, even if it warps or whatnot, this would be a GORGEOUS wall piece.



Same, Looks pretty damn awesome one way or another. The fretboard markers own.


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> DON'T WAIT TOO LONG.
> 
> 
> 
> I wanna see.




Well, to tell the truth i can't wait that much when i am excited,so i started
sanding the body tonight with 220 sandpaper.
After this 2-3 coats again and i think it will be ok for final touches











after 5 hours i did the back and the neck,i hate sanding it gets me crazy


----------



## JamesM

Me too. Sanding is the worst.


----------



## MikeH

That neck is like 6 miles thick. Hope you have some gnarly big hands.


----------



## airpanos

Ibz_rg said:


> That neck is like 6 miles thick. Hope you have some gnarly big hands.




Do any other girls like big hands on a man? - GirlsAskGuys.com


Well they're not XL size but shure they have knots on


----------



## Metal_Maniac

This guitar is looking sick!!!


----------



## Goatchrist

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! I fucking love the radiance signs as inlays! Most epic idea ever!


----------



## airpanos

Metal_Maniac said:


> This guitar is looking sick!!!







Goatchrist said:


> Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! I fucking love the radiance signs as inlays! Most epic idea ever!



 say i have some more sick graphic ideas for the body


----------



## JamesM

Updates dude?!


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> Updates dude?!




Well not much for the moment,just finished sanding today.

Ready for re-spray


----------



## JamesM

Can't wait for more!


----------



## Sebastian

The Armada said:


> Can't wait for more!



 This is a fantastic project - definitely waiting for more pictures


----------



## airpanos

Well,is about time for more pics .

After sanding the whole guitar i wipe the surfaces with paper and thinner,and masked some details with tape.

so ready for some thin layers of clearcoat again.

I also make bigger the jack hole,i am not sure how much width and depth it must be , i may grind it a little more when i will install the jack plate.









































































It's whipping time;


----------



## airpanos

Time for lunch











Here you go sweetie











The bad thing is that i left it dry onernight and the clear absorve some air moisture . oh well
































I must clean this place someday.



















sanding again for make it reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaly smooth


----------



## airpanos

And some extra-update


Remember the other half of the tree i cut from the woods?

well i shaped it for my next build,a 10 string beast
making this kind of stuff is a very addictive sport









































And here is my funny plan;






















this one will be thinner


----------



## scherzo1928

airpanos said:


> making this kind of stuff is a very addictive sport


 
 I planned on taking a small break before my second build, but a guitar I saw in these forums reignited my GBS (gear building syndrome)

keep up ze good work!


----------



## CD1221

I don't think "beast" fully captures your next build plan.


major awesomeness!


----------



## airpanos

scherzo1928 said:


> I planned on taking a small break before my second build, but a guitar I saw in these forums reignited my GBS (gear building syndrome)
> 
> keep up ze good work!






&#933;eah same here! damn buildin threads!!





CD1221 said:


> I don't think "beast" fully captures your next build plan.
> 
> 
> major awesomeness!




can't wait to start it



soooooooooo today i go to the city for shopping,and bought 2 dunlop string sets and pre cut fender's standard frets. I didn't found stainless steel
I think 40 bucks are a serious amount of money for this project






...and time to take care of this axe with new KfK's


----------



## JamesM

MOARRRR.


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> MOARRRR.


----------



## Koth

I love this project. 


As cool as the guitar looks now, I think this is my favourite incarnation of it. It looks like a post-apocalyptic Mad Max guitar.



airpanos said:


>




This is also the most metal build I've ever seen.


----------



## airpanos

Koth said:


> I love this project.
> 
> 
> As cool as the guitar looks now, I think this is my favourite incarnation of it. It looks like a post-apocalyptic Mad Max guitar.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is also the most metal build I've ever seen.






Yeah agreed,Max was badass back in the day...


----------



## BR10N

That's a gnarly 10, sir...


----------



## Koth

When you're done, we definitely need a before and after photo of what it looked like when it was out in the forest and what you ended up with.


----------



## Shaunheiser

This thread put me through so many emotions. When I first opened it my reaction was...


Then it moved onto...


Then I saw the wood you picked and went...


Then I saw it start taking shape and initially went..


But then when it was in it's close to finished form I moved onto..


Now, with the paint job and the inlays especially... I'm about here...


Seriously, I have to give you props for going out into the woods and using found wood. And when everyone told you it was a bad idea, you said fuck it and continued on anyway. I salute you, sir.


----------



## Koth

Haha! I think that has been everyone's reaction to this thread.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Koth said:


> Haha! I think that has been everyone's reaction to this thread.


Basically yeah. Props to the builder for it!


----------



## airpanos

BR10N said:


> That's a gnarly 10, sir...




Hahahaha the next is gonna be nasty


----------



## airpanos

Shaunheiser said:


> This thread put me through so many emotions. When I first opened it my reaction was...
> 
> 
> Then it moved onto...
> 
> 
> Then I saw the wood you picked and went...
> 
> 
> Then I saw it start taking shape and initially went..
> 
> 
> But then when it was in it's close to finished form I moved onto..
> 
> 
> Now, with the paint job and the inlays especially... I'm about here...
> 
> 
> Seriously, I have to give you props for going out into the woods and using found wood. And when everyone told you it was a bad idea, you said fuck it and continued on anyway. I salute you, sir.




Allright!!

If my plans for the white finish work,the final emotion will be


----------



## BlackMastodon

airpanos said:


> Hahahaha the next is gonna be nasty


Make sure you watch out with that headstock, from your mock up template it looked like the low end string might come in contact with each other. But I'm incredibly excited to see what you do with that one after seeing this.


----------



## Sebastian

The V looks really cool 
10 string ?
That will be interesting


----------



## airpanos

BlackMastodon said:


> Make sure you watch out with that headstock, from your mock up template it looked like the low end string might come in contact with each other. But I'm incredibly excited to see what you do with that one after seeing this.




Well that was just a quick on-the-wood -scetch

I definately will make a 1/1 scale plan before make some serious moves


----------



## lookralphsbak

Dude, you are freaking awesome


----------



## airpanos

Koth said:


> Haha! I think that has been everyone's reaction to this thread.



even mine 



BlackMastodon said:


> Basically yeah. Props to the builder for it!







lookralphsbak said:


> Dude, you are freaking awesome




thanks dude!!


A poor update.

sprayed the final coat on the fretboard,now it has about 10 layers of clear on
This time i used some fine fishing line to avoid build clear in the slots




]


----------



## Goatchrist

Was a fan of this thread since the beginning, but I never expected this!
It looks so cool! Keep it up.


----------



## airpanos

Koth said:


> When you're done, we definitely need a before and after photo of what it looked like when it was out in the forest and what you ended up with.




yeah it would look awesome!!





Goatchrist said:


> Was a fan of this thread since the beginning, but I never expected this!
> It looks so cool! Keep it up.




Thanks mister!

Now some up-date

Just sprayed the final colour-mirage pearl white-and needs a fine layer of clear-coat.


----------



## lookralphsbak

Wow that's beautiful.


----------



## airpanos

lookralphsbak said:


> Wow that's beautiful.[/QUOTE/]
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> now slowly putting the final touches...


----------



## Koth

I can't wait to see it after you rip the tape and paper off.


----------



## airpanos

Koth said:


> I can't wait to see it after you rip the tape and paper off.




yeah!! but first lets put those graphics on.

Just printed the image on scale.It is airbrush time


----------



## lookralphsbak




----------



## airpanos

lookralphsbak said:


>




yay cool dude!!


Progress pics!! I know you want it!!









































Going forward! Damn today i run out of tape and thinner!


----------



## JamesM

Holy shit.


----------



## Duke318

WOW. Man I can't wait to see this all strung up and hear it play.


----------



## BlackMastodon

You are godly with that airbrush my friend.


----------



## SirMyghin

You keep pulling all these random skills out of your ass, it is truly impressible.


----------



## Sullen

Dude, you are Captain Awesome!!!!


----------



## lookralphsbak

Dude. WHAT THE FUCK? I was not expecting that at all. I think I'm more excited about this guitar than Scherzo's! That airbrush work is ace as fuck! Good job man!
Hurry up and get more materials... I wanna see this thing finished!


----------



## CD1221

The Armada said:


> Holy shit.


----------



## Metal_Maniac

This is wicked!!!! That airbrushing looks amazing!!!!


----------



## Invader

I really really hope it will sound and play well since it looks just amazing! I'm just worried about the pine neck being strong enough to withstand the tension of the strings.


----------



## airpanos

Invader said:


> I really really hope it will sound and play well since it looks just amazing! I'm just worried about the pine neck being strong enough to withstand the tension of the strings.




Yes i am worry about this too,i tested it before with strings on for 4-5 days but i dont know how it will react in a long time stretching,i guess being extra fat will solve the problem we will see on the way.


----------



## SirMyghin

airpanos said:


> Yes i am worry about this too,i tested it before with strings on for 4-5 days but i dont know how it will react in a long time stretching,i guess being extra fat will solve the problem we will see on the way.




If all else fails, cut the neck off at the body, and make a new neck out of a proper wood or something, then convert the body to a set neck or bolt neck. As long as you get the distances right when you route (chisel?) there will be no issues.


----------



## Wretched

Dude, I don't think anyone was expecting this V to turn out as nicely as it is so far. Will look forward to build number two with all that you've learned from this one.


----------



## airpanos




----------



## scherzo1928

ha! you rock bro.


----------



## lookralphsbak

Holy shit this is awesome


----------



## airpanos

Thank you my friends!!

some nasty update...well not much progress but anyway

those details will eat my life


----------



## BlackMastodon

Dude, you never cease to amaze me. This paint job is amazing.


----------



## scherzo1928

words cannot express how insane that is. Cant wait to see this finished!!!!


----------



## NickB11

This is absolutely incredible....its like those weight loss shows like Biggest Loser. Started out looking like a 400lb chick and is ending up looking like Carmen Electra haha. Hope everything works out on it, awesome!


----------



## kruneh

Seriously, this turned out quite a bit different than I thought it would.
Some serious skills and attitude in this build.


----------



## airpanos

NickBen said:


> This is absolutely incredible....its like those weight loss shows like Biggest Loser. Started out looking like a 400lb chick and is ending up looking like Carmen Electra haha. Hope everything works out on it, awesome!




Thanks !! i could not describe it better !!

a small progress












next step


----------



## CD1221




----------



## arsonist

THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Nice work!


----------



## airpanos

New pics!!



































































Can't wait to finish it!!!


----------



## scherzo1928

Ok, I will try my best to not make the same comment from my last 5 posts in this thread.

HOLY FUCK MAN! omfg!!!


----------



## Sofos

why on earth does this thread only have 3 likes? it should have 456827648975692380578924735902


----------



## Guitarman700

Well goddamn. This is amazing.


----------



## JamesM

You're a god.


Are you Zeus?


----------



## Miek

Where do your airbrush skills come from?


----------



## SirMyghin

Yikes. You should seriously consider taking on custom paintjobs for people (for money ofcourse, you could probably make a nice penny)


----------



## slapnutz

Man this thread is getting better by the page.

From simply getting wood from your backyard to this awesome airbrush.

I for one didnt see it coming. Well done.


----------



## airpanos

The Armada said:


> You're a god.
> 
> 
> Are you Zeus?




Fuck Yeah Walnut!!


----------



## airpanos

Miek said:


> Where do your airbrush skills come from?




My father used to draw so i guess i took it from him.
Plus spending much time on airbrush practice.



SirMyghin said:


> Yikes. You should seriously consider taking on custom paintjobs for people (for money ofcourse, you could probably make a nice penny)




Thanks!! In fact i do that kind of stuff,but i can't make a living out of it cause i live in a small stupid town so i do not have too much job for the time.


----------



## airpanos

So a few pics from today's progress

first i sprayed the basic tones












and then i move on more detailed work with a thin brush.
Those small details can't be done with an airbrush.


----------



## Invader

Please tell me you do airbrush work for a living?


----------



## ktingz

you are a fuckin god!


----------



## BR10N

Man this thread just gets better and better!


----------



## b7string

Omg this is oh so excellent! I was just listening to this album again today, what a killer idea!


----------



## SD83

BR10N said:


> Man this thread just gets better and better!


 Impressive paintjob


----------



## airpanos

b7string said:


> Omg this is oh so excellent! I was just listening to this album again today, what a killer idea!




Maybe the best metal album ever!


Ok today's progress











it still needs work on those faces but you get the point

Time to remove the tape































I hope to finish the details tomorrow!!
Thanks everuone for the positive comments!! is what keeps me going forward!!!!


----------



## scherzo1928

Im addicted... I need moar updates!!! NAO!


----------



## ev1ltwin

dude. what the fuck. that is incredible


----------



## Metal_Maniac

WOW!!!! That looks better then the Dean Rust In Peace Guitar! Yours is so much better!


----------



## CD1221

holy shitballs dude!


*speechless*


----------



## Jontain

dude you have some SERIOUS talent with that airbrush.

Keep it up, this build has had me excited since I saw the first pictures.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim




----------



## airpanos

scherzo1928 said:


> Im addicted... I need moar updates!!! NAO!



Ok. yesterday's progress

Just make some final details on that paintjob.




































And finally unmask!! looks cool!
But time to install those fookin frets!











Hammer and glue is what i need!


----------



## CD1221

The greatest paint job on a guitar made by some guy that hacked down a tree in his backyard.


ever.


----------



## SirMyghin

I hadn't realized you kept the white and only painted the face, that is awesome. Great work dude. You going to clear it for protection?


----------



## scherzo1928

suddenly this looks amateurish:


----------



## BlackMastodon

From a log, to this:





Sir, you have out done yourself. The contrast between the blue of the Rust in Peace graphics and the white of the body is amazing.


----------



## airpanos

SirMyghin said:


> I hadn't realized you kept the white and only painted the face, that is awesome. Great work dude. You going to clear it for protection?



Yes !some layers of clear are necessary to prevent scratches etc.


----------



## Methilde

Wow, this is truly an amazing piece of art!


----------



## airpanos

BlackMastodon said:


> From a log, to this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sir, you have out done yourself. The contrast between the blue of the Rust in Peace graphics and the white of the body is amazing.




Thanks Mate!! It turned out really cool!!

So After installing the frets time to cut/and file the sharp edges
















..And time to test!!!
well the frets need levelling at 2-3 spots it sounds dead,but it generally sounds good!!
When i do a proper setup i will upload a sound clip







































And in need for some money to install pickups etc. stay tuned!!


----------



## scherzo1928

well there you go kids, if you want a sick guitar, go cut down a pine.


----------



## Sullen

YES!! Just awesome!!!


----------



## IamSatai

Wow, that is INCREDIBLE! At first I was thinking  for the wood choice and general plan, but then I realized this build isn't about the quality of the materials, its about truly building a guitar from scratch with minimal cost, and just giving it a go. I think what you are doing is so much more impressive and rewarding, let alone the balls it takes to do it. I have seen many builds on this site that are truly inspiring, but this is something else.


----------



## zlittell

we all got had lol. this guys all like "how do i make a metal guitar? i know some about woodworking". then hes all like "just kidding, bam!"

awesome work man!


----------



## Jaketsnake94

I originally didn't like the tuner placement. but it actually is pretty awesome! Amazing work!


----------



## Sebastian

I used to check this thread quite often.. I guess in February I lost it...

This looks amazing. Absolutely AMAZNING!

Holy Shit!

Fantastic work..


----------



## Edika

Just read the whole thread! AMAZING work! I really hope this guitar will not have any issues in the future because it is awesome! The paint job is so good that you should expect a lawsuit from Mustaine any minute!


----------



## Goatchrist

OMFG! THis is soooo sick! PLZ upload a vid!


----------



## flo

To be honest, when I saw the first picks of your build I thought it was a bad idea, it would end up as a piece of crap. 
It reminded me of the first guitar I made, the neck was a piece of maple, a young tree I cut myself in the forest and a bunch of plywood  
Your paintjob is the best I've ever seen on a guitar-period.
Building a guitar with the tools you have and recieve an outcome like this is amazing!
I applaud you for your courage and patience!


(flo goes out in the woods. with a saw.)


----------



## JamesM

Holy dicks. Wow dude.


----------



## technomancer

Holy shit, that's fantastic! Nice work


----------



## beneharris

holy crap that is the greatest thing ever. 

if it were any other band whose artwork you were using, i would say they should see a picture of it, but i can only imagine that dave would do something along the lines of sue you.

this is so awesome, i can't wait to hear what it sounds like


----------



## JamesM

^He isn't selling it, so he can't be sued for it.


----------



## beneharris

The Armada said:


> ^He isn't selling it, so he can't be sued for it.


ah. didn't think of that.


----------



## lookralphsbak

CD1221 said:


> The greatest paint job on a guitar made by some guy that hacked down a tree in his backyard.
> 
> 
> ever.


TRUE STORY

Also

Guitar of the Year


----------



## airpanos

flo said:


> To be honest, when I saw the first picks of your build I thought it was a bad idea, it would end up as a piece of crap.
> It reminded me of the first guitar I made, the neck was a piece of maple, a young tree I cut myself in the forest and a bunch of plywood
> Your paintjob is the best I've ever seen on a guitar-period.
> Building a guitar with the tools you have and recieve an outcome like this is amazing!
> I applaud you for your courage and patience!
> 
> 
> (flo goes out in the woods. with a saw.)




Thanks mister!!

Just make sure you cut a half-dead pine


----------



## Jontain

Amazing work.


----------



## flo

airpanos said:


> Thanks mister!!
> 
> Just make sure you cut a half-dead pine



I'm still flattened that somebody breakin _all_ the rules of guitarmaking gets a result like THIS!!!!!!!

Fuck, you've owned us all 

I really went to the forest yesterday. And you wouldn't believe what I found... the university happens to be next to the forest, and there is a research lab for composits and plastics. What did I find in front of it in their waste? A bunch of big pieces of carbon fibre. enough for some guitar tops, neck reinforcements, whatever I might dream up. Ultra Mega WIN!


----------



## scherzo1928

flo said:


> I'm still flattened that somebody breakin _all_ the rules of guitarmaking gets a result like THIS!!!!!!!
> 
> Fuck, you've owned us all
> 
> I really went to the forest yesterday. And you wouldn't believe what I found... the university happens to be next to the forest, and there is a research lab for composits and plastics. What did I find in front of it in their waste? A bunch of big pieces of carbon fibre. enough for some guitar tops, neck reinforcements, whatever I might dream up. Ultra Mega WIN!


 
Haha that's sweet. Should be a great start for that awesome project you were planning.


----------



## theo

Amazing air brush skills man!


----------



## airpanos

flo said:


> I'm still flattened that somebody breakin _all_ the rules of guitarmaking gets a result like THIS!!!!!!!
> 
> Fuck, you've owned us all
> 
> I really went to the forest yesterday. And you wouldn't believe what I found... the university happens to be next to the forest, and there is a research lab for composits and plastics. What did I find in front of it in their waste? A bunch of big pieces of carbon fibre. enough for some guitar tops, neck reinforcements, whatever I might dream up. Ultra Mega WIN!





Wow Carbon-fibre!! that sould be interesting!!
I had some thoughts for making a polyester-glass bodyjust telling i know it sounds awful



theo said:


> Amazing air brush skills man!



Thanks a lot!!


----------



## airpanos

Sooo Until i purchase some money to get these babes







I put on a crappy humbucker from my cheapo first 6 string to get a taste of sound!!
Sounds cool!!


----------



## flo

Sounds good?
That's great dude!

Just out of curiosity, how much did you spend to make this?

If I may have a guess:
trussrod 10&#8364;
Frets 10 &#8364;
Glue+ Sandpaper 10&#8364;
Paint 15 &#8364;
Tape 3&#8364;
Wood... 0
Bridge, nut, trussrod cover... 0
Tuners, don't know, 40?
Lawsuit from Megadeth 10 000 000&#8364;
So that would be 10 000 088&#8364;, am I right?


----------



## JimmyWCTI

I just happened uppon this thread and sat in amazement for the last hour and a half reading it from the start... un believable. dude saws down a pine tree, says hes gonna make a guitar out of a log with a hand saw... and ill be darned if he didnt go right ahead and do just that! Ha everyones like "thats not gonna turn out dude..." 



WHAM beautiful paintjob just to rub it in!

Dude, utter respect!


----------



## Dark Aegis

Even if it sounds like shit its still a work of art.


----------



## IconW

Whoa. Mad skills!


----------



## Papaoneil

Oh my god this is insane 
+2


----------



## Meatbucket

Right, now when is this being shipped out to me?


----------



## GuitaristOfHell

This build was insane. Nice work!!


----------



## CFB

So let me get this straight..

You went out into a forrest and found a half rotten piece of junk wood, having never built a guitar before and you made this?
This might be the best build thread I've ever seen. I'm extremly impressed and can't believe you actually made that. From the beggining it looked like it was going to end up like a horrible freak show instrument and from the looks of it you made something fantastic. MAD respect!


----------



## jcgss77

Seriously, someone should write a movie about this thread. It all starts off with a man wondering if pine will make a suitable guitar, and then goes out back and cuts one up....and then makes it a guitar which WILL make any other guitar painter jealous....MORE!!!!!


----------



## Hollowway

Wow, man. Great artistic vision and talent. Really impressive! I paid a crap load of money to had two of my guitars airbrushed by a professional and yours is WAY better!!


----------



## caparison_x

Reminds me of this film


----------



## Sofos

caparison_x said:


> Reminds me of this film



He looks like moot.


----------



## the fuhrer

absolutely amazing. I would like to hear a sound clip or if I'm lucky maybe a video!


----------



## MaKo´s Tethan

Dude, thats insane! and I thought my old thread was insane, epic thread, damn epic.


----------



## ittoa666

You have officially torn Dean guitars a new asshole.


----------



## Robokid

I am legit laughing so hard right now. I started out going "What is this English illiterate kook doing with a pine tree and a hand saw?" And now I'm amazed at what you did.

Apologies, sir. Unbelievable. Send this to Paul Reed Smith and say, "THIS is how you start a business from the ground up, sir."


----------



## Wizardstyx

It takes alot to impress me...
That paint job is as good as any I've seen from the "L's" (Lawrence, Learn, Lavalle).

I see a few issuses with the build, mostly limits of the tools you have, but the finish work is world class. 

Very well done.


----------



## Scottckr

Holy fuck...
Nothing else needs to be said...


----------



## theo

I for one, am pretty keen to see more of your work. Anyone else with me?


----------



## Guitarman700

If you never do anything else with your life. it won't matter. because you win forever.


----------



## Khaine88

He's unlocked Parker Lewis' secret :O, for Parker Lewis, cannot lose!




(Has to be Peter Griffin Dressed as Parker Lewis though not the real one )

Seriously though, dude my god, from a tree to a Dean guitars buisness ending piece of art fucking well done! my god


----------



## unclejemima218

oh. my. freaking. gord. 
EPIC WIN x837642874!!!


----------



## airpanos

Wow!! so much good comments!!

well at some time i will upload a soundclip, my little brother liked my project so i build him a 6-string telecaster-type guitar,right on!!


----------



## Unto The Sky

be sure to post the progress of that one too!

Can't wait for the sound clips


----------



## BlackSomber

"And for a guy who has alot of woodworking experience, you sure don't have that many tools to work with... " 

"If you are a luthier you should know that tools don't make the master,
skills make him."

^fukin amazing stuff happened in this thread...with just a saw....teach me master woodsman...


----------



## Goatchrist

> well at some time i will upload a soundclip, my little brother liked my project so i build him a 6-string telecaster-type guitar,right on!!


 
Yeah dude, lookin forward to see that. Which tree do you gonna cut this time?


----------



## Toe_Cutter

Just found this thread and read it from the beginning. I did not expect the Rust in Peace paint job, but damn. No words describe this
Subscribed


----------



## airpanos

Goatchrist said:


> Yeah dude, lookin forward to see that. Which tree do you gonna cut this time?




I have already purchased wood for 3 more builds
a new thread will start soon


----------



## asher

I was actually wondering about this the other day. How's the thing been holding up? Any tuning or warping issues?


----------



## airpanos

Is playing cool until now,no warp no nothing except it needs intonation with a better bridge.

And i havent purchase any money yet to buy new pups/hardware.
Oh well better late than never,video comin soon


----------



## SirMyghin

Awesome news, please keep us informed of your upcoming other builds.


----------



## scherzo1928

SirMyghin said:


> Awesome news, please keep us informed of your upcoming other builds.


 
or paint jobs


----------



## Khaine88

scherzo1928 said:


> or paint jobs



This


----------



## theo

Or anything really, watching this thread was inspirational.


----------



## skeels

Somebody said it already, but I have to say it again- INSPIRATIONAL! That is one cool guitar, Man! The best part of this whole story is at the beginning, when people said you couldn't do it. Way to go! You have inspired me to make a guitar, too!


----------



## sibanez29

Who woulda thunk that pine is a good neck material?

I got some black locust in my backyard right now, and a neck outta that would be pretty sweet.....


----------



## airpanos

Hi there guys!
i want to thank all of you builders for the information and inspiration i got from the forum!
here is my latest builds on progress
Panagiotis Technomancer Papachristos&#039;s Photos | Facebook


----------



## Navid

This is the coolest thread of 2011 IMHO


----------



## CloudAC

wow... just incredible. Your airbrushing skills especially blew my mind, amazing work!


----------



## Ironbird

I seemed to have dropped my jaw. 

Totally unbelievable. The amount of patience, skill and, most importantly, determination you have is out of this world!


----------



## theo

Dude, you should start selling your artwork online


----------

