# First build! (Ibanez/Blackmachine content)



## jarnozz (Aug 23, 2012)

So I had this guitar neck laying around screaming for a build and I wanted to do this for a long time. I planned on making a destroyer axe but I just don't think it's a shape that I'll love forever. I love the looks of an ibanez and a black machine. So It was on to the drawing board:







Let me cut to the specs:

Body is made out of mahogany with a spalted maple top
neck is from an Ibanez RGD7321Z fitted for a trem
Scale length: 26.5
Number of strings: 7
Floyd rose tremolo, Blocked.
hum/hum configuration
Dimarzio Evo(b) and air norton(N)
white binding
some transparent oil finish, need some help with that!!

Look guys, you get a new baby brother!






So now something that arrived today:






attack!

























One little surprise, the spalted maple appears to be flamed as well!










Let me know what you all think!


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## jarnozz (Aug 23, 2012)

Which side looks beter, cant choose xD
This?





or


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## samclarke669 (Aug 23, 2012)

In! Looking forward to see where you take this!

I prefer the top to the bottom, but there's not a huge amount in it!


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## Forrest_H (Aug 23, 2012)

top pic


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## RagtimeDandy (Aug 23, 2012)

Top for sure. I can't put my finger on it, its just more aesthetically pleasing to the eye


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## Konfyouzd (Aug 23, 2012)

So wait... I heard spalt is really soft stuff. Is that stuff really soft and spungy or has that been hardended some kinda way?


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## jarnozz (Aug 23, 2012)

Konfyouzd said:


> So wait... I heard spalt is really soft stuff. Is that stuff really soft and spungy or has that been hardended some kinda way?



It's not been hardened. Yes, it is a little softer than normal maple. The spalt is actually some fungus kind of thing softening the wood. mine isn't extremely spalted and feels quit hard. It's over a quarter of an inch. Not as tough as the mahogany which is heavy as fuck xD. (forgive me if I'm wrong)

I'm going to apply the glue tomorrow and try to cut the rough shape and sand it before Sunday  I really can't wait to begin!


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## kn1feparty (Aug 23, 2012)

I personally prefer the bottom pic. More asymmetrical and jagged looking, which I love in a spalted top.


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## Konfyouzd (Aug 23, 2012)

jarnozz said:


> It's not been hardened. Yes, it is a little softer than normal maple. The spalt is actually some fungus kind of thing softening the wood. mine isn't extremely spalted and feels quit hard. It's over a quarter of an inch. Not as tough as the mahogany which is heavy as fuck xD. (forgive me if I'm wrong)
> 
> I'm going to apply the glue tomorrow and try to cut the rough shape and sand it before Sunday  I really can't wait to begin!



Ahh okay... So the crazier the spalt, the softer it becomes... Gotcha. Almost makes TOO much sense...


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## quoenusz (Aug 23, 2012)

Graspop was killer this year!

Ontopic:
I would go for the one on the bottom pic..
Did you get the woods from Stewmac? looks really great!


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## jarnozz (Aug 23, 2012)

quoenusz said:


> Graspop was killer this year!
> 
> Ontopic:
> I would go for the one on the bottom pic..
> Did you get the woods from Stewmac? looks really great!



Graspop was amazing indeed! haha fellow dutchman

need another brainstorm session to decide but I think the top one is the winner!
No, Stewmac would cost me 200$ for the wood and like a lot for shipping and tax. I got the spalted maple from Hout It's a dutch site with killer prices! The mahogany was custom made for me by a dutch woodcrafter! both together have cost me around 100 euros, quit cheap for a top and a two piece mahogany body


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## jarnozz (Aug 23, 2012)

so to help decide and show what looks better I've put the neck on, shaped it, put a trem and pups on.

The top:





And the bottom!






And the winner is.......


BOTTOM! It looks absolutely amazing Not a lot of spalt but I love it


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## MisterMcCruff (Aug 23, 2012)

That looks killer! Can't wait to see how this progresses.


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## Maggai (Aug 23, 2012)

I agree, the bottom looks great! Looking forward to further updates!


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## Levi79 (Aug 23, 2012)

Very nice! Should be awesome!


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## Pikka Bird (Aug 24, 2012)

Yeah, bottom one by a landslide!


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## OfArtAndArsenal (Aug 24, 2012)

Holy spalting crap. That is gorgeous. Cheers.


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## Konfyouzd (Aug 24, 2012)

BOTTOM!


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## jarnozz (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks guys! Applied the glue today! can't wait to cut an sand it to shape! finished the drawing with electronics, pickups and everything else! pictures are on their way.


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## jarnozz (Aug 25, 2012)

The drawn out print!


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## bob123 (Aug 25, 2012)

since you're the one making the guitar, why dont you just make the floyd rose body mounted instead of recessed/blocked?


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## jarnozz (Aug 25, 2012)

bob123 said:


> since you're the one making the guitar, why dont you just make the floyd rose body mounted instead of recessed/blocked?



If I ever decide to use the trem I´ll have it at hand! + I think it looks better, recessed in the body with the cavity etc! I think a trem mounted on a body with some screws looks kinda cheap but that's just my opinion xD would save a lot of trouble though


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## Winspear (Aug 25, 2012)

^ Yeah I'd agree, that recent black Charvel thread for example. It looks real bad.
I love the top you have here, looking forward to seeing this complete


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## bob123 (Aug 25, 2012)

jarnozz said:


> If I ever decide to use the trem I´ll have it at hand! + I think it looks better, recessed in the body with the cavity etc! I think a trem mounted on a body with some screws looks kinda cheap but that's just my opinion xD would save a lot of trouble though



to each there own I suppose lol


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## quoenusz (Aug 26, 2012)

jarnozz said:


> Graspop was amazing indeed! haha fellow dutchman
> 
> need another brainstorm session to decide but I think the top one is the winner!
> No, Stewmac would cost me 200$ for the wood and like a lot for shipping and tax. I got the spalted maple from Hout It's a dutch site with killer prices! The mahogany was custom made for me by a dutch woodcrafter! both together have cost me around 100 euros, quit cheap for a top and a two piece mahogany body



I looked up the site, it's indeed very nice, good pricing, lot's of stuff
Think I'll order some things here

I'm keeping a close eye on your build!


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## UnderTheSign (Aug 26, 2012)

You could also go to the Fijnhout in Amsterdam or Arnhem. Arnhem especially has a very nice selection of exotic woods and a stack of guitar body blanks.


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## jarnozz (Aug 26, 2012)

UnderTheSign said:


> You could also go to the Fijnhout in Amsterdam or Arnhem. Arnhem especially has a very nice selection of exotic woods and a stack of guitar body blanks.



Arnhem Is very good indeed! but for me it´s a 2.5 hour trip and not having a car atm makes it quit difficult  they have a wide variety of woods and very nice looking!


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## Sam MJ (Aug 27, 2012)

My god, I've just found this thread and just wow! That Spalt looks brilliant! I can't wait to see what it's like when it's been oiled/finished 

Really good job so far


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## UnderTheSign (Aug 28, 2012)

jarnozz said:


> Arnhem Is very good indeed! but for me it´s a 2.5 hour trip and not having a car atm makes it quit difficult  they have a wide variety of woods and very nice looking!


Yeah. They have a special "hobby corner" where they have instrument blanks and some really cool (and expensive...) pieces of ebony, bloodwood and even pok. I have a student travel card but what you could do is (if they still offer them - summer is nearly over after all) try and get one of those super cheap all day travel train passes or something similar and go by train. The fijnhout is only 10-15 minutes by bus from the station.


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## jarnozz (Aug 29, 2012)

UnderTheSign said:


> Yeah. They have a special "hobby corner" where they have instrument blanks and some really cool (and expensive...) pieces of ebony, bloodwood and even pok. I have a student travel card but what you could do is (if they still offer them - summer is nearly over after all) try and get one of those super cheap all day travel train passes or something similar and go by train. The fijnhout is only 10-15 minutes by bus from the station.



Got that card as well! free public transport! here´s the wierd thing, I live in Limburg and getting to arnhem takes me 2 hours. looked that up right now, NS changed something! a few months ago that trip would cost you 3 hours...


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## jarnozz (Aug 30, 2012)

Se here is some eye candy for you 






Who needs clamps when you got over 200 stone tiles weighing 10kg each laying around! 60 kg on one side, that one was flat and 140 kg on the other side, The wood wasn't completely flat and this did the trick!






my nifty 'hold to top woods together' tool, 2 workbench clamps wit a stick and rubber bands 






came out pretty damn good!






A little reward for achieving this stage






shape, nothing to fancy yet


now here's the good stuff!






slightly watered to raise the grain

Posing!











MORE WATER FOR THIS EFFECT OMG

A side view! looks so good, the mahogany is nice and dark and the spalt is just amazing!
And a nice new tattoo 






Now I need to find a way to sand it, I do have a belt sander but need to do the inside of the horns, This is gonna be a tricky part

Keep you guys up to date!


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## quoenusz (Aug 30, 2012)

you should buy these!
SET @ 4 SCHUURROLLEN IN HOUTEN KIST « Hulpmiddelen voor machinaal schuren « Schuren « Houtbewerkers « Baptist.nl

man that spalt.... amazing
can't wait to see more!


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## jarnozz (Aug 30, 2012)

quoenusz said:


> you should buy these!
> SET @ 4 SCHUURROLLEN IN HOUTEN KIST « Hulpmiddelen voor machinaal schuren « Schuren « Houtbewerkers « Baptist.nl
> 
> man that spalt.... amazing
> can't wait to see more!



ordering one of those asap! should do the trick just fine
Can´t wait to work further on it!


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## jarnozz (Aug 31, 2012)

checked my local hardware store today, no drum sand rolls there... hail to online shopping


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## bob123 (Aug 31, 2012)

be careful machine sanding spalted maple, its a very weak wood, and low grit sandpapers will just chew it up. 

For the top, use a razor blade to clean the glue line, and dont use anything less then 150 grit. Finish up to 400 for spalted imo, unless you're gonna clear coat it, then 240 is fine.

Also, if you take the front shield off most belt sanders, you can do a fair job of the inner arm contours.


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## jarnozz (Aug 31, 2012)

bob123 said:


> be careful machine sanding spalted maple, its a very weak wood, and low grit sandpapers will just chew it up.
> 
> For the top, use a razor blade to clean the glue line, and dont use anything less then 150 grit. Finish up to 400 for spalted imo, unless you're gonna clear coat it, then 240 is fine.
> 
> Also, if you take the front shield off most belt sanders, you can do a fair job of the inner arm contours.



I only need to straighten and smooth the sides so the maple and mahogany are sanded at the same time. have the sander at a 90° angle ;D thanks for the top tip! I'm going to give it a 240 and than a nice danish oil treatment


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## Jason Spell (Sep 1, 2012)

I was a fan of the bottom pic of the spalt. I'm glad you went with that - the pattern is amazing.


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## jarnozz (Sep 2, 2012)

dingaling said:


> I was a fan of the bottom pic of the spalt. I'm glad you went with that - the pattern is amazing.



I´m totally in love with it! Ty


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## jarnozz (Sep 7, 2012)

So here's some progress for the sake of it
I bought myself a drum sander and just like the gluing of the top I had to improvise and put the sander at a 90° angle. worked out just fine and was perfectly straight enjoy the pics of it and my nice garden xD





That small red roll is actually one meter of 80 grid sandpaper... didn't expect that one, its super flexible an made of some sort of fabric. worked like a charm

my setup, spare me the laugh xD
















so it took me over little over 2 hours to make this rig, sand it all and clean it up. This is the result











looks more guitar after every progress made

next up, buying a router, found a very good one for 57 euros
after that I'm going to rout the neckjoint, floyd rose cavity, pickup cavity's and the control cavity, pretty big to do list but after that it's almost done. this is going so fast one little spoiler. I'm not gonna go with a floyd rose or a licensed. The trem that will go in is A black Ibanez lo pro

stay tuned!


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## BlackMastodon (Sep 7, 2012)

No laughter here; that's an innovative rig and no one can argue with the results! Great work so far.


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## scherzo1928 (Sep 7, 2012)

My name is Scherzo and I aprove of this thread, for it includes sawdust, improvised rigs and food.


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## Levi79 (Sep 8, 2012)

Looks awesome man!


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## quoenusz (Sep 8, 2012)

looks great!
and that's a really nice rig!


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## Sam MJ (Sep 8, 2012)

That spalt just looks amazing , really good handy work mate! Can't wait to see more of it!


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## jarnozz (Sep 8, 2012)

scherzo1928 said:


> My name is Scherzo and I aprove of this thread, for it includes sawdust, improvised rigs and food.



haha you're at the right place here! had sawdust at places where I didn't want it to be... lesson learned for next time, wear some safety gogglesxD 

Thank you all for liking my work!


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## jarnozz (Sep 21, 2012)

Got some updates for you guys! 

First of all a little talk. I have never touched a router in my life so I was nervous as hell when routing the neckjoint... I tried it on a left over piece first and was impressed by how easy it went. At the last rout I routed with the movement of the bit and it raced over the wood leaving a 1 inch gap in my top... ALWAYS PRACTICE FIRST only thing I could think of routing the real guitar was: don't fuck this up, don't fuck this up, hey look a bird! don't fuck this up! the router cost me 50 euros and its a good quality one! without further ado I present you pictures of this moment of my life!

box of joy!





FOAM!





one of the tools that is absolutely required when building instruments





Now this is seriously the best picture I've ever took!





Unite!





Why did nobody warn me for the mess??





That's it for now! I really like this build and working on a guitar. Been thinking A lot about working in this field for real. If I can pull it of with improvised tools imagine what I can accomplish with a workshop with all of these nifty shiny tools  

ciao!


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## BlackMastodon (Sep 21, 2012)

Routers certainly leave a huge mess afterwards, and did you freehand route that neck pocket?? If so it's very clean but I would always recommend making and using templates as they are more accurate and much more safe.


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## jarnozz (Sep 21, 2012)

I used a piece of straight wood to guide the router lengthwise. This way I stay inside the lines I drew! did that for all the straight routs. I went round first and routed the block in the middle away freehanded. I know templates work way better but they need a router bit with a top mounted bearing. Didn't want to wait for it to arrive so went with the included set of bits! Though they were free included bits, they work very well. used one bit for 2 neck joints and it has 0 wear ;D


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## jarnozz (Sep 22, 2012)

Just a quick question! what kind of routerbit do I need to get a slot for the white binding? I can't find a bit with a bottom mounted bearing with a 1.5 mm overhanging blade... I need to carve 1.5 mm in the wood... crazy stuff, would like to keep the costs low and not spent like 50-60 euros on a bit...


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## Omzig (Sep 22, 2012)

if you dont want to get a full binding kit you can buy a bottom bearing flush trim bit and then get a replacement bearing that's smaller than the cutting bit,swapping to a smaller bearing will allow the bit to take a small binding channel while the bearing rides flush to side of the body

just make sure your 100% happy with the edges of the body before routing a channel and also make sure you set the depth of cut bang on.


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## JosephAOI (Sep 22, 2012)

This is so killer!

Also, if you don't put body binding on, this does not get my seal of approval. Binding on that body is absolutely 100% necessary.


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## chrisxrome (Sep 22, 2012)

This looks so good so far man!


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## jarnozz (Sep 23, 2012)

Omzig said:


> if you dont want to get a full binding kit you can buy a bottom bearing flush trim bit and then get a replacement bearing that's smaller than the cutting bit,swapping to a smaller bearing will allow the bit to take a small binding channel while the bearing rides flush to side of the body
> 
> just make sure your 100% happy with the edges of the body before routing a channel and also make sure you set the depth of cut bang on.



The edges are smooth as hell and I really like it's curve! More importantly, it sits just perfect on my lap! Thanks for the advice! will be a pain to find the right parts since I need have a 1.5 mm binding so I need a bearing that is 3 mm smaller than the bit. 



JosephAOI said:


> This is so killer!
> 
> Also, if you don't put body binding on, this does not get my seal of approval. Binding on that body is absolutely 100% necessary.



Thanks! I choose for binding for 2 reasons:
One is that it just looks awesome!
the second is more of a safety measure. Since the spalted maple is kinda soft and easy to dent a binding will protect the side of it which is easy to dent etc!

Also, should I use some epoxy or what kind of glue is necessarily?


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## benatat (Oct 2, 2012)

THis is looking amazing so far! Moar pics plz.

What color are you gonna paint it? Or is it just gonna be clear?


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## jarnozz (Oct 3, 2012)

benatat said:


> THis is looking amazing so far! Moar pics plz.
> 
> What color are you gonna paint it? Or is it just gonna be clear?



-I´ll add more pictures when I make progress! I´m waiting for the tremolo to arrive. After that I can start working on the routs etc.

- It will have a few layers of danish oil


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## jarnozz (Nov 1, 2012)

I did not plan to do this on the build but I´m so glad I did! I carved a tummy cut today!
The guitar now lays great against my body and feels very smooth!
I put the neck on it and balanced it on my leg. No diving neck!
It just sat there doing it´s thing

Here´s a picture!






after half an hour of rasping and 10 minutes of sanding with 80 grid and 120 grid this was the result!






and with some water added to show the contours:






next week I'm going to order the following things and work on them:

-routerbit for binding
-white 1.5x8.1700mm binding
-Binding cement
-top bearing routerbit
-neck screws

and do the following things:
apply binding.
rout the trem, humbucker and possibly the control cavity. 

That's it for now!

Stay tuned


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## hairychris (Nov 1, 2012)

Nice.

Question, though: How have you stabilized the spalt to stop it from breaking down?


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## jarnozz (Nov 1, 2012)

hairychris said:


> Nice.
> 
> Question, though: How have you stabilized the spalt to stop it from breaking down?



Not completely sure what you mean by breaking down. I keep it in a moist free environment away from anything that can damage it when I´m not working on it. It´s still in the same state as it was the minute it arrived which is like 2.5 months ago

Glad you like it!


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## Pikka Bird (Nov 1, 2012)

^I think he means something like soaking it completely in watery cyanoacrylate or epoxy.


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## jarnozz (Nov 2, 2012)

As far as I know it´s bare wood. It still needs to get a finish etc. I´m thinking of a danish oil finish but don´t know it for sure


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## guy in latvia (Nov 2, 2012)

Very nice work! Very interested in trying something similar myself soon!


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## hairychris (Nov 2, 2012)

Pikka Bird said:


> ^I think he means something like soaking it completely in watery cyanoacrylate or epoxy.



Yeah, a luthier that I know* uses the dilute cyanoacrylate method on his spalts, with Danish oil finishes.

@jarnozz, the spalt is due to mould/rot attacking the wood which makes it very delicate and prone to breaking down. The rot also needs to be halted. Putting a hard lacquer on it will help, but a soft finish like oil may leave it open to damage.

* Rhymes with "pack sheen".


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## jarnozz (Nov 2, 2012)

hairychris said:


> Yeah, a luthier that I know* uses the dilute cyanoacrylate method on his spalts, with Danish oil finishes.
> 
> @jarnozz, the spalt is due to mould/rot attacking the wood which makes it very delicate and prone to breaking down. The rot also needs to be halted. Putting a hard lacquer on it will help, but a soft finish like oil may leave it open to damage.
> 
> * Rhymes with "pack sheen".



good you mention this. I´m going to contact the seller if the wood got a treatment like that. If not I might go for a different finish. Maybe a tung oil? I've seen a lot of great guitars with a tung oil finish


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## Pikka Bird (Nov 2, 2012)

^You can do it yourself... Dilute some CA glue (super glue) with demineralized water and squeegee some on the top, let it soak in and then give it some more. Then let it dry for 24 hours and do it again.


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## jarnozz (Nov 2, 2012)

Pikka Bird said:


> ^You can do it yourself... Dilute some CA glue (super glue) with demineralized water and squeegee some on the top, let it soak in and then give it some more. Then let it dry for 24 hours and do it again.



That sounds easy enough! should I do that right away or wait before I finished all the routs etc? Could you describe that process a little more detailed?


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## JackPlaysIbanez (Nov 2, 2012)

*subscribes to thread*


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## jarnozz (Nov 16, 2012)

So I´ve got a few updates. Most of them are good, on of them is just fucked..

Starting with the good ones!

Got a package of joy today and stared working on the guitar right away!







containing: Danish oil
Ibanez lo pro bridge with all the parts needed,
top and bot mounted routerbits, top was on the router already. 
screws and washers for the neck

put some danish oil on a scrap piece. This is the result of one coat






Now of the the crappy part. 
I wasn´t pleased with the depth of the neckjoint so I decided to make it deeper. I got a top bearing router bit and even made a template! Now I don´t know how but while i was routing a branch from the tree I stood under broke and fell on me.... God is messing with me and he doesn´t want me to finish this guitar I guess xD bad part is that I pushed my router against the side of the template quit hard as a reflex. The template shifted and I router the damn thing too wide... I was mad, very mad then I figured 2 things I could do. One, put a pickguard on it to cover the damage. two, glue a piece of wood against it and fill the gap there is with glue mixed with sawdust of the same wood. Thought I´d go with option two. and if that doesn´t work out I need to find a decent looking pickguard... This surely messed up my mood xD

here it is..






anyway here is a glorious picture I made to ease the pain, just forget about the clamp xD


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## x360rampagex (Nov 16, 2012)

Damn! Looking good!


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## teamSKDM (Nov 16, 2012)

Add the Rgd bevels!!


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## jarnozz (Nov 16, 2012)

Thanks! I won't add the RGD bevels dude xD It will have a nice binding instead


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 16, 2012)

better the wood than a finger though...


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## jarnozz (Nov 17, 2012)

scherzo1928 said:


> better the wood than a finger though...



 Right about that one


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## jarnozz (Nov 26, 2012)

This week I attached the neck to the body to measure the bridge position. Also rasped the heel to give it a nicer look and a rounder feel. Don't have pictures of that yet but the tape will show what is going to be removed. 
but first.
How to check if your neck is leveled with your body...



LAZERS





nothing to special. drilling went well, everything fitted nice and snugly. 






Now I was thinking about doing another project after this one. I really love doing this and might do this for a living one day. Everyone tells me to pursuit my dreams and well, this is one of em I love it and it turned out nicely. Learned a lot of things you only learn if you really do it for real. So I spent a good hour busting my head to come up with stuff and this mockup rolled out. 






Not sure about the shape yet but I love the way it looks! Maybe change the hardware to golden ones and add some controlsxD forgot those... That is the actual top. If I act fast It's mine  Looks a bit like an evil eye. 

Let me know what you think as always!


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## Alex_IBZ (Nov 26, 2012)

Lasers? That when you know shit's getting serious


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## jarnozz (Nov 26, 2012)

Alex_IBZ said:


> Lasers? That when you know shit's getting serious



dang right!


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## Stealthtastic (Nov 26, 2012)

jarnozz said:


> Let me know what you think as always!


 

I love it.

On a side note, you know... it is almost Christmas soon, I don't really expect MUCH this year...


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## jarnozz (Nov 27, 2012)

Stealthtastic said:


> I love it.
> 
> On a side note, you know... it is almost Christmas soon, I don't really expect MUCH this year...



Thanks! I hope to finish her before Christmas, besides pickups and electronics I have all the remaining parts at hand. Time is my biggest enemy in this case xD


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## cronux (Nov 27, 2012)

jarnozz said:


>



dear Lord have mercy! this is pure sex


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## jarnozz (Nov 27, 2012)

cronux said:


> dear Lord have mercy! this is pure sex



Well thank you kind sir


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## ihunda (Nov 27, 2012)

Congrats, you're a god to me!
Now can't wait to see it with a finish on  Only a month before Christmas my friend!


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## Pikka Bird (Nov 27, 2012)

jarnozz said:


> Ibanez lo pro bridge with all the parts needed,



Are you fully aware that this is not a Lo Pro at all? It's a Lo-TRS.


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## jarnozz (Nov 27, 2012)

Pikka Bird said:


> Are you fully aware that this is not a Lo Pro at all? It's a Lo-TRS.



Yeah, mess those up all the time xD My bad. If my funds somehow increase I´ll swap it out for a better one, but for now it will do just fine. near mint condition


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## jarnozz (Nov 29, 2012)

Little update, today I routed the floyd rose cavity. To bad I oversized it xD There is like a 3.5 mm space between the trem and the body. Don't really mind it though. It gives me a look underneath it, it will be finished and it will look nice and the whole mechanics etc are shown. Thinking of rounding those edges to get a better flow tomorrow I'll rout the cavity for the springs and maybe the control cavity as well. Pictures will be uploaded then


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## jarnozz (Nov 30, 2012)

The cavity is routed for a floyd rose. I have a lo protrs, Those are smaller so the cavity is to big, Might swap the trem for a origional floyd some day!







The back is very neat, everything fits and looks tight






The heel is nice and smooth, it flows really well! Hard to see at the picture but it's nice!






Thats it for now


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## JosephAOI (Nov 30, 2012)

You're going to have a natural wood back cover, right? And binding still, right?


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## jarnozz (Nov 30, 2012)

JosephAOI said:


> You're going to have a natural wood back cover, right? And binding still, right?



yes on both! the binding, glue and the routerbit should arrive begin next week! Things are going pretty fast


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## bob123 (Nov 30, 2012)

The lo trs is a pile of shit, you should think hard about spending a couple extra bucks on that one dude


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## jarnozz (Dec 1, 2012)

bob123 said:


> The lo trs is a pile of shit, you should think hard about spending a couple extra bucks on that one dude



I´ll see how it will hold up. will block it so won´t be using it as a trem. I can always swap it out so no worries


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## that short guy (Dec 6, 2012)

jarnozz said:


>


 
Seriously love this top bro


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## jarnozz (Dec 7, 2012)

So I didn't have a lot of free time this week But still got everything done today xD not to mention it was freezing outside and there was 15 cm of snow.. I work in a garden house I modded to my workshop to bad it was 0 degrees inside. Without further a due

got some supplies yesterday





Layout for the electronics. 





Drilling holes through your guitar never feels good somehow





Looking good!





Quote to that. I have a 3 way on/on/on switch. I have no clue how to wire those. It would be nice if someone got an answer on that one! Saves me some time which I don't really have atm. 

Routed the binding thing.





Can't believe how spot on that worker out. Not even .1mm off

Think this will be the final finish. 





I call it,, Tape Burst! hehe

That's it for today. Now its waiting for the pickups and a fresh new router bit. Those suckers get dull pretty fast, though this one wasn't too expensive so that might be it.


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## jarnozz (Dec 7, 2012)

that short guy said:


> Seriously love this top bro



It´s very nice indeed


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## jarnozz (Dec 8, 2012)

So I could not resist it. I finished up the binding and I figured it was the right time to string it up. Even though I don´t have the electronics yet. It does give a good idea of how it sounds acoustic. It resonates good and it feels nice! nice action and I´m just very pleased with it. It´s not perfect but for a first build. I´ve come a long way and leaned a lot
so this sums up my day. 

Djentar.. sounded pretty cool in drop e xD 





sexy mf, can´t wait to finish it and plug it in for the first time





I´ve also captured this moment


sounds pretty good, it where the old string from my agile I´ve put one. didn´t want to waste a new package xD worked well especially cords sounds pretty nice. Watch it in 720 btw! the sound will be way better


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## Pikka Bird (Dec 8, 2012)

I think it'll be better with pickups, please consider putting some in. 

As for the trem, if you end up getting fed up with the oversized rout- have you considered the Gotoh Floyd? I don't know if it's still the case, but it used to be a fair deal cheaper than the OFR or Schaller LFR, and many people swaer by the Gotoh because of a few improvements over the regular design, and the ones that like the other ones more generally agree that the Gotoh is a well-made unit.


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## jarnozz (Dec 9, 2012)

Pikka Bird said:


> I think it'll be better with pickups, please consider putting some in.
> 
> As for the trem, if you end up getting fed up with the oversized rout- have you considered the Gotoh Floyd? I don't know if it's still the case, but it used to be a fair deal cheaper than the OFR or Schaller LFR, and many people swaer by the Gotoh because of a few improvements over the regular design, and the ones that like the other ones more generally agree that the Gotoh is a well-made unit.



Pickups are on the way! Would be quit handy in an electric guitar. 
For now I´m pretty pleased with the trem. It works and look ok. The gotoh costs 190$ equal to 146 euros. ex shipping. Might be worth it since the cheapest good quality trems cost around 200.


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## Pikka Bird (Dec 10, 2012)

^This might be relevant:


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## jarnozz (Dec 11, 2012)

^ Thanks! To bad it's slimmer than the trs. A floyd might be the best option after all. Just an easy swap, only problem is that bloody money...


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## cronux (Dec 12, 2012)

this guitar is going to be awesome, really a nice build


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## jarnozz (Dec 21, 2012)

Something arrived last monday






8 string 0.74 ball set, gonna drop tune it quit a bit so figured a 8 string set will do just fine.
Btw a 0.74 is really the max that trem can take, anything bigger won't fit without mods.
Pickups are a dimarzio tone zone and air norton






Routed the pickups cavities and drilled the channels for both pickups and ground to the bridge.
Everything fits snugly and looks pretty tight.

The guitar just got her second coat of danish oil and will be done around the 27/30th of december.
consider it a late Christmas gift to myself


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## Pikka Bird (Dec 21, 2012)

Please be sure to let us know how you like the 8 string set on that... But it's 26.5", right? Still, I'd love to know.


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## jarnozz (Dec 21, 2012)

Pikka Bird said:


> Please be sure to let us know how you like the 8 string set on that... But it's 26.5", right? Still, I'd love to know.



It´s 26.5 indeed! I´ll give an in depth review as part af the NGD as soon as it´s completed. Well after I played on it for hours


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## jarnozz (Dec 27, 2012)

After 4 months and 4 days I can proudly say. I Did it. It is done. And it sounds amazing! No words can describe how happy I am at this point. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went in this project. A few moments where I could really hit myself on the head. Still, I loved it from right from the start. I won't stop after this one. I already have some big plans for the second guitar I'm going to make 

The last bunch of pictures followed by a NGD and a video of me playing it, if my software doens't fail on my again...


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## Manurack (Dec 27, 2012)

Amazing work dude! You've inspired me to do the rest of the work on my Fender Stagemaster 7 string, I need to sand off the rest of the sealer, then get a nice stain and clear coat on it then I'm done!


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## crg123 (Dec 27, 2012)

Wow impressive. Is this from scratch or did you mod the neck and body? I'd love to see the headstock!


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## jarnozz (Dec 27, 2012)

Manurack said:


> Amazing work dude! You've inspired me to do the rest of the work on my Fender Stagemaster 7 string, I need to sand off the rest of the sealer, then get a nice stain and clear coat on it then I'm done!



Thanks! Nice to hear that I inspired you to do something, makes me feel like a boss



crg123 said:


> Wow impressive. Is this from scratch or did you mod the neck and body? I'd love to see the headstock!



The neck is from an older Ibanez RGD7 string. I made the body from scratch.


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## -Berserker_ (Dec 27, 2012)

Wow!!!!! I'm so glad you finished this, it looks amazing! Although if it had been me making the body i would have sanded and curved the heel of the neck pocket (where the bolts go through to the neck) just to make it look even more pimp  still think its amazing though!!!!


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## jarnozz (Dec 27, 2012)

-Berserker_ said:


> Wow!!!!! I'm so glad you finished this, it looks amazing! Although if it had been me making the body i would have sanded and curved the heel of the neck pocket (where the bolts go through to the neck) just to make it look even more pimp  still think its amazing though!!!!



Thanks man! The heel is perfect for me


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## skisgaar (Dec 27, 2012)

Cannot wait to see this NGD and video man!


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## jarnozz (Dec 27, 2012)

The NGD, clipe is there 
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/se...-ibanez-like-guitar-pure-win.html#post3331833


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## skeels (Dec 27, 2012)

Dude. Awesome. 

I just found the NGD thread went here and read through the whole build- man I don't know how I missed this but it is cool !! I totally dig it!

I love to see guys like me to just take it upon himself to build themselves the Guitar they want.




Next one you gotta build the neck too, right?


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## jarnozz (Dec 27, 2012)

skeels said:


> Dude. Awesome.
> 
> I just found the NGD thread went here and read through the whole build- man I don't know how I missed this but it is cool !! I totally dig it!
> 
> ...



It's a lot of fun and I love doing it! Next one is going to be an 8 stringer, bolt on, 27 inch, golden hardware, ash body, black stained top, 5 piece maple or maple wenge neck  ebony board, no inlays. That's the idea I have in my head


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## ElRay (Jan 1, 2013)

Nice work. 

Added the "member built" tag.

Thanks for posting in the "Guitars built by members of SS.org [Pic-heavy]" thread.

Ray


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## markoramius (Jan 1, 2013)

Jarnozz,

Very nice! This was a cool thread that I just found today. I'm sure you are very proud of your build - and justifiably so! You must have REALLY liked that neck... LOL!

What finish did you use? The spalted maple looks great! It's a bit of a moot point now, but a site I have found very helpful is guitarelectronics.com. They have a lot of really good info on wiring a guitar -online almost any configuration you can imagine is there.


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## jarnozz (Jan 1, 2013)

markoramius said:


> Jarnozz,
> 
> Very nice! This was a cool thread that I just found today. I'm sure you are very proud of your build - and justifiably so! You must have REALLY liked that neck... LOL!
> 
> What finish did you use? The spalted maple looks great! It's a bit of a moot point now, but a site I have found very helpful is guitarelectronics.com. They have a lot of really good info on wiring a guitar -online almost any configuration you can imagine is there.



thanks dude! I used danish oil to finish her up!


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