# Baritone 7 27.5 in scale build (Myrtlewood, Sapele goodness)



## Purelojik

Hey guys,

Im building a guitar in my room on my breaks while i study for the Medical boards. It helps me maintain my sanity as well as feed my addiction for this stuff. I made a blog to catalog the process and its because i have a wordpress app i can do everything from the phone. But i figure i'd post it here as well in case i need some help or if there is any input or advice people may offer. This place has always been helpful to me so i figure its a good idea. I'll upload all the pics of the progress i've made so far, then as it goes further i'll keep adding more here. Thanks for checking it out! 

Anyhow SPECS!:

7 string
27.5 in scale length (baritone)
Macassar Ebony 20in radius
Neck: Sapele Mahogany (bolt on)
Body: Sapele Mahogany
Top: Myrtlewood
Pickups: BKP Camo covered
Bareknuckle Aftermath bridge
Bareknuckle Warpig Neck
Hipshot 7 bridge (from Keith Merrow )
Earvana Compensated 7 string nut
6100 dunlop fretwire

NOW PICS!!!








































































Im getting a custom satin black/gold config from sperzel!! these are just for layout











I dont have many tools so i do with what i can find. For the big stuff i'll take it to a lumber yard cause i dont wanna lose a finger lol..


Anyhow wish me luck!


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## jarnozz

very nice work so far my friend! keep the pics coming!


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## UnderTheSign

Looks good!

do me a favor though and never, ever put your plane down like that. Let it lie on its side  Seeing it like this makes me shiver.


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## sk3ks1s

Very tight work.


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## Adam Of Angels

Good luck with the build.

Every time somebody says "sapele", I think of this:


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## Purelojik

UnderTheSign said:


> Looks good!
> 
> do me a favor though and never, ever put your plane down like that. Let it lie on its side  Seeing it like this makes me shiver.



thanks dude. the blades been retracted. i wouldnt leave it on the table with the blade out. if thats what your worried about lol. its also my first time using the hand plane. thing was difficult to use at first but i think i've gotten the hang of it.


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## Linny

UnderTheSign said:


> Looks good!
> 
> do me a favor though and never, ever put your plane down like that. Let it lie on its side  Seeing it like this makes me shiver.



Why?


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## scherzo1928

I've got a few things to say.

This pic made my day.


Purelojik said:


>


 
If you ever run out of coffee filters, get some waxed paper (like the one used for baking). I've used it when glueing with titebond, epoxy and CA, and it never gets glued. Great stuff!


I might make this my new desktop image


Purelojik said:


>


 
And finally, pics of the fanfretted guitar in the background?


Purelojik said:


>


 
Well, I guess I lied when I said "and finally". I'm loving the shape, and the wood choice is pretty sweet. I think this will turn out to be a beautiful guitar.

Best of luck!


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## sk3ks1s

Linny said:


> Why?



The blade protrudes past the foot of the plane. Placing it foot down has the potential to damage the blade or at least throw off the camber.


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## Purelojik

scherzo1928 said:


> I've got a few things to say.
> 
> This pic made my day.
> 
> 
> If you ever run out of coffee filters, get some waxed paper (like the one used for baking). I've used it when glueing with titebond, epoxy and CA, and it never gets glued. Great stuff!
> 
> 
> I might make this my new desktop image
> 
> 
> And finally, pics of the fanfretted guitar in the background?
> 
> 
> Well, I guess I lied when I said "and finally". I'm loving the shape, and the wood choice is pretty sweet. I think this will turn out to be a beautiful guitar.
> 
> Best of luck!





Man you are very observant! and thanks for the compliments!. The photos were taken on my iphone using Camera +. yep its the fan fretted guitar prototype i made while in med school in india. it was my first build and after soaking up all the info here i decided to go big. the whole buildstory is on my blog. its a hackjob litterally. i took a flatmount 7 bridge and took a hacksaw to it to make the individual bridges. but since it was in india the wood was altogether about 10 USD so i really went crrazy.

Thanks again dude.


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## Purelojik

Here's a link to the preview Fan fret hackjob i built last year.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.930601335310.2618969.909446&type=1&l=4573f7171a

And its build story here. 

2010 September « Lutherie&#8230;

just follow the months until the present time and you'll see all the craziness. Those photos were taken with my blackberry 9700


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## Purelojik

So i have a Dremel Trio and honestly havent used it for anything. I measured the bit and realized its the exact size and depth for the Stew Mac Hot Rod Truss Rods. So i figured what the hell.

It ain't pretty but it fits nice and snug. i'll have to find some silicone to put in the groove to prevent rattling. i dont wanna buy a giant tube but if they dont have small ones then im SOL. 
I made two passes, each taking off 0.2 in of wood. Went very smoothly




































Done!.

Im awaiting a package of veneers and some Tee Nuts so i can do the neck bolt Decibel Guitar Style.


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## HighPotency

Out of curiosity, what is the method you refer to that Patrick ......... uses to prep his necks and fretboards?


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## Purelojik

HighPotency said:


> Out of curiosity, what is the method you refer to that Patrick ......... uses to prep his necks and fretboards?



a buddy of mine who was building a mandolin at the time i was building the fanned fretted seven string was following some video's Mr. Patrick H. had put on youtube on how to prep a fretboard and his whole fretting techniques. i think i saved them somewhere, cause he usually removes his videos. 

They were helpful but its basically what everyone else does; nothing too special. i think because the entire fretting process was shown to me in that series of videos, is why i liked that method.

basically he just leaves the neck square, so he can hammer the frets in easily. before all that he goes over how he shapes and polishes the fretboard before gluing. once glued he goes over how he hammers frets in, then levels and crowns them. for a beginner who'd just read about it it was informative to actuallly SEE it done from beginning to end. worked great for me since i love visual learning.


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## Purelojik

yea i checked, the vids have been taken down since then. dunno why he does that. but i also watch Ormsby Guitars Video Diary. they make a guitar from start to finish and its great to watch. 

Ormsby Guitars - Multiscale Custom Video Diary - PART ONE - YouTube


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## Purelojik

Hey guys,

Little update. Both neck and body are bandsawed. once i get the package of T Nuts installed on the neck and have them fitted to the body i'll glue the fretboard and have everything trued up!. 

Im getting more excited as this project goes on!


























Until next time!


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## idunno

Thats a great piece of sapelli, where did you score that? I also really like the curve at the bottom of the fretboard, dont cut it off!


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## HighPotency

I just got a bunch of t-nuts and bolts/washers to go with them a couple days ago!

On a semi-related note, I'm kind of new here (joined a while back but recently switched over from UG and let me tell you it's a breath of fresh air from being trapped in a small room full of smelly, farting 10 year olds)... Why was Mr. He-who-apparently-shall-not-be-named's name edited out of my post?


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## idunno

HighPotency said:


> I just got a bunch of t-nuts and bolts/washers to go with them a couple days ago!
> 
> On a semi-related note, I'm kind of new here (joined a while back but recently switched over from UG and let me tell you it's a breath of fresh air from being trapped in a small room full of smelly, farting 10 year olds)... Why was Mr. He-who-apparently-shall-not-be-named's name edited out of my post?


 
He was a member and was kind of a douche and got pissy over stuff and decided to leave and demand that all memory of him and the use of his name be erased. 

Ive seen his posts on multiple forums many times, and to be honest he was pretty full of himself and basically a jerk all the time. Beautiful work though! I wouldnt mind having one of his guitars.


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## Pikka Bird

Great, now I can only guess at who this character is. Though I do have an idea, actually.


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## Purelojik

idunno said:


> Thats a great piece of sapelli, where did you score that? I also really like the curve at the bottom of the fretboard, dont cut it off!



thanks man, i got the sapelli from this place called Exotic Woods. I've bought stuff from there before and they are great to work with. the one i got is actually a three piece glued body to keep costs down. it was only 35 bucks so i figure i'd get it and make this a prototype. its got a great tap tone and everything. The neck i got from LMII.com and its also sapele which also wasnt much. 

and the curve at the bottom im keeping cause it looks cool!


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## Purelojik

idunno said:


> He was a member and was kind of a douche and got pissy over stuff and decided to leave and demand that all memory of him and the use of his name be erased.
> 
> Ive seen his posts on multiple forums many times, and to be honest he was pretty full of himself and basically a jerk all the time. Beautiful work though! I wouldnt mind having one of his guitars.



yep he used to be on here. never really liked his attitude about things. but i had to hand it to him he did make some nice looking guitars. I basically soaked in all the build videos he used to make, and also oggled blackmachines forever. so i figure since the basic building principles are similar i'll just encorporate them in this one. Also Vik guitars has some of the classiest looking work ever. i love his multiple veneer sandwiches on his headstock so im gonna give that a try as well.

i've always loved the integrated armrest thing that greenfield guitars, also on blackmachines and H's guitars. its a simple chamfer that adds a nice little functional accent.

im also gonna be sandwiching a black fiber venner between the body and top to add a little accent.


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## idunno

Thanks for the wood link! I couldn't even tell it was three pieces, it looks like two! 

The fiber veneer in the middle will be a great idea, it always adds a little something extra. Good luck on the rest of the build, its looking great so far.


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## JStraitiff

Purelojik said:


>



This is a great shot. Should sell it.

This project looks great so far. Thanks a ton for the wood link. Ive been wanting to build a guitar for a long time but never felt like investing the money. These guys have a 3 piece mahogany blank for $50. Great deal.


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## Purelojik

So not really an update but i had to share. 

Just hit the surface with a little Mineral Spirits to show the figure and POP! look at this beauty.


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## thatguy87

holy crap man do you have a professional photographer doing all your shots?


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## Purelojik

thatguy87 said:


> holy crap man do you have a professional photographer doing all your shots?



haha i wish. im just having fun with my new iphone and the camera + app. im trying to take the most dramatic shots just cause i can lol.


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## Purelojik

Got my shipment of T Nuts and bolts! also i thought i'd give this whole forstner bit depth stopper a try since i dont own a drill press. from the demo video it looks legit but i'll be testing it out on some scrap.

So i have a question. when i install these, do i need to use a washer or something on the bolting surface? or do i just install the T nut and insert the bolt from the other side and thats it? Any help is great


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## BlackMastodon

I am very intrigued with where this will go.


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## endo

Purelojik said:


> So i have a question. when i install these, do i need to use a washer or something on the bolting surface? or do i just install the T nut and insert the bolt from the other side and thats it? Any help is great



I've always liked/preferred the look of neck mounting ferrules over a plate or plain: STEWMAC.COM : Neck Mounting Ferrules

As far as the T-nuts go, I've never used them, but mayhaps this link will help? The glue is a "high grade" slow setting epoxy (P.S. I know this guy has been discussed, but really, the picture helps and might be what Pure is looking for, so...yeah)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=222270297839172&set=a.218391104893758.54563.144953822237487&type=3&theater

Hope this helps.


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## Purelojik

endo said:


> I've always liked/preferred the look of neck mounting ferrules over a plate or plain: STEWMAC.COM : Neck Mounting Ferrules
> 
> As far as the T-nuts go, I've never used them, but mayhaps this link will help? The glue is a "high grade" slow setting epoxy (P.S. I know this guy has been discussed, but really, the picture helps and might be what Pure is looking for, so...yeah)
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=222270297839172&set=a.218391104893758.54563.144953822237487&type=3&theater
> 
> Hope this helps.




Awesome this is what i'll do for the inside. i'll use some epoxy. but for the outside the bolt heads are 5/8 in so standard neck mounting ferrules wont be big enough. maybe i'll just take these to a hardware store and see if they have anything. if that doesnt work then i'l see maybe if they have a same diameter washer or rubber collar thing to fit it. i know darren from Decibel Guitars used this method, its actually where i got the idea. maybe i'll look at his builds and see if anything inspires me.

any other ideas are always welcomed!


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## Necromagnon

Damn, man!

The guitar and the woods are really impressive!
But the truss rod groove is awful. Maybe your router bit isn't sharp enough?

How will you do for the shape of the guitar and the headstock? Router? Sander?
Nice work!


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## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> Damn, man!
> 
> The guitar and the woods are really impressive!
> But the truss rod groove is awful. Maybe your router bit isn't sharp enough?
> 
> How will you do for the shape of the guitar and the headstock? Router? Sander?
> Nice work!



hahaha yea dude. i dont even have a router. i have a Dremel Trio which is just a glorified underpowered router. it does a 'decent' job but honestly its a terrible purchase. i just got it cause it was second hand with new bits. im just trying to make due with what i have and honestly its a good way to start to learn baasic routing lol. had i used a template it would have been nice looking but honestly i just wanted to get it done. so the depth is just right the edges are jagged but its snug where it counts. im gonna be putting some silicone in the ends to keep it from rattling. i really dont wanna have to buy a big silicone tube. hopefully they sell small ones... thanks for the kind words!


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## Necromagnon

Purelojik said:


> im gonna be putting some silicone in the ends to keep it from rattling. i really dont wanna have to buy a big silicone tube. hopefully they sell small ones...


Yes, I got the problem with my first 8 string. I place 2 reinforcer in the neck (I was afraid it bend but I think I can hold a truck with that neck...) and the grooves were a little to large, and the reinforcer rattle... :/

For the router, I bought mine around 50$, with a box of quite new Freud bits. If you have the opportunity to by one in second hand (don't try cheap routers, it makes one guitar and dies after it, or even dies earlier...), you should do so. It help so much. I don't use many electric devices for my guitars, but a router is really useful.
I only use a router, a band saw and a planer for the big work on woods. After it, I only use hand tools.

Btw, don't have any new photos?


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## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> Yes, I got the problem with my first 8 string. I place 2 reinforcer in the neck (I was afraid it bend but I think I can hold a truck with that neck...) and the grooves were a little to large, and the reinforcer rattle... :/
> 
> For the router, I bought mine around 50$, with a box of quite new Freud bits. If you have the opportunity to by one in second hand (don't try cheap routers, it makes one guitar and dies after it, or even dies earlier...), you should do so. It help so much. I don't use many electric devices for my guitars, but a router is really useful.
> I only use a router, a band saw and a planer for the big work on woods. After it, I only use hand tools.
> 
> Btw, don't have any new photos?




thanks dude i'll look for a new router. Do you happen to know if a simple laminate trimmer like the bosch colt would be enough for pickup cavities and control and neck pockets? 

luckily with the way im adding a fiber veneer sandwiched between the myrtlewoodtop and body, the actualy cavity i have to rout fits the correct max depth of my dremel trio (also pup depth is also correct. and it does a good job, but for this neck pocket i need to make a template for sure. 

I'll upload a pic soon to show what im talkin about. gotta make breakfast first...


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## Necromagnon

On the forum I frequent, we use to say that you don't have to buy an industrial router. A good router is enough, since it's rigid enough. Bits are the most important part. You better buy Freud bits with a small Bosch or anything else router than a huge Festool or Idontknowwhat router and first price bits.

I think the bosch coule be enough. Mine is a Black & Decker, 1350W max power. I think 1100W the minimum (I'm not very sure, be careful with what I say...  ).

For the neck pocket, do the best template you can do. A bad adjustment is hard to get back, and a neck that moves... :?


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## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> On the forum I frequent, we use to say that you don't have to buy an industrial router. A good router is enough, since it's rigid enough. Bits are the most important part. You better buy Freud bits with a small Bosch or anything else router than a huge Festool or Idontknowwhat router and first price bits.
> 
> I think the bosch coule be enough. Mine is a Black & Decker, 1350W max power. I think 1100W the minimum (I'm not very sure, be careful with what I say...  ).
> 
> For the neck pocket, do the best template you can do. A bad adjustment is hard to get back, and a neck that moves... :?




great advice. thanks buddy. i will def make a perfect template first.


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## Necromagnon

A tip for the template:
You place the neck on your body on the desired position, you clamp it in place lightly but hard enough so that the neck don't move.
Then, you use straight pieces of wood and fixed it on the body, against the neck.
You can remove the neck, and you have your template.

I don't know if it's clear?


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## Purelojik

Heres what im talking about. I flipped everything upside down so i can lay it flat. The myrtlewood is on the bottom then the black veneer then the body. when i mount the neck it'll be flush with the top then i'll add the fretboard once im sure the bolting system is perfect. Heres more pics!











You can see the dremel bit is perfect for the body. the others i'll do once the main thing is routed. shouldnt be hard doing it in parts.


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## oniduder

kewl! very interested in seeing final product thanks for pics and all


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## endo

Glad to be of some help! Sorry, I didn't pay attention to the ferrule sizes, nor did I take into account that you had large headed bolts. So, since I scratched your back, I figured you could scratch mine!

How long was the wood that you purchased for the neck? I happen to be building the same scale guitar you are, and I ordered a piece of rock maple 26"...I believe that was a big ufck up on my part.

The build and woods look amazing btw, it's made even more impressive by the fact you're doing it in a dorm room!


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## Purelojik

endo said:


> Glad to be of some help! Sorry, I didn't pay attention to the ferrule sizes, nor did I take into account that you had large headed bolts. So, since I scratched your back, I figured you could scratch mine!
> 
> How long was the wood that you purchased for the neck? I happen to be building the same scale guitar you are, and I ordered a piece of rock maple 26"...I believe that was a big ufck up on my part.
> 
> The build and woods look amazing btw, it's made even more impressive by the fact you're doing it in a dorm room!



hey man i just commented on your thread but i ran into the exact same problem. since my build is a 27.5 build, the neck length i'd ordered was 24 which in the beginning i was like...ok that should be alright. then when i measured everything i was like......i shoulda gone longer. but i cut the scarf from one piece and went to a cabinet maker who just happened to have the same kinda wood i was using so he just gave me a chunk free and thats where i resumed this build. either way if your not too accurate just go for a steeper angle just in case cause when you end up planing the surfaces flat. you'll eventually shallow the angle out a little. i also have that little bit of overhang which i always like cause im pretty messy with neck pockets so its my effort to make everything look pretty.

hope that helps buddy. lemme know if i can be of any other assistance!


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## endo

Thanks man! I appreciate the response! I read everything in my post while I was at work and figured I would just go with a different chunk of wood. I wanted some of the neck to go through where the neck pickup will sit for more stability, but who knows. I'll have to figure it out when I get up enough nerve to cut into MY sapele, ha ha ha. Thanks again!

Now quit responding to these posts and finish that beast of a guitar you've got going!


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## Necromagnon

endo said:


> Thanks man! I appreciate the response! I read everything in my post while I was at work and figured I would just go with a different chunk of wood. I wanted some of the neck to go through where the neck pickup will sit for more stability, but who knows.


Take a look at the junction between neck and body of an acoustic guitar, it's not that deep. About 2 cm (I don't have a plan know, just by memory).


For the lenght of wood pieces, it's always hard to have it just right. Don't want to take too long to not loose a lot of wood (and so money), but if it's too short... :/

For your neck pocket, I don't know what you're planning, but don't work with full lenght of your bit. Go 6mm by 6 mm deep, the work will be easier, less mistakes, and better aspect (I guess you already knew).

The black veneer look awesome. It's gonna be killer!


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## vampiregenocide

If the finished product is as nice as the photography, this is going to be epic.


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## Purelojik

So i pulled out the old chisels i've had and went at the places on the body where the jigsaw had trouble reaching. The damn jigsaw belt kept slipping when i was at the cabinet place getting the body cut out and so i told em to rough a couple edges and i could go in and either file or chisel them down. 

So far theres only two areas that need some work, the neck heel. and the upper bout. shouldnt take too long but i also gotta get back to studying. The next update hopefully will be once i affix the T Nuts to the body and cut the top wood and fiber veneer- right before i glue everything.

Also i've heard good things about Microplane Rasps. the normal rasp i have sucks and i heard these microplane rasps are like a cheese grater to wood (and i hear they also make cheese graters)

And as always, i've taken some stupidly dramatic photos. just cause i can lol. Enjoy.


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## Necromagnon

Purelojik said:


>


Wow!!
Awesome pic!


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## idunno

Looking good my man, nice to see some progress! For budget chisels, those are pretty good. Ive seen them go through hell im my uncles hands!

Before you spend the money on those microplane rasps, i feel i should tell you they they kind of suck. They seem like a great idea but end up not working well, they are fragile and bend easy and take off uneven wood. An old friend of mine had some and he hated them too. They may workk ok on very soft wood but thats it.

Dragon rasps are very nice, but very expensive. Id recommend one of these Buy Cabinet Rasp 2nd Cut (49) takes a Medium Handle at Woodcraft Ive got this one and the smoother cabinet file and they work great and arent really expensive. They cut fast and last a very long time, even on glue. The round ones are handy too!


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## idunno

OH yeah, and those are very nice pics, this is off your phone you said?


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## Purelojik

idunno said:


> Looking good my man, nice to see some progress! For budget chisels, those are pretty good. Ive seen them go through hell im my uncles hands!
> 
> Before you spend the money on those microplane rasps, i feel i should tell you they they kind of suck. They seem like a great idea but end up not working well, they are fragile and bend easy and take off uneven wood. An old friend of mine had some and he hated them too. They may workk ok on very soft wood but thats it.
> 
> Dragon rasps are very nice, but very expensive. Id recommend one of these Buy Cabinet Rasp 2nd Cut (49) takes a Medium Handle at Woodcraft Ive got this one and the smoother cabinet file and they work great and arent really expensive. They cut fast and last a very long time, even on glue. The round ones are handy too!



thanks for the reply, actually i bought one of the rasps just to try out but who knows if it really does suck its not too bad a loss. i might just go for those dragon rasps just cause theres good reviews. 

as for the camera, yep its my new iphone, first one actually and i love it. its an 8mp camera and im definetly abusing the hell outta it. but for good reasons!


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## Purelojik

So i trimmed the myrtlewood top so it would be easier to glue and trued up the midline crease by folding it in half and going at it with a hand plane until no light shone through. Then i was left with two large pieces of myrtlewood. So i decided to use one as a control cavity cover. So what im thinking is that i route the neck pocket in steps. first the pocket on the body, then the top i'll just saw out with a coping saw. then once theyr glued, go in with a file to make sure the edges look nice. in my mind it seems to work well, and should be just perfect for what my dremel trio can handle!

This is what i have so far. i think its gonna look pretty cool contrasting with the sapele on the back. 











i love the look of myrtlewood...


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## idunno

Thats going to be great!

And regarding the rasp, It didnt suit me or my buddy who used it but who knows, it might work out for you! Damn thats nice wood.


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## Purelojik

So i wanted to try oil finishing for fun so i took some of the scrap that i had left from the myrtlewood top and started applying coats of danish oil. mainly just for practice. then i whipped out the drill and decided why not just try out the T Nuts at the same time? so here you go. From what i gather these things do feel extremely secure- dont have much to base them off of but they give me a piece of mind and one bolt is strong as hell. i cant imagine how secure how it'd be when its bolted with 4. probably an overkill but whatever.


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## Purelojik

So remember that Woodriver Forstner Depth Stopper? i just tried it out today and it works beautifully. I drilled four 3/4 in holes for the T Nuts. Mixed some epoxy and hammered the shit outta the Tnuts. The depth stopper allows for perfect depth holes. Easy to set up and use. I recommend this.

And the Pics....


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## DropSplash

This is really awesome. Not only can I not wait for this guitar to be built, but I can't wait until there's an update with more PHOTOGRAPHY


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## DropSplash

But seriously these are beautiful pictures.
And the guitar too lol


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## Purelojik

penny1 said:


> But seriously these are beautiful pictures.
> And the guitar too lol



thanks man, im quite flattered. Im having a lotta fun doing this on my breaks. although sadly updates are gonna be much fewer these next weeks. Gonna ramp up the studying. the Medical Licensing Exams are gonna be the one insuring that i'll have many more NGDs to come...well after residency is done...cause i wont be seeing daylight very often lol. wish me luck guys!


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## Necromagnon

Purelojik said:


> thanks man, im quite flattered. Im having a lotta fun doing this on my breaks. although sadly updates are gonna be much fewer these next weeks. Gonna ramp up the studying. the Medical Licensing Exams are gonna be the one insuring that i'll have many more NGDs to come...well after residency is done...cause i wont be seeing daylight very often lol. wish me luck guys!


Good luck! I'm happy I've (nearly) finished my studies. Now, I do the exams for students and I have the right to trash them out! 

For your guitar, I shouldn't place the insert (???) so deep. I woul have just hammered them in the neck, enough so that the surface is plane for the fingerboard.
For the cover, if I can give you an advice, it's to place veins of both woods in the same direction. Then, I don't like so much to have a huge contrast between back wood and cover, but that's your choice. 

But that fuckin right: this myrtlewood looks very pretty... Getting wood!


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## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> Good luck! I'm happy I've (nearly) finished my studies. Now, I do the exams for students and I have the right to trash them out!
> 
> For your guitar, I shouldn't place the insert (???) so deep. I woul have just hammered them in the neck, enough so that the surface is plane for the fingerboard.
> For the cover, if I can give you an advice, it's to place veins of both woods in the same direction. Then, I don't like so much to have a huge contrast between back wood and cover, but that's your choice.
> 
> But that fuckin right: this myrtlewood looks very pretty... Getting wood!



thats good advice, the thing is this wood when finished has flames going one direction and grain going the other so either way its gonna look sweet. 

also i put the t nuts 5 mm down so the threading goes clear thru the bottom. it also gives me some clearance for when i screw in the actual bolts. either way i tested it with some scrap and its strong as hell. so im excited to get started on the body.

now heres what im thinking...

im gonna do the way of blackmachine and Huf and try to chamfer the sides and perhaps the integrated armrest thing. i've always thought that was classy. 

i might just take it to the cabinet people i go to to get my wood cut so perhaps they can do it since they're more experienced with that stuff.

OR i could attempt to do it with a plane lol. i figure if i draw lines on the back and sides limiting where i want the cut to go then its just a matter of planing at a 45 degree angle....anyone think that this is feasible?


----------



## Necromagnon

Purelojik said:


> OR i could attempt to do it with a plane lol. i figure if i draw lines on the back and sides limiting where i want the cut to go then its just a matter of planing at a 45 degree angle....anyone think that this is feasible?


I don't think it feasible, I think it's easy to do it yourself.
Really, I'm not joking. That's what of the easiest thing on a guitar. As you said, you draw lines on back and sides, and go on. I do it with rasps. It' works very fine.

If you're not familiar with it or if you're a little afraid of it, you can try with a junk of wood. But I really renounce you if you don't do it yourself...


----------



## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> I don't think it feasible, I think it's easy to do it yourself.
> Really, I'm not joking. That's what of the easiest thing on a guitar. As you said, you draw lines on back and sides, and go on. I do it with rasps. It' works very fine.
> 
> If you're not familiar with it or if you're a little afraid of it, you can try with a junk of wood. But I really renounce you if you don't do it yourself...



hahaha ok ok im up for the challenge. but yes i will try it on some scrap wood first!


----------



## BlackMastodon

You could always get a chamfer bit for a router if you wanna go that route, but I imagine it is quite doable with a file/rasp.


----------



## Purelojik

Ok guys as i try to hone my skills with the chisel, i've successfully managed to properly cut a shelf for the earvana nut to sit on! it was kinda scary and i forgot how easily ebony chips. but with some patience i've done it. Also using the sanding drum on the dremel trio i've managed to finally true up the headstock. So now i can glue a headplate onto it.

So hopefully by tonight before i go to bed the fretboard will be glued and clamped and if i have any clamps left over then also the headplate.

heres some eye candy.
































YAY!


----------



## BlackMastodon

Looking good man. And yeah using chisels scares the shit outta me more so than routers. When I was doing the knob recesses on my build with the chisel I was incredibly nervous, and basically every time I accidentally tore out chunks of the maple I would start yelling at the chisels....cause it totally wasn't my fault.


----------



## Purelojik

BlackMastodon said:


> Looking good man. And yeah using chisels scares the shit outta me more so than routers. When I was doing the knob recesses on my build with the chisel I was incredibly nervous, and basically every time I accidentally tore out chunks of the maple I would start yelling at the chisels....cause it totally wasn't my fault.



dude i completely understand i swear at my tools too. you are not alone my friend


----------



## BlackMastodon

Purelojik said:


> dude i completely understand i swear at my tools too. you are not alone my friend


After working on my first build, I'm slowly starting to convince myself to try to be a vocalist in a death metal band . If only school allowed me to have the time to be in a band.


----------



## Purelojik

So i glued the neck and it'll be in clamps for 24 hours. lets pray everything goes alright. I left some wood near the nut and taped it off until after there was an adequate squeeze out. then i removed it so i can match up where the nut and first fret were mapped out. so far everythings lined up. once glue dries i need to go back to the cabinet place cause they have a belt sander which i'll use to true up the sides and make everything look nice and pretty and ready for fretting!!! 

kinda excited...


























i typically would have used a beam to press the fretboard but the one i had kept slipping since the board is radiused. so the clamps are placed in the center and the large clamps which drive 300+lbs of pressure are on the outer thirds. the rest are almost equally spaced thoughout. 

wish me luck dudes...


----------



## Necromagnon

Looks good!

For chisels work, you'll see, after a few uses, you will like it so much that you'll hardly never use your router any more. For my point of view, chisels are the best way to work with wood. It doesn't make noise, you control really easily what you're doing, if you slip, you don't destroy completely your wood, etc.
I use the router for a few things: contours (except fretboard), pickup cavities, and that's all. After that, I use mostly hand tools, specially for fretboard inlays, evenif it takes me a day to do it. (it gives me the feeling to be an artist  )


----------



## Purelojik

so 14 hours later, clamps are still on and probably will be for another 6 just for good measure. 

good thing is the fretboard has not moved from my desired position. I left some wood on the sides of the first fret to help me make sure of it and its within their margins on both sides so i am very happy! Next we're onto gluing the headplate and sandwiched veneers. After that some fretting and that arduous work and the neck should be ready for the tuners. Sperzel is awesome to work with and are sending me a custom set of 7 tuners in a black with gold accents satin finish. Should be sick!
















awesome thing with titebond 3 is it dries a light brown color not yellow like normal titebond. this works great because it basically blends into the mahogany im using!


----------



## Necromagnon

Some people say it's not really a good idea to left too long clamps in place. It apparently weakens joints. Normally, it's said how long you have to keep the joint clamp, and how many times you have to wait until force on the joint on the glue.

But for my part, when I glued both fingerboard, I left clamps for about a whole day, and I did not have problems for now.

To avoid fingerboard from moving when gluing it to the neck, a technic is to place two small nails on the first fret slot, and 2 others on the last fret slot. So the fingerboard is fixed to the neck, and will not move when you clamp it.

There will be a binding on that fingerboard?


----------



## Purelojik

yea i've heard that too. from what i've read titebond 3 needs to be clamped for 30 min and left unstressed for 24 hours. i left it clamped for about 16 hours then removed the clamps to imspect everything. my only thing is i hope the glue line isnt too visible. now i need to find a belt sander.


----------



## idunno

WOW! Your making fast progress. That oil finish will look great, they always do! Dont worry about the clamping thing, 24 hrs is fine. Although, next time i recommend not using blue painter tape to cover the trussrod. Its very thick and can screw up your glue line. I used scotch tape and cut it to within a few mm of the channel. 

And hell yes chisels rule! I sharpen my chisels up to .25 micron, which leaves a prefect mirror finish and cuts like a laser!


----------



## Purelojik

idunno said:


> WOW! Your making fast progress. That oil finish will look great, they always do! Dont worry about the clamping thing, 24 hrs is fine. Although, next time i recommend not using blue painter tape to cover the trussrod. Its very thick and can screw up your glue line. I used scotch tape and cut it to within a few mm of the channel.
> 
> And hell yes chisels rule! I sharpen my chisels up to .25 micron, which leaves a prefect mirror finish and cuts like a laser!



holy shit dude. those chisels are mirrors!


----------



## Purelojik

idunno said:


> Thank you! All my tools and knives are like that. I can push cut toilet paper and literally split hairs with them. Im a nerd like that haha.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I get paid to sharpen peoples kitchen knives sometimes. If you got something you need stupid sharp ill do it for free, you just gotta pay shipping and ill hook you up.



What kinda knife is that ? it looks sick.

And i appreciate the offer buddy. i might take you up on it once my tools dull out. I just stuck on two veneers on the back of the neck peghead for fun. im thinking of leaving the back veneer a light colored burl myrtlewood just for the sake of contrast. if i dont like it i'll put a sapele veneer over it. More pics tomorrow once i true up everything!!!


----------



## Necromagnon

Sharp tools is the best way to go.
I need to improve myself in sharpening. Your knifes look fucking killers!


----------



## Purelojik

Ok so i had some fun while watching the republican debate. since i dont have a spindle sander i just used my drill and a sanding drum. then sat on the floor and leveled out the awkward part of the back of the headstock.

i've been oggling Vik guitars headstocks and decided to see if i could do what he does and sandwich veneers. So i have some dark sapele veneer and some gorgeous mytlewood burl veneer. Originally i was gonna have the sapele be the one on the back but then i was like. fuck it im gonna have a contrasting back headstock. and you'll see why...




















That is gonna be thinned out and applied on the front to match the body's top.


AND NOW I GIVE YOU.....
































The front is getting a thin sapele veneer and then the thick myrtlewood piece from the offcut of the body's top. i'll have to somehow thin it out to about 1/8 or something. but thats for later!

hope you like!
a more detailed writeup is given here at my blog...


----------



## idunno

SHAZAAAM that looks good! Contrast is really striking! Glad to see im not the only one who uses the old foot clamp..

Oh yeah and that knife was a zero tolerance 0300. Designed by strider in conjnction with Kershaw. Its one of my favorite folders ever. Its like a freaking tank, stupid solid. Half titanium half g10 handle. I managed to get number 10 off the production line. Highly recommended!

Zero Tolerance 0300 Black Folder (Plain) Knife at The Kershaw Store you can get them cheaper off ebay, price came down a lot since it came out.


----------



## Purelojik

NEW CUSTOM COLOR SPERZEL DAY!!! + Microplane set!


















sooo stoked....so so soooooo stoked.....


----------



## Aevolve

Oooooooooh me likey.
And extremely good work so far my friend.


----------



## idunno

Those tuners are going to look siiiick!!!

Let me know how you feel about the microplanes, i might have to give them another go.


----------



## BlackMastodon

That is gonna be one tasty headstock man.
And idunno, you gotta teach me how to sharpen tools, that is some insane stuff you got there!


----------



## Purelojik

idunno said:


> Those tuners are going to look siiiick!!!
> 
> Let me know how you feel about the microplanes, i might have to give them another go.



holy shit dude, these are the most aggressive files i've tried. i havent tried the dragon rasps but these things destroy mahogany lol. its great!!!

i have a nicholson rasp from home depot and was cleaning up the smaller horn on the body. and it was taking forever. then i take the half round microplane rasp and lightly start and BAMF wood was shearing off. 

it doesnt gouge and does exactly what it says it does. the instructions say just let the rasp do the cutting and thats what i did, now i just need to learn to control this. 

i say give it another shot dude. i am pleasantly surprised.


----------



## Purelojik

Front headplate installed!!!

First i glued another thin sapele veneer on the top....

















Then i took that Myrtlewood offcut and glued it on top of that. aaand this is the result! I hit it with some mineral spirits and it showed the areas where the glue still stuck to so i'll sand that later...



























Now im just waiting for my 20in sanding block and side dots to come in the mail. then i can finally fret this thing after the fretboard is perfectly level.

so excited!!!!


alex myla


----------



## scherzo1928

thats looking awesome man!


----------



## Munch

Damn, that is gorgeous. I've never used veneer before, but how easy is it to make it conform to curves? I'm guessing that because it's so thin that when it gets wet with glue it kind of bows back a little anyway, but do you have to give it any special treatment?


----------



## Purelojik

Munch said:


> Damn, that is gorgeous. I've never used veneer before, but how easy is it to make it conform to curves? I'm guessing that because it's so thin that when it gets wet with glue it kind of bows back a little anyway, but do you have to give it any special treatment?



thanks dude. and you got it spot on. once wet it bends like crazy. Im using titebond III which probably isnt the best thing to use but im really not gonna buy another bottle of glue and it works decently. thing is with titebond 3 is that its actually less in viscosity than i thought it would be, so my advice is put a thick spread on, then the veneer, squeeze out. then remove, reapply a little glue then reapply veneer then clamp. wait a bit until the glue becomes tacky cause this shit gets slippery.

and im sure theres probably a better way to do it. im no pro by any means lol and its my first time doing anything like this. 

also for cutting veneer i'd probably have taped it first then cut cause its brittle as hell. hope it helps dude.


----------



## Munch

Ah, I never would have thought about the brittleness while cutting, thanks for the tip. I can't wait to get me some burl some day.

So far I've used Titebond I and II, and they've worked alright for me. I might give III a try, but I heard Titebond I is easier to work with repairs (ungluing joints) and has less glue creep, or something like that. I should research that stuff more. Thanks!


----------



## Munch

And I just notices you mentioned a hipshot 7 bridge from Keith Merrow. That guy is freaking awesome! What did you mean by it being "from" him? Did he endorse it or something?


----------



## Purelojik

Munch said:


> And I just notices you mentioned a hipshot 7 bridge from Keith Merrow. That guy is freaking awesome! What did you mean by it being "from" him? Did he endorse it or something?



haha no he was selling a hipshot 7 bridge he had for a great price and i jumped on it. he had it sent out fast too. i asked him to sign it and he did. super chill guy. and pretty much how i started getting interested in progressive metal stuff.


----------



## Munch

Wow. I am super jealous. That's like, baptism for your newborn (prenatal?) guitar.


----------



## g-zs

Don't like the headstock shape, but I could live with that because these Sperzels looks awesome!


----------



## Purelojik

even after sanding to 600 this fretboard started to shine like a mirror. then with a little danish oil and then some wax. this baby is ready to be fretted.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Daaaaaaaamn that's a nice fretboard.


----------



## straightshreddd

You win, dude. I'm mad stoked to see the end result. That fretboard looks sick.


----------



## scherzo1928

welcome to the macassar ebony fingerboard fan club. I'm inlove with mine.


----------



## otisct20

holy mother of god. that looks amazing so far!


----------



## Purelojik

Alright peoples this is what we got

i dont have a proper fretting hammer but i have a small non marring plastic mallet which did the job pretty damn well. i forgot the force necessary to seat a fret so the first fret isnt how i like it. its barely noticible and shouldnt be a problem. so after i got over being a pussy with the hammer, i used deliberate and purposeful hammerblows to seat the rest of the frets. now everything looks right...

Also i got bored while studying and superglued some left over veneer to some Jazz III picks from tortex and i actually like the result..dont really know why i did it... 

Anyhow...
































Yep now comes the annoying part....leveling and crowning...i seriously hate this part....


----------



## Alberto7

Oh, my Lord! How did I miss this build thread?! I'm glad I stumbled upon it. The photos, the woods, and the work all look so beautifully done! Can't wait for the next update!


----------



## Purelojik

Alberto7 said:


> Oh, my Lord! How did I miss this build thread?! I'm glad I stumbled upon it. The photos, the woods, and the work all look so beautifully done! Can't wait for the next update!



Thanks dude! glad you like the work so far!


The fretboards all masked off ready for my least favorite part of the whole process...


----------



## BlackMastodon

When you have finals to study for, literally everything else seems like an amazing idea and it will keep you from being productive. It's one of the laws of the universe.


----------



## Purelojik

BlackMastodon said:


> When you have finals to study for, literally everything else seems like an amazing idea and it will keep you from being productive. It's one of the laws of the universe.



no kidding dude, i remember when i was studying for my final year of med school i randomly started looking up the infinite crisis storyline of DC comics on wikipedia and got sucked into clicking link within link...it was like inception...


then i started freaking out cause i was getting short of time. luckily this one i keep myself roughly on a timer. usually 30 min to an hour a day.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Purelojik said:


> no kidding dude, i remember when i was studying for my final year of med school i randomly started looking up the infinite crisis storyline of DC comics on wikipedia and got sucked into clicking link within link...it was like inception...
> 
> 
> then i started freaking out cause i was getting short of time. luckily this one i keep myself roughly on a timer. usually 30 min to an hour a day.


This is why i completely stay away from Reddit and have never used Facebook.


----------



## Necromagnon

Looks great!
And this fingerboard... **** !!! Macassar is the best wood ever for fingerboard (and that's why I have 3 blanks and other 3 that will arrive soon at home...  )

For the veneer on the back of the headstock, I would have add a bright veneer between sapele and the headstock to contrast a little more.

And you didn't make a "scroll" (I don't know if my translation is good)? You don't fear the headstock may break?


----------



## Necromagnon

Ah!
I remember now the other question I wanted to ask you: where did you get your sperzel?!
I'm looking toward a set of 7 in lines, on the same color (black and gold) for a Parker Fly like 7 string (started spring 2012 I guess), and I can't find locking tuners in black/gold finish and 7 in line...


----------



## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> Ah!
> I remember now the other question I wanted to ask you: where did you get your sperzel?!
> I'm looking toward a set of 7 in lines, on the same color (black and gold) for a Parker Fly like 7 string (started spring 2012 I guess), and I can't find locking tuners in black/gold finish and 7 in line...



just call or email sperzel. ask for lori shes the one who helped me (alex myla) . the custom color combo or any knobs or whatever dont cost extra and if you say your a builder then the discount is wonderful. they make it in about a week then call you back and ship it out. fast service and they are very kind.


----------



## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> Looks great!
> And this fingerboard... **** !!! Macassar is the best wood ever for fingerboard (and that's why I have 3 blanks and other 3 that will arrive soon at home...  )
> 
> For the veneer on the back of the headstock, I would have add a bright veneer between sapele and the headstock to contrast a little more.
> 
> And you didn't make a "scroll" (I don't know if my translation is good)? You don't fear the headstock may break?



actually what do you mean scroll? do you mean volute? that bump on the back of the neck usually under the nut/neck angle? if so its gonna be there. and also given the way i've already abused this neck the joint is stronger than the wood itself. so unless i use it as a baseball bat then i think it should hold lol.


----------



## Necromagnon

Purelojik said:


> actually what do you mean scroll? do you mean volute? that bump on the back of the neck usually under the nut/neck angle? if so its gonna be there. and also given the way i've already abused this neck the joint is stronger than the wood itself. so unless i use it as a baseball bat then i think it should hold lol.


yes, volute. As it's the same word as in french, I was not sure it was this.

And thanx for the info about sperzel, I'll check that out!


----------



## BlackMastodon

Now when you say "tell them you're a builder," how lenient are they with that definition? 
Do they only give that discount to actual luthiers or are they cool about it with us hobbyists as well? Either way thanks for the info dude!


----------



## Purelojik

BlackMastodon said:


> Now when you say "tell them you're a builder," how lenient are they with that definition?
> Do they only give that discount to actual luthiers or are they cool about it with us hobbyists as well? Either way thanks for the info dude!



i told them i just build for myself and just for fun on the side. nothing serious. they are eager to help people out.


----------



## Mysticlamp

dios mio me gusta


----------



## Purelojik

hey guys been a little while since there was an update....

so i bought a belt sander for 40 bucks and my sister bought me a Dremel 4000 with all the random bits and stuff i like. so yea shes fucking awesome. 

anyhow... i used the small hand belt sander to thin the headstock a bit. its a bit uneven cause ive never used this thing before and it is heavy. then i used a forstner bit to create a neat little hole for where the truss rod should appear. luckily i remembered where it came out. Then some small chisel work and there you have it. i'll make the entry a bit neater with my new dremel and the sanding packs.

also i leveled the frets....i think and crowned them. didnt take too long and thats what worries me lol. i have a metal straight edge and cut it into pieces to act like a fret rocker. and so far only one side of one fret is high. Im highly suspicious cause this was seriously the easiest thing ever.....soooo im just gonna wait until i have strings and some tension on this neck so i can go back and make adjustments....

PICS!!!


----------



## Necris

This is looking amazing. I need to get motivated to actually try a build at some point, actually buying a piece of wood would probably help .


----------



## Purelojik

so i was thinking about what to do for a peghead logo/design/thing and i came up with something i think might work. i love the hawaiian fishhook and decided to try making one myself with some leftover veneer. and since i had the dremel, it made short work out of the larger areas. i had no idea i'd turn out this cool. now the problem is that if i want this to be on the headstock i'd have to set it in by actually hollowing out a cavity....so im not sure if i wanna do that with this exact piece or make on which is much thinner....

tell me what you think..



















































thoughts?


----------



## BlackMastodon

I actually really like that! The only problem would be hollowing out an area and then filling the excess space up again. A thinner piece is another possibility but if might not look as good if it isn't flush against the wood.


----------



## Purelojik

BlackMastodon said:


> I actually really like that! The only problem would be hollowing out an area and then filling the excess space up again. A thinner piece is another possibility but if might not look as good if it isn't flush against the wood.



yea i think i might just wait. im probably getting ahead of myself... maybe next time. i like the way the head stock looks with the natural myrtlewood.


----------



## UnderTheSign

I wouldn't fill up the excess space personally. Just use your dremel or a very small router bit to create the hollow space and insert the hook with some glue. Not filling it will give it a cool 3D look.


----------



## Necromagnon

For my part, I would make a second one and offer those awesome ear-rings to my sister. 


I would do a thinner piece of this, and just glue it on the headstock (so the piece has to be very thin). I think it could look nice. The only way to know, is to try out (without glue).
Anyway, awesome work on that piece!


----------



## Purelojik

UPDATE:

The neck pocket routing has finally begun!

BEHOLD


























more to follow...


----------



## Necromagnon

OMFG!
It's brutal luthery, dude! 

Don't you fear taht the small part of the neck on the lower horn will be too thin? It looks fragile.
But go on, this guitar will rock!


----------



## Aevolve

Do nothing but finish this guitar.

I need to see it.


Faps.


----------



## ibanezcollector

awesome job so far, cant wait to see more!!


----------



## BlackMastodon

Did....did you clean that out with that knife? If so, then that is one of the most metal ways to make a guitar


----------



## Purelojik

*BIG BOLD UPDATE*

So i hacked away with a chisel to square the pocket and finally fitted the neck. i wanted to do this before i glued the top so i could make sure the dimensions were correct. i have a bad history with neck pockets and so this method was a two prong solution. Anyhow its snug and holds its own without any bolts. i can shake it and twist it and it stays in place yet is easy enough to remove. then i took my dremel and routed out the top. 

because i guess i routed a few mm too much on the body i'll have to forego using the black veneer. this isnt really a problem at all and the top will sit nicely on the body with only the fretboard sitting proud over it. 

so as usual i took some overly dramatic photos just cause i can. Enjoy the pic dump.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

looking awesome man, keep up the good work


----------



## explosivo

I'm really digging the overall shape of the body and headstock. Keep up the good work!


----------



## Purelojik

thanks guys. tonight i'll hopefully glue on the top. im gonna do it in two parts so i can make damn sure that centerline stays in the center. wish me luck


----------



## BlackMastodon

Some very subtle instructions you have on the neck there .
Good to see this coming together, I'll live vicariously through you a bit with this build as mine is on hold for a bit due to it being cold as fuck and snowy at the moment.


----------



## Purelojik

BlackMastodon said:


> Some very subtle instructions you have on the neck there .
> Good to see this coming together, I'll live vicariously through you a bit with this build as mine is on hold for a bit due to it being cold as fuck and snowy at the moment.



dude i totally do that with other peoples builds on here. im trying to make this one with as few mistakes as possible. this forum is a drug for me. and vik guitars forum also. you learn soooo much from watching what others do here. its how i decided to start building my own guitars


----------



## 9voltchicken

I'm loving that myrtle. It grows locally and is readily available. Not to mention it's relatively inexpensive. You may have just inspired me to use myrtle in my next build...


----------



## ASoC

This build is looking great, and its coming along really quickly. The fact that you can do this while prepping for finals astounds me  

Its people like you that really make me want to pull the trigger and do something with the maple/maple neck sitting in my room right now. I just have one dilemma, I can't decide if I want to use mahogany or alder 
Any help?


----------



## Purelojik

ASoC said:


> This build is looking great, and its coming along really quickly. The fact that you can do this while prepping for finals astounds me
> 
> Its people like you that really make me want to pull the trigger and do something with the maple/maple neck sitting in my room right now. I just have one dilemma, I can't decide if I want to use mahogany or alder
> Any help?



thanks for the kind words! I say if you have the materials why not go for it? I remember before my first build i just sat around looking at the materials i had. then i realized the neck is the most essential part. i could just make the neck then make the body. the hardest part is just commiting to actually make a cut. but when you jump in and just do it you'll realize how fast things move. 

as for the mahogany or alder. i'd say you'd have to think of what kinda music u play. they both will sound wonderful but mahogany usually has a reputation of being fuller in the bottom end. alder is a good all rounder. i have a mahogany les paul paired with a maple neck and it sounds great. you really cant go wrong honestly.


----------



## ASoC

Purelojik said:


> thanks for the kind words! I say if you have the materials why not go for it? I remember before my first build i just sat around looking at the materials i had. then i realized the neck is the most essential part. i could just make the neck then make the body. the hardest part is just commiting to actually make a cut. but when you jump in and just do it you'll realize how fast things move.
> 
> as for the mahogany or alder. i'd say you'd have to think of what kinda music u play. they both will sound wonderful but mahogany usually has a reputation of being fuller in the bottom end. alder is a good all rounder. i have a mahogany les paul paired with a maple neck and it sounds great. you really cant go wrong honestly.



Thanks for the advice, I'm looking for a sound that has a powerful sound when palm muting. So is mahogany going to be a better choice for me?


----------



## Purelojik

ASoC said:


> Thanks for the advice, I'm looking for a sound that has a powerful sound when palm muting. So is mahogany going to be a better choice for me?



The palm mutes on my les paul are thunderous and tight( A-pig bridge) and i have my friends ibanez who has a SD distortion on a basswood RG. and those palm mutes are tight as hell with more of the mids pronounced. i think mahogany has a lotta extra lows, which are perceived as being a lot bigger in the sound spectrum. alder and basswood as far as i know focus more on the mids. which in all respect of things is what is most useful. sometimes its tough dialing in a tone with the mahogany les paul because i need to eliminate some of the low end when i record, and its not quite as upfront as i'd like. But then again its just me being snobby. 

i say go and play some les pauls or guitars with similar woods to what your gonna use. spend some time and really appreciate the nuances. there are differences but your gonna be hard pressed to find a night and day difference. (except my experiences with swamp ash which is one of the more distinctive and snappy woods). anyhow enough rambling.


----------



## ASoC

Purelojik said:


> The palm mutes on my les paul are thunderous and tight( A-pig bridge) and i have my friends ibanez who has a SD distortion on a basswood RG. and those palm mutes are tight as hell with more of the mids pronounced. i think mahogany has a lotta extra lows, which are perceived as being a lot bigger in the sound spectrum. alder and basswood as far as i know focus more on the mids. which in all respect of things is what is most useful. sometimes its tough dialing in a tone with the mahogany les paul because i need to eliminate some of the low end when i record, and its not quite as upfront as i'd like. But then again its just me being snobby.
> 
> i say go and play some les pauls or guitars with similar woods to what your gonna use. spend some time and really appreciate the nuances. there are differences but your gonna be hard pressed to find a night and day difference. (except my experiences with swamp ash which is one of the more distinctive and snappy woods). anyhow enough rambling.



I have a Les Paul Studio (Epiphone, I've had it for a long time) and I feel like I've become disenchanted with it. I'm not a huge fan of the TOM bridge. I'm pretty sure I remember it sounding monstrous in drop C, but the lowest I tune a 6 string these days is drop D. I'll have to pull it out of its case and listen to it.

EDIT: Upon playing my jackson and my les paul A/B style, I do hear a noticeable difference. I think that instead of building a mahogany guitar, I'll put new pickups in my les paul and I'll build an alder guitar since I don't already have one. Now to figure out what kind of pickups I want in each 

And again, thanks for all your help. You've got a great looking guitar going


----------



## Necromagnon

If I can give my opinion (and I'm quite sure a lot of people will desagree):
wood is only about look.

I explain: we're building guitars, we're amateur, working as we can, no special place to do, no special tools, and further no really huge knowledge. It's not a problem as you can see that one amateur like purejolik can make a freaking guitar!
But what I said is that the sound of your guitar will be influence with so much parameters before wood that you may choose a wood more for its look, price, availability and all that, than for it sounds.

Even in professionally built guitars, influence of wood is very very very hard to determine, so for us, amateurs, I just can't figure that out.

If you want, you can try it by yourself: build to same guitars, with same pickups, bridge, everything, except wood. I'm not sure that one can hear the difference between those.

But I agree with purejolik: you have to jump in and start your first build. The first step is hard, but then so addictive that you'll never stop! 

For the topic of this thread, I'll stop now giving great words that become obsoletes and will only congratulate you one big time at the end.


----------



## Purelojik

Ok guys check this out. top is glued in two parts which i had to do cause i didnt have enough clamps so i planned accordingly. went well then trimmed the tops overhang i left intentionally. 

i woke up early today and sat with a skill belt sander i got for 40 bucks in between my feet and flush sanded the entire body. then took my detail sander and tried to get as much of the glue off the top as possible. 

i then hit it with some danish oil to reveal the beauty and i was soooo happy.....

until i dinged the inside of the neck pocket. really have no idea how that happened, its such a stupid area. anyhow sanded that and replaced the missing piece with some titebond and sawdust of the matching color. small piece hopefully wont be too noticible. anyhow i wont lose sleep over it.



















































BAMF!


----------



## Levi79

This looks phenomenal. I'm going to starting my first build soon and seeing work like this is inspiring. Excellent job dude.


----------



## Purelojik

So Home Depot sells these carbide router bits for the dremel trio and holy shit they work well. i used a flush trim bit and squared up the pocket. the neck isnt suuuper dead on with the midline but when i drew the lines from the sides of the fretboard it was good enough. before i'd hack away at the pocket to make it dead center but honestly i dont wanna kill this job. when everythings in place it wont even be noticible. so i fit the neck and its still suuper snug and it just looks great. i took a buncha more pics. so here you go.










































Thats all for now~!


----------



## idunno

Yes!Glad to see some good progress. I really love the colors!.


----------



## ASoC

Purelojik said:


>



That setup... 

This build is looking better and better every time I click this thread. Hoping mine turns out half as cool, I just ordered a bunch of stuff  

Good luck with the rest of your build and I'm looking forward to seeing it finished.


----------



## Necromagnon

Now, I'm blind...
This top is awesome. I should try one someday. 

And it seems you use to much glue. 
A tip if you don't know it yet: to prevent glue from sticking everything, you can use cooking paper (I don't know the exact translation for that), or also cellophane films, or even double side adhesive tape protection paper. It will prevent every mark you can have, and also allows you to don't stress joint when getting your wood out of its support (I've forgot that when glued the body of the PRS, and I have a big trace of mdf on an honduras mahogany body...  )

What will be the finish of this guitar? Oiled?


----------



## 9voltchicken

Purelojik said:


>



Nice view!


----------



## scherzo1928

Necromagnon said:


> And it seems you use to much glue.
> A tip if you don't know it yet: to prevent glue from sticking everything, you can use cooking paper (I don't know the exact translation for that)


 
Waxed paper? that works really well for me. Works even when using epoxy glues, and you can use it more than once... great stuff.


----------



## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> Now, I'm blind...
> This top is awesome. I should try one someday.
> 
> And it seems you use to much glue.
> A tip if you don't know it yet: to prevent glue from sticking everything, you can use cooking paper
> 
> What will be the finish of this guitar? Oiled?



Yea the reason i used a shit ton of glue is because on the last fanned seven string build i did in india. while i was carving the body, the body's top cracked open....it was a nightmare.

See the disaster here

See the recovery...

All in all it went alright, yea i should have used wax paper but i think i got too excited and just went ahead with it, thinking i could manage. next time for sure. 

the finish is gonna be oiled but in two steps. I started another thread earlier (HERE) with pics of test finishes. i think im gonna use Watco Danish Oil in natural for the top and Medium Walnut for the back and neck. Gonna apply a bunch of coats cause it penetrates and hardens in the wood making the wood stronger but theres no topcoat. I tried using minwax wipe on poly but i cant seem to get it right. instead im going to use Formby's Tung Oil Finish (high gloss). On the test piece im using it on it looks very nice. I then started applying it on the piece of wood which i had put the watco danish oil and it is an awesome combination. The Watco really brings out the contrasting colors of the grain, while the formbys, since its basically an oil varnish mix with very little if any tung oil, provides a nice thin topcoat which shines tremendously after about 8-10 coats. Its just the right amount of sheen too. Almost like a poly finish with the depth of oil.


----------



## Necromagnon

Don't know those oils. Can't wait to see the results, sounds interesting...



Purelojik said:


> Yea the reason i used a shit ton of glue is because on the last fanned seven string build i did in india. while i was carving the body, the body's top cracked open....it was a nightmare.
> 
> See the disaster here


It's not a matter of how much glue there is. In fact, it's all the contrary. Glue makes joint, but glue itself is really weaker than wood. So, if there's a thick layer of pure glue between to piece of wood, you can be sure it will break really earlier than wood itself.
In your case, it's a problem of how dried was your wood, and cchanges in hygrometry (?). It's a real problem. I has some pieces of wood that where straight and dry, and just gone f***** buckled just because I moved them out of the garage...

Scherzo: yes, that's it! Waxed paper. It works incredibly well.

Anyway, purejolik seems to have a freaking apartment also...


----------



## drmosh

This is fantastic. Can't wait to see the end product.

You inspire me to try my hand one day too!


----------



## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> Don't know those oils. Can't wait to see the results, sounds interesting...
> 
> 
> It's not a matter of how much glue there is. In fact, it's all the contrary. Glue makes joint, but glue itself is really weaker than wood. So, if there's a thick layer of pure glue between to piece of wood, you can be sure it will break really earlier than wood itself.
> In your case, it's a problem of how dried was your wood, and cchanges in hygrometry (?). It's a real problem. I has some pieces of wood that where straight and dry, and just gone f***** buckled just because I moved them out of the garage...
> 
> Scherzo: yes, that's it! Waxed paper. It works incredibly well.
> 
> Anyway, purejolik seems to have a freaking apartment also...




yea i guess your right about the glue. that makes sense.

im actually at home in california, and it is just gorgeous outside. im so glad to be back home. i've been in india the last 6 years for med school and now im home studying, and in my small time i set aside, building this guitar.


----------



## Solodini

I always heard people saying that glue was usually stronger than the wood.


----------



## Necromagnon

Solodini said:


> I always heard people saying that glue was usually stronger than the wood.


And it's false. In terms of mechanic resistance, it's really less stronger, and it's also very brittle. I know it's not a common vision, and it doesn't make a long time I'm ok with this, I believed a long time the common vision.

You can do the experiment if you want. Just take a stick of wood glue, and the same sized stick of wood, and give a punch or anything you want (bending, traction, etc.). The glue will brake earlier than wood, even soft woods.



It's always hard to make just the good quantity of glue. Not too much, but enough... It's hard to dose it well.


----------



## Purelojik

Solodini said:


> I always heard people saying that glue was usually stronger than the wood.



the glue itself isnt. but the bond which happens between the mating surfaces becomes stronger than the wood itself. thats why they say a properly done scarf joint is very very strong. I mean on the whole fully cured titebond is pretty damn strong.


----------



## Purelojik

Ok so i finally got to bolt this baby together and damn this thing is strong. i remember seeing on darrens facebook that he might just use two bots diagonal from eachother and i can see why. this neck is snug as it is and with just two bolts installed its not moving anywhere. check this out.












And some lines for when i tidy up this messy area...


----------



## Purelojik

Man so i've been dying to try out the microplane rasps on the neck. and so i decided to make the depth cut near the nut and will later do the heel once i fix up the heel on the body. 

these things make rasping effortless. no elbow grease at all. just let it do its own work and there you have it. 

heres what i've done. i think i'll leave the rest until im done with my exam. i like rasping the neck while watching a marathon of 24 or something crazy. 

anyhow check this out.


----------



## Necromagnon

This veneer is gorgeous!


----------



## idunno

Coming along very well! I guess I should get some of those rasps now...


----------



## Purelojik

idunno said:


> Coming along very well! I guess I should get some of those rasps now...



get the woodworking intro set or soemthing . thats what i got. lol its litterally like small planes cutting your work. something very zen about using rasps.

i shaped the neck pocket to its final contour.. now i have a choice to make and i'll need some input.

For the heel and back of the body should i :

1. Carve it like an RG/Strat (AANJ, belly contour and rounded edges)

or

2. Carve it like a Blackmachine (chamfered all around)

regardless im doing the integrated armrest chamfer like BM and greenfield guitars. i like my flattop look and the cutaways are gonna be sculpted like Nolly's Duality Vik guitar.

So help me out peoples


----------



## BlackMastodon

Never tried a chamfered guitar but can't go wrong with a nice stomach contour made just for you.


----------



## Purelojik

Tuning Machine Layout.

I really dont like this part very much...


----------



## Purelojik

Ok so i had plans to get everything strung up today but realized i didnt have the correct drill bit for the holes on the peghead. so that screwed up all my anticipation...


anyhow so remember at xmas my sister got me a buncha cool stuff? one of them was a specialty router bit set for my dremel trio. SO i decided to give the 1/4 in Chamfer bit a whirl. it has a bearing on the bottom to follow the contour of the body which is nice. So i just went for it. and im pretty happy with the result. i put the neck on and felt where the heel is and it feels just like my les paul only more comfortable. still dont know if im gonna slope the heel as it really doesnt bother me and i dont do much lead work. but we'll see. 

Anyhow heres some pics!!!.






















maybe i'll have better luck next time...

thoughts?


----------



## BlackMastodon

Better luck with what? I think that chamfer looks really good! As long as it's comfortable for you then it's all good.


----------



## Purelojik

BlackMastodon said:


> Better luck with what? I think that chamfer looks really good! As long as it's comfortable for you then it's all good.



Better luck another day with my attempt to string everything up for a dry run..

Thanks dude yea it's really comfy


----------



## ibanezcollector

I like the chamfer


----------



## idunno

Nothin better than some fresh bits! Looks great, chamfer was the way to go for sure.


----------



## Necromagnon

I think you should round a little those edge. I don't like so much sharp edges, and it's fragile also.

For the heel, I think you can carve it a little, something like that:






For the tuning machine, on this photo:


>



The 3rd tuning machine is a little bit inside the head. I think, for my part, that you should do an offset of the curve of the headstock, and place the axes of your tuning machine on it.
But I agree: placing tuning machine is very unpleasant to do...

Looks great, anyway!


----------



## Purelojik

Ok dudes did this real quick so i can map out pickup routes and such. i was in the zone. managed to do all this in about 30 min!






The drill initially slipped so one of the tuners is slightly higher in the line. isnt so bad but whatever. i chose to put the tuners in an arrow sort of shape to minimize string angle over the nut. i wanted a pretty soft angle. and so i was happy with that.
































And as a bummer for the night i seemed to have misplaced my tiny allen wrench for the hipshot saddles. they are so freakin tiny. so i tuned what strings i could just to hear it acoustically and it sounds wonderful. I put my ear to the body as a strummed a few chords and the sound conducts even better than my les paul. With the BKPs that are going in it i simply cannot wait to finish this. 


unfortunately this is all i can do for now. I have a month left until my Medical Boards and so i intend to go into beast mode until its over. Wish me luck guys and i'll see you when im one step closer to being a registered medical practitioner!


----------



## Necromagnon

Purelojik said:


>


What are those marks on the side of the body?

Anyway, hipshot bridges are awesome! I near use only their stuff (it reminds me I have order pending...).

Which BK did you buy? I'm building in the same time than my 8 string a 7 for a friend, with BKps. I think he'll be happy to see and listen to those beasts!

And good luck for your finals, dude!


----------



## BlackMastodon

Good luck with licensing dude! It's nice to see this thing strung up, can't wait to see it all finished.


----------



## DropSplash

Still, this is freaking awesome. Good job man.


----------



## Purelojik

ok so i couldnt resist. i had to take some glamour shots.... lol





















i wanna hear the BKPS in it NAAAOOO!!!!! arghhhhh


----------



## Levi79

That looks incredible dude. To be honest, the headstock design doesn't do it for me, but this build is phenomenal.


----------



## Aevolve

Gimme.


----------



## DropSplash

How does it feel so far?


----------



## scherzo1928

best of luck with your tests!


----------



## Purelojik

Thanks guys! thanks for following and the support. i'll be back and have this done in a matter of days.

@penny1 : it feels pretty good already the heel is chunkier than most will like but i like it cause it reminds me of my les paul. its strange playing it when the neck isnt carved lol. but still im able to move around decently eventhough its s 2x4 at the moment lol.


----------



## Fiction

Awesome build, man!

I actually didn't really like the headstock, but in those last set of photos it actually looks really good now.


----------



## Purelojik

So i did well on a practice test and then took the rest of the day off and wanted to rout the pup cavities. This was done with the dremel trio in three passes (all freehand!) and the ears were painstakingly carved with a chisel. im gonna see if i can use threaded inserts for the pickup screws instead of the crazy large direct mount screws they gave me. that way i'll be able to use the normal pickup screws and wont devalue the pickups. i mean i dont think i'll change em out for anythign else so if all else fails i'll just countersink a larger screw hole and just say screw it. 

Anyways heres what i did when given a few hours....
















Then i used a 1/4th chamfer bit for the dremel trio and routed the blackmachine armrest. it aint as easy as u might think, its easy to get it so it looks like Huf's armrest but to get the blackmachine's one you gottta taper it which isnt easy to control.

Then i hit it with a coat of danish oil natural....











Then Freehanded the routes after using a forstner bit to hog out some wood.
















Then two more passes and i have this!!!






















And BAMF! there you have it!


----------



## Necromagnon




----------



## Levi79




----------



## slowro

Woah that is looking great! 

MOARRRRRR


----------



## BlackMastodon

You have the patience of a saint to route those bad boys freehand! Hats off to you.
And I have one thing to say about that danish oil:


----------



## guitarbuilder93

Those routes are freehand? Go away 

Nice job! I really like the shape, it's a good mix between aggressive and mild. This build's coming along great!


----------



## Purelojik

thanks guys im excited to see this thing done too. 

Freehand routing is fun but scary as hell. when you go a certain direction theres a pull and theres a kick. so once i was able to predict when it was gonna do that it all was cake.

however there was one area where i got overzealous and tried to rush things. if you look at the bridge pup rout on the little part above the right pickup ear theres a bit of wood that doesnt seem too conspicuous but thats a repair i had to do. ont he first pass i went too far cause the dust and everything. i kicked myself then got out my dremel 4000 my sis got me. Luckily i never threw any scraps away. i saved all my sawdust and all the offcuts just for just this occasion then i chipped and sanded away until i made a piece that fit well. then put a tiny amount of tightbond with some myrtlewood dust like i've seen people do on other builds and voila! problem solved!

anyhow i seriously cant wait for this to be done!


----------



## DropSplash

It's soooo close!


----------



## Augury

Killer. Can't wait to see this thing done.


----------



## cthom124

any more news on this sweet guitar


----------



## Purelojik

cthom124 said:


> any more news on this sweet guitar



haha hey dude, i still get updated by email. the only update i have is i made a back panel cover, and i guess i can upload some pics but all i've been doin is studying. got a week exactly until this test and im stressing hardcore...

so i decided to use tru oil as my finish. starting with danish oil to really soak in and pop the gain for that brilliant chatoyance.

so here goes.

first i cut some scrap then used the belt sander to thin it out a bit.












then some danish oil






Then a coat of tru oil






Then more and more and more and a buncha screw ups and sand thrus and starting overs.....
















then lost count of the counts and just stopped cause im sure this is as much as i'll do.. then now im just waiting till after the test. by then it'll hav e cured fully. then i can wet sand and polish to a high gloss. Afterwards then i can decide if thats what i really want and if not then i'll just take it back down a bit to a nice high sheen.







Wish me luck guys i need all the good vibes possible...


----------



## cthom124

good vibes sent i look for updates of pics everyday i love seeing this beast. and i hope when it is done we can get a vid of it


----------



## BlackMastodon

Good luck with the test man, can't wait to see this thing done!


----------



## Necromagnon

Holy crap! What an awesome oil finish!


----------



## Geognosy

I wouldn't even guess that so much of the work on this guitar was done freehand. You definitely have some good fine control skills!


----------



## Onyx8String

I just found this build. I am extremely jealous and which I had the talent to create such a masterpiece! This is fantastic work! I love how you take time to create artistic photos as well, very emotional.


----------



## 7stringDemon

I've never seen so much win all in one place in my life.

Bravo dude!


----------



## AndrewG716

Pumped to see this finished.

Also, covalent lysine-hydroxylysine bonding to the tropocollagen??? WTF??? Have fun with that test.


----------



## Faine

I really cant wait to see this finished!


----------



## ejendres

Dude. Frickin' INCREDIBLE.

Looking forward to seeing more man.


----------



## Levi79

Neeeeeed
Progresssssss!


----------



## Purelojik

Levi79 said:


> Neeeeeed
> Progresssssss!



oh there will be. very very soon. The day after tomorrow is my exams so i need as many good vibes as i can get! i'll see you guys soon!


----------



## Levi79

Stoooooooooked!


----------



## Sirppi

Good vibes sent!


----------



## ASoC

Good vibes sent!  I'm sure that you've got this.

Also, I can't wait to see this thing finished  It looks like it'll be a definite monster


----------



## IkarusOnFire

Hey mate - danish oil and tru oil seems very nice, has a sweet mirror finish..._but will it dent?_ 
Sorry...pun intended...I am wondering how hard that coating is. It looks really hard, but compared to a think layer of standard lacquer? Any thoughts/experience on this?


----------



## Necromagnon

For what I know about oil finish, it's very hardless than a huge layer of plastic coating like what is done on manufacturers build. 
But the advantages are many: cheap, not smelly, easy to do and easy to retouch (??) when there's a scratch, etd.

This is my point of view. And now, with some water-based lacquer, you can have a good finishing, easy to apply also, not smelly, and easy to clean your tools.

I'm taking my bass to send good low vibes, dude!!


----------



## Purelojik

Hey guys im back! 
The test was probably the hardest thing i've taken, with questions designed to demoralize. so needless to say i really dont know how i did and im trying to hope for the best. most people who take this test feel the same but anyhow. i needed to preoccupy my mind so i put Lord of the Rings on and started working on the neck during the last movie. it took a while but not as long as i thought it was. mostly due to these awesome microplane rasps.

So without further ado....

























































i got the idea to use a plane from Huf's vids. he usually takes them down so i used keepvid to save the ones i could. i asked him a questions about it on his Facebook but he deletes my comments. seems like its something he usually does unless its undulant praise. hes a good luthier but it kinda ticked me off that he didnt even respond and say hey sorry i dont wanna discuss this or something. anyhow my rant is done i know his name should appear here but im just trying to learn. 

Hope you guys enjoy!!


----------



## Alberto7

That neck-carve looks great, man! What kind of shape did you go for? You really do have some mad luthiery skills built within you 

Also, let's hope that you did well on your test!

And yeah, my opinion on him... Has been downgrading a lot these past few months. I understand your need to rant.


----------



## cthom124

way to go man love the progress!!!!
i hope to aced your test! those things are a bitch!


----------



## Purelojik

Alberto7 said:


> That neck-carve looks great, man! What kind of shape did you go for? You really do have some mad luthiery skills built within you
> 
> Also, let's hope that you did well on your test!
> 
> And yeah, my opinion on him... Has been downgrading a lot these past few months. I understand your need to rant.



i actually didnt have anything in mind when i was carving. i was just going by feel. i did two depth cuts and basically rasped and sanded the shit out in between its still a mm or two higher but it'll all come down in final sanding probably. the heel area is a bit tricky so im leaving that for now as im still kinda restless and dont have the patience to be meticulous. 

anyhow so by the end it looks like its a nice mix between the warmoth standard thin and a ibanez wizard. which i never thought i'd be able to achieve! feels amazing and i dont mean to toot my own horn but im pretty damn proud of how it looks so far. 


SO The update for today is i did some body bevel shit. also sanded the remainder of the glue of the body sides with a drum sanding bit for the drill. i'll need to work up the grades of sandpaper to make all the sides look pretty but thats another day. 

i got the dremel out and went to town. Check this out guys...





























Since i usually watch a movie while i do stuff i was watching Predator lol.


----------



## Levi79

It's getting there! So sick!


----------



## Purelojik

IkarusOnFire said:


> Hey mate - danish oil and tru oil seems very nice, has a sweet mirror finish..._but will it dent?_
> Sorry...pun intended...I am wondering how hard that coating is. It looks really hard, but compared to a think layer of standard lacquer? Any thoughts/experience on this?



hey man sorry forgot to respond to this comment. the tru oil topcoat will dent because its a thin hard finish. but its easily reparable. im no expert at applying it and i've made a ton of mistakes but it looks nice. i think i'll be leaving it at a night high sheen instead of a laquer type gloss.

over on the gear page theres a guy who builds custom lapsteels named tom pettigil or osmething his name on the forum is Quarter. and his work with tru oil is virtually indistinguishable from lacquer. its quite labor intensive but looks gorgeous and has a mirror finish.


----------



## Purelojik

so i sanded the sides of the body today. originally i'd used a 60 grit mandrel for my drill and it did the trick but was rough as hell. so i figured why not use the dremel?

the result was amazing. better than hand sanding it . it cleared up everything then i went with 320 sandpaper and straight to 600. im gonna leave the back of the guitar textured and the sides smooth like a babys butt. 


Also i've finished the volute which i kept messing up lol.









































Its not oil on there its just mineral spirits to show the chatoyance and figure.

tomorrow im going over all the chamfers again cause i wanna keep it with the newly sanded body. then im gonna drill the control cavity, drill the ground channel from the bridge, then routes from the pups to the cavity.

then the fun part starts! i get to start applying the shitton of coats on the body and just watching the beautiful figure pop! and of course i'll be posting an absurd amount of pictures. 

enjoy buddies..


----------



## Purelojik

Ok guys check this out. 


























im loving the way this is looking. not to mention it feels like butter.


----------



## Alberto7

I am thoroughly and utterly impressed. It looks so neat, and that sapele looks RED. I love it!


----------



## DropSplash

Duuuude. Sooooo siiiiiiiiick.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Oh lawd! That is nice looking!


----------



## Levi79

Holy bro. Looks insane!


----------



## TimSE

Damn! I havnt checked this thread in a long while! Fantastic updates


----------



## Purelojik

Check out my sexy bevels!

pics here are taken with a coat of danish oil. no filters except some fancy borders. lol
















EDIT: the dremel is hands down the most useful tool i've used...


----------



## Pikka Bird

Wonderful! 

Only thing- The low E and high B tuners seem awfully close to the edge compared to the others...


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## Levi79

I'm going to start my first build hopefully soon. You'd definitely recommend getting a dremel then? Which one do you have? What accessories are worth while getting?


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## Purelojik

Pikka Bird said:


> Wonderful!
> 
> Only thing- The low E and high B tuners seem awfully close to the edge compared to the others...



yea its close but i just popped in the top part of the tuners and everythings fine. the tuner holes i kinda messed up on but thats teh price i pay for not having a proper drill press. also the back ferrules will be a bit wonky but i'll try not to make it too woobbly. lol

good eye though!


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## 7stringDemon

This is what Satan would play when he wants to make himself look cooler. . . . .


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## Pikka Bird

Purelojik said:


> yea its close but i just popped in the top part of the tuners and everythings fine. the tuner holes i kinda messed up on but thats teh price i pay for not having a proper drill press. also the back ferrules will be a bit wonky but i'll try not to make it too woobbly. lol
> 
> good eye though!



Well, if you want it to look totally sharp then you could glue in a dowel and redrill the hole a little further from the edge. Just make sure the new hole is not moved further than the body of the tuner machine on the back and the washer on the front will cover...

But that could be something you could always do further down the line, it's definitely not important right now.


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## Purelojik

Pikka Bird said:


> Well, if you want it to look totally sharp then you could glue in a dowel and redrill the hole a little further from the edge. Just make sure the new hole is not moved further than the body of the tuner machine on the back and the washer on the front will cover...
> 
> But that could be something you could always do further down the line, it's definitely not important right now.



i was thinking of that. but honestly without a proper tool im afraid i'd just botch the whole thing up. if theres something i've learned especially in the last guitar i made where i made waaay too many mistakes and rushed way too much, is that if it looks ok for now with what you have then leave it. the chances of messing it up further is higher than the chances of making it look better.

next guitar i build i'll be planning everything hopefully using some computer software or something. Aaron rose said he'd give me a hand, awesome dude. so hopefully next time it'll be spot on. this build i was just roughing it.


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## Purelojik

Levi79 said:


> I'm going to start my first build hopefully soon. You'd definitely recommend getting a dremel then? Which one do you have? What accessories are worth while getting?



yea i recommend it. you'll end up finding random uses for it and it makes life pretty easy. the dremel trio is good for small time routing but you wont be able to use patterns or anything, just freehand. 

i have the dremel4000 and it came with a buncha bits and attachments. i recommend the sanding drums with various grits and a lot of them. also the router bit with depth stop attachment. the cutting wheels have been very helpful. and the universal chuck that accepts all sorts of bit sizes. 

its a pretty powerful tool for what it can do and definitely makes life easy. just make sure to go slow and dont get over zealous like i do sometimes lol


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## Necromagnon

Great job! It looks awesome (sorry, can't anything else, it's all censored... )

For routing, I would advise to use a bigger router than a dremel. It generally cost less, and it works better for use with templates.
I've bought mine on second hand to a friend, and it cost me 50$ with a box of 12 bits of great quality.


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## Purelojik

Ok guys shes pretty much ready for finishing.

drilled holes for pup to the control cavity that was a challenge as well as getting the ground hole to the cavity.

i had to eyeball it and it was kinda risky. i drilled halfway with one bit and halfway with another to avoid damagin the body. there was one scuff but it was under the bridge area so im alright. 

drilled the ferrule holes and they look alright just a bit wonky.

then applied another coat of danish oil. 

my plan is to apply three coats of danish oil to let it sink in and preserve that gorgeous chatoyance of the wood. 

what i've found is that if you tru oil it right away it doesnt pop as much. at least thats what i've seen on my test samples.

so after three or four coats i'll let it dry for 3 days then start the tru oil applications!

anyhow PICS!


















The Ground hole sees the light!!















OH YEAAAAA


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## Levi79

Aw shit.


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## Purelojik

hey guys check this out. i just oiled the back.


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## Levi79

Ok. So. It looks like I'm using danish oil instead of tung oil on my build.


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## cthom124

fap fap fap fap!!!!!!! i hope my wood lol on my 7 isnt crap under the paint job


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## Purelojik

Levi79 said:


> Ok. So. It looks like I'm using danish oil instead of tung oil on my build.



the danish oil feels awesome even if you dont use a topcoat. one thing to remember is that it penetrates and does not really set up on the surface. 

my whole thing is i wetsand with the slurry method to fill the pores a little. then i put thick layers of danish oil on and let it get a little tacky. then i wipe across the grain so most of the stuff gets left in the pores. then later when it dries i'll start with the tru oil.

that allows the light to penetrate deep into the pores while still having a glass smooth feel. im not gonna go for a laquer mirror gloss but rather a sheen i got on one of my test pieces. its gonna look killer once its done.

EDIT: also you could just do a buncha danish oil coats then just use wax and get a nice warm satin look to it. i've done it on my last guitar and it looks very nice. but you'll feel the wood and eveyrhting. i like that about it, some others wont


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## Necromagnon

!!!


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## Alberto7

Sweet baby Jesus, man, that's intense!


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## HighPotency

I'm planning on using tru-oil on a build. I also bought the filler/sealer. I want to use blue dye on the top; could I put tru-oil over that? And do you buff it once you have all of the coats you want? Or do you leave it as is?


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## Purelojik

HighPotency said:


> I'm planning on using tru-oil on a build. I also bought the filler/sealer. I want to use blue dye on the top; could I put tru-oil over that? And do you buff it once you have all of the coats you want? Or do you leave it as is?



im no expert but i've done a lotta reading on tru oil and stuff. people say if your using a stain make sure its perfectly dry before adding any oil cause it may wash out. 

tru oil isnt a hot finish like lacquer which burns in each previous layer to make one homogenous layer. it oxidizes when exposed to air and each layer litterall lays upon each other. 


you'll have to lightly steel wool in between every three or so coats to make sure its all going on level and put on very thin coats. hoenstly maybe i dont know how to use steel wool but it really doesnt do much other than eliminate a few layers. but i guess thats how it is. you put on a buncha layers then sand back a few, then repeat.

then when you reach your desired look you stop and lightly wetsand with mineral spirits or something.... that part im really not too sure on. but on one of my test pieces thats what i did then i put some wax on it and it got this super high sheen. not gloss but sheen. for gloss you'll have to build up a lot then wet sand with progressively higher grades of sandpaper. 

EDIT: sorry before you wetsand you have to let it fully cure for about a week or two.


Quarter (tom pettignill) on TGP has some incredible, and when i say incredible i mean INCREDIBLE work. search tru oil on the TGP and you'll find the page. im just gonna go with how it looks rather than a set schedule. and of course you all will see how its going.


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## Purelojik

check this out. 

this is two coats of tru oil. it went on differently than when i did the test strip and required me to move fast to make sure the entire surface was wet. so after the first coat went on i wasnt very happy so i wetted the entire surface with mineral spirits and then wiped another coat on. the mineral spirits should have thinned out the oil a bit. either way it went on alright and i think thats what im gonna do now. just wipe on some spirits and let it dry a little then quickly wipe on a coat of tru oil. 

PICs

















EDIT: keep in mind in these pictures, the finish is dry, it really does preserve the wet look and i love it. its only two coats and still a ton more to go!!!


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## Purelojik

So i think i have about 8-10 coats. i kinda lost track. its been kinda hard to get the layers on thin enough so it still looks smooth. so i went the opposite way.

i bought a preval spray gun and thinned out some tru oil and blasted the damn thing. i put on a very thick coat, which is contrary to what people do but i figure what the hell.

so check this. the preval sprayer is good but since tru oil builds up particles it sprayed that occasionally in my finish. so what i did was i'd spray a heavy coat then wait 10 min until it started getting tacky then took a cloth with mineral spirits and rubbed. it thinned out the oil and left a smooth top. this initial heavy coat helped a lot. the next layers i applied by hand and went smoothly. occasionally i'd get some streaks but i guess theres no real way to avoid that when using an old t shirt. 

this morning i decided to just have some fun with my micromesh abrasives and wet sanded all the way the hell up to 12000 just for fun. the surface is smoother than a babys butt and the next coats went on very smooth. 

im kinda just feeling this whole process out but i think i like how it looks now. i might just leave it to cure for the next week and see if i can polish it out to a super high lacquer gloss like Quarter/tom pettingil does. 





















i've screwed up a lotta coats before just cause i got too anxious to just buff out something. dont know why it happens i think i just wanna see this thing done lol. anyhow hope you enjoy the progress.


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## aaron_rose

This is awesome!!!! NIce work man!


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## cthom124

... nice


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## Necromagnon

What a nice weather...



Stop working like that, everything else will look sh*t after this...


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## kostein

Holy crap batman!


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## Mister-Tux

Really awesome! I'm looking forward to see this guitar finished


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## Purelojik

ok so i've reached a point where i dont see a visible difference and i feel i should stop. i had soem trouble with the finish at some points so i just sanded 2000 grit all the way up to 12000 for fun again and it was so damn smooth i just put a heavily thinned coat on and called it a day.

so here it is. both neck and body are pretty much done. and all thats left is for the finish to harden. the humidity here is 50% on average so im looking at about 1.5-2 weeks for a fully cured finish.. which sucks cause i want to play it now.


anyhow does anyone have any tips on whats the best way to go about polishing this thing after it cures? i was thinkin of using a foam polishing pad with some finesse it compound and see how that looks.


please let me know if you've had experience with polishing out to a high gloss or sheen. 


PICS:



































i hate waiting...


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## Levi79

Shit man. This is sliiiiiiick. Stoked to see it all put together.


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## cthom124

man i wanna hear this beast played


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## aaron_rose

yes yes yes! This thing is turning out amazing!!!!


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## Necromagnon

Hurry up! We all wanna hear this beast's first scream!


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## Purelojik

wetsanded the sides and they look sick. one last coat on the back and thats it.

front has about 20? coats? i really dont know

sides have about 15

back has 3 (wanted the wood feeling/left open pored). 

now the waiting game begins...












yea the ferrules look wonky











see you all in two weeks!


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## cthom124

Well see ya SS.org in 2 weeks ill miss ya


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## Levi79

2 weeks!? I want to see this together NAO!


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## BlackMastodon




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## IkarusOnFire

Good work - I've been considering oiling the neck on my next custom - save my luthier the time, and get my hands dirty too. I'll have a 3piece wenge neck, that will need some oil. Your build has inspired me to go at it myself


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## ejendres

That looks so tasty


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## Purelojik

ok so here's a teaser.... i was just hanging out with the family and figured since the finish is curing why not do a final hardware check. so i put it all together and strung it up. acoustically it sounds gorgeous... im so happy. im gonna give it to my luthier friend where who's done all my repairs and have him drill the holes for the knobs since hes got a drill press and while hes at it im just gonna have him wire everything up since i need time away from it otherwise i'll be tempted to start buffing or somethign stupid which will set me back.

anyhow.. your gonna hate me for this....but i cant resist...

















now the dramatic shots (obligatory)
















oh yes. its looking a lot like a guitar now. im quite proud and its hard to contain myself lol


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## Munch

That looks mighty awesome, good job!


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## Purelojik

so i found a volume and tone knob from my old ibanez and did some quick soldering to test out the aftermath in the bridge. the gutiar isnt set up or intonated but it stays in tune and so far there are no dead frets.


but lemme tell you..

this guitar sounds pissed off as hell. im gonna have to get used to the aftermath's mid spike but i think i can get along with it. 

here are some more teaser pics...

it fits in my old gator case. your gonna kill me lololol. enjoy


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## Necromagnon

Holy s***! 






On this pics, what's between frets and fingerboard? Oil?
And the edges of frets seem quite sharp...










What?! I couldn't make only compliments!


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## HighPotency

Just wondering, what did you do in this picture? It looks like you scored the gluing surface with that knife or something.


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## Alberto7

^ I'm guessing it's so the glue penetrates better? Or something to that effect.

Also, the guitar looks absolutely sick, man! Once it's 100% finished do a video of it . I'd love to see that monster in action!


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## HighPotency

Alberto7 said:


> ^ I'm guessing it's so the glue penetrates better? Or something to that effect.
> 
> Also, the guitar looks absolutely sick, man! Once it's 100% finished do a video of it . I'd love to see that monster in action!


Yeah, doing something like that would theoretically increase your gluing surface area by a fair amount once all is said and done. I was mainly wondering how he did it and if he thinks it is worth doing since I will be doing the same thing soon.


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## Necromagnon

I really don't think it works.
To increase you gluing surface, you have to combine surface, somthing like that:





Any other will only produce some huge drops of glue, and this is far from what's need to increase joint resistance. In fact, the more glue there's, the less resistant the joint.

Anyway, it's not that mad as it sounds when I say it. It will not break the head away, but it's worthless. If you have well planed both surfaces, there're will be no problem at gluing it together.


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## scherzo1928

Necromagnon said:


> Holy s***!
> 
> On this pics, what's between frets and fingerboard? Oil?
> And the edges of frets seem quite sharp...


 
Looks like a bit of superglue. Should come off with the fretjob, same as the fretends.



HighPotency said:


> Just wondering, what did you do in this picture? It looks like you scored the gluing surface with that knife or something.


 
Lots of people seem to do this when gluing surfaces (I know even Vik does this). Personaly, I just do a bit of sanding with 80 grit, clean it up and apply the glue.


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## Purelojik

i just did it cause Vik did it lol. in theory it seemed alright to me but i mean people have been doing it every which way and each seems to work. my guitars strung up with 7 string power slinkys and it seems to be doing well in standard seven string tuning despite being a baritone. 

as for the stuff between the frets and the fretboard, yea its oil. and the reflections giving that depth. i like the wet look so i put it on before i strung it up. i think when i polish the body i'll go back and bring the fretboard down to a satin look again. i just wanted the oil on there for a thin layer. im not taking any chances of anything wonky happening.

the fret ends arent too sharp but they arent professional. im leaving that up to my tech. i remember putting a post up wehre i said the fret leveling and crowing went suspiciously fast and so instead of filing more i just stopped. One reason was to prevent me taking off more material, and another reason was incase in some freaky way, i actually did a good job. (my last fret job was terrible. then again i was only using one small file). 

but i've been playing this thing for about an hour and it sounds really good. i think with a proper setup and everything its gonna be my go to guitar.

i played an RG 7321 in GC the other day and noticed how freaking thick the neck was. its thin but so thick (width wise) that i felt that it was cutting my palm when i chorded. this neck is perfect for me. and im lucky it got like that.

anyhow guys ask more questions , i've got a few more days before it goes to the tech.


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## Purelojik

Necromagnon said:


> I really don't think it works.
> To increase you gluing surface, you have to combine surface, somthing like that:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any other will only produce some huge drops of glue, and this is far from what's need to increase joint resistance. In fact, the more glue there's, the less resistant the joint.
> 
> Anyway, it's not that mad as it sounds when I say it. It will not break the head away, but it's worthless. If you have well planed both surfaces, there're will be no problem at gluing it together.



i read somewhere that if the surfaces are too smooth then the glue has trouble sticking to the surfaces and that also can make a weak joint. 

i guess its good to find a balance between?


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## Onyx8String

That looks absolutely gorgeous! I'm so happy to see it put together! I would really like to pursue a build myself one day.


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## Purelojik

Onyx8String said:


> That looks absolutely gorgeous! I'm so happy to see it put together! I would really like to pursue a build myself one day.



do it dude! the hard part is jumping in and making sawdust! the rest is just patience.


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## Necromagnon

Yes, off course. A very smooth surface will prevent glue for sticking.
But sanding is enough, while when you make cuts on surfaces, they won't fit perfectly together. The method is the one illustrated with the pics above.

I sand surfaces at 120 grain, and it works very well (at least for now...  )

And fretjob is a difficult part, and one of those I hate most...


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## daemonessaxes

Purelojik said:


> i read somewhere that if the surfaces are too smooth then the glue has trouble sticking to the surfaces and that also can make a weak joint.
> 
> i guess its good to find a balance between?



I always prepare my scarf joints by simply getting them totally flat and sanded to 60 grit. A 60 grit key will give the glue all it needs. As long as your woodwork is nice and tidy and you dont let the hedstock slip forward when you clamp it you will get loads of pressure when you glue the joint, and a really strong join.


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## TimSE

Truly fantastic work man.


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## Levi79

Dude this came out excellent. Very very good work man!


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## 7stringDemon

There is something HORRIBLY wrong with this guitar.

It's not at my house .

Send it to me and I promise I'll fix the problem


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## scherzo1928

7stringDemon said:


> There is something HORRIBLY wrong with this guitar.
> 
> It's not at my house .
> 
> Send it to me and I promise I'll fix the problem


 
your avatar... I love it. Have some rep.


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## 7stringDemon

Why thank you!

Some for your Shono signature


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## DropSplash

So awesome. Can't wait the for NGD thread of this, sound clips, video clips, porn shots with a mirror and a nasty couch, and um. Yeah I think I covered everything.


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## Faine

Came out great man, I'm happy for you. Are you gonna post some sound vids or anything?


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## Purelojik

Faine said:


> Came out great man, I'm happy for you. Are you gonna post some sound vids or anything?



yep im gonna post the whole package. my buddy jon sosin whos a much better guitarist than i am will be playing some stuff so i can display the versatility. and then you'll see me thumping around. and tons of guitar porn photography once i find a nice dslr to borrow


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## ASoC

Purelojik said:


> yep im gonna post the whole package. my buddy jon sosin whos a much better guitarist than i am will be playing some stuff so i can display the versatility. and then you'll see me thumping around. and tons of guitar porn photography once i find a nice dslr to borrow



I approve/ demand some epic djent 

This really came out great and the finish blows me away, I can only hope mine comes out half as nice


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## Purelojik

ASoC said:


> I approve/ demand some epic djent
> 
> This really came out great and the finish blows me away, I can only hope mine comes out half as nice



thanks man. tru oil is a really easy finish for beginners. i love that i can apply it in my room without any equipment or stuff. i think cause we live in cali and the humidity averages around 50%+ it takes a little longer to harden fully. but i can apply three to four coats in a day. but it'll take a week or so to cure fully. 

there are still some very faint streak lines from the cloth i applied it with. if i sand it they will become opaque and hard to remove. im hoping that polishing compounds will make everything gel into eachother.


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## Faine

Purelojik said:


> yep im gonna post the whole package. my buddy jon sosin whos a much better guitarist than i am will be playing some stuff so i can display the versatility. and then you'll see me thumping around. and tons of guitar porn photography once i find a nice dslr to borrow



I has excite!


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## Philligan

Purelojik said:


> yep im gonna post the whole package. my buddy jon sosin whos a much better guitarist than i am will be playing some stuff so i can display the versatility. and then you'll see me thumping around. and tons of guitar porn photography once i find a nice dslr to borrow



I just found this build today, it came out amazing! Can't wait to see the vid and final pics man


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## Purelojik

Follow me guys... 


Heres a hint....


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## Purelojik

This is what she sounds like!!!

Alex Myla - Baritone 7 Test by SheHatesMyTie on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


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## Stompmeister

Coolest fuckin job dude!!! You're on eof the very few builders on tihs site that have inspired me to start my own build!!!! Great work and thankyou


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## Purelojik

Stompmeister said:


> Coolest fuckin job dude!!! You're on eof the very few builders on tihs site that have inspired me to start my own build!!!! Great work and thankyou



Thanks dude that really made my day. When you start you're build make a thread! Cant wait.


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