My New Project

[JustBecos]

I've started to get the parts together for a new project to do while I'm recovering from my ear op.

I have not completely decided what I'm going to do. I have 2 Ideas, a straight forward one, and a not so straight forward one :?

The easier idea to to make a straight forward tele esquire with control plate but no pickguard (it looks like all the great minds think alike, either that or I'm a copycat)

The more difficult idea is to make a roughly jazzmaster shape guitar but to carve to top and back in a similar style to the ibanez s series guitars, with 2 p90's, and tom style bridge.

At present the Esquire is the more likely as I can't  even draw the jazzmaster  one so I don't fancy my chances of being able to carve it.

Here are some pick of the body wood I have and a neck I have picked up on ebay. The neck look even better in person, these are just the ebay picks which don't to it justice.

Only thing that is slightly concerning my is why do you never see swamp ash fenders with rosewood fingerboard, do they not wood well together?

[Bradock PI]

Challange yourself go for the fancy jazzmaster you will feel great when you have finished it all the more for it being harder.

[Ian Price]

I would go for an 'easy' build if it is your first time. I think you could be put off if you try something a bit more challenging and it doesn't turn out the way you want it.

Wez and Jonathan might have some good pointers on this - although they may have started on difficult stuff as they are naturally talented  :)

[Philly Q]

Only thing that is slightly concerning my is why do you never see swamp ash fenders with rosewood fingerboard, do they not wood well together?

Never really thought about it, but I guess it is more common to see one-piece maple necks on swamp ash bodies.  But I've definitely seen Levinson Blades with swamp ash bodies and rosewood boards.  There are probably lots of other examples which I can't think of right now.

I hope they do work together, I've got several swamp ash Warmoth bodies and I'm planning rosewood boards on one or two of them.  :? :lol:

[WezV]

i started with easy stuff, single pickup junior style was my first.. it makes a lot of sense

i would worry that a carved top jazzmaster shape would just look kinda tubby - which might be alright

[Oli]

For what it's worth, a friend of mine didn't get on with the strat he had, and decided to sell it. When he was researching all the specs again, he realised that it had an ash body (rosewood fingerboard). He's sure that the ash body was what made it not seem quite 'right'.

[Philly Q]

There's a big difference between swamp ash and hard ash (or let's say light ash and heavy ash, before Wez picks me up on that  ).  It could be anywhere from really warm and resonant to super-bright.

[PhilKing]

I have a 57 swamp ash tele body with a 62 neck and they sound great together (it is the same as Muddy Water used - Fender made a limited edition version).  It has real 62 pickups too, so get a set of Yardbirds and you'll be away.  Good luck with the build, the neck looks great.

[JustBecos]

I still got the jazzmaster idea in my head so I spent a lot of today trying yo draw it on autocad, which I have not used much before to it took awhile,  here it is, not finished yet. The top and back is not so much carved as radiused like a fretboard (37.5").

[Bradock PI]

If it is a first project then I withdraw my comments about challanges if you have done a few then go for it. You can always practice carving on wood that don't matter to get it right.

If you exagerate the radius a little more you could have a torpedo profile body that could look cool.