Is this a potential body blank?

[AndyR]

:lol:

I nearly added "I suspect Philly's the same..."

I also suspect that even chaps like Wez, Jonathan, etc must have at least one or two items like this lurking in their past!

[Philly Q]

:lol:

I nearly added "I suspect Philly's the same..."

I am.  But it's also true that one of the reasons I've never stepped up to building guitars "from scratch" is the cost of tools and equipment.  I do nearly all my little bits of tinkering with basic hand tools (including some of StewMac's excellent gadgets).  I don't even use an electric drill if I can avoid it.

Must say though, my trusty old Black & Decker router is one of the best investments I ever made.

[MrBump]

Yep, my biggest cost was the B&D Router - it's fantastic.

I first tried to route using my Dremel + router attachment.  Killed it.  And it cost more to repair than replace.

So, replaced that with a cheapo Maplin dremel-esq thing.  OK, but nowhere NEAR as good as the Dremel.

Then bought a dirt cheap plunge router from Evil Bay...  the thing was just sooo wrong...  turned it on, it started flying around at about a million rpm, sparks started to fly out of the back of it.  I was genuinely scared.

Then the B&D and all was fine.

TBH I have a lot of other stuff, a decent drill etc.

If I were to do it again, I would invest in:

1. A decent work bench.  The B&D Workmate just doesn't cut it.
2. A drill press.  It's impossible to drill in a straight line without one.
3. A band saw.  I know, really expensive.  But a jigsaw is RUBBISH and painfully slow.  Also, I can't see how I could make a neck without a band saw and a straight cutting line...

I think that it's possible to do a lot with few tools if you're prepared to ignore some pretty fundamental safety guidlines... 

Mark.

[Philly Q]

A band saw.  I know, really expensive.  But a jigsaw is RUBBISH and painfully slow.  Also, I can't see how I could make a neck without a band saw and a straight cutting line...

Yeah, a band saw, that's the big investment!  I'd love to own one, but if I did feel inclined to purchase, the only place I could keep it would be the kitchen... ain't gonna happen.

I do have a really primitive spring-loaded drill press, but it's very hard to hold it in place and drill at the same time (at least until I manage to grow a third arm :roll: ).  I much prefer to use my hand drill whenever possible.  Sometimes I use the drill press and power drill to make a template, then I can switch to the safety of the hand drill and still get a proper vertical(ish) line.

[AndyR]

I think that it's possible to do a lot with few tools if you're prepared to ignore some pretty fundamental safety guidlines... 

:lol:
This is one of the best lines I've read recently - kind of sums up my entire experience of DIYery. And it so easily covers both extremes:

"... it's possible to do a lot (of good stuff) with few tools ..."
"... it's possible to do a lot (of damage to the precious item you are working on, to the kitchen worktop, the living-room carpet, passing relatives, next-door's mains supply, and so on) with few tools ..."

:D

[WezV]

on my first i had a cheap drill and i brought a basic router for doing the truss rod slot... everything else was hand tools - inclusing cutting out the body from a 2" slab of mahogany with a coping saw.  it was the first proper wood work i had ever done but still turned out playable and sounded great

[MrBump]

And so, as a finale, to this great thread, some not so great playing.

This is the thing spanking out a tune:

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6947937

A bit of VH inspired guitar-w**kery, complete with dodgy drums.  I had to tweek the EQ on my amp big style to tame the brightness, but it's still cool to play.

Mark.

[FernandoDuarte]

This is the thing spanking out a tune:

:lol:

Cool song!

[_tom_]

Would look so much better without that horrible pickguard, kinda ruins the look a bit imo :(

[MrBump]

Would look so much better without that horrible pickguard, kinda ruins the look a bit imo :(

Yeah, it's pretty bad...

The idea was "cheap build"...  I just used the bit I had, where I had them.  And I wasn't really confident enough to route a pickup cavity.

I kinda like it though.  Not pretty.  But I like it.

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

great stuff mr bump
q:p
is that clip , already with a BKP installed on it?
just to confirM or not that the brightness is something purely related to the Body wood(s), instead of the pickup.
Q:)

JP

[Denim n Leather]

Well done; looks awesome, imo. I like the sound, too, from what I could hear of it. :)

[MrBump]

No, it's a terrible clip!  It's a Tone Rider Rocksong humbucker - gonna change it for a "heavyish" BKP ASAP...  Not sure which one though, possibly a Warpig.

Mark.

[gwEm]

i actually really like the headstock shape

[buttmonk]

brian mays red special was an oak mantlepiece

Yes, was gunna say the same. I think it was also made from several pieces glued together, and if I remember was somewhat hollow and contained some sort of resonation chamber.