Author Topic: Wez venables guitar build - Done and dusted!! (Read 161149 times)

Ted · « **Reply #60 on:** July 29, 2007, 09:09:01 AM »

Quote from: noodleplugerine

What I got from the Virtual maker :D

How did you do that?

WezV · « **Reply #61 on:** July 29, 2007, 10:40:16 AM »

http://www.nymphusa.com/kisekae/kisekaeE1.asp

virtual guitar fun to be had by all!!!

WezV · « **Reply #62 on:** July 29, 2007, 11:15:41 AM »

a couple of simple strats showing the bocote fretboard with the flame or spalt - couldnt resist the LP custom inlays though

colour aint quite right but that will be differnt when the wood has a finish

Woogie · « **Reply #63 on:** July 29, 2007, 11:39:20 AM »

I really like but the LP custom inlays don't fit imo, standard dots would be better.

dave_mc · « **Reply #64 on:** July 29, 2007, 02:14:30 PM »

^ +1

i actually think spalted looks better in the superstrat, as long as the colour is a bit more like the flamed colour.

I'm not too fussed on reversed headstocks either... that's just me though.

indysmith · « **Reply #65 on:** July 29, 2007, 02:40:55 PM »

standard pearl dots, and headstocks the right way round would be cool. Man I'm a fussy old traditionalist...

WezV · « **Reply #66 on:** July 29, 2007, 05:51:25 PM »

headstocks will probably be different anyway but that one of the things you cant change as easily on the virtual guitar program. Still not sure whether to go with an angled 3 a side headstock or a flat fender style

It looks like we are pretty much decided on a strat shape with spalted maple top and bocote fingerboard. Tune-o-matic bridge strung through body. Probably a zebrano and bocote 3 piece neck. I may do something simple but different for the inlays - still open too ideas on that

Things to decide later will be finish, although most likely it will be natural or slightly amber tinted and electrics!! Still not sure whether it would be better with a single bridge humbucker have more than that. Maybe a bridge humbucker with neck MQ or something like that. controls will be kept to a minimum. No more than 1 switch and 2 pots - but they might be push/pull depending on what pickups i get for it!!

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #67 on:** July 29, 2007, 05:57:35 PM »

Agree with all the above.

Also, I'd say 24 fret with a 25.5 scale length, 2 humbuckers, and either a 4/2 headstock, or a 6 side, Jackson style headstock. I'm not a fan of traditional LP/Strat headstocks, but I'm sure you'll make something nice Wez - All the headstocks of your design I've seen, I've liked.

Electrics should be a Single push pull knob for volume and changing between the pickups.

WezV · « **Reply #68 on:** July 29, 2007, 06:08:24 PM »

i havnt done a 6 a side headstock since one of my first guitars so it might be worth reviving a headstock i used on that.

strangely - that was a spalted maple top:

the shape of that thing was based on the bigsby merle travis guitar! Not my best work but i was very happy with it at the time - its owned by my dad now!!

sambo · « **Reply #69 on:** July 29, 2007, 06:09:02 PM »

now that spalted top is STUNNNNING! :o

WezV · « **Reply #70 on:** July 29, 2007, 08:44:48 PM »

well i thought i might as start this thing.

Here are two korina body blanks:

one is as they come from the timber yard - the other has been planed to 1 3/4" thick, had its edges made ready for joining and is erady to build with. Sometimes i buy wood prepared like this, sometimes i buy it straight form the yard - just depends how lazy i am feeling. I prefer to make bodies from one plank of wood cut like this for the consistency of the tone.

Im gonna start with the prepared body for this build - because i am feeling lazy!! First step is to mark the middle point of the plank where it is sawn in half

I have marked it because i want to get those two edges together on the end of the body blank like this:

Apparently this is called 'flitch matching' (thanks bainzy

!!!!) and whilst it is completely unneccisary i love how it looks!!!

So here is the wood marked up with the strat outline:

The join is good but needs a little touching up. This is done with handplanes and a long sanding block (sandpaper + 2x4 plank = sanding block). I use whatver seems to be working best on that particular wood.

Here is both halves of the body blank put into the vice for the final joining:

After that the join is checked again with a straight edge and dust is cleaned up.

I will then dry clamp it to make sure evrything goes together ok. Then glue it up and leave in clamps at least overnight:

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #71 on:** July 29, 2007, 09:30:33 PM »

Gorgeous piece of Korina!

The headstock on that guitar of yours reminds me of the Schecter Diamond Series - Like WFD's.

WezV · « **Reply #72 on:** July 29, 2007, 09:42:59 PM »

yep, similar to the schecter which was obviously stolen from the teisco spectrum from the 60's. I have a very battered and abused teisco spectrum bass that i cant deny has been he influence for few things i have made

Its also similar to the peavey t-40/60 headstock. What you cant really see on that blurry photo is a lighter swoosh on the bottom edge that is where i carved through the headstcok veneer to the neck wood below - that will be something i do again... if i do do it reversed its similar to a firebird headstock

even my normal headstock is quite similar to the one from the dan armstrong plexi guitar. I never realised that for a few years but cant deny i am a fan of the dan armstrong plexi guitars (for the look, not the sound) so they probably did influence my somewhat.

An original headstock shape is very hard to come up with so i dont worry about it being my 'signature'- i wouldnt want to use the same headstock on everything anyway because it just wouldnt suit all i want to build!!!!!!!!!

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #73 on:** July 29, 2007, 10:26:12 PM »

I'm a big fan of headstocks like the ones I posted from the Virtual designing thing.

Ibanez and Jackson have great headstocks - As do ESP.

But nothing beats the Caparison 4-2 imo.

Oli · « **Reply #74 on:** July 29, 2007, 10:29:53 PM »

Go for offset dots for the inlays!

That Flitch Matching i did by mistake with my guitar, and the slight wave in the grain (when viewed from the side), is in exactly the right place for the body contours, so the same grain like goes from the upper horn all the way to the arm contour :)