Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
The Highline Special: Part 2
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on August 15th, 2010
Today, I started the neck. I’m using Rock Maple and plan on making it a bolt-on with a Rosewood fretboard. So if you want to hang out in the shop and watch me work, that’s fine. All I ask is that you brab a broom and sweep up some sawdust when I’m finished. You can’t expect to learn for free!!
Check Out My Wood!
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on August 12th, 2010
The body blank weighs a ton! I'll have to chamber it for balance.
For my next guitar build, I’m going to use African Mahogany for the body and Rock Maple for the neck. I’m also going to use a beautiful slab of figured Maple to top the body. As soon as I get it, I’ll post a picture.
For this build, I plan to video the whole process and post segments here. Stay tuned!
My Wall Of Guitars
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on August 9th, 2010
Every guitar player/builder/collector has one (or at least they should!). I’m talking about a wall of guitars in their home. I have one in my spare bedroom. Actually, I have guitars all over the house. Right now I have about 15 guitars scattered around me. It’s to the point where I have to sell some to make room for the new ones I plan to build. Here’s a shot of my wall right now:
A couple of lefties mixed in with righties.
The one on the far left and the two at the far right are brand new. The two lefties have been around a while. If you’d like to buy one, let me know. I’ll consider any reasonable offer plus shipping.
You Paid How Much For That Guitar?!?
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on June 29th, 2010
Right now, the MSRP for a Gibson Les Paul ranges from $1,199 all the way up to $25,882. While I’m sure there are at least a few stupid rich people out there who can afford a $26,000 guitar, I have a feeling most of the influential music to hit the market in the near future will be played on much cheaper instruments.
Another Hooligan Joins The Ranks
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on May 12th, 2010
An eGuitar Plan’s customer sent me some photos of his recently completed Hooligan. Check out Mark’s nicely finished efforts.
Day 5 of My Electric Guitar Build
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on May 10th, 2010
A couple of months ago I dropped my spokeshave and broke off a piece of it rendering it mostly useless. Therefore, to carve the neck’s contour and heel, I resorted to using both a small drum sander on my drill press and a 4 x 36 belt sander. It only took about 20 minutes to do the work and so far I’m really happy with the results. Check it out:
Power sanding is the fastest way to contour the neck. But be careful as one slip could ruin it.
After I glue the body wings to the neck, I'll blend the joint my belt sander.
Before I glue the wings, I’ll round over the edges of the body. I’ll probably do this with a round-over bit in my router. Then, I’ll rout the truss rod slot. Stay tuned!
My Legato Electric Guitar Build Is Finished!
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on April 22nd, 2010
Finally, after several months of off-and-on work, the Legato guitar I have been hard at work on is finished and available for sale.
Here is a photo and I hope you like. Let me know what you think.
This was a complicated build and I learned a lot from the experience.
Guitarist Claude Lassonde
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on April 9th, 2010
Claude is an amazing guitarist in Canada who is planning to build a Legato. Checkout out his incredible skills:
Handmade Electric Guitars vs Factory Made
Posted by admin in General Electric Guitar Building, Uncategorized on March 25th, 2010
Yesterday I spent some time in a local guitar shop while looking for a new amp. As I looked at the dozens and dozens of guitars they had for sale, I couldn’t help but notice how perfect each instrument looked from a construction standpoint. It was obvious to me that none were handcrafted. How could I tell this? They were too perfect.
There's just something about a handmade guitar that inspires us to play at our best
When I make a guitar, I try to select the most unique wood to use. Aside from the tonal characteristics, I like my wood to have personality. All of the guitars I saw in this shop had wood grain so perfect they looked fake. In fact, some of the finishes were so smooth and precise, I had to question whether I was looking at real wood or a silkscreened photo of wood ( a process some guitar manufacturers actually resort to).
When I build a guitar, I try to achieve the highest level of craftsmanship possible. However, I am relying on my hands, eyes and my sense of touch to guide me as I shape material supplied by mother nature. In the end, my guitars have the occasional tool mark, grain texture and subtle finishing flaws that prove they were made by hand and not a computer guided machine.
When I first started building guitars, I would get frustrated in my attempts to mimic the perfection of the assembly line versions. But then I began to realize that trying to accomplish by hand what a machine can do is the wrong idea. These days, I want my guitars to have the same kind of character and personality that a piece of custom, handmade furniture has.
Now don’t get me wrong, I still strive to make the most playable instruments possible. However I want my choice of wood and finish to shout, “Hey, look at me! I was made by human hands and not a machine!”
Testing 1, 2, 3…
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on March 21st, 2010
Parts is parts
Today was spent in the world of pickup research and development. First, I wound a couple of humbucker bobbins for a test pickup. What am I testing? Alnico 5 gauss levels. These magnets tend to be fairly strong when initially charged. While that may seem like a good thing in terms of signal strength, it can have an undesirable impact on sustain and tone.
Next, I charged up three A5 bars to around 900 gauss. Gauss is a measurement of a magnet’s strength. The higher the number, the stronger the magnet. Then, I degaussed two of the magnets to different levels. So now I have three different A5 gauss levels to test. The strongest is 884 gauss. The next one is 653 gauss and the last one measures in at 523 gauss.
Tomorrow, I plan to test all three–one at a time, of course–in the same pickup and the same guitar. This will help me to decide what gauss level works best in terms of all-around tone and sustain. Then, I’ll need to do the same with the A2, 3 and 4 mags I plan to use in my pickups. However, these magnets tend to work fine fully charged as they aren’t as strong as the A5.
In the past, the magnets I used came fully charged. But, since I want total control over the tone and sustain of my pickups, I really have to do the charging/degaussing myself. It takes more work, but the results will be something I can stand behind.
After I finish this test, I’ll post the results. Stay tuned!