2010 TDPRI $210 Challenge - TeleSitar

There are still two instruments I want in my arsenal and I don't have them:
an electric 12-string
an electric sitar-style guitar

From my quick, mental calculations, I'd imagine what I want in the 12-string would likely go over the $210 limit, so I'm more inclined to build the tele-style electric sitar. For it to work properly, the bridge tailpiece has to be completely different, so I MUST make the body to closely resemble a tele. The body has also got to be hollow for the sympathetic strings to resonate. I'm starting to design this in my head now, but my biggest problem is the SNOW. Two feet minimum (higher in drifts) block access to my unheated barn/wokshop. If I can dig my way there, I can get to the scrap pile of old barn boards I'm going to use for the body.

Here's the workshop:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/icicles02.jpg
Notice that some windows are completely missing. Yeah - it gets quite cold. I hope the bandsaw works.

Looking forward to this one.

I don't normally advocate a shot of whisky before working in the shop, but in your case I think it might be necessary!

Very cool! Looking forward to seeing this one!

I considered doing a 12-string myself... still may eventually!

Jim

And so it has begun. Step one - clear access to the workshop:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/clearingtheway.jpg

Next, gather the wood (with sign):
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/woodsupplies.jpg
I made it into the workshop and started gathering wood. I have an old pine barn board (about 1 1/2 inch thick) towards the front, but also found some nice cedar. This used to be from my parent's cedar chest when they got married. The cedar is at least 50 years old. the pine board could be older, as the barn was built in the 1800's. To the bottom left is a piece of black plexiglass. This came from an old refrigerator. At the time you had "color options" and all you would do is replace the front panel piece of plexi. The fridge is long gone, but I can still get a good pickguard or 2 out of this (cost $0.00).
The cedar and pine are sitting in front of plywood and hardboard. I'm not intending to use these, but if I have to, the hardboard is exactly what was used on the danelectro guitars and the Coral sitar. I'd rather use real wood, but it's there as a last resort.

Having a real sitar helps with some of the specs, details and ideas:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/SITARref05.jpg
A sitar body is made from a gourd, trimmed and decorated with wood and shell. It's a soft body, so soft woods would tonally be better than bright woods. I'm thinking the center core of pine with cedar top and back.

The sitar peghead:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/SITARref01.jpg
My sitar is a "double tomba" model, which means another resonating gourd at the peghead. Time permitting, I might do this to mine, though as an electric, it has no impact on amplified sound. It just looks cool. Tuning gears are all pressure adjusted. I'd rather use geared tuners for the "guitar neck" part.
By design, I want an instrument that any guitarist could pick up and play, but still sound like an authentic sitar.

Sitar neck:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/SITARref02.jpg
My sitar has 7 playing strings and 11 sympathetic strings. The sympathetic strings run almost the full length of the neck - a LOT longer than the sympathetic strings on the Coral (and Rogue) Electric Sitar. To be more authentic, I believe the sympathetic strings MUSt be long.

Sitar Bridge:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/SITARref03.jpg
THIS is what gives the sitar it's unique sound. The string to bridge ratio on a guitar is almost a knife point edge. On a sitar, it's a flat almost one inch area. If you pluck harder, the string "moves" across the bridge causing the characteristic buzz. Also notice that the sympathetic strings run UNDERNEATH the playing strings. This would be interesting to do, and I've considered constructing it htis way, but it would require a fat and somewhat hollow neck. A regular guitarist could not easily pick it up and play it. The sympathetic strings have to be on a secondary neck, or alongside the body (as is the Coral Sitar).

Sitar Frets:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/SITARref04.jpg
These I find MOST fascinating. Frets are tied to the neck and can be adjusted based on the pitchtable of your music. The fingerboard curves in, and the frets curve out. The sympathetic strings are nuder the frets. The "playing" strings can be pressed into the frets and bend down almost 2 inches! Again, real cool, but most guitarists would not be able to pick this up and go with it. If time permits, jumbo frets and scalloped fingerboard would yield similar results. Though I've HATED every scalloped fingerboard I've touched, so I may just go with Jumbo frets.

Time to draw it up next.

wow! This is gonna be pretty unique!
I had a sitar once, but it met its demise when I stumbled and fell on it in its case... still have the fourd somewhere.

Good luck, and be sure to post some sound samples!

I'm a sitar player and really curious to see how this goes.

This looks very cool! Can't wait to see how it goes.

Thanks for the kind comments so far!
I feel like I really lucked out on a good deal for the neck - though it still needs some work. A buddy of mine thought he could make an instrument, and on impulse, bought a body and neck from GuitarFetish. He got the unfinished paddle-head neck for a Strat, but after getting it, didn't want it because it was too fat, and there was a knot in the wood on the back of the neck. HEY - you get what you pay for. He had cut the headstock to a strat shape, but it's still unfinished. I bought it from him for $30.00. I "think" I can make it into a tele shape headstock, and I WANT the thickness of the neck, though I may spokeshave and sand it more to a soft v. I will also probably sand the heel contour flatter so that it looks more like a tele neck. For the price of a neck with a nut, I can't complain at all. :)
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/GTRneck.jpg

Nice deal on the neck! Whats the fingerboard? Looks like pauduk from here. You can cut the tele headstock shape out of the strat shape, I have done it before. There may be a wee bit less wood than you need where the bulge is but it looks fine.... heres the one I cut a while back.

Ed

wow! This is gonna be pretty unique!
I had a sitar once, but it met its demise when I stumbled and fell on it in its case... still have the fourd somewhere.

Good luck, and be sure to post some sound samples!

serendipity for your wife and kids? :lol:

Nice deal on the neck! Whats the fingerboard? Looks like pauduk from here. You can cut the tele headstock shape out of the strat shape, I have done it before. There may be a wee bit less wood than you need where the bulge is but it looks fine.... heres the one I cut a while back.

Ed

Hi Ed,
Glad to know that I can fit a "close proximity" tele style headstock in an existing strat one. As far as the fingerboard, I believe it is rosewood - at least it's listed as rosewood on the guitar fetish site. I thnik better quality rosewood fingerboards have less streaks, but I really like it.

serendipity for your wife and kids? :lol:

HA! Actually a real sitar is a very quiet instrument. I doubt you could hear it being played in another room.

HA! Actually a real sitar is a very quiet instrument. I doubt you could hear it being played in another room.

Hence, the need for an electric sitar!

As we know, part of this challenge is to make it "look" like a telecaster. Well to me, the easiest and fastest way to make a body that looks like a telecaster is to trace an existing Tele. So I did just that on a large piece of cardboard:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/template01.jpg

Now that would be all I would need if this was a one-neck instrument. However, the sympathetic strings will have their own neck, so the body has to be increased to allow for the second neck. I made some quick calculations, moved the tele over by the needed amount, and traced it again. Then I connected the two images, and smoothed the lines, drawing the finished outline darker with a Sharpie.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/template02.jpg

Next step, cut it out & transfer this to the wood.

I suppose anyone with a sharp eye will notice that I didn't use the same tele for tracing.
Just a quick way to show off my existing homemade teles.
The blonde tele has a fat, chunky sound. I named it "Earth."
The orange ash tele has a bright, airy sound. I named it "Wind."
The red strat (which you don't see) is named "Fire."

I was away for the weekend, but back on this project with a vengence. Plus, having no internet until 11AM this morning kept me from sitting in front of the computer, and allowed me to do more stuff. Here's today's entry:

I cut out the cardboard pattern, and traced it to the cedar:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/tracepatterntocedar.jpg

Then took it to the bandsaw (it's warm enough in the workshop!)
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cutcedarbandsaw.jpg

Here's more detail from rough cutting on the bandsaw:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bandsawdetail.jpg
In the above pic, there is a number stamped into the cedar from the original cedar chest. I suppose it was the model number or build number. I have no idea. The number will not be seen on the finished instrument, as it is on the inside surface.

Next, I cut the old barn board in half:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cutbarnwood.jpg

And cleaned up the edges on the two halves:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cleanbarnwoodedge.jpg

I brought the boards into the house, and glued and clamped them. I grabbed the closest thing I could reach to add weight to the top, hence the tool box sits on it while the glue dries.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/gluclampweightbarnwood.jpg

And while that was drying and set aside, I "freehand" drew the tele peghead shape. Then I thought to be accurate, it would be best to use a real template. So I found one online, and wouldn't you know, I was almost perfect in the line locations.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/pegheadshape.jpg

Next was a trip back to the bandsaw to cut the peghead, and use the orbital sander to smooth the edges (photo forthcoming).

Crazy weather here, so I'm making the most of it. It's in the 60's, so it's barn time again! While I was working, I heard a terrible crash. About a foot of snow fell off the roof. I'm comfortable in a t-shirt outside and we still have 2 feet of snow here!

The old pine barn wood comes out of the clamps, and next I trace and cut the wood for the main chunk of the body. This will be a lot thicker than a standard tele, but also very hollow. Here's a pic tracing the pattern to the pine board:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/tracetopine.jpg

Next I take the board to the bandsaw and cut it out carefully watching fingers and protecting ears:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cutpinebandsaw.jpg

Here the board is rough cut and I'm getting ready to rough sand the surface to clean it up a bit. I'm using 60-cut sandpaper on the orbital sander.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/startsanding.jpg

Here's the board sanded. Now I see all the surface cracks and imperfections.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/aftersanding.jpg

Before I head back to the house, I also cut the peghead. Pretty close to a tele shape indeed:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/pegheadcut.jpg

Back at the house, I use super glue to fill in the surface cracks on the back. This is not a common practice, but I feel that this will help strengthen the wood before I use a wood filler.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/fillcracks.jpg

Three tubes of super glue were used to fill in the surface cracks prior to using wood filler. The wood is very porous, and it just soaks in. I think that's a good thing. Gotta remember to add the glue into the final cost.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/filledcracks.jpg

Next step involved hollowing out the body. I chose to use an assortment of tools for this: a drill with a forstner bit took out the most wood quickly, followed by a router, and final cleanup with a chisel. This does not have to be perfectly smooth, since it will never again be seen. I just need a hollow chamber.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/hogout.jpg

Here's another view of the hollowed out cavity in the barnwood body:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/hoggedout.jpg

Here's I'm tapping the back to see how it sounds. It resonates quite clearly. The tapped pitch is "F" :)
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/taptone.jpg

Next step is to clamp the cedar top to the body. So I preset the clamps, so I can put them on quickly.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/clampsset.jpg

Next comes a thick coat of wood glue, which I work into the wood with a professional glue spreading device.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/spreadglue.jpg

And clamp it up.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/gluedclamped.jpg

Now I'm off for another trip - another week away from this project. :(

very cool!

thanks for checking it out Barkley! I'm now stuck about 400 miles away from it for a week. Just hope there's enough time to complete the project!

No matter what, you GOT TO finish this project! I imagine there are tons of us here that would love some sound clips later on ;)

Thanks for the kind words Pellwell - I intend to do that.
Before I left for NJ for the week, I wanted to get a little bit more done - so I tinted the neck with an amber stain. The stain is alcohol based. I mixed the powder with rubbing alcohol, since it's a lot cheaper than the recommended denatured alcohol, and basically works the same way. Once it dried, I gave it the first coat of TRU OIL finish.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/tintneck.jpg

I'm fighting a nasty cold/sinus infection thingy, which I must have picked up on my trip to NJ, and so I'm doing the garlic overload treatment. I feel too awful to do anything, but I must press on.

Another coat or 2 of Tru Oil:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/moreoil.jpg
Probably a few more coats needed. I use that bent up coat hanger to hang it on a nail in the rafters while I wait for it to dry.

Next I removed all the clamps and took the fat body to the bandsaw to trim the edges.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/trimedge.jpg

Lacking a good edge sander, I'll be rasping and filing the sides until they're where I want them.

I know the next step in the body is to begin smoothing out the edges, which I have to do with hand tools. But I also knew that I have limited time, and hadn't begun the neck for the sympathetic strings. I sat at the computer and drew up a bunch of lines - 12 to be exact to represent the strings. I could calculate their spacing more accurately on the PC, and determine the shape and size I'd need for this neck. I didn't take a picture of my computer screen though. Just imagine a bright white monitor with 12 evenly spaced lines and that's the image.

After I got the exact measurements, I found a scrap maple board in the wood pile, and cut it to length. I then wanted to see how all the parts looked together, so I laid it out. The "real" neck for this project is hanging to dry after being oiled, so I used a surrogate guitar neck, and also a surrogate pickguard.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/2necks.jpg
One of my original thoughts was to make the sympathetic neck have the same general shaped headstock as the main neck, only stretched. Looking at it in this picture, I decided to keep the edge straight, so that it does not get in the way of my thumb at all when playing.

The sympathetic strings will be attached to the neck with zither pins. I bought a bag of 100 zither pins back in the '80's - I'm guessing (at the most) $10.00. If my math is right, this comes to about 10 cents per pin, or $1.20 for 12. Here I laid them out on the neck to check distances between them.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sympzitherpins.jpg

Seeing that everything was looking good so far, I went back to the table saw and cut the angle in the maple. I also found a scrap piece of mahogany, and cut it for the "fingerboard" area. This will not have frets; I just wanted to add it for strength, and so that it would blend in better with the main guitar's fingerboard. Many years ago, I worked for a lumber supply/hardware store, and this piece of mahogany came from the slats on an oversized skid. I planed it down when I worked there, and got a section to work that didn't have existing nail holes.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sympneckpieces.jpg

And finally, I glued and clamped both pieces together. Since this is not a playing neck (no frets) and about 2/3 the size of a normal guitar neck, I didn't feel the need to add a truss rod. All 12 strings will have low tension and be very light guage, so even if the neck warps a little bit, it won't matter.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sympclamped.jpg

I feel too awful to do anything, but I must press on.


Yes, you must! This is certainly one of the most intriguing builds I've encountered. I can't wait for more...

Now is the time to sweat. Since I lack a good spindle sander, I have to rasp, file and hand sand/shape most of the sides of the body. I can use the orbital sander on some sections, but I gotta put some sweat equity into this now.

So we begin with rasping the body:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/morerasping.jpg

And rasping the bottom edge of the sympathetic neck:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/rasping.jpg

here I'm using a scraper. Sorry it's a blurry picture, but it's a nice curl of wood I'm shaving off with it.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/scraping.jpg

***Did anyone notice that the camera is focusing on everything BUT the project? I took a break and put new batteries in it.***

The forstner drill bit moves a lot of wood from the neck cavities - and oh it makes the workshop smell great. I suppose I could make pot pourri with these shavings. For now, it just makes the room smell better than the doggie poo in the trash can behind me. Cedar is such a good wood for repelling insects. I hope it does the same for internal bugs, I still am fighting this cold/sinusinfection.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cedarchips.jpg

In our last episode, we had cedar chips all over from drilling. This removes a lot of wood quickly and makes for less work for the router. Here's a pic of the body after I routed out all of the cavities:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bodyrouted.jpg

After 2 cups of coffee, I was fully alert to do the calculations. I taped up the neck so I had a "drawing surface", measured, and marked where all of the strings lined up, and marked the locations for the individual brass nuts (12) and zither pins.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/markings.jpg

Once exact locations were known, I could begin drilling. I used the drill press for this, so I could get identical depths to all top holes.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/drillingtop.jpg

All top holes drilled. That was easy.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/topholesdrilled.jpg

Drilling the zither pin holes was a little more challenging. I was working with an angle, and each depth had to be 3/4 inch, so I had to set the drill stop for each hole.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/drillingsideholes.jpg

Here's the sympathetic neck with all holes drilled.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/allholesdrilled.jpg

Next, each string will have its own nut. I want them to be uniform height, so I begin measurements. I set the drill bit in one of the top holes and mark it with masking tap at the height I would like.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/quarterinchabove.jpg

Pull the drill bit out of the hole and measure it again, and I have my full length needed for the string nuts.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/halfinchneeded.jpg

I take a brass rod, measure it, hold it in the vise, and notch it with a file to help with the saw cut.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/notchednut.jpg

Then cut it with the hacksaw. This is a posed shot. I'm really left handed and cut with my left hand, but I couldn't hold the saw and work the camera properly.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/hacksawcut.jpg

Once I have 12 brass nuts cut, I use a file and clean up one end. This is so I have a good even surface for when I will be gluing them into the fingerboard.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/12brassnuts.jpg

If the weather holds out, I'm off to the barn to do some orbital sanding on the sympathetic neck and body next.

It warmed up nicely this afternoon, so with my face mask and parts, I headed to the workshop/barn. On the way to the barn, I saw the first snake of the season. So yes, it's warming up indeed. Must be alert at all times.

I used the orbital sander and started sanding the sides.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sandingsides.jpg
Some of the tight-curved sections I just can't get with this sander. I have another "time saver idea" for the sides though... But that's for another day.

Sanded the back:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sandingback.jpg

and sanded the top:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/topsanded.jpg
I also sanded the sympathetic neck, but forgot to take a picture of that sanding process.

Once finished, I brought the pieces back to the house, and gave the neck a seal coat of shellac:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/shellacneck.jpg

And also shellaced the body. I really like how it makes the wood stand out already.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/shellacbody.jpg

wow! That's coming along nicely! Keep up the good work!

Thanks Tuuur! I do hope I complete this in time - there's been a few set backs. :)

It was time to venture into unchartered waters. Today I did something that I've never done before. I like the look of the barnwood on the back, but if you look at the sides, you'll see many spots where the wood is missing, rotted away or just not there. Here's a small example of what I'm talking about.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/badwood.jpg
If you look closely at some of the earlier photos, you'll see other areas. I just didn't like it and wanted to do something other than use wood filler. In the box where I keep my clamps, I found a strip of maple wood that's been sitting around for well over 30 years. No idea when or why I go it. It's stil very flexible and easy to cut. I'm going to use it on the sides!
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/maplestrip.jpg

I held the body in the vise, and began painting a thick coat of hide glue along the edge.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/painthideglue.jpg

Then, I taped the wood to the body:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/spreadglue-1.jpg

And kept going:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/beginningtaping.jpg

Until the wood was completely all the way around.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/tapedup2.jpg

My fingers got too sticky in this process to grab the camera for "inbetween" consecutive shots. I had to clean up and wash my hands to take the final pictures here. Here's another view:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/tapedup.jpg

Now I wait for the hide glue to dry, and I'll add some binding to the edges on each side.

This is looking very nice! I can't wait to hear it! (Memories of Coral Electric Sitars are running through my head...) :cool:

Sunday's final act involved wet sanding, rubbing compound, and finally, waxing the main playing neck:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/waxingneck.jpg
I like the Bowling Alley wax best because it's clear and I think a bit finer than regular butcher's block wax.

After waxing I hand buffed with rags to work up a nice shine (and a sweat):
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/shinybuff.jpg

Once that was completed, I set it aside, and started the first coat of tru oil on the sympathetic neck:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/truoilsympneck.jpg

Overall, this was a very productive weekend.

This is looking very nice! I can't wait to hear it! (Memories of Coral Electric Sitars are running through my head...) :cool:

oh yes, I remember the Coral Sitars fondly. I hope this takes it one step further with a more accurate sound reproduction. Thanks for checking this thread out. :)

As a side note: I just found a picture on the internet of one of my first electric sitar builds. This is owned by Professor Steve Curtin (third instrument down):
http://curtin.emf.org/strings.htm

Lunchtime fun!
I removed the tape from the maple side trim. Just two areas left for maple. So I used the flush cutter saw to get a clean edge:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/flushcut.jpg

Next I cut a piece of maple to fit in this area:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/topcap.jpg

Lined up the grain, and spread a layer of glue under the piece:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/lineupgrain.jpg

And taped it in place - repeating the steps for the other cap as well:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/2topcapsglued.jpg

There was still too many surface cracks in the back of the body, so I used a spatula to press wood filler into the cracks.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/woodfiller.jpg

I set the body aside, and started work on the sympathetic neck. After a few coats of TruOil, I wet sanded it, then buffed and waxed it.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/buffneck.jpg

I used the same drill bit (turned by hand) to clean out the gunk in each of the holes.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cleanoutholes.jpg

Then began tapping the brass bridges into each of the holes. I cleaned up each bridge with steel wool first.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/tappinginbridges.jpg

Here's a view of all 12 brass bridges installed.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/allpinsinstalled.jpg

Next, I used a file to level the tops of all of the bridges. Note that this is a "posed" shot. The handle of the file would surely get in the way moving across all the bridges this way. I removed the handle to do the job correctly.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/filingbrass.jpg

Lots of brass dust after leveling them all.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/brassshavings.jpg

The brass bridges are not finished - they still need a string-groove notch in each one, but that's a job for later. Next it was time to install the zither tuning pins. I used the zither tuning tool to "screw" each pin into the holes
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/addingpins.jpg

And all the tuning pins are installed.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bridgespins.jpg

I set the sympathetic neck aside, and went back to the body. The black binding just arrived, and now it's time to add it. I gather the supplies I need.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bindingsupplies.jpg

Here's a posed closeup using the dremel router cutting the channel for the binding. I held the body in the vice so I would have free hands to do this.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/route4binding.jpg

You can see in this photo that the tool just doesn't work in tight curved areas.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/tightcurves.jpg

For these areas, I clean out the channel with an exacto knife.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/xactobladetrim.jpg

Very nice, I think everyone will agree,, I can't want for more progress/pics!!!!!

Very nice, I think everyone will agree,, I can't want for more progress/pics!!!!!

oramac - I hope to provide more pics AND audio samples when I'm finished. Thanks for checking this out, and your kind words.

This is a pretty weird project - I've never seen anything like it (of course, there's a lot I haven't seen). Very cool idea. I'm not yet sure what all it will do - not familiar with a sympathetic neck - but I have some ideas. Looks great so far. Can't wait to see/hear the finished product.

I can hardly wait to hear this thing! Should have western and eastern twang!

Jim

Doing some image googling I can across this sitar-caster/tele-sitar:

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/daindain/HPIM2329.jpg

... but I think your idea of a neck for the sympathetic strings is cooler!

This is a pretty weird project - I've never seen anything like it (of course, there's a lot I haven't seen). Very cool idea. I'm not yet sure what all it will do - not familiar with a sympathetic neck - but I have some ideas. Looks great so far. Can't wait to see/hear the finished product.

Thanks for checking this out Sean. I like weird. :)

I can hardly wait to hear this thing! Should have western and eastern twang!

Jim

Hey Jim - perhaps it's a universal twang... Thanks for checking it out - I'm looking forward to hearing this myself!

Doing some image googling I can across this sitar-caster/tele-sitar:

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u47/daindain/HPIM2329.jpg

... but I think your idea of a neck for the sympathetic strings is cooler!

Wow Big Daddy - that looks cool! I've not seen that one before, but I would imagine it would be hard to not be muting the sympathetic strings all the time - You really want them to be free to ring out constantly and it looks like (without "protection") one's arm would be muting the symp strings a lot. It even looks a bit, dare I say, relic'ed.

Thanks for checking out my build.

Back to the build. I used up the last of my tube of Duco Cement on the front binding. It just made it around. I squeeze the glue into the groove, then bend and shape the black PVC binding into the groove, and tape it in place. Here's the beginning:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/startbinding.jpg

Once I started, I got glue all over my fingers and didn't really want to delay the application, so I continued till I finished, cleaned my hands, and snapped another picture. The top is completely bound.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bindingtaped.jpg

After that set for a day, I removed the tape:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/taperemoved.jpg

A bit of cleanup needed, and expected. Next I "rushed a bit" and routed the channel for the binding on the back:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/backroute.jpg

A bit of a waste of time, because I should have sanded the back first. Once it's sanded, it shortens the area for the binding a bit and I had to reroute it once again. Here's the back after sanding it again and leveling the wood filler:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/resanded.jpg
That looks better.

Next, since the back is a very soft wood I gave the back a wash coat of amber stain:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/amberwash.jpg

Then sealed it with a coat of shellac, which completely soaked into the wood. Once it was dry, I rerouted the edge for the binding. And like the top, there are tight curve areas that still have to be trimmed by hand.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/needtodobyhand.jpg

Since I didn't have any more Duco Cement, I started to level the top binding. Here's I'm suing a file to move quickly through it. Then I'll sand it, and probably scrape a smooth edge on it.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/filebinding.jpg

The search for Duco Cement, which I thought was a common household glue, took over 3 hours and 7 stores until I found it. NO other glue works as well. But I got it, and I'm ready to continue with gluing the back binding next.

Universal twang sounds cool. Looking forward to hearing this too.

How thick is the body?

It's lookin' more beautiful by the minute DrTom! An "A" for workmanship too! You might need to change your name to "AmazingDrTom"! :cool:

I had a break, so I continued. I used the new tube of Duco cement and what a difference! Much better than my 10 year old tube. :)

I started the binding on the back channel, and it practically stuck without needing the tape.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/backbindingstart.jpg

I was able to use a single piece of PVC binding all around the back of the body. Here I cut off the excess.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cutoffoverhang.jpg

And the back is now bound. And I have glue all over my fingers.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/backbindingdone.jpg

I still have to add binding between the two necks, and the flat section of the heel, but I'll do that when this is dry.

Universal twang sounds cool. Looking forward to hearing this too.

How thick is the body?

HI Leigh! I wasn't so sure myself, so I just measured it. It's just a hair under 2 1/4 inches. Nothing like a fat and chunky body every now and then.

To my friends in Europe, the conversion is like 570 millimeters. Always willing to help.

It's lookin' more beautiful by the minute DrTom! An "A" for workmanship too! You might need to change your name to "AmazingDrTom"! :cool:


Thanks for the kind words, though I am too humble to be amazing. I'm happy with just rockin'

HI Leigh! I wasn't so sure myself, so I just measured it. It's just a hair under 2 1/4 inches. Nothing like a fat and chunky body every now and then.

To my friends in Europe, the conversion is like 570 millimeters. Always willing to help.

ah, that will be 57mm! 570mm is around 22.5"! :wink:

See... That's the problem with metric! "Factor of 10" errors!

LOL!

Jim

ah, that will be 57mm! 570mm is around 22.5"! :wink:

HA! I know. I was just seeing if anyone was really paying attention. Yeah that's it. ;)

I removed the tape from the back binding:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/taperemovedback.jpg

But I was not finished with binding just yet. I added the curve between the two necks:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/backcurvetaped.jpg

Trimmed it, and added the two flat ones that go behind each neck:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/allpiecestapedup.jpg

I trimmed up the curve piece on the front:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cutitflush.jpg

Then discovered that the curved piece on the front was a bit troublesome (since I used the old glue on it), so I removed it, cleaned up the channel, and reglued it - this time with a little extra help holding it in place.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/squeezeit.jpg
All the glue on the top will be sanded off later, so I'm not worrying about the messiness.

Once the binding is dry, I can start scraping the edges.
Here's a "posed" shot of using the scraper. Typically, I hold it with two hands.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/usingthescraper.jpg

And a close up of an area that has been scraped flush with the side wood (still rough though).
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/closeupscraped.jpg

Most of the weekend was spent cutting grass. It's amazing that when I started this project, it was a blizzard. Now, lawn care is cutting (no pun intended) into my time.

So for the few moments I had free, I continued. Testing the tuners on the neck, I found that the holes were too small, so they had to be drilled out larger.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/drilledlarger.jpg

I mounted the tuners, lined them up, marked them, then spun them out of the way to drill the mounting screws on the back of the neck:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/spinaside.jpg

Mounting screws installed and tighten up on front.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/tunersinstalled.jpg

I used an old neck plate (from Dimarzio!) as a template for hole placement. Marked the holes for drilling in both neck pockets.http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/holetemplate.jpg

I took it to the drill press for drilling. Here's the holes drilled.http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/holesdrilled.jpg

Then I clamped the neck to the body and lined it up
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/clampnecktobody.jpg

And drilled the neck using the drill holes in the body as a guide. Notice a piece of tape on the drill bit as a marker so I don't drill too deep.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/drillingtheneck.jpg

And here's the neck attached to the body - the camera angle makes it look really crooked, but it's not.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/neckattached.jpg

Looks like the same tuners I'm using!

Jim

I just happened to have found them in a box in storage. Cool coincidence, huh?

We've reached that point in the show where it's time for "audience participation"!

I have three possible options for what's next, and thought I'd get input from others. Here they are:
OPTION 1:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/option1.jpg
With OPTION 1, I would use mounting rings for all three pickups. I have to fabricate a mounting ring for the single coil. This looks the least like a Tele, but allows the most of the cedar to show. I will be making a custom bridge and tailpiece for each neck.

OPTION 2:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/option2.jpg
Option 2 is similar to Option 1, but uses the more standard tele bridge/pickup mount. However, I will have to completely rework the saddles on this, and it still requires an additional tailpiece.


OPTION 3:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/option3.jpg
This would look the most like a tele. The pickguard will actually continue over to the single coil pickup on the sympathetic neck, and curve around (much like the Merle Haggard Tuff Dog one). This option covers a lot of the cedar. Like option 2, it requires a reworking of the tele bridge piece as well.

Any thoughts? I'll wait for one week and go with the option that has the highest votes. In the meantime, I'll be sanding and finishing the body, and working on bridges.

I like #2. The bridge helps retain some Tele-ness, while showing off a lot of cedar.

Jim

1 or 2. I would miss the cedar in 3.

I think 3 would tie the whole thing together and complete the Tele vibe.

I'm going to count Big Daddy's vote as both 1 and 2, so at this point we have 1 for Option1, 2 for option 2 and 1 for option 3...

I'm liking No. 2

Then again, should I pick something that's not as good, with the motive of derailling your build, and increasing my chances... like that would work.

Nah, I think 2 is better, tele bridge, 'bucker.

And another vote for #2 here. :grin:

And another vote for #2 here. :grin:

+1
__________________________________________________ ____________

Am i the only one in the tele-universe that think something is really missing when there's no pickguard around?
(My vote goes to #3)

Am i the only one in the tele-universe that think something is really missing when there's no pickguard around?
(My vote goes to #3)

No, you're not the only one. My vote goes to #3 as well.

Am i the only one in the tele-universe that think something is really missing when there's no pickguard around?
(My vote goes to #3)

IMO, rear-routed Teles without a pickguard still look like a Tele, but if it also lacks the Tele control plate, that's the tipping point: it starts to look like a generic solid body guitar.

Cast my vote for #3

You could still show plenty of wood with a pickguard like this.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3336/3644737090_6ed6bbcd2e_o.jpg

or this one

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q84/Steve_73008/Double3.jpg

I do like that pickguard on the guitar/mandolin doubleneck. very much like what I was originally thinking.
Thanks for all your input so far everyone. Here's the current count:
1 for Option #1, 5 for Option #2, and 4 for Option #3.

Another vote for #2. I want to see cedar and dare I say it: you'll want the HB in the neck to balance the HB in the bridge.

just to clarify - the playing neck will indeed have two humbuckers (since that's all I have). I was just using an existing black tele pickguard as a "model" to see what it would look like. The black pickguard will have a humbucker cutout. Sorry if it caused any confusion (I don't have photoshop to mock it up right). Let me know if this sways anyones decision. I may do a paper template and reshoot photo Option #3 if it helps any.
I won't decide until next tuesday on this, since that's what I promised.

no time to sit and wait for the results, I must continue -so here's today's installment:
Took the body down to the barn, and on the way, spotted a half a snake. Good thing the cats are working cats.
So the barn was swarming with bees and yellow jackets, so I worked quickly. Seems like as soon as I started to kick up the cedar dust with sanding, they all went way. Nice. Here's the top all sanded:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sanded.jpg

Went back to the house and started to spread the tru oil on the top, again using the professional spreader.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/spreadoil.jpg

Here's after rubbing in the first coat of tru oil to the top:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/truoilcoat1.jpg

Once it dry, I steel wooled the shine out of it, and mounted the sympathetic neck. Now I can line up the tailpiece and bridge area.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sympneckmounted.jpg

Have no fear - after a few more coats, the shine will come back.

Damn that cedar's gonna look good!

Time is ticking away getting close to the deadline, and I'm going to be away again next week. Got to keep on going!
So here's the next batch of photos.

Getting more ideas and confused in my thoughts, I returned to the source. I wanted to see how the tail piece and bridge were created. This really surprised me. The tailpiece is just three dowels in the end of the instrument, to which ALL strings are tied. This is a bit simpler than I want, but I can see it works.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/Sitartailpiece.jpg

I also examined the bridge. I discovered that each bridge was notched for string alignment. That was one of my concerns, and glad I see an easy solution.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sitarbridgeview.jpg

I also measured the bridge to make sure I have a large enough vibrating area.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sitarbridgemeasured.jpg

Gathered some scrap pieces of Delrin, which should be perfect in density.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/delrinscraps.jpg

I took it to the bandsaw and table saw to cut to size, and also cut a small slot lengthwise. The marks on the masking tape will be cut by hand for each string slot.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sympbridgemarkup.jpg

Then while that was going on, I stained the sides of the body with the amber tint.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/ambersides.jpg

...and stained the back.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/amberback.jpg

Once that was dry, I hand rubbed the first coat of Truoil to the back and sides.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/truoilbacksides.jpg

BTW, here's another crazy sitarcaster from Google:

http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/e-sitar1.jpg

It doesn't make many concessions for the guitar player.

That looks like a Rickensitarbacker.

Wow, this thing is looking amazing! Love the finish!!!

BTW, here's another crazy sitarcaster from Google:

http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/e-sitar1.jpg

It doesn't make many concessions for the guitar player.

I have actually seen ones like this for sale from an online music store. I'm not sure why anyone would want this, but I suppose there's a market for someone somewhere, or it wouldn't be available.

Wow, this thing is looking amazing! Love the finish!!!

Thanks MATTDEAN4130. I'm definitely enjoying building this, though I'm far more rushed than typical. It usually takes me about 1 1/2 years of free time to complete a project like this.

I cut the string slots in the sympathetic bridge. I'm using the edge of the vise to give me an even angle for cutting all the slots.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cutslots.jpg

And (what I thought) was the finished bridge. Here I've added graphite to the grooves so that they would show up better in the picture. I've also scraped and filed all of the edges to make them rounder.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sympbridge.jpg

Testing out the "buzz" effect on the existing tele. I know the intonation will be way off with it here right over the bridge pickup, I just want to hear if it buzzes nicely acoustically. Unfortunately, it didn't. Perhaps the delrin is too soft.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/testdelrin.jpg

So as another experiment, I have a pile of solid brass foot pedals I pulled out of the dumpster when I worked at ENSONIQ. Someone thought brass would look the best (which it does), but solid brass is too soft, and people were actually bending the pedals when they stepped on them. So they threw all remaining stock of solid brass pedals out. They build that particular model with brass plated pedals after that. I figured that one day, I would find a use for these. Wedging it against the strings, it give me the EXACT buzz I'm looking for. Brass is my material of choice.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/brasspedal.jpg

Internet was down for 8 hours. It gave me time to do things other than sit in front of the computer. So I did more work on this, and realized, I'll be away next week - so I have to do a GOOD amount on this to meet the deadline.

I made a paper template for the pickguard.I like doing it in paper, because I can easily cut and tape more to it until it's the shape I want. I decided to go with a pickguard like this:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/papertemplate.jpg

So I took the paper template down to the barn, taped it to my black plexi from the old refrigerator front, and rough cut it. No snakes around - a good thing. I brought it back to the house where I can trim it up better on the jig saw.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bandsaw2jigsaw.jpg

Once it was cut, I used a file and scraper to clean up certain areas to make sure it fit properly.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/filingedges.jpg

I attached both necks to the body, and worked slowly on the pickguard with the files and scraper till it fit just right. You can see the paper is falling away, and the black is showing through here.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/testfit.jpg

Then I had to drill out the holes and cut the areas for the pickups. Unfortunately, the jigsaw blade broke (last one). No time to run out and get a new blade - this will have to wait a week until I'm back.

Moving on to something else, I needed a bridge for the sympathetic strings. I decided on 6 pins - 2 strings each. I covered and measured, and marked the area, then drilled right through the tape.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/drillthrutape.jpg

Peeling the tape away reveals clean drill holes. Nice!
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/cleandrilledholes.jpg

And working on the bridge for the playing neck, I started drilling holes for the adjustment screws. Each string will have its own saddle, so I can set the height and intonation far more accurately than the real instrument.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/drilledbrass.jpg

My apologies for anyone that was waiting until Tuesday for which Option would win. We had 5 votes for Option #2 and four for Option #3. I didn't vote, and when I remembered how bad the neck pockets were (free-hand) routed, I cast my vote for #3 - so that the full pick-guard would help cover up most of the bad routing. I had also routed a very large hole for the sympathetic neck pickup, and it would have looked odd with just a huge mounting ring on it.
I also forged ahead, because once again, I will be out of town for the week. This is the third week I've had to be away from the house since this project began. I still hope to meet the "real" deadline though.

I think that pickguard is going to look downright at home there. Looking forward to next week!

This is...
Well, it's...
Okay, I'm at a complete loss for words.
Definitely one of the most interesting projects on the TDPRI and is shaping up really nicely! Using a separate neck for the sympathetic strings is interesting and I can see this turning out absolutely incredible. So, press on old chap and let's see this finished before the deadline, eh? ;)

Back from my week away, and returing to the tele-sitar project. But the grass looks awfully long - it can wait, I can't- final week.

Before I left, I hand rubbed the final coat of TruOil on the body and hung it to dry:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/finaloil.jpg

While I was gone, I remembered to buy scroll saw blades. After I got back, I was able to use them to cut the pickup holes out of the pickguard. I had to set the saw at the slowest setting - when it moves too fast, it melts the plexiglas, and the melted plastic resticks together right behind the blade. In a few places, I had to recut several times. Plexiglass is also quite brittle, so I had to be very careful not to crack it.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/scrollsawcuts.jpg

With the scroll saw and an assortment of files, I was able to get the pickup holes cut out to just the right size. Here's a test fit:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/testfitpickups.jpg

Then I drilled and countersunk the mounting holes, removed the masking tape, and filed the edges to a curved shape. Most pickguards have a 45 degree angled edge, I just don't have the tools to do that right, so I curve the edges. This is nearly completed, it just needs shielding on the back and a good buffing
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/finpickguard.jpg

Set the pickguard aside, and then I wet sand the body. I went from 500 to 1000 grade sandpaper.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/wetsandbody.jpg

I took a break just to post these pics, now I have to go back for more.

I think that pickguard is going to look downright at home there. Looking forward to next week!

Thanks! It's just so frustrating to have to be away and not be able to do anything. I'm glad I'm back - now I must get back to it!!

This is...
Well, it's...
Okay, I'm at a complete loss for words.
Definitely one of the most interesting projects on the TDPRI and is shaping up really nicely! Using a separate neck for the sympathetic strings is interesting and I can see this turning out absolutely incredible. So, press on old chap and let's see this finished before the deadline, eh? ;)

Thanks Vanguard. I don't see any point in making an instrument I could easily buy. So I enjoy making the more unusual and odd things much more.
Glad you'r eenjoying it - I can't wait to finish.

Wow! I hadn't been checking the $210 subforum. I love you project! I have been toying with various ideas for a electric sitar. One involves a channel in the neck for 12 sympathetic strings which would act as and replace the truss rod. Only problem I'm concerned with is whether bending strings will bend the neck enough to cause the sympathetic strings to go out of tune (sorta like a floating trem does).

You dumped the delrin bridge idea, but did you try radiusing it at all? Here is a link to the art of arching real sitar bridge (you said you have a real sitar; maybe you play and know all about setting up the bridge, so no insult intended).

http://www.buckinghammusic.com/sitar/sittut/jaw.html

I've seen another forum, a few years ago, someone suggested he used a cutoff of a rosewood fingerboard with a 20" radius as his buzz bridge and it sorta worked. I've thought of using that as a starting point myself (the radius not the material).

One note about the sitar bridge tutorial: He talks about a progressive radius because the change of the angle of the string at the witness point as you fret higher on the neck. I suspect it is more pronounced on the real sitar as the action is so high. I am concerned about the intonation change as the witness point on the bridge changes as you fret higher on the neck. The frets on the sitar are movable so this can be accounted for but not on a guitar neck. No idea whether the impact is less on an electric sitar.

I have been experimenting with a Gotoh buzz bridge with only mixed results.

I'm hoping you are (1) extremely successful with this project, and (2) are able to prove/disprove some of my theories and concerns.

Good luck!

I wet-sanded the body, used rubbing compound and bowling alley wax and got a shiny finish on the body. But I didn't like it. I liked how it looked with the matte finish. That just seemed classier for this project, so I got the steel wool back out, and rubbed it down to an even matte finish. Usually, I like a nice gloss finish, but this project just cried out for a flat finish.
Here's the top:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/mattetopfinished.jpg

And here's the back:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/finishedback.jpg

Installing the 6 pins for the sympathetic neck strings:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/addingpins-1.jpg

All pins installed:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/symppins.jpg

The old plexiglass former refrigerator front turned pickguard had a slew of scratches. Tried my best to buff and hand rub them out, but there's some that are so deep, it's probably impossible. The buffing made the edges look really nice though.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/polishingpickguard.jpg

I flipped it over and added shielding. This is another thing I pulled from the dumpster years ago when I worked at ENSONIQ. This was the shielding that went into the bottom of the keyboards (possibly the VFX or Mirage). At some point, the keyboard was retooled and redesigned, so all of the old shielding was just tossed. I have rolls of this that will last more than my lifetime. I was able to position this so that the existing holes (from the keyboard layout) would overlap pickup cutouts.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/pickguardshieldingstart.jpg

Then I used the exacto blade to cut it to size. Pickguard shielding complete.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/pickguardshieldingfin.jpg

I mounted the pickups to the pickguard, and did a test fit to the body. NICE - no additional routing needed. However, the wires for the tube pickup would be too short to reach to the electronics cavity, so I soldered extensions onto it.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/finishedfront.jpg

When I was away, I was able to get a pack of scroll saw blades. However, the store only had one type of blade and only one set left and it was not for cutting metal. The pack had 4 blades. That is why I purposely cut the holes for the pickups first. I figured I would end up wearing these out and breaking them as I cut through the brass. I lost three blades in the process, but was able to cut all six saddles needed. Now it's a matter of filing edges and shaping them.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/shapingthebridge.jpg

I've decided to make 6 brass "inserts" that sit upon the existing saddles. This still allows me to adjust the height of each one with the set screws and set the intonation correctly for each string.

Here are the inserts with the edges smoothed, and ends bent up.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bridgepieces.jpg

Then, I set the bridges on a scrap wood block in the vice and cut string guide slots in each one.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/stringslots.jpg

That's all for now... more to come later today.

Wow! I hadn't been checking the $210 subforum. I love you project! I have been toying with various ideas for a electric sitar. One involves a channel in the neck for 12 sympathetic strings which would act as and replace the truss rod. Only problem I'm concerned with is whether bending strings will bend the neck enough to cause the sympathetic strings to go out of tune (sorta like a floating trem does).

You dumped the delrin bridge idea, but did you try radiusing it at all? Here is a link to the art of arching real sitar bridge (you said you have a real sitar; maybe you play and know all about setting up the bridge, so no insult intended).

http://www.buckinghammusic.com/sitar/sittut/jaw.html

I've seen another forum, a few years ago, someone suggested he used a cutoff of a rosewood fingerboard with a 20" radius as his buzz bridge and it sorta worked. I've thought of using that as a starting point myself (the radius not the material).

One note about the sitar bridge tutorial: He talks about a progressive radius because the change of the angle of the string at the witness point as you fret higher on the neck. I suspect it is more pronounced on the real sitar as the action is so high. I am concerned about the intonation change as the witness point on the bridge changes as you fret higher on the neck. The frets on the sitar are movable so this can be accounted for but not on a guitar neck. No idea whether the impact is less on an electric sitar.

I have been experimenting with a Gotoh buzz bridge with only mixed results.

I'm hoping you are (1) extremely successful with this project, and (2) are able to prove/disprove some of my theories and concerns.

Good luck!

Thank you for your kind words. In the past, I've carved and curved the bridge as described in the article (thanks for that link), but for this one, I want individual bridges for each string. which means a curve for each string. I hope my current idea works out. I'm looking forward to completing this project, AND posting sound samples as soon as possible.

One more thought. Have you seen these bridge pieces for standard 3 barrel tele bridge? They're made in Europe. I got a set that are awaiting the finish of a partscaster tele I'm in the middle of, so I can't atest to the sound as yet.

I got them for about $65, but I've seen them recently on ebay for $99.

You might be able to fabricate something similar.

One more thought. Have you seen these bridge pieces for standard 3 barrel tele bridge? They're made in Europe. I got a set that are awaiting the finish of a partscaster tele I'm in the middle of, so I can't atest to the sound as yet.

I got them for about $65, but I've seen them recently on ebay for $99.

You might be able to fabricate something similar.

HI stratified. I've never seen that before, but it's right along the lines of what I'm planning to do.

FINAL WEEK TUESDAY REPORT
Time for assembly and setup! I attached the sympathetic neck first to the body.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/attachingsympneck.jpg

Here's what it looks like so far:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sympneckattached.jpg

For the sympathetic strings, I have a spool of leftover piano wire, .014 gauge, that I used for stringing up the Chinese Guzcheng. The spool of wire cost me $10.00, and I'm using about a 1/4 of the spool at most.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/coilof014gauge.jpg

A single wire will be used for two strings, so I cut the wire to the correct length, attach it to one of the tuning pins on the neck, and start tying it to the endpins shown here.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/tyingstrings.jpg
I go around to the back, through the center hole coming towards the neck, wrap it around one full pass, back in the hole from the front to back, and around the other side of the post coming back to the second tuning pin on the neck.

Here's all of the strings loosely attached.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/12strings.jpg

Next, I was going to cut slots in each of the brass pins on the peghead. But I only need to raise the string slightly off the wood. I found that slipping washers under each pin was much faster and served the purpose. It would probably be best to glue the washers down so they don't get lost should a string ever break.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/12brasswashers.jpg

I used the strings as my guide now for determining the location for the bridge. I marked the position with masking tape.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/sympbridgeplacement.jpg

Almost forgot to drill for the ground wire. Sorry the "posed" picture is blurry. I was holding the drill and camera at the same time, and couldn't really focus. I actually had to spread the strings apart with one hand and drill with the other for the grounding wire.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/drillforgroundwire.jpg

I also had to drill through the delrin base and fed the ground wire up through it. I'm having the strings sit on a piece of brass so the ground wire here will be attached to the brass and help to electrically ground the sympathetic strings.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/groundwireforsymp.jpg

Just a few days left, and I feel very confident. Good thing, because I've not had much time to work on this with all the grass cutting that needs to be done.

So in my spare moments, I made all the electrical connections as shown here:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/electronics.jpg
I was almost perfect the first time - but I had to switch the neck and bridge hot leads since I wired them backwards. All is good.

I fitted all of the top pieces in place (held with tape), and drilled holes for the mounting screws.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/drillingmountingholes.jpg

Then installed the screws for the pickguard and electronics plate.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/mountingscrews.jpg

Just a few things left: mount the playing neck, install the bridge/tailpiece assembly, strap buttons, strings, intonation, then record samples! That might be the hardest part, but the sympathetic strings are buzzing nicely already, so I'm quite happy so far.

As far as the electronics go, I had all kinds of ideas in my head for switches, tones, etc. and decided to go simpler. The thing that is unique about this instrument is the sympathetic strings- you always want them to be able to vibrate and be heard. So for now, I wired the sympathetic pickup straight to the jack – full-on all the time. The playing neck was wired exactly like a regular Tele. I know the humbuckers will be a bit louder than the tube pickup, so I can roll the volume back to balance out the sound between the playing neck and the sympathetic string vibrations.

I found a pair of somewhat used 500k pots in my parts bin. I was able to get the Orange Drop capacitor from a friend that works at a factory with electronic components. At the bulk rate, they come to about 5 capacitors for a penny. So I bought 5. Out of kindness, I gave him a nickel for them.

Great job. I can't wait to hear a sound clip of this instrument!

Saturday Morning
After a cup of coffee, it was time to continue and bring this project closer to completion.
I was still thinking about the playing neck tailpiece. I hadn't installed anything there yet, because I still was not quite sure what I wanted to do. I could use a "Les Paul" style tailpiece, I also had an odd vibrato unit that I could have used - adding a whole new dimension of weirdness to the instrument. After looking at how each of the options looked, I just decided to use pins like on the sympathetic neck, so it would have uniformity.

So this morning, I taped the area, measured and marked it, then drilled holes for the pins.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/1tapedmarkedanddrilled.jpg

Removing the tape left nice clean holes again.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/2pinholes.jpg

Installing the pins was identical to the previous pin installs, so no additional shots of that. I did want to point out that the holes in the pins are arched to follow the radius of the fingerboard.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/3curvedradiuspins.jpg


While lying in bed, I was thinking that the zither pins are not designed for thicker strings, and I had a feeling I would have to drill the holes in the pins a bit larger. This was confirmed when the windings on the end of the E and A strings would not fit in the pins. I had to drill them a little larger.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/4drillthepinholes.jpg

And then I used a needle file to clean up any burrs to prevent premature string breakage.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/5needlefilethepins.jpg

All the strings are added and fit properly in the pins.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/6stringsadded.jpg

I have not mounted the "normal" tele bridge yet, I wanted to confirm everything lined up. This pic shows that they do, so I can now drill holes and mount this bridge/pickup assembly. Incidently, this is one of my favorite pictures - I like how the camera is reflected in the chrome and the plexiglass. If you look closely at the neck joint, you'll see the first casualty. Remember I said plexiglass is brittle? While aligning the neck, it must have put enough pressure on the corner and it snapped and went flying. I now have three options: I can try to reglue it back, refile and shape it so it curves just to the edge, or just leave it as is and chalk it up to being "naturally reliced."
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/7stringslinedup.jpg

On the peghead end, now that the strings are on, it was easy to find the correct place to mount the string tree. This is an old brass one I found in the parts bin.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/8brassstringtree.jpg

Just realized it needs knobs. I didn't have any normal tele style ones, and too late to order some. I didn't like the look of white strat style knobs, but had these ones that I inherited from my brother. They are a bit smaller, but I have more, and should I decide to add another knob in the middle, it will look decent.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/9smallknobs.jpg

Action was terrible on the first fret - I had to cut the nut slots to the correct depth. So I measured the height of the frets with feeler gauges...
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/10measuringfretheight.jpg

...then use the feeler gauges as stops so that I don't file the slots too deep.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/11filingnutslots.jpg

Now it's time to tweak and develop the buzzing bridge. This was the first idea, and it didn't quite work the way I hoped, so this has been abandoned.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bridgeidea1.jpg
I next tried a solid piece of brass covering all the saddles, and it was better, but I couldn't set string height or intonation correctly. I have a few more ideas...

Great job. I can't wait to hear a sound clip of this instrument!

I can't wait to figure out how to record it - I am more than happy with the results. I hope there will be a recording within the week.

If at first you don't succeed
That would be the title of this section.
I was not happy with the bridge. It wasn't creating the characteristic sound I wanted. So I reshaped the pieces. Now they are a bit smaller and fold around the existing saddles.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bridgeversion2.jpg

Though they look better, they still don't have the sound I want. There's just not a solid transfer of string to body, and so I abandoned this version too. I got the best sound when I went to the brass piano pedals, so it was time to rethink. I stripped out ALL of the hardware from the bridge plate started with a chunk of Delrin again with the brass pedal on top of it. Excellent transfer of sound. So I determined which section of pedal would give me the best intonation, leveled the Delrin and cut it to size:
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/brasspiece.jpg

When it was assembled, it was tonally gorgeous. The brass forces the radius to be flat, but I can live with that. It raises the outer strings so it's easier to bend without bottoming out, and the lower pitched strings can be plucked harder without hitting the frets. It was easy to position it too, and I found the best place for intonation. All strings (are almost spot on for correct intonation (the G string is just a hair flat, but bending it will easily compensate). Here's the final bridge in position.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/bridgecloseup.jpg

And a full view of the final assembly. Hard to believe that the workshop (to the left) was buried in snow when started this project.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/finished2.jpg

And another closer view - I love this baby! It is very hard to put this one down.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/rockndrtom/finished.jpg

The biggest problem I have now is... NO CASE!!! I suppose I have to make that next.
This has been quite an enjoyable ride. Thanks to everyone for their kind words through this process, and I do hope to figure out some computer-based audio recording software so I can record sound samples. Good thing THAT wasn't a requirement for the finale!!!

Parts Cost Breakdown
Body wood (free, but estimated) $25.00
Superglue (Home Depot) $1.97
Playing neck (used with nut) $30.00
Tuners (used) $15.00
String tree (used) $1.00
Pickguard (free, but estimated) $5.00
Black binding (2 strips from Luthier’s Merchantile) $6.50
Pickups (used – 2 humbuckers $25.00, lipstick $15.00) $40.00
Tele Pickup plate/bridge (used) $12.00
Brass washers (12) $0.25
Brass buzz plate/delrin (free, but estimated) $5.00
Control plate (new- Guitar Fetish) $9.95
Pots/knobs (used) $4.00
Switch (new- Guitar Fetish) $6.95
Capacitor (orange drop) $0.05
jack/jack plate $4.95
Shielding (used) $1.00
Screws (Used and GF) $5.95
Brass string tree (used) $1.00
zither pins (24) $2.40
Brass rod 3/16 x 6” $0.75
Tru oil (previously used, so ½ bottle ½ price) $6.40
Strap buttons (used) $2.00
Strings ($2.39 + piano wire $2.50) $4.89
TOTAL $201.01

Now I have to go cut the grass which I've postponed to finish this project.

Wow Dr. Just wow! All that for just at $200.00. Someone with some computer recording freeware assistance help the man! Gotta hear how great this one is gonna sound!

P.S. My vote's here for innovation!

Try this:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Wow Dr. Just wow! All that for just at $200.00. Someone with some computer recording freeware assistance help the man! Gotta hear how great this one is gonna sound!

P.S. My vote's here for innovation!

Thank you most kindly for watching this thread (and your vote for innovation). This really was quite an enjoyable way to spend my time instead of in front of the computer playing games. Much more productive.

And for the record, I'm not really a doctor. An old bandmate who was a bit innebriated at the time, was going on about how I was always repairing guitars, thrilled with his repair, he continued, saying "I was the guitar doctor", and then since I was in his band, called me "Rockin' Dr. Tom," and the nickname has stuck for over 30 years.

As far as recording, I have some kind of Yamaha interface with Cubase LE software, I've just never used. The text in the manual is just too small for my aging eyesight.

Again, much thanks.

Try this:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Thanks for the Audacity link - I'm downloading it now. Folks I know on another singer/songwriter forum use Audacity a lot and love it. Personally, I still prefer the Mackie mixer and Alessis ADAT that I've used before for recording, but they still sit in boxes without a place to set up that is safe from animals.

Again, much thanks for the link!

very awesome looking guitsitar !!!

very awesome looking guitsitar !!!

Thanks Barkley!

Fantastic result!

Dude, that thing is incredible, i'm not a fan of sitar music tbh (my bassist has one, and it doesnt do anything for me), but i have to admire the innovation, workmanship, and balls you have to make this thing, and for less than $200 as well.

You have my vote.

wow,just seen this topic for the first time: super!!! great how you solved bridge and tailpiece issues! it's this kind of projects that 'll give this tdpri competition a great reputation.

Fantastic result!

I'm glad you like it, Scooter. It certainly was fun to build.

Dude, that thing is incredible, i'm not a fan of sitar music tbh (my bassist has one, and it doesnt do anything for me), but i have to admire the innovation, workmanship, and balls you have to make this thing, and for less than $200 as well.

You have my vote.

Hey - to be honest, most sitar music bores me too. But the instrument adds a nice flair to recordings every now and then (when used sparingly). Thank you for the kind words.

I know we had to estimate costs for materials, and out of curiosity, I created another list (which I didn't post) of what I actually paid for parts since the beginning of this project. My BIGGEST challenge was to keep costs ridiculously low, so that my wife wouldn't complain. What I actually spent was less than $70.00!

wow,just seen this topic for the first time: super!!! great how you solved bridge and tailpiece issues! it's this kind of projects that 'll give this tdpri competition a great reputation.

Thanks helectrix! I had come so far, and I just couldn't give up. I'm glad I stuck with it and got THE sound I was after.

My god...this is amazing, and if you don't win for best build, I'm not sure what I'll do. Certainly not start building guitars. This thread has been awesome, and thanks for posting so many pics. After you cut the grass, you should pop a cold one to celebrate.

My god...this is amazing, and if you don't win for best build, I'm not sure what I'll do. Certainly not start building guitars. This thread has been awesome, and thanks for posting so many pics. After you cut the grass, you should pop a cold one to celebrate.

Thank you HenryAdams for the very kind words. I have to say though, that the fact that it sounds like a sitar is not really everyone's cup of tea. It may look like a tele in a weird, twisted way, but it sounds nothing like a tele. I think that alone will prevent me from winning the best build, being that it really is a "Tele build challenge", but I could be wrong.

I all fairness, and after reading the rules, I probably should add 2 sheets of sandpaper, wood/hide glue and masking tape to the build, since they were used, and I forgot about them.

So the updated parts list looks like this:

Parts Cost Breakdown
Body wood (free, but estimated) $25.00
Superglue (Home Depot) $1.97
Playing neck (used with nut) $30.00
Tuners (used) $15.00
String tree (used) $1.00
Pickguard (free, but estimated) $5.00
Black binding (2 strips from Luthier’s Merchantile) $6.50
Pickups (used – 2 humbuckers $25.00, lipstick $15.00) $40.00
Tele Pickup plate/bridge (used) $12.00
Brass washers (12) $0.25
Brass buzz plate/delrin (free, but estimated) $5.00
Control plate (new- Guitar Fetish) $9.95
Pots/knobs (used) $4.00
Switch (new- Guitar Fetish) $6.95
Capacitor (orange drop) $0.05
jack/jack plate $4.95
Shielding (used) $1.00
Screws (Used and GF) $5.95
Brass string tree (used) $1.00
zither pins (24) $2.40
Brass rod 3/16 x 6” $0.75
Tru oil (previously used, so ½ bottle ½ price) $6.40
Strap buttons (used) $2.00
Strings ($2.39 + piano wire $2.50) $4.89
Sandpaper (2 sheets from a packet) $1.00
Wood/Hide glue (used very small amount from original gallon jug, estimated) $2.00
Masking tape (estimated from bulk purchase) $2.00

TOTAL $206.01

That is way cool looking!
Love the bridges and absolutely love the knobs...i say keep 'em.