My first build

I just finished tuning her up so I thought I'd share some of the sheer terror I suffered out in sub freezing temperatures for the last 3 weeks.
Reading on these boards over the last 6 months or so got me thinking of trying to put one together my way. SO I saw this ad saying they still had a bit of this left:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/bubinga.jpg

I was able to talk them into cutting what they actually had left in half:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele9.jpg

I cut it in 3 pieces and put a future body slab In my homemade planer:
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele24.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele25.jpg

I had to figure a way to get a body out of it..

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele28.jpg

Kind of cool:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele29.jpg

Now this was craziness for a router newbie:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele31.jpg


Not too bad.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele36.jpg

Time for getting some neck stock ready:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele42.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele44.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele44.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele58.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/BTele61.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/BTele62.jpg

Let's see how bad I can make some routs:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele48.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele51.jpg

Coming along:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele76.jpg

Routing the truss rod channel:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele59.jpg

It's almost looking like something:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele63.jpg

I just put a couple strings on the mark the bridge holes:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele75.jpg

Glueing in some dots:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele84.jpg

Radiussed:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele89.jpg

I got the outside edges of the frets tapped in and then to the drill press with the fret press attachment:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele92.jpg

I put a bit of glue in the end of every fret slot and then clamped it in the 9.5 radius for the night.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele94.jpg

A few steps I missed:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele96.jpg

I put about 30 degrees on the fret ends.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele95.jpg

I rubbed a bit of tung oil on the neck and then rubbed it in.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele99.jpg

I threw some tuners on it after reaming the holes to size.
I have to work on getting stuff where it is supposed to be.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele107.jpg

I gave the body a tung oil rubdown and then started assembling.

I soldered up the pots and switch to my liking. Top to bottom. Volume, tone and then switch.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele104.jpg

I then bolted on the neck (totally shaking I was so terrified at what May take place here.)

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele105.jpg

The skunk stripe is not too obtrusive:

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele108.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele109.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele113.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele111.jpg

Now for a bit more tweaking and then see how it plays.....

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd18/DeepDrummer/Btele117.jpg

Looks good!

Wow, I love the neck!

Great job...looks like a player.

Thanks guys. I made it to be a player. When I felt the neck raw I decided to just oil it rather than spray it. I sprayed the body with a clear uv protected poly. It turned it a beautiful chocolate brown but it lost the luminescence of the grain so I sanded it all off and oiled the body too. No shortage of mistakes which I will attempt to correct on my next one but all in all the function is heavenly. Relief was ridiculously low at around 4-5 thou but it works real well. Now I DO have a real player in my opinion.