A different kind of Texas Longhorn

Sometime last year I was going through the "Printable Guitar Templates" thread (better known as the Big Boys Candy Store :lol:) and found this little number LINK (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/157004-printable-guitar-template-pdf-8.html#post3665870) :smile:. This set my juices flowing so I fired up "Big Print" and printed some templates :wink:


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pWLSDFr9JtA/UBGJVjNjbfI/AAAAAAAAB1o/kc4ECU06HPs/s800/CD1649.JPG




Now don't get me wrong, the last thing I need is a bass, but wicked thoughts of a Bass VI invaded my dreams :lol:




Well, things were going along just fine when a friend gave me these Grovers from a Yamaha acoustic, nearly new (he wanted black ones)



https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S5nZX29_TlY/UBGNpQjyyCI/AAAAAAAAB18/2CbL_7wBehk/s800/CD1650.JPG





Well, things went on apace and then I received this bridge by mistake from GFS (It was cheap, so I just reordered the chrome one)



https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-z2soiLfS9VI/UBGNp7r804I/AAAAAAAAB2E/FMbK_COChlE/s800/CD1652.JPG



I must admit, these things had me really torqued up, but here came the 2012 Challenge. I was busy as a cat with diarrhea trying to get my shelves built AND get new tight-grained red oak for my bed slats (I have heard you can make necks of red oak :idea:). When I was getting my slats cut at Home Depot I saw these three vermin in the cut-off bin (to the left of my high-tech joiner of course :lol:)




https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Xc7rIqGO1Us/T21FD7yAdmI/AAAAAAAABBk/TbXt_fYFn4w/s800/CD1354.JPG





Sigh :twisted:.................what's a man to do? The die was cast, there was to be a Longhorn in my future :lol:

Here is that blank glued up and planed.........................




https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-orh9IWkPiV4/T21FEfIHWzI/AAAAAAAABBw/Al8MZZCLm9A/s800/CD1367.JPG




And........................................the cedar top :grin:




https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q-JRrE0lMzs/T21FFOHJ4EI/AAAAAAAABB4/DjrTZlB9TRc/s800/CD1375.JPG




Probably a month or two down the road, I cut them out :smile:



https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-D6ix_FE7cBI/T_NR3IqCQ3I/AAAAAAAABsA/vptq1DU9hhY/s800/CD1609.JPG



https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8IYa2WD1CHY/T_NR88EqzQI/AAAAAAAABsY/_oY0qmrnz-s/s800/CD1612.JPG

Shown here in a family portrait :grin:



https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vlSUKdWTzVE/T_NR9QpotZI/AAAAAAAABsg/3j1WHwW8OAQ/s800/CD1613.JPG





Then being glued up :wink:





https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uL5yOLT6ux4/T_NR-LGzpmI/AAAAAAAABso/OL3IhGv2O88/s800/CD1615.JPG





Here it is with the........................red oak neck blank :lol:





https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UeTVsh8D_Ko/T_NR_WEbZLI/AAAAAAAABsw/Iz3b-m1pD48/s800/CD1616.JPG




And the maple fretboard :smile:





https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y3_IJOVZo7I/T_NSBED5KZI/AAAAAAAABs4/ttR_VQBwHRA/s800/CD1618.JPG



Yeh, I know, I'm thinking it too. He's unemployed and NOW he gets ambitious :lol:. What can I say, as long as I'm not buying anything it keeps my hands (and mind, such as it is) busy :lol:



Later, Dave

Thanks for that link Dave. I've been looking for a longhorn plan for quite some time.

Some day you know I'll be making one as well.

Nice work so far. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.

Ciao, John

Blank, BLANK!

That's not what a long horn is supposed to look like on the inside.
:razz:

Just giving you a hard time Dave.
I bet it's going to look awesome once it's done.

-Josh

Love me some cedar!

Looking good Dave.............are you really crazy or did somebody just make that up? Ha........


Jeff

Thanks for that link Dave. I've been looking for a longhorn plan for quite some time
No worries :smile:

Some day you know I'll be making one as well
I look forward to it

Nice work so far. I'll be keeping an eye on this one
Thanks John, glad you came by :wink:


Blank, BLANK!

That's not what a long horn is supposed to look like on the inside.
:razz:
You know me, not only do I march to the beat of a different drummer, he only has one stick :lol:

Just giving you a hard time Dave.
I bet it's going to look awesome once it's done.
That's ok :smile:, I hope it does too :wink:


Love me some cedar!
Ohhhhhh YEHHHHH! :grin:

Looking good Dave.............are you really crazy or did somebody just make that up? Ha........
I wish, my Dad has called me that since I was 5 :lol:

More awesome! Nice to see, Dave!

You are a god. Thank you for the templates link.

I have so many downloads. Might as well get them now, before they get deleted

That red cedar is so pretty, no wonder you're using it again. Good luck with this build Dave, Longhorns are made of coolness, sprinkled with 'ooooh-yeah'.

Well, it didn't count as much of an update, so I hadn't. But I got my spindle sander fixed and got the bodies shaped. I've still got to do the roundover's but I'm going to do the neck/pup routes on the Longhorn and just do them both together :wink:



https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-as3aGVTrmWw/USq6TBKpHCI/AAAAAAAADgg/Vtg19t-5-zA/s640/CD1844.JPG




https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4mYDjwSxtnk/USq6TAfhqmI/AAAAAAAADgk/eDJH0bhTn08/s640/CD1844a.JPG




On this one, I'll rout for the neck reinforcement/truss rod when I do my Swinger neck then I can glue the fretboards and fret them both (nope, no thread on the Swinger yet..................don't have the body blank prepped yet :wink:). Things should speed up then

I used the Dano as inspiration for my " Longhorn" bass. If, you're going to call it a Longhorn, shouldn't it have long horns ?

Call it creative license :lol:

Very cool!

Very cool!

Thanks! :grin:, here's hopin' :wink:

Thanks! :grin:, here's hopin' :wink:

I like the cedar top!!!!!!

Dave! Dave! Dave! You are ill, you do know that don't you?

How many have you got in the cupboard now??

Sick but in a good and creative way! Keep the chips flying mate!

DC

I like the cedar top!!!!!!
Thanks! :grin:

Dave! Dave! Dave! You are ill, you do know that don't you?

How many have you got in the cupboard now??

Sick but in a good and creative way! Keep the chips flying mate!

DC

Got between 5 to 10 hanging around in one shape or another....................but to be fair, these were first. Just couldn't work them without my spindle sander

Thanks! :grin:



Got between 5 to 10 hanging around in one shape or another....................but to be fair, these were first. Just couldn't work them without my spindle sander



You are forgiven! :lol:

I used the Dano as inspiration for my " Longhorn" bass. If, you're going to call it a Longhorn, shouldn't it have long horns ?

Wow, that is sweet looking.

Getting ready to do roundovers and contours, on this and a bunch of bodies. I think you'll like what I have planned on the body edges :smile:



https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8S4SlW-wUjg/UYbUMmESsjI/AAAAAAAAD94/wufzqmWq2ZQ/s640/IM002001.JPG

Dave, what do you spray cedar with to keep the color from getting dark in a few years?

Dave, what do you spray cedar with to keep the color from getting dark in a few years?

I do a wash coat of tinted shellac (subdues the pink hues and acts as a preservative). But it will darken over time some if not kept in a case :wink:
And I don't spray...............just a heavy brush coat, sanded back then a then a thin rubbed coat as if I were preparing to french polish. Then it gets coated in hard poly :smile:

Always loved the Longhorn. Can't wait to see it finished.

Sweetness!!!

Nice!

Dang, Dave. You need to pace yourself, dude :lol:.

Always loved the Longhorn. Can't wait to see it finished.
Me too :grin:

Sweetness!!!

Nice!
Thanks! :smile:

Dang, Dave. You need to pace yourself, dude :lol:.
Daddy needs a new pair of shoes :lol:

I do a wash coat of tinted shellac (subdues the pink hues and acts as a preservative). But it will darken over time some if not kept in a case :wink:
And I don't spray...............just a heavy brush coat, sanded back then a then a thin rubbed coat as if I were preparing to french polish. Then it gets coated in hard poly :smile:

What? No Thompson's WaterSeal? :mrgreen:

Looking forward to this. Great choice of project Dave.

What? No Thompson's WaterSeal? :mrgreen:
Regrettably, no..............:lol:

Looking forward to this. Great choice of project Dave.
Thanks Dave :wink:



The rain let up long enough to take the router table outside so I committed a little roundover action :lol:. I did two others but they are in their own threads:wink:. Can't do the other.................seven, until the tops are glued up...............and four of those tops I don't have yet :roll:.
I really like the contour this gave the edges :wink:



https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IIdM0mUgMpA/UYrrkQY7EDI/AAAAAAAAD_g/ntfEfEl0tco/s640/IM002007.JPG



https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Dkkw4TzdbcY/UYrrlCrCqkI/AAAAAAAAD-8/0Xo0-qYr2_A/s640/IM002008.JPG



https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vOZMCRK5hzQ/UYrrlA8s_gI/AAAAAAAAD_c/z7NLoLTMqGs/s640/IM002009.JPG



https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZhvY4J20bVI/UYrrlC-rkKI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/j2hPBQQHMrI/s640/IM002010.JPG



https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ykTgjxSLKxo/UYrrlsttcAI/AAAAAAAAD_M/QxR7p86IHbU/s640/IM002011.JPG

Love this project Dave!

The grain of that cedar top makes it look like a neck through! Makes me imagine a Crazy Dave mix of Danelectro and Alembic...

Love this project Dave!
Thanks :smile:

The grain of that cedar top makes it look like a neck through! Makes me imagine a Crazy Dave mix of Danelectro and Alembic..
That's one of the nicest things anyone could say to me :grin:

That looks very lightweight....is it?

I love the non-roundover edge shaping, it really accents the top nicely. good call!

That looks very lightweight....is it?
Well, kinda sorta :lol:. It's a little over 4 1/2 lbs at this point. But then the body is almost 2" thick. One reason I wanted this type of edging was to make it appear thinner than it is :grin:

I love the non-roundover edge shaping, it really accents the top nicely. good call!

Thanks Craig :smile:

Yeppers.. Looking fine. ;)

Great build Dave, looking forward to following it. Is there any inherent issue with structural strength in those long horn designs - do they have any tendency to break in use etc? I know the differing grains of the laminate and substrate will add some strength, is it enough?

Yeppers.. Looking fine. ;)
Thanks Rich :wink:

Is there any inherent issue with structural strength in those long horn designs - do they have any tendency to break in use etc? I know the differing grains of the laminate and substrate will add some strength, is it enough?
To be honest, I have no idea. I've seen them built of masonite, plywood and pine shelving. That's one thing I tried to account for, those horns are quite narrow but nearly 2 inches deep which, along with the laminated nature of the body add strength. One reason also I did the pine part in three pieces. The middle section is just hard yellow pine, but the two outer pieces are fine grained sugar pine (at least 12 rings per inch). No, it didn't come from a secret stash, but from a pile of 10' 2 X 4s from Home Depot. It stuck out like sore thumb in the middle of that pile of bent white pine. There were 3, I just regret I didn't buy all three :cry:

Looks very nice Dave........

Looks very nice Dave........

Thanks guy! Where you been keepin' yourself? :grin:

To be honest, I have no idea. I've seen them built of masonite, plywood and pine shelving. That's one thing I tried to account for, those horns are quite narrow but nearly 2 inches deep which, along with the laminated nature of the body add strength. One reason also I did the pine part in three pieces.

Thanks Dave. I think if I were doing one like yours with a separate top, I'd be very tempted to rout a channel in the horns and epoxy in some small aluminium box-section for reinforcement, just in case the guitar ever got a knock.

Thanks Dave. I think if I were doing one like yours with a separate top, I'd be very tempted to rout a channel in the horns and epoxy in some small aluminium box-section for reinforcement, just in case the guitar ever got a knock.
Maybe....................those horns are 1 1/8" (28.5mm) wide and 1 7/8" (47.62mm) deep. That's a lot of wood :wink:

Maybe....................those horns are 1 1/8" (28.5mm) wide and 1 7/8" (47.62mm) deep. That's a lot of wood :wink:

Ah, that extra 0.02mm will do it! We understand metric feet and inches here perfectly well ;-)

Those horns aren't as fragile as they look! Even in the typical framed/masonite construction, they are usually solid wood... a little bigger than a 1x2.

Getting ready to do roundovers and contours, on this and a bunch of bodies. I think you'll like what I have planned on the body edges :smile:



https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8S4SlW-wUjg/UYbUMmESsjI/AAAAAAAAD94/wufzqmWq2ZQ/s640/IM002001.JPG

Dave can you give us more information about those strange pickups?:lol:

Dave can you give us more information about those strange pickups?:lol:

Not sure, but I think the offer a smooth, round sound..:wink:

Not sure, but I think the offer a smooth, round sound..:wink:

:lol::lol:

Dave can you give us more information about those strange pickups?:lol:

I strongly recommend oil paper caps to go with these pickups and at least 1Meg pots. They will make a difference.

They are the latest cutting edge technology!

They are the latest cutting edge technology!

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

They are the latest cutting edge technology!

Don't believe a bit of it.

Not sure, but I think the offer a smooth, round sound..:wink:

With a built in groove no less :wink:

:grin:

With a built in groove no less :wink:

:grin:

I hear they follow automatically, too.. Kinda like shooting fish in a barrel..