Broke my golden rule - slow build

[kwerk]

Well, I vowed I would stick to native timber for all my builds but I'm going to break that vow with this build. It's only my fourth. I have commitment issues.

I was innocently trawling the local auction site and I had a quick look at veneers. Bad move. I found this.

It's olive ash burl, 14"x18".

I've drawn my only musical sibling (out of 6) for the Christmas present draw this year, and he has helped me out a lot over the last year, so I'm gonna be building this one for him.

The plan at this stage is to make a stage acoustic. Solid body, acoustic bridge, undersaddle piezo pickup. It'll show off as much of that veneer as possible.

It's an amazing piece of wood though, theres a few faces and weird little people in there! I've also got the next consecutive pair for the back.

I'm not sure how tele shaped it'll be. I'd like to try and let the veneer shape the body a bit. It seems to lend itself to a guitar shape, I just gotta remove the bits that aren't guitar, as the saying goes.
I'm also not sure of the body wood. The neck will either be an existing tele neck I have, or a shredder neck (24 frets!!), or one I make myself from matai and black maire.

It won't be done in much of a hurry though. I've just moved towns and left a lot of my gear behind, so I need to visit another brother to do a lot of the work. Looking forward to getting back into it though

[kwerk]

And just what is that guy staring at?

[DeepSouth]

Beautiful timber - I have a turned feature bowl made of it. I imagine the guitar will be stunning - although I wonder how resonant the timber will be. I guess there is only one way to find out - build it!

[kwerk]

It's only veneer, so I can build the body from whatever I want. This is something I gotta think on a little more, as it will be more critical given the type of pickup. I had a washburn solid body stage acoustic years ago, but I'm not sure what it was made of. Sounded great, though.

[jkingma]

Is that Gandalf in there?

[kwerk]

Yeah, Gandalf kinda sold me, I gotta admit...

[guitarzan13]

Originally Posted by jkingma

Is that Gandalf in there?

No.... Yosimite Sam!! Hatless

[crazydave911]

I always suspected the entrance to Middle Earth was somewhere down there in NZ . Good to see ya' buildin' again, God knows I've not been keeping up my end of things .
As for wood for your core, I'd probably go with basswood, aspen, or luan. All light, easy to work, and you can glue or paint anything to them. Of these, I'd guess luan would be easier to get where you are. They're all cheap, paint grade woods. Luan works similar to mahogany and seems to be everywhere (I've seen shipping crates made from it). I'd also consider making it a semi-hollow, with a cheap wood core & rims covered with a birch or luan ply similar to underlayment for flooring. Considering most guitars like this are the size of a mini-jumbo, it would certainly make it lighter. And covered with that awesome veneer, geez what a fiddle .
In case your thinking this sounds a little too detailed to be an off the cuff idea, your right. There's a partially completed one in my storage bin .
These are the body designs I used for " inspiration"

Dave

[motor_city_tele]

I bought this slice of veneer to put on a tele down the road.

I see a swamp monster face.

[crazydave911]

Originally Posted by motor_city_tele

I see a swamp monster face

Too cool!

[flatfive]

Originally Posted by kwerk

And just what is that guy staring at?

Jeez, kwerk!

Anyway, it's a beautiful veneer, not matter how you look at it.

We definitely don't want to see a pickguard on this one!

[jkingma]

Originally Posted by motor_city_tele

I bought this slice of veneer to put on a tele down the road.

I see a swamp monster face.

Looks like the Salt Vampire from Star Trek.

[Davecam48]

Gandalf ??????????? Hell I thought it was Kwerk's self portrait!

Naaaaah .......too good looking.

[kwerk]

Originally Posted by Davecam48

Gandalf ??????????? Hell I thought it was Kwerk's self portrait!

Naaaaah .......too good looking.

Gloves off, then Dave?

[kwerk]

I'm still thinking hard about wood.

(Man, Freud would enjoy a sentence like that )

Because I've already broken my golden rule, I guess I can go the whole hog. None of the woods crazydave mentioned are available here. I could go with fijian mahogany. It'd be heavy though, but I could chamber it. I could also go with either monterey pine or monterey cypress, both of which are in plentiful supply here. I could also go down the track of staying native and using rimu, which is also being used in a build here:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home...ele-build.html
It's nice looking stuff, readily available and relatively inexpensive. It's probably comparable to the cypress in terms of density.

Any thoughts?

[kwerk]

Originally Posted by motor_city_tele

I bought this slice of veneer to put on a tele down the road.

That is fantastic, MCT. You were the first person I thought of when I pushed the "buy now" button for that veneer. Expect your brains to get a pickin'

[crazydave911]

Originally Posted by kwerk

I'm still thinking hard about wood.

(Man, Freud would enjoy a sentence like that )

As they say here where I live, "boy, you just ain't right"

None of the woods crazydave mentioned are available here

No luan?
A friend and I broke down a shipping container ( had contained computer desks, office furniture, etc) about 4 yrs ago, almost big enough to live in, that was solid luan, plywood & beams. Oh yes, it was postmarked Auckland . It may not be generally available there, but it sure has a summer home there . The container itself was 3/4 plywood and roughly 2 X 6 beams. The individual containers within had 1/4,3/8, and 1/2 (or the metric equivalent) plywood along with boards roughly 3/4" thick, 3,4, and nearly 6" wide. I wasted my share building furniture with it, my ex-wife assures me it's holding up fine

I could go with fijian mahogany. It'd be heavy though, but I could chamber it. I could also go with either monterey pine or monterey cypress, both of which are in plentiful supply here. I could also go down the track of staying native and using rimu, which is also being used in a build here:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home...ele-build.html

I agree, the rimu looks great, is it light? The reason I'm asking, the body I built, take 1, was Philippine mahogany 1 1/4" thick with a 1/4 blue spruce top, fully chambered except where the neck & bridge mount, with a shell thickness of only 1/4". I made it to the form of a very small jumbo cutaway and it still came out weighing just shy of 7 lbs (yes, just the body ). Take 2 (the one the customer bought), I ripped scrap pine 2 X 6s on Dad's tablesaw, glued up a rim and center support, and glued on a birch ply top & back. The back & sides I veneered with mahogany, the top, curly maple, and maple binding. With a mahogany neck, rosewood bridge & fretboard she came in a little over 8lbs with tuners. Even I thought it looked good, and I took my 500$ (1992 dollars) and ran like a thief
I guess the moral of my sad (and always rambling) story is, unless the body is on the smallish side, or the wood light,or the body thin, these things gain weight like a pregnant cat , so choose your wood carefully (there goes that Freud guy again )


Dave

[kwerk]

I'll bet you anything you like those desks weren't made in New Zealand. I could be wrong.

I've done a search, and while I can find a Brazilian surfer call Luan Wood , in NZ there are only references to luan plywood. I did find luan for sale on our local auction site, but only in the form of a scabbard for an "antique" chinese sword.

Rimu is around 650kg/m3, which is comparable to white ash, longleaf pine or african mahogany. Quite dense I suppose.

The monterey cypress, known here as macrocarpa, is around 490kg/m3. comparable to Eastern red cedar, lighter doug fir. I was quite a ways out in my estimate of the rimu matching this for density.

The monterey pine, known here as "radiata pine", is the most prolific and avilable timber in NZ. It's standard building wood here. It has a density of 520kg/m3. Comparable to red gum, black ash, and heavier doug fir.

[kwerk]

Btw, I'm not thinking anything as large on outline as a traditional acoustic. It'll be closer to tele shape, or some kind of LPish-teleish-ish-ish shape according to what the veneer seems to be saying to me (people may say I'm mad for talking to wood, but in this case, it's talking back ).

[crazydave911]

Originally Posted by kwerk

Btw, I'm not thinking anything as large on outline as a traditional acoustic

Well that would make a lot of difference. The one I built was approximately the size of the old Fender Malibu, except thinner of course, basically a concert sized cutaway

It'll be closer to tele shape, or some kind of LPish-teleish-ish-ish shape according to what the veneer seems to be saying to me (people may say I'm mad for talking to wood, but in this case, it's talking back )

You know you could just be mad period (kwerk is very close to kwerky ), I can relate, I sure didn't start the crazydave nick

FWIW, the cypress followed by the pine sound like your lighter options, but I wouldn't write off the rimu. You know, and I know, a lot of your denser woods vary. I've seen mahogany boards I could barely lift, and one time, one so light I nearly threw it into my windshield as I was expecting much heavier . Now I wouldn't build a boat or furniture with the light stuff, but hey, a guitar body? In a New York minute! . Hey, you could find some cast-offs of some very fine wood because of this! My Dad used to take these "culls", as he called them, and chop them for kindling . Of course he bought mahogany back then for 250$ which was as much as we could get on his 1 ton flatbed (and he still griped)

Dave

[elelpe]

Originally Posted by motor_city_tele

ALF!

[JA158]

Originally Posted by kwerk

Well, I vowed I would stick to native timber for all my builds but I'm going to break that vow with this build. It's only my fourth. I have commitment issues.

I was innocently trawling the local auction site and I had a quick look at veneers. Bad move. I found this.

It's olive ash burl, 14"x18".

That is one seriously pretty piece of wood

[skipjackrc4]

I've looked at olive ash before, but never gotten any. Can't wait to see it finished.

[Nick JD]

Radiata Pine is fine for making bodies. It's got a nice grain too if you get a clear piece.

Would set you back about $10 too, which is handy. And it doesn't need grain filling.

And when it was cut down one of these was put in its place.

[kwerk]

Originally Posted by Nick JD

Radiata Pine is fine for making bodies. It's got a nice grain too if you get a clear piece.

Would set you back about $10 too, which is handy. And it doesn't need grain filling.

And when it was cut down one of these was put in its place.

Yup, though I may be compromising my principles, I'd be very happy in the knowledge that I'd be using sustainable resources. This would apply to either of the exotics I'm considering. Not so much on the rimu, but recycled rimu is readily available, and a doorstep or stair tread would make a good base for a body. I could use recycled kauri too (just the regular 2000 year old stuff, not the prehistoric stuff), come to that.

[msfenderarg]

Originally Posted by kwerk

Well, I vowed I would stick to native timber for all my builds but I'm going to break that vow with this build. It's only my fourth. I have commitment issues.

I was innocently trawling the local auction site and I had a quick look at veneers. Bad move. I found this.

It's olive ash burl, 14"x18".

I've drawn my only musical sibling (out of 6) for the Christmas present draw this year, and he has helped me out a lot over the last year, so I'm gonna be building this one for him.

The plan at this stage is to make a stage acoustic. Solid body, acoustic bridge, undersaddle piezo pickup. It'll show off as much of that veneer as possible.

It's an amazing piece of wood though, theres a few faces and weird little people in there! I've also got the next consecutive pair for the back.

I'm not sure how tele shaped it'll be. I'd like to try and let the veneer shape the body a bit. It seems to lend itself to a guitar shape, I just gotta remove the bits that aren't guitar, as the saying goes.
I'm also not sure of the body wood. The neck will either be an existing tele neck I have, or a shredder neck (24 frets!!), or one I make myself from matai and black maire.

It won't be done in much of a hurry though. I've just moved towns and left a lot of my gear behind, so I need to visit another brother to do a lot of the work. Looking forward to getting back into it though

[kwerk]

Well much as I'd love to buy this, I can't come near to affording it...

http://www.trademe.co.nz/building-re...-410393515.htm

Might be a little more than I need to buy for the build though...

[kwerk]

Originally Posted by msfenderarg

You've lost me there...

[Davecam48]

Hey Kwerk ......Seriously mate I'd think hard about just matching them as near to perfect as I could, fit a backboard, and pop the grain, stain and frame them and put them behind glass.
If you have the next set as well, you'd have something unique. I'm sure you could construct a magnificent set of frames for them.
DC

[Davecam48]

Just remembered what that veneer reminded me of. In Hangzhou China there is a museum with hundreds of golden statues of the disciples of Buddah and there are several there which look like Gandalf's relations, especially this one which has a God etc. on his head as well.
DC

[kwerk]

Originally Posted by Davecam48

Hey Kwerk ......Seriously mate I'd think hard about just matching them as near to perfect as I could, fit a backboard, and pop the grain, stain and frame them and put them behind glass.
If you have the next set as well, you'd have something unique. I'm sure you could construct a magnificent set of frames for them.
DC

You know, that's exactly why I bought the next set... I may be reluctant to use both pairs on the guitar...

[kwerk]

Well, there you go Dave, I did decide I couldn't part with the old man, so I relented and bought yet another pair from the guy.







I got some figured straight olive ash as well to go around the sides. I'm gonna go with a laminated and weight relieved pine for the core as it's cheap and light. It'll have 3 a side black tuners and black binding.

The original pic (sent by the seller) was at good resolution so I was able to correct for the camera angle and get good shots of the other pieces. More faces, and some pretty amazing other stuff going on too.







Chewbacca?






And finally, the original pair which was a little too distorted in the original to get more detail, but I "oiled" the image i did get from it in Photoshop to get an idea of how it might pop.



That's either the reverse side or he's stuck that sticker on there since he took the original auction photo.

As far as shape goes, I'm still wanting to wait on the veneer to get here before I make a call on it, but I'm leaning towards a tele/coronado kind of shape. Has an almost dreadnought feel to the bottom of the guitar without the size. This photochop is a quick sketch but you get the idea.






Yes, it's Antigua. I still like it.




I'm also going to wait on the veneer before I determine scale length and fret numbers. I want to look after whichever "old man" ends up on the front, and the bridge will need to be clear of most of his head. Then again, I kind of like the idea of the bridge being incorporated with the head somehow. I'll have to wait it out. Only a couple of days.

[Davecam48]

Phil it'd be a crime to wack that string retainer over the old fella. Go with a wrap around to show him off.

[kwerk]

Originally Posted by Davecam48

Phil it'd be a crime to wack that string retainer over the old fella. Go with a wrap around to show him off.

It's just the general body shape I was thinking of Dave, It's gonna have an acoustic bridge and piezo pickup, with controls in the side of the body. The minimalist disturbance possible

[kwerk]

Years ago I had an SBT-21, at the bottom of the page in this ad.



It sounded great, considering what it was. A solid body with an acoustic bridge, and piezo. This is the general idea for the build, but without the controls on the front, and without the pointy bits.

This is the SBF-80 from a few years later, which is rather more pleasing to look at, as there are few things sadder than a tele with a pointy headstock..

[Davecam48]

I agree about the pointy bits and really dislike those angular Washburn headstocks. I have just completed a strange looking neck with some features I intend to make my stock style for future builds and thinking about putting it on a loosely based version of a Maton B250 T style copy from the seventies, very rare and only 300 made. Will also trial a different construction method.
If you have too many of those veneers now, I could dispose of some for ya!

[kwerk]

I've made a start on the body design. It's a crossover between a coronado, a junior and a tele. I still have to refine and clean up the horns a little, but this is the basic idea. I've overlaid it on some LP Jr plans to try and utilise the shorter scale, so as to give me more clear area behind the bridge.



I still can't finalise the shape until I get my preamp, as it has a profiled base that I'll need to work to. I'm still going to try and go ahead and rough out the basic blank idea on the weekend though, and try to make a start on the scarf joint for the headstock.

Can't wait.

[crazydave911]

Oh my, that's gonna be sweet!

[kwerk]

Ok, here's the final design. The body's going to be about 2" thick, so I will likely have a deeper neck heel than a regular tele body, but will still go with a bolt on neck so I can have a heel adjust which I prefer. The thicker body will allow for a side mounted installation of a low profile 4 band EQ.

['59_Standard]

Nice veneer, Kwerk - I'm seeing a King Charles Spaniel below the bridge area.