Beginner Mahogany/Maple Thinline Build - I missed the 2012 challenge :-(

[DeepSouth]

The 2012 Challenge really got me excited about building a Tele and I was moping about not knowing about the whole thing and missing the start date.

So rather than mope around the house I figured the best way to get over it was just to build something anyway

So on Friday I picked up some wood. The aim is to make a Thinline of some description with binding.

At the moment (and this might change) I'm going to to use a mahogany body, a flame maple cap, rosewood fretboard and rock maple neck. The only thing that might change is I might use Alder for the body. I've never build a guitar before so this will be a bit of steep learning curve for me.


Somewhere in that wood there is a tele!


Need to get one face of the block flat first so I can use a thicknesser later.


Hmm shavings and one face is nice and flat


One tidied up block of mahogany ready for tracing out with a template.


I am wondering what a mahogany thinlline with a maple top is going to sound like. I'd love some recommendations for pickups. I'd still like some twang to it - The mahogany aspect bothers me a bit - I'd be interested in opinions about that bit. I already have two tele's and one is nice and twangy - so maybe having something a bit different is a good thing?

[Jeranhound]

I dunno how a maple top will affect it, since I'm still rather new to the actual handling of guitars and only own two, but mahogany is pretty nice. Stain it a dark, reddish brown and they are things of beauty. I really need to get out the camera at some point when it isn't 1 in the morning and get some pictures of my baby in the sun.

[Davecam48]

Hi Mr. South Great looking timber you have there this should be a goodie!

Where did you get that maple? There's nowhere around here sells any decent stuff.
They all think MDF if real timber!!!!!

DC

[DeepSouth]

Originally Posted by Davecam48

Where did you get that maple?

Hi Dave I got it from here:

http://www.guitarwoods.com.au/catalog/index.php

I know what you mean about the lack of good wood around. I was going to bring some in from Warmoth for a while - but it seemed very uneconomical doing it that way with the freight. I was also a bit nervous about bringing wood in through customs - but I think it would have probably been alright.

There is also a place I found called Tasmanian Tonewoods - their stuff looks out of this world - but I'll save that until I have a bit more experience - it's pretty pricey.

Lets see a pic of that guitar Jeranhound - we are all pic whores here

[Jeranhound]

I keep wanting to, but I have to deal with rain and clouds. Maybe the sun will be out tomorrow.

[Jeranhound]

Got some pics, finally. Anyway, here's what I meant with the red and brown.



I really think that your lovely chunk of mahogany would look good with that, especially with the more spotty grain on it.

[DeepSouth]

That tele looks sweet Jerenhound - love the colour. I'm also definitely going to use a 3 saddle bridge on this build like yours.

I haven't quite decided on which pickups because I'm not sure how the mahogany will affect the sound. I've heard mahogany tele's sound a bit more neutral and dark compared to a Ash or Alder Tele. How does she sound if you don't mind me asking?

[Jeranhound]

I think it sounds wonderful, but I'm far from an expert since I only own two guitars and my other is a $100 travel guitar.
Here's someone far beyond my skill playing with stock pickups, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v...&vq=large#t=75

I really need to get down inserting pictures and videos...

Oh, and a video of a regular classic vibe, to compare the sound to. I think they have the same pups, but I could be wrong. it might have been the CVC that had the same as the thinline.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGyt6...feature=relmfu

[Allthesound]

Love the wood you picked out. Mahogany will tend to tame the twang a bit .I just bought a Joe Barden 3 saddle compensated bridge for a build im working on. Which just so happens to be mahogany as well. Im kinda leaning toward a set of Fralin pickups i hear a lot of good things about them and that they tend to be pretty dynamic in the higher frequencies. Good luck with your build.

[Colt W. Knight]

Originally Posted by DeepSouth

The



?

What kind of stamp you got on that #8 ?

[DeepSouth]

Jeranhound - the vids sound great maybe a touch less twangy than a trad Ash or alder Tele to my ear but I've already got an ash and an alder tele - so a wee bit of differentiation wouldn't go astray.

Allthesound - I'll have a good look at the Fralins. I've heard good things from other people here about them but I haven't taken an interest in pickups up to now - because I haven't needed any. if it gives a bit of treble back so much the better because I was wondering which set might compensate for different wood. I am going to get either a Barden, Glendale or Callaham - I have bit of reading to do there . In fact I've got bogged down on router bit selection atm. What a minefield I know what I'd like but seems they don't make quite what I want - which would be a 1/2 inch shank 2" spiral cut with a top bearing and an up cut. Back to google on that one

Colt - that would be a Lie Nielsen No. 7. I bought the 7 because the blades and frogs are compatible with the no. 4 1/2. I've got an extra high angle frog which I can put on either one if the grain gets a bit cranky. On some of our Australian hardwoods that can be a good thing to help with tear out on occasion. If I had the spare cash I'd have an 8 too (and maybe the rest of the set). Call me a sicko but I just like looking at a nice plane - almost as much as looking at nice guitar

[jstream]

Whiteside has the bit you're looking for, as does Freud and a couple others... looking at them on amazon right now.

[alexlaguna29]

You didn't miss the start date yet! According to the rules, you must start by April 1st.

[alexlaguna29]

On the other hand you did have to create a post on March 14th - my bad

[DeepSouth]

Originally Posted by jstream

Whiteside has the bit you're looking for, as does Freud and a couple others... looking at them on amazon right now.

Thanks for that. I pulled the trigger and ordered a Whiteside RFT5200. Only thing is they are a bottom bearing bit. I got sick of looking for a spiral bit with a top bearing in the end.

[ievans]

That's a lovely LN #7. I've got a Bailey #8, but I haven't really found it useful yet. Just wanted to complete the set.

Great build, too.

[Davecam48]

Originally Posted by DeepSouth

Thanks for that. I pulled the trigger and ordered a Whiteside RFT5200. Only thing is they are a bottom bearing bit. I got sick of looking for a spiral bit with a top bearing in the end.

Hi DS I find it hard to get decent router bits in this country and can't afford the good quality USA stuff. I'm after a couple of multi cut bowl and tray bits 1/4" and 1/2" but they are like rocking horse poo!

You don't know of someone who keeps a variety do you. There's a guy in Brisbane (GP Tooltime) who has a few, but never what I want at the time it seems. Last time I was in China I bought about 8 or so but the quality was poor, but having said that I'm still using them and they are ok and they only cost about $10.00 Aud the lot.

[DeepSouth]

Hi Dave,

The whiteside spiral bit I bought was from Amazon - I think it was slightly over $100 incl. freight. Probably the most sickeningly expensive bit I've ever bought. I rationalised it on the claims of the extended bit life and the hope it will do me for several bodies.

Under normal circumstances I either get bog plain bits like 1/2" flutes etc from Bunnings. I have also bought the odd specialised bit from an interesting place called McJings of all things in Sydney. I notice they have a tray bit and they are generally a bit cheaper than say your Carbatecs.

http://www.mcjing.com.au/searchresult.aspx?keyword=tray

I also did a search and came up with this

http://www.sydneytools.com.au/shopdi...+%26+Tray+Bits

I have never used those types of bits though and I'm not sure they are multi cut like you are after.

To be honest I knew I probably didn't need that Whiteside bit but I figured I had a better chance of success and given the high value of the wood (I normally work with plywood, tassie oak or meranti) I wondered if it would be false economy to get a cheap bit given my level of 'incompetence'

[Davecam48]

Hi DS Had a look at those sites and they do have similar to what I'd like but they are all two flute bits and some of the guys on this forum have posted pix of 4 cutter bits which would give a far nicer finish on fretboards etc.

I'll keep looking!

[DeepSouth]

I haven't had as much time this weekend as would have liked. Unfortunately I've had to take some stuff home from work - yeeech...

Still I've managed to cut out a 6mm MDF template with many thanks to Terry Downs.



Also shown sitting on the template is a little aluminium 'thingamywhatsit' for drawing a parallel line offset from the outside edge of the template.

I cut the aluminium 'thingy' from a little bit of 1.6mm thick aluminium angle.
Basically it has two 'claws'. All I need to do is drill a little hole at the correct distance from the claws and insert a clutch pencil into it. The two claws keep the pencil at the same distance from the outside of the template ie. it bisects the curve perpendicularly and keeps the pencil at roughly a constant distance from the curve. At the end I'm aiming for a line 5/8th's of an inch out from the edge to give me the correct sidewall thickness for the Thinline. I will try to leave some meat around the input jack and strap buttons.

I'm sure there is a far easier way to do this but it was the best I could think up on the day

I think I remember reading about NASA crashing a probe into Mars because of a programming error when Imperial units got mixed up with Metric. I'm starting to see how that happened Damn those imperial measurements - they belong with horse and carts