The Easy Way Out build-

[reddogbass]

I had always admired the fir, spruce, cedar tops, with the fine grain running the length of the body. I just had to have one, but was unwilling to wait while I found a good hunk of fir from which to build a body. So I took a different approach, as you will see.

Now for my usual disclaimer: I am not a photographer. I can't set a digital watch, or run a remote control. So you think I'm gonna be able to read the camera's manual? Sorry for the lousy pics. And for the lack of some pics. When you get rolling on a project, parts of it go quickly, and you forget to take pictures.

So not having a suitable piece of fir for this project, I glued up a pine blank salvaged from a discarded futon frame. Will I ever run out of this wood source? Not as long as there are garage sales and scrap heaps!



The joints were smooth enough, and the blank flat enough, that planing wasn't really necessary. I don't have a planer or drum sander anyway, so I have to take it out somewhere. Fortunately I got away with a couple passes with an old hand plane, and some work with my "redneck belt sander."

For the unaware, a redneck belt sander is a 2x4 block cut and shaped to fit snugly inside a 3x21 sanding belt. The power is by hand.

The straightedge in the picture checks my progress. 5-10 minutes tops for both sides.



Time to lay on my well used template/pattern and find the right place on the blank to orient the body. Someday I'm gonna have to make a some different templates.



Once I have the shape outlined on the blank, and a centerline established, I square the butt end to the centerline. Or the other way around, depending on my mood. I like do most of the routing fixing the jigs to the butt end before cutting the body to shape. I made the jigs to clamp on the butt square to the CL. Sorry no pics of jig but here is neck pocket and pickup route in place.

Since this is a bit different than others I've done I've drawn in where critical stuff might go. You can see two lines at the heel. I've shortened this on a bit because of the shortened scale length, and the tailpiece style. The bridge is going to be one of my fav T-O-M's.

[reddogbass]

The cavity routing is also done before the shape is cut, just to make it easier to clamp the jigs. In this case there is no rhyme or reason to the cavity placement. Any cavity routing is done simply for weight reduction. I like them under 7 pounds so I know roughly how much to remove to achieve that goal. A little thought was given to the routs behind the bridge block. I needed enough material at the edge to support the endpin jack, and the ribs between are my attempt at stability of the center block in it's entirety. The funny "Y" shaped rout at the horn is just there because. Not wanting to belabor the cavity routing I just used the jig for the control cavity.



The shape is cut out and the routing is complete and ready for the top. I've enlarged the rout at the top of the lower bout. I like them hollow in this area (nice vibes under your forearm). For whatever reason I leave the top of the upper bout solid. It doesn't pose a problem with neck dive, and the weight goal is met (this blank weighs right at 3#). I've cut small channels connecting all the cavities. Why? I dunno.

The top is 3mm aircraft birch plywood. (sorry forgot the pics of this step)



This is the back before covering. Nothing more will be done to it before the application of all that nice grainy stuff! You will note the end of a brass tube showing in the control cavity rout. This tube is installed to span the cavities so running the wire from the controls to the endpin jack will be possible. I left it long in the control cavity, and/so all grounds will be soldered at this point.

[hekawi]

keep up the good work reddogbass!

it's always fascinating to watch a "built from scratch" guitar coming together.

you putting humbuckers in that one?

[reddogbass]

This is the "fir" part of this build. I wanted the nice grain, and being too impatient to wait for the "right" wood, I went this route. It is CVG fir veneer. It's got the grain I sought, and is a good way to get the look. I got this at Woodcrafters for $3.69 psf.

It goes on really tight with no loose spots and in no way messes with the resonance of the body (not that I subscribe to the popular beliefs). I think it also makes for a more durable surface than solid softwood, being glued to hardwood plywood and all. I recovered a lot of drums with veneers and it works great, so why not guitars?

You simply cut it to rough shape with scissors and apply.



The application is easy, and takes no time at all. You simply use a glue sheet (available where you get the veneer) and iron it on. The piece of old tee shirt is to keep from scorching the veneer. Best part about it? The glue is dry as soon as it's cool, so you can get back to work. There ain't even time for more coffee, a beer, or a smoke. Just right for us impatient types.You can trim it with a utility knife.



This is the front, ironed on and trimmed. The back is already done. Next is the binding, and this one is bound front and back.

[lennyb]

looking cool ...thats the beauty of a build ....just do what you feel is right for you and we all learn a little sumpin in the process!!!...Nice stuff!

[reddogbass]

The biding is black, and is cut from ABS sheet stock purchased at Tap Plastics. This works out great as it's readily available, and I got enough to make about 6 pickguards and 20 binding strips for about $8.00. The thickness is .090" and it has a really cool pattern on one side. Makes a great looking pickguard if you'd rather not have a glossy one.

It is pre-bent using a heat gun and shaped to fit. I glue it using Weld On #16. I've tried all the other glues and for me this one works the best by far. The pre-shaped binding is a snap to glue and requires very little tape to hold it while the glue sets.

You will also note in this pic- the binding in the neck pocket cavity. I just thought it would look cool. Actually I turned the corner a bit in the cavity while routing for the binding, so I thought... let's just keep going. It does add a neat look to this otherwise "plain" guitar.



Well the binding has set for a couple hours after gluing, so it's time to finish it. Not being a fan of scraping bindings, I used the orbital on the top and the drum sander on the sides. This is a ton faster than scraping, and the results are great.

You can get by with this easily on a natural finish or a transparent finish. With opaque bodies I like to leave the binding a bit proud of the surface and scrape flush after painted. Actually though you have good control over the sander so you could leave the binding standing tall if necessary.



Well the binding is done, and the edge is painted so it's time to start getting on a little clear.

The end grain on the body was so ugly it just had to be painted to hide it. I had thought about veneering it, but because of the grain in the veneer I wouldn't have fooled anyone. There is no way to make it look like a solid fir blank. So... I painted a metallic gold.

I originally sealed the veneer with two coats of water based varathane (for hardwood floors) and scraped it smooth. It's a great sealer and finish. I almost left it, except that I wanted a gloss lacquer finish. The varathane (water based) takes clear lacquer just fine. Varathane one day- lacquer the next.

I was originally going to shoot it with McFaddens, but I heard Jack Wells talk so much about the new Krylon nozzles that I decided to give them, and the rattle can a try. This is Deft. I had to buy a new can of Krylon (I needed some anyway) to get the nozzle. YES IT FITS ON THE DEFT CAN! I'll tell you what- I was impressed with the new Krylon nozzle. Heat the can and you can cover the body in a three pass pattern. The fan is that wide- and coverage is consistent edge to edge. Makes for an easy wet coat with no dry spots.

This shot is after the second coat. I'm going with no more than four coats. I'll get there! Gotta leave a little something to buff! LOL



Just to give you an idea of the coverage, using the new Krylon nozzle, here is the first wet coat on the top. If I were comfortable buffing a finish this thin I woulda left it there. So three more coats is what she'll get.



Next will be pics of the final assembly with the finish blocked and buffed. It's almost done. BTW- I wouldn't have waited the two days before color sanding and buffing, but I had other things to do. You get the finish this thin and you don't have to wait "weeks" for this stuff to cure.

[Skip Ellis]

What kind of guide are you using to cut your binding ledge?
Thanks!

[jwells393]

Excellente .........

If someone with your painting experience is impressed with the new Krylon nozzle, it has to be good.

[woodman]

i guess "easy" is a relative term! great work.

[reddogbass]

This is the back with stuff bolted to it. Nothing earth shattering here. Upon close inspection the back is a little rustic, compared to the front. I just figured that it'd be the first to take a beating, so I only gave it a sealer, and two clear coats. No blocking at all- just a buff, and then a scuff with some Scotch-Brite, to knock down the gloss. You can see a little grain, but not bad.



First view of the finished top. Nothing of much note here either. The bridge is a Gotoh TOM, with the post inserts pressed into a brass plate, and the body. You probably noticed in the finishing pics that the brass playe was left on. That's because I bolted this whole thing together to check everything before finishing. Well it played super, so I decided it's worth finishing.

But, the posts were such a good fit in the body I didn't want to disturb them, so I just left it on for the finishing.

Also in this pic is the homemade tailpeice. I like the idea of the quick release on the ball end of the string. Makes for easy string changes, and also preserve strings for re-use. I wanted a minimalist tailpiece so this is it. The extra string length behind the bridge was a concern- but it turned out great. Stays in tune, and there's no weird harmonics as is sometimes associated with having a lot of extra string behind the bridge. Tension isn't increased much, if at all, and there's some cool effects available.



This shows the texture of the pickguard. It's actually the back of the ABS sheet purchased from Tap Plastics. If you don't want a "glossy" guard, I think it looks great. It will never scratch either!

The pickup is one my own. I like to see inside things, so I made the bobbing out of acrylic sheet. It's not a true P-90. I guess I'd call it a single coil in a hum-size, with adjustable pole pieces,and slightly underwound from P-90 specs. Also the magnet configuration is slightly different from a P-90, but is A-5.

I wanted a single pickup guitar for the simplicity in appearance, so this is what I did. The switch between the knobs if for cutting the tone control and cap out of the circuit. Treble for days, but not really shrill.

Note the binding around the neck pocket. Looks like a gap at first sight in the pics- but it's not. I like the look. Naturally the pickguard shape is original. I've never built on using a "real" tele pickguard.



Just another view of the top-

[jwells393]

How long did this project actually take? Since you did all your posts this morning, it almost appears like it was a two hour project.

In making the tailpiece, did you heat the aluminum to bend it?

Interesting detail ........... the bevel on the fretboard.

[JasonRobert]

I like that plate on the bottom of the tune-o-matic, did you make it yourself?

[reddogbass]

Just another view of the top, and a little of the neck heel.

This neck is recycled from other projects. It's actually the second neck I ever built, and that was over three years ago. I liked this neck so much, and since I was in a hurry I decided to use it. It's a "fat-back," and doesn't have a truss rod. It's laminated from 5 pieces of maple on edge. It fits me well- plays great- and if necks make a contribution to good tone, this one does that. Very lively.

The scale is 24.75, which also fits me better than the standard Fender scale.

As I said the neck is recycled, so it was a little beat. Since I plan to make some new necks (one for this rig) I didn't do much but sand and spray a "quicky" on it. You may notice the all-black fret bays. When I originally built this neck, I did what I thought was a good idea and put mahogany fret markers in it. They just never looked right. And since this neck will get recycled again, I wanted to see what the all-black markers looked like. I think they fit, and are complimentary to the style of this guitar. So the neck I eventually build for this will have black block inserts.



A full frontal body shot- It looks weird in the pic, but the upper bout is a full 1 3/4" narrower than the bottom bout.



Somebody shoot the photographer- PLEASE!

I really do have some better shots of the complete rig, and will add one just as soon as I find it.

In my normal style, I shot the pictures during the build, and posted them all in the same day. I didn't keep track of the total hours to build, but it wasn't many. The first pictures were taken the first week in March. It seems like taking pictures, downloading, editing, filing, downloading again, and finally posting to this site take almost as much time as building the guitar itself!

Last pic for now- Thanks for bearing with me.

[KevinB]

Interesting fret markers too! Can we see the whole guitar?

[Skip Ellis]

What sort of router guide setup do you use for your binding ledge? Do you have the StewMac bits?

[reddogbass]

From Jwells-

How long did this project actually take? Since you did all your posts this morning, it almost appears like it was a two hour project.

In making the tailpiece, did you heat the aluminum to bend it?

Interesting detail ........... the bevel on the fretboard.

Jack- the time involved is mentioned near the end of the post showing the last pics. It wasn't much though. It's not that I'm quick- but it just fell together. I didn't have to wait for any parts. I started around the beginning of March, but didn't work full time, or every day on this. Actual hours? My best guess would be maybe 25-30 actual.

Regarding the tailpiece- I didn't bend it. I got it at less than scrap prices, already bent. I think it may have been a channel for a motorcycle trailer of something. It is 6061, but not heat treated, so will bend nicely. This has some stress marks in the bend, but I think the bend could really be a little sharper without ripping. I wish I had a brake (oh, and a mill, and... so on)!

[reddogbass]

from Skip Ellis:

What kind of guide are you using to cut your binding ledge?

The bit is a 1/2" bearing guided bit with the bearing on the bottom (or end). The bearing is 3/8" diameter from a 3/8s bit which just happens to have the same size mount. This gives me a channel of roughly .060". (.0625 but who's counting?)

I've started using .060 binding as it's easier to work around the corners.

I don't use the Stew-Mac bits. Though I do have some expensive bits, I also have some cheapies. This was a 12 piece set from Harbor Freight (did I just admit that? LOL) for the price of one bit from S-M. Carbide- reasonably sharp- and balanced. Just swap the bearings around.

[reddogbass]

From SkipRobert:

I like that plate on the bottom of the tune-o-matic, did you make it yourself?

Yes, homemade. The reason? I dunno. I just like the contrast, and the extra height sets the action about right without having to raise the post screws. Normally on the tele body configuration, and the standard neck pocket depth you have to raise the posts a bit. I like them tight. And, not that's it's needed, but the inserts really fit tight into the brass plate.

[wisdom 86]

Love that see through pickup! Reminds me of those great books with the cutaway pictures of aircraft carriers and submarines. You should take a cue from jwells and build an acrylic caster with one of those pickups it would be awesome. Great work, and for the record since when is making your own pickups and using a neck you built the easy way out.

[Buckocaster51]

Great job.

I am continually amazed at the number of different approaches to this sport that show up here.

Kudos to you sir!

[Tom S]

This is a cool build, nice going, reddogbass!

[Trimmed&Burnin]

Man thats cool,,, you may have some trouble with harmonic vibration in the strings due to the long distance between the bridge and the tail piece though,,, I've done the same kind of thing and found the strings a little hard to control. Perhaps I missed it but what is the output of the pickup???

[mongoose]

I love the black fret markers, sweeeeeeeet.