nosmo's 2012 Challenge Build Thread -- COMPLETED

[nosmo]

OK - I'll give it a shot. I've never cut out a body or neck, so I guess I'll try the Best Beginner Category.

 

[crazydave911]

Welcome, and good luck!

Dave

 

[RogerC]

Good luck, nosmo! Congrats on taking the plunge!

 

[nosmo]

Thank you!

Here's my story. I have a bunch of guitars - I always figured it was kind of like playing golf as in I thought I could buy a better game by buying better equipment. Spent lots of money and still get my butt kicked by guys playing 20 year old clubs. Maybe it has something to do with practice!

So, back to guitars, I wanted to add a Telecaster to my stable hoping to get a different sound (something similar to a guitar!). I ordered a body & neck from Warmoth awhile ago and planned to finish & assemble it myself. As I was checking the internet for tips on finishing I ran across this forum. What a gold mine! I read all the build threads from last year. I read 4 years of Sparklecaster building. You guys make this look so easy I decided to build one from scratch.

Just so happens - the annual challenge came up right when I was ready to build. Since this will be my first - and there is a beginners category - here I am. So, without further ado:

Heres my wood...eh...lumber:

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Pecan body, book matched Walnut top, Brazilian Cherry & Hard Maple neck, Birdseye Maple fingerboard. There is a little piece of Bubinga I may use.

Heres some more stuff:

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A bit of Corian and a VERY expensive piece of African Ebony. I may just hang the ebony on the wall - I'm afraid to cut it.

I have more wood. Probably enough to build several more guitars. My goal is to get one out of all of it.

Oh, by the way here's my plan. 30" short scale bass. I can't play the d**ed guitars so I figured why not a bass?

 

[flatfive]

You can do it, nosmo!

The best advice I got at the beginning of my first build was:

take your time and think things through

The advice came from Buckocaster, a name that must be
familiar to you.

 

[nosmo]

Absolutely (to the advise & Bucocaster). I've actually been thinking about this since last month. Made all sorts of plans. I think I have the concept, I just don't have the tools I used to have. I'm kind of missing the planer right about now!

 

[devo_stevo]

Nice. I'm a bass player myself so I'll pay attention to this one. Good looking pile of wood you have there.

Best of luck to you!

 

[nosmo]

Alright here we go.

Step 1: Finish the shop I started building last year
Before

During

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After

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That could be the last time I see the floor in there.

 

[nosmo]

Thanks Devo - I bought a piece of Zirikote also but it was more outrageous than the ebony. I'm gonna have to make sure I know what I'm doing before I attempt anything with that!

 

[nosmo]

The design stage. I'm sure you all recognize this drawing. I modified it a little. There were way too many numbers on it for me.

Printed out a neck

Used the bridge to set up the scale and string spacing

Its a top mount bridge, but I want to have the strings through the body. Thats what the extra marks are for.

Laid them out to get the width of the neck

See - lot fewer numbers on my drawing.

Modified the headstock. Made it shorter (there is a reason for this but you'll have to wait to find out what it is)

 

[RogerC]

And he's out of the gates runnin'

 

[nosmo]

Once the design was close I made some templates. Started with a 1/4" MDF body template.

Cut it out

Sanded it

Sanded it some more

Transferred it to 3/4" MDF

Cut - routed - sanded- drilled

Also made a neck template

 

[nosmo]

Made a few more templates.

I really like the pickup jig, it worked out pretty well. I blocked it in, hogged it out on the drill press and routed it.

The pickups fit like they should (I think)

So.....here's the finished body template

 

[RogerC]

Nicely done... and anyone who's first order of business is "Finish the shop I started building last year" should get some sorta prize no matter what

 

[devo_stevo]

Lookin' good so far. Keep it up man.

 

[nosmo]

Its all your fault! You and the rest of the mooyucks here at the TDPRI. I was perfectly happy being the procrastinator.

 

[Muzikp]

Aarrghhh! I'm kicking myself after seeing how you did your p-bass pickup template. That's brilliant, much better than mine. Nice shop by the way.

 

[nosmo]

Thanks

 

[tklaavo]

I'm so much following this - a Tele style bass is in my future. I'm absorbing ideas.

 

[nosmo]

And doing it late at night!