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Custom electric guitar project

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Gerinski View Drop Down
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    Posted: July 13 2023 at 04:45
Hi all,
I'm currently developing a project for building my own self-designed guitar (solid-body electric).
I wonder if any members have experience in guitar building so we could share some knowledge.
Cheers!
Gerard
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 18 2023 at 23:38
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

Hi all,
I'm currently developing a project for building my own self-designed guitar (solid-body electric).
I wonder if any members have experience in guitar building so we could share some knowledge.
Cheers!
Gerard

Hello, Gerard!  I own many fine electric guitars, all factory made except for my Hugh Manson fretless bass! 

I admire you as I've wanted to do exactly what you are discussing! 

One way to do this is to buy components pre made, i.e precut body, premade neck, wiring harness etc.  

This is not terribly creative however, so you may be considering your own body design. 

Selection of building materials is incredibly important.....if you make an electric with a wood body, you have many options.  

I've very fond of this Brit builders guitars, they are close to what I'd consider my own ideal! 


This is me with my handmade Manson fretless bass!!  Have fun! 




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Gerinski View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 19 2023 at 00:40
Hi Charles,
Yes I knew about your custom Hugh Manson bass, which looks terrific!
And those Giffin guitars look very very nice too!

I want my own self-designed body and my own self-decided specs, so I discard a "kit build". The guitar will be built from scratch.

I own a '93 Carvin DC-135 which is a pretty good guitar, so my custom guitar needs to be as good as, or hopefully better than, the Carvin. So it's got to be a really high quality guitar, as you can see in the specs below I am choosing top quality components.

This is my design, I'm talking to luthiers to actually build it and it may still get some small modifications but I believe it's already pretty close to final design stage.

I'm calling my custom guitar the "GB Cygnus X-1". Cygnus X-1 is the first black hole discovered and I like physics and astronomy so it fits. It's also a song by Rush, one of my favourite bands, so it fits too. And since it's going to be my first guitar design, X-1 fits too. So triple fit with this name Smile




The specs so far are:

- Neck-through construction
- 25.00" scale
- 24 frets, in principle in stainless steel
- Fender LSR roller nut
- Neck-through wood: tbc, but in principle maple or walnut
- Body wings wood: tbc
- Fretboard wood: tbc, in principle ebony
- Fretboard radius: 12"
- Dual-Action truss-rod
- Titanium or carbon neck stiffener rods
- 3+3 headstock, straight nut to machine heads strings path
- Sperzel Trim-Lok machine heads
- Original Floyd Rose tremolo bridge
- Pickups: I'm still considering 2 options, HSH passive or HSH active. 
   In case of passive: Bridge: DiMarzio Evolution Bridge, Middle: DiMarzio SDS-1, Neck: DiMarzio Evolution Neck
   In case of active: Bridge: EMG 57 TW, Middle: EMG SA, Neck: EMG 66 TW
- In case of active pickups, integrated "Lo-Bat" low-battery indicator
- Controls: 3 mini-toggle switches, one for each pickup. Bridge: 3-position Off / Single-Coil / Humbucker; Middle: 2-position Off / On; Neck: 3-position Off / Single-Coil / Humbucker
   1 master volume + 1 master tone. Position markers on body.
- Colour: translucent grey including neck and headstock. All hardware in black.
- Finish gloss: Polyurethane

Now I'm at the stage of visiting luthiers, I do not dare trying to build it myself, the risk is too high plus I don't have a workshop space, in live in a small flat in the big city of Barcelona.

I will keep posting any news about the project,
Cheers!
Gerard









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Atavachron View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 19 2023 at 01:25
No building experience but I know how hard it is to make a really good guitar.  May you have a wonderful & educational adventure.


"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy
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Gerinski View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 19 2023 at 02:23
Thanks Atavachron! I'm sure that I will learn a lot during the project. Next thing is I will have to re-learn playing the guitar, since it's about 10 years that I almost stopped playing! Embarrassed
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2023 at 13:45
Well I already selected the luthier and I made a downpayment to order the hardware.

The updated specs are:

- Neck-through construction
- 25.00" scale
- 24 frets, in principle in stainless steel
- Neck-through wood: maple, 3-piece laminated
- Body wings wood: tbc
- Fretboard wood: ebony
- Fretboard radius: 12"
- Dual-Action truss-rod
- Titanium neck stiffener rods
- 3+3 headstock, straight string pull nut to machine heads
- Graphite nut
- Sperzel Trim-Lok machine heads
- Original Floyd Rose tremolo bridge
- Pickups: HSH, EMG active 
   Bridge: EMG 57 TW, Middle: EMG SA, Neck: EMG 66 TW
- Integrated "Lo-Bat" low-battery indicator
- Controls: 3 mini-toggle switches, one for each pickup. Bridge: 3-position Off / Single-Coil / Humbucker; Middle: 2-position Off / On; Neck: 3-position Off / Single-Coil / Humbucker
- Housing for 2 9v batteries, there may be an additional toggle-switch to select 9 or 18v operation but not yet decided (I need to test the sound with both options and then I will decide about it, that can be done at a late stage in the build).
   1 master volume + 1 master tone. Knob position markers.
- Colour: translucent grey including neck and headstock. All hardware in black.
- Finish gloss: Polyurethane

Now the luthier will order the hardware and we will all go to some deserved summer vacation, and I hope that he can start beginning of September.

Some things will be done with CNC, so the first thing will be to develop my computer 2D design (which I made with Inkscape) into a 3D design made in AutoCAD.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2023 at 16:52
Well the project is advancing, here are some pics

The neck-through is 3-piece laminated maple, and the body wings are mahogany






The fretboard is already machined, it's ebony








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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2023 at 16:55
The pickups and toggle switches














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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 07 2023 at 17:00
Testing the tuning machines in a mockup of the headstock, including also the test of the logo













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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 08 2023 at 17:27
Great little project, congrats. Nice to see an electric guitar built basically from scratch.   I do wonder how it will feel & sound.



Edited by Atavachron - December 08 2023 at 17:28
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 08 2023 at 18:08
That's something i've always wanted to do. One of my favorite guitarists, Bumblefoot, has made his own guitars with his own hands. His Swiss Cheese guitar is now legendary.

Bumblefoots Swiss Cheese Guitar


And of course his other famous one, the flying bee


Bumblefoots Signature Guitar



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hrychu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 08 2023 at 22:26
[REDACTED]

Edited by Hrychu - December 08 2023 at 22:26
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Gerinski View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 10 2023 at 03:47
Thanks! I also look forward to seeing how it will feel and play. 
I trust the luthier who is actually building it, he seems to know well his trade. 
In terms of playability it should feel very similar to my Carvin DC-135 since we are copying its neck shape. But the pickups are very different so it should sound different, I have never played EMG active pickups so it's a bit of a gamble but I trust that it will be a good choice.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 10 2023 at 17:25
Almost got a Carvin amp back in the mid-'80s but went with a Seymour-Duncan studio series (single speaker) .   I was into that David Gilmour heavy buzzsaw sound .

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 14 2023 at 20:38
Originally posted by Atavachron Atavachron wrote:

Almost got a Carvin amp back in the mid-'80s but went with a Seymour-Duncan studio series (single speaker) .   I was into that David Gilmour heavy buzzsaw sound .


I was an early adopter of Carvin, buying a 1976 DC 150!  Odd instrument - VERY short scale length, heavy as heck (solid maple body), but a favorite of mine.  Back in those days, Frank Zappa endorsed Carvin pickups, and a few other rockers endorsed guitars, basses & amps. 

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Gerinski View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 16 2023 at 01:00
Allan Holdsworth and Billy Sherwood have also endorsed Carvin. More recently Javier Reyes of Animals As Leaders plays Carvin too. I really like mine, its scale length is standard 25.00 inches.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 16 2023 at 01:49
You definitely have to know what you want ~ what kind of tone ~ in order to achieve the best settings on the best amp for you... which applies to almost everything in life.
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."   -- John F. Kennedy
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Gerinski View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2023 at 16:36
More progress. The cavities are all made, the fretboard is attached to the neck, the neck is getting its shape, the headstock is almost finished... now the body is being contoured.







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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hrychu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2023 at 16:41
This might not be the next Red Special but so far, you're doing a great job. I'm looking forward to seeing and more importantly hearing the finished instrument.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 21 2023 at 13:36
Thanks! Yes, so far I'm pleased with the progress, I look forward to seeing it finished and playing it too. In the coming weeks I need to start practicing again, it's more than 5 years that I have not played so I will be very rusty. This guitar is being made precisely as a tool for helping me regaining the motivation to play again.
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