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Custom electric guitar project

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Frets N Worries View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frets N Worries Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 17 2024 at 12:11
Looking amazing! Can't wait to see the finished project!
The Wheel of Time Turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the shadow.

Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time...
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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: April 17 2024 at 12:16
Originally posted by Frets N Worries Frets N Worries wrote:

Looking amazing! Can't wait to see the finished project!

Thanks buddy, I can't wait either!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Epignosis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 17 2024 at 20:46
This was fascinating to scroll through.  I appreciate the photos.  I hope it is the instrument of your dreams.

If you don't mind disclosing, what did this set you back?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 18 2024 at 04:43
Originally posted by Epignosis Epignosis wrote:

If you don't mind disclosing, what did this set you back?
A lot of money... I chose all first-class components and selected the best among the local luthiers, at the end of the day it's gonna be close to 4,000 €.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Epignosis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 18 2024 at 15:53
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

Originally posted by Epignosis Epignosis wrote:

If you don't mind disclosing, what did this set you back?
A lot of money... I chose all first-class components and selected the best among the local luthiers, at the end of the day it's gonna be close to 4,000 €.


I don't wish to purchase one at this time.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 14 2024 at 12:44
Well this is going to be the last progress update before the final product. The only missing things are the covers of the electronics cavities, the cover of the trussrod in the headstock, and installing the strings and final testing and adjustment.












Designing the trussrod cover with the guitar name




And testing the engraving of the name









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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 27 2024 at 15:43
The guitar is finally finished!! I have to say that I'm very pleased with the work by the luthier, we have been working together in this project for a few months and he has always been very receptive to my ideas while giving me wise advice when my ideas were not so good. He is quite a perfectionist and the finished guitar looks and feels great. 

And it sounds great too! Quite oriented to hard / heavy playing but with a modern sound, and it sounds also great when played clean. I also appreciate that it makes no background noise at all.

Now I just need to re-learn to play, since it's been quite many years without playing. 

I'm posting here a lot of pics Tongue




















































































The guitar came out a bit heavier than I would have liked, the mahogany used for the body wings is very dense, 4.032 kg (8.89 lbs).




And here it is finally in my "guitars wall", now it's time to play!!  Tongue








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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 27 2024 at 15:59
What a beauty !

My only concern (if it were me) is it looks a bit on the heavy & bulky side.   But if that suits you, then it definitely looks like something you'd see in a dream.

Congratulations.

"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 Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 27 2024 at 16:46
Originally posted by Atavachron Atavachron wrote:

What a beauty !

My only concern (if it were me) is it looks a bit on the heavy & bulky side.   But if that suits you, then it definitely looks like something you'd see in a dream.

Congratulations.

Thanks buddy!
If you check the last pic, my "guitars wall", you can see that it's not that big in terms of body size, compared to the other 2 electrics (the blue one is a Carvin DC-135 and the red one is an Aria Pro-II CS-350, and the bass (A Peavey Fury II).

However the body is somewhat thicker, and the mahogany used for the body wings is surely denser and therefore heavier than the poplar of the Carvin or the ash of the Aria.

I would have liked it to be a bit lighter, because I don't play gigs but sometimes we rehearse for 3 or 4 hours. But now it is what it is, and in any case it's not obscenely heavy, as I said 4.032 kg or 8.89 lbs, around the weight of a PRS or a Gibson ES-335 and even a bit lighter than a standard Les Paul.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Atavachron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 27 2024 at 16:53
Right--   as a knife & watch enthusiast, I've become acutely aware of weight and size as it relates to carrying.

"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 Frets N Worries Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 27 2024 at 20:13
Looks amazing! How does it sound?!
The Wheel of Time Turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the shadow.

Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 97mgg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 27 2024 at 20:30
What a fantastic read! Gerinski I hope you really enjoy your magical creation :)

Would love to tinker on something too, but don't have access to a decent workspace anymore. Have toyed with kit guitars in the past which was fun... but the current project is kind of on old. Attempting to make a midi guitar since the Misa Kitara died on me lol.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 27 2024 at 23:47
Thanks! 


Originally posted by Frets N Worries Frets N Worries wrote:

Looks amazing! How does it sound?!


The Cygnus X-1 feels and plays very nicely, the action is set very low but there is no fret buzz at all. The frets are nicely polished and the feel is very smooth, also when bending.

I had never played with EMG active pickups and indeed they have a very good output power. I also appreciate that it makes no background noise at all, certainly less than my Carvin. I will need to learn to feel when the batteries start to fade out, which is a little concern. Originally I had thought about integrating a low-bat led indicator but the luthier discouraged me from doing so since he says that they are not really accurate and that I will learn to feel it in the sound.

I still need to discover a lot in terms of sound, especially coupled with my effects pedalboard (a Yamaha GW50). I chose a pickups switching scheme with individual toggle switches for each pickup, the 2 humbuckers have 3 positions off / single / humbucker, and the middle single coil has off / on. This means that selecting a certain combination is a bit slower than with a 3 or 5 way switch, but it allows for many more possible combinations, so I will have to experiment quite a bit with all of them.

I play with 0.009 - 0.046 strings so the tone is hybrid, with bright high frequencies and mid-low bottom.

At first impression it sounds very good, rather oriented to hard / heavy playing but with a modern sound, and when played clean it sounds very nice too, of course it's a superstrat, it will never sound as a semi-hollow guitar, but it sounds pretty nice and warm for this kind of guitar.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote suitkees Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 30 2024 at 09:29
I've been following this thread in silence, but with interest. Thanks for sharing this nice project with us, the result is beautiful. I hope you will find a lot of joy playing it!

Beer

The razamataz is a pain in the bum
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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: May 30 2024 at 13:43
Originally posted by suitkees suitkees wrote:

I've been following this thread in silence, but with interest. Thanks for sharing this nice project with us, the result is beautiful. I hope you will find a lot of joy playing it!

Beer
Thank you! Beer
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davesax1965 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2024 at 03:25
Briefly back here - nicely done, Gerinski ! 

Here's some Partscasters I've built over the years. 



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davesax1965 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2024 at 03:31
This is the Telecaster, finished. 

Whilst none of these are "from first principles", the key to any guitar is the fit and setup, and it's occasionally a nightmare. ;-) Most of the problems I had were from bolt on necks, so a through neck seemed a very good way to go for you. 

Anyway, congratulations. I know how frustrating guitar builds can be, but the satisfaction of playing your own self built instrument at the end is wonderful. Well done. :-)



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 28 2024 at 00:44
Originally posted by Davesax1965 Davesax1965 wrote:

Anyway, congratulations. I know how frustrating guitar builds can be, but the satisfaction of playing your own self built instrument at the end is wonderful. Well done. :-)
Thank you! Yes, the investment in money and time are very significant, but I'm very pleased with the final result Smile
 


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