Through-body neck guitar from scratch...

[olrocknroller]

I have been asked to document the construction of this guitar...

It will be a triple-humbucker with fully selectable splits for all three PUPs. I have selected cherry for the top-wood on the body, rosewood for the fretboard, and maple for the neck and back of the body. Hardware will be a modified Bigsby tremolo, Schaller roller bridge, zero fret, and brass string-guide. Tuners will be Steinberger 40:1 ratio straight-pull. I added a snap-on shell of stainless steel to the Bigsby's fulcrum roller...this increases the radius by 1/16" giving the tremolo more scope for changing the note. This amount of increase in the radius works fine with the stock spring.

I've got a sock-full of pictures, and don't want to founder the website, so here's my Photobucket link...the pictures are numbered, and when you open them, there is a short description for each photo. http://s1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc372/olrocknroller/

PLEASE NOTE: My methods may not be "right" but they are well-suited to the tools I have, so please don't think I'm trying to tell anyone how to do this. I learn more from each project, but am still far from being one of the artists who build the beautiful guitars on this website. If something appeals to you to use in your own shop, great, I'm glad to share...it's how we all learn! I have learned a bundle from this website, and only hope that I can contribute something back...

[Veenture]

Hey olrocknroller, that's great news
Isn't it grand to have a guitar with ALL the features, in every detail exactly how you want them?!
No shop sells them...wishing you good luck with your build, sir

[TerryTNM]

Loved seeing your photos and your techniques. You must come from a machinist background. I'd like to get an old Bridgeport someday with a massive vise and table travel long enough to do a truss rod pocket in one pass. Not to mention the surface planer head to die for. Thanks for sharing. - Terry

[Sarah93003]

Wow! Nice work shop. I wish I had that kind of room. Is this guitar a 7 string? Is it a lefty? It will be fun to see the next stages. Thanks for sharing!

[olrocknroller]

Wow! Nice work shop. I wish I had that kind of room. Is this guitar a 7 string? Is it a lefty? It will be fun to see the next stages. Thanks for sharing!

I built the shop 26 x 30 feet...not big enough! It will be a right-hand six string; I can barely drive six strings let alone adding more! I will add photos in batches, so that they have some relevance.

Thanks for the comments folks!

[Mr. Bill]

Very nice work. I'm confused about the nut and string guide. It looks like it is a height adjustable nut, but the guitar has a zero fret. Can you explain what you are doing?

[olrocknroller]

Loved seeing your photos and your techniques. You must come from a machinist background. I'd like to get an old Bridgeport someday with a massive vise and table travel long enough to do a truss rod pocket in one pass. Not to mention the surface planer head to die for. Thanks for sharing. - Terry

My mill is a Polish unit with a 36" bed, and I rely on it very heavily for anything I want absolutely straight. For a through-neck, I had to level one side as far as I could reach, then flip it over, and use the now straight edge to reach the entire other side, then back to the first side, sliding the work piece to finish the ends...no machinist would condone such trickery, but I've learned how to do it without leaving a visible mark on the finished piece. The surface planer is very slow, but does save me the cost and extra space needed for a stand-alone surface planer.

Thanks for the comments.

[olrocknroller]

Very nice work. I'm confused about the nut and string guide. It looks like it is a height adjustable nut, but the guitar has a zero fret. Can you explain what you are doing?

Experimenting... I have only put preliminary string-guide slots in until I get the tuners on...the slots in the guide will end up being significantly deeper. The only height adjustment available is generous application of my file...the screws are designed to maximize the metal-to-wood connection, as is the rather large size of the string guide. I made a large brass nut for a fellow a while back, and that guitar developed some serious open-string sustain as a result...to the point where you have to damp the strings to turn it off! We also noticed that the extra surface contact for the strings reduced the overall pressure, meaning that the tremolo stayed in tune very well.

I am a little concerned that I may need to move the string guide closer to the zero fret...but I can always take material off; putting it back on can be a real hassle.

Thanks for your comments!

[Veenture]

...but I can always take material off; putting it back on can be a real hassle.

That's what my barber says too. Forgive me, I had to say that!

[olrocknroller]

I have been asked to document the construction of this guitar...

It will be a triple-humbucker with fully selectable splits for all three PUPs. I have selected cherry for the top-wood on the body, rosewood for the fretboard, and maple for the neck and back of the body. Hardware will be a modified Bigsby tremolo, Schaller roller bridge, zero fret, and brass string-guide. Tuners will be Steinberger 40:1 ratio straight-pull. I added a snap-on shell of stainless steel to the Bigsby's fulcrum roller...this increases the radius by 1/16" giving the tremolo more scope for changing the note. This amount of increase in the radius works fine with the stock spring.

I've got a sock-full of pictures, and don't want to founder the website, so here's my Photobucket link...the pictures are numbered, and when you open them, there is a short description for each photo. http://s1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc372/olrocknroller/

PLEASE NOTE: My methods may not be "right" but they are well-suited to the tools I have, so please don't think I'm trying to tell anyone how to do this. I learn more from each project, but am still far from being one of the artists who build the beautiful guitars on this website. If something appeals to you to use in your own shop, great, I'm glad to share...it's how we all learn! I have learned a bundle from this website, and only hope that I can contribute something back...

I have re-organized things a little better in Photobucket, and have created a new album for 2011 projects It is located at: http://s1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc372/olrocknroller/2011%20Project%20Guitars/ Also will be adding more photos... I am slowly learning how to drive all these internet-related applications...