My in progress guitar build

[gybe!]

I am in the middle of building my first guitar, so I thought I would share some pictures along the way. I am currently just about to start wet sanding the body to finalize the finish, then it will be on to assembly....

The details:
Body is white limba with a bit of black limba striping on the lower extremities. Strat shape, routed for two wood mounted humbuckers and will be fitted with a push pull volume and a three way toggle switch. The hardware is black, except for the pickup covers which are satin nickle. My finish schedule for the body started with tinting shellac to taste with alternating black and green coats and then sanding back to get the overall effect I was after. I then shot it with satin nitro which has been curing for some time now and is ready to be finish sanded. I did not do any grain filling as my whole concept was to have something that felt worn, as if it had washed up on the beaches of normandy 70yrs after a D-Day jump
The inspiration for the finish on the body is a tribute to Easy Company; 506th PIR from WWII (subject of the band of brothers books and series). Hence, the spade and the Currahee on the backside. This is also tied together on the headstock

Neck is mahogany with a pau ferro board. I have finished the neck in a combination of tru oil and wax, with the overall effect of it being very similar in feel to a raw maple neck (think EBMM axis in feel...similar shape too!). Basically, all the comfort of a nice maple neck with the tone of mahogany.

Pickups are coming from J S Moore in Canada. They have unfortunately been stuck in customs for a few days, but I am excited to get them. The bridge humbucker is a form of his Jekyll and Hyde, which sounds awesome. Basically, he taps into the wind at various stages so I will be able to choose between a more vintage ~12k output or a full throttle 17k output with my push pull volume knob. Neck humbucker is has been wound for clarity and bell like openness. Yes, I am excited to get them!

On to the pictures and I will add some more once its done!

Body Blank

Body routed

After initial sand and wash coat

Prior to final sand...Color is washed out in the sun here, but more obvious in the next few

Neck...I love the striping on the fretboard

Essentially completed, having a bitch of a time photographing the green. It always comes through really washed out. Just need to get the nut installed. I am loving the neck plate

Should have it done in the next two weeks and will update with more pics as it goes!

 

[CaseyCor]

Looking fantastic so far! I dig the fretboard

 

[gybe!]

Thanks! I just wish the green didn`t get so washed out in the sunlight...I will see if I can`t get a better lighting picture to capture the green, but at the same time its kind of cool that it appears so much different depending on the lighting

 

[gybe!]

A bit less washed out view of the green...

 

[vultures]

Wow dude, that is smoking. You do this for a living? The body cut, routes etc look fantastic, really clean.

 

[Code001]

That's a pretty interesting wood combination. So far, everything looks great. Can't wait to see it fully assembled!

 

[CaseyCor]

I dig it even more now that I can see the color better. Very good stuff! The routing work you did is fantastic.

 

[jerrydyer]

the back of that neck looks killer

 

[gybe!]

Sorry guys, I can`t claim the routing work on this one. That was all USACG, I should have mentioned that before! I am not setup for that level of wood working here in NC...Back at my dad's shop in Indiana, maybe, but I havent invested any money in the tools for it here!

Neck is also USACG. Got the wood through exoticwood.com, who was great to deal with (probably the best vendor I have dealt with in this entire process....I have had a streak of bad luck or poor customer service in some way or the other with every body else I have worked with).

 

[rev156]

That is great, I love the fret board!
Mark

 

[gybe!]

Bump for essentially being completed! I can`t seem to photograph the green in any way that doesn`t make it appear washed out (direct sunlight, indirect lighting, incandescent lighting...its just coming through washed out). Still need to install and cut the nut, but I think I am going to leave that up to a local luthier as part of the final setup. I am really excited to check out these pickups...They are from JS Moore and the bridge is his Jekyll and Hyde, which is tapped at different points in the wind so that I can switch between a vintage flavored 12k wind, or a more modern flavored 17k wind. I am also very please with the way the neck has turned out, a nice raw feel to it. Very close to the EBMM style of raw maple (but its mahogany)

 

[CaseyCor]

 

[sandman]

 

[HerbieBoogie]

sweet guitar... even better neckplate

 

[The Hoff]

Very nice sir! Looks great-very impressive

 

[hthomas]

that neck is awesome!

 

[gbsmusic]

 

[snowdog]

Looks nice, I have heard nothing but good things about USAGC. I am kinda curious as why you went with a 21 fret neck ?

 

[gybe!]

Looks nice, I have heard nothing but good things about USAGC. I am kinda curious as why you went with a 21 fret neck ?

My USACG experience was hit and miss....Overall, I am pleased with the quality of the work I recieved (minus one or two small complaints) but I was less than impressed with the customer service. In fact, I would say it was plain bad. Getting a hold of them is nearly impossible....Out of the ~10 plus times I called I think I actually got a hold of Tommy three times, emails are rarely responded to and when they are it is weeks later. Top that off with they didn`t send me my leftover wood (I bought the body blank and shipped it to them), despite the fact that I requested it in at least 5 different emails, the times I actually spoke with them on the phone, and on my order form. In the end I had to purchase a different piece of korina to use as my test piece for finishing. They could really use some extra help around there to keep up with all of their different customers.

With regards to 21 frets, I never felt all that limited by having one less note

Update:
I was not very happy with the overall quality of the neck. Not a single fret was leveled or well seated and I basically needed a complete refret out of the box. Nearly cost me as much to get the neck right as it did to have it made in the first place!

 

[jcj]

That finish looks awesome