Your finished projects

Fuengi

Not quite a new build, but the Strat has had another modification.

New coat of LPB nitro from @SteveRobinson which went on really nicely. New Lollar 64 Special pickups (previous know as Blackface which is still written on the back) which are excellent and very Stratty.

Also put the Callaham bridge back on, so all in all I've probably spent more on this Mexican Strat than a new USA model might have cost! 

However, it does have a lovely feel and weight so happy to spend a few quid to get it looking and sounding like I want. It's only money! 

 

Dan_1

Charvel So-Cal MIJ

Had a Tone Zone in the bridge, and Evolution in the neck (HH), which both sounded great if not a little bland. This thing plays like an absolute dream, so wanted something a bit different to the sound. 

Had a custom HS pickguard made by gig.ink (amazing service by the way - highly recommended) and have dropped a Suhr Thornbucker + in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound in the neck. Easily the best sounding, and best playing guitar I own. 

SteveRobinson

I've been working on this over the last few months and collecting parts for much longer; the Bigsby was sourced here years ago with this project in mind.

It was a close thing with the bridge height. I purposely set the neck angle quite shallow and with a low action the bridge is *just* off the deck. Too low to use the domed thumbwheels I bought without modifying the ABR-1.

The neck is set in about 4mm too deep (due an error correction) and so the Bigsby needed a bit grinding off where it meets the bridge.

The reason the neck pickup isn't close up to the neck is another correction of a router mishap!

Pickups are Monty's PAFs.





The bee headstock inlay and TRC were CNC cut by my friend Wal. 



Some in-progress shots:

Using my G&W binding jig


Routing the pickup cavities

LordOxygen

Ceiling light reflecting in the nitro.



Finished my Custom tele deluxe project today, I'm very pleased with it.
I sprayed the nitro finish over the summer, proves you can get super results from rattle cans if you do it properly, I'm genuinely surprised how good this has turned out. 

ThePrettyDamned

@SteveRobinson that bee inlay is amazing! 

SteveRobinson

ThePrettyDamned said:

@SteveRobinson that bee inlay is amazing! 

Thanks, @ThePrettyDamned have you taken a look at Wal's other stuff? He's very good!

I drew around the inlay and routed by hand using a Dremel and small upcut bit



Then glued it in and filled around using hide glue with carbon black in before sanding back, spraying over black and scraping clean

ThePrettyDamned

SteveRobinson said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

@SteveRobinson that bee inlay is amazing! 

Thanks, @ThePrettyDamned have you taken a look at Wal's other stuff? He's very good!

I drew around the inlay and routed by hand using a Dremel and small upcut bit



Then glued it in and filled around using hide glue with carbon black in before sanding back, spraying over black and scraping clean

That's incredible. I wonder if, with a dremel, I could manage that on my project... Will look at the website! 

I actually need to do a bit of work on the headstock, it's not gone a particularly smooth black colour, and the sealer has revealed some scratches I missed so it isn't like I'd be undoing lots of work... 

BlackbirdCabs

Here's my first semi-build: a body I made from Southern Yellow Pine and Mahogany, with a Warmoth Mahogany neck.

I've finally managed to solder it up and it sounds great, although I've been without an electric for so long that my picking skills have disappeared! I also need to do a full set up so maybe I can blame the high action

Pickups are a P90 Staple by Mojo and a Beano humbucker by Ash at Oil City.

Not sure what to do with that toggle switch hole in the pickguard!

thejkr

Looks fantastic, well done! Was the Crimson guitar building course good/worthwhile?



Cheesyfeet said:

This is my first home build from scratch.  Pretty happy how it's turned out as it's mostly a learning exercise for home building after a 6 day Crimson course last October.

Plenty of things I've learnt along the way and would probably do slightly differently next time!

Cheesyfeet

thejkr said:

Looks fantastic, well done! Was the Crimson guitar building course good/worthwhile?



Cheesyfeet said:

This is my first home build from scratch.  Pretty happy how it's turned out as it's mostly a learning exercise for home building after a 6 day Crimson course last October.

Plenty of things I've learnt along the way and would probably do slightly differently next time!

Yes it was very worthwhile.  It's a good environment and the staff there are all great, only gripe I had was the pre-course admin could have been better.  They have all the tools needed to ensure you get to go home with a completed guitar as they save a lot of time, which means you do go home with a long wish list of machine shop tools!

bad_alice

Hi folks, if you think that a project involving taking a 2019 Gibson SG Special and using as a base to create a (hopefully) convincing '63 Gibson SG Special look-a-alike is something you be interested in checking out then here's the link:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/233872/turning-a-2019-gibson-sg-special-into-a-1963-gibson-sg-special

Snap

I like the Cagney & Lacey switch!

GuyBoden

This build/assembly is the best I've ever done, mainly thanks to Scot Woodcock at WSMGuitars for his CNC work on the body and neck. I'm posting it here as well, so I can remember. I'm a hobbyist with a little amount of tools, but I had fun.

lovestrat74

skippy76 said:

Just finished building a nice light LP kit that I bought off a nice bloke here on the forums. 3.5kgs 

I used McNelly pickups from Canada and had Jonathan at Feline @FelineGuitars tidy up the fretwork and set it up. Sounds and plays as good as I think it looks  

just needs some more light ageing and lacquer checking

Love this @skippy76 do you still have it?

skippy76

Hey @lovestrat74 yep I still have it and it’s had some sweet work done by @Danielsguitars . Aged nitro and a Wizz humbucker in the bridge position

Ill grab a pic 

lovestrat74

skippy76 said:

Hey @lovestrat74 yep I still have it and it’s had some sweet work done by @Danielsguitars . Aged nitro and a Wizz humbucker in the bridge position

Ill grab a pic 

Damn!! I thought you were going to say... "still got it but never play it so am thinking of selling it" ...  

Look forward to the pics  

Cranky

Really amazing stuff in this thread!

I didn’t make this Tele, but I shaped, finished and “tattooed” the body, sourced the rest of the parts and put it together.  Supposed to be vintage inspired.  Also, save for the pickups I deliberately avoided Fender parts.  It’s a basswood body, but the top was described as “barn wood” and I thought that it screamed Tele.  Turned out to be a real pain to treat and stain, due to my lack of experience and the wildly random porosity of basswood.  Part of the vintage theme turned out to be a somewhat shoddy stain, but I guess it suits the Tele.  I became, for deeply personal reasons, totally overwhelmed by an urge to summarize myself with this build, and the “learning as I go” results are no doubt a part of that summary.

~ 25.5” scale

~ CS Texas Special pickups 
~ 4-way switch, reversed control plate (except I failed to reverse the switch itself, so neck is bridge and bridge is neck)
~ Warmoth roasted maple boat neck (soft v), satin finish, ebony fretboard 
~ Gotoh locking tuners
~ Top-loader bridge (could also be string-through, but I didn’t want to put the holes in the body)
~ Wood burning kit applied to back and sides
~ Gel stain with shellac and wax coats

Neilybob

Cranky said:

Really amazing stuff in this thread!

I didn’t make this Tele, but I shaped, finished and “tattooed” the body, sourced the rest of the parts and put it together.  Supposed to be vintage inspired.  Also, save for the pickups I deliberately avoided Fender parts.  It’s a basswood body, but the top was described as “barn wood” and I thought that it screamed Tele.  Turned out to be a real pain to treat and stain, due to my lack of experience and the wildly random porosity of basswood.  Part of the vintage theme turned out to be a somewhat shoddy stain, but I guess it suits the Tele.  I became, for deeply personal reasons, totally overwhelmed by an urge to summarize myself with this build, and the “learning as I go” results are no doubt a part of that summary.

~ 25.5” scale

~ CS Texas Special pickups 
~ 4-way switch, reversed control plate (except I failed to reverse the switch itself, so neck is bridge and bridge is neck)
~ Warmoth roasted maple boat neck (soft v), satin finish, ebony fretboard 
~ Gotoh locking tuners
~ Top-loader bridge (could also be string-through, but I didn’t want to put the holes in the body)
~ Wood burning kit applied to back and sides
~ Gel stain with shellac and wax coats

Ooh that’s nice. 

markblack

Almost finished... going to change the pick up to an Oil City number...
Inspired by Novo and made out of an old oak chopping board.

Neilybob

markblack said:

Almost finished... going to change the pick up to an Oil City number...
Inspired by Novo and made out of an old oak chopping board.

Love it. Is this shape comfortable to play sitting down?