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Guitar Project
Topic Started: Dec 11 2007, 03:22 AM (349 Views)
Kronk
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Doctor
I posted this on some guitar-related forums, and I thought you guys might like to see it too.

This is my first guitar project, so I’ve been learning a whole lot about the craft. I was inspired to make a clear guitar after I saw one being played on one of those late night shows. I looked on the net to see if I could find one with a shape that matched my taste, but I couldn’t find one, so I decided to build one… Sort of a stupid idea, now that I think of it, but so far it’s going well, so I don’t regret it.

Being that it's made lexan (plastic) the tone of the guitar might not be as nice as one made out of wood, however the hardness of the lexan makes for massive sustain. The design I did is completely original. I made it as small as possible, which, in retrospect, may affect the way it sounds in a negative way, but it also makes it lighter (lexan is heavy).

So far, I’ve finished most of the shaping of the body, and I need to cut the trem cavities, pickup cavities, and also one for the neck. I wimped out on building the neck and bought one off ebay, but I think I’ll build one for my next project, which I already have plans for.

Here are the pics of some of the process, and what’s been done so far.

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I did the rough cut with a Saws-All and the final cut with a router, which may seem weird, but it was the only thing I had that could cut the hard plastic without either melting it or just plain destroying it.

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In order to cut the angles on the "wings" of the body, I had to build this contraption.

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The little shape that was left uncut is where the tone/volume pots will go.

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You can see little pencil marks on it. I was scribbling parts on it to see how everything would fit. :] From cutting it, it doesn't look clear anymore, but after it's polished it'll be crystal.

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The neck in the above picture is off an Ibanez RG, and for the bridge, I bought a Gotoh Floyd Rose tremolo off ebay. I'm going to have cut the block of the trem because it's designed for a thicker guitar than what I'm building. My uncle is a machinist, so he's going to help me with that. Weirdly enough, the B.C. Rich "Ice" guitars also have cut trems due to the plastic's lack of thickness.

Anyway, I think I'll have an update in about a week. My uncle has been helping me get the trem cavity cut (my router has done all it could), and I already have most of the hardware. Also, I'll try to get better pictures; the ones above are sorta' blurry. <_<;
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Huzzah
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broke through Heaven... who the hell do you think he is!?
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:o That's...... incredibly awesome.
"Won't it be dull, when we rid ourselves of all these demons haunting us to keep us company?"
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sXe since 10/22/07
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Revolver Oshawott
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Ooo, is this what you've been up to during your incredibly long abscence? Groovy. XD
why do i have this icon i don't even like homestuck that much
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fightingcomet
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...FREAKING AWESOME.

excuse me while I sit here in awe of your awesome
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"So even if you stumble and makes mistakes...that's not useless. Think of it like fertilizer. Sure it feels like crap...but it will help you grow!"
(Kyoko-san, Furuba)
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"Impossible is just a word to let people feel better when they quit."
(Vyse, Skies of Arcadia Legends)
Digislave #26987
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Kronk
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Doctor
Thanks! You guys way over compliment me, but I appreciate it. :]

And yes, Meg, this could be responsible for, I think, about eight months of my absence. I started in the summer some time, and since then most all of my internet time has been devoted to guitar study.

Anyway, here’s a few pics along with a list of all the steps I’ve completed and what still needs to be done.

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I took this pick before cutting the pickup and wiring harness cavities. As you can see, I just stuck the tremolo in there for the pic.

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Drilling the volume pot hole. Yes, my dad's drill press is huge.

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Clamped down...

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And, my current favorite tool. Seriously, these things are awesome. I did a lot of the initial measurements without them, and they've been a big help since I've started using them.

Steps Completed:

Design template/planned measurements
Initial cutting and shaping (11 cuts)
Build “wing” angle jig
“Wing” angle cuts
Sanding and shaping
Finding scale length (has to do with fret placement or, in this case, bridge placement)
Upper tremolo cavity cuts
Block tremolo cavity cuts
Lower tremolo spring cavity cuts
Drill holes for tremolo studs
Neck cavity cuts
Neck plate cuts
Neck pickup cavity cuts
Bridge pickup cavity cuts
Wiring harness cavity cuts
Drill hole from neck pickup into tremolo spring cavity
Drill hole from tremolo block cavity into wiring harness cavity
Drill holes for volume pot and tone pot/switch combo
Drill holes for tremolo claw screws
Cut tremolo block to fit in body

Steps to be Completed:

Drill holes for neck
Carbon fiber neck plate cutting/drilling
Carbon fiber input jack plat cutting/drilling
Drill four holes for neck pickup
Drill four holes for bridge pickup
Drill a hole for input jack
Drill two holes for carbon fiber input jack plate
Recess cuts for back cover plates
Drill who-knows-how-many holes for back cover plates
Polish, polish, polish
Wiring harness setup and soldering
Screw it all together
And finally, I have to put on the strings. set the action, and tune it :]

I’m hoping that in the next week this will all be completed. I want to play it so~ badly. XD
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Kronk
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Doctor
Quick update:

Well, the guitar is now clear like it's supposed to be. I did a few more cuts on it, completing all the major ones. What's left now is eight more holes that need to be drilled, I have to get a piece of carbon fiber which will be cut into the neck plate and the input jack plate, and a few other things like soldering, and wiring.


Pictures:

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This is the headstock of the neck, which (as the headstock's texts suggests) is off an Ibanez RG S series. The carbon fiber truss rod cover is an after market piece that I bought off ebay.

Steps Completed:

Design template/planned measurements
Initial cutting and shaping (11 cuts)
Build “wing” angle jig
“Wing” angle cuts
Sanding and shaping
Finding scale length (has to do with fret placement or, in this case, bridge placement)
Upper tremolo cavity cuts
Block tremolo cavity cuts
Lower tremolo spring cavity cuts
Drill holes for tremolo studs
Neck cavity cuts
Neck plate cuts
Neck pickup cavity cuts
Bridge pickup cavity cuts
Wiring harness cavity cuts
Drill hole from neck pickup into tremolo spring cavity
Drill hole from tremolo block cavity into wiring harness cavity
Drill holes for volume pot and tone pot/switch combo
Drill holes for tremolo claw screws
Cut tremolo block to fit in body
Drill four holes for neck pickup
Drill four holes for bridge pickup
Drill a hole for input jack
Recess cuts for back cover plates
Polish, polish, polish

Steps to be Completed:

Drill holes for neck bolts
Carbon fiber neck plate cutting/drilling
Carbon fiber input jack plat cutting/drilling
Drill two holes for carbon fiber input jack plate
Drill a few holes for back cover plates
Wiring harness setup and soldering
Screw it all together
And finally, I have to put on the strings. set the action, scale length, and tune it :]
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Strawhat Dragon
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Kronk, if I may say, you are AMAZING. I mean, seriously, that is extremely cool.

Most Vicious of 2008
Most Badass of 2007
Forum Beast of 2007

Forum Robin of 2006

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Revolver Oshawott
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DAMN, man. Can't wait to see the thing finished.
why do i have this icon i don't even like homestuck that much
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