New build...need ideas and opinions!!

[masternater]

Hey yall. Im starting a new build and im not real sure where im wanting to go with it exactly. Ive come up with a semi-original body shape though its kinda traditional but its basically the bottom of half of a strat but on top half and bottom half...kinda like a sg/strat. going to go with a set neck with a custom headstock design.

the body is 30ish year old white walnut 4x6 beam i cut into 3 pieces and glued up. HEAVY!!! also capping it with a curly maple carved top

where i need help deciding is on the following.

- i got some figured maple or black walnut for the neck
- what to use for the fingerboard
- angled headstock or straight

after i get more going forward on some decisions then i may have some more help for hardware, finish, etc.

heres what ive messed around with so far

 

[AndrewLP1081996]

Strat body(curves etc) with sg layout. I thin k that would be cool. Just brainstorming.

 

[masternater]

sg layout?..as far as the hardware and pickups right? i think im going to go with 3 pickups bc im really a fender guy and i love the clarity and attack of the middle pickups but what about a with a Bigsby trem? i love vibrato systems..when done right people look like this guy

 

[AndrewLP1081996]

That sounds good. I like bigsbys as well. Im currently starting on my first build a les paul jr single cut.

 

[masternater]

nice...ill definately check it out and stay up with it. mines going to go a little slow as we are in the middle of house stuff and blah blah blah you know.

 

[TheZ]

What about 3 P-90 pickups with a 5 way switch? I once had an all walnut guitar with P-90's and it sounded fantastic. Cool design by the way! Reminds me a little of an Epiphone Crestwood from the 60's.

 

[masternater]

yea i guess youre right it kinda does. earlier this year i did an all pine lespaul with a seymour duncan p-rail in the bridge and the neck. i was going to put a p90 in the middle and then have a 5 way switch with 2 3-way toggles for the p-rails. i never got around to wiring it up that way (its just the 2 p-rails) but im thinking about doing that on this one.

 

[EagleOnyx]

Hey you're right, that top is kick-ass!

My opinion is NOT to do 3 pickups. I always hit the middle one with my pick so I hate them. I crank it down flush on strat style guitars.

 

[masternater]

got a little more work done today. im really just taking my time with this one. but heres a few pictures

the body from the back. i cut the neck mating area flat

finished the control cavity cover recess cut

got the top gluing up. i really really tried my best to mirror the grains. im kinda a stickler sometimes if the bookmatch seams are really apparant. it looks tacky to me sometimes if its really bad. but thats just me. more in the coming days

 

[AndrewLP1081996]

Looks good happy near year!

 

[masternater]

been doing some carving. because this is my own shape im coming up with my own carve really. i kinda used the lespaul templates to get me started and then started going my own way in accordance with the different body shape. obviously its not done but its on the way. i also cut the binding channel before i started carving. but to help find my end carve result i ended up sanding down a little bit into the binding channel. but i left a really thin bit of maple material in case of something like this so ill actually be able to make my channel a little deeper and everything will be cool.

my pregnant wife haha...we find out tomorrow what were having!!! what do you think? taking a vote!

 

[masternater]

oh and as you can see in the last picture i cut the neck plane. i havent cut the pickup plane yet but thats next. and if my wife knew i put her picture on here shed kill me haha.

 

[Murkar]

My vote is for a girl...based on the....shape? lol idno...

 

[AndrewLP1081996]

Looks great. And my guess is a boy.

 

[masternater]

Its a boy!!!!

 

[masternater]

check out this cod