General Luthiery Thread

[Bentley]

Originally Posted by Phill

Your clear coat finish prior to chroming looks flawless. Do you think that plays a big part in how good the chrome goes on?

afaik having a really sheen/glossy/even surface helps paint (well, metallic spray paint at least) adhere better, and any unevenness in the surface to which paint is applied usually shows through when the paint is applied

[L32]

need some advice.
Varnish is best applied before or after the binding?.
The top is going to be carbon fibre (it is a high gloss sheet) and dont need varnish.
Thanks.

[tango15mk]

It's getting near routing time! The blank is drawn out and the mdf routing template is almost done.

As it's my first attempt, what are your guys recommendations on specific router bits?

I know im looking for a flush piece for the body edges and a roundover bit for the edges, I have heard that for the mb-1 the roundover is around 2-3mm?

Can anyone shine any light and help a wannabe luthier!

Haha thanks!

[Bentley]

Originally Posted by L32

need some advice.
Varnish is best applied before or after the binding?.
The top is going to be carbon fibre (it is a high gloss sheet) and dont need varnish.
Thanks.

Apply after binding. It'll seal over it, preventing it from lifting. A Light coat of varnish over the carbon fiber bits wouldn't hurt

[L32]

Originally Posted by Bentley

Apply after binding. It'll seal over it, preventing it from lifting. A Light coat of varnish over the carbon fiber bits wouldn't hurt

It is like if you apply varnish over the mirror perspex, wouldn't look well (i think).
How i would do it if it were mirror?

[Bentley]

Originally Posted by L32

It is like if you apply varnish over the mirror perspex, wouldn't look well (i think).
How i would do it if it were mirror?

I see your point.
Im not entirely sure, but I'd image if you masked off the front but not the sides of the perspex (or carbon fiber) it might work? Try emailing any luthiers/guitar shops around you

[Lord MFC]

Yeah, mask it off.

[zooropa1310]

Binding then finish

[L32]

Ok Thanks, i will mask the CF and varnish the rest.

[zooropa1310]

Razor blades makes great scrapers if any finish gets on the binding, then blend the finish edge with some fine sand paper.

[zooropa1310]

First test build was a successful failure. My original centerline had to be altered and shifted diagonally to save the body, my neck came .1" thinner than planned, fingerboard planing was uneven, so it had to be mowed further. The compound radius came out as planne (9.5"-16"). I lost more of the board than I wanted due to a shit slip of the router (made it a 25.25" scale instead).

Due to poor planning, new tool processes, and improper order in design, it was an edge of the seat kindof build. Since it was an open build in terms of anything goes, I was able to rescue it all. This is the second Young the Giant build, and all things considered, it was a success.

Future builds will all be well drawn on the drafting board, all templates and jigs for major work, and more of a process. Now that it is all figured, known issues can be solved and were noted for the next build.

Next up, James!


Specs on the practice build:
Mahogany body, oil finish.
Flame maple/cocobolo neck (under cut fret slots for the bound look)
Charlie Christian neck/(Fralin or lollar) blade humbucker/single coil

Because of it being such an open build, I was able to make changes in the design as original plans went awry. Basically he gave me the pickups, said he wanted a thin body design like the mustang (or jag? The kurt kobain one) and to feel free to do anything everywhere else. However, proper planning and design would have prevented the headaches. Enjoy!

ShowShow this spoiler

[james90]

nice interested to hear what he thinks of it (it was the other guitarist you built this one for, wasn't it?)

[zooropa1310]

Yes, he saw the one I built and really wanted one. I'm having to compete with a fender sponsorship, which is easy creativity wise. The setup is just dialed. There's a good chance I'll be taking his main guitar home with me for fretwork and a much needed setup. His guitar was in bad shape when I saw it at their last gig. Inverted bridge radius, lots of fret buzz. Needless to say, I'm trying to show my skills and be a touring tech.

[Neil.]

Hello folks

So i'm currently pricing up a little project that I've wanted to do for a while now, but I'm only going to do it a) if i have the time and money, and b) if i'm sure i could turn around a profit.

I remember a while ago someone did that squire with the korg monotron, and it was pretty cool. So i was tempted to have a go at modding a cheap tele with the intention of selling it on for a profit. I've a good strong concept, and I think it's got potential. It's not too difficult to do either, and would be pretty cheap. I just wanted to get some opinions on it, to see what people think.

The plan was to take a standard black telecaster, or a telecaster kit, and do the following mods to it:
Body Modifications
Pickup configuration changed to either 2 x Humbuckers OR 2 x p90's wired as 1 humbucker.
Black Pickguard
Black Surface-Mount (Bigsby Style) Vibrato Bridge
(basically, all black hardware)

Electronics
Some sort of nice black pickups, with some sort of cool configuration, not too sure what way though.
Onboard Mooer Audio Pitchbox
Onboard MXR Microamp

So that would essentially be it. A few little fun additions, but nothing too difficult, and nothing too expensive. When I was thinking about the electronics side of things, I looked at various articles on recommended fx order, and having pitch/boost at the start is a common trend. I was thinking that having a simple little pitch thing in there would allow you to do things like make the guitar sound a little like a 12-string guitar.

Anyway, ideas/opinions?

[zooropa1310]

Wow wow wow. Amazing night with the band... This is a copy and paste from my Facebook pretty much.

Before the show, I tried it out at a guitar center. A dad and his son saw the guitar, came over and started asking about it. I told them all about the guitar, and they really enjoyed playing it. They asked if I did basses, said they were sold, exchanged numbers. 5 string fretless, for a worthwhile price.

Easily one of the greatest nights I have ever experienced.

-Spent nearly the entire day with one of my favorite and most inspirational bands.

-Guitar was loved by Eric, as well as the entire band, and stage crew. Flocks of people came to look, and the sound guy was very happy with it's tone. Even the frontman had to play it, and he doesn't play live.

-The president of Bad Cat Amplifiers played the guitar, he was very impressed. He gave me his card, and now I get artist pricing for all of their products.

-Sameer (singer) offered showed me all of his vocal effects, how he uses them.

-Invited for soundcheck, essentially got a private concert for an hour.

-Invited into the dressing room for pre-show drinks, we all shared a bottle of Patron (I have the bottle as a souvenir)

-Guitar was played live, sounded phenomenal.

-Met the guitar player for Steelwell, gave me his number, is buying a custom guitar

-Watched the entire show from side stage, still had great sound quality, and was able to go in front of the barrier for a video of my guitar in action

And to top it all off, this was Young the Giants homecoming show, and their biggest headliner to date. The energy was immense. I have never seen a band perform that way, the crowd was overwhelming.

This was the experience of a lifetime. I love these guys, great friends. They took amazing care of me and showed me the same respect I have for them.


Eric said that this WILL be the main guitar when they hit the studio. They're making a documentary on recording the new album, and my guitar will be all over it. In addition to the Steelwell connection, I may getting in touch with Grouplove and Walk the Moon. Pictures and video coming later.

Now that the quality of my guitars are top and proven under the highest levels of scrutiny, I can now price them in the realm of what custom guitars generally sell for. It's been a journey, but Im now building the guitars to the quality that I have always wanted to.

If anyone wants to follow outside the boards, its Barnett Customs on Facebook, and @barnettcustoms on the twitters.

Saddle up James, you're next out the door.