How Not To Make A Guitar

Post by **GrantB** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 10:11 pm

http://www.stormriders.com/guitar/telec ... walnut.htm

Take one piece of awesome expensive walnut, one plonker and combine...wait a few months and you have a cheap piece of walnut and an ugly guitar...

TMG 03 · Post by **TMG 03** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 10:25 pm

Don't show ash

philipnz · Post by **philipnz** » Wed Aug 11, 2004 10:28 pm

What a cock-up

Yoda · Post by **Yoda** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 12:40 am

What a hoot!!

Me caveman. Build good guitar.

Post by Bg » Thu Aug 12, 2004 12:56 am

it started out reasonably well, he certainly congratulated himself on the neck pocket enough times!

"What you see here is sawdust filled epoxy that I am applying to fill the voids between the body and the caps. After it dries it will get sanded down, and it should look fine." - YEAH, RIGHT

Will be starting mine next week, this may be the last time I mention it (will post pics if it turns out better than that one)

Rog · Post by **Rog** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 7:28 am

Good on him.

He gave it a go - carefully documented every step, warts and all.

It didn't work out particularly well and its damn ugly in my eyes, but he thinks its beautiful - eye of the beholder stuff.

Woodworking is not a craft for everyone....

Post by **GrantB** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 9:19 am

Yes, don't think me too harsh. However, with a slab of Walnut like that, a trial on a piece of pine would have been advisable (to learn all of this prior to working on the walnut).
Also, a quick chat to a luthier around town would have helped sort out tools and trechnique a little...

Speaking of building, that white P90 tele thing I created requires re-finishing now after I decided that the bridge will have to be a Hard tail strat as opposed to a wrap around Gibson style. What a mission that guitar has been...probably spent $70 on lacquer only to strip it all away (and dowel my mounting post holes)...have to create a new scratch plate too which is almost as painful as doing the rest of the work.

Ash, got any recommendations about getting the strinf through body holes perfect on the underside of a Tele? Obviously I am using a drill press, but I have always found these holes hard to get super perfect. Cheers

Post by Bg » Thu Aug 12, 2004 9:59 am

yes he had a go, but if you look at the rest of the site you will find that he does think he's pretty good at building guitars - this wasn't his first, he's built about 8 and is now trying to teach underpriviledged kids how to build them.

Heres another of his efforts - 80's Strat anyone?

ash · Post by **ash** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 10:55 am

*UNIQUE* wrote:Ash, got any recommendations about getting the strinf through body holes perfect on the underside of a Tele? Obviously I am using a drill press, but I have always found these holes hard to get super perfect. Cheers

Use a brad point drill bit and drill just past half depth from both sides. They'll look right on both surfaces and any misalignment will be inside where it doesn't matter.

Rog · Post by **Rog** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:14 am

I didn't read to the point where he thought he was actually any good.

That pic is entitled 'niceneckpocket' - that's a joke, right??

Post by Bg » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:17 am

yep, the thing is, he made this huge cockup and then carried on until the point of final assembly - then decided it wasn't quite good enough!

Good on him for having a go, but I wouldn't be posting these sort of pix - so if you don't see any pix of my body, just assume it ends up like the one above

Rog · Post by **Rog** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:18 am

LOL - I agree - if I was churning out stuff like that - it'd be my secret!

Post by **GrantB** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:24 am

Here's the lads whole inventory of gat's and amps he's created...it's got to be art surely...I absolutely love his honesty - when he makes a mess of it he says it. This guy is a hero - a poor woodworker and electrician, but a hero none the less.

http://stormriders.com/guitar/telecaster/

Rog · Post by **Rog** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:31 am

Man - I give him 100% for effort!

Polar Bear · Post by **Polar Bear** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:53 am

If mine turns out lkike that I wil not be showing anybody. I will be silently sobbign somewhere that I risked my hard earned cash on a piece of firewood.