Finally starting my first build thread

[Armacielli]

finally starting my first build thread
specs:
chambered explorer
purple heart body
curly cherry neck-thru
P-style pickups
open headstock
bloodwood frettless fingerboard

Planning:

the drawing:

gluing neck:

Prepping body wing:

Neck taper cut:

Shaping started:

Little trick my grandpa showed me today:
1) color jointed edge with black crayon

2) rub edge on spot you're smoothing

3) the black parts are your high spots

you may know this technique, but if you don't the lesson is free

Neck after first day of shaping:

 

[Musiclogic]

Keep it comming, diving in head first is the only way to go.

 

[amphlett7]

Subbed, I like the look of this build, Looks good man, nice work

 

[Blind Rat]

Looking good so far,keep it up.

 

[ljzimmer]

Little trick my grandpa showed me today:
1) color jointed edge with black crayon
2) rub edge on spot you're smoothing
3) the black parts are your high spots


you may know this technique, but if you don't the lesson is free

Dude That is Genius!!!!! Thanks so Much. I will definably use that free lesson!

 

[Pvt.Parts]

Oh man thanks for the crayon trick, excellent suggestion.

 

[Mikey R]

Ive read about a similar trick on David Kings website, but using chalk.

http://www.kingbass.com/build-a-bass.html

I would suspect that the wax from the crayon may effect the action of the glue - might be wrong though.

Looks good though - Ive got a soft spot for Explorers - subscribed!

 

[Armacielli]

UPDATE
got neck shaped to the right size and the neck is pretty much complete aside from touch-ups and work at the volute and heel

 

[Armacielli]

truss rod slot cut

biscuits cut for attaching body to neck

body clamped up

 

[bassybeenz]

any updates?!?!?!? this things gonna look sick!

 

[5string5fingers]

"Little trick my grandpa showed me today:
1) color jointed edge with black crayon
2) rub edge on spot you're smoothing
3) the black parts are your high spots


you may know this technique, but if you don't the lesson is free"

A similar technique like this is done in the automotive world. It's called a guide coat. Lightly spraying black paint over your primer and sanding whickly shows you low and high spots

Looks like a great build,never seen a purple heart body.

 

[neptoon]

or compression blue

 

[Armacielli]

Update!

rough cut body and shaped fingerboard after I corrected a goof-up grandpa and I made with the router

if you can't see the mistake, then I did my job well

 

[Armacielli]

body is final shape proceeding to headstock then fingerboard

oh, and bump

 

[MisterMagician]

tagged

I love the explorer shape.

 

[5string5fingers]

Man that color combo is rockin! I cant wait to see the finished product

 

[Armacielli]

After a bit of hand work:

got my headstock shaped up

routed my body radius

more body radius

and my favorite finish I've tested so far out of: poly, tung oil, and lacquer here is Deft spray lacquer

 

[eleonn]

Did you cut you work table just to make finishing tests??

 

[jordan_frerichs]

that is cut-off from the neck, which is cherry. the workbench appears to be maple, like almost all others i've seen. this is starting to look pretty good. did you plan your head off of schematics from one of the other tbers? it looks exactly like the one i am working on, and the bloodwood fingerboard looks exactly like the one on my current project as well (gallery hardwoods?). i wanted to try and do a headstock truss access, but i haven't seem any open heads able to pull it off. i am curious to see how yous comes out.

 

[Armacielli]

my fingerboard is actually from LMI

and, yes, I got the head schematic from somebody here