What's On Your Workbench?

[tubedude]

I'm still with this guitar, because it's so fun to play, but I want to finish it up- thinking of a face plate to mount the pickups, and the possibility of getting creative with a pickguard to do the same thing. A face plate like an SG, an oddball shape like some retro thing, or other..?
Here's a quick basic plate shape, from thin cardboard. - View attachment 4102667
but definitely open to suggestions. Anyone?

There's enough space under the fretboard overhang to fit a single ply pickguard thickness.

That certainly looks functional.
Maybe something with a contour that follows the body shape. Even the Music Man toilet seat would be an improvement over the rectangle.

 

[wraub]

TBH, I mainly made it as a tool to place and measure pickups, and for a size reference as I sketch around it.
It's in the pic as a "blank slate" kinda thing, to take the pickup routes out of the process.
The plate covers the pickup holes, all else is up for grabs.

That certainly looks functional.
Maybe something with a contour that follows the body shape. Even the Music Man toilet seat would be an improvement over the rectangle.

 

[JIO]

Did Hendrix play that guitar? Looks like it's no stranger to fire.

Actually it's just reside fro removing a black finish. At a certain point I stopped and liked the way it looked so I left it as is

 

[wraub]

Here's similar bodies with pickguards that I don't love, but, it's an idea...

I'm still with this guitar, because it's so fun to play, but I want to finish it up- thinking of a face plate to mount the pickups, and the possibility of getting creative with a pickguard to do the same thing. A face plate like an SG, an oddball shape like some retro thing, or other..? Single coil at neck, HB at the bridge.
Here's a quick basic plate shape, from thin cardboard. - View attachment 4102667
but definitely open to suggestions. Anyone?

There's enough space under the fretboard overhang to fit a single ply pickguard thickness.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

...would be an improvement over the rectangle.

Dude, <ahem, er, I mean> Duuuuuude, it's clearly the new Samsung Galaxy Shred®.

 

[wraub]

Dude, <ahem, er, I mean> Duuuuuude, it's clearly the new Samsung Galaxy Shred®.

"Styling" aside, it's basically an SG, but more so. imo... It is also one of the most comfortable feeling guitars I have held. It's inviting.

As you see it (plus the pickups, case, and vibrato bar) it cost me pennies, essentially, but it feels and plays great and I'd like to make it loud again. Because it was so inexpensively gotten, I can spend a little on parts to make it whatever it wants to be next.
I just don't know what that is yet.

 

[MonetBass]

That set up like the Brian May Red Special? I have the GFS pickups with the Strat pickguard for that. It’s an interesting thing. I think the out of phase sounds probably have more use on guitar then bass.

Exactly. Genuine Burns Trisonic pickups with three on/off switches and three phase switches. And I agree: out of phase pickups work best on guitar.

 

[dwizum]

The tuners for that guitar are still MIA - so on Christmas eve I ordered another set, straight from Hipshot's ebay account, and they showed up a few days later. So at least it has tuners now! Still waiting on another MIA package that has parts in it I need to finish the pickups I'm building for it (basically just boring PAF copies). I may just re-order those soon if they don't show up.

In the meantime, yesterday I started working on a bass. I'm making a right handed copy of the warwick-inspired bass I'd built for the last buildoff. Curly maple and walnut neck, quilted cherry body, and I have a really nice claro walnut crotch top for it. This one will use a conventional bridge and will have a flat body - the radius is cool and all but I'm not really sure it's worth it. When I show people my left handed version, literally zero percent of them notice the radius until I point it out.

I got the neck all glued up and body wings cut to shape. I may do a separate build thread but I'm whipping through it so fast I'm not really stopping to take many photos...

 

[herndonbassist]

Looks like you're doing some replacements on what I can only guess is a fairly beefy mountain bike there. 180mm front rotor, sliding dropout in the rear with a built-in tensioner, just the kinds of things I would spec on my builds when I worked at a bike shop (AND wasn't a lazy lump like I am now ).

I got rid of all my bike tools to make room for bass building tools, oddly enough.

I missed this message, but yeah I am doing tons of replacements right now, getting bikes ready for the kids, spouse and myself. I've got 4, so um, yeah it's mostly for me! :-D

The tuners for that guitar are still MIA - so on Christmas eve I ordered another set, straight from Hipshot's ebay account, and they showed up a few days later. So at least it has tuners now! Still waiting on another MIA package that has parts in it I need to finish the pickups I'm building for it (basically just boring PAF copies). I may just re-order those soon if they don't show up.

In the meantime, yesterday I started working on a bass. I'm making a right handed copy of the warwick-inspired bass I'd built for the last buildoff. Curly maple and walnut neck, quilted cherry body, and I have a really nice claro walnut crotch top for it. This one will use a conventional bridge and will have a flat body - the radius is cool and all but I'm not really sure it's worth it. When I show people my left handed version, literally zero percent of them notice the radius until I point it out.

I got the neck all glued up and body wings cut to shape. I may do a separate build thread but I'm whipping through it so fast I'm not really stopping to take many photos...

View attachment 4105689

That is SOOO freaking cool! Can't wait to see this one finished!

 

[dwizum]

That is SOOO freaking cool! Can't wait to see this one finished!

Thanks!

I don't know if I'm allowed to say this here or not, but this one's going to be for sale on Reverb once it's done.

 

[dwizum]

One of my lost USPS packages showed up so I got the parts I needed to finish the pickups for the guitar I'm building. These are pretty much straightforward PAF style humbuckers. 42 awg wire. Bridge is 5,000 winds on the slugs and 5,200 on the screws. Neck is 4,800 on the slugs and 5,000 on the screws. Alnico 5 on the bridge and 3 on the neck. Plain unplated nickel silver bases and covers. 4 conductor wire. I've got the guitar wired as V - V - T with a 3 way selector. The pickups have 4 conductor cable so I'm doing a partial split with a push/pull on each volume, and there's a push/pull on the tone with two different cap values.

 

[Jeff Siddall]

Sanding blocks 9" and 14". I couldn't find metal bars in the size I really wanted (2.75" wide) and a price I was willing to pay so I built some out of hard maple. I put some PSA paper on the machined table saw top and flattened them, then put PSA paper on each of the blocks:

It was interesting, after I finished flattening each board I put the faces together and they kinda stuck a bit. Not like Velcro or anything, but it took a noticeable bit of extra force to pull them apart. Guessing that means I got them pretty flat.

I sized the lengths primarily for sanding the backs of necks (14" for bass, 9" for guitar) but they should be good for sanding fretboards, frets etc. I have never used PSA sandpaper before but I gotta say, this stearated Dura Gold is nice stuff. Not cheap, but 20 yards will last me a long time.

 

[I-Am-The-Slime]

Router practice I finally succumbed to the force of the powertool and got a little palm router. Making this frame to pop my cherry (well, oak and walnut, popped with Tru Oil, actually ). Also had a doorway cut through 10" concrete so I can get to the workshop without having to go outside Finally organized the place a bit, ready to start some new builds!

 

[Fat Freddy]

View attachment 4114354

Router practice I finally succumbed to the force of the powertool and got a little palm router. Making this frame to pop my cherry (well, oak and walnut, popped with Tru Oil, actually ). Also had a doorway cut through 10" concrete so I can get to the workshop without having to go outside Finally organized the place a bit, ready to start some new builds!

 

[dwizum]

Finished the guitar a few days ago and took photos today. This was my 20th instrument in 2020. Hopefully that's some kind of special good luck or something.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Sanding blocks 9" and 14". I couldn't find metal bars in the size I really wanted (2.75" wide) and a price I was willing to pay so I built some out of hard maple. I put some PSA paper on the machined table saw top and flattened them, then put PSA paper on each of the blocks...

I made my own as well, out of a scrap piece of square steel tubing, I think it was 2"x2" and something like 14" long, and each end was cut at a 45° angle, so it seemed perfect. I just slapped it on the little HF belt sander and sanded it for a while until it seemed flat with my machinist's straight edge. We will see how well it does come fret leveling time.
I like making stuff.

...This was my 20th instrument in 2020...

Holy crap!!!
That's doing work! I feel ashamed now.
Also, it looks awesome.

 

[dwizum]

I think it's some sort of sickness. Now that I have an OK shop and enough experience, I feel unable to resist the compulsion. Once I get an idea for an instrument, I literally can't sleep or focus on anything else until I have the project at least started. And then once it's started, I need to finish it so I can make room for the next thing. I've got another guitar idea rolling around in the dark corners of my brain, but I'm almost afraid to let myself think about it because I know there are a few things about it I haven't worked out yet, and I'm not ready to be consumed with figuring them out at this point!

Also, good news! The tuners I ordered on December 6th are out for delivery today! It took them nearly a month to travel here from one state away.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Also, good news! The tuners I ordered on December 6th are out for delivery today! It took them nearly a month to travel here from one away.

Via three other states at least!.....

 

[JIO]

I think it's some sort of sickness. Now that I have an OK shop and enough experience, I feel unable to resist the compulsion. Once I get an idea for an instrument, I literally can't sleep or focus on anything else until I have the project at least started. And then once it's started, I need to finish it so I can make room for the next thing. I've got another guitar idea rolling around in the dark corners of my brain, but I'm almost afraid to let myself think about it because I know there are a few things about it I haven't worked out yet, and I'm not ready to be consumed with figuring them out at this point!

Also, good news! The tuners I ordered on December 6th are out for delivery today! It took them nearly a month to travel here from one state away.

You most likely are speaking figuratively, but I don't consider it a sickness although it can get obsessive. For me it has to do with problem solving. I am the one creating the need for this problem solving so it's self initiated, but it's a challenge to see if I can pull something off in related but different ways as a maker/creator. An instrument is the perfect platform for this. Not only does one need to physically build a bass or guitar, do it with a certain level of style, make it very playable/ergonomic - but on top of that it needs to sound really good. Once I pull that off I want to create another opportunity to get involved in that process again. I tend to wait for a project to tempt me instead of looking for a project. Sometimes that comes one right after the other, and other times it takes a while.

My just finished project - I'm very pleased with the result in all the ways I listed. Japanese Hollowbody Longhorn bass project and Harmony H-19 guitar resurrection

 

[TerribleTim68]

Yeah, maybe some day I'll be set up where I can actually work on them any time I want. But with the actual workshop and any real equipment a solid hour and a half drive away, it has to be planned around. Plus, my budget would literally scream if I tried to build that many. I'm still stalled on the electronics for Lucifer just due to money. I'm doing everything I can to keep from compromising on it and just settling for cheaper stuff, but that's getting to be a struggle.

As for my workbench, I am still playing with the lathe since that is a cheaper thing. I did throw together this little bulb ornament for my wife. She had asked for this before Christmas, but I never found the right piece of wood that said to me "hey, I want to be a bulb". Then I ran across this multi-laminated colored blank at my local Rockler store and it just called to me, so she got her bulb ornament, all be it a bit late -

Oh, Rockler also had the little "kit" that had the top and string for it. I'm pretty happy with that little thing, it was a fun, quick project. I've got 7 more of those blanks in random other colors (came in a bag of 8) and they will become bulbs too.
For those interested, it's slightly larger than an actual C4 but not quite as large as a C7.