The MISC builds a guitar

[gtrzrus]

I’ve been building custom guitars for 6 years now. I thought the MISC made be interested in a ‘how it’s made’ MISC style.

I build everything from scratch even the pickups. I source local lumber yards and even online when the locals do not have anything of interest to me.

I use to custom build for clients, but I’ve pretty much stopped that as it was becoming a full time job. I may start back eventusually, but for now I build only for friends and family. I have built guitars for clients that run around $1k up to $3500.

Cliffs:
I get wood
I build guitars

On to the build:
This guitar is being made for my son-in-law. He’s been struggling with money and had to sale all of his guitars to pay bills. I was in that same place in my 20s so I know how it feels. He doesn’t know anything about this. It will be a Xmas present.

It will be made of Northern Ash with a wormy maple top. It will be a Tele style with p90 pickups.

First, I glue up two pieces of the ash and clamp them with wood glue. I always use Titebond III glue to make the body blank.

[gtrzrus]

After the body is glued up, I put an MDF template over the body blank and draw around it. Then take it to the bandsaw.



This the result. It’s ugly at this point, but it will get better. Feel free to ask any questions as well.

[GlassMoon]

pics of some finished products?

[Kormo]

Neat

ingrain "Misc" on the guitar for the lulz

[Train57]

mirin

[gtrzrus]

Since Northern Ash is so rarely used for guitars due to its weight, I need to lighten the body as much as possible. Usually when ash is used for guitars, it’s swamp ash, but there is a shortage of swamp ash in America. So I’m using Northern Ash that is primarily used for baseball bats and furniture.

To lighten the body. I drill a series of holes in the body until I get to the right weight. 4.5 lbs would be perfect, but I couldn’t get it that light. I got it down to 4.8 lbs which will be totally acceptable.



For the top, I will use wormy maple. It has small holes created by worms as they eat the sap in the trees. I’m going to fill in the holes with colored epoxy.

This is the board that I will make the top from.



In order to make the top, I need to resaw it. This is essentially like butterflying a steak. I sprit the wood so that the grain will be a mirror image on each side. Normally this is done on a bandsaw, but mine bandsaw isn’t big enough. I use a hand saw.

[multiplemiggs]

Looks nice op.

I've been thinking of building an aluminum neck guitar based on a Travis Bean.
Got all the machinery around to make it. I'd have to make a larger melting furnace cause I want to cast the neck and frame for the body as one casting but otherwise I'd be good to go.

[roko79]

Inn. Let's see some finished products brah

[gtrzrus]

This is the result of the resaw before running it through the plainer.



I then glue this onto the body.



Then I cut the the top and route it even with the body.



Then I route the pickup cavities and neck pocket.



I then mix up some dye with epoxy and fill in the worm holes.



Then I sand the epoxy even with the top.



While the epoxy was drying, I had glued up the neck blank using some mahogany, wormy maple, and some flames maple. I then routed it to pattern. Unfortunately I didn’t take pictures of the process.

[gtrzrus]

pics of some finished products?

Here are a few:

[gtrzrus]

Looks nice op.

I've been thinking of building an aluminum neck guitar based on a Travis Bean.
Got all the machinery around to make it. I'd have to make a larger melting furnace cause I want to cast the neck and frame for the body as one casting but otherwise I'd be good to go.

That sounds pretty cool. I do a little metal work too. Nothing to the extent that you are talking about, but I build my own trem blocks and some hardware here and there.

[Ravishing_Rick]

good hobby
make a fuking bass

[multiplemiggs]

Wow brah that last pic of the strat is hhhhnnnnggg.
Measlies have been sprinkled.

[gtrzrus]

good hobby
make a fuking bass

I have a few, but I’ve never made one. It’s definitely on the list though.

[gtrzrus]

I’m a shred and metal guy at heart (Patrucci, Vai, etc), so I build a little something shreddy into every guitar I build.

For this guitar, which will be very classic looking, I’m going to throw a cutaway section near the lower horn for easier high fret access.

First, I draw a rough outline onto the body, then I take an angle grinder to it to carve the route out. There are less dangerous methods for doing this, but this is the fastest and I’ve been doing it a while.



Then I just smooth it over with sandpaper. I generally do all sanding by hand. It’s slower, but you would be surprised at bad an obit all sander can screw up a nice piece of wood with deep scratches that you do not notice after the first coat of finish.



After this I will drill the holes for the wiring. Then it’s on to final sanding. I sand everything down to 320 by hand. Most recommend 220 so that the finish will adhere better, but I find it easier to flat sand for the wet sanding stage.

For this guitar only the top will get a high gloss. The other areas will get a hand rubbed oil look.

[amikaelmorris]

i've seen actual discs intended for angle grinding wood, think they're called shaping dishes or some chit. totally a valid way of power carving, i see them used relatively often for people that make chairs where they dish out the butt part of the seat. nice work on the bookmatch too, i like how you use non-traditional woods and figure patterns

nice work overall, i really like this one: https://i.imgur.com/P4C3QPS.jpg

all the different figures and finishes is probably a furniture woodworkers nightmare but i like how eclectic it is

[SwimToTheMoon]

Here are a few:

Wtf bro that's amazing.. . How much do you charge for a custom build similar to the first or last one..

[MetalliNattyCa]

Repped, always dreamed with building my own guitars. In luthierism science and art really comes together.












Inb4 son in law sells Xmas guitar too lol

[gtrzrus]

i've seen actual discs intended for angle grinding wood, think they're called shaping dishes or some chit. totally a valid way of power carving, i see them used relatively often for people that make chairs where they dish out the butt part of the seat. nice work on the bookmatch too, i like how you use non-traditional woods and figure patterns

nice work overall, i really like this one: https://i.imgur.com/P4C3QPS.jpg

all the different figures and finishes is probably a furniture woodworkers nightmare but i like how eclectic it is

I appreciate it Brah. I have seen those discs. There are pretty cool. I like the angle grinder though. It takes five minutes from start to finish sanding on that cut out. I use it for a lot of carving. I also use a lot of cabinet scrappers. Especially once I get to the neck.


That guitar put me on the map. I while most builders use thinner maple caps, I use a lot of thicker maple tops a lot. It lets me do somethings that I haven’t seen done before.

For example:

[gtrzrus]

Wtf bro that's amazing.. . How much do you charge for a custom build similar to the first or last one..

Those are my most expensive. For the first one I got $2200. It was before I had established myself.

The Strat I got $2600. I did the pickups on that one too. My version of the strat is probably my best model. It is so much better than any Fender that I’ve owned and I’ve owned Custom Shops. While I appreciate Strats, I much prefer something with some humbuckers in it.

I’m a huge Ibanez fan personally. I also have a Ball family reserve Patrucci JP12 (CustomShop) which is the best made guitar that I have ever seen including my own.

I’ve had sold more expensive guitars, but those are usually when I am contracted to build something specific for a customer.

With that said, my real job is in IT and it’s hard to do both at the same time. I just build for friends and family for the most part now.

When I retire, I plan on starting back up.

[pengh]

Damn that's fresh. Someday I'm gonna get a bass made. I am subbing this thread...

[brosapiens]

You're an amazing builder, OP. Congrats and good luck!

[redwine91]

Any acoustics? Bought a Collings Waterloo a few months back for $2,700. Beautiful guitar. I’d like to get into electric eventually.

[gtrzrus]

Repped, always dreamed with building my own guitars. In luthierism science and art really comes together.



Inb4 son in law sells Xmas guitar too lol

Appreciate it Brah! I had actually thought that he may try to sell it too. I thinking about putting his name on it somewhere to lesson the resale value a little.

[pengh]

Question:

My parents house (house i grew up in) is made from a rare and almost extinct tree. It's called Dade County Pine. The wood is said to be harder than Maple. They built a lot of houses in south Florida from it back in the 30s and 40s.

I always thought when the ever sell the house (it will be bull dozed because of location) I will scrap that wood and see if it could be used to make some instruments.

Any thoughts? It's not typical pine wood.

[gtrzrus]

Any acoustics? Bought a Collings Waterloo a few months back for $2,700. Beautiful guitar. I’d like to get into electric eventually.

Those are insane guitars Brah! Congrats!

I have not built an acoustic. I do know many builders though. They say there isn’t a huge difference in the skill set, but I would need to invest in some tools that I do not have. I do plan it eventually.

[RackaDo]

pretty cool dude, been playing guitar for 8 years. always thought it would be cool to get a custom guitar

[gtrzrus]

Question:

My parents house (house i grew up in) is made from a rare and almost extinct tree. It's called Dade County Pine. The wood is said to be harder than Maple. They built a lot of houses in south Florida from it back in the 30s and 40s.

I always thought when the ever sell the house (it will be bull dozed because of location) I will scrap that wood and see if it could be used to make some instruments.

Any thoughts? It's not typical pine wood.

Absolutely! I’m not familiar with the species, but I’m sure you could use in some respects. There are guitars bodies made of yellow pine so if the wood is harder than you should be golden.

I made a top once from the wooden floors of an old Cotten Mill that several generations of my family worked at before it closed. I love the reclaimed wood aspect.

[gtrzrus]

pretty cool dude, been playing guitar for 8 years. always thought it would be cool to get a custom guitar

Thanks Brah! The only bad thing for me is that I have to choose either to build or play. I do not have time for both. Right now, I’m in play mode with a little building snuck in here and there.

[sunsean]

Repped OP, very nice. I've been playing 25 years and never built my own...damn impressive.