Semi-Scratch Build - My take on the Yamaha Silent Guitar

[nacluth]

Cool stuff! I like the creativity of just doing it. It's a fun design, and I look forward to watching you pull it off.

[redir]

Interesting headstock design. It will look good on this project but I do wonder a bit abut the mechanics behind it.

That looks like a maple neck BTW not basswood. Basswood would be considerably light weight and not suitable for a neck.

[Zandit75]

Originally Posted by nacluth

Cool stuff! I like the creativity of just doing it. It's a fun design, and I look forward to watching you pull it off.

Thanks bud, hopefully I can do just that!!

Originally Posted by redir

Interesting headstock design. It will look good on this project but I do wonder a bit abut the mechanics behind it.

That looks like a maple neck BTW not basswood. Basswood would be considerably light weight and not suitable for a neck.

Thanks redir! I hope it does turn out to be Maple, on an Electric Guitar Kit forum I am on, the common thought was that it didn't look like Maple,and would probably be Basswood. The eBay seller did not have any details listed on the ad.

Can I ask what you're wondering about with the mechanics of the headstock?
I certainly can't answer any questions regarding the theory, but no doubt it will help us all!

[jt1]

Cool project.

I did something similar a few years back. Here it is prior to me spraying a lacquer finish:





I based the body outline on my 1920 Larson brothers, Maurer, 00 (obviously adding a cutaway). So I added a smidgen of Larson brothers style purfling to the "headstock":

[Zandit75]

****, nice work John! So that started as a solid body and you carved out all the middle of it?

[jt1]

Originally Posted by Zandit75

****, nice work John! So that started as a solid body and you carved out all the middle of it?

Thanks!

No, I crafted the center and the removable sides "wings" separately, all from a big chunk of Honduran mahogany.

The center piece started as, roughly, a 4 x 4. I carved the neck (1 13/16 nut width, 2 1/4 spacing at saddles), contoured the piece, and inlaid a carbon fiber truss rod, overlaying some rosewood where the rod runs farther than the fingerboard. The carbon fiber rod runs from the pickup cavity (humbucker) to the headstock.

I made the side "wings" from scraps of that mahogany, roughing them out with a hand held jigsaw and then refining with rasps, files, sandpaper. The "wings" attach with bolts that thread into inserts I installed in the body.

It quickly disassembles and can be carried in a very small bag. I put the tuners on the butt end to shorten the instrument and make it sturdier.

[Zandit75]

Originally Posted by jt1

Thanks!

No, I crafted the center and the removable sides "wings" separately, all from a big chunk of Honduran mahogany.

The center piece started as, roughly, a 4 x 4. I carved the neck (1 13/16 nut width, 2 1/4 spacing at saddles), contoured the piece, and inlaid a carbon fiber truss rod, overlaying some rosewood where the rod runs farther than the fingerboard. The carbon fiber rod runs from the pickup cavity (humbucker) to the headstock.

I made the side "wings" from scraps of that mahogany, roughing them out with a hand held jigsaw and then refining with rasps, files, sandpaper. The "wings" attach with bolts that thread into inserts I installed in the body.

It quickly disassembles and can be carried in a very small bag. I put the tuners on the butt end to shorten the instrument and make it sturdier.

Very impressive! Do you do any carving? Those wings look like they are snakes striking at the neck! I would love to see the scales carved into the wings, and fangs a either end!!

[jt1]

Originally Posted by Zandit75

Very impressive! Do you do any carving? Those wings look like they are snakes striking at the neck! I would love to see the scales carved into the wings, and fangs a either end!!

Thanks!

No, not a carver. Just sketched this out on slabs of mahogany and went to work. It was great fun.

[Badcrumble]

Looking very nice
Also, I am pretty sure that neck is maple.

[Zandit75]

Not much of an update, I've been under the weather the last several weeks, due to a chest infection. Gotta love the damp cold winters in Tassie!
So, I've squared off my block that will form the body of the guitar, and today, I started carving out the neck pocket. The plan is, once I have the neck pocket fully carved, I can then work out the position of my bridge. Once that'sin place, and I have my string-thru holes drilled, I can then start shaping the body to a more comfortable shape.

[Zandit75]

Progress has not been enough to update for some time, thanks to illness, I've been out of action for about 8 weeks. Still well enough to force myself to go to work, but by the time I get home, I was in no condition to have a crack out in the freezing cold shed. I finally got to spend some time out there on Sunday afternoon and got the rough shape of the headstock done. There's still some final adjusting to do to the overall shape, but the heavy work has been done.
Since I don't have a vice of any description, most of this has been done just from me holding the neck in place and filing away the excess after using the jigsaw.
Unfortunately this has caused some impressions marking the laminates on the front and back. They should steam out with no issues.

[joeguam]

This is a fantastic and exciting build - was it ever finished?

[Zandit75]

Originally Posted by joeguam

This is a fantastic and exciting build - was it ever finished?

Hey Joe, thanks for checking in and reminding me that this is still in the cupboard gathering dust!! Honestly, or hasn't progressed any further than the last photos. I have a couple of weeks off over xmas so I may have to pull it out and look it over again!

[joeguam]

I’d love to see it finish up, such a cool build.