The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 03-03-2021, 09:44 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Middle of Canada
Posts: 5,096
Default Building a bedroom system.

Well spare bedroom that is more of a, den? Do people call it that anymore? Either way it is where I spend most of my computer time, which is a lot of music time. I want to finally learn how to play now, things always got in the way before. One of the things now in the way is I have pain issues and there are times I can't take the weight of a guitar on me. So I am in the process of building a lightweight guitar which I hope will come in around 2 1/2 lbs. I was unsure if I was going acoustic or electric on it and it sort of developed the way it did. If I knew what I was ultimately building I would have done things differently. But it is what it is.

Although this is two halves of a 2"x4", I used one laid flat and routed a channel in it and epoxied in an aluminum strip as a truss rod. Hopefully it will keep things straight. This neck was for the acoustic version I will be making.



Cut the headstock angle and glue on an oak fretboard with a 25.5" scale length. Fit in some Telecaster knockoff parts.



Glued together some 2"x3" pieces to make up the body and leveled them.



Cut out a roughly Tele shape.



Cut out excessive weight, in the end I decided to eliminate the bridge pickup and will be making an aluminum bridge plate.



Which is roughly where I am now. I am also building an amp and two speakers to sit on my desk. They will be a little larger than normal, holding a 8" in each, although small for the speaker size. While not true stereo it will make making mistakes more fun when practicing. I have not really decided if I will have an external amp for them or put it in one of the cabinets. I have not decided on the circuit either, will it have a tube or two in it or just solid state. I do want reverb, or at least some delay. An effects loop? not sure. I would like to keep it compact and not in the way but the spring reverbs I have are rather long. We will see. I might steal some ideas from the guitar pedal world, I like the idea of a decent amount of clean volume but would like to get a little distorted at reasonable levels along the way. So this might be an extended thread with a lot of experimenting. Be forewarned.
__________________
Fred
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-03-2021, 02:06 PM
CoryB CoryB is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: East of Richmond Virginia
Posts: 335
Default

That’s an interesting project and I wish you the best of luck with it.

My question is whether pine is going to be stiff/strong enough for the neck. I guess there’s only one way to find out for sure and you’re doing it.

Keep the thread updated please. I’d love to build a guitar but I don’t have anywhere enough woodworking talent to do it.
__________________
Coupla Martins, coupla Gibsons, a few Taylors, and an Alvarez.

"Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind." Twelfth Doctor
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-03-2021, 02:53 PM
KevWind's Avatar
KevWind KevWind is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Edge of Wilderness Wyoming
Posts: 19,878
Default

So you have all those tools and workbench in your bedroom , that's different

Seriously, while I get the weight thing. But if you're not performing out,
why not just get a chair ?
__________________
Enjoy the Journey.... Kev...

KevWind at Soundcloud

KevWind at YouYube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD

System :
Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1

Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Ventura 12.2.1
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03-03-2021, 02:59 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Middle of Canada
Posts: 5,096
Default

Hi, thanks for the encouragement. The strength of the neck should be no problem. It is not much different than Spanish Cedar, I have made necks with it already, a nylon stringed and two steel sting acoustics. They were shorter scale but the lower tension of the electric strings should more than make up for the longer string length. How much relief will be introduced into the neck will be interesting, the other necks had adjustable trussrods. We will find out soon enough. Fitting of the back panels is the thing that will take the time now. Once that is done just a quick coat of paint and then fret and install the tuners. Not making this a fancy guitar, just something functional that I can spend more time playing.

To make a basic guitar is not that hard. Just need some tools and break down every step to simplify it. Electrics are easier, just get the neck right and you can bolt it onto just about anything. My introduction was from cigar box guitars. Print out the scale length, tape the pages to the neck, cut slots where the frets go. That is the only real precision thing that needs to be done. The rest is just how well it goes together. I did do a step by step construction build of a nylon guitar way back when that utilized the minimum of tools. I may have to do one again some day.
__________________
Fred
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-03-2021, 03:31 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Middle of Canada
Posts: 5,096
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by KevWind View Post
So you have all those tools and workbench in your bedroom , that's different

Seriously, while I get the weight thing. But if you're not performing out,
why not just get a chair ?
I think I have tools everywhere but my bedroom.

No, the weight thing is a little different, (actually weight and rubbing). I had a nice Tele but had to get rid of it as strumming was out, where my arm contacted the guitar the motion set off my nervous system. I found I can play a Strat with its arm bevel and belly (rib) cut. In this condition nerves that are normally used for light touch sends signals interpreted as pain and then causes increased sensitivity with it spreading to the rest of the body. An example used to describe it is that a light breeze or putting on a shirt causes pain. Think sunburn and rolling around in fiberglass. I do play on a chair, I never thought about the strap thing. I don't think I can play with a strap, even with a real lightweight guitar. Well there goes that dream.
__________________
Fred
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-04-2021, 08:46 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Middle of Canada
Posts: 5,096
Default

Almost got the speaker cabinets done. I think I will stain the wood, the grill cloth is a weaved place mat from a Dollar store. I did want to use a wider board but for some reason my mind went off to see the Queen and I cut up this one. Decided to just go ahead and try it, not like I have anything to lose. It did have me searching for thinner material for the front and back to give a little more space inside. Might have added a couple inches, the speaker probably will not notice. I think I am going to have the speaker up to the top and a vent on the bottom of the back.



Have been thinking of the amplifier. I do have a pair of transformers from a stereo, the two tan looking ones that are joined together at the bottom right. But they need a little heftier transformer than a single 5W amp. The other funky tan one at the bottom is the mate to the transformers, A monstrosity from a European console stereo. But as much space as the two speakers are going to take already I don't know about a big horkin' chassis for the amp. Do I use these transformers? Do I find a more creative way of powering them? Should I split the power supply from the amplifier? Go Solid State or a preamp tube with a SS amplifier?



In the meantime my niece's husband has been asking about his guitar I was making. Might have to put aside this little project. Or at least the electronic side of things.

__________________
Fred
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 03-04-2021, 10:23 PM
perttime perttime is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Finland
Posts: 2,101
Default

I was a bit surprised when a local guitar builder posted one with the neck done in (old) pine, with a rowan (mountain cherry?) fretboard. Then he explained that he put carbon fiber there as reinforcement.

The old way isn't always the only way.
__________________
Breedlove,
Landola,
a couple of electrics,
and a guitar-shaped-object
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 03-05-2021, 04:04 AM
Davis Webb Davis Webb is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Toronto
Posts: 4,387
Default

The Squier Bullet is about 5 pounds and easily modded.

Just in case this is all too much.

Sorry about your pain. I can relate. Pain caused by music playing that eventually shuts down your ability to play at all, especially now, where music is saving many of us from madness and isolation...bad mojo.

I am delighted you are finding a way to overcome this!

D.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 03-05-2021, 11:01 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Middle of Canada
Posts: 5,096
Default

I plan on building a few more guitars after this, this one may even be superseded by another once I find I made a fatal error. This one really is just a quick and dirty attempt to get me through the next while. I have a Stratocaster knockoff body and I debated on cutting out the excess weight and building a neck for it. The rest of this build will not be a problem. The electronic side is more the quandary now.
__________________
Fred
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-11-2021, 07:25 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Middle of Canada
Posts: 5,096
Default

I did touch up some spots with filler and knew I could sped a few more hours getting it paint ready, well this is not that kind of guitar. Not like the guitar will rust with the rust paint, thank you Tremclad. I was just going to do the orange but saw I had a yellow, not rust paint though, did a poor excuse for a sunburst. But it is in keeping with the concept of the guitar.

__________________
Fred
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 09-02-2022, 08:48 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Middle of Canada
Posts: 5,096
Default

Not quite a looker but turned out not bad. I thought I would have more trouble with the non-adjustable fret rod but there is minimal change from winter to summer. Acoustically it is fuller than a regular electric unplugged, not too annoying to listen to. I have another spruce body guitar with a poplar neck that I need to finish. It is not chambered and it is heavier than this one but lighter than regular Telecasters.



Shelved the stereo idea, just no desktop room for it. I have an amp design I want to build, will post on it as I get to it, probably the winter. In the meantime here is an amp I finished. I rewired it and had it on the shelf for a few years before I got a chance to see if it worked. I found I had trouble with the input jacks, the shorting switches were temperamental. The idea that went into the amp was to have two different iconic sounds in one amp. There is a four pole switch that changes operation from a Fender 5E3 Deluxe circuit to a Blackface scooped channel and a Tweed volume-tone channel. The inputs can be jumpered or use with an A/B footswitch to set up as a clean and dirty channel. Just got it going so will have to spend some time with it to see if it needs some tweaking. A 1960's Jensen C12R in right now, will try an alnico Yamaha with it.



For the geeks that want to look under the hood.

__________________
Fred
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 09-02-2022, 09:43 AM
Rolph Rolph is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 492
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by printer2 View Post
I think I have tools everywhere but my bedroom.

No, the weight thing is a little different, (actually weight and rubbing). I had a nice Tele but had to get rid of it as strumming was out, where my arm contacted the guitar the motion set off my nervous system. I found I can play a Strat with its arm bevel and belly (rib) cut. In this condition nerves that are normally used for light touch sends signals interpreted as pain and then causes increased sensitivity with it spreading to the rest of the body. An example used to describe it is that a light breeze or putting on a shirt causes pain. Think sunburn and rolling around in fiberglass. I do play on a chair, I never thought about the strap thing. I don't think I can play with a strap, even with a real lightweight guitar. Well there goes that dream.
Sounds like you need a competent Neurologist a lot more than a home made guitar.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 09-02-2022, 10:41 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Middle of Canada
Posts: 5,096
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rolph View Post
Sounds like you need a competent Neurologist a lot more than a home made guitar.
Have seen a couple, I am on medication for the condition. What more do you suggest?
__________________
Fred
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 09-04-2022, 03:26 PM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 621
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rolph View Post
Sweet project!
There, fixed it for you...

I'm sure this guy knows about Squire's, and chairs, and Neurologists.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 09-07-2022, 09:59 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Middle of Canada
Posts: 5,096
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushleague View Post
There, fixed it for you...

I'm sure this guy knows about Squire's, and chairs, and Neurologists.
Actually he is not too far off the mark. The first Neurologist I saw misdiagnosed me and said it could be a dermatological condition. Another (he was well past retirement age) had not even heard of the condition I have. Finally one that practices as well as teaches at the university diagnosed my condition. He did say there was nothing he could do as I am already being treated for pain. I have read way too many medical papers trying to figure out my condition by this time, as the last Neurologist said, " Medical science is not that far yet."

One thing I can do is make myself an acoustic with bevels inspired by a Stratocaster copy I have. While not electric I guess I can post a picture of it.



I promise to post another amp build yet. Would like to do an 8" speaker in a Fender 600 sized cabinet, 20W 5F6 Bassman with reverb.
__________________
Fred
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Electric Guitars

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:03 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=