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Custom CNC build finished!

Apparently that's the "Breadwinner" Rick mentioned. I had not seen it before. Ergonomic guitar bodies tend to have two key shapes -- a bottom curve to place the guitar on a seated player's leg, and an upper extension to rest the strumming forearm on. My design goal was to make the body as small as possible but still comfortable, which required these two features and enough body length to accommodate the 25 1/2" Strat scale length. The control cavity will be tight, especially considering that a piezo preamp will be going inside. The chambers help, with the preamp extending into the lower upper bout chamber, and the battery holder going in the opposing upper chamber.

Here's Glenn Campbell playing a Breadwinner:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-lmA0Qz-CU[/youtube]
 
"Breadwinner" like, or not, it's still a great design, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it come together.  :icon_thumright:
 
Darn you Guy in Austin, now you got me wanting to buy a body blank and making my own version of this.  :laughing7:
I watched glenn campbell play these on tv when I was a kid.  One of the first rhythms I learned.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zJBVdQd8iA[/youtube]
 
Back panel glued to core, control cover reinforced, opener insertion cuts made, magnets installed, cover shimmed to prevent rocking, sanded flush with the back panel. Next up: drill CNC registration holes through back panel and install front panel.

minx-build-04.png
 
Here's the Warmoth neck, roasted flame maple with a dark ebony fretboard and stainless steel frets. The chatoyance is just stunning. I supplied the neck blank, bought from Lumber Mumbler on eBay. Osmo Polyx oil was applied to the neck. It's not hard or durable enough for wood that needs a finish, but ok for roasted maple.  Installing the brass inserts was challenging, taking two tries to get the holes right.

minx-build-05.png
 
Every CNC job is being tested on MDF before it's run on the actual piece, as the odds of getting 10+ jobs right the first time are low. Here's version 3 of the all-important neck joint, bridge post holes, and pickups routes. The next test will have a slightly steeper neck angle, 1.8 degrees. The pickup routes are being cut at the same angle as the neck joint, which will cause the top of the pickups to be nearly parallel with the strings. IMHO, this is something that all manufacturers should do.

minx-build-06.png
 
aguyinaustintx said:
Every CNC job is being tested on MDF before it's run on the actual piece, as the odds of getting 10+ jobs right the first time are low. Here's version 3 of the all-important neck joint, bridge post holes, and pickups routes. The next test will have a slightly steeper neck angle, 1.8 degrees. The pickup routes are being cut at the same angle as the neck joint, which will cause the top of the pickups to be nearly parallel with the strings. IMHO, this is something that all manufacturers should do.

minx-build-06.png
Click to expand...
It's like a travel Bo Didley... :icon_thumright:
 
Looks kinda like the "dummy" body I use for setups, except there's no upper fret access.
 
Oh my god that neck. Curly maple necks typically don't excite me much but that thing is insane!
 
Roasting really brings out the features of figured Maple. What's really cool is it's through-and-through. You can't wear it out, or change it by sanding, etc. It's quite permanent.
 
Roasted flame maple is indeed quite amazing. Sourcing the neck blank was worth the extra effort and cost in this case. The photographs don't do it justice, it looks like it's made from some kind of 3D translucent material when the angle of view changes.

Here's a photo from the neck and P90 routes in progress. The neck angle jig was aligned to the X-Y datum with 16 holes and 8 stainless steel pins between the alignment board, jig, and work piece. Next up are cuts for the neck bolt ferrules and slots/holes for the potentiometers. The perimeter cut will be made last, as the alignment holes will be lost at that point.

minx-build-07.png
 
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