I was going to show this build after it was finished but it got delayed and I'm too impatient so I’ll post some pics and explain what I’ve done so far. This was always intended to be a baritone but I recently found out some neck options weren’t available on baritones so I decided to make this one a 24” scale neck so I could have the wood and inlays I wanted.
I wanted a totally custom shape using elements of my favorite guitars so this is sort of a hybrid of a Jazzmaster, Z body and Les Paul. Is the name Fat Cat taken yet, because that’s what I’ve been calling this body shape. Here's the basic mockup before I made a few changes.
Made from swamp ash Warmoth body blank with the bridge and pickup routs cut out for me. It was really easy to work with and all I had for power tools was a small jigsaw and rotary sander.
Instead of a flat arm contour, I tried to sand it almost like an arch top, back and front, so the contours are all the way around the body. You can kind of see it by how the grain curves at the edges.
My idea was to combine transparent stain with reflective glitter so I’d have the woodgrain and sparkle finish all in one. In the end the glitter is not that noticeable and it’s hard to work with, but it looks ok.
The stain is Stew Mac dye with denatured alcohol - red base coat, sanded back, then yellow worked in. I was going for a fire look, which you can see in the sunlight. A few thin coats of poly so the wood grain still shows through.
Awesome neckplate made by Doug that has some really fine details in it, I didn’t think were possible with a machine.
Chromed out, right down to the pickup covers, and yellow crystal knobs.
I don’t believe in grain filler. I love how the swamp ash looks at an angle with the grain showing. For now I’ve nicknamed her Habanero.
That’s as far as I got for now. Another pickup on backorder and I’ll be ordering the neck and other parts soon.
The neck will be mahogany fatback with Warmoth headstock and sharkfin inlay. Not sure about the fretboard yet – something dark and grainy. I’ll order an unfinished neck and maybe put a thin coat of something on it myself. Does mahogany feel good raw on the back of a neck?
All DiMarzios – I can’t remember which ones right now except for the D-Activator Neck. And that third control hole that isn’t filled will have the same style knob but will be a 5-way rotary switch.
I wanted a totally custom shape using elements of my favorite guitars so this is sort of a hybrid of a Jazzmaster, Z body and Les Paul. Is the name Fat Cat taken yet, because that’s what I’ve been calling this body shape. Here's the basic mockup before I made a few changes.
Made from swamp ash Warmoth body blank with the bridge and pickup routs cut out for me. It was really easy to work with and all I had for power tools was a small jigsaw and rotary sander.
Instead of a flat arm contour, I tried to sand it almost like an arch top, back and front, so the contours are all the way around the body. You can kind of see it by how the grain curves at the edges.
My idea was to combine transparent stain with reflective glitter so I’d have the woodgrain and sparkle finish all in one. In the end the glitter is not that noticeable and it’s hard to work with, but it looks ok.
The stain is Stew Mac dye with denatured alcohol - red base coat, sanded back, then yellow worked in. I was going for a fire look, which you can see in the sunlight. A few thin coats of poly so the wood grain still shows through.
Awesome neckplate made by Doug that has some really fine details in it, I didn’t think were possible with a machine.
Chromed out, right down to the pickup covers, and yellow crystal knobs.
I don’t believe in grain filler. I love how the swamp ash looks at an angle with the grain showing. For now I’ve nicknamed her Habanero.
That’s as far as I got for now. Another pickup on backorder and I’ll be ordering the neck and other parts soon.
The neck will be mahogany fatback with Warmoth headstock and sharkfin inlay. Not sure about the fretboard yet – something dark and grainy. I’ll order an unfinished neck and maybe put a thin coat of something on it myself. Does mahogany feel good raw on the back of a neck?
All DiMarzios – I can’t remember which ones right now except for the D-Activator Neck. And that third control hole that isn’t filled will have the same style knob but will be a 5-way rotary switch.
ccasion14:
