It's here! The pickup-less wonder.

[RmB303]

It's so damned nice

Just some serious drilling to be done over the next couple of weeks - good job I'm off work after Friday, for two whole weeks!

It couldn't have been timed any better, really.



Thanks to everyone who has given me advice over the last year of trying to decide what to get - I'm sure I'll have many more questions in the coming weeks . . .

 

[JaySwear]

:icon_biggrin: i'm so curious! that thing looks awesome. you could assemble it just like that and have the world's quietest but prettiest acoustic! whatever you do, this thing is going to look awesome

 

[DangerousR6]

Nice, but WTF...Piezo in the bridge... :dontknow:

 

[RmB303]

Yeah.
I've got a set of Graphtech Ghost pickups and circuitry, along with an Axon AX-50, new MacBook Pro (thank you insurance company), and Behringer FCB1010 foot pedals.

This baby is gonna be purely for MIDI; but with all gold hardware installed, it should look a little classier than your average synth-axe.
(Well that's the theory anyway)

I'm still a little stunned by the quality of the finish on the guitar.
Warmoth appear to make very, very high quality stuff indeed

 

[m4rk0]

very nice!!
what are you going to do with the router guide hole?

 

[DangerousR6]

very nice!!
what are you going to do with the router guide hole?

It's a tooling hole not a "router guide", to indicate a particular location. Normally known as a "zero" point or center of the part....Sorry it's a machinist thing.... :dontknow:

 

[alotawatts]

Oh dopey me....I thought it was a navel...........for an LED
Very nice !...one piece body...?

 

[bbl4ck]

Yes, very sweeet body.
I am anxious to see her grow up.  Keep the pics a commin'
:rock-on:

 

[Paul-less]

Hey, just to throw this out there, your image was inverted on the y axis somehow!

You should fix that ASAP so people don't think you're some kind of weirdo!

 

[swarfrat]

Yeah, what kind of bling you gonna put in the belly button? I've always thought a teeny tiny rosette (like an acoustic soundhole) would be funny.

 

[exaN]

Those pieces really go well together dude, can't wait for more pics! ccasion14:

 

[m4rk0]

very nice!!
what are you going to do with the router guide hole?

It's a tooling hole not a "router guide", to indicate a particular location. Normally known as a "zero" point or center of the part....Sorry it's a machinist thing.... :dontknow:

Well excuuuuuuse me sir
I knew there was something wrong about what I wrote, but I couldn't be arsed to look up the correct term.

 

[Paul-less]

You know, the most interesting man in the world may not always know the correct terminology, but when he does, it's amazing.

 

[DangerousR6]

very nice!!
what are you going to do with the router guide hole?

It's a tooling hole not a "router guide", to indicate a particular location. Normally known as a "zero" point or center of the part....Sorry it's a machinist thing.... :dontknow:

Well excuuuuuuse me sir
I knew there was something wrong about what I wrote, but I couldn't be arsed to look up the correct term.

:icon_biggrin:

 

[RmB303]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm still amazed how it looks far better than I thought it would.
The grain on the body (yes, it's a one-piece Swamp Ash) seem to flow beautifully into the grain of the fretboard (Pau Ferro).
The matte vintage tint on the maple neck feels really nice too.

The 'belly button' 'tooling guide' 'whatever' has already been filled with abalone.
With the finish on top, it kind of looks a little like a cat's eye.

Yes, it is a lefty, although I was born a righty, so maybe I am kind of weird!
:tard:


I will definitely keep the pics coming as I do some work on it, but I'm absolutely going to avoid rushing anything.
This is my first build, so I'm going to be really careful at every step of the way.

Need to find someone who'll drill some holes through the Wilkinson bridge-plate to allow the wires for the piezo pickups to get through to the inside.

 

[BigBeard]

I like the whole concept of this..... Can't wait to see you pull this off.  I would have done the belly button to match the fret dots, which look like mother of pearl, but that's me.


I can drill that bridge for you if you like.  I do guitar work as one of my livings.  PM me if you can't find someone local!  I think you would be a little better off with very small slots as opposed to just holes, so there is no pinching of those tiny little wires that go to your saddles, and you would have your full intonation adjustment without worry of the wires getting pinched.  Those are my thoughts sight unseen.  Maybe you could get away with regular round holes, but I wouldn't want to make that call without actually seeing the Wilky and the Ghost Saddles on my bench.  I should be able to give you a one day turn around on that if you are interested.  6 slots or holes would be an in and out job.  I am also the guy who does wooden control covers, which I must say, this guitar absolutely needs!!!!!  Please, please even if you decide on someone else to do a wooden back cover for you, do not ugly up that awesome guitar with a plastic back cover, you have come this far, it's only fair to the guitar to make her butt look as good as her rack if you know what I'm saying!!!

Awesome to see a lefty that uses concepts that are a little outside the box!!!! I love it!!!!!

This message was brought to you by Big Beard Custom Guitars...... We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming  :guitarplayer2:  :icon_thumright:

 

[Jusatele]

I am thinking of a mother of pearl inlay, maybe his initials, right on over that hole. any thing else would be to pimp.
that thing rocks :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

This is fascinating.... and gives me an idea for me "backburner" build.

Are you going to be plugging straight into the computer, no volume or anything on the face, just midi in?

In other words:  this or this?

I'm thinking it would be very easy to add a Ghost loaded bridge/saddles to an electric guitar, keep the outputs separate (ie - don't bother with integrating the output of the mag pickup into midi, just midi controller straight to interface box.  For an instrument with only 1 pickup, 1 volume control, there'd be more than enough room in the control cavity to have the midi board (it doesn't a battery like the Acoustiphonic board, right? The 13 pin cable powers the input from the midi interface, right?) in the same place, just rout for an extra midi output.

Regardless, this is a rad build.  More progress pics, please!