Senior project, building a guitar

[smavridis]

i have decided that for my senior project (due in a year and a half, im a junior) i am going to build a guitar because "i plan on pursuing a career in luthiery". no im not. its just giving me an excuse to build a guitar from scratch. the project has to pertain to a career that i plan to pursue. i dont know what i want to do. so im just going to build a guitar from scratch. im going to record every day what i did to the guitar including pictures so youguys will also be updated.
im the woodshop teachers favorite so im going to have access to his machinery. my dad works at manheim auto auction and has friends who detail cars and can probably paint a guitar if not i'll cross that bridge when i get to it.

now, im making an EXACT VINTAGE REPLICA. do you think i should build a black firebird VII neck through, white flying v, seafoam green jazzmaster, or antigua burst stratocaster. all vintage replicas.

the top 2 guitars will be resubmitted for votes and we'll decide the winner. VOTE!

 

[Nando Vallart]

Firebird, but with TWO (2) pickups!!

 

[-CB-]

I saw the progress of a guy in Europe who built an exact copy Gibson SG, from scratch... and I mean FROM SCRATCH, with very little more than a Safe-T-Plane, a router, his drill press, and a sander.  Hell, except for the planing of the wood, most of the work was done on his kitchen table (much to his wife's bemoaning).   And, it came out GREAT.  Glue in neck, old style neck pocket... the whole nine yards.  He knew how to cut wood, and knew how to set up easy jigs and fixtures to get the critical fits "exact".  I dare say, his neck was fit as good as the best Gibson ever did (or maybe better than they ever did... because it looked like he had zero gaps in the pocket at any point).

Go for it.

 

[mayfly]

absolutely - go for it. 

+1 on the firebird  :icon_thumright:

 

[m4rk0]

x - none of the above.. make something nice out of your grandma's coffee table..

 

[smavridis]

x - none of the above.. make something nice out of your grandma's coffee table..

i dont think cherry is a very good tone wood.

 

[Mor Paul]

Uh oh.

DOUG!

 

[Tempest]

Uh oh.

DOUG!

LOL my thoughts exactly.

My vote goes to firebird, cause we don't see as many of those.

 

[smavridis]

sorry, i put studio instead of the one i wanted, the firebird VII.

 

[-CB-]

If you're going to make it, ......

how about a Moderne

Now THAT would be the cats patootie

 

[smavridis]

i have no where that i can reference its design. with these i can buy plans or make them myself.

 

[blue313]

Absolutely the Firebird.  :headbang:

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

+1 on the Moderne

 

[DangerousR6]

x - none of the above.. make something nice out of your grandma's coffee table..

i dont think cherry is a very good tone wood.

Cherry has pretty much the same tonal properties as maple, it's like maple with a cherry twist...
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=5333.0

 

[DangerousR6]

i have no where that i can reference its design. with these i can buy plans or make them myself.

Now you do...

 

[blue313]

You could probably modify a V design to get the basics of the Moderne.

 

[kboman]

Jazzmaster, no contest!

 

[Nando Vallart]

If you're going to make it, ......

how about a Moderne

Now THAT would be the cats patootie

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[bbl4ck]

If you're going to make it, ......

how about a Moderne

Now THAT would be the cats patootie

i have no where that i can reference its design. with these i can buy plans or make them myself.

You can get scaled blueprint drawings of the Moderne on Ebay.  Just mock it up to size and your good to go...
There is a guy that used to work for Gibson and now makes Moderne copies. 
He occasionally has Moderne body blanks for sale on Ebay.  I might have his email address somewhere if you were interested. 
Good luck!

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Something I saw a while back was a "flipped" strat project where the upper and lower horns were swapped, but everything else stayed the same as a normal strat. Looked like a cool and fun project. But I can't find it anywhere. Max, help me out, I'm sure you know where it is.  :icon_thumright: