New member, new design.

kdanie · Post by **kdanie** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 3:33 pm

I just stumbled in from the OSG and this is my first post. I see some members I recognize from the OSG but this forum has a different flavor. My background is cars/motorcycles/firearms but summer of '11 I decided I wanted to learn to play guitar so I began by building several kit guitars, a few parts guitars and now scratch built bodies.

I've got 3 projects in the works, two are short scale so I thought you might be interested over here. I tend to avoid "off the shelf" guitars, I prefer something uniquely mine. I've been digging the Univox UC-2 for a while and have been thinking about 24" scale necks at the same time so I decided to move fwd with the project and took some UC-2 and Mustang DNA and tossed it all in the blender and turned it on and this is what popped out:

The cavity template was finished this morning. The pickup routes will allow any pickup smaller than a JM to fit. This version will get a pair of vintage wound Seymour Duncan Jag pickups. Once the cavities are routed I'll work on the contours and prep for paint. Most of my projects are rooted in function but this one will be just for fun and to look cool-at least to my eyes. I'm thinking real candy apple red done with tinted clear over a silver metalic base for real depth and a BWB guard or if I decide it needs more bling maybe 3 ply black pearloid.

I'll have to think of a cool name for it but I'm not very creative that way so it may take a while.

This is the other short scale project, the WTFcaster. It's specifically designed to play while sitting in a recliner or on a couch with the arm rest right next to me. The neck is for a semi-hollow JM project, a 24" scale neck is on order from TK. Click the thumbnail for larger version.

ken

Noisy Cat · Post by **Noisy Cat** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:23 pm

Hello.

Nice guitars.

One gun is too many.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:03 pm

Tee-hee!

I do like the body shape of this project though. It's got a musiclander/polara thing going on.

DGNR8 · Post by **DGNR8** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:24 am

I like it. How does it balance?

kdanie · Post by **kdanie** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:36 am

I finished the cavity template this morning before work and routed the cavities at lunch then hit the belt sander and ROSS to do the contours:

I still need to do the finish sanding on it, the inside curves at the horns need some attention and I need to trim some excess material from the treble side of the neck pocket. I left some extra there because this was my first body from a template and wanted to make sure I had enough.

I will do some more sanding tomorrow morning and maybe get some sealer on it.

The silver base coat and translucent red should arrive tomorrow.

I don't know how it will balance until my 24" scale neck arrives but I think it will be fine.

ken

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:55 am

THE KNOT IN THE BACK IS FUCKING HUGE/RAD

you should call it Jupiter

speedfish · Post by **speedfish** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 3:36 pm

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Seeing the template I didn't find it very appealing, but seeing it like this makes me dig it! I like your vision.

h8mtv · Post by **h8mtv** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 3:54 pm

Very nice.

kdanie · Post by **kdanie** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:16 pm

Thanks, Got the body primed this morning early, hope to get the silver base coat on it in a day or so then the translucent red. It looks better in paint than bare wood.

ken

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:24 pm

kdanie wrote:Thanks, Got the body primed this morning early, hope to get the silver base coat on it in a day or so then the translucent red. It looks better in paint than bare wood.

ken

Ooo, old-school CAR. I've been wanting to try this with some spare silver and green paints I have for a sherwood type of vibe, so I'll watch with interest.

I like the body design, it reminds me of a Guild take on a Mustang too like tim was saying with the Polara thing. Red is the way to go.

kdanie · Post by **kdanie** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:15 pm

Got the base coat silver and translucent red on it this morning. Still working on a few more coats of straight clear, then wait a week or so, wet sand, polish & buff. I'll get better pics in natural light with a real camera next week.

ken

Post by **Hurb** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:46 pm

I really like the way this one is turning out!

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:01 pm

This is pretty sweet... a little reminiscent of the Fender Voyager prototype from last winter's NAMM -

(Which I liked very much)

kdanie · Post by **kdanie** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:06 pm

I appreciate the kind words.

I won't lie, the Voyager was part of the inspiration but mostly the Univox UC-2.

The clear is finished and it's in my office with heat for the weekend, the shop gets a little cold in NorCal in the winter.

ken

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:35 pm

That's class. Good work. I'd nearly prefer it to go further though, like if the bottom bout was a bit more pronounced and outboard, if that makes sense. More explorer-like.

It's really cool though. It looks like it belongs in that line if Fender designs, like it ought to have been made at some point.

BillClay · Post by **BillClay** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:11 pm

I really like it dude, you should totes throw some chrome on that thing. It's totally got some car/guitar aesthetic hybrid thing going on, even more so than all the fenders named after cars.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:12 pm

I like the way the paint looks in those pics, it's like metallic fiesta in that lighting.

cur · Post by **cur** » Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:12 am

i like it, and I appreciate it more since it you shot the paint. Nice job and keep the pictures coming. I thing the back end looks like a Voyager, and the front end more like a mustang. The voyager has more like an intermark cipher front end.

How does the Voyager attach the pickguard?

kdanie · Post by **kdanie** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 5:14 pm

BacchusPaul wrote:That's class. Good work. I'd nearly prefer it to go further though, like if the bottom bout was a bit more pronounced and outboard, if that makes sense. More explorer-like.

It's really cool though. It looks like it belongs in that line if Fender designs, like it ought to have been made at some point.

Thanks, looking like Fender should have built it is probably the best complement I could get. That's my goal, to make people think "Fender should have done that years ago".

Unfortunately I'm not really happy with the color, after some wet sanding and polishing it looks more like Dakota Red with a little sparkle showing through-it's not bad but not what I was after. The problem was the premixed translucent red has too much pigment so it covered the silver too quickly, 4 coats was all I dared to apply. I may sand it all back and re-shoot it with some clear I will tint with cherry red dye using much less than the store bought pre-mixed stuff. I'll have to think about it a while.

Until I make the decision I'll work on the pickguard and other projects, including a similar body shape based on a JM.

ken

kdanie · Post by **kdanie** » Tue Nov 27, 2012 3:30 pm

I tossed a neck on it so I could get it hanging and prevent damage to the paint, it's a 25.5" scale neck I used on a Tele project but with the dark red burst it doesn't look too bad.

ken