ShortScale.org

Happiness is a big pile of sawdust. Here I am having the time of my life. I am an auto mechanic by trade, so working with wood is a totally awesome way to relax for me.

royb8s wrote:I'm sure the following will be old news to many of you, ...

Don't worry about this. These posts are great and really informative. Thanks!

Cool post, looking forward to seeing these come together.

I got the first neck inlays done. Two more to go.

I'd love to see a picture of your Les Paul.

That is absolutely superb

This was by far my biggest and best build. This was in 2011. I have a ton of pictures and would put them up if anybody is interested.
I absolutely love this guitar, but she is heavy.

This was one of my very first builds, many many years ago. I actually built it when I was about 16 years old. I robbed the neck off another guitar. Then I spent time in the military, and then raising kids, where I didn't build anything, the les paul was my re-entry into building. Almost 30 years later.

That Les Paul is pretty impressive looking! What pickups have you got in there (assuming you didn't make those too!)?

royb8s wrote:
This was one of my very first builds, many many years ago. I actually built it when I was about 16 years old. I robbed the neck off another guitar. Then I spent time in the military, and then raising kids, where I didn't build anything, the les paul was my re-entry into building. Almost 30 years later.

I'm not sure it's to perfect dimensions for a Warlock, but nice for a first build.

SH-1N and SH-1B Seymor Duncans. I set them both up with coil taps on each tone knob. It seems to work great, and gives me a lot of options for sound. I personally like the look with the covers on better than without the covers.

for the Jags that I'm working on now, I am going with the Fender twin head Humbuckers.
I have one set of modern style without covers, and one and a half sets of Vintage. I still need one vintage neck pickup with cover. Still looking on EBAY. Keep your fingers crossed

I don't have any experience with these pickups, but the youtube vids I have watched with the Fender american vintage HH strats sound great to me, so that was why I decided to go with them. Plus the fact that I can coil tap them.

Fakir Mustache wrote:

royb8s wrote:
This was one of my very first builds, many many years ago. I actually built it when I was about 16 years old. I robbed the neck off another guitar. Then I spent time in the military, and then raising kids, where I didn't build anything, the les paul was my re-entry into building. Almost 30 years later.

I'm not sure it's to perfect dimensions for a Warlock, but nice for a first build.

Back in the day, I didn't have any other guitars to base it off of axcept mtv videos and guitar world mags. We didn't have internet and all the cool stuff we have now days. All I had was a couple of books on how guitars work, and how to wire guitars. It was all experimentation.

That's why I am so thankful for all those veteran builders that put there work out there on forums and videos, with plans and templates and such. I have learned SO MUCH just by reading forums and watching youtube.

SHOUT OUT to all the guys posting their work. THANK YOU!!!

Very nice LP!

71Smallbox wrote:Very nice LP!

To be honest, it has far surpassed any expectation that I every had or imagined for a guitar. I still get goosebumps when I strap it on. It has a real fat neck profile that makes her very comfortable to play, and I can do a whole concert without any hand cramps. She stays in tune like a dream. My only problem with her is her weight. at a little over 13 pounds she kills my back. I'm carrying enough weight of my own. Once I get the Jag done, I plan on taking Rose out of service for a couple of months while I chamber her on the top back, and fix a couple of dings. Would like her to lose a couple of pounds if possible.

This is the only photo I have of the very first guitar I built. Actually I didn't build it, I finished and assembled it. It was a guitar kit that I purchased from Cripple Creek Music Store, and it was called a SAGA Kit Guitar. I couldn't afford a new guitar, so in my family tradition, when you want something, build it.

This is my copy of the book that started it all for me. Originally, I had borrowed my uncles book which was an earlier edition. I still enjoy looking thru this book.


This is the second book I got, and I spent hours dreaming about how to rewire and work on guitars. I have had these books for nearly 35 years

royb8s wrote:Back in the day, I didn't have any other guitars to base it off of axcept mtv videos and guitar world mags. We didn't have internet and all the cool stuff we have now days. All I had was a couple of books on how guitars work, and how to wire guitars. It was all experimentation.

There were ways to do it.

You could find a catalog pic of it lying flat, then it could be scaled. I had taken some class once way back, I think it was basic architecture or something, you can measure and scale all the angles and curves without a computer.

Now that I think about it, there was a second way to do it: trace it and magnify it with a projector.

Absolutely stunning! Great job!

Put tape over the frets that dont get inlays. That way you don't inlay the wrong fret

All the inlays sized and glued onto the fretboard to be traced.

This is after tracing around the inlay with an exacto knife.


Just after i got the last inlays in, and ready for neck shaping

This was after i cut them out on the bandsaw to rough dimensions. That way there is not so much material to route away.

Here is the headstock template i made. Held in place with double sided tape while i shape it on the router table

This is doing the neck shaping with a router table.

Just stuck them together to see how they look. I really do like my headstock design better than fenders.


Sure feels a lot lighter than my Les Paul.

So far, so good-looking!