Archtop Build Slowly in the Works

[funkyeah!]

Please choose which one of these pictures you like better!





I have an Epiphone Masterbilt Deluxe that I love to play around the house. It occasionally gets used for jazz gigs (not now though...) and has a CHONKY neck that makes barre and jazz chords quite easy.

I've modified it by adding floating humbuckers to it with an aluminum L rail for the neck and a tab so the bridge pickup can be superglued to the pickguard. Duncan '59N and Pearly Gates Bridge (bridge only gets used with the neck for Birdland and other more rocked up Jazz songs.

I often find myself wishing I could do some more chordal stuff up high or allow runs to reach up past 15 comfortably so I've come to the conclusion I'd like a cutaway!

This guitar was like $800 when I bought it. It's now $600 brand new. I've devalued it by adding pickups and drilling pot holes into the top. I'd say it's safe to add a cutaway for any kind of resale value but I've never done that sort of thing before. My main trepidation is I like Venetian cutaways better for style; however, the Florentine cutaway is easier here and is better for upper fret access.

Please advise me if you've done this before. There's a great walk through on Youtube of a guy doing it to his friend's beat up Gibson.

The drawing guitar would have X-bracing with a floating full humbucker (love Pasquale Grasso and love the full humbucker tone without interfering with the top vibration)

[61fury]

I much prefer the second one, it looks jazzier. Pun/no pun intended

[hillerheilman]

I personally would take the opportunity to build something custom to your exact specs if you have the ability. I know it probably will be quite a bit more in terms of time or money invested, but every time I’ve done so I haven’t regretted it.

Just my 2 cents.

[funkyeah!]

every time I’ve done so I haven’t regretted it.

I think that's the exact justification I was looking for. Was feeling loony for wanting to build a whole one since I've never bent sides before. I think it will be a whole hell of a lot of fun.

[hillerheilman]

every time I’ve done so I haven’t regretted it.

I think that's the exact justification I was looking for. Was feeling loony for wanting to build a whole one since I've never bent sides before. I think it will be a whole hell of a lot of fun.

I mean it can be a bit loony sometimes I suppose. Depending on whether you can do things yourself or have to outsource that labor or knowledge it can get pretty spendy. But personally I’ve never regretted doing it that way, especially when I can work with my local community to do so, regardless of cost. Even though I may end up spending a couple grand and saving up for a long time rather than getting a guitar immediately for less, in the end I’m always a lot more satisfied because I got to design something and see it come together with the help of the people around me. When it’s finally done I’m always left with a feeling of “Fuck yeah, I did this. It came out wonderfully!”. It always makes me more appreciative of the people in my life and the work that went into making the instrument, which in turn inspires me to put an equal amount of work into playing it. That, to me, makes it worth it.

[funkyeah!]

The votes are in favor of building! I will happily oblige... eventually.

Gotta research where to get wood and price out the whole thing

[funkyeah!]

Modified things and proportioned it a little better. Gibson L5 butt and waist but it's moved in a little closer to the neck. Kind of Maccaferri upper bouts. Parker archtop style sound hole for more soundboard vibration.

Drew up the headstock with a modern minimalist logo. Instead of VoltCo I'm going with a b (last name starts with it). It's supposed to look like purpleheart, maple, and mahogany L to R but I'm not married to those colors.

Oh yeah, floating PAF, not a mini humbucker, for maximum fullness and dynamics. This will start sometime soon but who knows when I can afford all the nice wood for this.

[JakeNelson2002]

Subscribed! Looks like a fun project. Is there a floating full size humbucker?

[mackerelmint]

Oh, cool. That finalized design is awesome, this will be fun to follow.