What's on your workbench right now?

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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antisymmetric
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by antisymmetric » Mon Aug 09, 2021 8:35 pm

SuperAxe wrote:
Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:03 am
Flurko wrote:
Sun Aug 08, 2021 5:24 am
epizootics wrote:
Sat Aug 07, 2021 10:47 pm



Whaaaaaaat? Dude, come on. This is freaking awesome on so many levels I don't even know where to start. The asymmetrical homebrewed trem, the old accordion controls, the red/black color scheme...Wow. Chapeau, as we'd say over here!
Seconding the chapeau-ing there - I want to see/read more about this thing !
Wow, that is lovely work! I am going to see and touch this thing in real life soon :)
Mille mercis for the kind comments, guys (hope I haven't misunderstood/murdered the translation :unsure: )
Watching the corners turn corners

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epizootics
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by epizootics » Mon Aug 09, 2021 8:53 pm

Nope, that is perfectly fine! 'Chapeau' simply means 'hat', as in, 'hats off, good Sir'. You will have to post sound clips or a video of sorts!
(and I just noticed that trem knob - gee whiz, I could look at that thing all day)


My bench has been taken over by another marathon-build. That Kay-mashup I am building for my brother is taking a long time to complete - probably owing to the fact that the only off-the-shelf parts I used were the tuners, pots and truss rod. But it's getting there:

Image

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tequila_in_teacups
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Mon Aug 09, 2021 8:57 pm

Really nice. That tortoise binding is just *chef's kiss*.

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Flurko
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Flurko » Tue Aug 10, 2021 12:12 am

Wow ! I've always loved the thin twin-style pickguard. are the pickups homemade too ?

btw, I'd love to see more of your apartment workshop, I'll have a spare office/workshop room in our future apartment and I'm really curious to see how you manage to build such cool guitars in a small space like this...

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antisymmetric
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by antisymmetric » Tue Aug 10, 2021 1:38 am

Flurko wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 12:12 am
Wow ! I've always loved the thin twin-style pickguard. are the pickups homemade too ?
^Beat me to it, exactly what I was going to say. That volute too. :-* How would you describe the pickup construction/sound you're going for?
Watching the corners turn corners

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by SuperAxe » Tue Aug 10, 2021 8:50 pm

Lovely that Kay copy. I am quite keen on building a Harmony Stratotone H49 copy, similar look to yours.
Last edited by SuperAxe on Tue Aug 10, 2021 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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epizootics
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by epizootics » Tue Aug 10, 2021 10:22 pm

Cheers guys!
Flurko wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 12:12 am
Wow ! I've always loved the thin twin-style pickguard. are the pickups homemade too ?

btw, I'd love to see more of your apartment workshop, I'll have a spare office/workshop room in our future apartment and I'm really curious to see how you manage to build such cool guitars in a small space like this...
Haha. Are you sure you want to see this? It kinda reverts back to a jungle-like state when I'm in the middle of a build. It is also a bit too small to photograph properly, but here goes:

Image

Image

I know, it's a complete mess. At least I got the main tools in frame. In the first one you can see my trusty 1HP Metabo drill in its pillar. It doesn't look like much (being over 30 years old) but it is actually more precise than a lot of small drill presses I have tried. And it hardy takes up any room.
Above that are the three planes I use for everything - two records (No. 4 & 5) and a Darex block plane (where would France be without those shitty little Darex planes?)
Under the guitar body is an old Black & Decker workmate. It's old and cupped but heavier than the more recent ones.

Taking you to the next picture (the right side of the view above) are my tiny-but-feisty bandsaw (an aluminum-framed, Swiss-made Inca from the 80s, picked up a yard sale for 30€), and at the bottom is my router table (you can see one of the handles of the big Elu router underneath). The top is 55x45cm big and when not in use, it sleeps under my desk. It is large enough to do most guitar-related operations. On top of it is the most recent power tool in the shop - an Italian-made Elu OF97, which I have to say is the nicest lightweight router I have ever used.

People tend to be underwhelmed by my workshop. It does look like there's been a burglary there most days.

I do all my painting in the yard and leave stuff to dry in the communal attic. It's a small building and my neighbours are really nice & supportive. I asked all of them if they weren't disturbed by the noise, as well as their work schedules so I could work when they're not in. I also gave them my phone number and told them they could text me a simple 'SHUT UP!' any time they wanted. I also offered to do all the small jobs they need in their flats and / or to borrow tools whenever they need. It has been four years now and there hasn't been any problems.

The other thing is dust management. Whatever you do, you will drag dust & woodchips into your flat. My wife is totally cool with it as long as I do all the hoovering. She grew up in a noisy household and genuinely doesn't care about the noise from my shop.

All in all, it can be made to work, as long as you communicate with people around you. And I suspect that someone with better organizational skills than myself can make a much better use of their space :)
antisymmetric wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 1:38 am
Flurko wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 12:12 am
Wow ! I've always loved the thin twin-style pickguard. are the pickups homemade too ?
^Beat me to it, exactly what I was going to say. That volute too. :-* How would you describe the pickup construction/sound you're going for?
I'm afraid the volute is gone now - my brother wasn't too keen on it. ???
The pickups (which I haven't wound yet) will be a take on the original Pancake pickups, in a mini-HB/Firebird cover. They were basically a coil wound around a weak Alnico bar, with a ferromagnetic plate at the bottom. Those have to be close to the strings to sound good, but they have a distinctive, humbucker-type attack. The originals were wound on the lighter side (about 5kOhms) but I'll go for slightly more than that. I'll be using slightly de-gaussed, shortened alnico 5 bars.


I also found the time to etch & attach that jack plate (the 'K' still needs a bit of clear coat on it):

Image

The guitar has to be complete by the end of this week and there is still quite a bit to do. I have gotten started on the finishing process first so everything is dry by the end of the week to take down south to my brother's. Wish me good luck...
SuperAxe wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 8:50 pm
Lovely that Kay copy. I am quite keen on building a Harmony Stratotone copy, similar look to yours.
Those look fun to make! If you haven't already, check out GuitarBuilder's build threads on TDPRI, he has made a few replicas of those and his posts are always detailed with a lot of pictures.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by SuperAxe » Tue Aug 10, 2021 11:33 pm

Those look fun to make! If you haven't already, check out GuitarBuilder's build threads on TDPRI, he has made a few replicas of those and his posts are always detailed with a lot of pictures.
I am struggling to find it, any links please?

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Dr Tony Balls » Wed Aug 11, 2021 6:43 am

epizootics wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 10:22 pm
Cheers guys!
Flurko wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 12:12 am
Wow ! I've always loved the thin twin-style pickguard. are the pickups homemade too ?

btw, I'd love to see more of your apartment workshop, I'll have a spare office/workshop room in our future apartment and I'm really curious to see how you manage to build such cool guitars in a small space like this...
Haha. Are you sure you want to see this? It kinda reverts back to a jungle-like state when I'm in the middle of a build. It is also a bit too small to photograph properly, but here goes:

Image

Image
Should there be a 'show your workshop' thread? I'd be into it...
Instagram: thetonyballs

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Flurko » Wed Aug 11, 2021 7:41 am

epizootics wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 10:22 pm
massive write-up with cool photos
That's impressive and pretty inspiring, thanks for all the explanations !

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kifla
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by kifla » Thu Aug 12, 2021 1:26 pm

A few Marauder type I pickguards....
Image Image

... and pickups.
Image

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by smjenkins » Thu Aug 12, 2021 2:22 pm

Your Marauder Type I builds have a soft spot in my heart Kifla! :-* :-* :-*

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by ThePearDream » Thu Aug 12, 2021 4:55 pm

ThePearDream wrote:
Sun Apr 18, 2021 8:37 am
Working on polishing up the body for my Domino Olympic (Aria 180X) copy. Color is Olympia Blue from Belton Molotow. I still need to get the decal applied, just waiting on the weather to warm up.

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Shortly after this, some nasty cracks developed in the lower cutaway. So I sanded back and repainted, using the next shade darker in the Molotow color chart "Aqua". This finish came out fantastic and I liked the color better. Then, after a week of curing, I was bringing it inside and I dropped it on the concrete. And it didn't just fall, it tumbled. There was damage everywhere - front, back, and sides.

(the first pic was interior lighting, the original color was lighter than it looked)
Image

I made a few adjustments to the control route, sanded back again, filled the gouges, and started prepping for paint for the third time. I'm not the least bit superstitious, but I thought I'd choose a new color, that wasn't blue, from the collection of cans I have on hand.

This is where it's at now:

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The color is "Nature Green" and it's in the middle of polishing. There are a few zits in the finish due to one particularly spitty can of clear. I did drop the neck onto the bass side edge of the pocket too. But I'd rather live with it like this than start over again. I've been waiting to hear these Novak Lipsticks for too long now.

This weekend I am making a new pickguard and I'm looking for the right knobs and I still need a name.
Doug
@dpcannafax

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by CROSS_guitars » Thu Aug 12, 2021 6:45 pm

wow, very nice!

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by blimpage » Thu Aug 12, 2021 6:59 pm

ThePearDream wrote:
Thu Aug 12, 2021 4:55 pm
Shortly after this, some nasty cracks developed in the lower cutaway. So I sanded back and repainted, using the next shade darker in the Molotow color chart "Aqua". This finish came out fantastic and I liked the color better. Then, after a week of curing, I was bringing it inside and I dropped it on the concrete. And it didn't just fall, it tumbled. There was damage everywhere - front, back, and sides.
😫 Heartbreaking!!! Kudos for soldiering on and transforming it into something even cooler! That green feels lucky.

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