The Neverending Project

You who follow our blog reguarly might remember the post about how Johan and Hans were building their own effect pedals. Well this is certainly not the last d.i.y. project that we’ll do but it was also not the first.
Johan:
“A few years ago I started a monster d.i.y. project that I have not been able to finish up to date. And even before that, I had secretly planned it in the back of my head for years. The dream of making my very own electric guitar… This is of course a huge project and you’ll need the following to be able to finish it:”

1. A lot of tools, some of which are quite special and perhaps not found in an everyday household.
2. You need to be able to find quality hard wood, which is dry enough to use for instrument making. Such woods as maple, mahogany, maple, alder, rosewood, ebony etc
3. Reasonable wood working skills – you can not be “Mr. Clumsy” cause then you’ll end up disappointed, or worse – end up missing a finger or two, or perhaps electrocuted by some power tool.
4. You must have access to a workshop or a similar good workspace.
5. You must find all the hardware components that make up an electric guitar, pickups, electronics, fret wire, truss rod, machine heads, saddle, brigde and a lot of other stuff you might not think about until you start looking a bit closer on a guitar.
6. Some money… The build won’t be cheap and all the part adds up to a pretty impressive amount, especially if want to use something else than the cheapest available parts. The tools going to cost you some bread too, even if you’re able to borrow or hire a few of them. And the wood is not for free either.

“So where do I get stuck? Well number one I have kind of solved during the way, borrowing some tools, buying some along the way. Number two I solved when I found a good wood yard close to Malmö, where apparently the local furniture carpenters and other professionals hang out. However, I must say I was stunned by the price of quality timber; but on the other hand I was also very impressed with the quality of the wood. Just look at the pictures below on the beautiful ash I was able to pick up to use for the body… Then number three – wood working skills – well I can’t say I have that, but what I lack in skill I try to make up for with preparation and being really thorough. So far it has gone well and I think I was able to make a pretty functional body for example. Number five is the smallest problem; there are lots of websites selling guitar components online. Number six is not a problem either, because this project has taken so long time, I have kind of bought the stuff along the way, and never really realized what it has actually cost me. If I were to start a complete project from scratch, and buy all the stuff at once, I think I might actually get scarred off…”
“So the point were I fail is number four. I have no place to work properly. And yes, maybe I could find someone’s house where I could stand in the corner of the garage, but these projects take time. Therefore I need a place where I can have my stuff kind of laying around and not have to clean up after me after each work session.”
So with this post I would like to send out a S.O.S. – If you have some workshop area available, please contact me so I can finish my project!

Below you can see some pictures from this project, with some comments.

“This is my original drawing of the body. The body shape is my own invention, but one could say that it’s clone between a telecaster and a Stratocaster. The middle pickup was later moved to a more “normal” position, and the controls reduced to one tone and one volume plus the 5 way pickup switch.”

 
“The headstock design is also my own invention. But as you can see it’s clearly inspired by fender. As you can see I’ve chosen a “reverse” headstock. This means the tuners will point towards the floor rather that upwards when held in a right handed playing position.”




“Here I’ve joined two pieces of ash to one large piece, and transferred the drawing to the wood. As you can see I’m using the wood joint as a centre line. Note the beautiful figured ash!”





“Here the body has been cut, all edges rounded, and the contours are finished. Not too shabby, don’t you think!? There is of course a lot of work going from the previous picture to here…”








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