 the guitar |
i decide to build a guitar since i couldn't find one that felt special. i'd never done any real woodwork before, so this was quite an ambitious first project. i'd always admired the hofner style bass (and rare guitar), so i decided to make a body in that fashion. the shape is taken directly from a violin, only widened. the neck, which i didn't build, was taken from a first act 222 electric guitar freebie. the body is actually two pieces (a front and back) screwed together, which can be seen in the picture below. the wood came from an unused desk the f-holes are not cut into the body. rather they are stickers i made. i chose to use a single pickup. however, the pickup is on rails and can slide anywhere between the bridge and the neck. below is a closer look at the pickup. there are no volume or tones controls... yet. i plan to put slider pots on it. until then, i've built a little volume box that plugs into the guitar jack. and, there's always the volume on the amp. all of the hardware came from other guitars. |
the sliding pickup is great for fine-tuning the tone.
building it:
i'd never been able to find a guitar that suited me. other guitars worked, but none of them seemed to be "my friend". while i was taking a vacation in portland to visit my parents, it hit me: it was time to make a guitar that suited me. my dad had a wood shop with many of the tools i needed. i got to work designing right away. here's what i came up with:
the shape is modeled after a violin, only it's a bit wider. it's essentially two pieces of wood sandwiched together. after my dad and i figured out how to use a router, we routed all the compartments necessary for the electronics, the pickup slider area, and the neck. my dad didn't have a band saw, so the guitar didn't take shape until after i left portland:
the guitar before shaping the body
when i got back to oakland, i called a friend of my dad's, bob tompkins. my dad had said he was an experienced wood furniture maker. i called him up and he invited me over the next day. he asked me if i'd ever used a band saw before. i hadn't, and he asked me if i'd like to do it, or if i'd like him to do it. i told him i was scared to do it myself, and he said, "well, you should definitely do it then.". so, i got a hands-on-only education this way. it turned out great. thanks bob.
while it may not be the very best guitar i've ever played in terms of action, tone, and comfort, it's my favorite guitar that i've owned in all my life.
2010