Guitar Nerds Anonymous

Coincidentally, Tony (the Track Wizard from HH) just posted on FB that Kevin set up his bass... He seems very happy!

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It’s an expensive course now so I want to finish in less than three years. Nine semesters would cost lots more than a new Martin now...

Yes - I think London Met got into a bit of financial problems around the time I left and they ramped the cost up a lot.

Have you started on the neck yet? If not you can ask David Dyke to throw it through a planer / thicknesser for a couple of quid which will save a lot of time. He's done electric body blanks for me, so might be able to do the same on similarly sized top and sides. You'll miss a bit by not planing those flat, but maybe you could just do one of them yourself.
I'm sure you're aware of all this and know what you want to do already - apologies if I'm talking at you.

I'm long term trying to persuade Mrs Spaceman on a move outside London eventually, with space for a proper sized workshop being a major factor in it.

The course starts with the neck now. We had one session on planing a waste block square, then the next week we had pre-squared and thicknessed neck blanks to start on. Went straight to making a scarf joint for the neck angle.

I definitely think that doing some practice at home is going to be key because at this speed I'll get to the end and have a guitar but still not feel confident to make one on my own subsequently. Have ordered a clamp-on vice and will see if I can get away with using the coffee table to make another guitar at home in parallel. Currently at work with a bit of mahogany for a neck from Touchstone in the post room.

Tempted to make a Les Paul Junior neck with it - not the same as the course but would still give me practice with tools etc. Similar construction?

How many people were on the course when you did it? Let's see your guitar!

I'll take a picture tonight :)

It's good they've started giving out thicknessed woods. I spent at least a couple of weeks getting the neck blank straight and square :) I think there were about ten in the evenings I went.

A LPJ neck is pretty much exactly the same until you come to the heel shape. I'm currently building a Les Paul and using exactly the same construction method as the one on the course (same build up of the heel block, same skarf joint, same headstock veneering) - the only difference is that it's a mortice and tenon rather than a dovetail (another time saving there :)).

Gil Yaron's is pretty much the most thorough (though somewhat dogmatic) LP build thread I've found if you fancy some light bed time reading:

http://www.tdpri.com/threads/1959-les-paul-build.194271/

I've got Les Paul, Firebird, Strat and Tele templates - hit me up when / if you get going on it and I'll happily rout you a copy of any of them.
If you do carry on building, you'll 100% be able to make an electric with what you learn on the course - everything about them is easier than the acoustic you're building.

That’s great to hear, thanks. I’ll certainly take you up on a template at some point. Don’t have a router but I imagine I’d end up with one if I do an electric.

Just realised that I’ve bought a bass neck blank: 850mm by 100mm by 50mm. So maybe there’s two necks hiding in there!

I've almost certainly posted this before - any excuse :)

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Oh that’s lovely. 00 Martin? Same as me.

After almost ten years on this forum, I still can't embed images :) hopefully that link is working...

edit: I give up :)

Working now. Gorgeous.

You did binding? Didn’t think we’d get to do that.

Yeah... I did the binding channels by hand, with a scalpel and chisels. Norman told me to do it all that way, then one of the first years told me about the router jig they've got for the same job :)

There's different sized channels for the sides and front to get different stripes, and again around the tail block. I'd forgotten about that - I'm starting to remember why it took three years now...

Yep - from the 00-45 plans they probably still have on the wall :) I think most people made those, there were a couple of dreadnoughts going as well.

It's rosewood back and sides, spruce top, ebony fretboard and pau inlays

Whatever you think about Ratm, Never had morello down as a coked up shades indoors. weirdo. Huh...
https://youtu.be/DLQ2uvmvO3Y

Interesting though! all that money and options and the neck is out of a skip

Anyone after a learner's guitar for a friend or relative?

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/330974/#comment14625206

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnDZ7yb5g-c

This is kind of tempting. Would go for it if it were in the uk...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-USA-Highway-One-Tele-Alder-Nitro-Guitar-BODY-Bigsby-Vibramate-Bridge/143123084203?hash=item2152ccf3ab:g:2P4AAOSwFdFcXbj6:rk:10:pf:0

I think I’m going to start having some guitar lessons. Which means cycling a few miles with the guitar. Which means I need something cheaper because I don’t want to take the Strat out like that. Anyone got a Mexican Tele or similar for sells? And do you think a hard case laid flat, sideways, on a Pizza rack is the way to go, or a gig bag on my back?

gig bag got to be easier!

Gig bag DEFINITELY easier. I motorcycled with my guitar for a while, the hard case laid flat is terrifying. Gig bag, ride upride, fine.

Re Stairway to Kevin chat earlier, my experience with him has been excellent.

Fucked electrics I mentioned turned out to be a bridge pickup which had all but stopped working - and a faulty switch and jack. He diagnosed everything on the spot, priced it up, took some of the money off for multiple things.

After warning me it might take "weeks" and making sure I was alright with it, he messaged after a week to say it was done.

It plays and looks beautiful, the bridge has been dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt, neck adjusted, new (used) pickup, all for £143. It has never played or looked this good.

I've been meaning to do something like this for ages, I often travel with two guitars (or guitar and banjo) and in summer this would be a great solution...

That looks good. I’d be tempted to wrap a bungee just in case those latches give way...

Someone on another forum has offered me a Squire Strat for £50 which seems like it might fit the bill. Would be fine for lessons, as much as the buyer inside me would love to get something fancier.

Any recommendations on gig bags? I seem to remember cycling with one before and the neck kept bopping me on the head...

I ride with an across the chest one, which is less boppy that my acoustic in a vertical style. A TKL one branded with Gibson. I don't know how I came to have it, I do not own a Gibson.

I used to cycle all over town with an acoustic on my back in a cheap gig-bag. No bother at all. Cruising home from rehearsal late night with a belly full of wine and and a head full of song. Miss it.