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  1. #1
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    Question My second go at a solid body - WIP

    Decided to have another go at making a solid body. It'll be based on a Gibson LP Studio model.
    i have a question regarding the tone, sustain quality of timber.
    dunno if it's worhwhile in terms of deciding what wood to use but I tried my A440 tuning fork to test some different woods. For the body those being Queensland Mahogany (which seems lightweight for mahogany) Ancient NZ Kari pine (reclaimed and very dense and heavy), and my preferred wood for the carved top - Northern Silky Oak.
    when I tapped the tuning fork and put the end on the mahogany the vibes were sustained beautifully, with the Ancient NZ Kari Pine there was little or no sustain, with the Silky Oak there was a similar sustain as the Mahogany.
    My question is, which would be the best sounding combination?
    Secondly, my Gibson at the edges is a uniform 45mm thick. The mahogany and Silky oak I have prepared is only 40mm over the whole body meaning not enough room to make it a carved top. Would it be detrimental to the sound of the guitar if I added a contrasting wood of say 15mm thickness between the mahogany body Silky oak top or should I use one or the other of either wood to build enough thickness to allow carving?
    as for gluing it all together I found mention of Franklin Titebond 50 glue which is said to be the strongest glue on the market (USA) and preferred by luthiers. I've never seen that glue on shop shelves. I'm wondering if the Titebond III I have is suitable.
    any advice appreciated.
    cheers
    Sheddie
    If you never made a mistake, you never made anything!


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  3. #2
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    Default

    So I'm on the iPad it's not easy to see your whole post. Working from memory,

    QLD Maple is a terrific timber for instruments. It boings as you noticed. If the Kauri is very pretty maybe that can be the cap. Silky is pretty but not as boingy as the Maple. Why not a Maple neck and body with the decorative Kauri cap?

    You can increase the sustain by using heavier strings and over stiffening the neck. Ie carbon fibre rods and a truss rod. Even a neck through with long rods.
    "We must never become callous. When we experience the conflicts ever more deeply we are living in truth. The quiet conscience is an invention of the devil." - Albert Schweizer

    My blog. http://theupanddownblog.blogspot.com

  4. #3
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sebastiaan56 View Post
    So I'm on the iPad it's not easy to see your whole post. Working from memory,

    QLD Maple is a terrific timber for instruments. It boings as you noticed. If the Kauri is very pretty maybe that can be the cap. Silky is pretty but not as boingy as the Maple. Why not a Maple neck and body with the decorative Kauri cap?

    You can increase the sustain by using heavier strings and over stiffening the neck. Ie carbon fibre rods and a truss rod. Even a neck through with long rods.
    Thanks for that mate. Will have a look at those possibilities.
    Yes the Ancient NZ Kauri is Verrryy pretty.
    It wasn't QLD Maple I mentioned it was QLD mahogany for the body.
    Cheers
    Mike
    If you never made a mistake, you never made anything!


  5. #4
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    Default

    For sustain, my personal experience has been that denser body timbers have given the most. But of course a complete body of the kauri would weigh a tonne.

    Don't worry about the tuning fork and everything. I'm sure others will be of a different opinion but I've found timber choice to be much less tonally influencing in electrics (within structural reason of course). Acoustics are obviously a different matter however.

    IMO it's just part of a bigger picture that's mostly dominated by pickup and string choice, muddled with countless other variables. As Sebastian said, making things nice and stiff will keep sustain up, and I also think the mahogany body with kauri cap would look killer and sound great too in the grand scheme of things. If you want to use the silky oak though I doubt that a sandwiched block in between would make any noticeable tonal issue.

    As far as glue goes, plain old Titebond original seems to be perfectly adequate for instrument building.

  6. #5
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    Default Soldering - Argghhh!

    Who'd be a bloody solderer for a living. My WIP weighed 7.2 kg before I started my totally ham fisted soldering of everything. At completion the guitar weighs approximately 37.5 kg. solder every where, burnt fingers, a new hole in my jeans and top it off I think I've seriously "cooked" the 2 volume pots. Where can I learn to bloody solder. Or can I glue connections?..joking with last question.
    I'm using a Weller 25W soldering iron with a wedge tip and flux cored solder. Is there something secret I should know.
    If you never made a mistake, you never made anything!


  7. #6
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    Default

    Hi,

    with soldering, make sure everything is clean, including your soldering iron tip. Tin the wires before soldering, try not to use to much heat.

    A video of the finished product incl sound with details of the rig would be appreciated

    Cheers, Paul

  8. #7
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    Default Soldering the WIP

    Quote Originally Posted by Paulyboy1960 View Post
    Hi,

    with soldering, make sure everything is clean, including your soldering iron tip. Tin the wires before soldering, try not to use to much heat.

    A video of the finished product incl sound with details of the rig would be appreciated

    Cheers, Paul
    G'day Paul. Thanks for the tips and welcome to this very excellent forum. I've been googling how to do it and what you say is what they said except it took them about 1500 words.
    As for pics, sound etc if I could work out why I can't post pics here via my iPad I'd post my step step. Taken lots of photos so at least when I work out the problem I can do a photo brag.
    cheers
    Mike (solderer extraordinaire...NOT)
    If you never made a mistake, you never made anything!


  9. #8
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    Default WIP PICS Episode 1

    image.jpgSeems to be working now. Hmm.
    this is the start of the WIP. Gibson plan off the web.
    More tomorrow.
    If you never made a mistake, you never made anything!


  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paulyboy1960 View Post
    try not to use to much heat.
    This is a good rule of thumb generally, but I would actually disagree with this when it comes to soldering pots. People can often cook them because of insufficient heat and holding the iron to the pot too long, damaging it in the process.

    Having a temperature controllable iron is really nifty with this sort of work, because you can crank up the temperature for pot soldering and only need to hold the iron to the part for a brief amount of time to get a good solder connection.

  11. #10
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    Default

    Yeah, valid point. A nice hot iron, quickly done will reduce heat damage.

  12. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paulyboy1960 View Post
    Yeah, valid point. A nice hot iron, quickly done will reduce heat damage.
    just went and bought a new 30watt iron and a desoldering vacuum from Super Cheap Auto. A much better iron than the really really old Weller I was using. Have tinned the new tip as per directions and started removing the kilos of solder from the pots. Bought 2 new volume pots as well. So back to the bench.
    If you never made a mistake, you never made anything!


  13. #12
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    Hi Mike,

    This is something I threw together from odds and sods laying around
    Soldering Station.jpg

    Two bolts for thick and thin solder, plus another for solder wick. It is copper braid impregnated with flux, you just use it between the iron and excess solder and it will soak it up. Some people swear by it while others swear at it .
    The foam is a tip wiper to keep the iron tip clean and save your trousers. Get it from Jaycar or similar, its in a jar lid velcro'd to the wood. Keep it moist but not saturated, and wipe the soldering iron tip on it before starting a joint. The stand is just a strip of metal bent to suit your iron so it doesnt tip backwards.

    Just a thought, soldering is like welding, practice on something that doesnt matter till you are happy.

    Cheers, Paul

  14. #13
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    I highly recommend one of these if you're looking at doing much soldering:
    http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s..._AUS_plug.html

    I've had one for some time now and it works great, about time I got a new tip for it though. Nice and cheap and quite a few other people seem to think they're reliable too. You've got to catch them while they're in stock though, because they go fast

  15. #14
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    Default Update

    Hey all, long story short - it's finished.
    image.jpgimage.jpg
    I had to rejig the wiring as I didn't like the sound. Now it's how I like it. I'll post a sound clip when I get back on my feet - currently laid up with a broken rib my leg gave way in the shed and I landed on the sharp end of a wine barrel stave - and will also put together a WIP for it. While I'm recuperating from my spinal surgery which is now only 2 weeks away.
    cheers.
    If you never made a mistake, you never made anything!


  16. #15
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    Cliff.
    If you find a post of mine that is missing a pic that you'd like to see, let me know & I'll see if I can find a copy.

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