My First Build - A Les Paul

[dayvo]

Hey all
I just thought Id post a few pics of my first build so far
Its a Les Paul built from Brazillian Mahogany (body and neck), Silky Oak (Lacewood) cap and headstock and an Ebony fretboard
Im not far off of final sanding, staining and finishing with nitrocellulose lacquer
dayvohttp://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/P1010383.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/P1010387.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/P1010386.jpg

[HappyHammer]

Wow, that's a beauty please post more pictures once the finish is on. How long did it take?

HH.

[Phil Mailloux]

Very nice Dayvo! I don't remember seeing it on PG before though, where has it been hiding all this time ;)

[dayvo]

Happy Hammer
Its taken me 12 months to get this far
The reason being my good lady wife would have hung, drawn and quartered me if Id have gone out and blown a grand or more all at once on tools:eek:
My next build will take a LOT LESS time:D

Phil
Ive been very lazy posting my pics but, I did post these on PG first
The same pics are there

dayvo

[Phil Mailloux]

[quote=dayvo]Happy Hammer
Its taken me 12 months to get this far
The reason being my good lady wife would have hung, drawn and quartered me if Id have gone out and blown a grand or more all at once on tools:eek: /quote]


:D Looks like I'm not the only one in that boat. My first bass took me 12 months to build because I had ZERO tools when I started. I was on a strict building budget from the wife. That first one cost close to $2000 after the whole year. Funny thing is I originally told the wife I was going to spend $50 for this project (new neck for a bass) which ended up being a full bass and a lot of money. Since then she doesn't believe any numbers I quote her :D

[dayvo]

:D Looks like I'm not the only one in that boat. My first bass took me 12 months to build because I had ZERO tools when I started. I was on a strict building budget from the wife. That first one cost close to $2000 after the whole year. Funny thing is I originally told the wife I was going to spend $50 for this project (new neck for a bass) which ended up being a full bass and a lot of money. Since then she doesn't believe any numbers I quote her :D[/quote]

I see Im not alone
Ive slightly hinted at another build and shes already polishing up the Rolling Pin and our biggest Frypan:eek:
But, I cant wait to start the next one (an SG maybe):D
Ive pm'ed you about our PG discussion
dayvo

[seriph1]

that sir, is art - hope it sounds as good as it looks!

bloody spectacular

[Phil Mailloux]

Ive pm'ed you about our PG discussion
dayvo

I didn't get any Pm's back after my second one to you :confused:

[old_picker]

That certainly is a cool looking guitar.
Where did you get the lacewood?

swmbo has been pretty quiet since i started building guitars as I told her instead of buying yet another guitar, this time i am buying tools so I can build whatever I want in the workshop out of scraps of wood etc. Look, the bits aren't that big are they?? and, bonus for you dear, I'll never have to buy another guitar. Besides, if I can make some really nice ones, I can sell them to friends. :)

Now I have to figure out a scheme to justify buying more amps.

[kiwigeo]

Nice work Dayvo. Nice looking wood and the fittings go perfectly with same.

Cheers Martin

[fanlee]

Simply beautiful.

.

[thetassiebfg]

Dayvo - Noice Verry Noice

Brilliant piece of work especially like the paua shell(?) inlay

[Teds]

Dayvo. Wow! I want one. Tell us more. Is this from scratch? Did you build it from a kit? Where did the drawings come from? Do you ever leave the shed - or just sit there looking at it?

[JupiterCreek]

Love the guitar! Gold fittings on natural timber always look classy and classic!

I know what you mean about the tools. The best month I ever had I think I made about $400 in instrument sales. Wife unimpressed as always. But in the meantime I've collected some fun tools, bought a few nice cheap instruments to mod and bits to satisfy the GAS, and built up a hell of a parts collection!

[dayvo]

Thanks to all for your encouraging comments:)
OK, to answer some of your questions
I picked up the Lacewood here in Adelaide at Otto's Timber
It is because I used the Paua on the inlays that I was thinking of staining the Lacewood green or blue
Ive posted these pics on a couple of other forums and at the moment the general concensus is to keep the Lacewood pretty much as it is
I have built the guitar from scratch. I hunted around and found some plans on the net and was then able to blow them up and draw out my own plan (which is what the guitar is lying on)
Here are a couple more pics
And hey, Old Picker, I have the plans for a 2x12 Combo Cab (like a Bluesbreaker) on a .pdf file
If you're interested in it, let me know
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/P1000827.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/P1000867.jpghttp://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/P1010310.jpg

[kiwigeo]

Hope you dont mind if I make a couple of comments Dayvo,

Looking at the pic of your fretboard glue up IMO the caul needs to be a tad wider and longer. Did you use a couple of locater pins to stop the fretboard sliding around on the glue?

Re colouring the lancewood....IMO the natural wood looks just fine.

Cheers Martin

[dayvo]

Hey Kiwigeo
No, I didnt use any locating pins. I could'nt find anything to use, so I had to settle for patience:D
More and more people (on this and other forums) are advising me to keep it the natural colour
Im getting my nitro tomorrow and Ill experiment on the weekend
dayvo

[kiwigeo]

I use a couple of 1.5mm diameter brads with the heads nipped off as locator pins. I get the fretboard all positioned without glue and when Im happy with the setup I knock the brads into holes drilled in the 3rd and 12th fret slots. Just knock 'em in about 5mm. . I then lift off the fretboard leaving the pins protruding from the neck. I then glue up the fretboard dropping same over the locator pins. Drill holes in the clamping caul so it clears the protruding pins. Once the glue is set take of clamps and caul and pull out the pins with a set of nippers. The holes in the fret slot will get covered up by the frets when you stick them in. See attached pics of a recent fretboard glue up on a classical. Fretboard is ebony and the glue is PVA. I put a bit too much glue on the fretboard and I didnt scrape off the glue 10mm in from edge of fretboard as I now do as a matter of course.

Good luck with the finishing, looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Cheers Martin

[Rossluck]

It look's great, Dayvo. Silky Oak's a strange timber. It lacks depth but has so much grain that it look great. It's one of my favourites and I've never seen a guitar made from it. I have an Epiphone LP that doesn't look half as good as that.

:D

[old_picker]

MMMM cant really carry 2x12 cabs any more :(

Ohh and if you stain that wood green or whatever
!$#@%$##%#^&%$^&%*^%&*(^(*&)*()(_
if anything just a touch of stain in initial coats just to warm it up and only if necesary...
my2cworth

[Phil Mailloux]

I use a couple of 1.5mm diameter brads with the heads nipped off as locator pins. I get the fretboard all positioned without glue and when Im happy with the setup I knock the brads into holes drilled in the 3rd and 12th fret slots. Just knock 'em in about 5mm. . I then lift off the fretboard leaving the pins protruding from the neck. I then glue up the fretboard dropping same over the locator pins. Drill holes in the clamping caul so it clears the protruding pins. Once the glue is set take of clamps and caul and pull out the pins with a set of nippers. The holes in the fret slot will get covered up by the frets when you stick them in. See attached pics of a recent fretboard glue up on a classical. Fretboard is ebony and the glue is PVA. I put a bit too much glue on the fretboard and I didnt scrape off the glue 10mm in from edge of fretboard as I now do as a matter of course.

Good luck with the finishing, looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Cheers Martin


Damn! and I paid $14 US dollars + shipping for the LMI drill bit and locator pins when I could've just used brad nails :rolleyes: shows what good it is to think before spending money.
Just a question about your pics Martin, where's the truss rod? :confused:

[kiwigeo]

Hi Phil,

No truss rod...the guitar in the pics is a classical. Its my first classical so its a vanilla design based on one of Torres' instruments. Subsequent instruments have two graphite rods running through the neck for reinforcement.

For steel strings I use the same procedure with the brads but make sure the brads are located clear of the truss rod channel.

Cheers Martin

[dayvo]

Hey guys
Im still going with my build and I just thought Id add a few more pics
Most of my time since the original post has been taken up by doing stuff around the house
But in that time Ive changed the headstock style and routed the cavities for the knobs and switch
I still need to sand, stain and lacquer and purchase pickups and knobs
Hopefully, it will be finished sometime in March
dayvo
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/P1010588a.jpghttp://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/P1010592.jpghttp://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/P1010590.jpghttp://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/100_0133.jpg

[Wild Dingo]

Dayvo... mate catch this greenie comin your way! Thats looking bloody brilliant! :2tsup:


note please check your pms

Cheers
Shane

[roy]

i would love to hear the sound of that

[dayvo]

Finally finished my Les Paul
Specs:
Brazilian Mahogany body and laminated neck
Ebony fretboard
Lacewood caps
Paua trapezoid inlays
Bone nut (handmade)
Black binding on body, neck and head
Finish, gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
D'Addario strings
Hardware, Gold Gotoh tuneomatic bridge and tailpiece, and tuners
Gold pickup surrounds, toggle switch, strap holders and various screws
Stewmac jumbo frets
Pickups: Neck 8.5k, Bridge 14k. They were made by Mick Brierley (http://www.brierleyguitarpickups.com.au/)
Electronics: I have the Jimmy Page Mod (http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/JimmysMod.jpg) using 4 push-push pots and a 3 way toggle switch to allow for coil, series/parallel and reverse phase switching


http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/102_0211.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/102_0198.jpghttp://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/102_0205.jpghttp://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/102_0210.jpghttp://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/102_0178.jpg


http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/dayvo/102_0218.jpg

[Sebastiaan56]

That looks like you have done a really nice job there Dayvo. Well done! How does it play?

[tim290280]

If only I liked green.......

But nice build and I see it is entered for GOTM. I think the biggest compliment to make is that it looks like it came from the Gibson factory. Aside from the colour and the headstock inlay people will assume it is one of them there Gibson's.

[44Ronin]

What a beaut! Well done :)

[walcen]

Hey Dayvo that looks brilliant, I love it:2tsup:. I'm currently working on my first build, and if it turns out half that good I'll be happy. Good stuff mate.
regards
Wal

[Stewey]

All I can say is WOW!
Very impressive!
I'd love to own it.
(What's the logo or name you have on the head/top- is that your own name?)

[dayvo]

Thanks for the comments, guys
Seb56, to me it plays great, but I'm just a loungeroom hack :D
Walcen, good luck with your build and show us some pics
Stewey, the logo is DWR, which is my initials and on my next build
(should have it finished by 2013:p) I plan to have a lot more detail on the logo

[Twangmonster]

Excellent ax dude! Just about to start my first. Where did you get the plans from, and did they come with wiring diagrams?

[Dean]

When you first mentioned staining green, I thought, Uh Oh, he's gonna wreck it, but seeing the final result, I'm loving the green stain! Works well and really makes the guitar stand out as an original build.

Workmanship looks top notch and if this is your first ever guitar build, I can see a future for you in custom guitar making... Get started now!

Interested to know how it sounds. Silky oak is not traditionally a guitar making material... Some woods are MUCH better than others for sound quality... Play around with different species on future builds and you will find the species of wood can make a HUGE difference to the sound quality on the final product.

But, BLOODY AWESOME mate :2tsup:

[dayvo]

I got the plans from the link below
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L3J0DHZO
Your printer needs to be able to TILE the image, if so
it will print out full size on 16 x A4 sheets of paper
There are 6 different plans on the .pdf, and some do
come with wiring plans, but I didn't use them
I got the wiring plans from the site below
http://guitarelectronics.zoovy.com/category/wiringresources
I originally tried the wiring plans from the Seymour Duncan site,
but the guitar hummed every time I plugged it in
Having said that I could have stuffed up the grounding:-
Anyway this plan http://guitarelectronics.zoovy.com/product/WDUHH3T2204
works a treat:2tsup:
The soldering was very fiddly and is a bit untidy,
but I'm very happy with the sounds I get
Guys, thanks for the kind words
I have enough Qld Maple to build 2 guitars
I'll probably base them on Gibson SG's
One being a lefty (for my daughter)
I plan to start on these as soon as I finish building my amp
(Tube, 3.5 watts with 2 x 12 speakers)
The electronics are done, I have to finish the head and speaker cabs
I'll post some pics when I get them done

[R3R]

it is good you didnt listen to all those folks about the staining cos i simply adore green stained wood :D

nice guitar dayvo:2tsup:

[Twangmonster]

Cheers for the link for the plans Dude. You sound like you're poised to start your own luthiery business! Man after my own heart! :2tsup:

[fletch123]

Dayvo, I've just read thru your build - very nice !! That green finish is awesome.. Well done

That plan link is pretty cool too ! I'm off to the print shop now :D

I look forward to seeing the SG build

[damian]

Could I trouble you for the precise green stain you used ? If it's in the post I am sorry for missing it. I have read the thread as carefully as I can and can't find reference to the product.

I think the finish is very attractive. The whole project seems extremely well executed, well done!

[dayvo]

I used water based analine dyes
I made my own green by mixing the blue and yellow
It took a lot of messing around to get that green
I also bleached the Lacewood almost white with ammonia and
hydrogen peroxide, and at the time they were extremely hard to source
Without the bleaching I would not have achieved that colour
I got the dyes from Lmii, check the link
http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts.asp?CategoryName=Dyes&NameProdHeader=Aniline+Dyes+Water+Soluble
I bought other stuff from them along with the dyes to save on shipping
The nitro lacquer I got from Protec
Check the link
http://www.protec.com.au/www/455/1001127/default.asp
Although I cant find any reference to nitrocellulose on their website,
they still manufacture it

[Rhys Cooper]

How did you manage t get the 'black' strip around the edges?
Also, how did you apply the dye only the top, did you just mask the sides, etc?

Looks awesome :)

[dayvo]

Hello Rhys
The binding 'black strip' was done after I had carved the top
I used the information from http://europa.spaceports.com/~fishbake/lpc/rbod/routbod.htm (http://europa.spaceports.com/%7Efishbake/lpc/rbod/routbod.htm)
(scroll down to 'Making the binding channel'), and made my own tool out of pvc pipe like John did. I took my time and it worked
Johns tool idea was inspired by http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for:_Binding/Binding_Router_Guide.html
I went to a plastics supplier here in Adelaide and bought some ABS plastic sheeting and cut it into strips
The only downside to this was that I had to sand down the inner side a little as the sheet was 2mm thick
With the dye I didn't mask at all. The binding was the barrier between the top and sides
I was very careful when applying the dye so it didn't run down the sides
To give you some idea of how I achieved that colour, I first had to bleach the Lacewood
several times until it was almost white. Again, the binding acted as a barrier
I then applied the green dye with a piece of flat sponge. (by the way, wear rubber gloves when doing this as its takes a while to get off of your skin :D)
I put on 2 or 3 applications, keeping the whole surface wet and more importantly trying to keep the colour even
It noticeably darkened with each application
Then I didn't touch it for about a week before starting with the finish
I will mention this with the clear coat that on my first attempt, I used a sanding sealer
under the top coat
I did not like the result and subsequently used the nitro topcoat only, putting on numerous coats to fill the grain and achieve a reasonable look
Dave

[Rhys Cooper]

Thanks for that, looks awesome

[oz tradie]

I'd like to congratulate Dayvo on this build and also for taking out the
GOTM award.
Dayvo entered this guitar in for GOTM May 2009 (guitar of the month)

Congratulations Dayvo on a spectacular build and an outright smashing in the votes to earn yourself the title of GOTM May 2009.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=40489


Well done and may your future builds gain the same accolades.:2tsup:

[DarwinStrings]

Gorgeous

Jim

[dadovfor]

I finally took a look at the May GOTM Dayvo.

Well done!! And you were up against some great builds and experienced builders!

:2tsup:

[BJens27]

Im thinking of either buying a cheap solid epiphone les paul and puting a floating bridge like on fender strats on it. how would i switch the bridges. or should i just try to make my own from scratch if so does anyone know how to set up the holes and wires to make the guitar epecially around the bridge.
thx

[dayvo]

Hey BJens27
Although not impossible, this would be very difficult to achieve
The biggest issue would be keeping the string height at the bridge correct
If you're after a tremolo on your guitar, you may be better off fitting a Bigsby
I personally find them damned fugly
http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/6/9/2/395692.jpg

Heres some info on installing a Floyd Rose
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=969796
and below is another add-on I found
http://stetsbar.com/documents/Stetsbar.Instructions.USA.pdf
Good Luck

[oz tradie]

Put a kahler trem 'hybrid 7200' made specifically for a carvetop mount. That's easier and a better outcome.

[tim290280]

I spotted this option in the StewMac catalogue, something a bit different.
http://www.stewmac.com/catalog/images_1lg/4616_1lg.jpg

[SmithyJR]

Dear Dayvo, That PDF.file You Mentient in your Forum, Is that a Work Art to a Shape. I have made A Flying V By myself, and want to make a new one, Les Paul, or some like that, so please Contact me if you got some work arts, or if anyone else does.