Challenging the challenged

**AussieOzBorn** · 27th March 2009, 02:37 AM

Ok folks, I had an interesting idea and thought it was worth asking the members here about. Well i thought it was interesting, but its more a challenge than anything.
I say a challenge because there isnt any prise other than the awe and owww's of other members. Plus we might actually do something really impressive and have a little bit of fun along the way.
Said thought being as follows:

1. We all have 2 weeks to source and pile a small stack of woods and components to build some kind of guitar. After that 2 weeks, you cant add ANYTHING to the pile, and must have full intention to use all the wood in the construction of the instrument. No huge piles of stuff you "may" need,,, only that which you will actually use.

2. At the end of the 2nd week we all submit a pic of our piles of materials. Then we have only 1 month to build the instrument. You cant buy ANY components during construction!!!!! If you dont have something you should have had, then you will have to make it. This includes screws, bolts, all hardware and basically anything that will make up the instrument.
The only thing we can get more of is sandpaper, glue, tape and coffee,,, sugar and milk is optional.
We can use whatever machinery is available to us. And if a router or something craps out, we can go get another one. I say that because some people will do it anyway.

During the month we all have to show "at least" weekly progress pics and be willing to offer advice to other participants. Its not about winning, but to see what we can come up with in a limited time,,,, and with what we start out with.

At the end of the month, we all show our best final pics of the guitars and vote to see who gets the "awe and owwww's" of other members. The winner is then adorned with the title of Grand Poobah of Guitars and we've all gained a new guitar to remember the event. That or you can just flog it off on ebay.

So whos up for it?
If there's enough willing participants we will set a start date and get into it.

**Andrew_B** · 27th March 2009, 02:49 AM

i shall add my 7 string to this since i havnt started it yet and have the parts floating around here

depends if anyone else joins in though...

a month is pushing it lol

**Tat_freak_2210** · 27th March 2009, 04:00 AM

hmmmm i'd be in on that!

would be a pretty crappy guitar if ya forgot to order machine heads or somethin though! haha

Mind you there is no way i could lacquer an finish it properly in a month! takes me nearly that long to spray coats, wet sand an buff! lol

**Andrew_B** · 27th March 2009, 04:36 AM

Originally Posted by Tat_freak_2210

Mind you there is no way i could lacquer an finish it properly in a month! takes me nearly that long to spray coats, wet sand an buff! lol

lol yea, i told him there would need to be 4 or 5 weeks of finish work....

**Sebastiaan56** · 27th March 2009, 05:40 AM

What, no beers

......

**Andrew_B** · 27th March 2009, 05:14 PM

im sure you can supply your own beers

**R3R** · 27th March 2009, 06:36 PM

i personally would like to see more unusual woods featured not just the typical plain maple/mahogany r/w fingerboard stuff

the shape can be the usual shapes but the variance in materials is what interests me

also unusual finishes, fittings, etc

**Tat_freak_2210** · 28th March 2009, 07:43 AM

i just bought some wenge! does that qualify??

**R3R** · 28th March 2009, 11:12 AM

indeed!

i have heard of wenge but have no personal experience of it

imo playing around with the unusual and the exotic is anytime a better use of me scarce spare time ...dont know about you guys ...

but then again it all a hobby to me ...not a business which has other priorities like consideration for market, expense etc etc

**kiwigeo** · 28th March 2009, 07:04 PM

You talking electric or acoustic??

A month to build an acoustic...forget about it. French polishing of my instruments takes that long and I have my day job to attend to.

endgrain · 28th March 2009, 07:58 PM

you'd be wanting those brothers from the peninsular (manly warringah/ pittwater) on board for this. can't for the life of me remember their names, they used to be up the shack in narrabeen & at the elizabeth hotel in the 70's. last time i saw them was at the tap gallery in darlinghurst, (2000 ?) launching a range of "bush instruments". had the sydney con. on board with all the jazz extension course academics oooing and aahing (including you know who)
anyone remember their names?
the bush cello was out there, double bass a bit stringy .... the guitars .... well, square onions would go close

all out of rough sawn cedars, rosewoods, blackwoos etc
lotsa work, not enuff publicity, a bit before their time maybe .... given the ukes on the market these days
you can pm me if need be.
cheers

**R3R** · 28th March 2009, 08:21 PM

i would suggest an electric ...

the acoustics do take a heck of a lot more work imo

not tht i have ever built one but just lookin at some of the typical acoustic build threads exhaust me...but then again i am a lightweight

**Andrew_B** · 29th March 2009, 02:49 AM

he never specified that it was strictly electrics,
but yea,
a month ......
pushing it

**bricks** · 29th March 2009, 08:20 AM

I would be in, but a month is not long enough to build a guitar.
Given both saturday and sunday every weekend, that's only 8 days. Even with 12 hour days I couldn't do it, my last guitar took 300-400 hours.

**Sebastiaan56** · 29th March 2009, 08:48 AM

I like the idea but a month is not long enough for me to build a guitar either. A couple of thoughts, why does it have to be a guitar? Why not just a musical instrument? Get us all out of out mental boxes.

I wont be getting up to much till after Easter but maybe 6 weeks would be more practical.

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