Thread: gibson double cutaway

Originally Posted by kiwigeo

Um Id get my plan done before even thinking about buying wood. have you actually decided WHAT you're going to build yet?

As I mentioned earlier on...youthful exuberance is one of your biggest enemies on this project

ive found a fair bit of blue prints and desings, so i think its time to order in some stencils, would you agree?

Hey Arran,

Whilst threre is some great advice in this thread from some good builders, the amount of negatives from some is quite doom and glooming, not to mention a little disapointing. You obviously have your head screwed on and your going the right way about building your first guit. My advice is build it as best you can with what you can, and dont waste you're time worrying about wether you'll finish or if you too young to be doing this! Give it your best shot and enjoy it, If this one doesnt turn out how you expected, thats ok, everyone starts somewhere. Have a go the way you think best and most of all Enjoy it mate!

Ox

Originally Posted by Oxbox

Hey Arran,

Whilst threre is some great advice in this thread from some good builders, the amount of negatives from some is quite doom and glooming, not to mention a little disapointing. You obviously have your head screwed on and your going the right way about building your first guit. My advice is build it as best you can with what you can, and dont waste you're time worrying about wether you'll finish or if you too young to be doing this! Give it your best shot and enjoy it, If this one doesnt turn out how you expected, thats ok, everyone starts somewhere. Have a go the way you think best and most of all Enjoy it mate!

Ox

thanks for the kind words mate, would you suggest i buy the templates and hardware now then the wood?

That sounds probabaly the safest this to do if you dont want to end up having to join wood etc. I think in Perth Carbatec is probably your quickest and best bet for your wood when you come to it also.

I'm not sure what you have decided to build, but if its any help I have a laser cut set of Strat Templates that your welcome to borrow if that helps. Also, I only just realised that your in Perth, so am I, If you need access to a fully equipped workshop outside of school hours, your more than welcome to use mine at home in Bully. Just PM me and we can set it up.

Good luck mate look forward to seeing how you go!

Ox

Originally Posted by Oxbox

That sounds probabaly the safest this to do if you dont want to end up having to join wood etc. I think in Perth Carbatec is probably your quickest and best bet for your wood when you come to it also.

I'm not sure what you have decided to build, but if its any help I have a laser cut set of Strat Templates that your welcome to borrow if that helps. Also, I only just realised that your in Perth, so am I, If you need access to a fully equipped workshop outside of school hours, your more than welcome to use mine at home in Bully. Just PM me and we can set it up.

Good luck mate look forward to seeing how you go!

Ox

yer im goin for the something in the gibson les paul double cutaway variety (see pic attached) and i will get my wood from Carbatec (American Rock Maple- Carba-tec (W.A.)), still looking for templates tho.

and thanks for the offer of your workshop, ill see how i go

Originally Posted by Oxbox

Whilst threre is some great advice in this thread from some good builders, the amount of negatives from some is quite doom and glooming, not to mention a little disapointing. You obviously have your head screwed on and your going the right way about building your first guit. My advice is build it as best you can with what you can, and dont waste you're time worrying about wether you'll finish or if you too young to be doing this!

Ox

I assume you're referring to my posts mate.

A few comments:

1. Arran is building within very tight time constraints. He's also embarking on a school project on which he will be marked. The person doing the marking will be taking into account such things as planning and whether or not Aaron has considered the time constraints hes working under and designed the project to meet those constraints. If Aaran decides to pursue woodworking as a career then these skills will be essential if he wishes to get a decent job with a decent employer.

Aaron, if building within the 40 hour time constraint you mentioned in your first post is not an issue then please ignore all my previous posts and I apologise for wasting your time.

2. I don't think anyone has mentioned Aaran being too young for this project? I mentioned youthful exuberance but I didn't say it was a bad thing....it's just something that has potential to at times interfere with logical thinking and good planning. I'm 52 and at times I make stuff ups that can be tracked back to me getting exuberant and short cutting the planning stages of a task...call it geriatric exuberance.
3. Aaron you're by no means obliged to follow the advice of anyone in here. Alot of advice has been put on the table by alot people from different backgrounds and with varying levels of experience. It's up to you who;s advice you take on board.
4. My experience for what it's worth.....6 acoustic guitars under my belt (classicals and steel strings) along with a Renaissance 7 course lute currently under construction. My first guitar was built in a class environment and under tight time constraints....with a well known New Zealand and Canadian luthier supervising. I quickly learned that a plan was the only way I was going to have the guitar finished by the time we got kicked out of the workshop.
5. I work in a job where mistakes on my part can cost my client $US1m a day in lost time while their drilling rig is sitting idle.....Ive learned to plan so that multiple tasks get finished within very tight time constraints and often under less than ideal working conditions. Alot of my time is also spent dealing with people who don't plan their tasks....alot of the time these people end up injuring themselves.
6. Aaran mate, If youve decided which guitar youre going to build (this hasnt been obvious until the post you put up as I was editing this one) and you've got a plan in place then yes buy wood and start making templates. Do everything you can do without having to be in the workshop.

No more posts from me on this thread....good luck with the build Arran and hope you get a good mark for same.

Cheers Martin

Originally Posted by kiwigeo

I assume you're referring to my posts mate.

A few comments:

1. Arran is building within very tight time constraints. He's also embarking on a school project on which he will be marked. The person doing the marking will be taking into account such things as planning and whether or not Aaron has considered the time constraints hes working under and designed the project to meet those constraints. If Aaran decides to pursue woodworking as a career then these skills will be essential if he wishes to get a decent job with a decent employer.

Aaron, if building within the 40 hour time constraint you mentioned in your first post is not an issue then please ignore all my previous posts and I apologise for wasting your time.

2. I don't think anyone has mentioned Aaran being too young for this project? I mentioned youthful exuberance but I didn't say it was a bad thing....it's just something that has potential to at times interfere with logical thinking and good planning. I'm 52 and at times I make stuff ups that can be tracked back to me getting exuberant and short cutting the planning stages of a task...call it geriatric exuberance.
3. Aaron you're by no means obliged to follow the advice of anyone in here. Alot of advice has been put on the table by alot people from different backgrounds and with varying levels of experience. It's up to you who;s advice you take on board.
4. My experience for what it's worth.....6 acoustic guitars under my belt (classicals and steel strings) along with a Renaissance 7 course lute currently under construction. My first guitar was built in a class environment and under tight time constraints....with a well known New Zealand and Canadian luthier supervising. I quickly learned that a plan was the only way I was going to have the guitar finished by the time we got kicked out of the workshop.
5. I work in a job where mistakes on my part can cost my client a day in lost time while their drilling rig is sitting idle.....Ive learned to plan so that multiple tasks get finished within very tight time constraints and often under less than ideal working conditions. Alot of my time is also spent dealing with people who don't plan their tasks....alot of the time these people end up injuring themselves.
6. Aaran mate, If youve decided which guitar youre going to build (this hasnt been obvious until the post you put up as I was editing this one) and you've got a plan in place then yes buy wood and start making templates. Do everything you can do without having to be in the workshop.

No more posts from me on this thread....good luck with the build Arran and hope you get a good mark for same.

Cheers Martin

just letting everyone know that i appreciate everyones advice wether it be positive or negative, so by all means i would still appreciate you to post here if need be but the last thing i want is to be starting arguments.

again thanks for the advice

just read that the templates from guitartemplates.com take about 4-8 weeks to deliver. im thinking this is to long

does anyone know of any other sites (preferably aussie) to get templates???

draw up your design and make your templates out of mdf

iv read reviews of tele and rg templates from guitartemplates.com being cnc'ed wrong and the seller not giving a rats a$$

Which part of the guitar were you looking to use rock maple on.
Gibson only used it for the front cap on the body, mahogany on the rest.
It would make for a VERY heavy guitar if used for the full body and neck.

You could always ask the guys at guitar templates if they have this in stock and can expedite delivery.

Still think it's too big a job for a first but good luck.

Originally Posted by Andrew_B

draw up your design and make your templates out of mdf

iv read reviews of tele and rg templates from guitartemplates.com being cnc'ed wrong and the seller not giving a rats a$$

Hey Arran, Found this on Ebay, Guitar PLANS - Gibson Les Paul double cutaway fullscale - eBay, Guitar Builder Luthier Supply, Guitar, Musical Instruments. (end time 08-Jul-10 13:43:45 AEST) not a template but an actual scale plan. If you cant get hold of a template, this could be your next best bet. Andrew B's Idea is probably the safest though, at least then you can be sure of your accuracy.

Ox

Originally Posted by arran101

just letting everyone know that i appreciate everyones advice wether it be positive or negative, so by all means i would still appreciate you to post here if need be but the last thing i want is to be starting arguments.

again thanks for the advice

No argument...... just two opposing points of view. Part of your project is seeking advice and sifting through same when it arrives.

Ive said all I need to say...will drop in and check up on progress though.

Cheers Martin

i think buying templates will factor into how he is marked on the project

drawing it up himself is a must....
im sure i was marked on every drawing i did for every major project through highschool,

making the templates out of mdf should give you extra marks? marks you will need if you dont have the guitar finished and playing when time is up?

listen to Martin... he is (old and) wise

as he has said, to get this done in the time you have, you most likely have to strip it down barebones...

im going to go ahead and assume you plan to buy a slotted fretboard,
machine heads, nut blank, pups, TOM bridge and tailpiece, pots, switch, jack, jack plate, wire, fretwire, inlay dots, side dots, truss rod, strap buttons, strings, knobs, body wood, neck wood, you will probably have to buy a template router bit of two and a radius sanding block aswell...

if it was me, i would strip it right down...

flat top mahogany body, maybe bolt on maple or mahogany neck (a bolt on neck with ferrules give better access than those bloody horrid gibson neck joints haha), wrap around bridge, maybe drop to just a pickup in the bridge position, scarfed headstock, wipe on finish

basically you are already one up on us all here as you are using the schools fully equipt workshop?...

order the parts in advance and use them to draw up your plan

Originally Posted by Andrew_B

i think buying templates will factor into how he is marked on the project

drawing it up himself is a must....
im sure i was marked on every drawing i did for every major project through highschool,

making the templates out of mdf should give you extra marks? marks you will need if you dont have the guitar finished and playing when time is up?

listen to Martin... he is (old and) wise

as he has said, to get this done in the time you have, you most likely have to strip it down barebones...

im going to go ahead and assume you plan to buy a slotted fretboard,
machine heads, nut blank, pups, TOM bridge and tailpiece, pots, switch, jack, jack plate, wire, fretwire, inlay dots, side dots, truss rod, strap buttons, strings, knobs, body wood, neck wood, you will probably have to buy a template router bit of two and a radius sanding block aswell...

if it was me, i would strip it right down...

flat top mahogany body, maybe bolt on maple or mahogany neck (a bolt on neck with ferrules give better access than those bloody horrid gibson neck joints haha), wrap around bridge, maybe drop to just a pickup in the bridge position, scarfed headstock, wipe on finish

basically you are already one up on us all here as you are using the schools fully equipt workshop?...

order the parts in advance and use them to draw up your plan

thanks for the advice, im thinking of buying a bolt on telecaster style neck (have always liked the tele necks) and making just a mahogany and maple body, hopefully saving time