My 8 string build:)

[Adam]

Umm its really going to suck Clamping things up with the Wings pre cut
ALSO your going to need the edges that glue to the neck to be PERFECT and flat so you need to joint them and with the body cut out already you are going to lose some wood and you may have to mod your design a bit

I hope it all works out man

Ive got updated pics, that was my rough cut result, now after alot of sanding and cutting, the edges lie completely flat and level against a 2x4, all the egdes(except for the one that will lie against the neck plank) have been rounded, the belly cut has been made, the arm countour has been sanded as well, the control cavity has been routed, the back of the lower horn has been sculpted and the output jackhole has been drilled.

 

[skinhead]

Nice, Adam. It's not my cup of tea the bodyshape, but seems that you are working very well in it.

BTW, yeah, clamping before you cut the wings it's a pain in the ass, i preffer to clamp with the solid piece of wood. But you know, the artist with his art.

 

[SHREDTOKILL]

looks liek you need alot more sanding and shaping to get some defined lines like in the drawings dude.

 

[skinhead]

looks liek you need alot more sanding and shaping to get some defined lines like in the drawings dude.

Yeah, but think that when you do a mockup it's not going to looks = that in the real life. It's only a mockup, to have an idea.

 

[Adam]

looks liek you need alot more sanding and shaping to get some defined lines like in the drawings dude.

I liked hoe the left wing turned out even if its not like in my drawing, as for the right wing a bit more shaping on the lower horn still needs to be done.

 

[BRUTALIZER GUITARS]

DUDE get a Spindle sander

it will make life SO MUCH NICER when sanding that guitar, and if thats out of your price range than get some sanding drums and a drill press.


Also by the looks of things you need to make some Jigs and templates!! with the Spindle sander this is really really easy to do. pick up a few sheets of MDF board from 1/4" thick to 1/2" or 5/8"s depending on your router set up, also do you have a Jointer? Im still woried about your Glue up edge's on the Body Wings.

If theres any thing I can help ya with or walk you thru let me know man

 

[Adam]

Update:
did a little more shaping on the lower horn and cutaway
Also Mike Sherman is starting on the neck tommorow!

 

[yevetz]

So I decided that 7 string and 24 frets weren't enough for me I went with the low F# route because with the extra frets I may not need a high A, Ive been tinkering with a cool all access super strat, which is to scale so the guitar will turn out like I've drawn(bridge, p/u's, neck all in the same place as in pictures) P.S. Im no artist:

Here are the specs:
Scale lenth: 27"

Neck: Ibanez profile multi-laminate maple neck with Purple Heart, 30 fret (Dunlop 6000's) Neck thru 8 string neck which will be built by Mike Sherman

Body wings: 1 piece swamp ash

Finish: natural

Electronics: 2 Active EMG 808's

Controls: 3 way toggle switch, volume

Bridge: Hipshot 8 fixed

Special features: Cooley style cutaway lower horn but more stylish and 4" between tip of lower horn and the neck, beveled front and back lower horn, cutaway meets at 29th fret, depth of cutaway is beyond 30th fret, so access is phenominal)

The cost of this project will be under about $900 american, because Im doing all the work myself except the neck.

I am going to start this projet in about 2 weeks, when my parts start coming in, should be done before the summer.
Comments? Suggestions?

Heres a pic of my weird cat licking the window clean

Your cat is awesome Guitar project too

 

[skinhead]

Adam, maybe it's me, but those horns look very fragile.

 

[Adam]

Adam, maybe it's me, but those horns look very fragile.

Trust theyre VERY solid, Swamp ash is a pretty dense wood, and as stated before they are in fact thicker than Ibanezs lower horn which is basswood, so if mines fragile, theirs is extremely fragile.
Update I am now going with the EMG HZ 40s, at first I wasnt sure, but then I asked Mike Sherman about it and he said this:

Well, my guitar player who is an amazing player put the 8 string though it`s paces last night at our gig.
I was amazed how well the HZ voiced in the guitar.
I kind of knew it would as it falls in the frequency range of an 8 string. My guitar player said "this thing blows away any guitar I have ever played before and all of my guitars feel like toys compared to this one".

He said it sounds awesome and every note just screams and is ultra clear. He ran it through a tech 21 amp which is not really the ideal amp for an 8 string, and it sounded killer.

He called this morning and wants a 7 string just like it.

So my general conclusion is it is a good pickup for a 7/8 string guitar. No, it`s not a Lundgren, but I am happy with the way it voices for the Serius model with Maple top on mahogany.
The price is right too!

 

[Adam]

UPDATE!
The EMGS are in! as well as the rest of the electronics(toggle switch, potentioameter(sp?) wiring, outpust jack etc.)

Did a mockup of the control/p/u layoutand yes everythings in the right spot and that is the actual width between the wings)
And yes,before anyone says it, this will be a big guitar, Ive decided to make the body in proportion to the neck for balance and looks, unlike some other designs Ive seen such as ibanezs bright idea of slapping on a 8 string neck onto a 6 string RG sized body

Now ive been trying to decide which would be better:

or

(note that the fretboard is being dyed black so I find it would contrast the white quite nicely)

Basically the only things missing are the bridge(which should be coming in soon shortly) the .005 GG strings, and the neck from Mike Sherman which is still being built.


O yeah here are the new specs for it:

Scale: 25.5"

Bridge: black hipshot 8 string

Neck thru

Hardware (tuning keys, toggle switch, bridge): black

Fretboard wood: unbound dyed/painted black rosewood with centered small pearloid dots( like the ones on the new Ibanez RG1527)

Neck material: Ibanez profile-with flat thin as possible back- 5 piece multi-laminate neck with Purple Heart.

Frets: 27 frets - Dunlop 6000

Radius: 16 degrees

P/U's: 2 EMG 40 HZ's(as recommended by Mike Sherman)

3 way LP style toggle switch

1 500K volume pot

The lower cutaway to meets at the 25th. Fret.

Dunlop strap locks

Finish: TBD

Tung oil for back of the neck

And since the lower cut-away is so deep, wide, and contoured, the neck as thin as the RC model with the biggest frets available and now with the high A string, it is a shredders dream guitar.

 

[OzzyC]

There you go again, always changing your specs.


It looks like it's coming along, soon you'll have it complete!

 

[Adam]

There you go again, always changing your specs.


It looks like it's coming along, soon you'll have it complete!

Actually those have been the same specs since I decided to go with the high A route a while ago
I just never got around to postin em

 

[OzzyC]

Actually those have been the same specs since I decided to go with the high A route a while ago
I just never got around to postin em

Sure

 

[canuck brian]

How much those EMG's run ya?

(parts are coming! I'm still screaming at Hipshot.)

 

[Adam]

How much those EMG's run ya?

(parts are coming! I'm still screaming at Hipshot.)

$83 CND each at stewmac.com

 

[canuck brian]

Hmmm..that's a pretty decent price. I'll have to keep that in mind.

As a heads up here, i'd avoid further shaping or sanding until you've got those wings attached to the neck. You're going to lose some material when you do the final sanding, you might put some dents in the wood when you clamp it up blah blah blah. If you've got the cut off's from those wings, they're good for clamping blocks as they fit nice and snug against the wings.

Big thing to do would be to make templates for ANY cut or drilling you're doing. Even half a millimeter discrepancy is brutal to look at when you're building it yourself.

I'd **highly** advise looking up any process you're doing on the guitar on Project Guitar to get some pointers. I did that for drilling the ferrule holes on the front and back and they turned out perfect....

I think the horns look good, but the lower horn might be pretty fragile.

 

[Adam]

Hmmm..that's a pretty decent price. I'll have to keep that in mind.

As a heads up here, i'd avoid further shaping or sanding until you've got those wings attached to the neck. You're going to lose some material when you do the final sanding, you might put some dents in the wood when you clamp it up blah blah blah. If you've got the cut off's from those wings, they're good for clamping blocks as they fit nice and snug against the wings.

Big thing to do would be to make templates for ANY cut or drilling you're doing. Even half a millimeter discrepancy is brutal to look at when you're building it yourself.

I'd **highly** advise looking up any process you're doing on the guitar on Project Guitar to get some pointers. I did that for drilling the ferrule holes on the front and back and they turned out perfect....

I think the horns look good, but the lower horn might be pretty fragile.

Yeah Im done with the shaping/sanding I like how it is, as for the drilling Im leaving that to my grandfather who is a wood worker. For the lower horn trust its VERY solid, Swamp ash is a pretty dense wood, and as stated before they are in fact thicker than Ibanezs lower horn which is basswood, so if mines fragile, theirs is extremely fragile.

 

[canuck brian]

Awesome - i can't wait to see this beast done! Another 8 in the wild is just what we need.

 

[guitarplayerone]

as per the PM you havent considered kahler 8 trems?Kahler 8 string tremolo system, Hybrid flat mounted tremolo

EDIT:: sorry read earlier...

swap it out when you get the cash though- youll love yourself for it