Portable Guitar Project

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TheJaug

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I'm a beginner in terms of building guitars, but for my first project I plan to build a portable guitar. I know that guitars with folding necks already exist, but these require re-tuning ect. every time you unfold. My plan is to build an effectively through-neck guitar with a reverse headstock. This block, from the nut to about 60mm past the bridge will be one "part" and the rest of the body will disassemble into 3 more parts. These parts can then be reattached together to form a smaller, portable item with a length of around 700mm. This will also reduce the risk of damaging the guitar during transport.
Im thinking that it should be a semi-acoustic to keep both the size and the weight down. I've drawn a few design sketches, and I'll upload them to this thread shortly.
To increase its appeal as a "travel" guitar I also thought that I should put a speaker in between two pickups, where a sound-hole should be on an acoustic.

Any advice, tips, things to be careful about, or general feedback would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Josh
 

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TheJaug

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In terms of pickups, I'm thinking piezoelectric under-the-saddle? Probably the simplest to install, and would save me a lot of space.

What I've bought:
A set of 6 tuning pegs
A pre-cut fretboard
plenty of strings
A truss rod
10 neodymium magnets with holes cut out of the middle for attachment to the wood
a bridge
and about to order this Acoustic 5-Band EQ Equalizer Guitar Preamp Piezo Pickup LCD Tuner UK | eBay
 
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TheJaug

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IMG_20140305_125513_zpse95ebf08.jpg


So theres a poorly proportioned innaccurate drawing of the working guitar.
Im working on a decent one...
 
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TheJaug

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Ok, so update:
Ive routed my neck


And glued the truss rod in (I think Gibson-style?)


Also, for anyone who's still a bit confused, I've done a slightly better freehand sketch of the exploded product. (Except I haven't drawn the head - just realised that. But you can see how that's going to fit in.)
IMG_20140313_215211_zps6d78e205.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Ive ordered a bunch of Neodymium magnets to hold everything in place. Since both ends of the strap are attached to the central block, there shouldn't be too much pressure exerted on any of the joints. However, I am concerned that the magnets might have an effect on the strings themselves? Is that going to be an issue?

Also, I'm having a couple of other dilemmas: 1 - I've got a Piezoelectric pick-up that will fit under the bridge, however, I haven't got a drill bit (or whatever its called for a router) that's small enough for the job. The slot need to be very tight to make sure the pick-up picks up correctly. Would it be ok to epoxy resin or PVA the bridge into the slot, so that there's no tilting, or will that mean that it wont pick up anything?

2 - The in terms of the electronics there are 3 parts - the pick-up, the pre-amp and the output jack. If you look at the diagram, you can see that the place where all three of these are meant to go, are on separate pieces. Now, the connection between the pick-up and the pre-amp is fine, Even if they are on separate parts, I can leave it as a loose wire, and it can simply be plugged in every time that it is assembled to be used. However, the connection between the pre-amp and the output jack is more complicated, and I'd rather have that permanently attached. Any ideas on where I should put them?

Also, one last thing, the pick-up set came with a little green square. anyone know what this is for? I have no clue.

I would appreciate any help or advice or anything, really.
Thanks
 
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