SnakeBite Guitars

[Metallipea]

Hello!

I´m Maiko Saluorg from Estonia, Northern Europe. I am the main luthier and contact person of SnakeBite Guitars. We manufacture handmade custom guitars and basses, near our capital city of Tallinn.

Our focus is to build fully personal guitars to meet players every need, we will possibly launch some small series production in near future, but right now we build only all out custom guitars...whatever you like, from strange and extreme, to traditional. I myself look challenges and if it´s possible to build then I´ll find a way.

In this thread you can see our finished instruments, unfinished business and some details about the builds.

To get more information, or share some cool ideas, feel free to message me, or go to our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/SnakeBiteGuitars

 

[Metallipea]

Thought I´d start this thread off with a little history lesson.

My first and current main guitar, built in 2010.

27" Baritone
neck-thru (maple/bubinga 5 ply)
Two-way truss rod
Mahagony body
ebony fretboard
24 frets (jumbo)
Seymour Duncan AHB-1 Blackout bridge pickup
Grover tuners
TOM Bridge
String thru

Wanted a simple beast - a workhorse, it has went through fire and flames literally and it still stays in tune and plays very nice. Body resonates very well, it´s lightweight and you can feel every note you play. Neck is inspired from Ibanez necks, thin and smooth...

It has all the battlewounds on the pictures already, but I like it and it still inspires me a lot.

Now lets see it´s replacement, because I have changed as a person and my musical needs are different, so I will jump from first to last and this is my newest personal project. Still 6 strings, but small development from the first one It´s just my current dream guitar, own design and just what I need...

It´s still in works, but not for long...

Specs:

Flame maple top
Ebony fretboard
Sapele body
Set neck (maple/wenge/bubinga 7ply)
2 way truss rod
Custom String thru block (bolt together)
Black ice overdrive (for testing purposes)
Schaller TOM piezo bridge
BKP Nailbomb bridge humbucker
BKP Irish Tour neck single coil
24 frets
pushpull (master tone/piezo vol (if possible also piezo on/off))
2 vol (one master, one for blending the bridge pickup into the mix)
considering and designing inlays, maybe aluminum of some sort...

Headstock plate done, just taped the fretboard on, to see how it fits...

Body roughly in shape...

My first adrenalin rush, after opening best part of the shipments that arrived almost at the same time...

Custom string thru blocks, they bolt together and need to be finished, before installing, made to my specs...

And one of my latest orders from Greece, an 8 string beast ready to recive up to 090 gauge strings:

Walnut top
Sapele body
Neck-thru (bubinga/maple 5ply)
30" scale
Ebony fretboard
creme binding all around
2 two way truss rods
Hipshot locking tuners and bridge

Test fitting the fretboard with tape, to see if it´s all fine

Mess on the table, but binding job well done


Will post more soon, but it should give a taste, what I´m up to in near future...

 

[Metallipea]

Hello,

here are few finished instruments:

More pictures coming soon...

 

[Solodini]

That singlecut is really nice.

 

[MAJ Meadows SF]

Indeed. Very interesting single cut shape, the near finished one with flame maple. Looking forward to seeing how that turns out!

 

[Metallipea]

Some time has passed and I have few guitars coming out. You can check the SnakeBite Guitars Facebook for updates, but here are few pictures from my recent weeks

8 string beast...

Even the dust is fearing this machine...

...

Some diamonds in the rough, ready to be inlayed

And for bass guys, I started carving the top, to be as round and nice to hold, as possible.

Currently working on our website and some products, we plan to launch this year also, so be patient and rock on

M.Saluorg
SnakeBite Guitars

 

[Metallipea]

As I struggled to get off the dayjob express, I now have made the leap of faith - today actually and I now try to live off of my business. I really appreciate the support I´m getting from the customers and currently I am building 4 instruments, two of them are nearly finished, 2 are less so. As I´m planing my next few prototypes and first acoustic builds, I try to post here also more often. My dream is to get my own workshop and build some all out custom guitars and if some designs take off, I might take them to production also. I need to get a proper camera also, but until then I must accept my phone camera.

Anyway let me know, if you like some of these instruments pictured here previously and I´ll try to crank out as many new pictures, as I can.

Sanding of the fretboard in progress...

Some blanks may be familiar from few previous pictures, but the redwood blank (in the middle) is up for grabs, if someone want´s a salvaged redwood top with a nice custom design guitar...let me know

One explorer coming, basicly KL Explorer, as customer wanted to have this sort of build, so I will do my best...sapele mahagony at it´s best, quartersawn and straight grain, love the weight and looks, now need to wait for the sound!

Neck that goes with the explorer build. Bubinga/wenge set neck and a very snugg 2-way truss rod.

Work in progress...

Another neck, this time maple/wenge neck-thru bass build, I have picture of this one somewhere here already

One cool random guy sitting at my dining desk

And I´m one happy builder, as this guitar has been performing well, some days I get to play it also, but it recently had a chance to play blues in Estonian biggest TV channel and on the picture it´s rocking on a jazz festival

As I´m new here, I really hope to get as much feedback, tips and ideas, as possible and I´m really stoked to see some amazing builds in other threads too.

Thank you, see you soon
M.Saluorg

 

[Solodini]

Ah, I only just noticed you're in Tallinn. My friend runs a brewery there, Põhjala Pruulikoda. Ever encountered them? They make really good stuff and seem to growing in popularity in the area. Good way to relax after a hard day's woodworking!

 

[Metallipea]

Ah, I only just noticed you're in Tallinn. My friend runs a brewery there, Põhjala Pruulikoda. Ever encountered them? They make really good stuff and seem to growing in popularity in the area. Good way to relax after a hard day's woodworking!

Yes I have tested their beer also, there is another one even closer to my home and workshop "Lehe Pruulikoda", they have similar idea, but a different taste. And it´s very good way to relax.

Cheers man

 

[hikizume976]

digging that singlecut!

 

[Metallipea]

Welcome to my update on how I got started with this guitar building stuff.

If I can help you with your builds in any way, let me know, maybe I know something you don´t, or maybe you have suggestions for me. I´m still young and learning my craft, I have few best Estonian luthiers behind my back, so to speak, I can call them any time and although I learn a lot from them, there is always room for developement.

If you have inlay experience, then "I´m one big ear" as I have to start adding more complex inlays and I have most of the stuff I need for that already. If you have tips, P.M. me and we can discuss the stuff.

Thanks in advance.

Thought I´d post older pictures too, although they lack in photo quality, then at least you know where I come from... and well I just found the pictures again, that´s the main reason.

Long story short:

2011 march, I guess I finished my first build, that started in 2010.

Tested the oil on the headplate from the anticipation...first guitar still

Half-Custom knob

Transition to another build, where neck through baritone needed some adjustments, but 7 stringer was almost finished.

Nice Hipshot tuners Been using their stuff as much as possible, because I like this quality and customer service a lot.

Cheaper guitar repair/upgrade before...

...and after, just volume pot ground to go and final check to be done, I guess that was the case, as far as I can remember

Musicman meets the strat, body build, was a nice interesting build

...that was the colour with this one and the custom battery compartment, just in case, the client wants to upgrade and to make the body even lighter also.

Anyway that´s it for now, if someone has some unfinished guitar build dreams, let me know, I have a new website coming up, you can subscribe to our newsletter at SnakeBite Guitars Facebook page and let´s prepare for the weekend

 

[Metallipea]

Hello again,

I was wondering, that what do you guys look for in a handmade custom guitar? For me, the guitar is a very personal instrument, it should fit me well and make me want to play it. It should feel natural and make all the right noises, it must be versatile and a bit striking also, but most of all, it should have a personal caracter to it. Currently it would be single-cut, with very flowing and beatuiful, yet sort of edgy design, with some custom hardware and features, like piezo system and killer passive guitar pickups, maybe more frets than usual, neck taylored to me and carved top that would make all the jaws drop...

Anyway, I got some work done and thought I´d also share some progress on the builds.

The bass has most of the body outer edges carved, only the horns left to rough out, then we go on to finer smoothing and what not...

Same story here

Added some oil to the top, so I could see, how it will look in the end. It will have smoky burst added to it with the stain, but other than that, it is as close, as it gets.

Some custom pickup rings...anyone?

Tele body I built a while ago...

Still working on the website, some custom and co-op projects and I try to post more in our facebook. I have few waiting- and one returning client, who ordered a Telecaster body, now wanting a jazzmaster style build from me, because the tele turned out to be a workhorse of a guitar. I have some hardware and merchantise coming out soon, so if the website is going up, you can read the blog, learn maybe something from it and have some of our stuff also.

 

[Metallipea]

8 string beast coming together, front finished, rear and sides need some cleaning up and then we´re golden

 

[Hollowway]

That 8 string is hot!!

 

[Metallipea]

Hi, today I´ll send out the 8 string guitar, that goes to the other side of Europe. Hope it serves the customer well.

Specs:

8 strings
30" scale
24 frets
Neck-through, string-through construction
Hipshot locking tuners and 8 string hardtail bridge
Bare Knuckle Pickups Juggernaut 8 string Bridge Pickup
Sapeli Mahagony body, Maple and Bubinga 5 ply neck
Ebony fretboard
Flamed walnut top and headplate
2 two-way truss rods
TUSQ nut
Creme binding all around
1 vol electronic setup
Slight stained burst and oil finish
Black Straplocks and Gator case
Aluminum custom logo inlay

Lowest to tuners have custom string opening, to accomodate up to .90 and .75 gauge strings accordingly and they feature bass ferrules for this purpose also, the two string through holes are also slightly slanted to ensure, that bass string windings don´t end up on the bridge saddle.

Sorry for the phone pictures, better ones should come also.

Ready for shiping...

Aluminum logo inlay

Almost packaged to the casing the case came in, hoping it will survive and that they treat it right fingers crossed...

 

[Thor1777]

very nice 8 string

 

[Insomnia]

Wow, these look absolutely fantastic! I'd love to review one

 

[Metallipea]

Wow, these look absolutely fantastic! I'd love to review one

We can speak about it, message our Facebook page SnakeBite Guitars.
https://www.facebook.com/SnakeBiteGuitars/
Thank you for the positive feedback

 

[Metallipea]

Recent progress in some builds coming closer to an end.

 

[Metallipea]

Hi there,

just gave this to another customer, he seems to be a happy owner now.
As it´s built for him, it features the options, he asked for. From the neck heel and the neck profile, the overall design and features, all is shaped by his standards.

Specs:

25,5" scale
Fat c neck profile
24 frets
Wenge/Sapele 5 ply neck
Sapele body
Tonepros TOM Bridge and tailpiece
Schaller locking tuners
EMG 81-85 set
Wenge/Sapele headplate design
TUSQ nut
Ebony fretboard
1 vol, 1 tone and 3 way switch
Instrument is ready for passive pickups, if needed.

NB! the pictures were taken just after the assemply, so there is no proper setup done there, that´s why the pickups are so low and what not.

Also I must note, that this is 6 string and not maybe your biggest interest, but I have 9 string and 7 string builds booked for summer, so there will be some extended range stuff also.

One of my customers made a review of this 8 string beast, I finished in the autumn, if you want to see and read about it, then head this way:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/305401-ngd-snakebite-guitars-custom-8-a.html