more sketches

It's been a long time since I didn't draw double-neck guitars. Seems to me that the Flying V is the best design when you have two necks of the same length - I'm surprised that it's not widely used. But a double-neck is better with a regular neck and a baritone neck - the more different the better! And necks should not be parallel of course...

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considerations about a cheap SG

A few days ago I bought on eBay a ridiculously cheap defect guitar that I intend to recycle for a next project. I expected a beaten second hand wreck, but I find myself with a brand new SG type guitar made in China, of a surprisingly good quality for its price. It's far from the Japanese cheapos of the 70s like the ones I bought for the crackle guitars project - of course the wood is super light and the gear feels fragile, and the strings buzz on a quarter of the neck, but it's very playable, confortable, with a fast neck, and well finished. I have no problem practicing on it, independently of its sound (actually I didn't plug it yet so I can't tell about the amplified sound).

That makes me think that not only these Chinese cheap guitars unsettling the western guitar industry might result in a general upgrade of quality for cheaper prices, but also that like stereos and toasters, nobody seems to bother fixing a broken guitar when it's cheaper to dump it and get a new one! This one has something unsoldered in a tone pot (I don't care, I never use tone on guitars), that even I can fix, but no, here it is, never played and ready to be dismembered for a crazy project of mine. I feel like Doktor Frankenstein having asked Igor to bring the corpse of a criminal sentenced to death to built his creature, and being handed an innocent sleeping teenager that he knows he will sacrifice to satisfy his twisted passion...

I also realize that though I didn't like SGs so far, without having ever played any, it has a very nice feel, and I'm reconsidering my preconception...

And my new project? Well, contrarily to the very object of this blog, I will wait until I actually made it to show it here. It's too specific to be given away like I usually do, without any protection... So more later!

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neckless guitar

Neckless guitar

Here we go! I acquired all the gear for my neckless guitar project. Next week I will get the wood - that is going to be the biggest problem for this very experimental prototype. Fortunately I've got quite good advices from a cabinet maker - just about wood, without the preconceptions of a guitar maker... I'm sure at least that it cannot be massive wood, the guitar is one block and would be too prone to twist... I'm quite happy with the glued birch I used for the 7-string but until it's assembled I won't be sure about the sound.

Anyway, this is a little description of the gear: the neck pickup is a second hand Kent Amstrong lipstick pickup from an Ibanez Talman, the bridge pickup is a dual blade humbucker I bought from Eastwood Guitars, the bridge is a Wilkinson wraparound, the tuners are also Wilkinsons, I also have an ebony fretboard and Fender frets, a telecaster knob plate, and a metal nut. That is going to be a strange guitar...

Strat blueprint

A last blueprint, the Strat one - hope it could have interested someone...

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Televangelist in situation

There is a tradition in the guitar world, that is to pair up guitars and young female characters...

I know, I know, this is awfully sexist and gender specific, but it's like posters of Lenin and English pastries, it's part of my cultural background, wether I like it or not.

And since this photo wasn't made for this purpose, but is part of the genuine artistic process for which the guitar was made - and is beautiful -, I won't refuse myself the pleasure to post it here!

tele blueprint

Another blue print, for a tele this time... Strat will follow soon!

more sketches

Some days I fell completely dry, with no new ideas to design guitars, and I have to force myself to keep drawing. But I keep researching and extrapolating and lately I have a a lot of new ideas, combining classic and radical design - though always with an ergonomic concern. I'm quite happy with the latest ones that you can see here.

SG blueprint

Like promised, another blueprint, for a SG this time... You can still get a bigger one by clicking on the small pic - I still have to figure out how to make the real size blueprints downloadable!

edit: people who ask me to send the real size blueprint, be sure that you can receive a 3,5M file.

Les Paul blueprint

Something that might interest amateur guitar builders, blueprint for a Les Paul model (if you click on the smaller pic, you can access bigger size). There will be more later.

Edit: I do send the real size blueprints on request but please send me your e-mail address when asking, it saves time! Also I've been sending about a hundred blueprints but never had any feedback afterward - if you ever build a guitar out of them, please let me know and credit the blog! thank you.

more sketches

more sketches

I've been interested in rectangle guitars lately, first with the hollow-log (I keep thinking about it, could be made out of aluminium since I will get a stock of it soon), and a couple of posts ago exchanging comments about how the use a cutting board to make a guitar... And then I saw Allison Mosshart playing a beautiful white Gretsch Bo Diddley with the Dead Weather on From the Basement (I didn't like this guitar until then).

more sketches

more sketches

I gather here some old sketches that where laying here and there...