NGD - Swift Lite own build

Andyjr1515

A number of you will have seen this on the build diaries but, as this one has been built for myself, I've also awarded myself a NGD



And I'm well pleased with it

On the one hand, it's a bit of a test bed - in progressive builds I've been experimenting with lighter and slimmer designs.  On the other it is entirely practical - I have a potentially nasty and progressive arthritis in both hands and am now struggling with some of my heavier and bulkier guitars.

I've got a couple of tweaks that I will do over the next couple of months but it was very nicely playable straight off the workbench.

Spec is : 

• 25" scale
• Camphor-laurel top; sapele back; wenge demarcation
• Maple/ purpleheart/ mahogany neck
• Snakewood fretboard
• Tonerider Alnico IV Classic humbuckers
• Vol/Vol/Master Tone; 3 way; Toggle splits
• Weight 5lbs 14oz (planned tweaks will get it down to 5 3/4lbs)
  

There's some more info on the build thread in terms of where this has evolved from but, in brief, the shape is identical to a piccolo bass I designed last year for our band's bassist, and the woods are identical (apart from the fretboard) to @impmann 's Alembic-esque completed last month.

Here are some more shots:






Well chuffed

 

impmann

Lovely!!! :-)

Andyjr1515

impmann said:

Lovely!!! :-)

Thanks, Tim    Yours still going OK?

Sassafras

I like that.
How wide is the neck? It looks like it would be easy to play.

Andyjr1515

Sassafras said:

I like that.
How wide is the neck? It looks like it would be easy to play.

Thanks

It's 42mm at the nut.

I'm pleased with the neck.  I took the basic profile from my favourite playing guitar and then once it was basically finished, strung it up and, holding it like a back-to-front cello, skimmed it lightly with a cabinet scraper until, back in the playing position, it felt right.

It is very slightly v-shaped - giving me the depth for bar chords but taking the haunches away making it much more comfortable for playing.  It's finished with Osmo polyx satin and is silky smooth.  I have to say, for me, it's very very nice to play.  

The body, though, needs a couple of tweaks to get it just right.  But I'll play it a bit more before I get the rasp file out  

Adam_MD

Looks awesome Andy

proggy

It looks lovely and posh, like a Rolls Royce dashboard.

DulcetJones

Wow!  Very impressive.

Andyjr1515

Thanks, folks

LuttiS

Giving you a wis for a build well done - you have enough wows

Looks totally awesome - does it feel odd at all playing such a light guitar compared to "normal" heavier ones?

impmann

Andyjr1515 said:

impmann said:

Lovely!!! :-)

Thanks, Tim    Yours still going OK?

Yep. Its been used for a couple of little recording projects - still lovely.

Andyjr1515

impmann said:

Andyjr1515 said:

impmann said:

Lovely!!! :-)

Thanks, Tim    Yours still going OK?

Yep. Its been used for a couple of little recording projects - still lovely.

Great

sticker

I like that a lot !  Lovely headstock shape too ! 

Andyjr1515

LuttiS said:

Giving you a wis for a build well done - you have enough wows

Looks totally awesome - does it feel odd at all playing such a light guitar compared to "normal" heavier ones?

Thanks, @LuttiS ;

MrsAndyjr1515 would say that me and wisdom are mutually exclusive concepts

It feels completely normal to play.  At a touch under 6lbs it isn't a super-lightweight, I suppose.

  Where you notice it is when you strap on a guitar 'normal' weight of, say 7 1/2lbs afterwards.  That feels ridiculously heavy.  It's why my beautiful and much loved 10 1/2lb Les Paul will shortly be in the classifieds...

Andyjr1515

sticker said:

I like that a lot !  Lovely headstock shape too ! 

Thanks.  I like it too.  It's very similar to @impmann 's headstock but without the end cutaway.  

It's probably not to everyone's taste but, to be honest, there are relatively limited options if you want to keep straight string runs on a 3 a side headstock.