LP/Special hybrid build

Corvus

I'm doing another one of one of these LP flat top/Specials, for our own Ross @webrthomson ;. Which I'm calling LPX as a model name until the fairly unlikely event of a better idea coming along. It's going to be similar, Mojo P90s and walnut/maple, mahogany. neck.

Very happy to be doing another, apart from glad to be back on set-necks, it's about my favourite thing to play, sounds great clean or filthy and came in at a pretty chuckable 7 lbs.

Sorry about the rubbish pics, but here's some bits of tree:

A large slab of black walnut:

Honduran or African mahogany neck blanks and some fretboards. Going with the top rosewood fretboard it's nice & dark & crispy.
I may cut the African neck blank as well but started on the Honduran. It's nice and light

TTony

If I was speccing a guitar, it wouldn’t be very different!

Corvus

Roughed in three sides of the neck blank on the planer/thicknesser, finessed with the plane.

Then it got split in two and one length flipped on end. That gives opposing/symmetrical growth rings, in theory makes for a more stable piece.

Testing for dry fit after hand planing the freshly cut sides.

Got it glued & clamped up, and left sat for a couple of days to get used to it's new self.
It might just be deep enough for one-piece, but might get a scarfed head again, at least it'll be nice & strong. I use an 11 degree angle too.

Corvus

Today the walnut got thinned and outlined. Being a bit of a wild child you can get small knots and voids appearing, so I sneak up on each side till it's clear which will be the back face.
Inevitably the sides show some knots and there is one small void to fill, but it's all good character.

Corvus

A tiny smiling ghost face in the walnut

Self portrait

Corvus

TTony said:

If I was speccing a guitar, it wouldn’t be very different!

Thanks Tony!

Corvus

So temptation struck.. spotted a pretty tasty maple top set, high priced but had to do it... Pics when it lands of course. I reckon it'll sit nicely with the walnut, hope so anyway!

davros

Just my kind of build! Subbed!

Corvus

Cheers I've been following yours, looks great, and totally love that colour! 

webrthomson

Woo hoo - this ones for me - subscribed

Nice grain on the walnut indeed Bill!

Deadman

Now you’re just spoiling us, Bill.

Danielsguitars

Nice sounds like a great guitar, I'll be keeping yours company at some point with a telepaul for Ross, workshops next and a bloody nightmare but needs doing badly.

Rabs

Nice I think walnut is an underused guitar wood.. One of my next builds will be all black walnut.....  

Corvus

Nice one Darren. Sympathies on the workshop... been thinking about moving but not sure I can face it.
And hi Rabs, good to see you around. Like I said before playing one of your walnut ones made me want to use it in a body, I like it a lot.

Corvus

The new top set is jointed/glued and on the body, currently covered in clamps so no pic yet. But here's one of the tops before working on 'em-

Corvus

Rough-bandsawed the head angle and set about that with the plane


And dead-on 11 degrees, happy with that

Corvus

Truss rod routed, one level for the main rods, an extra step down for the anchor blocks at either end and another depth for the adjuster. It sits in there very nice and snug


Debating whether to do a Junior style tenon but with thinner lip as before, or LP style.

Rabs

Corvus said:

Nice one Darren. Sympathies on the workshop... been thinking about moving but not sure I can face it.
And hi Rabs, good to see you around. Like I said before playing one of your walnut ones made me want to use it in a body, I like it a lot.

Well its nice that I have at least has some effect on someone with my builds    I think that was just a walnut top though..  This time I am doing a full on walnut build.. In fact the body I have is very similar to yours in looks. I just cant quite decide if I want it just as a slab body (where I will carve the top) or chamber it a bit and put a nice top on it. I have a couple of maple tops (one spalted) that I have been waiting to use for a while but I like the idea of a Gibson Firebrand type guitar.. 

This one
https://i.imgur.com/27ttfwa.jpg

webrthomson

Bill @Corvus looking great already - loving the maple top

Danielsguitars said:

Nice sounds like a great guitar, I'll be keeping yours company at some point with a telepaul for Ross, workshops next and a bloody nightmare but needs doing badly.

Hey Darren @Danielsguitars - looking forward to comparing the P90 in this to the staple in the telepaul, best to luck on the workshop clearing, sounds like a bear!

@Rabs it was actually one of your guitars that started me on P90's - this one:

Danielsguitars

webrthomson said:

Bill @Corvus looking great already - loving the maple top

Danielsguitars said:

Nice sounds like a great guitar, I'll be keeping yours company at some point with a telepaul for Ross, workshops next and a bloody nightmare but needs doing badly.

Hey Darren @Danielsguitars - looking forward to comparing the P90 in this to the staple in the telepaul, best to luck on the workshop clearing, sounds like a bear!

@Rabs it was actually one of your guitars that started me on P90's - this one:

Thanks Ross @webrthomson, yes the workshop is a ball ache but will really help upping my productivity and keep me alot more organised.

Comparing the two will be definitely interesting, even the unplugged sound in general.

My new favourite is my flat top burst, it's bloody superb with a paf style bridge and p90 neck, I also think a wraparound adds something nice to the sound.

Rabs

webrthomson said:

Bill @Corvus looking great already - loving the maple top

Danielsguitars said:

Nice sounds like a great guitar, I'll be keeping yours company at some point with a telepaul for Ross, workshops next and a bloody nightmare but needs doing badly.

Hey Darren @Danielsguitars - looking forward to comparing the P90 in this to the staple in the telepaul, best to luck on the workshop clearing, sounds like a bear!

@Rabs it was actually one of your guitars that started me on P90's - this one:

Ahh yes.. And I believe they were Gibson P90s too.. There really is nothing quite like them. One thing Gibson probably do, do better than anyone else. And once you acquire that taste its hard to go back.  Not that other pickups dont have their place. But P90s rock hard...