Pink Korina LP Build

davros · March 28

It's been a while since I finished my last build, a white LP custom.

I've started planning the next build. It will be a slow burner as I have a lot of home projects that need doing over the summer.

The plan is a broadly:
- a 54 Les Paul, but...
- White limba / korina body and neck
- Fully chambered with the top carved internally
- Firebird pickups in mini humbucker rings (P90 route)
- Wraptail or tunomatic with Bigsby
- Yellowed shell pink top, natural back

A lot of the build will be similar to my other builds so I won't go crazy with details but will post progress pics.

Inspo for this were the Bartlett explorer and a pink LP I played at the weekend at the Gibson Garage in London. The LP was 9 grand and the relicing was not great.

davros · April 26

Timber has arrived from Guitars and Woods. White limba body blank and neck blank, plain maple top and rosewood slotted fingerboard.

The body blank is a reasonable weight, but the neck black is suuuper light. It's only a 40mm depth blank, so I had them cut a scarf joint to get a 17 degree back angle.

I did wonder whether the neck was a different species. The grain looks a bit different with wide rings on the neck, but from the side it's quite similar. I was just quite shocked by the weight, and it sounds like a xylophone when knocked. I haven't seen any other limba to know for sure - any timber experts that would know?

Pictures of top and side of the neck vs body below, neck on the right.

guitargeek62 · April 26

Yep, that’s still limba on the neck - the wider-grain pieces crop up fairly regularly depending on the cut etc.

Teyeplayer · April 27

And following. Having been lucky enough to spend a couple of minutes with one of your other builds when I picked up the ac30, this looks to be a belter.

davros · May 5

Got started yesterday routing the body outline and hogging out the chambers. My new famag fostner bit is a million times better than the screwfix set I was using before.

Then I managed to stick a chisel through my right hand thumb and forefinger, so after getting those stitched back together my bank holiday weekend of building is ruined! Slow progress expected for a few weeks.

guitargeek62 · May 6

Owch, I feel for you - I did something similar with a slipped chisel into the side of my left-hand (how?!?!) once and out through my palm. I’ve still got some nerve damage on that side of the hand and two fingers, but hey ho!

I’ll check out those forstner bits too, as I need a new set

davros · May 6

They're not cheap, so I just got one, the right size for a LP jack socket, but big enough to hog out cavities too.

davros · May 12

Had a productive weekend, got the body hollowed out, top flattened and jointed and glued on. Neck is ready to carve after scarfing, adding ears and routing for truss rod.

The neck is VERY light, 300 grams before carving, without truss rod or fretboard. I'm not sure whether this means it will be weak or bendy, or I should be happy. I'm wondering if I should add some carbon fibre rods or something. Experts please chime in!

Annoyingly after thinning the headstock, a brown mark has appeared. I think I'll either leave it, put an inlay over it or maybe fill it and do a pink stinger to match the front of the body.

After a delivery from Manchester Guitar Tech, I've sone a tester for the shell pink. One without any topcoat, and then 1, 2 and 3 coats of light amber. I'm leaning toward one coat, maybe 2.

WezV · May 12

If it's quartersawn you should be fine without CF rods, just let the truss rod do it's thing.

If in doubt though, use them. I laminated my last limba neck as I wasn't sure about it

I think I'd stinger that headstock

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Pink Korina LP Build

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