Schaller? That's a real company that makes great hardware...so I'm guessing that even if this was their distribution wing of cheap parts, they're probably perfect for what they are (considering the budget level --- like tuners on a Squier guitar might say 'Fender Special' or something, they're just a budget line of a high-end company) Aahh, you said 'scrap guitar', I hope you didn't chop up a gem you didn't know you had! too late anyway
now looking again and hearing your few issues -- I've got an absolutely PERFECT plan for making this build a real players rig... a success and a real badass guitbox. Seriously this could be great. better use of that big neck and pickup --- and fun for you to play:
I just noticed... you easily seem to have the exact space needed on either side of the three saddles for one extra saddle. So you drill extra holes and install an extra saddle on either side. And find acceptable places on the headstock for two more tuners (one in between the two and another on the left-side somewhere pleasing and structurally sound. You'll now have a 5-stringer -- and a 5-string slide guitar is badass and has many precedents -- Keith Richards makes most of his guitars into 5-stingers and always has, and tunes them to alternate tunings to play slide and finger with...
you said the string height is a little high. GOOD. leave it high! Done. You want it higher for slide. Then tune it to whatever people would tune 5 strings to...DADGA?? or DADAD, or DADGD? (or with a different root note of course) either way, you tune it to a nice slide-oriented alt tuning and you call this a "5-string Slide Guitar" -- the string height might be exactly where it needs to be for slide with some finger work...
You just fix the wiring problems and other little things -- maybe relocate the input jack...and do something clever with the old jack hole (I like the idea of treating those 'screwups' as a chance for doing something cool you'd never thought of. Like routing for and epoxying in a brass arcade coin or cool real coin or medal as an 'inlay' __ I have a couple arcade coins that have cool old tyme lettering, "No Cash Value" I thought that'd be cool to inlay into a headstock or somewhere.
But boy, I think this guit would go from 'OK, has some issues for a 3-String Guitar, not bad for a first build' ---to a total success as a 5-String Slide.
and if the strings space a little wider than a 6-stringer? So much the better -- for a little room to grab the strings, more like some acoustic guitar spacing.
And sure, a deeper box will make something boomier. I just read a good article by a top boutique acoustic maker...he said he builds his sides very thick laminate, like drum construction, unlike most acoustic makers who make very thin bent sides...he said he follows drum logic..the stiffer the sides are they get taken out of the sound equation so the top and back now act like drum heads for a more pure and focussed tone. so maybe think about that 'thicker sides, thin stiff top and back' (with a little bracing perhaps?
as for your fret-board...you may have heard this -- Ebony is tends to be brighter. Rosewood to be warmer. I think neck wood is more important if you're really talking about primary tone...mahogany and softer woods tend to be darker/mellower, Maple and harder woods brighter. but you can think of cool balances like having a rich deep boomy box, but pair it with a hard maple neck, and a rose wood fretboard...maybe 'sculpt a more complexly resonant instrument. At least that's something I hear instrument makers and speaker cab makers talk about. play with wood and materials to balance the tone.
Then again, you coudl have an all mahogany instrument with brass or steel nute and saddles for a cool bright ring, but a mellow undertone...I love even thinking about this stuff just for fun.</</body>
Mistake 1: used the same width as old guitar neck and string spacing
2: Neck seems a fat to handle
3:Tone control does not work( wired from web diagram) 500k vol/250kTone with 0.02 cap.
in my haste I only tried the volume control**don't be in a hurry**
4: Jack plug in the wrong place (at the bottom)
5: I thing the strings are a bit high
Good points: better than ever i expected,a little quite as acoustic,nice mellow sound with p/u
I had intendent to make this a 1off project but I have enjoyed this so much I feel another cbg is on its way???
Would a deeper box give me a louder sound( no p/ups) as i have 2 pieces of wood that would make the fretboard 1,ebony 1, rose wood . What would make a good bass-rich response sound
You have hit the nail on the head,after tinkering with it for a few days I'm finding out a few faults on this build,
I'm not a guitar player (just love all type of blues music) When I bought my used wood turning lathe 10yrs.ago
the old boy gave me a selection on different woods and veeners,I think he used to build celloes ect> not much good for wood turning so just good got stored in the shed. When this project came up I had most of the wood,bought a scrap guitar for the machine heads and p/ups (2),the name on the back SCHALLER GOLDEN 50
SO SWEET! that little extra thought into each element. I'm jealous. My only comment? you got a BIG WIDE pro neck and those three strings are so lonely and crowded in the middle...if you space the strings out (I know you can't easily now that the bridge is done) -- but my gut is screaming for you to use that great bridge on another build with a narrower neck -- like a 1.5 inch wide poplar neck like the dedicated 3 string slide boxes --- then for this one, build an identical bridge plate and just drill different holes in the tailpiece to make this one a 4-stringer or a 5- stringer to use that real-estate on that great neck...if that's as hefty and strong a neck as it looks, it'll handle 4 or 5 strings easily, don't you think? Boy that looks great. what's the pickup?
Comments
Schaller? That's a real company that makes great hardware...so I'm guessing that even if this was their distribution wing of cheap parts, they're probably perfect for what they are (considering the budget level --- like tuners on a Squier guitar might say 'Fender Special' or something, they're just a budget line of a high-end company) Aahh, you said 'scrap guitar', I hope you didn't chop up a gem you didn't know you had! too late anyway
now looking again and hearing your few issues -- I've got an absolutely PERFECT plan for making this build a real players rig... a success and a real badass guitbox. Seriously this could be great. better use of that big neck and pickup --- and fun for you to play:
I just noticed... you easily seem to have the exact space needed on either side of the three saddles for one extra saddle. So you drill extra holes and install an extra saddle on either side. And find acceptable places on the headstock for two more tuners (one in between the two and another on the left-side somewhere pleasing and structurally sound. You'll now have a 5-stringer -- and a 5-string slide guitar is badass and has many precedents -- Keith Richards makes most of his guitars into 5-stingers and always has, and tunes them to alternate tunings to play slide and finger with...
you said the string height is a little high. GOOD. leave it high! Done. You want it higher for slide. Then tune it to whatever people would tune 5 strings to...DADGA?? or DADAD, or DADGD? (or with a different root note of course) either way, you tune it to a nice slide-oriented alt tuning and you call this a "5-string Slide Guitar" -- the string height might be exactly where it needs to be for slide with some finger work...
You just fix the wiring problems and other little things -- maybe relocate the input jack...and do something clever with the old jack hole (I like the idea of treating those 'screwups' as a chance for doing something cool you'd never thought of. Like routing for and epoxying in a brass arcade coin or cool real coin or medal as an 'inlay' __ I have a couple arcade coins that have cool old tyme lettering, "No Cash Value" I thought that'd be cool to inlay into a headstock or somewhere.
But boy, I think this guit would go from 'OK, has some issues for a 3-String Guitar, not bad for a first build' ---to a total success as a 5-String Slide.
and if the strings space a little wider than a 6-stringer? So much the better -- for a little room to grab the strings, more like some acoustic guitar spacing.
And sure, a deeper box will make something boomier. I just read a good article by a top boutique acoustic maker...he said he builds his sides very thick laminate, like drum construction, unlike most acoustic makers who make very thin bent sides...he said he follows drum logic..the stiffer the sides are they get taken out of the sound equation so the top and back now act like drum heads for a more pure and focussed tone. so maybe think about that 'thicker sides, thin stiff top and back' (with a little bracing perhaps?
as for your fret-board...you may have heard this -- Ebony is tends to be brighter. Rosewood to be warmer. I think neck wood is more important if you're really talking about primary tone...mahogany and softer woods tend to be darker/mellower, Maple and harder woods brighter. but you can think of cool balances like having a rich deep boomy box, but pair it with a hard maple neck, and a rose wood fretboard...maybe 'sculpt a more complexly resonant instrument. At least that's something I hear instrument makers and speaker cab makers talk about. play with wood and materials to balance the tone.
Then again, you coudl have an all mahogany instrument with brass or steel nute and saddles for a cool bright ring, but a mellow undertone...I love even thinking about this stuff just for fun.</</body>
Mistake 1: used the same width as old guitar neck and string spacing
2: Neck seems a fat to handle
3:Tone control does not work( wired from web diagram) 500k vol/250kTone with 0.02 cap.
in my haste I only tried the volume control**don't be in a hurry**
4: Jack plug in the wrong place (at the bottom)
5: I thing the strings are a bit high
Good points: better than ever i expected,a little quite as acoustic,nice mellow sound with p/u
I had intendent to make this a 1off project but I have enjoyed this so much I feel another cbg is on its way???
Would a deeper box give me a louder sound( no p/ups) as i have 2 pieces of wood that would make the fretboard 1,ebony 1, rose wood . What would make a good bass-rich response sound
Ray
Hi Eric,
You have hit the nail on the head,after tinkering with it for a few days I'm finding out a few faults on this build,
I'm not a guitar player (just love all type of blues music) When I bought my used wood turning lathe 10yrs.ago
the old boy gave me a selection on different woods and veeners,I think he used to build celloes ect> not much good for wood turning so just good got stored in the shed. When this project came up I had most of the wood,bought a scrap guitar for the machine heads and p/ups (2),the name on the back SCHALLER GOLDEN 50
marked BRIDGE/NECK
Ray
SO SWEET! that little extra thought into each element. I'm jealous. My only comment? you got a BIG WIDE pro neck and those three strings are so lonely and crowded in the middle...if you space the strings out (I know you can't easily now that the bridge is done) -- but my gut is screaming for you to use that great bridge on another build with a narrower neck -- like a 1.5 inch wide poplar neck like the dedicated 3 string slide boxes --- then for this one, build an identical bridge plate and just drill different holes in the tailpiece to make this one a 4-stringer or a 5- stringer to use that real-estate on that great neck...if that's as hefty and strong a neck as it looks, it'll handle 4 or 5 strings easily, don't you think? Boy that looks great. what's the pickup?