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GMC Forum _ GEAR & PRODUCTION _ Mith's First Custom
Posted by: Mith Oct 27 2014, 11:38 AM
So Today was my first day of my guitar building course. Spend the Morning drawing our designs. Ive gone for a modern super strat. Have to admit the plans wern't that bad. Even easier if your having a recessed floyd (No neck angle). After that The body got Planed and then got marked with a center line and then the body template was traced onto the wood. That was then cut out with a band saw then the whole thing was thickness sand down to size.
The same procedure was followed for the neck. Then I moved onto the frets. all the fret dots were marked and then drilled and then I did the same for the top of the board (man those ones are hard but I totally got them spot on) then the inlays (black mother of pearl) were dropped into the fretboard.
Posted by: klasaine Oct 27 2014, 02:59 PM
Very cool.
That looks like fun!
Posted by: Sensible Jones Oct 27 2014, 04:27 PM
Looking good Mith!!!
Posted by: bleez Oct 27 2014, 09:08 PM
this is so cool! I would totally sign up for something like this.
Keep posting up progress pics if you can dude, Its interesting to see them.
Posted by: Mith Oct 28 2014, 10:56 AM
Ok Big day today. Sanded and radius ed the fingerboard. Cut truss rod channel, Glued fingerboard on. Cut checks out of the neck to glue to the sides to make the headstock wider. clamped and glued that. Planed it all down flush again. Marked out headstock design (what do ya think, kinda of a more aggressive PRS style one) cut that out.
For the body that was cut out on the bandsaw then the shape was pinwheeled out. and then the top recess added and then the belly recess done. Then lots of sanding. After that picked out a laminate (got me some really great looking quilted maple. Pic doesn't do it justice) that was book matched and the glued and vacuumed to the body.
Last job for the day was I radius ed the fretwire and cut it into lengths
Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 29 2014, 03:07 AM
Very cool stuff!! She's looking good!! What color are you going for i the stain?
Posted by: Hexabuzz Oct 29 2014, 03:20 AM
I would love to do something like this...
I've always had the urge (but not the courage) to get a body and a neck from Warmoth and take a shot at putting together a guitar...
You've obviously taken this much further...
Good luck!
Posted by: Mith Oct 29 2014, 11:25 AM
Well today the frets where installed and dressed. The neck was then cut down to size. Body was sanded (OMG so much sanding) the neck pocket was then cut (tightest neck pocket you will ever find) and the a dry fit done.
Still thinking of the stain, so far I'm thinking of going all natural with it since the quilted top shimmers amazingly. Tho someone has suggested purple. tough since I don't have a natural looking guitar or a purple one. Shes going to be oiled finish. not as hardy as poly but its lightning fast and some recon it sounds better
Posted by: Mith Oct 29 2014, 12:01 PM
Also turns out I fractured my foot 2 days ago so I've been doing all this standing on one leg. Maybe I should make a living out of this lol
Posted by: Mith Oct 30 2014, 04:23 PM
Its starting to look alot like a guitar now. The body was completely routed out and the neck was shaved down to size. body was sanded. Man shaving down a rock maple neck is hard work. you have no idea how hard that stuff is until you need to work on it. Looking forward to hearing it. so far rock maple is my fav neck, there is just something about that really solid feel too it.
Posted by: Mith Oct 31 2014, 12:18 PM
Well today was staining and putting on clear coats. Tomorrow I'll be finishing her all up so I'll save most the pics until then but here one one for anyone that is a bit interested in this build. Its the headstock with my logo on it
Posted by: bleez Oct 31 2014, 05:53 PM
headstock looks cool 
so have you decided on purple or natural ?
Posted by: Mith Nov 1 2014, 12:50 AM
I went for a finish that looked a little like dark water. Do black, blue and a hint of purple. Still not 100% on the finish but i'm wiring and setting it up today and think about it for a week or 2. Its only a weekend job to refinish it anyway
Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Nov 1 2014, 03:48 PM
Hi Myth!!! Congratulations on this amazing work! Your guitar is looking really good. I love the maple used for the body top, it looks very nice and it reminds me a bit to my new guitar (the customized one Lojo). I also like the prs style head, it makes it look very modern.
Great to know that you finally decided to go for a darker color, I'm sure that it will fit great with that shape and maple. Remember that maple makes it look much lighter so if you go for black, the color will end up like a grey.
Have you already bought the pick ups, tuners and bridge? Which ones?
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 1 2014, 07:52 PM
Looks like a sort of a hybrid between a strat and a PRS style headstock Great adventure man! Hope you will get the most out of it 
Posted by: Kristofer Dahl Nov 2 2014, 09:40 AM
Oh my 
I ... want ... that ... guitar
What a cool thing to do Mith, and what a killer choice of woods and body shape. Thanks so much for letting us follow you on this journey!
Posted by: Mith Nov 2 2014, 02:10 PM
Yeah I was going for a 80's style guitar but with a modern vibe. I really like that era of guitar design. More of the principle of working out ways of pushing the instrument to its limits. Anyway Its all together and up and running. Photos hardly do it justice. Its also had one more polish after that photo too. The thing sounds amazing.
As for the finish what I did was mix black blue and purple stain together and apply it to the quilted top. different parts absorb at different rates and amounts so after about 5 minutes I then wipe the top down with turps to give it a wash look and that gives you the finish you see there.
All in all it came out great. I plan on doing more building I think. Never know maybe one day people might want to by guitars with my name on it hehehehe
All she needs now is a name
Posted by: Sensible Jones Nov 2 2014, 05:18 PM
Whoa!!!! That looks really stunning Mith!! Congrats on your first build and may there be many more!!
Posted by: Mith Nov 3 2014, 09:26 AM
Thanks, I'm already tossing around ideas in my head. Thinking something a bit more modern looking. I think I might try my hand at some binding too.
Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 6 2014, 12:11 AM
Spiff! When can we see some vids / recordings made with it? Also, how thick/thin is the neck?
Posted by: Mith Nov 7 2014, 12:31 AM
Here is a real quick sample I did the other day, been so flat out of late hence why I havn't been on the forum much. The neck is based of the ESP thickness, so a tad thinker than your Ibanez but still pretty thin
Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 7 2014, 01:22 AM
Very spiff!! Have you considered putting out a shingle as it were and taking orders for guitars?
Posted by: bleez Nov 7 2014, 07:24 AM
Looks and sounds damn fine dude. 
Posted by: Mith Nov 7 2014, 07:53 AM
This was done in someone elses workshop. But yes I'm currently working on setting up my own workshop. I litrally bought the shed for it today. 6 meters x 6 meters. Been tossing around ideas for a range of guitars. I'm thinking of designing a slightly twisted versions of classic guitars. Got some pretty cool ideas. so if anyone has and guitar designs they think are amazing please share while I'm drafting up plans waiting for the workshop to be put up and filled out.
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 7 2014, 10:18 AM
Sounds great to me, mate!
It also sounds like you are DEAD serious about this whole thing! I salute your courage, initiative and hard work and I hope it will get you the satisfaction of having built things I think that the ffeling of holding your work in your hands and hearing it sound in other people's hands, is a great satisfaction!
Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 8 2014, 03:49 AM
Now that you mention it!!!! I'm very interested in something VONHOTCH told me about which is building guitars without regular truss rods by using graphite rods or such. One custom builder uses Carbon Fiber for the entirebody and neck!!! He makes crazy thin and playable necks that don't warp. I'd really like to try that out. Here's one with a 16 MM neck!!!!! AND IT"S AN 
Posted by: PosterBoy Nov 8 2014, 09:47 AM
I wish I had the abilities to do this, I can't even cut paper in a straight line with a pair of scissors.
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 8 2014, 04:35 PM
I'm very interested in something VONHOTCH told me about which is building guitars without regular truss rods by using graphite rods or such. One custom builder uses Carbon Fiber for the entirebody and neck!!! He makes crazy thin and playable necks that don't warp. I'd really like to try that out. Here's one with a 16 MM neck!!!!! AND IT"S AN Todd, what sort of a monster is that?
It looks like a very extreme guitar - 7 strings out of what I can count? My drummer always makes fun of us - 'You guitarists with all your strings... guess what - I have 22 strings on my snare drum' 
Posted by: Mith Nov 9 2014, 07:55 AM
The biggest problem with no truss rod isn't so much the lack of strength its the lack of adjustment. What they did before to setup a guitar was use fret wire with different thickness of tangs to either create neck relief or to add a back bow and then string gauge was to fine tune it. I can see how a guitar like this can be made but it would have to be made to a tuning and a string brand without any way of that sort of adjustment. I think mine is just under 20mm thick from fretboard. Ibbi's are like 17-18 I think.
I'm very interested in something VONHOTCH told me about which is building guitars without regular truss rods by using graphite rods or such. One custom builder uses Carbon Fiber for the entirebody and neck!!! He makes crazy thin and playable necks that don't warp. I'd really like to try that out. Here's one with a 16 MM neck!!!!! AND IT"S AN Its really not as hard as it seems, just lots of planning, measuring and templates. The real art is making perfect templates and perfect jigs for certain jobs
Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 9 2014, 08:35 AM
It's from ETHERIAL GUITARS and they are pretty futuristic They use carbon fiber to create very light, very strong, very resonant guitars without any actual wood. I really want one but I've NEVER seen one "in the wild" and probably never will. With these really small, one man shop vendors, you pretty much gotta fork over a few grand and wait a year or so and that's it.
It looks like a very extreme guitar - 7 strings out of what I can count? My drummer always makes fun of us - 'You guitarists with all your strings... guess what - I have 22 strings on my snare drum' VERY TRUE!! It would be limiting to a degree for sure. I wouldn't mind though on a 7 string as I use standard tuning on my 7 string guitars.
The original ibby neck was 17mm at the nut and were prone to warp under heavy strings. I use 9 gauge or thinner with my rg560 ibby as it's an original wizard and those are getting harder and harder to find.
If you could manage to get a neck design that runs 17 or 18 at the nut and around 20 at the base, you'd have a boatload of shredders (me included) asking you for pricing on your guitar designs
Its really not as hard as it seems, just lots of planning, measuring and templates. The real art is making perfect templates and perfect jigs for certain jobs
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 9 2014, 09:25 AM
They seem futuristic indeed - never actually held a carbon fiber guitar in my hands - what are the differences between carbon fiber and wood, in terms of resonance, weight, or other notable things?
Posted by: Mith Nov 9 2014, 10:44 AM
I'd imagine it would be alot like those parker flys. If you look on you tube the construction process is on there. Pretty intresting
Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 9 2014, 04:55 PM
Never seen one in the wild per previous post, but I imagine it would be light
Good point! I think the parkers process is very interesting as well. They bake their guitars in something that looks like a pizza oven! Here is a vid.
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 10 2014, 08:32 AM
Hmmm - I watched the video and I must say it was very interesting - but still, out of what I understood, the composite material is still wood related
I will look for more info on the carbon fiber bodies, just out of curiosity - see, I was having these thoughts about how the wood as a natural resource is slowly going away and the rate in which we plant some species is way slower than the rate in which we need to cut down and use the matured ones. Who knows what will await in the future - what if we'll run out of wood for guitars at one point?
Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 12 2014, 06:31 PM
I hadn't thought about that but your right We use a lot of dead trees for guitars and if carbon fiber sounds good, why not use it instead? It's lighter and easier on the back for certain
I will look for more info on the carbon fiber bodies, just out of curiosity - see, I was having these thoughts about how the wood as a natural resource is slowly going away and the rate in which we plant some species is way slower than the rate in which we need to cut down and use the matured ones. Who knows what will await in the future - what if we'll run out of wood for guitars at one point?
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 13 2014, 08:59 AM
We use a lot of dead trees for guitars and if carbon fiber sounds good, why not use it instead? It's lighter and easier on the back for certain I had this talk a while ago, with klasaine - Ken, I mean and he pointed this very important aspect - in the past years, wood wasn't an issue, but as time and deforesting goes by, wood as a natural resource is becoming more and more scarce... I think this is one of the main reasons why producers such as Gibson, have raised the prices and hollowed the bodies of the guitars
Posted by: Mith Nov 20 2014, 03:06 AM
Well guitars are pretty good with wood really, Using multi-laminate necks is stronger and requires less large single peices of wood (and looks sweet as if you ask me).
Aparently Perspex also sounds great as a guitar but weighs a ton.
Anyway been way busy making templates of guitars of late. Its all slowly coming along
Hardest thing is thinking of what to build next.
Thinking my verson of a black machine
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 20 2014, 02:42 PM
Mate, it looks like you are hitting a bigger number here - might be you are already thinking on selling these?
Posted by: Mith Nov 20 2014, 03:37 PM
yeah they will be getting sold eventually. Much fun. Once I get everything setup which might still take a while still I'll be making a few more personal/ display ones but yeah. I wanna be able to make guitars for people
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 21 2014, 03:19 PM
Haha! So, you are pretty muchthe first luthier that ever rose from GMC? Am I right?
Tell me man, how will you dub your guitars?
Posted by: Mith Nov 21 2014, 03:26 PM
Well the first one had my stage name written on the headstock which is Mith Von Voodoo with a voodoo pin going through the whole thing. Turns out there is someone making guitars under the name Voodoo so at the moment I guess I'll keep its as Mith Von Voodoo Guitars until I think of something better. Tho I like the idea of keeping that dark arts kinda feel to things. I have alot of plans for the next build thats going to be amazing if it all comes together right
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 21 2014, 04:25 PM
Why not stick to Mith Guitars It's simple and EASILY recognizable!
Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 25 2014, 03:55 AM
I have to agree!! "MITH GUITARS" I like it
The adverts almost write themselves!! "Embrace MITHtery" (get it ? Mystery?)
Honestly MITH sounds cool and is easy to remember. Just need a way to LOGOFY it!
It's simple and EASILY recognizable!Posted by: Mith Nov 25 2014, 05:46 AM
well I have Mith Von Voodoo on the headstock of the newest guitar I can leave them as that and just people will probably just call them Mith Guitars like people call Paul Reed Smith guitars PRS
Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 25 2014, 12:39 PM
M double V Try the M as it is normally written and the double V underneath Maybe that would look interesting
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