LP Special DC build

pulaifax · 09-15-2011, 11:39 AM

Hi All

This is my first build thread in this great forum. I am attempting to build a guitar inspired by a Les Paul Special Doublecut, like this:

pulaifax · 09-15-2011, 11:42 AM

Body is Spanish Cedar
Neck is African Mahogany with Bubinga fretboard
2 P-90s

I will keep things simple since I am still learning and this is my 3rd or 4th build

Murkar · 09-15-2011, 11:51 AM

Looks good!

Have seen a number of Spanish Cedar builds around here recently, it's beautiful wood

pulaifax · 09-15-2011, 12:00 PM

thanks Murkar, it also smells good

- it is so similar to mahogany

the neck is halfway carved and the fretboard is also in progress, I'll post more photos tonight

cain61 · 09-15-2011, 02:08 PM

Nicely done!

pulaifax · 09-16-2011, 11:41 AM

thank Cain - I am also following your thread

here's the neck:

I need to shorten the fretboard and finish radiusing it to 10"

cain61 · 09-18-2011, 02:03 PM

Are you shortening the fretboard because of the neck pickup? Also, is the 10' radius more comfortable for you?

TKOjams · 09-18-2011, 02:53 PM

Beautiful FB Man. I'm in.

pulaifax · 09-18-2011, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cain61

Are you shortening the fretboard because of the neck pickup? Also, is the 10' radius more comfortable for you?

yes to both

djrussell · 09-18-2011, 08:56 PM

Lookin good dude

pulaifax · 10-15-2011, 02:53 PM

Continuing work .....

While radiusing the fretboard it came out too thin and inconsistent

so I created a new fretboard with bubinga, I didn't take any photos of the intermediate steps, but here it is slotted, radiused, with simple fret markers and glued to the neck before installing the frets

fret installation

frets cut and dressed with very basic files:

pulaifax · 10-15-2011, 03:00 PM

Next step is to prepare the body for the neck

after using forstner bits in the drill press and before routing the neck cavity

Next step is to create a body cavity routing template.

Then give the neck a 3-1/2 degree angle, I am trying to figure out how to do it, I don't have any jigs for that.

Any suggestions? Thanks

pulaifax · 10-15-2011, 05:57 PM

Adapted this jig to cut the neck angle:

it came out somewhere between 3 and 3.5 degrees

pulaifax · 10-16-2011, 04:34 PM

routed the neck cavity

after some fitting

body and neck

next, I will continue working on the body

ltdave32 · 10-16-2011, 06:37 PM

Looking good! You're on your way..

pulaifax · 10-16-2011, 07:42 PM

thanks ltdave

pulaifax · 10-25-2011, 09:24 AM

Continued work on the body

rounded the edges

routed the control cavity:

the "high" quality photos are from my phone

pulaifax · 10-27-2011, 10:58 PM

I will be using a wraparound bridge that just arrived, here it is with the pickups in their approximate locations. drilled the control holes erroneously

TKOjams · 12-27-2011, 04:20 PM

what happened to this guy??

pulaifax · 12-27-2011, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TKOjams

what happened to this guy??

still alive and well

made a big mistake when routing the pickup cavities, router slipped, and I am attempting to repair it.

also, I have been trying to finish this:

pulaifax · 12-30-2011, 07:16 PM

Finished repairing the pickup cavities, I used the same wood and tried to keep the same grain orientation - I guess I will have to finish it in a dark(er) color to hide the repairs - any suggestions are welcome ...

sfenn · 12-30-2011, 10:20 PM

how bout a custom pickguard?

emoney · 12-30-2011, 10:27 PM

sfenn beat me to it, but it's still a good idea. you could always do a mock up out of
cardboard or something to see if you'd like it. worst case scenario, paint it a dark color.

captcoolaid · 12-30-2011, 11:53 PM

Yellow. Do it yellow. Can you hear me. YELLOW

captcoolaid · 12-31-2011, 10:56 AM

Yellow with maybe the shelby race stripe on it. That is what I see.

pulaifax · 12-31-2011, 03:53 PM

thanks for the suggestions - originally I thought of no pickguard, but that will solve the issue

captaincoolaid - something like this?

didn't consider yellow before, but that one looks very cool

The Refugee · 12-31-2011, 05:10 PM

That would look great. TV Yellow is probably my favorite finish for Juniors / Specials, in a close contest with Vintage Sunburst.

captcoolaid · 12-31-2011, 05:29 PM

Yes just like that. I used to hate DC Jrs then I saw Gregs in that color now I have to have one in that color. To me any other color than that or natural is a crime against these guitars. Plus with the neck wood I think they wood compliment each other very well. Maybe even do a stinger om the neck.

pulaifax · 05-21-2012, 10:24 PM

I restarted this build after finishing a tele build in another forum's build challenge

fitted the bridge, tuners and pickups

it has several mistakes that I fixed, so it definitely will be an opaque color, and very likely it will be yellow or red

TheZ · 05-22-2012, 02:38 PM

Good to see, keep up the good work!

09-15-2011, 11:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	LP Special DC build Hi All This is my first build thread in this great forum. I am attempting to build a guitar inspired by a Les Paul Special Doublecut, like this: Blues4U and Barnaby like this.

09-15-2011, 11:42 AM	#2 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Body is Spanish Cedar Neck is African Mahogany with Bubinga fretboard 2 P-90s I will keep things simple since I am still learning and this is my 3rd or 4th build

09-15-2011, 11:51 AM	#3 (permalink)
Murkar Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,396 Thanks: 8 Thanked 44 Times in 9 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Looks good! Have seen a number of Spanish Cedar builds around here recently, it's beautiful wood

09-15-2011, 12:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build thanks Murkar, it also smells good - it is so similar to mahogany the neck is halfway carved and the fretboard is also in progress, I'll post more photos tonight

09-15-2011, 02:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
cain61 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: La Grande, Oregon Posts: 490 Thanks: 16 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: LP Special DC build Nicely done! pulaifax likes this.

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09-16-2011, 11:41 AM	#6 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build thank Cain - I am also following your thread here's the neck: I need to shorten the fretboard and finish radiusing it to 10" Reverend D likes this.

09-18-2011, 02:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
cain61 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: La Grande, Oregon Posts: 490 Thanks: 16 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: LP Special DC build Are you shortening the fretboard because of the neck pickup? Also, is the 10' radius more comfortable for you?

09-18-2011, 02:53 PM	#8 (permalink)
TKOjams Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Connecticut Posts: 9,536 Thanks: 91 Thanked 177 Times in 54 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Beautiful FB Man. I'm in. __________________ Flametop Special Build - Carvetop Doublecut Build - '57 Custom BB Replica Build - '56-ish Flame Top Build - Boudreau Celia build - Lefty Walnut Les Paul Build My ebay auctions.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/290915967253...#ht_843wt_1395

09-18-2011, 08:56 PM	#10 (permalink)
djrussell Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Australia Posts: 1,031 Thanks: 7 Thanked 11 Times in 6 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Lookin good dude __________________ '13 Maiden DC Special [Build] \| Maiden Telecaster [Build] '12 AXL Badwater 1216 Jr \| Aria STG-003 [Project] \| Maiden Tele Rocket 88 [Build] '11 Hagstrom Viking II \| Maiden Junior [Build] \| Gladiator GG-165 DC Junior '09 Gibson Les Paul Junior [BJA Signature] \| Hagstrom Swede '08 Hagstrom D15CE '07 Gibson Melody Maker \| Fender Telecaster \| Hagstrom F-300 '00 Fernandes FGZ-1C '99 Fender Stratocaster '95 Fernandes Stratocaster

10-15-2011, 02:53 PM	#11 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Continuing work ..... While radiusing the fretboard it came out too thin and inconsistent so I created a new fretboard with bubinga, I didn't take any photos of the intermediate steps, but here it is slotted, radiused, with simple fret markers and glued to the neck before installing the frets fret installation frets cut and dressed with very basic files:

10-15-2011, 03:00 PM	#12 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Next step is to prepare the body for the neck after using forstner bits in the drill press and before routing the neck cavity Next step is to create a body cavity routing template. Then give the neck a 3-1/2 degree angle, I am trying to figure out how to do it, I don't have any jigs for that. Any suggestions? Thanks

10-15-2011, 05:57 PM	#13 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Adapted this jig to cut the neck angle: it came out somewhere between 3 and 3.5 degrees

10-16-2011, 04:34 PM	#14 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build routed the neck cavity after some fitting body and neck next, I will continue working on the body

10-16-2011, 07:42 PM	#16 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build thanks ltdave

12-30-2011, 11:53 PM	#24 (permalink)
captcoolaid MLP Vendor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Nor Cal Beotch Posts: 11,067 Thanks: 374 Thanked 503 Times in 116 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Yellow. Do it yellow. Can you hear me. YELLOW Barnaby likes this. __________________ http://mhd-pickups.com/ Luthier pricing available. Or visit my youtube page http://www.youtube.com/user/MHDPickups?feature=mhum#p/f http://soundcloud.com/mhd-pickups/madhousedesigns-gameybluesmp3 DC DOES NOT EQUAL OUTPUT. Dc is a resistance value and that is all. It WILL NOT tell you what it will sound like, it WILL NOT make you sound like another player.

12-31-2011, 10:56 AM	#25 (permalink)
captcoolaid MLP Vendor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Nor Cal Beotch Posts: 11,067 Thanks: 374 Thanked 503 Times in 116 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Yellow with maybe the shelby race stripe on it. That is what I see. __________________ http://mhd-pickups.com/ Luthier pricing available. Or visit my youtube page http://www.youtube.com/user/MHDPickups?feature=mhum#p/f http://soundcloud.com/mhd-pickups/madhousedesigns-gameybluesmp3 DC DOES NOT EQUAL OUTPUT. Dc is a resistance value and that is all. It WILL NOT tell you what it will sound like, it WILL NOT make you sound like another player.

10-25-2011, 09:24 AM	#17 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Continued work on the body rounded the edges routed the control cavity: the "high" quality photos are from my phone

10-27-2011, 10:58 PM	#18 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build I will be using a wraparound bridge that just arrived, here it is with the pickups in their approximate locations. drilled the control holes erroneously

12-27-2011, 04:20 PM	#19 (permalink)
TKOjams Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Connecticut Posts: 9,536 Thanks: 91 Thanked 177 Times in 54 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build what happened to this guy?? __________________ Flametop Special Build - Carvetop Doublecut Build - '57 Custom BB Replica Build - '56-ish Flame Top Build - Boudreau Celia build - Lefty Walnut Les Paul Build My ebay auctions.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/290915967253...#ht_843wt_1395

12-30-2011, 07:16 PM	#21 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Finished repairing the pickup cavities, I used the same wood and tried to keep the same grain orientation - I guess I will have to finish it in a dark(er) color to hide the repairs - any suggestions are welcome ...

12-30-2011, 10:20 PM	#22 (permalink)
sfenn Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 79 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Re: LP Special DC build how bout a custom pickguard?

12-30-2011, 10:27 PM	#23 (permalink)
emoney Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Best weather in US--Clearwater, FL Posts: 3,451 Thanks: 14 Thanked 17 Times in 9 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build sfenn beat me to it, but it's still a good idea. you could always do a mock up out of cardboard or something to see if you'd like it. worst case scenario, paint it a dark color.

12-31-2011, 03:53 PM	#26 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build thanks for the suggestions - originally I thought of no pickguard, but that will solve the issue captaincoolaid - something like this? didn't consider yellow before, but that one looks very cool

12-31-2011, 05:10 PM	#27 (permalink)
The Refugee Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NJ Posts: 7,539 Thanks: 131 Thanked 30 Times in 15 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build That would look great. TV Yellow is probably my favorite finish for Juniors / Specials, in a close contest with Vintage Sunburst. __________________ #ForNico

12-31-2011, 05:29 PM	#28 (permalink)
captcoolaid MLP Vendor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Nor Cal Beotch Posts: 11,067 Thanks: 374 Thanked 503 Times in 116 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Yes just like that. I used to hate DC Jrs then I saw Gregs in that color now I have to have one in that color. To me any other color than that or natural is a crime against these guitars. Plus with the neck wood I think they wood compliment each other very well. Maybe even do a stinger om the neck. __________________ http://mhd-pickups.com/ Luthier pricing available. Or visit my youtube page http://www.youtube.com/user/MHDPickups?feature=mhum#p/f http://soundcloud.com/mhd-pickups/madhousedesigns-gameybluesmp3 DC DOES NOT EQUAL OUTPUT. Dc is a resistance value and that is all. It WILL NOT tell you what it will sound like, it WILL NOT make you sound like another player.

05-21-2012, 10:24 PM	#29 (permalink)
pulaifax Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 121 Thanks: 7 Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build I restarted this build after finishing a tele build in another forum's build challenge fitted the bridge, tuners and pickups it has several mistakes that I fixed, so it definitely will be an opaque color, and very likely it will be yellow or red SiriusAbbott likes this.

05-22-2012, 02:38 PM	#30 (permalink)
TheZ Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Seattle Posts: 305 Thanks: 4 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: LP Special DC build Good to see, keep up the good work! pulaifax likes this.

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