First scratch build: Gibby/ESP Explorer hybrid

[failsafe306]

Wow! Done and dusted in 2 pages of forum !! Beautiful! How does it look after the fretboard / neck transition repaint?

Thank you. I have yet to take any pics of the redone fretboard transition. It is still not as crisp as I’d like it to be. Next time I will use some automotive pinstripe tape to to prevent any and all bleed from the paint. It is, however, seemless to the touch now, which was my biggest issue before.

 

[kysrsoze]

That’s a beautiful Explorer you’ve built. Nice job.

Coincidentally, I’m also working on my first build and it’s an Explorer. It’ll be more traditional Gibson. I love the volute you made.

I have very little woodworking experience, but I’m anal-retentive and have been reading dozens of webpages and watching tons of YouTube videos. Any tips on the neck joint? I’ve got the body routed out with the exception of the neck pocket, but that’s pretty easy. The tough part seems to be carving our the neck heel with the appropriate angle and cuts.

 

[failsafe306]

That’s a beautiful Explorer you’ve built. Nice job.

Coincidentally, I’m also working on my first build and it’s an Explorer. It’ll be more traditional Gibson. I love the volute you made.

I have very little woodworking experience, but I’m anal-retentive and have been reading dozens of webpages and watching tons of YouTube videos. Any tips on the neck joint? I’ve got the body routed out with the exception of the neck pocket, but that’s pretty easy. The tough part seems to be carving our the neck heel with the appropriate angle and cuts.

The neck body join was the toughest part for me. Lots of angles and measurements have to come out just right otherwise you’ll have gaps and/or too high/low action once it’s strung up. I spent hours going over the joint in my head and to make sense of it before actually cutting anything, I drew a mock-up in Inkscape to figure out the best neck angle for my bridge, and also how deep to route the mortise and how thick the tenon should be. I’ll see if I still have that drawing on my pc when I get home.

 

[Rick]

So what's the price on something like this? There's no one around me that really builds guitars. I've recently been considering having one built and I'm just wondering what a person could expect to pay for a custom build like this.

 

[failsafe306]

So what's the price on something like this? There's no one around me that really builds guitars. I've recently been considering having one built and I'm just wondering what a person could expect to pay for a custom build like this.

I haven’t really thought about it. I couldn’t give a price that I would charge because I am nowhere competent enough at this point to actually commission a build. Why not take a stab at building one yourself?

 

[emoney]

Great job.

 

[failsafe306]

Great job.

Thank you.

 

[kysrsoze]

The neck body join was the toughest part for me. Lots of angles and measurements have to come out just right otherwise you’ll have gaps and/or too high/low action once it’s strung up. I spent hours going over the joint in my head and to make sense of it before actually cutting anything, I drew a mock-up in Inkscape to figure out the best neck angle for my bridge, and also how deep to route the mortise and how thick the tenon should be. I’ll see if I still have that drawing on my pc when I get home.

If you find it, let me know. Thanks!