The Electra Forums

I thought I would chronicle building this guitar,give you old salts and pros something to laugh at and possibly some solid advice from the same. I am a total amaetuer at this,this will be the third build I've done from scratch. Progress can be slow at times,one-fingered at the computer,only service availible is dial up(slowly bring up banjo tune) Ok,I believe Warrn had the idea for a 4001/Corsair body-I think thats the way its gonna go,just slightly reduced body size. It's going to have a Koa cap and headstock veneer. The body blank is one piece mahogany,mahogany neck with a Wenge fingerboard. Here's some pics,the Koa is completely dry and unfinished,looks like we'll get dark orange to a chocolatey rasberry tigerstripe when finished and rubbed out.
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect001.jpg
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect002.jpg
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect003.jpg

_________________
"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside

That's a lovely piece of wood, man - we're watching with much antici.......pation!

_________________
"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

That is some awesome wood. this will be a killer finish when your done. Keep us in the loop and keep the intel and photos coming in. Good Luck and thanks for sharing this one with us all.

_________________
Always give thanks for everyday, It may be your last so Rock On Semper Fi!!

Oh wow, that is pretty. Glad you liked my idea! Can't wait to see the finished product.

_________________
Who needs a Fender Jazz when you can get a perfectly good Spectrum bass for $50?

Thanks for the positive comments guys,helps motivate me! I'm going to glue the top today hopefully,got to find all my clamps...
I'm pondering pickup choices now,going with humbuckers,need some input from better players than I!
I have a Dimarzio set,DP155 bridge and J58 neck-don't know anything about them other than they came out of a usa Charvel San Dimas,have never heard them-anyone?
I've several sets of GFS pickups,great for the cash,but want more in this guitar. I would love to throw some Gibson '57 classics in,but at $200 a set I can't justify the cost vs. performance factor. I've heard some good things about Stewart MacDonalds golden age paf's-anybody? Joe

_________________
"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside

Well,no luck finding my jorgensen clamps,I'll have to stop by a friends cabinet shop and borrow a few if I don't find mine. But I was able to get the headstock veneer on and blended. How many clamps does a guy need?
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect004.jpg
after the clamps came off,blended and danish oil
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect008.jpg
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect007.jpg
Found some Gibson burstbucker pros really reasonable, any ideas on the wiring scheme?-nothing too radical,maybe a blender or a varitone type setup would be cool Joe

_________________
"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside

Ok,I need someone with a Corsair/4001/4003 Ric copy to send some dimensions if possible . Total lenghth,widest point at bottom bout,length from bottom to horn tip...top and bottom horn. Appears the top horn may be slightly taller than bottom bout (where your arm would rest on a 6 string)? It looks like I will need to squeeze it down(maybe an inch or two out of the center) to make it ergonomically comfortable to play as a six,and a little sleeker and maybe keep the Ric police at bay Hope someone can help,thanks. Joe

_________________
"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside

Looking good thus far, great work. I will keep my guns up and keep the Rick poilce at bay Thanks for the updates.

_________________
Always give thanks for everyday, It may be your last so Rock On Semper Fi!!

Got the body to my buddys shop,decided to use his plate press-much more even pressure than individual clamps. The neck is done!(mostly) Installed Grover Deluxe keystone tuners,modded an old lp truss rod cover I had(might change,dunno yet). Here she is,all dressed up and no place to go yet!
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect011.jpg
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect010.jpg
Joe

_________________
"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside

That headstock is a beauty. Can't wait to see the body!

_________________
Who needs a Fender Jazz when you can get a perfectly good Spectrum bass for $50?

This is going to be one sweet looking Axe when your done. I like the tuners as they are a perfect match for the headstock finish. Great job.

_________________
Always give thanks for everyday, It may be your last so Rock On Semper Fi!!

_________________
My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

mcbrat,you are the man! Thank you for the great dimensional breakdown,way above and beyond what I'm used to workin' with(let's see,two fingers to here,half a finger to there.. ) With this I can make a mockup pattern thats ready to go as soon as the body is cured Where's Huxely Ia? I have a sister and brother inlaw in Merril,Ia(Lamars area). I owe you one,thanks again Joe

_________________
"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside

North of Des Moines, about 9 miles south of Ames.

_________________
My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

Update...made a template of the body for routing using original dimensions(thanks mcbrat) with 1.5 inches removed horizontally, .5 inch vertically.
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect014.jpg
routing the perimeter
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect020.jpg
everything was going smoothly....too smoothly. I felt a tug,one of my dogs had tripped on my router cord,pulling the router with him Disaster ...big divot out of front edge of top horn
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect023.jpg
after I calmed down and looked,it was fixable-took the pattern and moved the arc slightly lower and smoothed it out,heres the rough body cutout
http://s929.photobucket.com/albums/ad13 ... ect025.jpg
Joe

_________________
"If it ain't been in the pawnshop,it can't play the blues" R.L.Burnside