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My teenage daughter wants a (good) guitar.

She bought a Chinese-made POS on eBay before I could help her choose a decent one. It was absolute garbage, with an unfinished maple fingerboard and neck full of dings and coarse sanding marks and a terrible fret job. And of course, the electronics are crap. However, I replaced the plastic Fender-style nut with bone, leveled the frets and finished the neck with Tru-Oil. Now it's not great, but it's playable.

Since I want to encourage my budding rock star (for my early retirement), I decided to make her a better one. Rather than shell out $$$$ at a store, I thought it would be a good experience for us to build it together.

Being that I'm not a kit-building kind of guy and I've always wanted to build a neck-through, I showed her some Alembics. She likes the laminated neck and body designs.

We settled on purpleheart, black walnut, and curly maple based on what I had in the shop.

At first she wanted a JS or JEM style thin body, but while I was searching for plans she changed her mind. Now she wants a LP custom style with flamed maple burst with the laminated neck-through visible front and back.

I haven't built an electric in 25 years, but I've built a few acoustics in the last few years. I have adequate tools and decent woodworking and lutherie skills, but that particular combination does seem to pose some design challenges (to me):

1) getting the neck angle right while
2) building the body as "ears" to the neck, since she wants to see the laminations
3) routing the switch channel across the neck and body, which are laminated perpendicular to each other
4) ?

I have some ideas, but I'm curious whether and how other builders do it.

Thanks in advance, and I promise to post builds pics as we progress.

Glenn

Hey Glenn,
I'm working on one that I made a faux neck-through look.
After I made the laminated neck blank, I cut a strip to put down the back side of the body.
I cut a small chunk off of the end of the neck and inserted it into a notch in the bottom of the body.
Thought I'd pass this on for consideration.
Best wishes,
Dan

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Very nice! Thanks for sharing, Dan !

I'm thinking about gluing up the top separately using a laminated strip like you did, so I can route the channels and possibly chamber it, and maybe a thin veneer between top and bottom to disguise the joint.

Sound's like a good plan Glenn!
Post some progress pictures.
Dan

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Glenn, I've built a couple of standard set neck Les Pauls and I would recommend getting a good set of LP plans and working from that. The neck angle is 3-1/2 to 4 degrees with the top more or less flat to the bridge and tail piece. Get all of your hardware including pup rings and lay this out carefully before you start (my son built a LP Jr and got this angle wrong - his ToM is at the very limit of adjustability and the action is marginal). Once you get the top and neck angle you can carve the top any way you want to.

As far as the routing you should be able to drill the round cavity for the switch from the back with a Forstner bit and route the control cavity from the back. Do the pups from the top (before the fretboard goes on) and you should be able to drill the channels for the wires between them using a very long bit. Moving the switch down into the electronic cavity would make it easier. I've made wood covers like Dan did for the cavities that look pretty good - that way you can make them as large as necessary.

Another approach would be to cap the wings - that would let you route them before gluing them to the neck. Melvyn Hiscock does it that way on the thru neck bass (I highly recommend his book)

Sounds like a great guitar - post some pictures as you build it

I've never made a neck-through, but I reckon I'd build the neck using laminations.
I would really enjoy seeing a neck-through build.
Please post some pics when you get it going, Glenn!
Dan

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Got drawings from Georgia Luthier Supply for more details. Of course the body size is slightly different from the plans I already had.

Trying to make my daughter understand our design limitations with regards to material requirements and grain orientation versus what we have on hand is rather challenging too.

Typical designer wants versus engineer reality...

Working on router templates for body and neck laminations this week.

I'll get some pics up one I have something to show.

Cool!

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I made those inlay strips, btw. Here's a tutorial for anyone interested: http://glennaycockwoodworking.blogspot. ... trips.html

Glenn, one minor thought about design. Consider whether it will fit in a standard case - I've built several things that have required custom cases and they are expensive LOL.

LOL! First build was an explorer. Talk about a pain to get a case. Got a bass case and modded it to fit.

It should fit in a standard Les Paul-shaped case (I hope).

My daughter is itching to get started, but I had to do maintenance on some of my machines first. I haven't used my shop much (other than junk storage) since we moved here. After a few moves the table saw got misaligned, and the trunnions are table mounted, so I had to completely strip it. What a PITA.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Table saw is fixed but I wish it had a riving knife. It's about 35 years old - an import POS contractor saw. Pre-Grizzly, pre-Jet, pre-Delta Shopmaster, but made by the same factory. I may try to find a riving knife that fits one of the others.

I almost bought a very nice Delta last weekend, but decided another contractor saw (no matter how nice) doesn't offer any advantages. I'm holding out for a Powermatic cabinet (or possibly a G690). I know it's no comparison, but since PM doesn't have an American-made beast anymore, they all look the same.

Jointer is square and cutting nicely. I had to reset the knives. They were ever so slightly too low.

Delta lunch box planer is fair. Thought I would save a few bucks by using the HF blades. They seemed to be good quality but they flex in the center, causing a low spot. Wish I had kept the PM or at least the Griz I had a few years back.

Anyway, I managed to cut a couple Purpleheart strips for the laminated neck. Once I figure out a riving knife solution, I'll cut the rest and post pics after I glue up.

This might be an easy solution for a riving knife, Glen. http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.a ... 51225&ap=1

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Thanks for all the suggestions. I've not had much time to play this week (dang work keeps me busy).

The little inserts are interesting but I wonder if nails or a strip of sheet metal wouldn't be as effective. I thought about a profiled wedge, somewhat like an airfoil, that would work for thin kerf blades too. Neither would work for angled cuts though.

I realized what I really wanted was the stock splitter and blade guard - you know, that part we all took off because it hindered our view or the pawls scratched the wood surface.

Not critical for me, but my son has been asking about woodworking too, and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Cheers,
Glenn

Wait until you've retired.... then you won't have ANY time.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

After evaluating the cost and the relatively short timeframe In which my daughter wanted it finished, I bought her off with a new Epiphone Les Paul.

It's off the table for now. Going back to my classical builds and repairs.

Glenn


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