Chicago Guitar Builder

inductorguitars · March 21, 2011, 05:21:32 PM

Telecaster refinishing Final is up on my site. http://www.inductorguitars.com/2011/03/telecaster-refinishing-final/

Next up is my Aluminum guitar prototype. IF only the dang bridge gets delivered.

giantchris · March 22, 2011, 01:52:15 PM

Once you get up and running post some ideas of what kind of prices you're going to charge I kinda want a dual split bucker bass (one bridge one normal for a P bass) wired in series/parellel (with switch) with vol/tone and a pup selector with a P style body and a geddy lee tiny jazz neck. In greenburst. Not gonna get this until probably end of year once I finish paying my brother back but yeah I want someone to make that for me essentially. Seems like I might be playing bass in a band finally so would like to have an instrument that is specced exactly what I want. Ideally I'd like a neck through too but thats probably not cost efficient.

inductorguitars · March 24, 2011, 05:08:53 PM

Quote from: giantchris on March 22, 2011, 01:52:15 PM
Once you get up and running post some ideas of what kind of prices you're going to charge I kinda want a dual split bucker bass (one bridge one normal for a P bass) wired in series/parellel (with switch) with vol/tone and a pup selector with a P style body and a geddy lee tiny jazz neck. In greenburst. Not gonna get this until probably end of year once I finish paying my brother back but yeah I want someone to make that for me essentially. Seems like I might be playing bass in a band finally so would like to have an instrument that is specced exactly what I want. Ideally I'd like a neck through too but thats probably not cost efficient.

I missed this oops, sorry.

I can build guitars now, but just not efficiently. I need to rebuild my shop. As for pricing we're talking about $2k, depending on wood selection, hardware, etc. Shoot me an email, EIP or through my site. Sounds like a good idea for the bass.

I just added a new page on my site http://www.inductorguitars.com/nerdy for ideas and what not.

VOLVO))) · March 24, 2011, 06:24:28 PM

Pricing is my big problem. I can fix, build, do whatever to a guitar, but pricing is an issue. In Chicago, it probably isnt so bad, but here, its hard to sell 20 dollar setups, let alone a 2k guitar...

Hemisaurus · March 24, 2011, 07:46:00 PM

Isn't Electrical Guitar Company in Florida? The guys that do aluminum guitars and charge > $2000 for them.

Btw, I think I'm in love

Nice shape, neck bucker, shiny, shiny, shiny

inductorguitars · March 24, 2011, 08:13:16 PM

Electrical do all their work on a CNC. Parts and wood for me will cost almost $1000. For a AAAAA quilted maple top it's even more.

Yeah I could get cheaper parts but why skimp? I want my guitars to last.
I'm just a one man shop, I gotta eat.

VOLVO))) · March 24, 2011, 11:00:55 PM

I live in Tallahassee. Small town in comparison to Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jax, etc...

Hemisaurus · March 24, 2011, 11:15:16 PM

Electrical are in pensacola
Name another place in FL that has an Earth song named for it!

inductorguitars · March 25, 2011, 09:16:05 AM

Miami.

I had to google it.

inductorguitars · April 17, 2011, 11:52:01 PM

My rant: http://www.inductorguitars.com/2011/04/rant-fender-and-gibson/

I forgot where I said I was writing one.

VOLVO))) · April 17, 2011, 11:54:09 PM

We had a Tempo for 12 years.

I'm offended.

Lumpy · April 18, 2011, 05:10:10 AM

Specimen in Chicago makes some aluminum models (but just the bodies, I don't think any have aluminum necks - I could be wrong).

I don't think he makes any money... (I could be wrong about that, too.) I think eking out a living is probably par for the course. Even bigger manufacturers can struggle.

Check out his amps, too. Cool shit.

http://www.specimenproducts.com/instru/index.html

inductorguitars · April 19, 2011, 02:51:55 PM

I had one for 2 months! Fell apart literally. Best thing about it was the horn was on the steering column for the blinker. Really?!

Yea Specimen do make AL bodied guitars, his wife told me he makes almost nothing on them due to labor. He does them all by hand, no cnc.

justinhedrick · April 19, 2011, 03:29:36 PM

Quote from: inductorguitars on April 19, 2011, 02:51:55 PM
I had one for 2 months! Fell apart literally. Best thing about it was the horn was on the steering column for the blinker. Really?!

Yea Specimen do make AL bodied guitars, his wife told me he makes almost nothing on them due to labor. He does them all by hand, no cnc.

that explains the prices.

now: here is a question for you: what would it sound like if someone routed out a tele body on the top and put a piece of flat steel on it then mounted everything to it?

inductorguitars · April 19, 2011, 03:42:38 PM

Quote from: justinhedrick on April 19, 2011, 03:29:36 PM
Quote from: inductorguitars on April 19, 2011, 02:51:55 PM
I had one for 2 months! Fell apart literally. Best thing about it was the horn was on the steering column for the blinker. Really?!

Yea Specimen do make AL bodied guitars, his wife told me he makes almost nothing on them due to labor. He does them all by hand, no cnc.

that explains the prices.

now: here is a question for you: what would it sound like if someone routed out a tele body on the top and put a piece of flat steel on it then mounted everything to it?

Like a hollow body? I'm not sure what you are getting at.

Oh I think I know what you mean just route out at 1/8" depth of a cut out steel shaped like the tele?

A heavy guitar?

You'd probably get some effect but not as much as you'd hope for.

You'd be better off using a sheet of Al for a pickguard for the same effect.

Hemisaurus · April 19, 2011, 03:51:32 PM

Sounds like a Dano, with steel plate instead of masonite.

There's a bunch of articles around on how to make a Dano-like guitar. I really like their basses, but couldn't justify that kind of money for what really is the cheapest crudiest design. I can get a solid wood bass for a third of that kind of money.

justinhedrick · April 19, 2011, 03:53:56 PM

thanks for your help.

what i mean is: taking a tele body, and routing all the wood out of it, except for about 1 inch around the edge, and affixing a sheet of steel to the top of it. could that be done?

Hemisaurus · April 19, 2011, 04:01:26 PM

Having any kind of metal top will make the pickups microphonic as hell. Think about it, a pickup is designed to react to vibrating metal, the strings, put a metal top on your guitar, suddenly there's a whole lot more vibrating metal. Anyone who has metal pickup covers will tell you, they pickup clicks if they are loose atall.

But yes, if you have a router and the will, I suppose you could route it out, though I would leave a central core running down the centre for strength, ala the pic above.

justinhedrick · April 19, 2011, 04:15:50 PM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on April 19, 2011, 04:01:26 PM
Having any kind of metal top will make the pickups microphonic as hell. Think about it, a pickup is designed to react to vibrating metal, the strings, put a metal top on your guitar, suddenly there's a whole lot more vibrating metal. Anyone who has metal pickup covers will tell you, they pickup clicks if they are loose atall.

But yes, if you have a router and the will, I suppose you could route it out, though I would leave a central core running down the centre for strength, ala the pic above.

so how do electical guitars/travis bean get around that?

Hemisaurus · April 19, 2011, 04:30:44 PM

I think the aluminum neck continues through the body, and then wooden wings are glued on afterwards, the aluminum core runs head to tail, as it were, routing out the body of a bolt on is a different animal entirely, unless I misconstrued your original idea.

justinhedrick · April 19, 2011, 04:49:55 PM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on April 19, 2011, 04:30:44 PM
I think the aluminum neck continues through the body, and then wooden wings are glued on afterwards, the aluminum core runs head to tail, as it were, routing out the body of a bolt on is a different animal entirely, unless I misconstrued your original idea.

i think we are both on the same page. let me explain it like this:

take a tele body (or les paul jr or whatever (something flat) and get a plunge route bit that take out a bunch of wood (like as deep as the pickup cavities) and then go to town, leaving about an inch all around. bevel that edge so there is a lip of on the wood, and put a piece of steel plate on there with the appropriate holes cut/plasma cut on there.

Hemisaurus · April 19, 2011, 04:59:50 PM

Yeah, so you'll have a wooden backing on it which is the original wood, and you want to put a metal plate on top (didn't Gibson already do this with their range last year).

Yeah, I would leave a central core for strength and just hollow out the edges, there are people on the Telecaster forum talking about making hollow body Tele's. At most I'd take off 1/3 of the original depth of the central core, if you have to route it out atall. I mean it might be strong enough without a central core, but I'd be worried about the neck going all out of whack.

justinhedrick · April 19, 2011, 05:49:17 PM

what if i did a black tele body w/ an oxidized copper cap? that would look pretty sweet. plus, natural sheilding?!

Hemisaurus · April 19, 2011, 06:22:36 PM

Or a natural antenna and giant shock hazard

I'd be very careful about it, and isolate the whole thing from the ground, as just isolating the bridge wire won't be enough, as the pots and output jack will also be grounded on the same plate.

I'd basically use an insulated output jack, or easier, use a side jack, as it's a Tele anyways, and connect the ground via a capacitor and resistor, but this will also affect the overall tone as it's now part of the tone circuit

Safety or tone

justinhedrick · April 19, 2011, 06:43:52 PM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on April 19, 2011, 06:22:36 PM
Or a natural antenna and giant shock hazard

I'd be very careful about it, and isolate the whole thing from the ground, as just isolating the bridge wire won't be enough, as the pots and output jack will also be grounded on the same plate.

I'd basically use an insulated output jack, or easier, use a side jack, as it's a Tele anyways, and connect the ground via a capacitor and resistor, but this will also affect the overall tone as it's now part of the tone circuit

Safety or tone

duh . . . tone.

i wonder how electrical does it? hmm.