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$100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr. (Completed 5/20/12)

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:41 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
I decided to build my first electric guitar as my second challenge instrument. I am going to use a piece of pine taken out of the trash at work for the body, and a walnut drop top. I am going to make the neck from walnut and oak. I bought a set of P90 pickups, and a tune-a-matic bridge from Ebay. Below is a picture of my materials.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:43 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
My first step was to cut out the body from the pine.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:48 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
I haven't had a great deal of time this week, and what time I did have for building, I spent on my other challenge instrument. Today I re-sawed the drop top from the walnut.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:45 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
I got a chance to work on my two instruments yesterday. I cut neck panels from the walnut and oak. Then glued them up, to make a neck block.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:40 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
Next I cut a 14 degree angle in the neck block, planed, scraped, and sanded the angle to a flat smooth plane.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:42 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
Here is the neck pieces laid out with the truss rod.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:51 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
Here I am gluing up the angled piece to the neck, being carefull to keep the oak strips lined up.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:52 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
Then I glue the heel piece to the neck.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 12:27 am
by Patrick DeGreve
I then glued two "wings" onto the peghead.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:14 am
by Patrick DeGreve
I decided to bind the fretboard on this project because both the fretboard and the neck is walnut, and I think it needs the binding to separate the two. I cut 1/8" X 3/8" strips from some maple I have, and glued it on the fretboard.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:18 am
by Patrick DeGreve
I cut the neck block to its basic shape, thinned the back of the peghead and neck, and cut the peghead shape.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:21 am
by Patrick DeGreve
Here is a shot of the neck, before final shaping, and sanding.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:30 pm
by Jason Rodgers
Nice work on the alignment of those neck stripes in the scarf.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 10:55 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
I laid out the frets for a 24 3/4" scale length, and cut them with the fret saw.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 11:06 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
I am using a dual action truss rod that I bought on Ebay for $ 9.95. On the acoustics I have built, I made the access for the truss rods from the sound hole. For this build, I am using a 18" truss rod, and the access is from the neck.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 3:16 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
I have been working on this project all week, but haven't posted updates, as I should have, so I have a bunch to post now. The next thing I did was to glue the peghead laminates on. Because of the truss rod adjuster being through the neck, I reversed the design of the peghead from the walnut OM. This gives me a justification of the cover triangle. The laminates are of redwood, and walnut, with BWB purfling between.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 3:19 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
I wanted to mimic Gibson's position markers, without using pearl, so I used a piece of backstrip, and glued maple strips on both sides. I will then cut them into markers.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 3:20 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
Then using Stewmac's dremmel base I routed a recess for the markers.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 3:22 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
After sanding for the 12" radius.

Re: $100 Local Materials Challenge,Patrick DeGreve's Pine walnut Les Paul Jr.

Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 3:24 pm
by Patrick DeGreve
Here I glued the fretboard to the neck.