Neck-Through Semi-Solid

[Charles Faulstich]

Here is my version of an Aria ProII SH, which is a neck-through 335/336 style guitar.

Specifications:
Figured maple and walnut with mahogany rim
Shellac seal coat, Target sanding sealer, Target EM7000 top coats
Pre finished frets pressed in, only one high fret end needed leveling
Hand wound pickups - approximately 7.5K neck and 7.8K bridge
B7 Bigsby
Locking roller bridge
TUSQ XL nut
Sperzel locking tuners

[Mark Swanson]

Looks really well done, and classy! How do you like those tuners? I have always found them unnecessary, I think a regular old tuner holds just as good.

[Charles Faulstich]

Thanks Mark.

So far I like the tuners, and they are are certainly convenient since there is no wrapping - just pull through, tighten, and tune. I have not used a tremolo before so maybe I overreacted to the bad reputation Bigsbys have regarding tuning stability. The finish does not match the Bigsby or the pickup covers, and I thought of making walnut tuner buttons to eliminate most of this issue, but got hung up in cutting a square hole for the tuner post. I have not played the guitar for an extensive period to know how stable the tuning is, however.

[Bob Francis]

Beautiful work

[Art Davila]

I wish I was at that level of craftsmanship, but Hopefully I get there eventually.
Very nice design.

[James Tonguet]

Very nice work !

[David King]

Very nice indeed. I'd love to see how you got the headstock back veneer to go around that bend at the volute? Did you steam it first or carve it to shape? It's always a nice touch.

[Hans Bezemer]

Nice!

[Warren May]

I like your selection of contrasting woods. It gives it a really custom look and breaks up the blonde of the maple very nicely. Great job.
I'm not sure a Bigsby is any worse than Jags, Ricks and even Strats but that's just my opinion after owning an SG with one for years.

[Charles Faulstich]

David, I steamed the headstock's walnut backplate over a tea kettle and clamped it to a form to dry. I bent the jack plate in the same manner.

Regarding the wood selection, my intention was to make the two wings with mahogany sides and backs made from two hollowed out pieces, but when the pots would not fit I had to rout the mahogany completely through leaving only a rim, and added maple back plates.

[Jason Rodgers]

... I had to rout the mahogany completely through leaving only a rim, and added maple back plates.

More maple, how terrible!

This is a clean looking machine, Charles. Tell how you arched the top plates with a neck-through.

I had the locking tuners on a Carvin once. When I first got it, I didn't understand how the locking mechanism worked (a little ball bearing in the post shaft that presses and holds the string in place), so I was fiddling with the thumb screw on back... tightened a little too much and cut the high E string off! This guitar had a hardtail, so I don't know how they perform with a trem (Carvin at the time offered the locking tuners stock, and presumably worked well with the Wilkinson trem). Still, even though they do actually lock the string, I like to have 3/4 to a full wrap of string on the post so the sharp edge of the post hole doesn't kink and break the string. Learned that the hard way, too. I turn the tuner holes so they're in line with the string, pull the string straight through, then back em out about an inch, and wind.

Anyhoo, nice axe!

[Charles Faulstich]

Jason, I carved the top plates both inside and out as individual pieces. Then I glued up the maple top plates, mahogany rim and maple back plates, and finally glued up these hollow wings to the neck-through section. Because of the neck angle the neck section sits proud of the side wings, and I cut it down and carve a smooth transition from one side to the other. I can post pictures Monday if you wish.

[Charles Faulstich]

Jason, here are photos of how I made the body.

[Art Davila]

I like how you designed the side wings to attach to the neck thru.
Does it still have a semi hollow tone?
I would imagine that with the neck thru your guitar would be less prone to feed back.
Have you had a chance to test it in a higher volume, is it an better with feed back?

[Jason Rodgers]

Aha, I get it now. A picture is worth a thousand words. I had imagined that the top was arched and open at the joint with the through neck. So they become more like a chambered wings. Nice.

[Warren May]

That's a cool picture of the neck through showing how you designed the wings. Cool...very Les Paul log-like.

[Charles Faulstich]

Art, sorry for my tardy response. I have had no problems with feedback. The sound is certainly closer to a classic semi solid than a solid body. But I don't think it quite achieves the classic semi solid sound because the top and back plates are thicker than a traditional semi solid, and because of the neck-through design. I do like the sound very much.