Official Luthiers Forum!

I still have to get photos taken for June...which is a small body, semi-hollow I have finished and playing.

This is Molly - The Machine ... a 24 fret neck-through made with manufacturing methods that will hopefully impart as much of the .0003" repeatability spec of my cnc machine into the instrument. The idea is....

1. To mount the guitar on the machine as few times as possible.
2. To make as many cuts as possible in one "holding" that define the string track and playability (outside fretboard edges, fretboard surface, fret positions, pickup cavity placement, nut placement, tuner holes, bridge placement...ect.)
3. To hold the guitar rigidly...but without tension during the machining operations.

Tooling is everything and I came up with some unique ways of holding things. The final cut that defines the fretboard surface is made with no stress on the neck...after it's glued to the guitar.

Also designed a new bridge system for this one...essentially a tune-o-matic concept but it mounts and adjusts in a manner similar to the pickups.

Molly will have black anodized hardware with silver trim, black Gotoh tuners, and Lace Drop & Gain pups.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Intriguing.

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

I like the shape. Will it be chambered t all?

_________________
Wisdom is justified by her children

Thanks....yes on the chambering.

Look closely at the gray lines on the side body panels...you can see the supporting rails inside.
The side body panels are nearly hollow except for the supporting rails.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Man I'm looking forware to seeing that completed.

I'm guessing it's not a carve top and no neck or head angle. ?

I can imagine a real stealth type carved top for that.

It's quite carved actually...that angle won't show it off but it definitely has a 3D shape.

The head angle is flat as you observed.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Well I think it's a great design but what
is amazing is the degree of accuracy you are achieving...and
repeatable-Ace.

Thanks for sharing Stuart.

I got a thing for weird shaped guitars. I love it!

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Very ambitious but you've got the skills... I hope you are creating something magical.

I like it Stuart!

_________________
wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Pretty cool Stuart. Please post progress pics as you move along.

_________________
Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Stuart,

I usually don't comment on electrics, but the shape of this design seems esthetically near perfect to my eye. I will look forward to seeing the actual build.

Congrats,
Max

_________________
Max Bishop
Brighton, Michigan

Thanks guys...that shape motivated a series of new ideas. Odd how that works.

Sandywood...the accuracy described is common to big, production cnc's. I should note that with previous guitars I haven't exploited that accuracy thoroughly due to the way I conceived the building process. This new method is big departure from the previous method. I have to make all new tooling to make this one. Truly, it's going to take about three times more work to make the tooling than the guitar itself.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

I really like your design. I do wonder if you are intentionally making a rather current drug reference with the name.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Lol...that's NOT it, John.

When my wife I and were deciding names for our kids...the girls would have been Elise (her middle name), June, or Molly. We had two boys.

My first guitar model is Elise, second June...and so on.

Wait til the fourth design...if I name her MaryJane, Crystal, or Skag...then you'll know.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

I'm not making headstock facings on Molly...and due the less than 100% success rate of these logos (I'm getting a tiny chip in one out of ten or twenty) I decided to make a little medallion that will simply drop into a recess on the headstock. When I was putting this logo into a headstock facing I had the luxury of actually throwing away the whole facing if it wasn't perfect.

I'm not willing to throw a whole guitar away on account of a chipped logo...

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

These are insanely cool!
The shadows really make the logo pop.

_________________
wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Just getting this photo of Molly's hardware into this thread. I'm using links to this thread here and there as I promote the guitar online.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Stuart, your work is top notch!

_________________
Old growth, shmold growth!

It's a great idea.

When I was looking, since I didn't have a laser, I found http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080066/25302/WoodRiver-Personalized-Laser-Engraved-Insert-Template.aspx
which were to big but they did work great for the custom guitar cases.

Thanks GW and SW.

The tooling and neck blocks are complete. Here are Molly's guts.

These panels will be glued each to their counterparts and then glued to the center block to make the basic shape to be carved. This is the prototype of my first neck-through design which will allow various body and headstock shapes and varied scale lengths (up to bass scales) all using the same tooling fixtures.

This new tooling technique should result in an instrument with a playing weight in the range of 6.5 to 7.0 pounds.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic