Gibson SG Style Guitar

[Philly]

HI Folks
I've been hankering after as SG for a while (not helped by how cool Paul Weller looks with his beaten-up '60's example!) and after much on-line window shopping decided I'd be better off making one myself. After all, its just a couple of bits of mahogany stuck together, right?

So, thanks to some lovely Brazilian Mahogany from Colin and a great set of full-size plans from Ebay, I've been beavering away making this....

Came out pretty well! I've put full step-by-step photo's on my hobby website - www.philsville.co.uk if you're interested.
Cheers
Philly

 

[ro]

Beautiful! How does it sound?

 

[Paul Chapman]

I know nuffin about guitars but that looks lovely, Phil 8)

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Bkn]

Nice

I've been planning to make a guitar once I have a workshop set up.

Did you make the neck yourself or buy one? If you made it was it as difficult as it seems to be?

 

[Philly]

Thanks Guys!

Bkn - yes, the neck was made from scratch. There are pics of every step from a block of wood through to the fret job at this link....

Cheers
Philly

 

[CroppyBoy1798]

Wow!! :shock:

Just read the WIP on your link! I know nothing about guitars at all, but I sort of feel like making one now! Super work.

 

[Philly]

Thanks Croppy - it wasn't a real difficult project and well within the reach of most woodworkers.
I've made a little MP3 of the guitar so you can hear it....
Soundclip

Cheers
Philly

 

[tom owens]

looks really nice!! iv been saying for months im going to make a guitar when i get time.. What pick ups did you use?

 

[Philly]

They are Tonerider Alnico II's - lovely pickups! Not over the top power, but real tasty tones - I'm very impressed, especially as they are £27 each!!
Cheers
Philly

 

[dannykaye]

there was a program about Brian May and he and his dad made his guitar, ISTR that he made everything and reckoned it cost £7 plus wood that came out of a fire surround that they were taking out of the house.

Nice one Philly, wish I could play like that or make something tht neat, you do both, not sure I like you

 

[Kalimna]

Phil - thats a lovely guitar you have there indeed! I've never been a huge fan of the SG shape or tone (excepting the 1275 twin neck), but thats an eye of the beholder thing. The colour in particular, I think you have captured fabulously. And of course the workmanship is what we have come to expect

May I make a couple of comments? And these are born from spending a little time over on the MIMF (Musical Instrument Makers Forum). Which is a fantastic resource for anyone contemplating building a stringed instrument.

As far as the neck goes, the filler strip is fairly important, even with a dual action truss rod, as it provides a surface other than the fingerboard with which to 'bend' against and do it's work straightening/bowing the neck. If not present, it wouldnt take too much of a accidental truss rod adjustment to ping the fingerboard off the neck.
Also, the use of a scarf joint to attach the headstock to the neck is considerably stronger than the 'cut from a single board' approach that Gibson have used - hence the significant number of repairs necessary on SG's and Les Pauls that get knocked over. Fenders dont have such an issue despite being from a single board as the headstock angle is more or less flush with the neck, not raked back as much.

As for making sure the FB doesnt slip during glue up - a couple of small pins tapped in do the job nicely, and if placed on a fret slot, the width of the fret will cover the hole in the FB easily. Drilling a pilot hole first so that lovely ebony doesnt split, obviously

A couple of questions also, if I may?
What's the action like? And how does she play compared to your Les Paul (Im lucky enough to own one too)? Amp played through?
How did you make the FB radius block? (Thats one of my many stumbling blocks to getting on with my own guitar build) If made using your milling gear, would you be prepared to make some in exchange for beer tokens?
Did you apply a pre-bend to the fret wire? If not, did you have any problems seating them?

That's about all, I think.... Has persuaded me to get on with my archtop project... In between finishing of the rocking chair/cot/anything to do with the baby

Take care,
Adam

 

[Philly]

I've never been a huge fan of the SG - I always think of Angus Young when I see them :lol: I must be getting old or something...

As you say, there are some fantastic forums for guitar building and I gleaned all sorts of useful info. I also found Marvin Hiscox book a real help, too.
The scarf/one piece dilemma is one I fretted over (pun intended :lol: ) I chose the piece of timber for the neck because the grain ran off at the one end - this end became the headstock as the grain almost followed it perfectly. I just worry about the end grain gluing thing with a scarf joint.

The action is pretty good - I spent plenty of time getting the nut just right (there's a hint of rattle on the open B) and I was very impressed with the dual truss rod. The neck profile is quite "full" as I wanted a strong neck on this guitar - I also favour a chunky profile. So she plays very nicely and compared to the Les Paul feels (as a friend told me yesterday) very Gibsony.
I play through a Line 6 Spider Valve MKII - a great little amp with any tone you desire.
The radius block I made using a sneaky router jig - I'd be happy to make one for you. 12 inch radius good for you? Drop me a PM with your address. The frets I bought from Axesrus.com and they come pre-bent. I've used them on two re-fret jobs and love the feel of them.

So - I started a Les Paul build last night. I guess you could say I'm eager :wink:
Cheers
Philly

 

[Setch]

Looks like a cracking job philly - the finish is lovely.

I'd consider making yourself a fretpress, it's far more forgiving on the ears, and you get more consistent results too - it looks like you had quite a bit of levelling to do on your frets, which makes lots of extra work getting the frets round and shiny again.

I made this with a screwfix welding clamp, a set of 3 clamps cost 7 quid.

 

[The Shark]

Hi Philly,

I know nothing about making guitars, but have seen a fair few over the years at various concerts, so know what I like to see, and yours looks very good :lol:

Sounds good too!!

Malc

 

[Philly]

Setch - like the fret press. It's definitely on my list of things to do for the next build. Must admit the fretting didn't go as well as previously with this build - lessons learned though!

Thanks Malc - too kind

I've started the Les Paul - I'll start another thread soon......

Philly