In some previous posts (for example: 1, 2, 3, and 4) I’ve talked about my interest in guitar building and modding.
Amongst all that, I mentioned that a lil’ while back I commissioned a design for a guitar—something of a cross between the Music Man/Sterling St Vincent “Goldie” and Baum Wingman and Trent Model 1—which I nicknamed the “AO” for “Angular Offset”. (Just today, I spotted Girault Voyger, which has very similar lines and themes—so it seems I’m not alone in imagining something in this direction!)
For various reasons I haven’t (yet) built that particular guitar. One of those reasons is money… I’m just emerging (I hope 🤞🏼) from a financial rough-patch, and I haven’t really had the $$ to pay for the required tools, materials, and hardware. What’s the saying: “Why buy it for $50 when you can build it yourself for $500?” 🤭
Given these financial considerations, I didn’t want my first build to just be a knock-off of an existing design that I could buy “off the shelf.” While the AO design was a bit different, it really wasn’t that different from the things I can get at my local music stores.
Like, I could buy a Sterling Goldie for not much more than it would cost in materials and components alone, given Sterling/MM’s scale and cost-efficiencies. Add in the time, and the risk of “getting it wrong,” and not really achieving the same degree of quality, and it doesn’t make sense to do it yourself, except as a learning activity.
Yes, the learning is important and valuable in and of itself, but I would prefer to also emerge from that learning experience with a prototype at least—or a fully-resolved example, at best—of something a bit more distinctive.
In my previous post I outlined four potential concepts. For my first project, I picked one of those:
A short-scale-inspired multiscale for math-rock, emo, indie, and alt-tuning players, giving 24″ treble-side for expressive bends and tapping, spanning to 25.5″ (standard scale) for the low-end, keeping the bottom tight, even in open and dropped tunings. Bolt-on maple neck. Rosewood fingerboard. SSS pickup config.
I’ve nicknamed this model the “Flare.”
Of all the concepts, this is a design that is inspired by a guitar I actually went out and bought—the Squier Paranormal Cyclone. I love how that guitar plays. It’s just downright fun! I can’t quite tell you why, but I think the short-scale is a big part of it.
I (mostly) play 90s influenced, guitar-based indie-rock, with a lot of open chords with tight harmonies—colour notes, dissonance, and rich harmonic texture. I enjoy faffing about with alternate tunings and the odd drop-D riff, and for that I want solid neck stability. Short-scale doesn’t really like drop- and open-tunings. And when I play the sort of complex chords I play lower on the neck, it just doesn’t quite have the articulation and clarity that I need. So as much as I love playing it, I just don’t pick it up that much. Instead, I usually opt for one of my trusty Reverends.
This design is heavily inspired by Yvette Young—as a person, player, and her music—especially with her band Covet. Yvette has her own Ibanez signature models based on the fabulous Talman body shape. I’ve spotted her playing a .strandberg multiscale in some older videos.
I envisage this design as an amalgam of those two worlds—bringing multiscale into a fun and quirky silhouette.
It’s the most traditional construction, so provides a good “stepping stone” to work out some of the core design elements and ideas that I’ve been pondering, before getting into more complex build techniques (like set-neck and through-neck construction).
I’m starting with a 1.5” spread for the multiscale, based on the theory that this might work across the different designs and scale lengths I have in mind.
I’m also thinking to standardise on the Fluence range of pickups to start with—so for this model we’d be looking at their SSS set.
But, there’s a lot of experimenting and prototyping yet to do to work out if these ideas hold up in practice.
While I have concepts in mind for tremolo, I’m going with a fixed bridge on this design, leveraging the Cepheus multiscale bridge with a string-through-body “tailpiece.”
And, in terms of the build itself, I have decided to start with a CNC process, for various reasons I’ll cover in a follow-up post.
And… without further ado… an unveiling, of sorts!
I have a draft 3D model of the first design 🥰
The sharp-eyed among you will notice it’s not fully ready for CNCing, but a good portion of the work has been done.
I’m booked in to work with David at Sydney Guitar Repairs—a local luthier with CNC experience—to start the build. We’ll be doing a lil’ bit each month, as David will also be showing me the ropes as part of the process. If all goes to plan, we’ll be starting in November (as I have surgery booked late-Sep, and I’m expecting to need the best part of Oct to recover).
Right now, it’s mostly about play, curiosity, creativity and experimentation. I’m enjoying the process of imagining.
Once this first build is done, then we’ll see where it leads next.
Perhaps we’ll have a crack at one of the other designs. Perhaps we’ll continue to refine this one with a second revision. Perhaps we’ll take a look at those tremolo system ideas, that will need some design time and linking up with a metal-working shop. Who knows… 🤷🏼♀️
I’m trying my best to just hold open a place to be aware and in the moment, and enjoy this process for all that it is. If that scratches the itch, and I move onto other things, that’s fine. (Somehow, I can’t see this idea letting go that easily…)
I am just excited by the prospect of the build. It feels like a big next step in what has been a three-year journey already.
Obviously more to come, as things progress… but I’m excited to share my excitement 🤭 in this moment.