Ya, it's been a long time. I want to get three done. This is the hardest of all three. Thought it would be awesome to get the fun one first. This will be a piezo semi hollow guitar.

The guitar will be made in four layers. The top is 1/4 ply. The second layer down is 1/2 ply. Third layer is 3/4 maple from a table top. This layer will support the neck. Bottom layer is another layer of 1/4 ply. 

First. Each layer will first be cut into 13 11/16 x 17 7/16 rectangles. Each piece of wood will get a 3x3 inch grid. There are three patterns. Each patter has 3x3 grid markings. So they will line up in the very same spot on each piece of wood.

The bottom layer gets two recessed plates. The will be cut out of and sit flush in the 1/4 ply. I'll have to start each with a knife cut. Then use a jig saw to finish them. These tow access plates will screw into the maple layer above them.

The maple layer will get three cavities cut out of it. One for the pots and jack. One for the three way toggle switch. And one large one on the left side, as your looking at it in a stand, of the guitar. 

The 1/2 ply layer is mostly one large cavity. There will be support for the output jack. And a block of the same wood for under the bridge.

The top layer will get holes for four knobs, the output jack and three way switch. There will also be a sound hole.

At this point the four layers are still rectangles. I'll first glue the top two layers together. Then cut the neck pocket out of them. Then glue the rest to make one block. Once dry I'll cut the body shape out. 

The two piezos. The one at the neck will be permanently sealed within the guitar. the only way to have access to it is to make a plate on the face of the guitar. Choosing looks over function. The second piezo will be under the bridge/

Two pics. The first pic is the maple layer. The second is the 1/2 ply along with the block for the bridge.

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More wonders to behold. I ordered two neck back plates from a different online parts store. Looks like they're only sending me one. Only charging me for one. But I did order two......

With one guitar on hold I'm going to start on the next. This one I do have everything I need ( in the mail ) to get it off the ground. This is going to be a remake of my original 'Rusty Rat Box'. This will be semi hollow to keep it light weight. Instead of two slabs of 2x6s. The other difference is this one will have a square cut away to access the upper frets. a Gibson style neck with tune-o-matic bridge and tail. One humbucker with a variable coil tap and tone. The variable coil tap, or spin o split', lets me choose how much of both sides of the humbucker I can have. Instead of just the single coil. This helps fatten up the sound of the coil.

The variable coil tap can be found here

I've had this in a guitar before. It's awesome! Unfortunately that guitar was stollen a few years back. Going to use the same Seymour Duncan 'Pearly Gates' pickup. This time I'll be adding a tone knob to it. Going to try to take the ground from the coil tap to set up the tone. 

first pic is the original rusty rat box. Second is it's new plan version.

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Just found this thread, I'll be following along.

Guitarfetish.com is another supplier for electronics and pickups for decent price. Their wood products are a bit of a crap shoot though.

: ) Guitarfetish is the one who just screwed up my two plates order.... I've gotten necks from them before. That's why my new one is coming from them. 

I've bought electronics, pickups, hardware and necks from the buyout section.

The electronics and hardware have been great. The pickups have been good, but you could probable get the same for cheaper since Artec makes them anyway and you can get Artec pickups all over the net. I got 3 necks from the buyout section. One was in very good condition and required little work, on required a bit more work and one required a lot of work.

Most of the complaints I've heard about have been relating to their bodies with screw/bolt tear outs, pocket/cavities not lining up and string through ferrules being all out of wack. 

The only negatives I've experienced with them is the shipping is expensive and takes along time to arrive. Their marketing hype is over the top and some of their products don't match the hype. I.E. Some pickups aren't what they are marketed to be.

They are good about customer service.

Paul, I got a few necks form their buy out. Two of them I can use. One has no fret slots and is really rough all around. Bought it just for fun. 

Well Richard. Your in luck. I just sat down and resized some shots.

The first attachment is of my work space. Ya, take that all you folks with well organized and good looking work benches. : )

The second pic is of my favorite "get it straight the first time" tool. It's a sled for my skill saw. It's set up to cut the 1/2 inch ply layer. Can you see my glaring mistake in this shot? That second clamp is in the way. I had to put a third clamp on. Then remove that one to finish the cut. : )

Third pic is of the body plan sitting on a piece of cut wood. Each piece is of wood is going to get a three inch grid starting from a single square corner. The dot in the lower left corner is this pieces starting point. The lines on the pattern will line up perfectly.

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Cut your table in half? LOL I've that before.

That one neck with no frets for a 6 string fretless slide guitar or lap steel slide.

OK. To get an idea of how all this is going to fit together. This is the 1/2 ply level. The first pic is the pattern for it's internal cutout. Second is the piece of ply ready to be cut out. When each piece is cut to it's pattern all four pieces will be glued together. Then the outside shape will be cut. 

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Got that living room table for $3. Two wide for the way my living room is set up. Took up to much space so I took it apart. 

Looks like I will be doing two guitars at once. Really like this body style so I'll be making two of these. One piezo and the other electric. Get both cut out. Finish the electric done first. That way when my pots come in all I'll have to do is wire it up and I'll have two guitars. some setbacks this morning but should have the rest of the day to play.

it's time I replaced some tools. My jig saw cuts curves slightly better than you can do with a skill saw. After nearly ruining two pieces of wood I'm putting this thing to rest. Just ordered me a new one. Hoping to be able to salvage both the 1/2 ply and maple layers of this build. 

My jig saw really is a POS. I've been eyeing those Rotary Zip Saws.

Paul, my father in law has had two of those Roto zips. They're great for simple jobs. But for him neither lasted long. 

I've got the Bosch JS572 EBK 7.2 amp barrel grip jig saw on the way. I'm slowly replacing all my starter tools with good stuff. Recently replaced my Black and Decker skill saw with a Makita. There's no comparison. Even with the same blade that was in the B&D. 

Because of the importance of the cuts with a jigsaw I'm going to put building on hold till my new one comes in. In the mean time my second build with this shape has been printed out. Things I'll be doing differently.

Printed out each full sized copy. No more tracing.

Going to line up all four copies. Then use a square and box cutter to make a singe square corner. Be way easier to make sure each copy lines up perfectly on a three inch square grid. 

Seriously thinking of dropping an electric pickup in my first build as well. Be nice to have one with two piezo and one electric. So if both piezos have two knobs. And I do a variable coil tap on the humbucker the guitar will have seven knobs and two three way switches. One switch to choose between just the humbucker, hum + piezos or just piezo, The other to select one, both or the other piezo. A five pound guitar with seven pounds of wiring/ : ) 

Thanks on the saw info. Hard to beat a Makita.

My Strat-O-Rez guitar has a piezo and 2 single coil pickups on a 5-way switch wired to a 500k volume and 500k tone with .022 cap. Piezo is on positions 1 and 2 with bridge single, bridge single alone on 3, bridge single and neck single on 4(parallel) and neck single on 5. The befits of wiring the single coil pickups with the piezo is that the singles turned out very quiet. Guess the piezo is helping tame the 60 cycle hum or the fact that all the pickup wiring is shielded or both. Don't know which, but I'm happy. The negative is when switching to a position that activates the piezo, there's a popping noise and I have to turn the volume down before switching. Though about adding a resistor, but that could do something unwanted.

So another option would be a Fender J Bass type scheme.  The pickup gets it's own volume pot, the piezo gets it's own volume pot and both are wired to a single tone pot with a tone cap. Then to the jack. Just turn on which one you want or both at their volume pots.

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