Design
People always ask me how to design a guitar? Well its not that easy. First you need a vision, this would be either something new or an improvement on an old idea. Next you need to think about all the details and put the basic formula together.
First what is this guitar for? This is a big question because this will control all the variables needed to actually design the guitar. I have a basic system that I use for designing guitars from start to finish, it is not always perfect but it is a start.
If someone came to me and asked me to make them a Strat, I would say why don't you just buy a Strat? Then they might say , yeh but I want a fatter neck with no finish, big frets a FloydRose® and a humbucker in the bridge.Well that really isn't a Strat anymore. From that point I will ask a few more questions.
What type of player are you? This will give me the basic idea of what they want. If the person says that they like Lespauls then I will start with mahogany and humbuckers, if they are a Strat player I would start with alder or light ash and single coils, If they like Teles I would start with light ash. If they are more of an instrumentalist, fast player the wood depends on the sound they wanted and the the general look they want.
What type of sound are they looking for? This will give me an idea of what type of pickups, final body wood and the style of bridge and neck.
What type of controls do they want like switches, pots or coil taps.
Every guitar should have a purpose for the player if not just looking cool it needs to play and function perfect to the player. The exact position of the pots and switches for that players style. To find the location for these I ask them to hold a guitar and close there eyes and reach for the volume pot, I mark where they want it , the same for the five way.
What kind of neck, shape, material, size, fretboard radius, fretwire. When talking with people I have a basic spec sheet that I use to pin point all the details an example of one is my Spec Sheet Template.
Solid Body Electric Guitar Design Specifications
There are allot of questions you should ask yourself before you make a guitar. I have enclosed a Spec sheet template that I use when I talk to a player that is looking to have a guitar made. The purpose of this is get every detail on paper so first I know where to start and what parts I need.
Here is a list of things that you should consider and why for solid body electric guitars.
Just like automobiles, the type of guitar you will design has allot to do with your style and budget.
Certain guitars are designed for different playing styles and because of the construction methods and material cost the prices can vary.
To get an idea of what kind of guitar you would like to design, lets take a look at some options and the purpose of the guitars.
Basic Body Woods:
Alder
Alder is a light weight wood that has a warm even tone. Mainly
grown in western North America, works well with single coils
and humbucking pickups.
Mahogany
Mahogany is a less consistent weight wood it can vary from really
light weight to very heavy. (Depending on the area it is grown,
mainly South America, Africa and the Philippines.) The sound
character of mahogany is fat, warm and allot of low end, it works
well with humbucking pickups.
Basswood
Basswood is a very lightweight wood grown in North America, It
was originally used for hand carving of decoys for duck hunting
in the United States. The sound character is very even and works
well with humbucking pickups in the bridge and neck positions.
Swamp Ash
Light weight ash or swamp ash grown in the wet lands of the south
eastern United States. Years ago they would throw this wood away
because it was too light. If you are looking for twang this is
the best wood.
Soft Maple
I like this for basses but it does work with guitars.
Figured Maples
I use these only on the tops to bring out the highs
on say mahogany or alder.
There are many other woods out there so please check the Wood Information page for more info.
Necks:
There are many neck styles out there and each has a purpose.
Here is a quick guide to them.
Fretboard Material:
Maple
Maple is a very hard wood so the notes are quick and bright.
Because the wood is light colored you will usually need to put
a finish on it.
Rosewood
Rosewood is a softer grained wood with a slower attack and very
deep properties, it tends to grab the notes and hold them.
Ebony
Ebony is a very hard wood that is mainly used on violins. The
note attack is very fast and sharp with a well balanced sustain.
Fretwire:
There are many types of fretwire out there and the size you choose
has allot to do with the neck radius and your playing style.
Fret hardness however can change from model to model, harder
frets have a much quicker attack, longer sustain and last much
longer than softer frets. Most inexpensive guitars use a 110
hardness fretwire that is easy to install however it's life is
much shorter than a harder fret. High-end guitars tend to use
at least 175 to 190 hardness wire.
Small Thin Frets
Small frets are used on most guitars that have a round radius
fretboard, this is good for bending without loosing the notes
on the next fret. (Good Intonation)
Medium Thin Frets
Medium frets have a little more meat under them so they are easier
to play then the smaller frets and good for medium radius fretboard's.
(Good Intonation)
Short Wide Frets
Short wide frets are good for chords and note playing but the
actual intonation per fret can vary by where the fret crown is.
High Jumbo frets
One of the easiest for playing notes also can vary the intonation
depending on the crown of the fret.
Stratocaster® Necks.
This neck is a one piece construction usually with a maple or
rosewood fretboard and a 25.5" scale. It was designed for
efficient production by routing a tapered channel in the back
and inserting a truss rod. Strat necks have 21 or 22 frets and
a 9" to 12" radius. This is good for chording and bending
notes in the lower fret positions.
Telecaster® Necks.
Tele's are guitars all in themselves, They were designed also
as one piece but usually with a very round 7"- 9" radius.
The back of the neck is sometimes tapered like a V. Tele fretboard's
are almost always maple and are good for chording and pull offs.
Usually the action needs to be set higher because of the radius,
otherwise when bending in the higher frets the notes sometimes
choke from hitting the next fret.
LesPaul® Necks.
LesPaul's have a 24.75 scale that is shorter than a Strat. The
nut is wider and the fretboard is usually around a 12" radius
and is usually rosewood with 22 frets. The Lespaul® neck
is one of the easiest necks to play.
Ibanez® RG Necks
Ibanez® uses a 17" flat radius, a 43mm wide nut width
and 24 jumbo frets. The necks are hard rock maple with either
a rosewood or maple fretboard and use a scarf joint to allow
a tilt back headstock. This neck is good for rock playing and
very fast note playing.
Tremolo
or Non Tremolo:
Tremolo guitars have the advantage of moving the strings to allow
a tremolo effect. They vary as to how well they work or what
they are used for. Whenever springs are used you take the risk
of the bridge raising during string bends, this makes it harder
when you try to bend one note into another note.
Non Tremolo Guitars.
Very stable tuning easy to bend without the notes changing.
Standard Non Locking Tremolo
Good for subtle tremolo use, some string bending problems. Tuning
is not totally stable if the tremolo is heavily used.
Double Locking Tremolo (FloydRose®
bridges)
Locking tremolos have a toplock that locks the string in at the
nut they also locks the strings in at the bridge, This allows
the most radical tremolo use with almost perfect tuning stability,
however note bending and initial tuning is not as easy as a standard
or non tremolo model.
Pickups:
The type of pickups that you choose also depend on the type of
sound you are looking for plus the amount of noise or 60 cycle
hum that the pickups produce.
Single Coil Pickups
Generally single coil pickups use Alnico slugs that are magnetized
and run vertical from the top of the bobbin to the bottom this
allows a very fast sharp attack with a thinner sound. However
the pickup suffers from excess noise caused by 60 cycle hum.
Humbucking Pickups
Humbucking pickups use 2 coils, one is reversed from the other,
this totally eliminates the hum. The magnet structure is usually
mounted horizontal on the bottom of the 2 coils and then slugs
or screws are used to allow for the strings to get picked up
by the magnets.
To give a step by step detail of how a guitar is designed lets go back a few years and look at the original Jem guitar that Steve Vai and Ibanez designed back in 1986. I was actually heavily involved with the development at the time, it is not my design but I did work on the original prototypes and was there for the entire development. The information here is the best I can remember, all the guitars were actually built by Mace Bailey.
Lets take a look at Steve's style as well as what he needs to play.
First of all Steve prefers a 25.5" (Stratocaster®) scale, 24 Jumbo frets, A FloydRose® tremolo, no finish on the neck, the tremolo needs to be capable of allowing the G string to be pulled up a fifth, light weight body, deep cutaway's for his large hands, The ability to get a single coil or a humbucking sound all being quiet. Because of the volume he plays at, medium output pickups that don't feed back, and all the guitars need to sound the same consistently, this way he could just grab any guitar and play it.
This was the vision lets take a look at the guitars development and the birth of the first Jem.
The first proto types were made in the USA at the Ibanez company. There were 3 models made all with the same body style and neck but three different materials. One was mahogany and hollow, one was alder and the third was basswood. They were all finished in fluorescent green that would later become Lochness Green.
Steve liked the sound the best of the American basswood (It has to be American basswood Asian Basswood is much heavier and less alive sounding) also it was much lighter than the other models. As for being consistent sound and weight basswood is one of the better woods.
The body was designed to have two deep
cutaway's for his hands. Ibanez also added a the cutaway heel
area that thinned out the body where the neck and body are joined,
this makes it easier for your hand to reach around the body and
play the upper frets.
The tremolo rout was designed so the tremolo could be pulled
up a full fifth. The tremolo area was routed down 14 mm from
the surface. This was the easy part, the problem was first the
tremolo block was too long and would stick out the back. Ibanez
Japan molded a new block to be 31mm in length and this worked
well until the tremolo was pulled up all the way and then the
springs would shoot off. Mace designed the block lock that locks
the springs in place so you can pull up as much as you like.
For tuning stability Fritz Katoh designed the stud lock system. This is so that when the action is set exactly where you like the tremolo bridge the studs can be locked in that position so there is no movement, this increases the tuning stability of the guitar.
Ibanez added the Lions Claw under the tremolo rout and the disappearing pyramids were designed by Bill Reim. Steve wanted the jack to be located so that when he put the cord around the strap, the jack would be there so we put the jack on the lower side of the body and called it the tilt jack.
Pickup wise Steve played the Dimarzio®
PAF PRO® pickups and needed more sounds than just a Lespaul®
or a Strat® so the Split 5 wiring was designed. This wiring
came from Steve Blucher at Dimarzio® as far as I can remember
and uses a standard 5 way switch with 2 Humbuckers and one single
in the
middle.
The guitar is wired so that that as follows.
1 Position is the bridge humbucker.
2 Position is the Inside bridge coil and middle single.
3 Position is just the single.
4 Position is the Inside neck coil and middle single
5 Position is the neck humbucker.
They also added a 331PF capacitor across the volume pot. This is so that the highs don't roll off when the volume is turned down.
Ibanez had designed a new color plating called Cosmo Black to use on the high end models and decided to use this on the Jem series. This was a kind of black chrome plating. Many other companies are using this type of plating more now.
The neck needed to be designed like no other neck before it. Steve wanted the nut to be wider then a Strat® neck that is usually 41.5mm We made the neck 43mm X 57mm with the upper four frets scalloped over the body. The reason for this I believe was from Billy Sheenan basses. We found that the notes over the body have less sustain than the notes that are not. Scalloping the area between the frets brings the sustain back. The original Jem guitars used Dunlop® 6100 fretwire that is very large also the finish on the neck was Watko danish oil finish. Steve didn't like the feeling of a painted neck.
The headstock also needed to be set at a 14 degree angle for even string pull away from the nut.
Now that the body and neck were finished it was time to add some more cool things to set these guitars apart from any guitars made before them. Steve had many of his guitars modified to have what was called a Monkey grip, this was so the guitar basically had a built in handle in it.
The main guitar Steve played was Fluorescent Green color, we made three colors in the beginning for the JEM777 model one was Lochness Green, Desert Sun Yellow and Shocking Pink all were from a company in California called Deglo colors. The factory however found that to get a fluorescent color the paint was actually radioactive (Just a little) We decided to try a different way of making the colors using two parts first a white base coat and then spraying over it with a almost transparent color to give the fluorescent glow.
The Making
Of The Prototype
I will get into how we actually made the proto types. First I
would like to say since the early days when we made the Jem guitars
we have upgraded our shop and now have a facility that is capable
of making anything, in those days we would improvise. This is
a good way to see how to make a guitar with minimal tools.
Back in 1986 our shop consisted of the following a belt sander, hand router , drill press, band saw and a small paint booth. We also had a variety of chisels and the wood rasp, (Every one of these tools was purchased at the local Sears store in Bensalem PA) The original Jem models were made with just these tools. Hard to believe?
Here is how we did it.
The first thing that always needs to be done is to make a drawing of what you will be making. Every measurement must be drawn exact. Always start with a center line and work from center, this way when you start with a block of wood you can draw the center line on the wood and this always helps line up the templates used for routing and also any bridges or tailpieces will always be set on center.
The system that I use to do the drawing layout is as follows. First draw the basic body outline. Next the neck pocket area is drawn, this tells exactly where to put the pickups and bridge. Once the neck pocket is located and drawn, modify the area around the neck pocket in the drawing for strength and support.
Depending on the scale of the neck , figure the exact bridge location and any routing that will be needed.
Finally position the pickups where you
want them, this depends on how many frets and what type pickups.
Generally put the pickups at the most harmonic areas of the body,
to find this location use your left hand over the pickup area
just touching the string to get harmonic's , move your finger
all around the string to here the loudest harmonic. This will
be the location of the pole piece.
Use the drawings to make the templates needed for doing the routs
such as the neck pocket, pickups and tremolo rout. Always make
the templates from a hard material like plexiglass because it
is very durable (a wooden template wears out too fast and can
cause mistakes).
To make
a template trace the drawing onto the plastic and first
use plexiglas drill bits to drill out the round corners and also
the basic shape of the template. Because these are difficult
to do with a band saw always use the drill press or a mill to
start and a hand file and sand paper to clean up the insides.
There is a few ways to make templates, back then we would make many templates for each part of the guitar, Today I have a pin router so I make a single template that has all the routs located in it, this way everything always lines up and there are no mistakes.
The main templates are the shape of the guitars body and the shape of the guitars neck, use double stick tape to attach the templates to the wood, (If you every notice on the old Fender® guitars they have two filled in holes on the front and back this is how they attached the templates)
After we finished making the templates
we needed the wood. In the United States guitar woods are easy
to get but quite expensive if you only purchase enough for one
or two bodies. Back in the late 1980's during the Jem development
we would purchase the wood from a supplier already joined and
sanded to the thickness we wanted, today we purchase the wood
in blanks and join woods to size in our shop.
When making a body use a band saw to cut the wood to the basic shape of the template, this gives a rough guitar body. To make the body exact to the template we used the belt sander. While the body is still flat rout the tremolo rout, pickups or pickguard cavity and the neck pocket, every rout needs to be a specific depth. This has to do with the neck set angle and also how the bridge will sit. The Jem guitars have a very low profile tremolo that is routed into the body, this also lets the strings sit very close to the body and pickups unlike other guitars like Lespauls® that have a higher neck set angle that allows much more space between the body and the strings.
On the Jem guitars now came some tricky parts because a Strat® body is fairly simple to make but we needed to add the monkey grip, lions claw tremolo, tilt jack, and the scooped neck joint.
For the monkey grip we first used a 1" forsner drill bit to drill four holes next to each other through the guitars body. The holes were drilled close together so they connected and there was the monkey grip. We just used sand paper and a small round block to clean up the inside of the monkey grip. To get the comfort cuts in the body (comfort cuts are the top and back contours that fit the body) We used a hand held rasp file and contoured the body by hand.
To get the scooped neck joint we needed to make a template the shape that we wanted and used the hand router to rout the shape. We then used a half round chisel to clean up the edge and make it round instead of a square edge.
For the Lions Claw tremolo rout we used a ball mill round router bit on a separate piece of basswood, and made 6 groves in it. After the routs were done we cut the piece to size and glued it in the tremolo rout, (Of course they don't do that in production they have a CNC router that make all the routs in 3 dimensions) after we glued the lions claw in the tremolo area we did the final body round over using a 2mm round over bit on the hand router.
The hardest part on the Jem was the tilt jack, it is in such a strange place we needed two people to drill it, one person held it against the side of the drill press while the other person worked the drill press. I was always the one holding the body and it was tough because I could not let it move at all.
Now that the body is just about finished its time to make the neck. Necks are more difficult to make then bodies. The final Jem necks were made in Japan to our specifications and sent to our shop by Air.
Because the headstock needed to be tilted back we used a Scarf Joint (a scarf Joint is when you take a piece of wood and cut it on an angle, after it is cut , the piece that was cut off is turned over and glued on) The Jem neck has a 14 Degree headstock, This works very well with locking nuts but and guitar without a locking nut the 14 degrees and six tuners in a line is too much angle and will usually cause the G string to go out of tune.
The fretboard needed to be maple with disappearing pyramid inlays this was not so easy so Ibanez Japan made these necks.
To scallop the high four frets I remember and still have the Jig that Mace Bailey made, it had a 430mm radius top. We used the same router bit that we used on the lions claw tremolo rout to scallop the upper four frets.
The neck and body were now final sanded and were getting ready for finish. The body was sprayed with a Polyester sanding sealer to seal the wood and allow an even paint coat. After the sealer dried the body was wet sanded flat by hand with # 800 sand paper. The body was first painted white and a see through green was applied to give it a florescent color. The lions claw was masked off and we sprayed the inside fluorescent pink. After the paint dried we cleared the guitar with polyester and sanded to #1500 and used a buffing wheel and 3M compound to buff out all the little scratches and bring up the shine.
For the neck we used a oil finish, the original Jems used a Watco Danish oil finish that is rubbed on and let sit until it dries and then we steel wool the neck smooth and repeat this process for two days. (At least 5 heavy coat were applied) after the oil dried on the final coats we again used the #0000 steel wool to make it smooth. For fretwire Steve liked the 6100 Dunlop Jumbo frets, The hardness of this wire is 16% nickel silver very hard wire but you can hear the difference in the attack and sustain of the note.
The body and neck were complete and we needed to make the pickguard, we used BK/WH/BK three ply material and the band saw to cut out the shape. To make the pickup routs in the pickguard we just used another pickguard on top of it as the template. On the back of the pickguard we completely shielded it using a cooper foil this will eliminate any noise from outside the guitar, we also used a conductive shielding paint inside all the routes to completely shield the electronics from any noise.
Dimarzio sent us the PAF Pro pickups and the special designed Jem single for the middle position and we wired up the first split 5 wiring at Ibanez.
The neck and body were screwed together and the pickguard was installed, The tremolo and tuners were added and there it was history. Then we played the guitar very loud testing all the parts to make sure it would stay in tune.
That was the way we made guitars back then, Today when we look back to how we made these guitars it was pretty primitive but that is what makes a great prototype.
Today the process I use is completely different then what I talked about in the Jem design days. Now I have many machines and jigs designed just for making certain parts of the guitar. I also have a milling machine for making templates very accurate and quickly. The old way was a great way to learn but it certainly is not efficient.