I've made some semihollows like that, but flat top. Actually my first hollow core door instruments were cut from doors I never took apart! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pamHhMKn1K7OqaM.html As for the "waste" I agree and disagree. It's a real interesting thing to think about. I'm not attacking you and I know you aren't attacking me but you pose a good opportunity for me to develop my manifesto! lol I'm pinning this to share as I like to dig a little deeper from time to time. Remind people what I'm REALLY trying to do here. So let's sus it out: Buckle in! - In order to make a real wood archtop that has the structural stability needed, you gotta carve wood away. That same waste would exist if hand made, too. (or you can steam form wood, but then you've got different waste issues to discuss by comparison, glue, processing, etc). So I have that block of wood and I want to make a guitar from it. I can cut the guitar shape out and leave it solid, so it's heavier and there is less waste. But I'm still wasting the parts I cut off. So I'll make it a guitar from a giant rectangular block of wood instead. Now there's no waste. Problem solved. But who would want to play this guitar? Come to think of it, does the world really need any more guitars made? I mean, guys like me have a whole bunch of them. If all of us gave or sold our guitar collections down to a manageable "sane" level (some of you know who I'm talking to, lol) everyone in the world could have a guitar and no more guitars would ever even need to be made. But now I need to find another line of work? Repairing guitars? Boring. I'm an artist, not a technician. So to fuel my need to make art I gotta make art! (and that's a whole other philosophical discussion. When saving the planet, what do we *really* mean? Saving society. What is society? Is it Commerce? Politics? Agriculture? Some might argue it's the art and culture we create that is the entire purpose of society. But that's another tangent, but needed to be planted to continue). I don't want to make more sculptures that just sit there and make someone "feel" for a minute before they move on. For me to be comfortable making art for a living, it has to do more than just be pretty. It must function. I take it one step further and make art that continues to make art in the hands of other artists. Infinite emotions and possibilities exist in my art! Problem solved on the waste stream, vs making giant sculptures that do nothing, right? Well... Seeing as waste and environmentalism are large focal points of my work, First I try to make guitars like the video link above, but they're not that great and become wall hangers instead of functional. Fail. I could make the giant block of wood with strings? Win on the waste side but an artistic fail again. I cut the shapes and make them work. Win? But where do I go from here? Gotta keep exploring the art and growing or I'm not an artist, I'm a manufacturer. So I start hollowing it out and making more wood chips but still creating an upward direction in my art. Like this one that seems too wasteful to you. Fail? Win? NOW! Unlike MOST other artists and guitar makers, take in to consideration the materials I work with. They were almost all literally "trash" already, discarded by other people before I even began to create my own waste from them. The doug fir I used for this specific guitar? Twice reclaimed from two demolished buildings (thanks to Joe at UrbanMiners.com). If it weren't for Joe it would be in the trash. If it weren't for me there'd be no customers to keep Joe in business and it goes in the trash. I take the extra effort to share all of this - ALL of this via the non-profitable time suck that is KZfaq - to encourage others and show them this waste is not, in fact waste. If I can create more "Tims", there can be more "Joes" and we can change the way things are made and destroyed. One person at a time. I'm not capable of it any other way. Hearts and minds. And yes, I too will create a little bit of waste in the process. But does it still feel as big as it did when you wrote your comment? Compared to the Gibson factory or the bespoke luthier, corksniffing through as pile of exotic lumber, with blood and oil in its waste stream? Every living thing, every action leaves behind a footprint (including the energy I've invested in to the power-sucking internet. Calculated!) Choose how big yours is, but at the same time, you gotta actually live, not just survive. It's OK. We can keep our guitar collections and I'll keep making more, but I'll try to do it a BETTER way - Not how it's been done and as the big companies and tone wood fetishists continue to produce. Every sale I take away from them is a net positive gain. I'm not the wasteful one in this industry and by comparison this guitar has almost no footprint! Oh, and the off cuts from the guitar shape I use to heat my shop. The chips from the cnc get mulched on the property. None of it goes to waste.

@@timsway I can't think of any way to word this that doesn't sound like a bunch of cheap puns, but... It would seem I missed the forest for the trees (one single, fairly small tree) with my initial comment and I really appreciate that you put things into perspective. You're right. I keep forgetting that a few years back we all watched Gibson run a goddamn bulldozer over hundreds of Firebirds made from timber that probably went over an ocean to get to them. Sheesh.

@@zhiracs I remember that video. Yep, that’s what we are really up against. I think those guitars were made of synthetic materials, btw, which is probably worse in so many ways.

@@timsway both of yalls are nerds LOL - cool freakin guitar, man - and the $2 bill makes it even more cool !

I agree with you Tim. Yes there is waste but hell you are using just reclaimed wood so yes a little waste but a lot less waste seeing this is all reclaimed wood

Alright, slow your roll with Stradavarius comparisons. That's a little over the top, don'tya think? But I like your perspective on the showroom at the end of the conveyor belt and that is what youtube has really opened up for me and a lot of people: The real time visualization and exploration of how things are made, both physically and the iterations of design. I love sharing and seeing the process more than the result (as it seems many others do, too!) I also wholeheartedly agree that making with a local "accent" (from local materials for local people) is the future of manufacturing vs the giant, homogenized and mechanized "supply chain" driven machinery currently in place, poisoning the market and the planet. For example, if someone overseas wants my guitar design, I'd rather see a system in place where my digital files get sent to a local machine where the parts are cut, and a local luthier finishes the job. I get paid some for my design and file share, the local maker gets paid for his work, the musician gets a guitar for the same price or less as a box store axe but made from locally sourced materials, sustainably - and with a mix of my "accent" and theirs. One less box store opens more land for better use than a strip mall and one less truck on the road... X every industry possible and...

@@timsway Wholeheartedly agree, Tim. And all I said was 'nearer the Strad end' not quite there yet eh?

very true, and it looks killer. It's kind of a PIA to machine tho.

yea, it's not a fair comparison between positions, but it does seem a little cleaner

cheers! designing guitars is like designing cars. Stray too far from the traditional shapes and it's gimmicky or ugly, but not far enough and it's boring and uninspiring. It's a thin line I try to find.

I defeated the purpose of black 3.0 with the gloss finish, but I wanted to share the story (and it was the only black paint I had on hand). When used to its fullest potential, it is certainly for a "look, don't touch" type of application.

I think like any art form, the more you do it, the more "in the weeds" of the details you get.

thanks. I made this design as a custom fingerboard for a friend that he designed (@robritz on instagram) but I cut one first as a test and used it myself.

wow, thanks man! this is an acoustic guitar shape I designed and am working on (I made a couple off camera but I have a little ways to go still). You'll get to see one of those in action in an upcoming video.

it's addictive.

they kind of were :)

Hate to be the guy to say this, but this is just a Fishman Fluence Pickup.

oh yea on the Fluence? ? I've never even thought about those. I can see blackcorvo's idea being visually interesting, if the top was visually a classic green pcb, maybe reclaimed, but I could probably just make a normal pickup under it, too. lol.

@@timsway I think there might be some visual merit to a printed board top. But yeah, the flexi-PCB sandwitch is how you make a Fluence, it's part of how they're so consistent. There's a few videos of them being cut in half out there.

I know, I know! lol. now it's just black paint, but it was the only black paint I had on hand.

oh yea? there's a couple people on there. That's funny.

@@timsway It is super cool that my family history is documented. Our ancestors' time in the USA goes back to the mayflower. We have some great history there.

@@DeadKoby that is cool. My grandfather did a little digging before he died. My grandmother's maiden name also traces back to the mayflower.

It's lighter than a solid body guitar but heavier than an acoustic archtop. cheers!

@@timsway Next up: The Un-FlatTop. ?

that might be fun, to reduce the footprint in thickness instead of height.

@@timsway I was actually thinking of one of those in conjunction with these billfoil pickups, so we could have these as humbuckers without them being massively large

true!

Thanks for the kind words! I want to make all the parts in-house eventually (tuners will be the trickiest but I have some ideas brewing). As a super long time viewer, you might recognize something from the old days coming up in a video very soon (next two weeks) that I'm reintroducing to a mostly newer audience but surprising them over a two-video spread. Try not to spoil it :)

Guitar designing is like car designing. All sedans have 4 doors and a trunk, basically the same shape. Each designer looks for their own mark on the form, usually inspired by not only the era they are designing in but also the innovations in manufacturing and materials available to them at the time. Stray too far from the form and it's unlikable by the masses, (Pontiac Aztec and Ford Taurus I'm looking at you). stay too close to the original and it's outdated and uninspired (you heard me, Camry and K car). It's a game of inches on cars, millimeters on guitars. I find it kind of ridiculous how many guitar makers are just making recreations of other, old guitar designs. Sure, Strats are great but that's Leo Fender's Model T. I want to make my own, shiny new ride right in that sweet spot between classic and innovation :)

@@timsway i hope you will keep the same shape without changing it for future project. In my humble opinion i suggest you a little bit wider headstock. Check out Meazzi Hollywood on AccordoTV youtube channel, this 3+3 headstock style i think will match perfectly. Have a nice day and keep it on!

No, Spinal Tap's new album is blacker than all of them. lol. I know the clearcoat defeats the effect. I'm a fan of Stuart Semple and his performative art via marketing and capitalism. I have heard of Musou but have not tried it yet. As for neck mount, I don't think it would be too hard to modify one of these to work (or perhaps if I make more I can make an additional part for the job). Good idea!

I'd love to make one for you. newperspectivesmusic.com

Yea, I think they like being a little dirty :)

probably

I'm watching it now and making my wife watch it, too. I keep saying stuff like "that's Siouxie Sioux!" And my wife is like, "Suzie who?" That is an excellent question. I tend to err on the opposite side, not going back to add a little more paint instead of adding too much because my interest and personality always want to get to the next project rather than perfecting the one in hand. When I first started making "rustic" reclaimed furniture I was at a show and there was a seasoned, old timer wood turner set up next to me making gorgeous wood bowls. I was embarrassed as he was looking at my work, ashamed at my lack of skill. After a few minutes he looked up at me and said, "I get it. I could never do this. I wouldn't know when to stop." Like a comedian's job is to find the "too soon?" line, in a lot of ways, finding the "done" line IS what it means to be an artist. It's always moving and changing so it's up to us to keep chasing it.

You're getting better man. All that time with guitars in your hands is doing you good.

I take a lot of inspiration from the old Fujigens, etc.

@@timsway thats absolutely awesome, keep on doing what you do!

Thanks. That is my design that I've been honing for years. The key to "new guitar shapes" is they can't be too "new" or they look odd, not new enough and they look derivative.

LOL. very kind. I never thought to name the cnc.

not sure. since I make the pickups, probably $100 to $200, wood and all.

usually 10s, sometimes 9s

all us currency is some special proprietary blend. they don't share the recipe to make it harder to fake. It would be fun to expand in to other currencies :)

Vectric Aspire

That's Jefferson on the $2. Franklin's on the $100 and I'd much rather have his face than TJ, but the pickups would get awful darn expensive!! lol

@@timsway my bad... I picked the wrong President 😅

Yes, it would be more microphonic if not dipped in wax. Resistance utput as in ohms tends to be based on the number of winds, but certainly all of these factors make a difference in the sound of a pickup. They are truly the "tone wood" rabbit hole that's actually worth going down.

@@timsway do you think the loss in the microphonic characteristic makes the pickup lose some of the acoustic harmonics it can catch and reproduce to the amp that "normal" pickups like single coils and humbuckers don't? also, do you reckon the higher output makes it loose the low-fidelity sound quality that the original old-days gold foils are famous and loved for or does this sound come from something else? i'm asking because the sound that the video/camera/mic records must be different from the sound in the room, in person with the amp. i think... thanks for answering BTW, just found out about your channel 3 days ago and have been binge watching! keep up the great work and content!

@@TheKlauspc this particular pickup design is definitely more lofi, lower output and microphonic than most other pickups. without wax potting it would be probably too wild? My goldfoils on my old harmony have a much higher output reading than these. like 15k vs 6.5k, btw.

@@timsway wow, that's great info about the output. thanks again.

25.5"

I'd go around 23" for a young kid. Maybe just a little bit narrower than a full size guitar.

@@timsway awesome thanks. I can make the actual body smaller to make it easier for her I was just not sure about the neck

maybe? Was that on Chicago Transit Authority (#1) it's just a riff that popped in my head from that era, but not clearly.

@@timsway Yep, one of the last tunes on the album

cheers. I have other pickups that sound more like what you are looking for, but with my same ethos. I'm trying to do something different here. Check out my nailbuckers. You can skip to the audio demo: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/isVhm7h908zSh2w.html

@@timsway Wow, you sure took that well, even though I was kind of a jerk. I'm a little embarrassed. Hats off to you. It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong. I am not a big man, so I'll let it stand.

@@duderama6750 it takes two people to fight, and there's no point in fighting over taste or opinion. I never take it personally. If everyone liked the same things the world would be weird and boring.

@@timsway I never equate weird with boring. My world is weird. It's up to artists like us to make it more weird and less boring. What weird little part of the world do you occupy btw?

@@duderama6750 I’m over here trying to keep Connecticut a little weirder ;)

Didn't he show the wax potting?

the whole second half of the video is comparing the unwaxed to the waxed (and a couple other changes). All of them for sale now are waxed.

@@timsway Yep I should have waited till the very end of the video. My apologies.

I never copy other brands' designs so no, but I have also only a couple times making a symmetrical double cutaway. When I did, I made them completely symmetrical so you could string it lefty and have it look the same. here's one of them: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q7N4ir2ItpuncnU.html

@@timsway That design is so cool, thanks for the link!