MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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Amon 7.L
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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Amon 7.L » Sun May 12, 2019 11:57 am

Rgand wrote:
Sat May 11, 2019 8:05 am
Guitar happens! Great progress, already.
Yup. Guitar happens, just like the old saying goes (if I remember it correctly :whistle: )

Let's see what has happened back then.
We already seen those digital mock-ups, right? Why don't we play the same game with actual parts and see what we get?

16) TOM + Jaguar trem. (I had to make plates in alumium. It doesn't stay shiny for long.)
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Same combo but in black... looks any sharpen?
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17) A Skull-shaped hardtail plate has brain-farted out my head. I do apologise but to this very moment is still a possible candidate.
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What did you say? What happened to the toronado hardtail? Well.. at that time, I couldn't manage to find it and I'm basically a squirrel, I go from place to place looking things up. And that's what I've found. I do prosper in chaos.

At this point, just like every dentist who wants to stay in business, there's a sheer need of cavities:
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(every shameful cavity needs a plug... two black ones would do)

Because it's just an old habit, we've got to make sure there's a neck pocket available. And a voluntary neck for the glam shot.
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Some back side generous roundover.
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I forgot to mention... The two MDF sheets are 4mm thick (or thin, if you will) but they are astonishing rigid, and the body weighs a TON for being this dwarf size. A 19 pieces dwarf size brick.

Time passed by and my dreamed Toronado bridge missed the call. I had to go stoptail. I HATE stoptails. I had one in my parts bin since forever and this is still a project based on experimentation. It has to be fucked-up and nasty. I wanna be forced to modify it.
More holes, more roundover.
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No. She's not gonna have body contours. I had other plans. Actually, I didn't want to deal with the paint soaking in the transition line between MDF and sandwiched wood.

It's still April 2008 btw and here they are. Mother and daughter. Yes, Maya came out from the Jagstang's main template.
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Note for fellow AcrylicSuperman (and for those who are following the JS prototype thread): Do you remember when -behind the scene- we were discussing about the Jagstang prototype body roundover size? Watch the above picture considering the fact that the two bodies have the SAME EXACT TOP HORN but they do sport a different radius:
JS = 7.5mm
Maya = 9.5mm
You see how much a sole 1.5 mm does influence the perceived shapes? One looks pointy and longer whilst the other seems shorter and much rounder. It's that crucial to define the right proportions.
(sorry guys for the slight derail)

That's all for now, next time we're gonna go crafty. I'll be making some TORT. :ph34r:

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by JSutter » Sun May 12, 2019 3:36 pm

I would have went with the TOM as well. What's the distance between the bridge and tail piece?

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Amon 7.L
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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Amon 7.L » Mon May 13, 2019 4:28 am

JSutter wrote:
Sun May 12, 2019 3:36 pm
I would have went with the TOM as well. What's the distance between the bridge and tail piece?
The distance is pretty much like on a gibson if I remember correctly. 41.28mm post to post.

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Amon 7.L » Tue May 14, 2019 12:53 pm

Yet another update for those who are silently watching.

As anticipated, this one is gonna be artsy-crafty.
We all love tort, right? And this body needs a pickguard, right? You see where we're going? Frankly, I don't.

All I had was a sheet of this:
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from which we've got this pile of rubble:
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but also this shiny piece of ... plastic?
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When transparency doesn't enhance a body, we know something is wrong:
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(yes, I've also routed a slot recess for the TOM to sit at a reasonable height. Countersunk stoptail's post holes accordingly)

Tort doesn't grow on a tree and when it does is probably just right before your alarm clocks wakes you up from a deeper kind of slumber.
Hence, the answer. Gouache colours.
Red, Bordeaux, Yellow, Black. Pick up a brush, shake'em together with the least cognition, then add, subtract, mix again and again and when you're thinking you're done, add more.
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To seal the colours and avoid any smudging on the body I sprayed two coats of acrylic clear on the back of the pickguard.

A general mock up
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Did I mention the body sizes? It's tiny. Very tiny.
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Pretty much like a Pawn Shop Mustang Special.

Goucache colour paint part deux. Competition stripe edition
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It's April 28th 2018 as marked in the neck pocket.

Another shot with added-on control switches (they are 3 way ON-OFF-ON), just as small as the 2-way jaguar switches. Aluminium control plate kept oxidizing thou.
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Raise your hand if you know Murphy's Law.
A detail I forgot to mention.... : The Toronado bridge that I wasn't able to trace when I started the project... YUP, it just showed right after the massive recess for the TOM and the countersink for the stoptail were routed. (It also took a full month of wait for the delivery to show up at my step door)
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Then I was thinking about the stripes, so I went Photoshopping them black (and removing those hideous stoptail post holes.)
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To go on with the good looking Toronado bridge means to fill the previous work and drill the body for the string-thru configuration, which is something I never done before and that I'd like to take a stab on.
What do you guys think?

This is all for this entry.
Please comment, like, subscribe, dislike, ignore.

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Rgand » Tue May 14, 2019 2:17 pm

When you drill the string through holes, only go halfway through. Then set up a piece of MDF with a pin in it the same size as the holes. Center that in your drill press (hopefully you have one) and clamp it down. Then set the body on that on each of the string through holes so you can drill them from the other side. Everything will line up nicely that way. Do that for both the through holes (1/8") and the ferrule holes (5/16"). I use a couple paper towels to protect the top of the body from minor scratches when I slip it onto the pin.

Image

Image

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by epizootics » Tue May 14, 2019 9:36 pm

Oh my oh my, is this neat. Should we start the Cra-Z Sanny Guitar Club? (I realize there's a chance no one says 'sanny' outside of Scotland, maybe that's for the best?)

The gouache tort is the best idea I've heard in a while! It looks pretty damn perfect.
But then the plain perspex on plain MDF looked great too, maybe there's an idea there?

Keep it coming!

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Amon 7.L » Wed May 15, 2019 3:01 am

@Rgand
Your solution is definitely the safest yet effective way-to-go to achieve the best result.
Unfortunately my drill press doesn't have enough span to reach for all the six holes location, so I'll either go crafty using a self centering dowel jig to drill the ferrules holes with an even spacing or I'll be asking a wood shop in town the courtesy to take advantage of their bigger drill press.
Worst scenario, in case I screw up, I'm gonna cover the mess on the back of the body with a custom aluminium plate ::)

@epizootics
Thanks man! From now on I declare the "Cra-Z Sanny Guitar Club" officialy formed. (You now have to realize that I'm outside Scotland and that I've just used the sanny word in this sentence, so... chances are gone :D )

Ooouh... believe me, I couldn't manage to take a more accurate pic of the gouache tortoisered perspex but I gotta tell you, it looks much better in person, it's not so plain and uniform as it appears in the shots, but actually more swirly and cloudy. I tried to give it some random yellow blotching but it just wasn't happening nor I can't complain for being a 5 minute brush job in the pure "fuck it" fashion style.
It's nowhere near the real thing but at least it's not pixelated :ph34r:
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You're right on the clear perspex on plain MDF, i still have some material left and I quite like the idea of a body with guts & wiring in a see thru window... :ph34r:

On a side note, as any high-ranking Club, we need some elitistic requirements:
First rule of the Cra-z Sanny Guitar Club is to always talk about the Cra-Z Sanny Guitar Club.
Second rule of the Cra-z Sanny Guitar Club is to show your Sanny Guitar, then you're in.

P.S.:
Beware: the goucher craze has a continue :ph34r:

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by leokula » Wed May 15, 2019 4:43 am

Amon 7.L wrote:
Tue May 14, 2019 12:53 pm
To go on with the good looking Toronado bridge means to fill the previous work and drill the body for the string-thru configuration, which is something I never done before and that I'd like to take a stab on.
What do you guys think?
Man, the toronado bridge looks so much better to my eyes... It's totally worth it the extra time! The project is coming out so awesome, I don't think you should compromise if you also think the toronado bridge looks great.
Jaguar > Jazzmaster :)

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Rgand » Wed May 15, 2019 6:54 am

Amon 7.L wrote:
Wed May 15, 2019 3:01 am
@Rgand
Your solution is definitely the safest yet effective way-to-go to achieve the best result.
Unfortunately my drill press doesn't have enough span to reach for all the six holes location, so I'll either go crafty using a self centering dowel jig to drill the ferrules holes with an even spacing or I'll be asking a wood shop in town the courtesy to take advantage of their bigger drill press.
Worst scenario, in case I screw up, I'm gonna cover the mess on the back of the body with a custom aluminium plate ::)
If your string spacing is 2-1/16" there are these ferrule plates available.

Image

I also really like the Toronado bridge. It looks great.

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Amon 7.L » Thu May 16, 2019 4:33 am

leokula wrote:
Wed May 15, 2019 4:43 am
Man, the toronado bridge looks so much better to my eyes... It's totally worth it the extra time! The project is coming out so awesome, I don't think you should compromise if you also think the toronado bridge looks great.
Thank you, Leokula!
Yes, the Toronado bridge has always been my first choice, the only reason I went TOM+Stoptail is that I couldn't find it anywhere when I started the build. Sure enough, I won't compromise, no worries... I have plans :ph34r:
Rgand wrote:
Wed May 15, 2019 6:54 am
If your string spacing is 2-1/16" there are these ferrule plates available.

Image

I also really like the Toronado bridge. It looks great.
Thanks to you as well, Rgand.
Good suggestion, I saw that plate a while ago and thought about using it in case I'd screw up. Unfortunately, the string spacing on the toronado is bigger by a fraction. Nothing problematic in the long run, I don't mind get crafty doing a custom plate if necessary.

Yesterday I took some measurements and this is what we have:
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Being this body conceived as guinea pig and constant modding platform, I want to try being as modular as possible and allow both toronado/Tom+Stoptail configurations.
Two of the top 3 mounting screws of the Toronado bridge don't have anything to grub on, but I reckon that the plate won't have any problem to handle the strings pressure even if mounted with only 3 screws out of the five.
After all, if I make a removable plug to seat in the TOM's recess and put two slightly downsized threaded dowels into said TOM's post holes just for the Toronado bridge screws to have something to grab on (just aesthetics reason, not for actual work), there won't be problems.
It's an experiment and there's a lot to learn, which it's always useful in the long run.
I'm open to ideas guys, what ya think of my considerations?

THAT SAID, let's move a bit forward updating the thread.
We were in 2018, now we directly jump to nowadays time: March 2019.

I went on spraying some "highly recommeded" sealer & primer on the body but, man... whilst the actual wood wasn't acting funny, the MDF has been a colossal vampire in sucking mode. I don't have any picture of it but, believe me, out of the full spray can shoot, the top of the body withheld just a veeeeeeeeeeery thin layer of misty-dusty grey coloured paint. WHAT-THE-FUCKING-FUCK. :fp:
The only places in which it has stuck were the competition stripes I've brushed on with goucher paint.
Rather pissed but at the same time totally happy for having one more chance to go bonkers: there's my regular brainfarted solution:
Goucher paint. It worked before, right?

A sort of seafoam green would do. Brush on!
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primer, sanding, brushing, more sanding until everything flat. It worked in a relic fashion.
(As mentioned in the previous one, there has been a "goucher craze".)

I kind of like it...
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At this point... my primer was finished, but there was another can laying around since ages and I was a colour you can't just go WRONG with. It was only half a can thou.
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The deeper purple-ish extra stains are NAIL POLISH. Yes, I did that too. In some areas the MDF kept sucking and sucking, so I had no other choice: I had to.
goucher paint, acrylic paint, nail polish, earwax... who cares: it's now flat.

There:
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No, it's not a dejavù. It's not a recycled picture either. It's not a test. It's the official primer base for the incoming colour.

My initial idea was to go Coral or Fiesta Red (respectively 1st and 2nd choice) but when your father shows up asking you if you want these two cans of glossy Black and - a sort of- Dakota Red, what do ya do?
Right, you already knew the answer before this very thread even started, I can't deliver any suspense nor mystery at this point.
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I'm gonna stop here because I don't want to flood the page.

P.S.:
Just a sneak peek:
I don't have a spray booth, I couldn't spray inside the room I work in, so I had to do the job outside... Everything was going fine, but you know Murphy is a vicious stalker that creeps at your back waiting for his moment to remind you he never fails to deliver his magic touch.
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The little bulge in the paint is an effing bug who decided to blast himself into my freshly sprayed coat of paint. I guess nobody told him the WWII was over and went into kamikaze mode. I also attended his agony during the aftermath of his bombing fly down. I also tried to get the bugging bug off my belongings using pliers but he already was at melting down-stage, so I let his course run its way and went on with a further coat.
Last edited by Amon 7.L on Thu May 16, 2019 9:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Rgand » Thu May 16, 2019 6:20 am

Cool work getting the MDF filled. Are you going to cover the black with the fiesta red? Either black or red will be outstanding.

LOL, think of the colors you could see if you relic it. ;D

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Amon 7.L » Thu May 16, 2019 10:01 am

Rgand wrote:
Thu May 16, 2019 6:20 am
Cool work getting the MDF filled. Are you going to cover the black with the fiesta red? Either black or red will be outstanding.

LOL, think of the colors you could see if you relic it. ;D
I did not expect MDF to behave like this, I stupidly thought it would actually been VERY EASY to finish. Blissful ignorance :fp:
It has been incredibly fun to deal with it. The guitar is completely black and I think it's gonna stay this way, but I'm contemplating to spray some competition stripes in Dakota.
I will discuss this topic in the next update, as it requires your knowledge about Alkyd paints. (they are weird.)

Ahahahahah, don't tempt me!! :D

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Amon 7.L » Fri May 17, 2019 4:55 am

Thread Update: Paint Stage.

As you have seen in the later posts, painting on MDF hasn't been a walk in the park for me, but anyhow... I went on spraying with a single can of BAUFIX labelled glossy black.
This paint is an Alkyd resin laquer. I never worked with it before, nor I was aware of this formula. Here's the description of its specs:
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I read it thoughtfully and followed all the warnings. I kept the can floating inside a bucket filled with warm water to allow a smoother application, I respected the indicated time frame between the THIN coats and, as specified, I let it hung to dry being prepared to wait for the indicated 2 weeks for the full cure.
Aside for the kamikaze bug and a few not problematic runs, the paint was easy to apply, it also has peculiar yellowish hue you'd find in the black nitrocellulose counterpart.
Serious problem is that the guitar has been sprayed on March 23, and to this very day, almost 2 months later instead of the mentioned 2 weeks, it hasn't fully hardened in spite of the "rapid-drying alkyd resin laquer" stated in the label.
Though it's nowhere as intense as the first 2-3 weeks, you can still perceive the smell out of the body and the surface doesn't yet pass the fingernail test.
I'm not sure if I can go on with the wet-sanding process or to leave it a few more days. I have to work on the plug for the Tom recess and for the string-thru conversion, so... I guess it is better to do such work BEFORE the polishing stage kicks in, right?

This is how it's looking now with a partial mock up.
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Some renders for eventual body rebuilding:
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If you ever worked with an Alkyd paint and have familiarity with it, please chime in, I'd appreciate your knowledge on the subject.

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by jmurph » Sat May 18, 2019 6:01 am

Amon 7.L, this is, hands down, one of my favourite threads ever on OSG! Fantastic design work! I've been contemplating a scaled down Jag for a while because, as much as I love my Jag, the size of a Mustang works better for me. I think rev 03 and the Maya VI are my faves. I'll have to check out the "What's on your bench" thread for the others. Any idea what page they're on?

Your approach to the pickguard really got me thinking about what's possible when you go artsy fartsy. What's the thickness of the material you used for the pickguard?

Would you ever consider uploading the full size plans for the community? Or is there a way to get the blueprints you've posted to the proper scale? If you dont mind, I'd love to have a crack at building one...or two.

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Re: MAYA - A baby Jaguar-shaped Duosonic

Post by Amon 7.L » Wed May 22, 2019 5:06 am

jmurph wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 6:01 am
Amon 7.L, this is, hands down, one of my favourite threads ever on OSG! Fantastic design work! I've been contemplating a scaled down Jag for a while because, as much as I love my Jag, the size of a Mustang works better for me. I think rev 03 and the Maya VI are my faves. I'll have to check out the "What's on your bench" thread for the others. Any idea what page they're on?
Thank you for your appreciation, jmurph. I'm glad Maya is receiving all this love. :)

(I don't understand your question in bold, what is the "the others" you're referrering to? If you're asking me if there is other material Maya-related in the "what's on your bench", everything is gathered in this very thread altogether)
jmurph wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 6:01 am
Your approach to the pickguard really got me thinking about what's possible when you go artsy fartsy. What's the thickness of the material you used for the pickguard?
Yeah, I encourage everyone to try going all artsy fartsy way... Is not only fun but in the long run it pushes to learn things as you go and boosts up confidence into trying new things. The perspex thickness is 1.25mm, but I'll have to use a second sheet below the tortoise one to add more stability.

RE the plans, I'd first like to finish this prototype I'm working on, as I'm already tweaking the shape in the CAD's blueprint and see which bits and pieces I'll feel the need of retouch/change/improve.

On the side note, this guitar design (and variations on the theme) has being conceived in spirit as homage and memory of my lost baby, that's why I decided to name it after her. When I'll be done with this prototype stage I will rebuild one with proper materials and quality.

If it's not a problem for you to wait for me to finish the project (or either finalize the shape) and if you'd like to share my sentimental tribute of a Coral/Fiesta red Maya, it will be my pleasure to draw a full plan of the rev. 3 for you.

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