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Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 8:02 pm
by Perry
The Gibson '57 Futura is one of the guitars I've had in mind building for some time. For several days now I've been working on the body. First, this is the general goal.

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One major consideration is the headstock. I don't really care for the original Futura headstock. If I do a split headstock, the Robin Machete style is more what I have in mind.

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I've been working on the body. The wood is cypress (or cedar) and is extremely light. I don't know how attractive it would be in a natural finish, so I may end up painting or staining this one. Here's what I finished with today.

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And another photo.

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Other specs include:

25 inch scale rosewood fretboard on a maple neck.
Glued-in neck
Two humbuckers.
TOM and stopbar tailpiece
2 vol. 1 tone comtrols with 3-way switch

I'm staying in Taiwan for the summer, so I'll be able to keep a steady build schedule throughout August. However, my workshop is not air conditioned and tempertures/humdity are quite high. I can only work about two or three hours at a time.

Comments and questions welcomed.

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:29 pm
by duncanjames
Yikes... If you do go for that headstock, will you redesign it at all? It looks like it's made specifically for tuning problems!

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:45 pm
by Perry
duncanjames wrote:Yikes... If you do go for that headstock, will you redesign it at all? It looks like it's made specifically for tuning problems!
I think that's the problem with split headstocks and probably the reason why they're not used much. The other option I'm thinking about is to use this headstock or something very similar. The split headstock, however, does have some appeal.

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Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 7:40 am
by ForcedFire
So... you're planning on building every "ugly" Gibson :P .

Kidding! Looks good!

How do you feel about the Gumby headstock like the Moderne's? I guess it has the same problem. I wonder if there's a way to make one with a better tuner layout and use those new firebird tuners (Steinberg I think?) that stick out the back.

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:08 am
by Ceylon
How about making a Les Paul-headstock and then just cutting up a void in the middle of it?

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:27 am
by funkyeah!
Ceylon wrote:How about making a Les Paul-headstock and then just cutting up a void in the middle of it?
Image

Aluminum, but similar nonetheless

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:50 am
by analogsystem
I like the Dean split headstock a lot. Its symmetrical. Also an explorer headstock would look great with the Futura

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 12:15 pm
by ForcedFire
analogsystem wrote:Also an explorer headstock would look great with the Futura

+1

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:28 pm
by Perry
Thanks for the comments.
ForcedFire wrote:So... you're planning on building every "ugly" Gibson :P .

Kidding! Looks good!

How do you feel about the Gumby headstock like the Moderne's? I guess it has the same problem. I wonder if there's a way to make one with a better tuner layout and use those new firebird tuners (Steinberg I think?) that stick out the back.
That isn't too far off! I did have an idea to build a version of the Corvus. :) (I don't think its that ugly.)

I just realized something interesting about the headstock in the photo below. The guitar is strung "backwards" in that some strings are on the "wrong" tuners. For example, the sixth string is on the tuner that usually gets the fourth string, and the fourth string on the sixth string tuner, and so on. I wonder if something similar could be done with a split headstock to solve any tuning issues.

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And speaking of the Corvus, here's a photo of its headstock. Not bad.

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And the Moderne headstock, although on the Epiphone version.

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And this is an Explorer inspired headstock from the Washburn Stage Reissue A-5, slightly modified because I put a cocobolo cap on it.

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Lots of options.

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:36 pm
by ForcedFire
Yeah the green one is kind of what I was thinking (although not green!). Man the truss rod cover on the corvus looks aweful. They should have made a different shape for it.

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:26 pm
by newdawnfades
Perry wrote: And the Moderne headstock, although on the Epiphone version.

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i dub the, Gumby Headstock :D
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Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:33 pm
by andrewdoeshair
Perry wrote: Image
Intrigued! Do something whacky with the string layout, like this!

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 12:34 am
by Veitchy
newdawnfades wrote: i dub the, Gumby Headstock :D
Image
It's funny you should say that. That's exactly what they call them on the Les Paul forum.

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 4:48 am
by ESKIMO ROBOCOP
i thought thats what everyone called them.

Re: Gibson '57 Futura Build

Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 4:52 am
by Veitchy
Tends to be, yeah.