'Custom Slim' Guitar Build

raw materials (fretboard, maple top, alder back, mahogany middle) cutting one plank of bubinga into two fretboards cutting maple strips for neck blank flamed maple planks 3/4" thick gluing maple top halves together gluing maple top to alder body (back)

aligning template for neck pocket before routing neck cavity applying template for humbucker cavity before routing body carving lines marked before rough routing rough routing of 'terraces' for body carve slowly shaping maple top further smoothing and shaping of maple top maple top nearing completion of carve narrow binding channel (1/8") routed around edge of body rough hand-cut binding channel at places the router cannot reach start of control cavity routing in back; with cavity for 9V battery gluing on the binding; held with tape while drying gluing headstock 'wings' and neck shape marked with template routing channel for truss rod before fretboard glued on mitre tool made to cut fret slots into fretboard fretboard glued onto neck; truss rod adjuster visible at top of channel test placement of fret markers before drilling tool made to bend frets with 12 degrees of arc frets going into slots test neck placement into neck pocket (angled 4 degrees)

sample test placement of control knobs black dye applied to accentuate grain (flaming and depth) blue dye applied after sanding black dye custom decal applied under lacquer finish neck profile carving and shaping; final steps fret leveling and filing and dressing million step polishing of lacquer finish wiring up active pickups (EMG Super 77's)