Variax/PRS-2
I got a lot of requests to do another one of these Variax/PRS guitars. I thought
it would be fun to try another one but this time use AAAAA+ Quilted Maple
and use a deep-set neck tenon. Also, the neck scale is 25-1/2" instead of the 25"
scale I did on the last one. The neck is Rosewood back with Bloodwood stripes. The guitar back
is
Mahogany. After joining the top and back I used a band
saw to cut out the basic shape.
Here I center the neck
on the back and clamp it down. I draw a line around the tenon to use
for a reference when I
stick my template on and rout the mortise.
WOW! I love the
look of quilted maple.. After I routed out the
body shape
using a template, I set the
top on the back and make sure everything lines up on center.
The mortise is routed
for the neck. I wanted to try a deep-set neck tenon
with the Variax circuits
to see if it will improve sustain any.
The neck fits and is straight on center.
Whew! That's a good sign. :-)
This is after I cut
off the excess from the top of the neck tenon.
Just
making sure everything
is still lined up.
I'm shaping the neck heel. I want a
small neck heel on this guitar.
I drew on the contours
so I have a guide to go by when I start grinding away on the top.
This is after the excess has been cut off of
the neck tenon.
Here I start the chore
of shaping the top. It takes me about three days to hand shape
it. Boy, it's be nice to have a CNC! I could whip this
out in 20 seconds!
It's starting to take
shape. I don't have a pattern for the top contours,
I just eyeball
everything and try to make it look decent.
The shaping of the top
is finished for the most part. I use a 50-grit
sanding barrel on a hand drill
to shape that cutout on the lower horn.
I have routed the
pickup cavities out. It's starting to look like a guitar now. I
will
be connecting the
passive pickups on this Variax transplant.
Drilling out the holes
for the tuners. I'm going to use Planet Waves auto-trim tuners.
Here I've routed a couple channels in the back
for the pickup leads.
Gluing the neck in.
That looks crazy! I'm gluing on the top.
Here I'm getting everything lined up for the
Variax circuit cavity rout.
Fast forward... Done!
That looks cool with the neck tenon coming into the cavity.
Test fit the circuit board.
\
I've drilled and
contoured for all of the pots, 5-way and I've routed the bridge cavity
in. Since the passive
pickups will be used on this
guitar, I'll need an extra pot and an A/B switch.
I decided I'd try to
make the battery cover plate and circuit board
cavity cover out of some
nice quilted maple. It's turning
out pretty good so far...
Just about done with the battery cover!
That looks pretty wild!
Done!
I figured since I went
through all the trouble of making the
battery cover out of quilted
maple I just as well
make a new output jack out
of quilted maple too. :-)
The quilted maple
output jack is complete. This little thing was more
of a challenge than I
thought it would be. It took me most of the day to make.
I don't know if I'd
ever go through the trouble to whittle one of these out again.
This Variax transplant guitar will be Red.
The dye is on! That quilt really pops
out.
Sprayed a couple coats
of sealer on the top.
Finished
all of the lacquer clear coats. The neck shaping is complete.
She'll need to dry for
a couple weeks. I'm working on finishing up the quilted
maple covers. She's
taking shape!
The top is buffed out
for the most part.
The back is buffed
out. The figure in the Mahogany
really looks cool!
I'll move on to the neck next.
The buffing
continues... It takes me a while to get it all buffed out.
The finish is totally
hand rubbed. I believe this is my best finish to date!
She is nearing
completion! Woohoo!
I forgot about the
truss rod cover. I made one out of some Rosewood.
Now I need to figure out
what pickups to install. I'll use Seymour Duncan's
of some kind (I'm a
Seymour Duncan fan), but I'm not sure which ones to use
yet. I'll have to
research it some. I might go with the Pearly Gates humbuckers.
I'm finishing up the
custom quilted maple covers I made. I just have to buff them
out and they'll be
finished. They look really good. A little bit gaudy I
guess, but what the hell.
They were a fun experiment.
The bridge and Variax
circuits have been installed. I took a close up
of the knobs. The
reflections really show how well the finish turned out.
I got the pickups
installed and she's got some strings on now. I installed a
Seymour Duncan JB in
the bridge position and a SH-2n jazz humbucker in the
neck position. I
made up the nut and I'm dialing in the setup. I think
she is going to play
really nice!
