New guitar build

[Perry Underwood]

This is the second guitar I've built using a wood called amargo (quassia amara) for the body. I like the wood, but it's a little difficult to work with. The grain is very coarse and the wood splinters badly. When you sand the wood, you get a bitter taste in your mouth. The wood is used for medicinal purposes.

The body shape is a variation on the Fernandes Vertigo model. I have tried to build my recent guitars with thinner bodies in the hope of making them lighter. This body is about 1 1/4 inches think. I also tried to slim down the headstock, which has a top cap of cocobolo and is backstrapped with paudak.

The pickups are manufactured by Carvin. The bridge pickup is a M22SD and, in the photo, the neck pickup is a C22N. However, I recently changed the neck pickup to a M22N. I found that the original neck pickup needs repair.

This is the first guitar where I recessed the bridge due to how low the neck sits in the body and lack of a greater neck angle. The use of all black hardware is also a first. Neck is made of maple with a rosewood fingerboard.

Here's a few photos.

[Perry Underwood]

Another photo of the body.

[Perry Underwood]

And one of the headstock. I'm working on designing a medallion to add to the headstocks of my guitars.

Comments welcomed.

[Alexander Higgins]

Nice work! What is the finish on the body, looks like maybe no finish or a satin oil. What drew you to this particular wood? Looks enough like mahogany, which might have been easier to work. You probably wouldn't have gotten that real even grain with mahogany though. Just curious, what did you use for a truss rod, single or double-acting?

[James Tonguet]

Nice clean job , enjoy !

[Perry Underwood]

Alexander and James, thanks for your comments and questions.

The finish is a combination of different oils and lacquer that I have mixed together. I live overseas, and it is often difficult to know what finish products I am buying, and the brand names that I am used to are not available. This is why I have had to resort to creating my own finish product. The main ingredient in this mix is walnut oil, but there's also linseed oil and lacquer.

However, fortunately, I have found a product called Penetrol Wood Oil. I now have this product, but I haven't tried it yet.

I've had the amargo for some time. In the past, I have used it for necks on a few guitars. In the summer of 2013, I shipped the wood that I had in a storage compartment to myself and that include the amargo.

I haven't found any more of this wood. I bought it on eBay probably around eight years ago. I don't think I would buy it again, though.

The truss rod is one of Stewmac's hot rod truss rods. That's what I'm set up for.

This is another guitar that has a body made from amargo. I am also working on another guitar that has a top cap of amargo.

[Gilbert Fredrickson]

Nicely shaped guitars. I've wondered if a Primavera neck and body would work well for a lighter guitar.

[Hans Bezemer]

Is that a fretless guitar or does the picture "hides" the frets?
If so: Cool!
Could you tell a little bit about it? Do you get enough sustain from the higher / thinner strings?
What string gauge do you use (0.012 or thicker for the e-string?)?

[Perry Underwood]

Hans, thank you for your comment and interest. It is indeed a fretless guitar. I've been wanting to build one for a couple of years.

The body is made out of a wood called amargo, also known as bitter ash. The neck is maple. I'm not sure what wood the fretboard is. It could be black palm or wenge. I used it because it is very hard.

It's interesting that you asked about sustain and especially about the high e. I purposely put on a heavier gauge string for the first and second strings. The strings are flatwound, and I believe .050 on the low e. The high e is probably a .012.

Sustain on the high e and b are a problem. I can now understand why we find more basses fretless than guitars.

Setting-up a fretless guitar is different than a fretted guitar. Basically there should be extremely little or no relief on the fretboard. You want the strings, which should be very low, to buzz. I find the lighter strings sound better with some gain on the amp.

Thanks again for your reply.

Perry

Here's a photo of the headstock. This was taken before the nut was filed, so the strings look buried in it.