Prototype 1: Figured walnut Javelin
- January 3rd, 2010
- Posted in Completed
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| Build | Prototype 1 |
|---|---|
| Model | Javelin |
| Body | Figured walnut, 1-piece |
| Neck | East Indian rosewood, 3-ply laminate with scarf-jointed headstock |
| Fretboard | East Indian rosewood, 16″ radius, 27″ scale, 24 frets |
| Electronics | Custom Nordstrand humbuckers with 1/4″ pole pieces Free-Way 6-position toggle switch Master volume 500k pot Master tone 500k pot (not currently wired) Recessed locking Neutrik output jack |
| Hardware | Bridge: ABM flat-mount fixed 7 (black) Tuners: Sperzel Trim-Lok (black) Nut: Earvana compensated |
| Start date | December 3, 2009 |
| Completion date | July 12, 2010 |
The body blank started out about 2 inches thick. It’s been surfaced down to a more modest thickness, and the top will be carved to a 16-inch radius.
Prototype 1 Javelin body. The lighting doesn’t do the figuring justice. The finish will make that grain pop.
Javelin body template trimmed, sanded and smooth + 7-string neck and headstock templates. (27″ scale, 24 frets)
2010.01.15 Update: The body has been cut on the table router using the new templates. We hit it with a quick coat of Waterlox tung oil finish to see what it’s going to look like… SICK figure on this board!
2010.01.21 Update: Pickup and neck cavities roughed out using a Forstner bit on the drill press. These will be cleaned up on the router table. The control recesses were also cut. We prefer a tight, flat-bottomed control recess to hide the bottom of the knob and any chance that the nut and mounting washer for the pot will be seen, making the controls low-profile but still usable. This guitar is getting a 16″ radius “arc” top, so the knobs won’t be this deep after the carve is done.
2010.01.30 Update: The headstocks attached to the neck blanks of Prototype 1 (rosewood) and Prototype 2 (limba).
The fretboards for Proto 1 (rosewood) and Proto 2 (ebony) were slotted and glued to the necks after the truss rods were inserted.
While the fretboards were clamped and waiting for the glue to cure, i decided to start carving the body contours of Proto 1.
Proto 1′s figured walnut is a lot harder to carve than the white limba i used on Proto 2. After carving and sanding, it’s lost much of its figured appearance due to dust hiding the wood’s grain…
This still needs to be taken down in thickness quite a bit. It’s currently thinner and more contoured than other neck joints of this type, but it can go further.
The contours are still quite rough… you can see the file and rasp marks. Those will be sanded out. The middle portion of the back will be scooped out a bit more.
The lines of the back will follow the contours of the top when the top is carved. It will be flowing and organic, with a clear line separating the top from the back.
My outdoor neck-carving rig. The weather was spectacular this weekend, so i worked outside as much as possible.
Nice smooth neck-to-body transition… about as smooth as you can get with a bolt-on neck. The heel slides comfortably into the palm of the hand in the highest register on the neck.
The heel will still likely be thinned down a bit, but you can see how the neck-to-body transition is nice and smooth… about as smooth as you can get with a bolt-on neck.
There’s a light coat of tung oil on the body and a tiny bit of lemon oil on the neck and fretboard just to bring out the colour.
The body has about a 15″ or 16″ radius on the top, which you can see gives some dramatic curves and sweeps to the lines of the guitar.
This isn’t a carved top in the tradition of an stringed instrument or an archtop guitar. It’s more of a “radius” or “arc” top.
The upper horn sweeps into the tummy carve, and the ridge softens out into a very smooth and organic curved back.
2010.07.14 Update: Complete! At least until i decide to start modifying it and swapping out components to test other ideas.
Rear view. The aluminum control cavity cover is a quickie that i fabricated just to keep the innards from spilling out. It does a decent job, though! I’ll probably get better plates fabricated, likely from aluminum.
Here you can see the radius on the top of the body. It’s approximately 16″, so everything follows the arc of the fretboard radius. It’s slightly flattened in the middle to allow easier mounting of the bridge.
Recessed controls. I like that they’re sunk out of the way. Future builds may be a little less recessed, as it does pose some issues, mainly because there’s some wobble to most pots, which causes the knurled knobs to make contact with the walls of the recess when attempting “pinky” swells.
A close-up of the player’s view of the controls. The toggle is out of the way enough for me, but some players may not like it. I may consider moving the controls further back.
One niggly little imperfection i’m disappointed with… the depth stop on the drill press i was using either wasn’t set right or it slipped, and one of the “pin” holes for the Sperzels got drilled right through the face. I did a quick fill, but didn’t try very hard to make it disappear. It’s there as a reminder to ALWAYS TRIPLE-CHECK THE DEPTH STOP! And hey… it’s a prototype!
The amazing disappearing upper horn! It’s incredibly comfortable, and surprisingly strong! In the future, i will likely do the top radius first, and then the carving inside the horns to leave a bit more material there for strength.
The neck heel is deeply contoured and tapers away from the full body thickness to about 1/2″ where it meets the neck.
A lot of material has been removed from the lower cutaway area to give very smooth and comfortable access to the upper register.
Here you can see the organic blending of planes, lines and curves… visually interesting and extremely comfortable.

I guess we forgot to tell you that we also do CNC routing including the carving of guitar bodies? Nice piece of Walnut.
Guy
Thanks, Guy!
Going CNC is definitely our next step after we’ve got a few prototypes and hand-builds done to iron out any kinks.
That looks fantastic! I can’t wait to see the carves all blended into each other. Will you be doing a leg carve in addition to a belly cut?
amazing work. This is one of the nicest gitar backsides that i’ve ever seen. Love the contours and the neck-joint!
it is amazing how they make guitars!!
Absolutely beautiful man. Really. The whole shape is really original and flowing. I would love one of these.
How much does the stealth x guitar cost? And how can I order one?
Hi, Jilu
Please read our FAQ for information about pricing and ordering.
http://decibelguitars.com/about/faq/
Hello.,.,Love this guitar man. 1st seen it on the 7string forum.,.,an then on Project Guitar.,.The radius on the body is beautiful! Wood choices., Fantastic!.,.I too am a fan of bolt- ons and really like your method.,.,Any chance I could pick yer brain for a supplier of the parts you used on that neck joint?
Again man, great guitar and cant wait to see what comes out of your shop next.
Peace
Jack
Thanks, Jack
For the parts for this type of neck joint, check out your local home-improvement store (Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.) These types of connectors are often used in knock-down furniture construction. For higher quality stainless parts, you can get them from specialty parts and fastener suppliers like Fastenal or McMaster-Carr. You can also find them at Woodcraft.
Buddy.
Your headstock is absolutely gorgeous. It’s the rounded rectangles near the peak of the stock… AWE inspiring.
You make some of the most beautifully carved guitar bodies. If you were thinking of making an 8 string “Javelin”.
I would put serious thought into purchasing a custom from you.
Thanks, Niall! Long-term plans definitely include 8-strings, but i want to focus on sevens and sixes first.
Saw your signature at sevenstring.org, then came here to check some guitars out, man I have to say the Javelin is one of the best looking designs I’ve seen!
Thanks for the kind words! Much gratitude.
Was this Misha’s ? beautiful!
No, this one is my own personal instrument, but Misha has it on loan right now for recording and live gigs. Misha’s is http://decibelguitars.com/dB1
Absolutely beautiful work, Darren. Super slick design.
Thank you, Jeff!
Keep it up man these are some sick guitars im be odering on ASAP
Hi Darren,
. I was wondering if I could also pick your brains as to where you got that walnut from. I am just starting out in guitar building for a hobby and I am just amazed by your timber. In the UK we are very limited to stock wood
I am loving your builds and designs, can’t wait to order my own once the lists are open again
Thanks, Paul!
This particular piece of walnut was a gift from my friend Brian of Bowes Guitars. He and i do a lot of building together, and the wood was in exchange for some design services.
It came from A&M Wood Specialty in Cambridge, Ontario. http://forloversofwood.com
Thanks for getting back to Darren. Do you think you will be able to take many orders this year I am hoping to get the money together in the summer and the que has been at serving 4 for ages
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