DIY Network

Building an Electric Guitar for the Los Lonely Boys A master luthier handcrafts an electric guitar for the Los Lonely Boys. From "Special Presentation" episode DLLB-S

(Continued from page 5)

Creating the rosewood scratch guards is one of the toughest aspects of this amazing project.

Assembly of the Guitar

The rosewood scratch guards are the most recognizable features of this custom guitar. Like the rest of the guitar these appointments began as freehand drawings that were converted to digital files. Those files were then printed as templates and the templates were used to cut out exact pieces of rosewood. After routing and sanding the guards are attached to the guitar body. Finally, the neck is attached to the body and the electronic components are added.

Materials:

rosewood stock
paper and pencil
band Saw
router
sandpaper
electronic components
screwdriver

advertisement

1. The First Act staff draws all the guitar's decorative appointments onto paper (figure K). They transcribe the images onto Plexiglas and promptly cut out templates.

2. Using templates held against 1/8" rosewood veneers, Kelly's crew cuts out the many shapes that will give this guitar its stylish details.

3. All the edges are rounded over with a router and then each surface is sanded smooth.

4. Each rosewood detail is attached to the body (figure L) of the guitar to serve as scratch guards.

5. The electronics are installed in the guitar body in the cavities previously routed away.

6. The guitar's neck and body come together with screws and a screwdriver.

7. Add strings (figure M) and play.

Figure K

Figure L

Figure M

The Moment of Truth!

Months of effort culminate in the delivery and presentation of Henry Garza's custom guitar. It's checked out thoroughly by Ish, the band's guitar tech, and then handed off to Henry. "El Musico" (Henry names all his guitars--and this one means the musician) is christened during sound check before a sold out show--and finally it meets the spotlight later that night in front of an enthusiastic crowd. For Kelly Butler the challenge was to deliver a new Number 1 guitar to Henry and that challenge has been met.

Henry's "El Musico" is ready to rock 'n' roll!

Ish gives Kelly's creation the musician's thumbs-up.

	The moment of truth is Henry's test drive at a sound check...all systems go!
	Henry's tattoo is a perfect match.

Materials:

Earplugs

1. Kelly delivers the "El Musico" to guitar tech Ish before a show in Ashville, N.C. Ish sets up the new instrument exactly the way Henry's specific specifications.

2. Henry seizes the guitar and gives it a thorough and successful test drive during his pre-show sound check.

3. Add Fans.

4. Enjoy the show (ear plugs optional).

Note: For Los Lonely Boys tour information, check the resource listing, below.

	First Act created this beautiful bass guitar for JoJo.
	Henry and JoJo proudly display their custom-made guitars!
	JoJo test drives his bass during sound check for an Asheville, N.C., concert.

Web Extra: JoJo, the Bass Player

JoJo Garza is a phenomenal bass player.

The onstage multi-tasker plays bass lines and solo parts simultaneously so his instrument of choice (and need) is a six-string bass. JoJo likes an extra low B string and an extra high B string. For him, more notes mean more possibilities. And for a musician with more capabilities his bass is a tonal monster with plenty of thump and clarity to cut through the mix.

In other words, for this Los Lonely Boy an average instrument just won't do.

First Act Guitars stepped up to the challenge. They succeeded recently in making Henry Garza happy with a beautiful custom guitar, and now they set their sights on pleasing JoJo.

The first question for bass construction is whether to build a bolt-on neck or a neck-through unit. Neck-through construction means the instrument is cut from a single blank. A bolt-on is made from two separate pieces of wood attached with hardware.

Because JoJo plays a six string bass a neck-through piece was the only choice as far as Kelly Butler was concerned. Kelly is the chief luthier with First Act guitars and he doesn't believe a bolt-on can handle the tension a six string bass endures.

JoJo's bass will get further support thanks to multi-laminate maple running from the headstock through the body with carbon fiber reinforcement rods.

On either side of the neck-through construction Kelly adds alder wood for the body wings. Alder is a perfect choice for any solid body electric. It's a traditional choice, but it also delivers the tone JoJo expects.

As Kelly says, "a six-string bass is kind of a beast of an instrument," which means it has to be big and durable. The trick for Kelly's crew is to make this beast a pleasure to play. This means its durability has to be offset with overall balance. It has to feel light when strapped to JoJo. The neck requires width to accommodate six strings, but First Act's craftsmanship will make it comfortable in JoJo's hands.

Those concerns are addressed when Kelly scans freehand drawings into a computer CAD program. A three-dimensional rendering of the bass helps with all aspects of construction, but it's particularly helpful in crafting the intersection of the neck's heel to the body.

After hours in the shop the finely crafted instrument was delivered to JoJo Garza before a Los Lonely Boys show and his impression was good news to the crew of First Act.

"It's pretty awesome. It feels good, it looks good and it sounds good. This thing is hot. It's got a lot of warmth to it. This thing will be with me every time I'm on stage now. If you come see me you'll see this bass."

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

RESOURCES :

Los Lonely Boys Information
E-mail: info@loslonelyboys.org
Website: www.loslonelyboys.org

First Act Guitars
Website: www.firstact.com

GUESTS :

Henry Garza
Lead Guitar, Los Lonely Boys
E-mail: info@loslonelyboys.org
Website: www.loslonelyboys.org

JoJo Garza
Bass, Los Lonely Boys
E-mail: info@loslonelyboys.org
Website: www.loslonelyboys.org

Ish
Guitar Tech, Los Lonely Boys
E-mail: info@loslonelyboys.org
Website: www.loslonelyboys.org

John McGuire
Production Manager, First Act Guitars
745 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 888-551-1115
Website: www.firstact.com

Kelly Butler
Chief Luthier
First Act Guitars 745 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 888-551-1115
Website: www.firstact.com