This is my E3 model. Which is basically a traditional neck trough electric guitar that I put a drop top in on but I don't book match it. I extend the height of the core wood and them book match up to the raised cores. It adds a surfy sort of look to it. But it was my first idea that I came up with then I thought of, "what would I build an electric like if I had the change to design something on my own." So I took a PRS, http://www.prsguitars.com/, a Fender Strat, http://www.fender.com/, and a Jerzy Drozd Bass http://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/ and overlaid their center lines and found the places where they shared common points, used those as my starting points, and built my shape from there.
I was a huge fan of the Carl Thompson Rainbow basses that Les Claypool played and as MN guy I was a fan of the multi laminated neck that all the builders around here use. Believe it or not I emailed PRS and Jerzy to make sure it was ok to emulate their body shapes. I've got the emails to prove it, and with both companies blessing I forged ahead. My E3 is my response to a Strat-PRS neck through. Neither company builds them, and the metal kids want neck throughs that aren't of the Ibanez/ Schecter variety so why not me.
This is a build I did for a customer who asked me to document every step. It's now a habit. So here's the wing and neck wood 1/4 sapelle, which was not 6-8% humidity!!!
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r1.jpg)
I milled out the neck wood.
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r2.jpg)
And placed the fretboard on it to show perspective.
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r3.jpg)
Note the grain direction. Here's the spalted maple for the cores.
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r4.jpg)
Milled and ready.
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r5.jpg)
Now the detail core wood, its Indian Rosewood, I changed out the Kiiat. I thinned it down to a light veneer; it was too soft with just Kiiat in the center core. Some of these next photo's show the before the split. But you'll see it after it's been upgraded.
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r6.jpg)
Now it's ready to glue. So here's a photo of the final stack before gluing and pre mill.
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r7.jpg)
Here's the gluing process. As you can see I've cut out my top plate insert to a rough depth at this point.
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r9.jpg)
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r10.jpg)
And when I finish gluing it all, I clamp it down tight.
![Image](http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd354/tlguitars/RyanKing/r11.jpg)
Notice that I have to clamp the core wood on it's own as well, the Blue quick clamps.
I'll break here. I hope splitting these posts will help them load faster.