My Guitar Build @ Building The Ergonomic Guitar

Very cool. Best of luck getting it all completed, though it doesn't look like you'll need it (the luck, not the guitar. :D )

That is very cool.

Can't wait for the finished product.

Thank you both for the encouragement! The guitar build has been an exciting process and I'm looking forward to the next steps. I expect to have some updates fairly soon...

Regards,

Rob

Cool, gotta be a market for those also...

I love the look of it. Looks really comfortable to play - that's you playing a prototype in that shop, isn't it?

Anyhow, I also had a look at the template.

And was just wondering what that rectangular device is to the left of the bridge. Or is that part of the Steinberger bridge? I know it probably isn't another bridge, but it made me think that you could almost have a set of drone strings heading off in that direction.

Also, is that another knob below it?

I read a little bit of what you said about the original pickguard; you gonna have it rear-routed then? That would look awesome; real clean look to it.

Oh and by the way I really like where the pickup selector is too. It's right in the arc of where your arm would normally go for easy pickup selection. You'll probably use one of those Superswitches or something to get all the pup combos, I'm assuming?

Great job man.

Cool, gotta be a market for those also...

You would think there was but guitarists tend to be a rather conservative lot. If its not the usual shapes we're accustomed to seeing for a half century we move on despite any ergonomic advantages other shapes might have. I recall coming across a bit of information that about one third of guitarists play with regular pain. Everyone decides what price they're willing to pay for their art but if your current activities could result in not ever being able to play, I would think more people would reconsider.

On the other hand, bass players seem to have a greater comfort level with trying new approaches including new shapes and electronics. See my post Xavier Padilla's Custom Electric Bass Guitar for a truly wonderful example built by luthier Jerome Little. Xavier Padilla had his custom bass built after developing a form of Repetitive Strain Injury called Dequervain's Tenosynovitis - a form of wrist tendonitis affecting the tendons of the thumb.

BTW - The guitar I've based my build on, the Klein Electric Guitar, is not currently being made although it has nothing to do with a lack of market. See my post - Is Klein Electric Guitars No More? for more on the matter.

Regards,

Rob

I love the look of it. Looks really comfortable to play - that's you playing a prototype in that shop, isn't it?

If it's the image I'm thinking of, its Colin Kaminski, a luthier who actually worked at Klein Electric Guitar while Steve Klein still owned it.
Anyhow, I also had a look at the template.

And was just wondering what that rectangular device is to the left of the bridge. Or is that part of the Steinberger bridge? I know it probably isn't another bridge, but it made me think that you could almost have a set of drone strings heading off in that direction.

Also, is that another knob below it?

The template was made from a drawing available from The Guild of American Luthiers as drawn by Steve Klein. The drawing is actually of Klein's harp guitar which is essentially the Klein Electric with the addition of four drone strings - thus the additional bridge you see and the related knob.

I read a little bit of what you said about the original pickguard; you gonna have it rear-routed then? That would look awesome; real clean look to it.

Oh and by the way I really like where the pickup selector is too. It's right in the arc of where your arm would normally go for easy pickup selection. You'll probably use one of those Superswitches or something to get all the pup combos, I'm assuming?

Great job man.

I'm still debating the pickguard. I have a shape I worked out earlier today but I may go either way. I'll see what strikes me tomorrow when I continue. :D

I love the position of the pickup selector as well. It makes a lot of sense there especially when you sit down with the guitar and see where your picking hand tends to fall so I'm retaining that. As far as the pickups, I'm going with just a neck and bridge so I'll be using a 3 position toggle. A later build will focus on greater tonal diversity and will probably include humbuckers with coil splitting as well as piezo pickups. For now, I intend to keep it simple.

Thanks! Its been a great time and I appreciate the interest.

Regards,

Rob

A small update - I've completed the forearm cut and belly contour and have started on the pickup and control cavity routing. Here's a look at the forearm contour:

I'm hoping to finish the pickup and control cavity routing over the next couple of days.

Regards,

Rob

Really nice!

There's so many things you can do with a shape like that. I read you used Alder and that it has to be 1 1/2" thick due to the use fo the bridge you have, but it's so light anyhow! And then if you used a lighter wood (basswood is lighter, no?), and maybe did that chambering stuff like you see in some aftermarket Strat bodies (Warmoth), it would be like a feather. More resonant too I'd guess.

How're you going to finish it - natural or paint? Either way it would look sweet, especially with all that frontal area. Doing a burst type finish would be cool (rather than a solid color if that's where you were going), but it would take some planning out beforehand to get a nice burst shape to match the outline of the body.

Yah, probably natural or solid color - leaning more toward natural.

Can't wait to see it progress!

Really nice!
Thank you! I'm very happy with the way things are coming along. There are a few small aesthetic nits with the work but considering this is my first build and my first experience with woodworking, things are turning out well. :D Its nothing a solid color wouldn't hide (I imagine there are quite a few factory guitars out there hiding a secret or two under their heavy solid colored paint jobs.) More importantly, the neck and bridge alignment is spot on and the pickup routing came out quite nicely (haven't posted about this just yet.)
There's so many things you can do with a shape like that. I read you used Alder and that it has to be 1 1/2" thick due to the use fo the bridge you have, but it's so light anyhow! And then if you used a lighter wood (basswood is lighter, no?), and maybe did that chambering stuff like you see in some aftermarket Strat bodies (Warmoth), it would be like a feather. More resonant too I'd guess.
As you noted, the guitar is 1.5" thick and that was to allow some material under the lower bridge route. The guitar is remarkably light and by the time I'm done with the control cavity the assembled guitar will come in under 6 lb! Basswood is indeed lighter but it does have different tonal qualities than alder. Basswood is also not a very nice wood bare and is so soft it dents rather easily. It would need a hard finish of some sort. Chambering, however, is not out of the question. I considered it for this build but decided to save that for a future build. Maybe it will make it into the next build when I go with a fixed bridge and piezo pickups. :D
How're you going to finish it - natural or paint? Either way it would look sweet, especially with all that frontal area. Doing a burst type finish would be cool (rather than a solid color if that's where you were going), but it would take some planning out beforehand to get a nice burst shape to match the outline of the body.

Yah, probably natural or solid color - leaning more toward natural.

Can't wait to see it progress!
I've been testing out Danish oil as a finish and it imparts a nice amber tone to the alder. It isn't a straight oil but a type of polymerized oil which soaks into the surface, dries and protects from within.

Regards,

Rob

I am glad that picture has inspired people to build copies of the Klein. I loved working there. The guitar I would be interested in was a protytpe we took to the NAMM show. It was a guitar version of the Klein Bass. It has Spertzel Locking tunners and a steam bent peghead maple neck. The body's upper horn wraps around your body and make the standing position perfectly comfortable. Unfortunatly (for me) we sold the prototype to Steve Miller as soon as he saw it and I did not have it to try to get some orders for it so we never made another one.

I have drawings for a Kaminski version of the same technology but I stopped building 4 or 5 years ago. Now the only lutherie I do is repairs of one collector's colections of Martins.

Here is a picture of the Klein Bass, (The blue bass on the right.) Note the strap button is actually behind the neck by about 2 or so inches:

Thanks for stopping by Colin.

Interesting stuff!

Best regards.

I am glad that picture has inspired people to build copies of the Klein. I loved working there. The guitar I would be interested in was a protytpe we took to the NAMM show. It was a guitar version of the Klein Bass. It has Spertzel Locking tunners and a steam bent peghead maple neck. The body's upper horn wraps around your body and make the standing position perfectly comfortable. Unfortunatly (for me) we sold the prototype to Steve Miller as soon as he saw it and I did not have it to try to get some orders for it so we never made another one.

I have drawings for a Kaminski version of the same technology but I stopped building 4 or 5 years ago. Now the only lutherie I do is repairs of one collector's colections of Martins.

Here is a picture of the Klein Bass, (The blue bass on the right.) Note the strap button is actually behind the neck by about 2 or so inches:

Colin - Thank you so much for your input! It is truly exciting to hear from a luthier involved with the Klein Electric while Steve Klein was at the reins.

I've thought about the Klein bass guitar shape as well because of comments by one owner regarding the upper strap pin location being a bit uncomfortable due to the way the strap pulls on him. The upper horn would certainly fix that.

With regards to the guitar Steve Miller picked up, do you recall if the overall width of the guitar was about the same as the Klein Electric? Just based on the image of the bass model, I'm guessing it was a bit narrower(?)

I'm also wondering if you might have some knowledge of the Klein Electric harp guitar. Was it actually wider than the standard Klein or was it just a Klein with the harp strings added? I've heard comments claiming that it was wider but I haven't been able to substantiate any of it.

And, thanks again for joining the conversation!

Regards,

Rob

Hi Everyone:

It's getting close - my first build is almost complete. There are only a couple of things left to do (shielding, wiring, basic setup, and a control cavity cover). I assembled the guitar and loaded the volume knob, switch and output jack to show how it will look in its end state.

The electronics have been kept simple - Gold Lace Sensors in the neck and bridge with a 3 position Gibson style switch, a volume control and a surface mounted output jack. BTW - There are a couple of full view images on the blog.

Regards,

Rob