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ririzarry
Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 8
Location: New York
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 Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 11:59 pm
Post subject: My Guitar Build @ Building The Ergonomic Guitar |
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I thought I'd post about my electric guitar build based on the Klein electric guitar design - a guitar noted for its ergonomic form.
My interest in guitar ergonomics is a result of many years of chronic back pain (now largely under control) as well as my more recent development of Repetitive Strain Injury or RSI. The most common form is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome but RSI takes many shapes.
As a result, I've embarked on building an ergonomic guitar which I document at my blog Building The Ergonomic Guitar. In addition to the build, I look at a range of subjects related to ergonomic guitar design.
Here is an image of it during a test fit of the neck and bridge:
Since this image, I've completed the comfort contours (you can see the forearm cut above) and this weekend I completed the pickup and control cavity routes as well. I'll be posting on this in the next day or so.
I've done all the work on the body. The neck and bridge are from a Musicyo Steinberger. Since this is my first build, I opted to leave neck building for a future project.
Regards,
Robert Irizarry
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Building The Ergonomic Guitar
To have a great idea, have a lot of them.- Thomas A. Edison |
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fuxton t spicotitz
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Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 102
Location: on the road in Texas
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 12:39 am
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first things first !! the guitar shape just looks cool !!
i dont know enough to comment on the ergonomics
but i know about wood work , good goaway .. im interested to see the routered out pocket for the pick up an controls[ tuff goaway sometimes]
and wanna see the finished product !! good work!! carry on !
what kinda pickup do you intend to install?
real cool build......btw i have guitar "blueprints" and plans if youd like to try another style guitar or bass still excellent work on your part
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happy nookie, cause ya cant have a good day with mad nookie !!!!!
fuxton T |
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ririzarry
Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 8
Location: New York
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:11 am
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| fuxton t spicotitz wrote: | first things first !! the guitar shape just looks cool !!
i dont know enough to comment on the ergonomics
but i know about wood work , good goaway .. im interested to see the routered out pocket for the pick up an controls[ tuff goaway sometimes]
and wanna see the finished product !! good work!! carry on !
what kinda pickup do you intend to install?
real cool build......btw i have guitar "blueprints" and plans if youd like to try another style guitar or bass still excellent work on your part |
Thanks for the kind words! It's my first build and my first attempt at any woodworking so I'm pleased with the results so far. There are a few cosmetic gaffs here and there but nothing that affects actual playability. I imagine that my next build will be much cleaner since I'll have a bit of experience to work from as well as a couple of new tools to simplify certain things.
I love the sound of Strats and Teles so I'm going with a couple of Lace Sensors I have from what's left of an old Strat. Those will go at the neck and bridge. The body is alder so that should work well together. Controls will be simple - a volume control and a 3 position switch. My main focus on this first build was getting it built. 
I've started thinking about my next build and that will likely involve an alternative to the Steinberger headless bridge solution as well as greater tonal diversity - conventional and piezo maybe?
Regards,
Rob
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Building The Ergonomic Guitar
To have a great idea, have a lot of them.- Thomas A. Edison |
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ririzarry
Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 8
Location: New York
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:27 pm
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The guitar is just about done! I went with a simple Danish Oil finish which imparts an amber tone to the wood. Still left are the following:
1. Setting intonation
2. Shielding and wiring the cavity
3. Making a cavity cover
Meanwhile, I loaded the controls to show how the guitar looks:
Regards,
Rob
_________________
Building The Ergonomic Guitar
To have a great idea, have a lot of them.- Thomas A. Edison |
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fuxton t spicotitz
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Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 102
Location: on the road in Texas
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Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:09 pm
Post subject: nice goaway |
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I said it before but it bears repeating, "thats just cool looking"
nice goaway routering the holes for the pickups!! i seem to have trouble using a router, not sure why just do !
im sure its gonna play very nicely with the steinberger bridge an nut.. good build ... is the neck steinberger also ? man thats nice work youve done
enjoy the many hours of playing fun im sure your in store for !!!!!
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happy nookie, cause ya cant have a good day with mad nookie !!!!!
fuxton T |
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ririzarry
Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 8
Location: New York
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Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:51 pm
Post subject: Re: nice goaway |
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| fuxton t spicotitz wrote: | I said it before but it bears repeating, "thats just cool looking"
im sure its gonna play very nicely with the steinberger bridge an nut.. good build ... is the neck steinberger also ? man thats nice work youve done
enjoy the many hours of playing fun im sure your in store for !!!!! |
Thanks for the compliments! As I may have mentioned, I came into the project with NO woodworking skills so I'm particularly happy with the results.
The neck is also a Steinberger neck from the same Musicyo Steinberger I stripped for parts. Overall, I'm very happy with the playability. Here is a full frontal view of the guitar:
Regards,
Rob
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Building The Ergonomic Guitar
To have a great idea, have a lot of them.- Thomas A. Edison |
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Jen
Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 73
Location: Heemskerk
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:55 am
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Hi, how's the build going? Too bad my bass isn't ergonomically correct, since I started working in an office I started suffering from RSI as well. Luckily I took action pretty quickly and I get physical therapy now, with an expectance of full recovery. I do notice that playing my bass is goaway now (it's my left arm that's bothering me). Hopefully the exercises I have to do will give me more strength in the upper back and arms.
Anyway, I was just curious how thing's were going on your supercool guitar  .
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'The gift of death metal does not smile upon the good-looking.' |
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ririzarry
Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 8
Location: New York
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:22 am
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| Jen wrote: | Hi, how's the build going? Too bad my bass isn't ergonomically correct, since I started working in an office I started suffering from RSI as well. Luckily I took action pretty quickly and I get physical therapy now, with an expectance of full recovery. I do notice that playing my bass is goaway now (it's my left arm that's bothering me). Hopefully the exercises I have to do will give me more strength in the upper back and arms.
Anyway, I was just curious how thing's were going on your supercool guitar . |
Hey Jen - sorry to hear about your RSI. I'm glad you caught it early and I wish you a quick recovery.
The build is essentially complete. For more details, you can see the build thread here at my blog - guitar build #1. Along the way, I decided to paint the pickups goaway to pull the elements together a bit more. Here's how it currently looks:
I'm starting to mull over build #2 but I'm also looking at a better workspace than the cold corner of an unheated garage where build#1 took place.
Regards,
Rob
_________________
Building The Ergonomic Guitar
To have a great idea, have a lot of them.- Thomas A. Edison
Last edited by ririzarry on Mon Apr 09, 2007 1:20 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jen
Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 73
Location: Heemskerk
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:05 am
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That looks great! I hope my RSI will go away, the therapist thinks so. I practiced my bass a lot this weekend and my arm is very tired now. However, I do think I should practice for some time every day to build strength in my upper back and arms. So, I'm not giving in .
Good luck on build #2!
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'The gift of death metal does not smile upon the good-looking.' |
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ririzarry
Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 8
Location: New York
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:59 am
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| Jen wrote: | That looks great! I hope my RSI will go away, the therapist thinks so. I practiced my bass a lot this weekend and my arm is very tired now. However, I do think I should practice for some time every day to build strength in my upper back and arms. So, I'm not giving in .
Good luck on build #2! |
Hi Jen: Thanks so much! I'm considering a more interesting wood for the next build to add a bit to the aesthetic elements but overall I'm more than happy with the results of this first one. In many ways, its something of a prototype. Fortunately, its quite playable.
I'm sorry to hear about your RSI but good luck with it! I'm glad to hear you're not giving in. Don't overdo it though.
Regards,
Rob
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Jen
Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 73
Location: Heemskerk
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:38 pm
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I won't overdo it. Thanks for the advice . Starting today I got a new chair at work so now I can sit in the correct way while doing my computerwork.
Btw, I like the wood you used on build #1!
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ririzarry
Joined: 25 Nov 2006
Posts: 8
Location: New York
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:56 am
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| Jen wrote: | I won't overdo it. Thanks for the advice . Starting today I got a new chair at work so now I can sit in the correct way while doing my computerwork.
Btw, I like the wood you used on build #1! |
Hey Jen - That's great. That will help. You should take some time to review the rest of your environment as well. Back around the time my Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) began, I put together an article about some resources that might prove helpful. It including some sites, charts and even goaway. Here it is - Dealing With Repetitive Strain Injury. Hope you find it helpful.
Regards,
Rob
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Building The Ergonomic Guitar
To have a great idea, have a lot of them.- Thomas A. Edison |
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