Jackson Firebird Shape

[ginsambo]

Does anyone have any photo references/tips for the USA Jackson Firebird shape? I have some Gibson plans but I have heard that the upper horn is a little different from Gibsons? I'd done a search on here but can only uncover Euro market Firebirds which were different from the USA's I gather as regards the cutaway, although I don't know if otherwise they were the same. Also have no idea of body thickness and the thickness of the raised central section, although I think I found a post refering to overall thickness.

Just finished my router table which didn't turn out too shonky I guess. I needed it for other stuff and I also promised the nephews some Batman guitars for Xmas so although I've done some overhead work on guitars before, I think it'll be a steep learning curve, but what could possibly go wrong? Erm, can you laquer over vinyl Batman stickers BTW?

Whilst what I may come up with probably won't be exact and I doubt if I can a straight enough piece of wood make a jig to rebate the side wings from the raised central bit, although I can try and then block sand. But I'd like to get the template shape more or less right. Anyone have any photos of USA Firebirds?

Thanks, Sam

[amimbari]

cut a bass out of the wood instead and I'll send you as many pictures/tracings you want....

[sully]

The body shape is a lot different, as well as where the body joins the neck.

[ginsambo]

You mean Bass or the fish They are too young for Bass, still into Batman. A Bass guitar would be cool though, especially if it talked and sang like Billy Bass Mouth, you could kind of play along. Anyone remember those guitars with speakers in them from the '80's? That was where it was at.

I might base it on a Gibsonesque ish shape then. That is what I thought. The bit of aluminium I got for the router plate is soft anyhow. grrr. I specified the higher grade and they gave me this piece of junk which was slightly bent and the only bolts long enough I could get to go through it and underneath are stainless so they are soft. Still it'll do. Pisses me off though because I took it to the local engineers to get a hole countersunk in it for a Ali cover for slim router bits cover and I countersunk for different machine screws to the stainless jobs. Anyway it'll do. It doesn't seem to vibrate at all and it's pretty well locked in sturdy. Story of my life though, I get 99% done and it's going very accurately and then I either don't finish it or fudge it at the last minute. Lots of danger coming my way as I bought that 2" template bit in the end. Think I will try it out on some softwood trusses at the weekend. Yeah I will probably start out with a Firebird shape, by the time I am done, it will probably resemble pencil sharpenings.

I'II have a look around. Must be a straight up pic somewhere.

Thanks everybody.

[amimbari]

I was kinda teasing about the Jackson FireBird bass. It looks nothing like the guitar version.
BUT if you ever need a tracing or very detailed pics of one, I still have one and can do that for you.

[ginsambo]

Yeah, I didn't know how badly though, as long as you can draw an extra couple of strings on it I'm good to go.

[amimbari]

make a JacksonBird bass since you probably have too many guitars as it is.....

[sully]

Dude, those 2" bits are definitely not entry level bits. I get the rationale behind trying it out on softwood first, but it won't be an apples to apples comparison. I know you're planning on being careful and such, but be careful.

[sully]

Oh, and if you can get your hands on one of the import FB bodies, they have much better upper fret access than their US counterparts.

Sully

[ginsambo]

I will be trust me, 0.1mm at a time, gently, maximum of 1.5mm off the template. Two things freak me out as I'm aware of - the router is rotating towards you, as its upside down, and you are looking straight at the business end when you are working. PPE and tight padded canvas clothing. I saw the chunk it took out of that lump of mahogany. I don't fancy loosing teeth or getting the pliers out to remove a shard embedded in my face. Also swap the template over and try and go with the grain. I notice that when I do overhead work on end grain it launches chips away from me. This is the thing I am wary of, upsidedown, it will be launching them toward me.

I don't know if I'm brave enough to use it on a guitar body, got an inch bit for that, which I intend to raise in graduations.

When it spat the mahogany do you remember what happened? Did the workpiece just hit you in the chest you or did you get flying wood bullets as well?

[sully]

When it spat the mahogany do you remember what happened? Did the workpiece just hit you in the chest you or did you get flying wood bullets as well?

Nothing quite like that; it didn't throw the body or anything that dramatic. It happened as I was going around the horn from end grain and just really asked the bit to do too much work and fed it too much. It kicked back and tore out what you saw. But that kickback is quite violent, for sure.

[CowboyFromHell]

Wouldn't it make sense, for safety's sake, to "flip" your table design to put the router on the bottom and have it "exhaust" away from instead of towards your face while working?

[sully]

Yep. Although your face shouldn't be close to the work.

....and having a shop vac running at the same time will help with the dust.

[Rsmacker]

He'll be fine if he smokes a fat doob first.