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Build Your Own First Guitar – May 2012

Build Your Own First Guitar – May 2012

by | May 21, 2012 | , ,

Over 300 ‘Build Your Own’ Electric guitars made here in the Bailey workshop!

Thanks to everyone who has helped us reach this amazing milestone including Morgan who now has the magic number 300!

Build your own first guitar is aimed at new builders who want to give it a try without over-complicating the design. If you would like to give it a try without spending the earth or investing huge amounts of time then this may be the one for you. This course also suits those who would like to continue building at home as it is the easiest style of construction to master.

On this course everybody makes roughly the same guitar – a set neck, flat top, based on the Bailey Bandsman. There are four places available for each course which lasts 5 days.

This is the best introduction to guitar making we can concieve of. The beauty is in the simplicity of the design. The emphasis here is on learning the methods used to make guitars by hand, my job is to make sure every student leaves here with a high quality instrument to be proud of. We have other courses for those who require totally custom specific instruments, have more time and a larger budget.

It is not possible to have a trem system or carve top due to the nature of the course but there is still plenty of scope for customization.

You can choose your own wood, parts and pickups and even customize the shape. There is also the option of a 21, 22, or 24 fret version and choice of inlays- As you can see all four we made this time are a little different.

Check dates and prices | Bailey Guitars

BYOF 300: Morgan

“Never thought I’d ever build a guitar if it had not been for Mark & Carol. You both have seriously inspired me. This course is one of the best experiences of my life and I can’t thank you enough…can’t wait for the next build!!!!”

BYOF 301: Graeme

“First new guitar ever… Made the best thing I have ever made. Mark is an inspiration. Had a great time- thankyou both.”

BYOF 302: Graham

“First guitar I have built… I had a great week… Mark knows his stuff. Hospitality was great, soup was fantastic… thanks for a great week.”

BYOF 303: Toby

“First guitar build. Best Experience of my life & most beautiful guitar I’ve seen & to play. Mark and |Carol are fantastic and Fiona’s soup is amazing. Thank you so much! (P.S. Billy made a beautiful job of spraying!)

Bailey Custom Guitar Build – Part 1 – Exotica Left Handed

Bailey Custom Guitar Build – Part 1 – Exotica Left Handed

by | Apr 25, 2012 | , ,

Simon’s custom Exotica – ‘thru neck’ style.

Simon came to visit in March to design his guitar and choose his wood, parts, etc. Since then I have been making very good progress – it is almost starting to look like a guitar. I have taken so many pictures that it was difficult to choose just a few for the blog so I had an idea to make a slideshow- a new format for keeping you updated with my custom builds…why did I not think of that before? Now you can hear one of my guitars being played while you watch another one taking shape – How fantastic is that. (Please feel free to make a comment.)

It took a little longer to put the slideshow together but I hope you will agree it is a better way of showing more of what goes on in the Bailey workshop.

In case you are wondering- it is a left handed guitar but it has a right handed headstock, very cool…next job is to glue the wings on – can’t wait to see it myself!

The music is from ‘Paligap‘ a great Scottish band with an outstanding guitar player who goes by the name of Anderson Council. Recorded ‘live’ on his own Bailey custom, it is their tribute to one of the founding fathers of electric guitar, Jimi Hendrix – enjoy!

If you are interested in having your own custom guitar made especially for you – contact us with your requirements or have a look at some guitars in our online shop.

Build your own Guitar – ‘Secret’ Date – Mon 16 April

Build your own Guitar – ‘Secret’ Date – Mon 16 April

by | Apr 19, 2012 | , ,

Extra day for local builders…and Kevin

‘Secret’ Dates

Most people on the course have to come and finish in one go – we get them from all over Europe and beyond so it is not possible to ‘pop’ back for workshop days here and there. We do however put on extra days for local builders as they are more flexible. Local builders have the option of coming one day a month and can choose from available ‘secret’ dates to complete their build. Contact us if you are interested whether you are local or not – Carol will be able to tell you which course will suit you, when these days are, or you can check availability of non ‘secret’ dates here.

Moyra

Moyra is making a cocobolo version of the Bailey Sweet P and came for a couple of hours to glue on her neck and bridge. You can see a photo gallery of her guitar being made here. Next time she will finish her guitar with a fret dress and set up – can’t wait!  Got the next one planned yet Moyra?

Kevin

This was day four for Kevin who stayed on after the 3 days to get a bit further on his version of the Bailey Bootlegger. He has now finished bracing his soundboard and back plates and now only has to carve the braces and they are finished. Next time he comes he will bend the sides, then start assembling his body. If there is enough time he will also start work on the neck.

Ian

Ian already made his neck last time he came so this time it was to work on his body. The body has chambers and we will eventually cut an f-hole into the birds eye maple top. Apart from the f-hole he managed to get his body routed and cut out so one more day of woodwork and it should be ready for spraying.

Stevie

Stevie carved the heel on his neck and rough sanded the neck and body. His bass is now ready for us to spray. We still have to work out some kind of pickup system soon as he is nearly finished. This may not be straight forward as it is a 5 string archtop and there are few ‘off the shelf’ solutions out there. We will probably go for a custom job made by Kent Armstrong for the neck position but Stevie also would like a piezo bridge so I will see what is available and come up with some options for him.

More courses |  Check dates and availability | The Bailey Collection

BUILD YOUR OWN GUITAR Part 1- continues in June

BUILD YOUR OWN GUITAR Part 1- continues in June

by | Apr 18, 2012 | , ,

Location: Bailey workshop

Fri April 13 2012 – 10:00 AM

Sun April 15 2012 – 5:00 PM

Kevin, Martin, Graham and Jon

Build Your Own Guitar/Bass course

This is a split, two weekend course, for people who are unable to come for a whole week and want to make something with more options than the Build your First Guitar Course. It also enables acoustic makers who need more time to pick and mix weekend dates over a longer period. Carol is a logistical genius and somehow manages to keep us all on track – contact her here for available dates.

Kevin

Kevin is starting his fourth guitar on the course – I don’t seem to have a photo of his first one (Send me one if you can Kevin!) but previously he made a single cut with an f-hole, and then this particularly attractive Bass. This time he is making an acoustic based on the original Bailey Bootlegger.

Martin

Martin is making a set neck, single cut, 6 string guitar with chambered body. He chose a Flamed Maple cap with a mahogany back. The neck is also Mahogany with a Rosewood fretboard.

Graham

Graham is building a bolt on style guitar with a drop top and has chosen a beautiful piece of Australian Blackwood for the front which contrasts beautifully with the Ash back. His neck is Birds Eye Maple with an Ebony fretboard.

Jon

Jon is making a thru neck 4 string fretless bass. The five piece neck is made from three Flamed Maple and two Walnut laminates glued together. His body wings are Basswood and he chose some Maple for the cap.

Three days later…

After three days a lot of progress has been made. Martin, Graham and Jon have all but completed their necks and have all made a start on the bodies.

Kevin was booked onto one of our extra ‘secret’ dates, normally reserved for our local builders, so he stayed an extra day – see next post…

This course will continue in June.

More Courses | Check Prices and Availability

Bailey Custom Bandsman Build – Norwegian Wood – Part 5

Bailey Custom Bandsman Build – Norwegian Wood – Part 5

by | Apr 10, 2012 | , , ,

Tobacco Burst Custom Bandsman Spray Job

This guitar has taken slightly longer than expected- The ebony pickup covers held us up for a week or so, and Kristian also specified an Electro Socket Jack which was out of stock at all our suppliers. I didn’t want to go ahead and spray the guitar just in case there was a problem so it was delayed another week. We finally tracked one down and it has arrived so work can now continue.

Kristian specified Tobaco Burst like the original bandsman his guitar is based on- but with a couple of subtle changes. That is the beauty of having a custom guitar made especially for you…

How we spray Tobacco Burst

After sanding, the guitar was stained all over with the first colour. The amber stain was mixed with water and applied with a rag.

After it had dried thoroughly this was then sealed in by spraying it with a coat of sanding sealer.

Next the burst was applied using the spray gun. We used tobacco brown stain mixed with thinners to make the burst by spraying around the edges. Kristian has aksed for a ‘softer transition’ so that is what we are aiming for here – we will widen the spray pattern on the gun slightly to achieve this. He didn’t want the burst on the back of the neck so we left that.

The burst was then sealed with a coat of sanding sealer.

Finally the top coats were applied, in this case two coats of cellulose matt finish.

The guitar will be left to hang for a while…it will be ready for assembly end of next week!

The Bailey Collection | How to order your custom Bailey | Bailey Shop

New Hannes Bridge

New Hannes Bridge

by | Apr 2, 2012 |

New Hannes Bridges available now for custom Bailey electric guitars and BYO’ers

Hannes Bridge

The Hannes bridge is billed as the most comfortable bridge in the world. I was a bit skeptical about that, but ordered a couple. One was requested by John Pollock on one of our Build Your Own Custom Guitar courses and I also wanted to try one for myself. They are a little expensive but you get what you pay for… John also had a nanomag pickup inset into the end of the fretboard for a more ‘acoustic’ tone – This was the best solution at the time as there were few options. John’s guitar was the co-star of the Bailey Promo film made by course mate Mark Screeton. The end result was pretty good, I hope you will agree, and the bridge worked out great.

The Hannes came about by a collaboration between designer Roland Hannes and Graph Tech, whose nuts and saddles we have used for many years, and is distributed by Schaller. The saddles are made from the familiar Graph Tech material that has served us so well in the past providing great tone, sustain, durability and consistancy in abundance. You can read all the blurb about it on the Schaller website but here are my thoughts as a guitar maker:

I love the design. It’s about time someone came up with something different – I wouldn’t say futuristic but it looks right bang up to date. The metal parts are available in the normal chrome, black or gold coating so it will match any normal hardware- tuners, jack socket plate etc. The bridge is very functional – it has a large amount of adjustment for saddle height and intonation and it is indeed very comfortable ‘in use’. When used in combination with a Graphtec nut the sound is maximised – noticibly loader and longer sustian.

On the downside it was a little tricky to fit but I have since made a simple router jig to make it a bit easier. The two bolts that go through the body have to be drilled very precisely as they have to line up exacly with the corresponding holes on the bridge and determine where it sits on the front. Luckily there are downloadable instructions and patterns to help get it in the right place. There is also a slot to route for the string retainer which is not recommended for the faint hearted – Hannes recommends finding a luthier to fit it for you – that’s what were here for!

I doubt it would ‘retro-fit’ on your old guitar but if you were making one yourself, or having one made for you, this bridge would be an excellent choice.

Hannes with Piezo Saddles

Ian is currently on the course building a single cut style guitar with a chambered body. He also chose a Hannes bridge and wanted an acoustic sound as well. Thankfully, the Hannes bridge is now also available with Piezo saddles built in – Graphtec happen to make one of the best piezo systems in the world so I have high hopes for this. The preamp is made by Schaller – they call it the Flagship so we’ll see if it lives up to it’s name. Ian is due to finish his guitar some time in June so I will keep you posted.

You can specify a Hannes bridge on any Bailey electric guitar

The Hannes bridge appears to have been accepted by (known for our fussyness and reluctance to try anything new) players and seems to be becoming quite popular. Overall it is a winner which is why we have added it to the list of options for all Bailey electric guitars. If you would like a custom guitar with (or without) a Hannes bridge contact us with your requirements.

Coming Soon…

I am currently making 3 new guitars all with stunning quilted maple caps. They will be finished soon, so have I decided to put the spare Hannes on one of these.

These guitars will all be brand new colours so watch out for that in a few weeks time…

Left Handed Custom Bailey Exotica – Part 1

Left Handed Custom Bailey Exotica – Part 1

by | Mar 30, 2012 | , ,

Design session and wood selection

Simon found us by trawling the internet and fell in love with the Exotica in our online shop.

The only problem was he plays left handed so we arranged a visit to the workshop for a design session and we drew out the guitar to confirm all the details.

It turned out that he really did like the Exotica- his spec was virtually identical apart from a few extra custom options.

Simon chose some Spalted Maple for the Cap while he was here but I have some more on order so I will post pictures when it arrives and he can choose which one he likes.

It will be a while before I am ready to glue on the Cap so there is no rush just yet, I will start by gluing up the neck laminates anyway…

The rest of the wood for the neck laminates and the body wings came from our friends at David Dyke.

We got lucky with the body wings (Thanks David) – we specified ‘Brown’ Maple, as used on the original.

Brown Maple is just plain maple with dark marks in the wood- it works great with a Spalted Maple Cap.

The only Brown Maple David had also has some really nice flame in it so that is a bonus (As long as Simon likes it of course).

Personally I think it is going to look amazing – no colour just a natural satin finish to bring out the figure in the wood.

There are quite a few extra laminations which will make gluing up the blanks a little tricky but the effect of the additional Black pinstripes will be spectacular.

Simon’s choice of custom hardware includes an original Floyd Rose bridge with a tungsten sustain block.

Contact us with your own custom guitar requirements.

Custom Left Hand Exotica Spec

Scale Length – 25 1/2″

Number of Frets – 24 correction – 22

Neck Style – Thru

Body wood – Brown Maple body wings

Cap – Laminated: Black pinstripe 3mm (1/8″) |Mahogany, Back pinstripe, 12mm (1/2″) Spalted Maple

Neck Wood – Laminated: 32mm (1.25″) Flame maple,black pinstripe, 3mm (1/8″) mahogany, black pinstripe, 9mm (3/8″) plain maple, black pinstripe, 3mm (1/8″) mahogany, black pinstripe, 32mm (1.25″)flame maple

Fretboard – Ebony

Hardware Colour – Gold

Bridge – Floyd Rose Original with L3 Locking Nut and Tungsten Block

Pickups – Bareknuckle PG Blues humbuckers with gold covers

Tuners – LSR tuners

Bailey Logo – Black

Custom Guitar – Rohan – Build Part 2

Custom Guitar – Rohan – Build Part 2

by | Mar 23, 2012 | , ,

It is starting to look like a guitar now

Rohan came a few weeks ago for a design session which was made into a two minute timelapse film when he chose very detail of the build and even designed his own body and headstock shapes.

I started to make it last week, I am now well into the build and everything is going well.

The body is made from Meranti which is very light weight and the chambers routed into it will make it even lighter. I have to be very careful when gluing the cap on not to leave any dust or chips in the holes or they will rattle about for eternity as there will be no f-holes to vacuum it out from. If the glue runs down into the hole or beads form around the top edge of the hole when the cap is put on, these may one day break free and drive us crazy, so I run my finger around the top of each hole which prevents this from happening.

After the cap is glued there is nothing to stop me making the body. After routing the pickup slots I cut out the body shape with the bandsaw and then profiled the body with the router. I used the same pattern as when I made the chambers, fixing it with double sided tape before copying the shape with the router.

After that I made the slot in the body for the neck to fit into. There are still some jobs to do on the body and the neck angle still needs to be set but I am waiting till the bridge arrives before I do that, and there is always the headstock logo to keep me busy. Rohan has also asked for a custom inlay on the truss rod cover but there is no rush for that just yet.

Now the neck has been fretted and the side dots are installed, apart from the headstock inlay, I cannot do anymore work on the neck until Rohan has visited, as he opted to be here when I carve it.

I have done a little carving just to remove most of the excess bulk but I will wait until he is here before I go any further.

Full Spec and Design Session | Rohan Custom Build Part 1 | Rohan Custom Build Part 2 | Rohan Custom Build Parts 3 | Rohan Custom Build Completed Pictures

Contact us if you would like to commission your own custom guitar or have a look in our online shop for guitars ready to ship | The Bailey Collection

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