COMPLETED BUILD · MUSIC & WOODWORKING
A familiar shape.
A personal voice.
The S-style guitar.
I built an S-shaped guitar with controls and electronics inspired by PRS. The project brought together body shaping, cavity routing, finish experiments, and a careful selection of hardware.
A deep red finish, a wooden neck, and gold hardware give the finished instrument its own character.
Follow the build Parts & materials
01 · THE BUILD
Start with the wood.
Before the color and hardware, there was a glued-up blank and a paper pattern. The layout established the silhouette and the positions of the pickups and controls.
02 · THE BUILD
Give the body its shape.
The outline became a real body. Shaping the edges and the back contour was a separate part of making it feel like an instrument.
03 · THE BUILD
Make room for the details.
Routing created space for the electronics. A test fit brought the neck, pickups, wooden rings, and bridge together before the finish went on.
04 · THE BUILD
Find the color.
The finish started with a test on a separate piece of wood. The dark red color then brought out the grain of the body, followed by a glossy finish.
05 · THE BUILD
Bring it all together.
The finished body received its hardware, then the neck and strings. The final detail photographs show how the red wood, natural pickup rings, and gold components work together.
FROM THE ORIGINAL NOTEBOOK
The small decisions.
The build notes record a ½-inch back radius and ¼-inch holes connecting the cavities. The neck notes reference GD6150 medium-jumbo frets, and the hardware notes call out Gotoh tuners.
These are notes from this particular build. The original “need” list included a bridge or tremolo and a cable; the completed photos show a bridge installed, but its final model isn’t documented.
DESIGN & FINISH REFERENCES
The notebook explored two-humbucker layouts, belly contours, and sculpted neck heels. It also lists Timbermate grain filler, water-based dye, sealers, and SprayMax clear finish.
The notes are a record of the project, rather than a step-by-step finishing guide.
Finishing video saved in the notebook ↗BILL OF MATERIALS
The parts behind the project.
Original purchase sources and finishing notes, collected in one place. Some older listings may be sold or unavailable. Unrecorded specifications are marked below.
These are ordinary supplier links. No DartyWorks affiliate links are in use yet.
Download the parts list (CSV)| Part | Build notes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Neck | WD, Fender-licensed all-bubinga replacement neck; 22 frets | Original source ↗ |
| Neck plate | Gotoh NBS-3, gold, with screws | Original source ↗ |
| Output jack | Gold Electrosocket with Switchcraft 11 jack | Original source ↗ |
| Strap buttons | Gotoh EP-B1, gold | Original source ↗ |
| Tuners | Gotoh SG381-M07-MG locking tuners, gold / ivory buttons | Original source ↗ |
| Control cavity cover | PRS boomerang electronics backplate | Original source ↗ |
| Pickup rings | Original purchase source; exact specification unconfirmed | Original source ↗ |
| Pickup selector | Three-way toggle switch | Original source ↗ |
| String trees | Original purchase source | Original source ↗ |
| Wiring kit | Emerson two-knob prewired kit for PRS guitars | Original source ↗ |
| Pickups | Two humbuckers shown; final make and model not recorded | Not recorded |
| Bridge | Gold bridge shown on completed guitar; final model not recorded | Not recorded |
| Control knobs | Gold knobs shown; final model not recorded | Not recorded |
| Nut | Listed in purchased notes; specification not recorded | Not recorded |
| Shielding tape | Listed in purchased notes; specification not recorded | Not recorded |
| Strings & picks | Listed in purchased notes; specification not recorded | Not recorded |
| Grain filler | Timbermate, listed in finishing notes | Not recorded |
| Sealers & abrasives | Sanding sealer, vinyl sealer and Scotch-Brite pads, listed in notes | Not recorded |
| Clear finish | SprayMax 2K Clear Glamour, listed in finishing notes | Original source ↗ |
ANOTHER KIND OF EXPERIMENT
From strings to flight.
WoodHawk is an ongoing drone project. Follow the planning and component checklist as that build develops.
Explore WoodHawkMORE FROM THE WORKSHOP
Made for everyday life.
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A smoke-shop find from Astoria and a build begun alongside my friend Brendan deVallance in his backyard woodshop.
Read the cigar box guitar story