I don't have the link handy, but a custom drum maker made a snare out of MDF(!) --a material prized for being UN-resonant. And apparently people thought it sounded great, and guessed all kinds of premium "tone woods" they thought it was. Some even thought it was metal (brass, steel, etc.)

There's two schools of thought on drums, #1 that the wood and the head resonate together to create a tone, and #2 that the shell just creates an inert air volume that resonates with the head.

I guess building a snare out of MDF was their way of saying the shell material doesn't matter.

Or that people are full of shit

That's cuz ppl are full of shit.

LJ

Regarding the neck and fretboard

What is the profile of the underside of the fretboard?

You spent a lot of time talking about radiusing the neck, which I understood. But aren't you going to cap the neck with the fretboard? Won't both those surfaces be flat when you do that?

Or will you shape the neck then bend the fretboard around the the non flat neck?

I doubt the underside of the fretboard is concave.

Just wondering.

Did I say radiusing the neck? If I did, I meant the fret board. The neck is flat. The fret board bottom is flat and gets the radius on top.

I'm working bell to bell all this week, so no day off. And busy as hell at work, so I can't even plot and scheme. I'm tired when I get home. Might get out there Sunday if I have time, but we have to do the tree and decorate.

And I kind of want to wait to see what tools santa brings.

I was thinking you mighta been working on the back of the neck. I've noticed that some electrics have a flatter/rounder backside to the neck, whereas flattops have a rounder neck, generally.

I'm following, but, I haven't been paying close attn.

I read back. I started the post talking about radiusing the fret board, and gluing it on. Once I had gone there mentality, I referred to the neck radius... Meaning the neck with the fret board already glued on.

The back of the neck will get carved. There are several shapes that folks have preferences about. C shaped, V shaped, D, etc. In going to attempt a non symmetrical shape called Wolfgang. It's fatter on the bass side so it fits snug in your grip, but thinner on the treble side, so you can wrap around and reach the thinner strings for leads.

I'll find a link.


HERE


AND HERE

is the Wolfgang profile named after Eddie van Halen's son?

YES


Wolfgang

• Similar to: Peavey® Wolfgang®
• Thickness at 1st Fret: .815"
• Thickness at 12th Fret: .940"

The Wolfgang is based on an asymmetric shape popularized by Eddie Van Halen. It is rounder on the thumb side and slimmer on the finger side - a very comfortable shape that feels both quick and substantial. Compared to the SRV it is thinner and more off-center.

yeah, thought I half-remembered that.
I geek out on the tech of instruments I don't even play, sometimes

I'm going to do the neck slowly with an alligator rasp. I've seen a couple methods using facets and ratios. Might just wing it though.

Well, if ya were to screw it up, ya could always go for one of the other profiles with the same neck.

Til ya run outta neck anyway.:)

That's true. I hope not to screw it up though. It'll be really cool to play a guitar that I've built from scratch. I hope it comes out well and plays better than my strat.

do you think you'll come out of this being one of those guys who knows how to fix the action or the intonation on a guitar? or is that a different skill set?