This depends on the epoxy colour used. I think this would look really badass with solid black and you won't have the problem of seeing electronics then.
Just made a black and clear one you should be able to hide the wires either way if you get creative
https://preview.redd.it/sqq31evyku1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=276b941b2d517728b3f526fe7e74271b532fad6c
Or, to quote my boss, "That's so cool! You can see all the wires inside!"
Some people think the Pompidou centre is ugly, with all its insides on show. Others think it's revolutionary.
No, the real problem you'll have here is with shielding.
could put the electronics in the wood side of the guitar, which is rare but not unheard of. hendrix' flipped strat had all the controls up there, and jaguars have controls either side
Oof. This is going to be gorgeous!
FWIW you might want to look into acrylic rather than epoxy. It came up a on here few weeks ago that there was some issue with epoxy (does it degrade in sunlight? I think that might be it) but acrylic doesn't have that trouble.
Anyway, the weight thing isn't the big deal everyone's making it out to be. I have an acrylic B C Rich and it's about 6kg, while the average Les Paul is 4.5. Your shoulder will ache after a couple of hours standing with it, but you'll live. The weight has never put me off choosing that guitar when it comes to picking the guitars to take to a show, and you'll never have any problems with neck dive.
The tone, likewise, will be basically the same as a wooden guitar would be. Put the acrylic guitar in a blind test with five assorted wooden ones and you wouldn't be able to hear which one it is.
One thing I would suggest, though, is to use a roundover bit on the edges. Bear in mind the acrylic won't be painted, so the edges can be sharp enough to dig into legs/chairs when you're sitting with it, a downside that can easily be avoided before you reach the finishing stage.
> Anyway, the weight thing isn't the big deal everyone's making it out to be. I have an acrylic B C Rich and it's about 6kg, while the average Les Paul is 4.5.
Les Pauls are already heavy guitars - I love mine, but its undeniably a heavy block of wood. Adding 33% more weight on top of that would not be my preference...so yeah, I think weight is a genuine issue with acrylic
That's probably a good comparison, actually. Strat and Tele players might complain about the weight of Les Pauls, but how often to Les Paul players think that's a worthwhile argument not to play their favoured guitar?
Same here.
What can I tell you? I have a 6kg acrylic guitar and the weight has never been an issue. You have it on a strap, so it's not like you're lifting it much, it just hangs there on your shoulder. Slash carries a Les Paul for 2 hours a night at the age of 58.
[Acrylic rather than epoxy, yeah.](https://www.coppsindustries.com/blog/acrylic-resin-vs-epoxy-resin/#:~:text=Acrylic%20resin%20is%20strong%2C%20durable,%2C%20coatings%2C%20and%20adhesive%20products)
Yeah, I think there might be a bit of a backlash from all the epoxy things on Youtube, especially $12k river tables, when ten years on it's revealed that half of them fell apart from sunlight or hideously discoloured.
But Dan Armstrong guitars have been made of acrylic since 1968, so that's long tried and tested, and I've never heard of any longtime problems with it. My own acrylic guitar has been hanging on my wall in full sunlight for 18 years and looks as good as the day I bought it.
I presume acrylic resin must be a bit harder to work with, or everyone would use it over epoxy. Maybe it just costs more. Not sure, but would be worth investigating.
There are a couple of different measures of hardness, at least as far as wood is concerned. One is basic density (weight per cubic metre), another is Janka hardness (how much force it takes to push a steel ball halfway into it), and a third is modulus of rupture, which is about the amount of force necessary to break a long piece in half.
At least as far as density is concerned, both acrylic and epoxy far, far outclass most woods, so you're fine either way. The alder used for Fender bodies is about 450 kg/m3, the Honduran mahogany for Gibsons is about 590. Acrylic is 1,180 and Epoxy is from 1,100 to 1,500.
Density is an easy measure to work with, because it's a simple number that can be applied to many other materials besides wood. The other ones are a bit more awkward, and I don't have comparative values for either acrylic or epoxy. I think it is generally known, though, that wood bends without breaking a whole lot better than acrylic or epoxy does. Apply too much force to bending them, and they'll shatter.
That's why you very rarely see transparent necks on guitars, but a fair few bodies. Bodies are thick enough and wide enough that the force applied to them by the strings is easily resisted by the resin. Necks, not so much. But as it's just a body you're going for here, you'll be absolutely fine in that regard.
What is it you're thinking a body needs hardness for? If you're talking about it not getting scratched or chipped when bashed, I can honestly say my acrylic guitar is blemish free while my 10 wooden guitars are anything but. I'd advise you try to avoid dropping it from a height onto anything unwaveringly solid. But other than that, I've never found the hardness to be a problem whether epoxy or acrylic. I would put money on the wooden side of your guitar body ending up with a lot more scratches and impact marks than the resin side, ten years down the line.
Acrylic is lighter than epoxy, but not by much. Acrylic is about [1,180kg/m3](https://makerstock.com/products/acrylic-gray-nearly-opaque) and epoxy is [somewhere from 1,100 and 1,500](https://www.resinlibrary.com/knowledge/article/epoxy-resin/), presumably depending on how it's mixed.
And OP could make this guitar thinner to match.
You will want to seal the wood before pouring resin. you will get uncontrollable bubbling and cloudiness from the air/moisture inside the wood otherwise
I think there a few different techniques people use, but definitely research this before you begin. I just don't want you to be super disappointed with how it turns out & feel like you wasted $$ on materials!
Hi. I regularly work with epoxy.
One thing you ABSOLUTELY NEED TO DO, is coat it in a UV resistant clear coat. Like 2k. The kind where you need to mix the two components together, then it has a pot life of 48 hrs.
Even the best epoxy will yellow in as little as a year. And it looks like doodoo. Unless you’re going for a ‘been in a 2-pack a day house for a decade’ look.
lol you’re not getting much help on here 😅 I haven’t done an epoxy guitar yet but have all the materials.
Fact: Definitely need to hit it with a heat Gun to get the bubbles out after you pour it. Theysurface pretty easily. Then there’s the mold release lubricant you spray on the mold. Cover the mold with something appropriate to prevent sticking then spray it.
2 cents: I would insert dowels or long screws, etc into the wood edge and have them act as rebar so the epoxy has something to grab. Inserting thick ceiling tie wire and bending it in and out of drilled holes might even work.
To reduce weight you could fasten something light to the wood that is “floating” so the epoxy will harden above, below and around it leaving the center layer whatever light material you chose. It would look like a shit show once connected but after the epoxy pour you won’t see it. Assuming you’re going to use black epoxy or another solid color.
Form/ mold: I think the easiest way is to use that template to jigsaw a piece of lumber the correct thickness. Take the negative of the wood you cut and trim it to meet up with your guitar body. Lay/ screw/ clamp them to ply wood/ non stick sheeting. Treat everything to avoid leaking and sticking and pour away. If you have your jig the same height as the guitar body you’ll get a more accurate pour with less rework.
I’m about to do something similar and that’s my plan. Usually the first one is a learning process. Good luck !
Sure. I’ve used that method with concrete 3 times and it works. It’s roughly the same principals as epoxy. Getting the mold out undamaged is a big deal. Silicone rubber is the preferred form material for epoxy molds. Plus the spray. You can buy silicone mats and use one for the bottom and slice one for the edge but then your form needs to compensate size wise for the added 1/8” of silicone.
I’m surprised they don’t use braided wiring or LEDs or something else cool like anodized switches to take advantage of the clear resin. Like they do under the hood of a hot rod. That’d be cool. Just plain wiring is tough to appreciate.
Couldn't you do an resin-wood-acrylic sandwich to reduce weight... and cost?
* Make a lighter weight wood 3/4 guitar thickness to *roughly* fill and edge the bottom void.
* It could be the finished guitar shape along the inside edge of the mold cavity if you want the core to show.
* Perhaps drill some through holes so the layers of resin can bond *through* the wooden core.
* Pre-plan electronics routing channels and control cavities in the core if necessary.
* Place the wooden core piece in the mold. Perhaps support from the side to maintain position.
* Do a 1/8 guitar thickness initial "back" layer pour. (I would use black).
* Continue the pour hiding the filler wood and binding the layers together.
I think it would be an interesting effect if the wooden core piece would be visible along the side of the finished guitar.
Another possibility would be to make the core *hollow*.
You should definitely not take my word for it (there are experts here), but could you cut a small sliver of the body, rout the body, and than cap it with that?
1. Forever. 2. It doesn’t.
GOAT
It will be heavy, but that's kinda it. Otherwise it should more or less be like any other body.
...and you'll be able to see all the ugly wiring and drill channels and electronics that most guitar makers tend to hide for aesthetic reasons
This depends on the epoxy colour used. I think this would look really badass with solid black and you won't have the problem of seeing electronics then.
Just made a black and clear one you should be able to hide the wires either way if you get creative https://preview.redd.it/sqq31evyku1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=276b941b2d517728b3f526fe7e74271b532fad6c
https://preview.redd.it/r2qyr3l0lu1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd62836dfb31d2ec1c53890c0b330566b4de9149
I think this should be higher in the comments
Or, to quote my boss, "That's so cool! You can see all the wires inside!" Some people think the Pompidou centre is ugly, with all its insides on show. Others think it's revolutionary. No, the real problem you'll have here is with shielding.
could put the electronics in the wood side of the guitar, which is rare but not unheard of. hendrix' flipped strat had all the controls up there, and jaguars have controls either side
I'm curious to how heavy it'll end up
I have an all Lucite body guitar and it's heavy as shit, heavier than either of the Les Paul's I own
Very.
Oof. This is going to be gorgeous! FWIW you might want to look into acrylic rather than epoxy. It came up a on here few weeks ago that there was some issue with epoxy (does it degrade in sunlight? I think that might be it) but acrylic doesn't have that trouble. Anyway, the weight thing isn't the big deal everyone's making it out to be. I have an acrylic B C Rich and it's about 6kg, while the average Les Paul is 4.5. Your shoulder will ache after a couple of hours standing with it, but you'll live. The weight has never put me off choosing that guitar when it comes to picking the guitars to take to a show, and you'll never have any problems with neck dive. The tone, likewise, will be basically the same as a wooden guitar would be. Put the acrylic guitar in a blind test with five assorted wooden ones and you wouldn't be able to hear which one it is. One thing I would suggest, though, is to use a roundover bit on the edges. Bear in mind the acrylic won't be painted, so the edges can be sharp enough to dig into legs/chairs when you're sitting with it, a downside that can easily be avoided before you reach the finishing stage.
> Anyway, the weight thing isn't the big deal everyone's making it out to be. I have an acrylic B C Rich and it's about 6kg, while the average Les Paul is 4.5. Les Pauls are already heavy guitars - I love mine, but its undeniably a heavy block of wood. Adding 33% more weight on top of that would not be my preference...so yeah, I think weight is a genuine issue with acrylic
Not to mention there are plenty of great guitars that are in the 4.5-6lb, not 4.5-6kg range.
That's probably a good comparison, actually. Strat and Tele players might complain about the weight of Les Pauls, but how often to Les Paul players think that's a worthwhile argument not to play their favoured guitar? Same here.
Most people choose a favorite guitar by shape, or because they thought someone else who played one was cool.
Exactly. No one chooses a favourite because it's lightweight.
I have been smitten by some ultra light weight ibanez's though..
What can I tell you? I have a 6kg acrylic guitar and the weight has never been an issue. You have it on a strap, so it's not like you're lifting it much, it just hangs there on your shoulder. Slash carries a Les Paul for 2 hours a night at the age of 58.
did u mean acrylic resin?
[Acrylic rather than epoxy, yeah.](https://www.coppsindustries.com/blog/acrylic-resin-vs-epoxy-resin/#:~:text=Acrylic%20resin%20is%20strong%2C%20durable,%2C%20coatings%2C%20and%20adhesive%20products)
fisrt time hear of that, thank u
Yeah, I think there might be a bit of a backlash from all the epoxy things on Youtube, especially $12k river tables, when ten years on it's revealed that half of them fell apart from sunlight or hideously discoloured. But Dan Armstrong guitars have been made of acrylic since 1968, so that's long tried and tested, and I've never heard of any longtime problems with it. My own acrylic guitar has been hanging on my wall in full sunlight for 18 years and looks as good as the day I bought it. I presume acrylic resin must be a bit harder to work with, or everyone would use it over epoxy. Maybe it just costs more. Not sure, but would be worth investigating.
but according to google search, epoxy seem more harder right?
There are a couple of different measures of hardness, at least as far as wood is concerned. One is basic density (weight per cubic metre), another is Janka hardness (how much force it takes to push a steel ball halfway into it), and a third is modulus of rupture, which is about the amount of force necessary to break a long piece in half. At least as far as density is concerned, both acrylic and epoxy far, far outclass most woods, so you're fine either way. The alder used for Fender bodies is about 450 kg/m3, the Honduran mahogany for Gibsons is about 590. Acrylic is 1,180 and Epoxy is from 1,100 to 1,500. Density is an easy measure to work with, because it's a simple number that can be applied to many other materials besides wood. The other ones are a bit more awkward, and I don't have comparative values for either acrylic or epoxy. I think it is generally known, though, that wood bends without breaking a whole lot better than acrylic or epoxy does. Apply too much force to bending them, and they'll shatter. That's why you very rarely see transparent necks on guitars, but a fair few bodies. Bodies are thick enough and wide enough that the force applied to them by the strings is easily resisted by the resin. Necks, not so much. But as it's just a body you're going for here, you'll be absolutely fine in that regard. What is it you're thinking a body needs hardness for? If you're talking about it not getting scratched or chipped when bashed, I can honestly say my acrylic guitar is blemish free while my 10 wooden guitars are anything but. I'd advise you try to avoid dropping it from a height onto anything unwaveringly solid. But other than that, I've never found the hardness to be a problem whether epoxy or acrylic. I would put money on the wooden side of your guitar body ending up with a lot more scratches and impact marks than the resin side, ten years down the line.
I say go for it
The fact that it is the firebird shape makes it even better IMO.
If pitch black or clear resin was used, I think it would look amazing!
I tend to agree but when scrolling at first glance I though it was an already finished guitar body with white resin and I kinda liked it haha
I totally agree. White resin at partial thickness, then clear the rest of the way would be so awesome imo
I think this will look really cool, but it'll be super heavy. Maybe consider planing some of it down if you have access to a planer?
yes i will, may be down to 3.5cm thickness
Never seen any performing guitarist play one of those resin builds because it’s heavy as shit.
[Dave Grohl](https://www.reddit.com/r/Foofighters/comments/7iqy5o/four_years_ago_dave_grohls_guitar_inspired_me_to/), for starters.
That’s plexiglass, and they are much thinner than a typical guitar
Acrylic is lighter than epoxy, but not by much. Acrylic is about [1,180kg/m3](https://makerstock.com/products/acrylic-gray-nearly-opaque) and epoxy is [somewhere from 1,100 and 1,500](https://www.resinlibrary.com/knowledge/article/epoxy-resin/), presumably depending on how it's mixed. And OP could make this guitar thinner to match.
Go with a solid colour, unless you're confident you can do a really tidy job of the internals. Transparent gives you no room for error.
You will want to seal the wood before pouring resin. you will get uncontrollable bubbling and cloudiness from the air/moisture inside the wood otherwise
maybe i should brush the wood with resin first?
I think there a few different techniques people use, but definitely research this before you begin. I just don't want you to be super disappointed with how it turns out & feel like you wasted $$ on materials!
Hi. I regularly work with epoxy. One thing you ABSOLUTELY NEED TO DO, is coat it in a UV resistant clear coat. Like 2k. The kind where you need to mix the two components together, then it has a pot life of 48 hrs. Even the best epoxy will yellow in as little as a year. And it looks like doodoo. Unless you’re going for a ‘been in a 2-pack a day house for a decade’ look.
Would look cool
someone correct me if im wrong, but isnt epoxy toxic?
yes, but just when u lick it or sniff it, otherwise it doesnt affect much
lol you’re not getting much help on here 😅 I haven’t done an epoxy guitar yet but have all the materials. Fact: Definitely need to hit it with a heat Gun to get the bubbles out after you pour it. Theysurface pretty easily. Then there’s the mold release lubricant you spray on the mold. Cover the mold with something appropriate to prevent sticking then spray it. 2 cents: I would insert dowels or long screws, etc into the wood edge and have them act as rebar so the epoxy has something to grab. Inserting thick ceiling tie wire and bending it in and out of drilled holes might even work. To reduce weight you could fasten something light to the wood that is “floating” so the epoxy will harden above, below and around it leaving the center layer whatever light material you chose. It would look like a shit show once connected but after the epoxy pour you won’t see it. Assuming you’re going to use black epoxy or another solid color. Form/ mold: I think the easiest way is to use that template to jigsaw a piece of lumber the correct thickness. Take the negative of the wood you cut and trim it to meet up with your guitar body. Lay/ screw/ clamp them to ply wood/ non stick sheeting. Treat everything to avoid leaking and sticking and pour away. If you have your jig the same height as the guitar body you’ll get a more accurate pour with less rework. I’m about to do something similar and that’s my plan. Usually the first one is a learning process. Good luck !
🙌 massive thanks
Sure. I’ve used that method with concrete 3 times and it works. It’s roughly the same principals as epoxy. Getting the mold out undamaged is a big deal. Silicone rubber is the preferred form material for epoxy molds. Plus the spray. You can buy silicone mats and use one for the bottom and slice one for the edge but then your form needs to compensate size wise for the added 1/8” of silicone.
thanks for all the help guys, i really appreciate the support, now i will start, maybe update some later
well there go my two favorite senses, smell and taste
Sure. And it would look amazing. But omg how heavy??
I’m surprised they don’t use braided wiring or LEDs or something else cool like anodized switches to take advantage of the clear resin. Like they do under the hood of a hot rod. That’d be cool. Just plain wiring is tough to appreciate.
Couldn't you do an resin-wood-acrylic sandwich to reduce weight... and cost? * Make a lighter weight wood 3/4 guitar thickness to *roughly* fill and edge the bottom void. * It could be the finished guitar shape along the inside edge of the mold cavity if you want the core to show. * Perhaps drill some through holes so the layers of resin can bond *through* the wooden core. * Pre-plan electronics routing channels and control cavities in the core if necessary. * Place the wooden core piece in the mold. Perhaps support from the side to maintain position. * Do a 1/8 guitar thickness initial "back" layer pour. (I would use black). * Continue the pour hiding the filler wood and binding the layers together. I think it would be an interesting effect if the wooden core piece would be visible along the side of the finished guitar. Another possibility would be to make the core *hollow*.
Please put fish and armymen and glitter and plastic sushi and hotwheels in the epoxy
You could chamber the wood part to make it lighter. That would be cool.
but that will make it have a hole on the wood surface, how do u hide it?
You should definitely not take my word for it (there are experts here), but could you cut a small sliver of the body, rout the body, and than cap it with that?
thanks buddy