Dark Art Guitars "Alchemist" Build - 1 Month of Work in 15min

[@jimmyjames8164]

Awesome work! Maybe enlist a skilled guitarist to demonstrate the finished product?

[@dancruz4901]

A work of art. And a true artist. I want one.

[@keefjunior4061]

Somehow, I need to convince you to get a Sherline or similar CNC lathe, so you can produce your own tuners. The single, tubular, screw-style tuner, has been around for decades. There are many prints available for the three primary designs. The materials are inexpensive, the knowledge gained would be very valuable.

[@DarkArtGuitars]

I do have some ideas for making my own, but to have them with good surface finish in an economical amount of time requires a pretty descent machine. I also have some ideas for making them on a mill exclusively that I might try at some point. If I'm just gonna make the same design then there is no point in not buying the existing ones (counting labor there is no way I'd make them cheaper DIY than buying them)

[@wizrom3046]

Stunning result, thank you for showing your process! 👍🛎

[@christianboddum8783]

That body blank is one pretty piece of wood!!

[@alexdegiovanni1598]

love the partially scalloped finger board. Good idea.

[@sideshowbob5813]

I thought i was seeing a shadow or something but scalloped top 4 12th fret up, yeah?

[@ritshelohe7511]

Love the colour ❣️

[@fokinlordsamaels]

from design to execution,,, this one is most beautiful guitar build i seen so far,,, and i seen a lot.

[@foofighter9656]

What a beautiful guitar! Love it!

[@keefjunior4061]

Seriously incredible work! He could easily sell me one!

[@petergrohmuller1372]

Ein wunderbares Instrument! Man spürt förmlich die Liebe des Erbauers zu seinem Metier und zu dem Werkstoff. Ich hoffe, man kann mit dieser Schönheit auch andere Dinge spielen, als nur Breitwand-Metall-Riffs. 😊

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Deshalb habe ich die Fishman Tosin Abassi gewählt, mit dehnen bekommt man harten Metal Sound aber auch schöne vintage Töne und Single Coil Sounds die schon fast eine Strat sein könnten.

[@petergrohmuller1372]

@@DarkArtGuitars Grüezi. Ich habe geplant, nächsten Jahr meinen Bestand an E-Gitarren „upzugraden“. Vielleicht komme ich auf Dich zurück. 😊Die Alchemist ist ein echter Hingucker!

[@JakeFortel]

Nice neck heal and really interesting fret markers!

[@SteveWalkerGuitars]

That is a beautiful guitar! Nice work!

[@makosharkcnc7730]

WOW! great job! you found a great way to make money / rock on

[@forestisalifestyle]

incredible

[@graveurgraveur2691]

Nice job!

[@minkorrh]

Amazing job. You have talent.

[@NeverGiveUpYo]

Nice job.

[@CreatePlusMBassist]

Nice guitar.😲😲

[@tsurcans]

It would be great if in the video description you told what materials and tools you use. Thank you

[@monkeyspacepilot007]

Amazing guitar, guess I am going to have to save up now, I clearly need one.

[@TheWindGinProject]

Beautiful

[@holierthanthou_]

Beautiful. Congrats! I miss the chambering though.

[@DarkArtGuitars]

This one is not chambered, but I could totally do that in the future. The body is also quite thin at 37.5mm, so even without chambering it is very light.

[@bustanorms2028]

beautiful guitar

[@Kweesh]

Awesome man

[@Jaloja]

Very nice!

[@luislanga]

Great work man. That's a nice CNC machine also, looks really sturdy. I built one at home which gets the job done but I'd like to upgrade to something more rigid and powerful.

[@DarkArtGuitars]

yes, I'm quite happy with it. I have a video series on my channel about it if you're interested.

[@AnthonyBullock1968]

Epic !

[@sroksrehband]

Beautiful

[@1000poundsguitar]

Beautiful and kickass video

[@SoleilCustomGuitars]

Awesome job!

[@hugo2163]

Amazing!

[@jonnyf9049]

insan fretboard inlays, very nice!

[@coisasdefamilia8136]

Que top Qual ponte vc usa ?

[@3dexperiments]

Awesome!

[@EmmanuelB]

Love it!

[@tcspiringer]

Great build! Only one doubt: What did you put under the truss rod?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

just some tape to make sure it doesn't raddle if it isn't tightened.

[@davidmusic5801]

Beautiful! What is the name of that liquid he uses on the wood at 10:48 ?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

This is the high build guitar finishing oil from crimson guitars

[@radfury23g32]

KZbin really wants me to buy a CNC machine...stop tempting me!!! Great guitar man this is exactly what I'm looking to do

[@vinztattooerartguitars]

Great work 👏🏻

[@QueenLi]

Nova trem👍🤘

[@YellowSnowman1]

Can you tell me where you purchase that Back Cavity Cover? Awesome build by the way.

[@DarkArtGuitars]

I made it myself. It's 2.5mm aluminum spray painted black.

[@Fabio_Enne]

Spettacolare!!!

[@WallaceOliveiraR]

Nice job!

[@Feefifofum24]

How well does that trem hold tune? Been looking at one myself. Little info out there though. Awesome build!

[@DarkArtGuitars]

As good as any floating trem. I have not had any issues with it in the year and a half I've been using this guitar now.

[@Feefifofum24]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@Feefifofum24]

@@DarkArtGuitarsonly thing I haven’t been able to find any info on, what are the silver screws on the tops of the barrel, after the fine tuners Looks like maybe to lock the string in?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

@@Feefifofum24 You don't ever use them, they're just to keep the internal barrel from spinning. On some of their models they have also gone with a new design that doesn't have that screw anymore but instead has flats on the round inside piece to keep it from spinning.

[@robertrisso4976]

So sick

[@danieldawang2120]

Love this build so much. Can I have this shipped here in Philippines? Haha.

[@MegaScissorhand]

Can u give us the cnc machine file for that ?

[@Nino5i]

Where can I get a machine to make guitars like that?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

The CNC I use here is from RatRig. However the CNC machine is only a small part of what's involved (and arguably optional)

[@ejclide]

what does that guitar weigh? I'll bet it feels VERY solid with that wood combination!

[@DarkArtGuitars]

I didn't put it on a scale, but it feels quite light without feeling too light (to where it would feel cheap or not sturdy enough)

[@ejclide]

I would have thought Padauk would be very heavy, so I'm glad to hear it feels good! @@DarkArtGuitars

[@DarkArtGuitars]

@@ejclide In my experience Padauk is not any heavier than the ususal guitar woods. I'd say similar to ash, lighter than maple, heavier than sapele.

[@allenmcdaniel1470]

No one builds NECK-THRU's any more. Wonder why. Nice piece! Now I wanna see a few LEFTY custom builds!

[@DarkArtGuitars]

I love neck-through guitars, if my CNC was just a bit larger I'd be building them, but I can't fit them on my machine. (that's why my neck joint is designed to be as close as possible to a neck-through while still being a set neck) I am totally open do doing lefties, just as soon as I get an order for one.

[@allenmcdaniel1470]

@@DarkArtGuitars COOL! I'll watch. STILL, your woodworking skills are phenomenal. Nice WOODS and GREAT SHOP too! Ever use any 'reclaimed' or old stuff? Thanx 4 reply.

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Not yet, but I'd be open if the opportunity presents itself.@@allenmcdaniel1470

[@BrunoGarciaMusic]

Is this a nova guitar bridge? How good are they? Is the tremolo arm very stable or a little bit wiggly like cheap strats?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Yes that's a Nova bridge. It depends on how tight you want the arm. If you like it to swing free there is some play, when you tighten it to stay in place it's almost gone. Otherwise I quite like it for the price. It can't quite compete with high-end models like the Sophia, but that one is at least twice as expensive.

[@numbersabcdefg]

What is the run time on a body like that after programming and all that?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Body is about 1-1.5h total front and back not including the time to change tools and setup time.

[@joeurgod]

I am not a fan of headless guitars but your build is beautiful.

[@Lionstarr86]

Nice ❤

[@Johnny-ki2oi]

Where can I get one of these Strandberg knockoffs?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Hardly a knockoff, by that logic every superstrat is the same guitar. But in case the question was serious, check out darkartguitars.com

[@skyline4394]

What CNC do you use? Can you tell me the name? Or did I build it myself?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

It's a modified RatRig Killerbee (discontinued)

[@encilaj1444]

What do u call that carving machine?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

It's a CNC router. This model is the RatRig Killerbee with a custom enclosure and some other modifications.

[@Abdulhaqq7148]

I would like to buy this kind of cnc machine..😅

[@rs3950]

What wood did you use for the body?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Padauk

[@xbennY0]

r u selling the cnc files?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Sadly no as this is my main model I sell as finished builds.

[@zanzabar4ky7]

What is the ballpark cost on something like that. Is it more or less than a basic j custom? About the same?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Since I'm still fairly new at this the price I quote at the moment for something like this would be around $2k.

[@jonsierra723]

​@@DarkArtGuitarsdo you make baritones? As in 7 string baritone

[@DarkArtGuitars]

@@jonsierra723Yea sure, on a custom build just about anything can be customized. Feel free to reach out on IG or to [e-mail] if you're interested.

[@amig012]

oddly satisfying

[@dannyvanoverstraeten-js5ph]

essential if you build guitars for a living, but all the fun stuff is already done

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Depends, just because the CNC did the cutting doesn't mean I wasn't involved. Making the 3d model and creating the toolpaths is just a different way of doing the work but not any less. I come from a technical instead of woodworking background, so for me this is more fun than spending an hour with a rasp to get the shapes and bevels right, but to each their own.

[@bobweiram6321]

Your guitar looks a very wicked and evil. Was it intentional?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Evil is my middle name :D All kidding aside, my inspiration was a cross between a solar guitar and a starndberg.

[@bobweiram6321]

@@DarkArtGuitars It would be fun to add a few small port holes along the body with a switch-activated pump in the cavity. After a venomous solo, you hit a pedal switch and gory blood oozes over the guitar's body. I think the guitar would need to be painted for more contrast.

[@maximoskoukos]

Glued neck joint...whew

[@CaptainHamsterExploder]

Where’s the ASMR video of you cleaning up all those chips? Well done though!

[@johanjotun1647]

A Kiesel Vader clone if i ever saw one, that said if your gonna copy copy from the best.

[@DarkArtGuitars]

If this looks the same to you as a Kiesel Vader, then every superstrat must be the same and a straight clone of a strat.

[@ИгорьНосков-ж7н]

why 1 month? cnc done almost ewerything. handwork that left is for 3 days max :(

[@Overit5000]

Dumb comments are dumb. Writing the g code could’ve taken a month, who knows.

[@DarkArtGuitars]

I wish, the cnc cut out the rough shape, nothing that couldn't be done with a template and a handheld router. It's hard to show sanding and small detail work on camera but there is a lot that goes into making a high quality instrument. The 1 month does not even include all the 3d modelling and CAM. I'm not really using cnc to save time, more because it's fun and it means I don't need quite as many specialized tools.

[@bradswanson6788]

Clueless comment from someone that’s probably never built a guitar.

[@ИгорьНосков-ж7н]

@@bradswanson6788 built 10 already

[@bageiboi]

Certo che è una vera faticaccia costruire una chitarra in questa maniera 😅😅

[@timijtsma7233]

Guitar is beautiful, but the head stock throws out of completely for me....

[@roadresident]

That CNC is employee of the decade o7

[@timhallas4275]

That is one talented CnC machine. Maybe you should let it play the guitar for you.

[@lazzie7495]

He likely programmed the cnc machine. That way, he can build multiple identical guitars. I wouldn't consider it shear laziness.

[@timhallas4275]

@@lazzie7495 Programming the machine that builds the guitar is something 80 million people can do with little to no skill or talent. Modern cnc machines are so easy, a 9 year old child can build a world class guitar.

[@lazzie7495]

@@timhallas4275 uumm, citation needed

[@justluke516]

@@timhallas4275 then why don't you use a cnc? also a good wood worker cares more about the quality of his work than the way it was made.

[@Chiro75]

I noticed he didn’t hand forge the bridge and that was a big disappointment. /s

[@lukadegrossi1431]

1 month of work? 90% was done by cnc machine...maybe 20 days was on vacation?

[@DarkArtGuitars]

If you think a cnc does 90% of the work you've clearly never used one. It cuts out the rough shape after you have spent hours programming it, but then you still have to refine the shape and do all the sanding. It's really no different than using a router with some templates.

[@VanStein277]

I mean he plays guitar like sht ))) BUT HE IS GOD TIER GUITAR MAKER )))

[@MrJayArt]

I love the guitar but damn at least learn how to play it

[@garrettharsh4880]

holy crap if you only you focused on your terrible playing lol

[@DarkArtGuitars]

Well, I don't claim to be a great player. You can buy one and show me how much better you are.

[@maxbrenon]

Everything is cool, but why did you paint it? You killed all the beauty of the texture!!!

[@DarkArtGuitars]

There is no paint on this guitar, I only put oil on it to protect it. The color change is just from the wood absorbing the oil and showing it's true colors.

[@maxbrenon]

@@DarkArtGuitars It's clear ! Everything is fine with you!

[@Overit5000]

Solberg 😂💪🏻👌🏻

[@commonsense3505]

That's really really cool, but it kind of takes the Personal Touch out of things

[@josepheucolono]

Great work!