What’s On the Bench! | Meet the first 2026 students & their builds | 2026 Episode 1!

Описание: Welcome to CRIMSON GUITARS HQ https://www.crimsonguitars.com/

In this episode of What’s On the Bench, we take a walk through the workshop and check in on a wide range of guitar builds - from ultra-thin, one-piece bodies made from exotic woods to first-time builders tackling bindings, hollow bodies, and carved tops.

We kick things off with a unique mango-wood guitar project inspired by a trip to The Gambia, featuring clever hardware solutions, recessed bridges, hidden switches, and straight string pull headstock design. Along the way, there are plenty of practical luthiery tips, problem-solving moments, and honest discussions about what works (and what doesn’t).

Then we meet several builders at different stages of their journeys:

-PRS-style hollow body build
-Thin-line Tele with P90s and bold yellow finish plans
-SG with a mortise and tenon neck joint and custom pickups
-A completed long-scale baritone with coil splits and a Floyd Rose
-Reflections on learning, experimentation, and building guitars “your way”

Whether you’re an experienced builder or just getting started, this episode is packed with insight, inspiration, and real-world workshop knowledge.

🎸 Topics covered include:
Custom guitar building, one-piece bodies, mango wood, P90 pickups, recessed bridges, straight string pull headstocks, first-time builds, finishing techniques, French polishing, baritone guitars, coil splitting, and workshop tips.

Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome to What’s On the Bench
00:33 – Follow-up chat with Robert & his recent Africa trip
00:45 – Mango wood discovery & one-piece body concept
01:24 – Ultra-thin body, fret placement & P90 layout
01:41 – Zeus fasteners & removable back design
02:18 – Wiring access, pickup poles & control layout
02:33 – Thin pots, knobs & cavity depth testing
03:14 – Barrel jack discussion & drilling tips
03:40 – Workshop tips & drilling vs carving
04:01 – Hidden switch & 3-way wiring approach
04:27 – Recessing the bridge & router template
04:50 – Bridge height test & adjustment debate
05:29 – Saddle adjustment & string access planning
06:08 – Headstock design & straight string pull
07:07 – Next steps & routing adjustments

07:19 – Junhyun’s bench: PRS-style hollow body build
07:40 – Clamping the carved top & body construction
08:17 – First guitar reveal: blue Tele build
08:52 – Neck, scarf joint & fretboard choices

09:18 – Alan’s bench: Thinline Tele build
09:33 – Cavities, binding & black limba body
10:09 – P90s, yellow finish plans & staining tests
11:09 – French polishing & hardware choices

12:40 – Paul’s bench: SG build overview
13:29 – Maple top, custom pickups & design choices
14:43 – 24-fret debate & upper-fret access
15:00 – First build reveal & minimalist controls
16:26 – Learning through multiple builds

18:01 – Stuart’s finished baritone guitar
18:16 – Specs: scale length, pickups & electronics
19:15 – Coil splitting & tonal results
19:59 – Fixing an older guitar & setup work
21:25 – Final setup goals & wrap-up

Check out our Discord server for Guitar Building Goodness here   / discord  

Join this channel to get access to the perks:
   / @crimsoncustomguitars  

Ben's camera setup includes: the Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro, Prime Cameras (Front facing and over the bench) Canon EOS 250D, suspended from the ceiling (bench side) Canon EOS 90D, and on the movable tripod a Canon M6 Mark II

Any music used in this video from Epidemic Sound - https://www.epidemicsound.com/referra...

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#LuthierLife #P90Pickups #TelecasterBuild #SGGuitar #BaritoneGuitar
#OnePieceBody #ExoticWoods #MangoWood #PRSStyle #FrenchPolish
#GuitarFinishing #StraightStringPull #HandmadeGuitars

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Thank you again for all your support, we really, really appreciate it! – Ben
Stay tuned and stay awesome!
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