Ricky Hopper
@rickyhopper.bsky.social
💻 software engineer 🎸 musician 🔨 maker
based in kensington, md
based in kensington, md
The guitar build is done! I'm incredibly happy with how it came out - it sounds fantastic and plays incredibly smoothly 🙌
October 26, 2025 at 12:09 AM
The guitar build is done! I'm incredibly happy with how it came out - it sounds fantastic and plays incredibly smoothly 🙌
Testing different shades of finish! I'm using Danish Oil because it's easy / quick, and I want a more organic look to the guitar. Plus, it'll cure inside the pores of the mahogany and make it more stable. Leaning towards the natural shade - it better complements the tortoiseshell and gold hardware.
October 9, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Testing different shades of finish! I'm using Danish Oil because it's easy / quick, and I want a more organic look to the guitar. Plus, it'll cure inside the pores of the mahogany and make it more stable. Leaning towards the natural shade - it better complements the tortoiseshell and gold hardware.
I think I forgot to put a few guitar updates here, but it's getting close! The body is sanded to 400 grit, and I'll do the neck next before applying finish.
October 4, 2025 at 9:16 PM
I think I forgot to put a few guitar updates here, but it's getting close! The body is sanded to 400 grit, and I'll do the neck next before applying finish.
Chiseled the nut slot and attached the neck tonight! The process of bolting the neck on was a bit improvised since I didn't use standard templates - I had to drill into the body first and then put the screws in partway / use them to mark hole locations on the neck. Everything's aligned though!
September 3, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Chiseled the nut slot and attached the neck tonight! The process of bolting the neck on was a bit improvised since I didn't use standard templates - I had to drill into the body first and then put the screws in partway / use them to mark hole locations on the neck. Everything's aligned though!
Carved the arm and belly contours of the guitar! Did both with a Shinto rasp, followed up with coarse sanding for the contour and re-rounding the edges. This is one of those steps that makes the instrument feel way closer to complete 😁
August 13, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Carved the arm and belly contours of the guitar! Did both with a Shinto rasp, followed up with coarse sanding for the contour and re-rounding the edges. This is one of those steps that makes the instrument feel way closer to complete 😁
I'm setting up my e-drum kit to be a midi trigger for drum recording, and needed some way to keep the pedals from sliding around on hardwood. I'll get some anti-slip pads to stick on the bottom of these to see how they work, with a drum rug as the logical backup option (trying to avoid buying one 😅)
August 9, 2025 at 9:10 PM
I'm setting up my e-drum kit to be a midi trigger for drum recording, and needed some way to keep the pedals from sliding around on hardwood. I'll get some anti-slip pads to stick on the bottom of these to see how they work, with a drum rug as the logical backup option (trying to avoid buying one 😅)
Just wait till I get this guy running through effects
July 9, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Just wait till I get this guy running through effects
The roundover on the edges is one of the steps that really starts to make the guitar body feel more like a finished instrument! I've traced out the edges for the arm and belly contours too, which is the next step in shaping it.
June 27, 2025 at 2:59 PM
The roundover on the edges is one of the steps that really starts to make the guitar body feel more like a finished instrument! I've traced out the edges for the arm and belly contours too, which is the next step in shaping it.
Installed and glued frets in the guitar neck! After bending / cutting the fret wire and hammering each fret in, you can fill the slot behind the fret with glue to ensure the fret stays, and mix sawdust in with the glue to mask the color change. Next steps are fret dressing and leveling!
May 30, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Installed and glued frets in the guitar neck! After bending / cutting the fret wire and hammering each fret in, you can fill the slot behind the fret with glue to ensure the fret stays, and mix sawdust in with the glue to mask the color change. Next steps are fret dressing and leveling!
Routed the guitar's neck pocket this evening! I made a quick adjustment to the template for a better neck fit (aka a layer of masking tape), and after lots of measuring / aligning before taking the router to it, it fits perfectly! Thankfully this was the last critical measurement of the project 😅
April 5, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Routed the guitar's neck pocket this evening! I made a quick adjustment to the template for a better neck fit (aka a layer of masking tape), and after lots of measuring / aligning before taking the router to it, it fits perfectly! Thankfully this was the last critical measurement of the project 😅
I'm getting ready to rout the neck pocket on my guitar, and realized I had further shaped the neck heel after using my original template. So, I have to make a new routing template for the neck pocket that ensures the neck is properly positioned / centered. Whoops. Taking notes for next time 😅
April 4, 2025 at 2:30 AM
I'm getting ready to rout the neck pocket on my guitar, and realized I had further shaped the neck heel after using my original template. So, I have to make a new routing template for the neck pocket that ensures the neck is properly positioned / centered. Whoops. Taking notes for next time 😅
Did most of the work on my guitar build's pickguard over the weekend! I had made a template already, so I was mostly just securing it and taking a router around the edges with a few different bits. Just a few more major steps to go until it's ready for finishing / lots of sanding!
February 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Did most of the work on my guitar build's pickguard over the weekend! I had made a template already, so I was mostly just securing it and taking a router around the edges with a few different bits. Just a few more major steps to go until it's ready for finishing / lots of sanding!