Alder is a relatively soft and cheap medium-weight wood with unremarkable grain. It has a closed pore structure that is easy to finish. Leo Fender chose it for these reasons, not some nonsensical 'tone'. Otherwise, it's primary use would still be campfires.
This pretty little thing is a Harmony H617 Bobkat. The H-bodied series of guitars, originally known as the Silhouette, began in 1963 and ended in 1973. This one is from 1972 or 1973. Harmony built a number of guitars for Sears under the Silvertone name, at first as a step up from the Danelectros, and ultimately replacing them. See the Silvertone 1478.
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This was my third go at a 325 bass. The first one was unbalanced with this long neck, and the second suffered a router mishap. Eventually, I salvaged both of those, but first I took all the good parts and did this. Fender-type alder body with 3-tone sunburst, single binding. Surface-mounted pickups, active electronics. Finished entirely in polyurethane.
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The SG, or 'Spanish Guitar', is without a doubt Gibson's best solid-body guitar design. Unlike the massive overweight Les Paul, the SG is small and light and just feels like fun in your hands. Sound-wise, the two are indistinguishable. The SG body has comfortable bevels and round-overs in place of the Les Paul's arm-gouging sharp bound edges. And the little devil horns are unmistakable.
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This is my reference for guitar setups - a Japanese "E-series" Squier Stratocaster from the early '80s. This was an era when Fender-America was not doing their best work, while the Japanese models were superb.
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I have several hand drills, cordless and corded. For real work, a massive DeWalt cordless powers easily through concrete. But you don't need all that to build a guitar, in fact, you don't even want it. The DeWalt is expensive and weighs a ton. For light use, a little cordless Ryobi or Black&Decker will do just fine and is a lot lighter on the arm and the wallet.
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