# Straightening a Guitar's Curved Edge



## Tkloss96 (Jun 13, 2014)

Hey everyone, I'm trying to customize a bass guitar, and I want to work the rounded edges of it so that it looks somewhat geodesic, or almost as if it were whittled. I'm trying to figure out what to use to do this. I've considered using a spoke shave, but I'd like your opinion.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Photo?*

What are you starting with ...acoustic? solid body? What do you want to end up with?

:blink:


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Typical solid-body bass?
If you're looking for a whole bunch of intersecting flat planes, some sort of power sanding would be a lot easier than freehand. Handwork with a mallet and gouges could wreck the thing unless you're confident with those tools.

The usual straight spoke shave would work only on the convex curves. Get into a hollow/concave area and you're stuck. Plus, hacking up into the wood grain will look ugly.


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## Tkloss96 (Jun 13, 2014)

Thanks, it is a solid body. I had figured I wasn't nearly good enough with wood carving tools to use them. I might try the sander. I will be painting it over though, so it won't really matter what the wood grain looks like.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

OK. Get some scrap hardwood. 80 grit on the sander. Hold your arms against your sides so you can't rock the sander. See how fast it cuts and what sort of flat planes you can get. Hope that's what you're looking for.

On the bass start with 80 then 120, 220 & 400 (by hand, a few strokes over a wooden block.) for a paintable smooth surface


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I have a more simple version of this*

Mine is a Westone Quantum circa 1980's. This is newer, but similar:
http://flatericbassandguitar.blogspot.com/2012/06/westone-quantum-bass-x850.html

Mine had some sharp ears the extended up beyond the body... ugly and gone.










You can pretty much saw, plane, or sand away anything that's not near the pickups or neck without any issues.


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