#1 in progress: cedar/mahogany medium jumbo scratch build

[naccoachbob]

I'm starting to think that accidents and errors are inevitable and completing this project is an exercise in adapting as opposed to pondering over how to do a step and summoning the courage to proceed. That being said, I put on the last strip of binding the other night (finally) and things came up short.



That was where I actually started though. In my defense, as I'm sure you all know this step involves a lot of tangled materials fighting back and my fingers are stubby so I'm more worried about wicking Titebond between each purf and in the channel and just basically being sloppy. Well, I suppose the green tape didn't hold all that well either, so I'm wondering if I just worked too quickly?

I'm working on a fix though:



I didn't use much glue for this at all. In fact, it's actually sort of wedged in there. I'll have to do something similar with the excess purfling as well. When all's said and done it's probably not going to be pretty but hey this is the back so nobody's even going to look at it that closely.

Neil, on this, why don't you take a piece of ebony in a triangular shape and have it cover the hole on the back. You could even do another triangle from the edge of the back, along the side. Turn it into a Feature!!
Good luck,
Bob

[nkwak]

I took a little time last night to mark where to put the fingerboard markers and after I put Joey on the bus I went and drilled the holes and stuck in the 2.3mm (3/32") dots in with some super glue. I used tweezers so luckily I was able to prevent gluing any parts of my body to the guitar. Afterward I went at the neck with a rasp and a sandpaper belt to refine the neck profile. It felt like I was gripping a baseball bat before and though I'm still not done (I need to removed about 1/16" from either side of the fretboard to get it down to 1-3/4" wide at the headstock end) I'm much closer to where I need to be. I also broke out the sanding wheel on my Dremel and cleaned up the edge of the fingerboard at the soundhole.

[CavalierKingCharles]

Looking good, keep the pics coming,

SA

[nkwak]

The tuning machines (replacement Shaller style Gotoh tuners recycled from my defunct Takamine) went on tonight after a few days of marking where I wanted to drill the holes in the headstock. I measured 3 times and even made a template/caul out of scrap maple but I still screwed it up so that I had to mount the tuning machines upside down. I kind of like the look though.

[johnnparchem]

Niel, It is looking like a guitar. It will look great when it is finished. Way to stick with it. What happens if the tuners are mounted right side up?

[nkwak]

Niel, It is looking like a guitar. It will look great when it is finished. Way to stick with it. What happens if the tuners are mounted right side up?

[johnnparchem]

They look Ok right side up, Right side up you would avoid de-tuning whenever you are trying to tune. That really is the only problem with them upside down. I had classical guitar tuners backwards for the same reason. It drove me crazy so I turned them right side up.

[nkwak]

Yeah, I think I'm going to leave them this way then. When I put a single tuner on the top it looked a tad too close to the top of the headstock but now with all mounted it looks better. They aren't all perfectly symmetrical but I can live with it.

Meanwhile, I really need to get the bridge done once and for all. I just need some time with a friend's router. After that it's on to final sanding and pore filling. I'm going to leave the neck rough for now and switch toward getting the body ready for finish.

[naccoachbob]

Neil, the balance in that last pic looked really good to my eyes.
Bob

[nkwak]

My friend the photographer and guitar builder chided me for jumping into a second build so quickly, so I decided to pay some attention to old #1 here. Last night I ventured forth and installed the frets.



I also checked with a 3' steel rule and everything seems to be seated level and the fretboard extension now lays flat on the top. Then I took off the neck, trimmed off all the rough ends and then filed them all flush. I bought a $10 set of jeweler's files to dress the frets.

I also have a a quart of 2 pound cut shellac dissolving right now so that I can go ahead with final sanding and then pore filling. The fretboard is 1.75" at the nut but I have to clean up the area so that everything's square. I also went back to clean up the best of my failed attempts at making a bridge.