First Build - 12 Fret

[turnertj]

If I thought yesterday's job of trimming the top had a high pucker factor, boy was I wrong. Cutting the binding channels, now that was nerve wracking. I watched John's BluesCreek videos, and they are awesome. They make me want to go to his building class. But anyway, I used them as a guide and amazingly enough, didn't mess it up too bad!

I started with the back, and got that channel routed no problems...except one. There needs to be one extra instruction added to John's videos and any on-line manual for binding cutting. BREATHE! I found myself half-way around the guitar turning blue... But I got used to it by the time I made it to the top. There I cut the purfling first, as Darryl suggested yesterday, if I cut the binding first I could fall into the binding slot and cut too deep on my top...never thought of that, thanks Darryl, you may have save me big time.

[turnertj]

And here's the wedge.

[Oval Soundhole]

that looks really nice, TJ. I like the sideport.

[turnertj]

Thanks Brian...it's progressing along, even if slowly! I'm hoping the soundport sounds okay on such a small guitar.

[turnertj]

Got the binding on last night, and then tonight I pulled the tape and filled a few gaps with black expoxy...then sanded the back. I think it came out okay.

I bent the purfling tonight as well, so when the machine cools I'll take it out. Hopefully it came out ok.

When you guys do the binding/purfling on the top, do you use the binding tape on the soundboard? How to you keep the tape from pulling out the fibers on the soundboard? I was thinking of putting down some blue tape that was less sticky first, and then let the binding tape grip to that...

[Ken Hundley]

Nice looking guitar so far! I think you will find the soundport to be a big benefit. I built an OM sized guitar for a guy in california. Had it all finished, strung it up, then noticed some cold checking from polishing in a cold garage, hadn't even sent it to him yet. Had to refinish it. Long story short, he decided he wanted a port in it after it was finished. Made an immense difference in sound. My wife, who does not have an ear for these things, thought it was a different guitar. Bass opened up tremendously, the treble evened out. It recorded better than my jumbo, maybe because the bass projected rather than boomed and overwhelm the mic. Anyway, you'll love it.

[johnnparchem]

Great looking guitar!

I do two things on the top to keep from pulling fibers. I put a wash coat of shellac on the top, also I use a heat gun to warm up the tape before pulling it.

[turnertj]

Thanks guys...

John, do you remove the shelac after you've done the binding, i.e. when you're sanding the soundboard?

Tj

[johnnparchem]

I do sand off the shellac when I do my final finishing sanding.

[turnertj]

Got the box more or less finished. I used JohnParchem's trick of a little shellac, and there was no pullout on my soundboard!!! So the binding and the purfling went on okay.