Amrosia and Redwood OM for my grandson

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I started this guitar a week ago. My grandson will be visiting the first week of July and my goal is to have this one done for him then. I've never built a guitar this fast, and this is number 12.
It is an OM. Ambrosia Maple back and sides, will have a reclaimed Redwood top. Bindings are walnut, rosette will be birdseye maple ringed inside and out with BWB purfling.
The neck is a one piece honduran mahogany. Frets and tuners will be silver.
The OM I build is based off the Jonathan Kinkade model, some some modifications to the top bracing.
The picture of the neck in the vise is what happens when you forget to rout the truss rod channel before you've cut off the excess material from the sides of the blank. Sheesh!. So I cut it by hand with a chisel. Actually only took about 1/2 hour so not too bad.
I also went back to making the neck block with a mortise in it before gluing the sides to it, and cut the tenon on my neck on the table saw and band saw.
I'm also using barrel nuts in the tenon for bolting on the neck instead of the threaded inserts, as I've not had great success with those in the past.
So I'll be bracing the back tonight and by the weekend I hope to have the box closed.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I got the back in the gobar deck gluing in the bracing last night.

[John J]

I'm also using barrel nuts in the tenon for bolting on the neck instead of the threaded inserts, as I've not had great success with those in the past.


Kevin. Looking good so far. And it's not a really a mistake if you overcome it. Also what kind of trouble have you had with bolt inserts? That's all I've used and so far I've not had any problems.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

On two of my guitars those inserts have failed. When I screw them into the endgrain, the wood seems to do more crumbling then cutting, and even though I always flood the threaded area, still a potential problem. I've seen that the type of insert I use has finer threads then what some others are using, but it is what I got from LMI on the very first kit I purchased to make my first guitar, so I thought that was what I was supposed to use.
Anyway, I think I'll like using the barrel nuts and feel more secure.

[Diane Kauffmds]

Beautiful guitar Kevin. Your grandson will be proud of it.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Making quicker progress than is normal for me.
I have the braces on the back and top, but I still have alot of material to remove, so the carving will commence.
The rosette is the same wood as the back and sides, ambrosia maple.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

The braces are carved and I'm ready to fit the back and top to the rims. Should be closing it up on Saturday.
I've never done such a wide upper transverse brace before but thought I'd try it as the Kinkade plans call for it, pretty much following that print this time for the fun of it.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

This weekend I got the top and back attached to the rims and the bindings installed, now scraping back flush. I got really messy with the glue on the top.
This guitar has to be done one month from today!

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Forgot to take pics.
The Indian ebony fretboard is cut to size, slotted with abalone dot markers installed.
The body is all scraped down and sanded flush and smooth to 120 grit. I have the neck fit to the body, and I have my maple "S" logo inlaid in to the ebony headplate.
The truss rod I'm using is the Gotoh 2 way; rod inside a steel square channel. These are longer than some, and the end extends about an inch out of the tenon under the top, even with it starting about 1/2" from the nut on the other end. These rods also have the adjusting nut almost flush with the steel channel. I like to install these where they are flush with the neck shaft under the fretboard, so you have to cut away the top to accommodate the adjusting nut as it will not fit under the top. If you install these rods a bit lower and come over the top with a filler strip, you have to go down at least the thickness of your top, or it still will not fit under the top.
So I'll fit the rod tonight, locate the fretboard placement with pins, locate the headplate with pins and get the headplate glued down. That's the plan for tonight.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

This weekend I got the neck basically done and fit to the body. My neck angle gives me 7/16" over the saddle area with NO frets. Because this guitar will be living in India high humidity, I'm going to leave the bridge a little low with more saddle exposed so they can bring the action down easily by adjusting the saddle. Next is to make the bridge, then I'll be ready to clean everything up so I can pore fill the neck and start the french polishing.