www.KitGuitarsForum.com

I'm mostly a lurker but I thought y'all might like this.

This is #4 or #5, depending (I have 2 in progress on the bench).
The first 3 have been kit builds with minor modifications, and this one has my first moves towards scratch building.

I got a beautiful plank of red oak a few years back, perfectly quartersawn with great ray fleck. I put it in the "special" wood pile.
After some practice, I resawed it into two sets of sides and a back set. First time for that. Those sets sat around for a year or so until I was ready to put them to use.

I built myself a thickness sander based on some ideas I saw on the web. Got the back and sides down to workable numbers.

Did a little finish test on a leftover piece of the oak. Stain wiped on, sanded back a bit, and a wipe of clear. I really like how this looks.



Joined the back with a walnut center strip.



Building a neck to use. Walnut with a center strip of quilted maple. Walnut head plate. The walnut should echo the binding, center strip, and bridge.

Bent my first set of sides on a pipe. Quartersawn oak bent way easier than expected. Bent up some walnut strips for binding too.



I'd like to thank John for the videos on YouTube and this forum.
And the regular posters for sharing their knowledge.

Stay tuned, I ought to have the box closed up shortly.

thanks for the kind words and I am sure many will enjoy watching your progess

_________________
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com

So it’s been a minute.
We had a bunch of rain that jacked up the humidity in my basement workshop - ie, standing water.
Once that got dealt with, I got the box closed up, the binding put on and a bit of finish.


Binding is walnut with a thin B/W purfling line.

The neck I was building out of walnut didn’t work out.
I got it mostly carved, slotted for the truss rod, and was fitting the dovetail to the body when I noticed a blatant design flaw. It had a maple (white) center strip, with the rest walnut. The body has a walnut center strip. Mounted together, the look was entirely wrong.

So that neck went on the shelf, to be used on perhaps a walnut-bodied guitar.
I made up three more neck blanks - solid cherry, solid walnut, and cherry with walnut laminations.

My building time is running out for the season, though.
And I have a ready-to-go mahogany neck from a kit here that I could fit - perhaps changing the headstock overlay to walnut.
So I need to decide - fully scratchbuilt neck or purchased neck.
Stay tuned.

love the look you got
nice job

_________________
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com

Very satisfying to build with wood you cut - looks great

Ed

I did end up remaking the neck from walnut. A much better match for what's going on with the body.

I took my first shot at binding a headstock with this one. Pretty pleased with how it turned out.



Neck is walnut, so I used walnut binding and BW side and face purfling.
Headstock veneer is oak to match the body.
And a little logo inlay.

Nice job all around. That quartersawn oak back is impressive!

_________________
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion

Very nice all the way around - thanks for sharing the build

_________________
"Facts seldom sway an opinion." - John Hall
"The difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference." - van de Snepscheut

this project is so cool. The oak is amazing and love the headstock. The Martin arts & crafts special edition guitar in oak was one of the reasons I got into building as my our house and furniture is of same style. Your guitar would look so great in my living room! :D Thanks for sharing.