#2 , a StewMac 000-18 Slot head, is in now in the building

[Srick]

Maybe it's time?

Well, two thoughts. 1) the tuners won’t make your guitar sound or player any better, but 2) you’ll be dead a long time.

This retirement time is odd. I have plenty of disposable income, but having run my own business for 42 years,I tend to be careful about where I spend my money. I also know that I can’t take it with me. So I have been making some uncharacteristic purchases, like these tuners. At the same time, I was not averse to buying a 2024 Honda Accord slightly-used demo to replace my eighteen year old, 2006 Accord.

Honestly, I have been blessed and I really appreciate it. And I also know that this is all just “stuff.”

(Except for the Waverly tuners - they’re REALLY GOOD stuff!)

[TEETERFAN]

Hey, every time you tickle those tuners in the future, you will feel gooooood!

[Stray Feathers]

There is something very satisfying about using good "stuff"' that you know will outlast you, and be appreciated by someone else down the road. I've never used Waverly tuners, but on my most recent build I used Schaller Grand Tune slot head tuners, with lovely faceted butterbean knobs. They are a joy to use and beautiful to look at. Bruce W.

[Srick]

Ready to ride the bus.

All aboard!

And a big thanks to my 5 yo granddaughter for letting me use her sidewalk chalk.

[Srick]

I’ll add that driving the bus was immensely satisfying!

[Srick]

The next several posts result from a couple of detours: the first being cataract surgery. This has been a true medical miracle - my distance and night vision is probably better than it has ever been in my life! There has been a slight adjustment, however, and that is that any close up work (read guitars) will require some sort of magnification. That’s ok as the following detour will show.

Now that the second eye is done, I had a chance to get back to the build. Onwards to the top plate. First order of business: the rosette



Oh man, that gap on the inner ring bugged me.

The larger ring gaps would be covered by the fretboard, but this would not. I guarantee that it would have jumped out at me whenever I picked up this guitar years from now. So I got out my handy dandy cyanoacrylate and . . . BZZZZZZZZZT!!!! WRONG!

You see, I was just the latest person to learn than CA can darken woods, just like that inner ring of the rosette. So, after I dealt with that reality, it was time to make amends.

[Srick]

I got my handy dandy mini chisels out and dug a hole. Note the bevels.



Along the way, I learned several things:

• purfling tends to delaminate in small sections
• a big sharp thick chisel cuts purfling a lot better than a thin scalpel, razor blade, or a knife
• cutting the section out is really tedious
• keep some tape handy to help manipulate and hold your slivers of purfling.

This time, I used fish glue.

The result? Good on one side, not so bad on the other. I give myself a “B+”. And, when I take off my magnifiers, it’s really not that noticeable. Sure, I could try again. Maybe.

OTOH, when I take off my magnification, it looks good enough. When do you stop? When it’s good enough. I’m learning. I’m not trying to sell this instrument.



That’s enough work for the day. And besides, I may not have enough of that purfling left to try again. Time to sleep on it.

UPDATE - In the morning light, it looks just fine.

[Srick]

Handy hint if you’re using an iPhone for close ups. You can pull up a magnified camera by using the accessibility settings. You can use this to augment your eyes and capture a picture. I trigger my magnifier by clicking the side button three times. Google it for complete instructions.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Just extend your fretboard enough to cover that joint. There is no rule as to where the fretboard must end.
Some builders even cover the hole a bit there....I've done it on a couple because I liked how it looks.
Cover it and you'll never have to fret about it (no pun intended)

[Srick]

Just extend your fretboard enough to cover that joint. There is no rule as to where the fretboard must end.
Some builders even cover the hole a bit there....I've done it on a couple because I liked how it looks.
Cover it and you'll never have to fret about it (no pun intended)

Good idea Kevin. Honestly, this was good experience, as I intend to improve my purfling skills. I am pretty sure that I am going to use a black-white-black binding and carry the line around the sides of the guitar. Hey- you’ve gotta jump in to the deep end sooner or later!