17" Archtop Jazz Guitar finally starting it 5 years late!

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Since my last post I made up the .090" white PVC bindings gluing a B/W edge purfling each one one then scraping the purfling flush and the putting them through my binding thicknessing jig to do further clean up and bring them down to .085".
My binding purfling scheme for the body is this binding and a .080" B/W/B/W purfling going into a .160" channel.
I'll have about .005" of proud binding to scrape flush with the sides.

I also cut my side pieces to 2 5/8" ( + 1/16" over for later cleanup) and ran them through the thickness sander to .090".

Then I trued up one edge of my ebony fingerboard blank with a #5 Stanley plane made in the 1920's with an edge guide attached. With one edge flat and square then I could attach the blank to my LMI slotting temolate and cut the fret slots on my mitre box set up and a fretting saw. I'm using a 25.4 scale as I have the template.
The plans call for a 25 scale....not much difference I just had to slightly alter the F hole positions on the top to accommodate the change.
I think the box set up cost $5 to make just adding an indexing pin that works with the jig.
I've done 18 fret boards with this set up and always get great results.

Next up I think I'll be bending the sides by hand on my electric pipe. I won't bother making forms for my bending machine since I don't figure I'll make another one of these guitars.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

The fretboard is now cut to length and tapered, sized to accept binding and purfling.

I am inlaying MOP markers. Spot glued each one in place and cut around them with a razor knife. Then filled the outlines with chalk.

Using my dremel and dremel plunge router base I excavated for the inlays, using a chisel to cut the corners square. All the cavities are done and tomorrow I'll make some ebony sawdust to mix with epoxy and glue the markers in place.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Fretboard inlays are in and sanded flush.
The truss rod slot is cut in and it fits. I won't install it until after the dovetail is cut into the heel. I use the truss rod set to center the neck in the routing jig.

[TEETERFAN]

Very nice looking fretboard and inlays. Quality work, as usual!

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Thanks Kevin

I got my Simpson jig for routing mortise and tenon, and dovetail joints to see if I could make it work.
I could have but didn't like the highly tapered top to bottom template that I have. It's way different then what Benedetto does so.
I decided I'd just cut the dovetail tenon by hand.
It wasn't all that hard to do. At this point all dovetail saw work. The result looks like it should work.

I won't have the body of the guitar together for awhile so no further work will be done on it now.

Next up I'll attach the neck extension that will go over the top.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Made some progress the last couple days.
This neck takes an added piece to go over the guitar body. I routed a ledge over the dovetail and glued on the extension. This piece came from the neck blank so it's a perfect match.
Then I installed the truss rod with a filler strip over it and glued on " wings" on the headstock to accommodate a wider design. Got it all sanded flush. Then I tapered the back of the headstock to thickness with the safety planer mounted in the drill press. There is a 1/8" tapered from the top to about 1/2" from the nut location.
I also thinned down an ebony head plate blank to 1/8" and a back strap of highly flamed maple to .045".
The binding around the headstock will be 1/8" tall.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Well today was the day I hand bent the sides. I didn't want to make a form for my bending machine for just one guitar.
I got it done but not without issues. Have i mentioned this before?
I really HATE bending cutaway sides. Actually I've only made one cutaway guitar, hand bending the sides. As I remember that was about 12 years ago and it went okay but wasn't a perfect experience. I can't remember the name of the wood but is was some type of rosewood.
Anyway, this highly figured maple gave me some fits.
I started out with my handmade bending iron but figured the 3" pipe was going to be too big for the tight bend and it was. I had some fracturing but at least it's on the inside so CA will fix that.
I had to pull out my 2" steel pipe that I heat with a propane torch to get the tight bend. I figure my sides were really too thick for this hand bending. After the big bends on the cutaway side I scraped down the area where the tight bend was to be to .075" and with a really hot pipe and a soaked rag on the pipe I hot it bent and in the mold.
I was just spraying the sides continually with water to keep them wet as I had now place to soak them. Took the bathtub out 5 years ago.
Anyway I'm relieved to have the bending done. I wet the side down and put them in the mold pull all tight with clamps and letting them dry over night. They will actually conform perfectly to the mold when completely dry.

Tomorrow I'll glue in the neck and end blocks and start installing kerfing.

[Morecowbell]

Haven't visited since this started and WOW, great project Kevin!

I have many questions, I'm drawn to the early Gibson L-series like a moth to a flame and am fascinated but also wary of archtops, so this is great to see, please keep the updates coming!

Clay

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Hey Clay
Good to see you back on
What are you wary about?
What questions do you have? I'm building it and I question myself every day! WHAT am I doing. Ha ha

I got the neck block glued in. Took me all day.....well not exactly all day. After a couple dry clampings.....then going for it and having an issue, before the glue set pulled it apart. Scraped off all the glue, sanded and went for it again and it looks good. Tomorrow I'll glue in the end block.

[Morecowbell]

Hi Kevin,

Haha, a few things! I’m drawn to the early Gibson L series, I just love the body shape and find the archtops really attractive. What gives me pause is they’re not thought of as great guitars, which seems to be backed up by the fact that Gibson kept changing them – from arched top and back to flat top/arched back and then flat/flat. However, I recently heard one played (see below) and it sounded great, so I’m back on the train.

I also have the Benedetto book and your post inspired me to go look at it again last night. I'd lean towards X-bracing too but was there a particular reason you chose that vs the parallel bracing? I happen to have a Gibson L-30 (arched top/flat back, yet another variation :-)) and it has the parallel bracing. It's a student guitar and sounds it, but should at least be a reference for carving the top.

Keep the updates coming! Can't wait to hear how it sounds.
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