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

[Srick]

looks good
be sure to turn the bridge 180 degrees before you glue it down 😁

🤣 🤣🤣

That would really ruin my day!

[Srick]

Duplicate post

[Srick]

As I am about to glue the bridge, I feel wistful. Over the last many months (almost ten!) this guitar and I have gone through many ups and downs together and now the build is coming to its conclusion. It almost feels like the roller coaster is pulling up to the platform. I still need to cut the nut and set it up, but that’s not as thrilling as having your router bit slip.

This is a crazy hobby. And of course, I still don’t know what it will sound like or how it will play!

[Kevin Sjostrand]

It's going to play great and sound fantastic!!!

[Srick]

It's going to play great and sound fantastic!!!

And remember Kevin, even if it’s a dud, it will really have those great tuners!

[BlindBo]

Also, if it’s a dud, it’ll make a beautiful urn WITH great tuners!⚰️😂😂

[Srick]

Except for a label, pickguard, final polish, and maybe a tweak of the first string at the nut, I proclaim this project done! I started this project last September. Progress was slowed by a new grandchild, cataract surgery and life in general.

Boy, I learned a lot. I had to work around errors, some funky wood, and discover of how some materials did not play well with others - stuff that you can only learn through experience and experimentation. Plus, I decided to push my limits by using wood binding, purfling with stripes, and fancy inlays.

The result? It sounds like a good 000 guitar. That was the design, after all.

In retrospect: the star purchase of the project was a patternmaker’s vise. As noted in an earlier post, Woodcraft was having a sale, and picking it up locally eliminated a very large shipping fee.

Another star of the build - scrapers, razorblades, and persistence. And let’s extend kudos to the tendon in my right thumb that needs a few weeks off from scraping duty!

An honorable mention will go to the artist’s pens and acrylic paints from my local art supply store. They covered up a lot of discrepancies.

Another honorable mention to all of the great information on the internet. And oh yeah, 1.25x playback speed is invaluable. Far too many YouTube videos sound like they are narrated by the “Charlie Brown Christmas” parents.

Frustrations? There were a few! The biggest was the slippage of the Bosch Colt height adjustment under load. The second that comes to mind is the white fiber stripes used in the StewMac purfling. They kept turning gray, despite my attempts to seal them with shellac. And I’ll complain a little more about those purflings: they are glued with a material that gets gummy as it is sanded and this leaves bits of purfling “snot” on all adjacent areas. Yucch!

The Big booboo that I can’t cover up? The center seam on the back is off by 3/16 inch. Better to leave it as is.

Now the biggest question: when will I start my next one, and what will it be? It will definitely be a kit. I have no urge to invest in a side bender or large stationary tools. I suppose I should go with a conventional design, but, maybe not. Time to do some dreaming and play the bejeezus out of the new guitar.

Most of all, thanks everyone for all of your encouragement and praise along the way, and thank you John Hall for this wonderful website and all of your excellent videos.

Best to all,

Rick

P.S. I am really digging the slot head headstock. The Waverly tuners are a cut above. All of the horror stories about stringing up a slothead did not come to pass. And, the break angle definitely creates a different feel when fretting the strings. Many folks will tell you that’s a myth, but I can feel it. Plus, it looks pretty.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

It sure does look Purty!
Just play and enjoy.
As for your next one.....it will probably come easier and turn out better.
Congratulations!

[scamp]

Congratulations!! Looks really nice. Good job. Your next one will be a lot easier.

[TEETERFAN]

Congratulations! You should be very proud. Love the very tasteful headstock. What an elegant beauty!