Jim's First Build -- Custom 000 Short Scale Cut Away

[JLT]

scrapers and just good sanding can do alot.
How thin did you want to make it? Old martins were .117 to .110

Yes, they can. Of course, the complication is that the rosette has already been installed, and I don't want to get so enthusiastic about thinning the soundboard that I sand right through the rosette. I could just leave that part of the soundboard alone and do the major thinning below the sound hole, where most of the exciting stuff happens.

I think most of my builds were around .110, which is pretty much in the middle of what Cumpiano recommended. (.100 to .125). But I'm not married to that dimension. If John feels good about the .125 that came with the soundboard, I'm happy to go with that. My understanding is that the thicker the soundboard, the brighter the trebles are, while you start bringing up the bass range when you thin it. Since this is mostly going to be a finger picking guitar, brighter treble might be a good thing.

I've just prepared two mahogany shims to reduce the neck angle. I don't think they'll be too ugly, and with the neck angle issue resolved, I can proceed to build the instrument.

[JLT]

BTW, I still haven't decided whether to modify the neck. I'm sort of assuming that what Jim got was a standard Martin bolt on neck for a 14-fret guitar, and that it would already have a "Martin" contour. Am I right?

[tippie53]

there is still some wiggle room to adjust shape to make it more comfortable

[phavriluk]

The OEM unfinished necks seem to be just that, 'unfinished'. Rough-shaped, too, as John's comments suggests. Shaping to suit is a normal part of building up a neck, and needs to be done. I assume that unfinished necks need shaping in order to account for the infinite array of variations a builder wants, after all that's why the instrument is being built, to reflect the builder's tastes and preferences.

[JLT]

I got that. I was just wondering how similar the necks provided for the kits are to the necks that the finished Martin guitars are sold with.

One of the things I've learned from building guitars is that as happy as you are with the neck when you build it, you'll always find something to be unhappy about after you've been playing it for two or three years.

[phavriluk]

Better mousetraps....

[nkwak]

Wow. This is certainly an interesting thread. I feel less guilty about putting a build on the back burner for 10 years now! This debate begs the question though: is the Guitar Builder's Connection at the old factory location at Martin open? I know they shut it down for COVID but I went there back in 2016 and the ladies who run it for Martin were very helpful and hooked me up with some nice parts, the likes of which I don't see in the 1833 shop online. I'm itching for another trip to Nazareth.

[JLT]

Well, the neck and body are now in the final processes of finishing. I did have some issues with the plastic binding I used, since I didn't really like the pseudo tortoise shell stuff that came with the kit. (That's been covered in another thread.)

The body is finished with Mohawk's rattle-can Instrument Lacquer Finish, which I picked up from my local Woodcraft store. There are seven coats so far, and I'll add two more tomorrow.

Since I have another build in the wings, I ordered some of the vinyl sealer that Mohawk recommends for the base coat, only to find that it's no longer sold in California due to the VOC restrictions. So I'm wondering what I'll use for the base coat on it. I emailed Mohawk but haven't gotten a reply yet. I may just use good old shellac instead, since it seems to work with any finish.

The neck is finished with six coats of Tru-Oil, which is also no longer available in California, but I have a few bottles left and it doesn't seem to have degraded in storage.

I'm going to be in Florida for a couple of weeks, which will give the neck and body time to cure thoroughly. When I get back, I'll glue the bridge on and string it up and see how it sounds.

[JLT]

And the journey is over, at least for this guitar. I got home and glued the bridge on with hot hide glue. (It took two tries. I think I didn't let the glue get up to the proper temperature the first time, because I could see the bridge starting to lift off the soundboard. I paid more attention the next day and re-glued it, and it seems to be holding.)

I strung it up and played it, and it sounds pretty good. It took some fiddling with the nut slotting and saddle height to get the action pretty much where I wanted it. And I verified that the geometry of the shimmed heel, described above, corrected the neck angle problem.

Here's a picture of it. I want to thank Jim for starting this project and everybody who's commented on it so far.

[TEETERFAN]

Congratulations! I would say that’s an excellent result, first guitar or not. It takes more work and time than a person realizes and getting across the goal line is a legitimate accomplishment. Thanks for sharing!