ScottR Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 My third build is for me...and will incorporate some improvements based on lessons learned from the first two builds. First the specs: body: African mahogany top: claro walnut crotch...hopefully to arrive tomorrow neck: jatoba fretboard: cocobolo bridge: Schaller pickups: P-90 set made by RAD tuners: Gotoh 510 minis...mediums have been tight in the curve of my headstock...we'll see how I like these. Scale: 25" 22 medium frets, nickel steel There is a recent post asking how to begin planning. My single cut is going to be Les Paul based and modified from there. So I started with a center line drawn on a nice piece of heavy card stock...(I'm in the printing business; I gots some perks. Then I laid a Les Paul studio on the center line and traced the body. No it's not mine. Again the perks; one my best friends, Hook, known here as skullsession, was kind enough to loan me his. After tracing the body, I modified the shape to my taste and drew in everything else as I wanted it. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 While I was waiting for .... inspiration, I guess, I made a radius block out of some one inch thick acrylic that was left over from a sign job many years ago. (More of those perks from the printing industry). Also from the job was a piece of steel pipe that was 28" in diameter. That really doesn't have anything to do with printing...but my boss decided we needed a huge smoker/bbq pit. We are in Texas...and he came across some pipe, and...well, I should probably stop there. It did get finished...ultimately...one way or another. Anyway that pipe made a nice 14" radius, so I smoothed a section of it and sprayed some adhesive on it and stuck some sandpaper to it and with a little bit of elbow grease ended up with a nice radius block. I added some cork sheeting to each side to slow down the development of corns. The flat side is perfectly flat and will good for making sure the fretboard is perfectly flat and straight as well as radiused. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireFly Posted January 16, 2011 Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 haha, that's one way to do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2011 So at this point I have the body gluing and I re-sawed a nice piece of cocobolo into two fretboards and a piece for a face plate for the headstock. That rough jatoba blank came from a crate used to ship granite slabs for counter tops in. It weighs 12 lbs as it sits there. I picked up a Porter Cable jointer this weekend. I didn't have a jointer or planer for my first two builds....this is much better. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osorio Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Nice draw, I like so much! Very good choice of woods, Jatoba it´s kinda heavy but have a wonderful mids and bass tones. Where did you buy this block "made in brazil"? How much you pay? Here it´s not a expensive specie this block costs something between U$15 to U$25. Congrats man!! I´m keep looking!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Where did you buy this block "made in brazil"? How much you pay? I rescued this from the trash bin....this and about 20 others. It was wood used to build shipping crates for large (5'x10')slabs of polished granite that are imported from Brazil and made into counter tops. It was free. I'm glad you like the wood combination and the design. Is your Schaller a trem? Are you going to inlay the FB? Thanks Joe. No the Schaller is a hard tail. And the fret board is just getting MOP dots, which oddly enough came with lengthy paperwork stating they are a product of Australia. Like we don't have enough coastline here. I am considering inlaying a logo of my initials cut from cocobolo on the back though. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osorio Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Nice wood and for free? Better !!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Very elegant body and headstock.You have a lot of artistic skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Very elegant body and headstock.You have a lot of artistic skill. Thank you sir. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skullsession Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 I have a feeling this is just going to make me want another one. Dammit.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingman Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Looks like a good one. I wish that I found wood like that for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buter Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Aahhh... I've been waiting for this one since you finished the one for Hook. I can't see all of the pics due to hotel interweb - but I've seen enough... Please go into detail when you carve the back of the headstock. Cheers Scotty. Buter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Aahhh... I've been waiting for this one since you finished the one for Hook. I can't see all of the pics due to hotel interweb - but I've seen enough... Please go into detail when you carve the back of the headstock. Cheers Scotty. Buter Hello B I'll make a point to do that. With the weather and lack of daylight holding work to weekends I'm chaffing at not being able to work on it....I mean I want to go home and work on it right now! I don't think it will take as long as Muzz's pointy stick, but it feels like it is. WM, that was a lucky find that is not likely to be repeated. I had to stop them from cutting it up with a chainsaw so it would fit in their dumpster better. I didn't know what I had, so I took a piece into a local Woodcraft and enlisted their help in identifying it. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 My top wood came in today. It's claro walnut crotch. dry. and moistened with mineral spirits. This thing is going to be rich and velvety looking when finished. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessejames Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 How odd! I designed a guitar JUST like that about a year ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 How odd! I designed a guitar JUST like that about a year ago. How did it come out? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osorio Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 awesome top!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessejames Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 How odd! I designed a guitar JUST like that about a year ago. How did it come out? SR Never built it! Wasn't good enough to do it back then. Probably still not good enough to do it, but when I saw your design I thought it was familiar! Great minds think alike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 Well, between numerous interruptions, I was able to get a little work done this weekend. I got the top glued up and the body out of clamps. I got the fretboard trued up and got the fret slots cut. Next I traced out my headstock on .020" polycarbonate (another leftover from work. I drilled a small hole to mark the tuning peg post centers and cut it out. Next I marked out the headstock angle using the template I just made to make sure I had enough room. The angle worked out to be right at 11 degrees.Then I cut that angle on the bandsaw. I attached the off-cut with double-sided tape. I used that to form a planing surface and trued up the face of the headstock. Next I marked out all the dimensions on the neck: nut, center-line, end of fretboard, headstock, width and angle. This neck will have a long tenon that will reach past the bridge and will be set into the body and sandwiched under the top. I glued together some thin cocobolo to make a top plate. I got that glued to the headstock with T-88 epoxy. The last thing I got done today was to drill and set the fret marker dots. Head stock angle and off cut in place. In the upper left hand corner are the top and body glued up and waiting to be worked on. Planing the headstock face. Headstock face plate glue up. Fretboard and face plate laid on neck. Faceplate glue-up and fret markers in place. It was a challenge to keep the face plate in position during the clamping! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 It was a challenge to keep the face plate in position during the clamping! What I do is I put finishing nails around the faceplate and fretboard in the part of the wood I am going to cut off..not through the piece I am clamping,just around it and into the piece I am gluing to...then I slip the plate out from between the nails,spread the glue,and press the plate back in and clamp it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 It was a challenge to keep the face plate in position during the clamping! What I do is I put finishing nails around the faceplate and fretboard in the part of the wood I am going to cut off..not through the piece I am clamping,just around it and into the piece I am gluing to...then I slip the plate out from between the nails,spread the glue,and press the plate back in and clamp it That is an excellent idea! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buter Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Wasting no time making good use of your jointer, I see. B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 That is the exact same jointer I have,except mine has a Delta sticker instead of Porter Cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireFly Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 That is the exact same jointer I have,except mine has a Delta sticker instead of Porter Cable. Same here! Only mine says Sears Craftsman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Wasting no time making good use of your jointer, I see. B That jointer certainly has helped speed up the neck work so far, not to mention making excellent surfaces to glue the halves of the top and body together. I was doing all that by hand. I still will have to get creative to make perfectly flat glueing surfaces to join the top to the body... Are you guys happy with your Delta and Craftsman? I like this one a lot. The only thing I can say against it is the fence can move slightly if you push too hard against it on either end. I'm going to have to sharpen the blades before too long. The jatoba is living up to it's reputation for dulling tools. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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