Hitone Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Okay I have been building a guitar for a friend of mine that is in a band called the 1969's. He wanted an archtop that is all about the band and the music they play. You can see them playing on youtube. Here's the drawing we came up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Here are some progress shots. It's going to be an archtop guitar with a carved sitka spruce top, a carved maple back, maple sides and 3 piece maple neck . The neck and headstock will be ebony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idmicheal Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 I love that maple back! Is it just flatsawn hard maple? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osorio Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Nice job! This is a model that I´ll make someday to myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted August 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Thanks Guys. Idmicheal you are correct. It's just plain old maple. Hard to carve, but has great tone. Here's some neck shots. MOP Diamond inlays into an ebony fretboard. With an ebony head plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Sweet,I am in the process of making forms and jigs for a archtop.Keep them pic's coming.hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 Hitone, I've always been impressed with the work you've posted. All I can remember have been posted as (beautifully) finished pieces often GOTM submissions. Thanks for posting progress pics of this project. I'm gonna enjoy this! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted August 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Here's a bracing shot. I kept it pretty simple. The binding of the f holes was a nightmare. I went with thin b/w/b binding, that I could build up. I did as good of a job as I could. It was very tight. I'll see if I can get a tighter shot. The one thing I do wrong was to try to substitute a think black card stock for binding. It worked, but it's not a consistent thickness. It get's fat in places. Lesson learned. Here's an early mockup. The client went around and around on what pickup to use. I bought a vintage Kay Speed Demon, but in the end he opted for 2 Dream 90's from GFS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted August 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Here's some pics of the neck getting fitted and the components getting mocked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Great thread, keep 'em coming! Looking great, as always. What finish are you planning? But this buddy of yours, skipping a Kay Speed Bump in favor of a GFS pickup... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le.meneghini Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 this guitar will be beautiful. congratulations on your work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Anderson Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 I like your "F" hole concept. looks like mine or mine looks like yours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted August 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 Thanks for the comments. Ricky, the F Holes are supposed to be 69's for the 1969's. I'll have to check yours outs. They were a pain to bind. I would totally have made them bigger if I had to do it again. SwedishLuthier, The finish is going to be a transparent black stain, top coated with tru-oil finish. As for the pickups I think he really wanted to go with a pickup that was humbucker sized, in case he wants to change them out later. More build picks coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osorio Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 Future GOTM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted August 10, 2011 Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 As for the pickups I think he really wanted to go with a pickup that was humbucker sized, in case he wants to change them out later. Fully understandable. I'm a snobb and a pickup geek... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted August 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 I have glued the top on and routed the binding channel. The neck is just set in. I will have a lot of something out to do on the neck. Routed the binding channel and add the biding to the headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Anderson Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Thanks for the comments. Ricky, the F Holes are supposed to be 69's for the 1969's. I'll have to check yours outs. They were a pain to bind. I would totally have made them bigger if I had to do it again. here's mine mine supposed to be a Y (see my signature) yeah, I bet it's a pita to bind especially around the edges. what colour are you gonna put on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted August 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Ricky that's some pretty neat f holes. I like the Y shape. The plan is to stain the guitar transparent black, still retaining some of the wood showing through. I am also going to top coat it with Tru-Oil. Seems to be a favorite of Big D's. SO far I added the binding and glued the neck on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted August 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 It's time to get all Johnny Cash on this here guitar. The owner wants it to be translucent black. So I have been applying black stain and then sanding it back. I will then seal it and spray a darker black fade on the edges for dramatics purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted August 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2011 I sprayed Shellac Sealer on the body. And Sprayed a little tinted sealer over that to get a more dramatic burst feel. Keeping the binding clean is a nightmare. I had to scape it clean a few times already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPA or death Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Very nice guitar! Love the F holes and the overall design. Will look fantastic when glossy. Feels like it takes forever to put a finish on a guitar, don't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted September 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 I tried to hand rub tru-oil and buff it out to a satin finish, but it just didn't look good. So I learned online that some people shoot tru-oil. It works very well. I am now using my secret polish to make it really shiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idmicheal Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 So in that last picture it looks like you braced the top pretty much exactly parallel to avoid the pickup cavities. will the height screws go into the braces, or do the avoid them altogether? I actually think I'll try x-bracing and see if I can situate them around pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted September 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 So in that last picture it looks like you braced the top pretty much exactly parallel to avoid the pickup cavities. will the height screws go into the braces, or do the avoid them altogether? I actually think I'll try x-bracing and see if I can situate them around pickups. I did make the braces parallel and yes they are set just outside the off the pickups. The mounting screws go into the top and the adjusting screws are free to move up and down. It seems that if I put the braces any closer I would have to cut into them to make the pickups work. That's my thoughts. I could be wrong, but it seems to be working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitone Posted September 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 I can't believe how shinny the Tru-oil can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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