GregP Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Hi all, You've seen me around, sometimes talking like I know more than I really do, which is dangerous when you're accumulating a bunch of knowledge from books and places such as this, but not actually USING it! The whole way I found this forum was because of a genuine desire to build a guitar, though, and now that my wood has arrived, I'm going to start chronicling its progress. This thread could end up taking a year or more... I have to order parts and tools as I go, so often there will be weeks between updates, but rest assured-- I'll either be working on it, or if I throw in the towel, I'll let you all know. A word of warning-- I am a bit of a writer... so for those with attention deficits, you might want to skim some parts and get right to the pictures. ;-) Step 1: Research --------------------- From reading Guitar Player for years and years, I have a pretty good idea of which woods are valued for which tones. What I DIDN'T know was how much of my stuff I would have to order 'pre-made' (ie. Warmoth necks) and how much of it I could feasibly make on my own. I stumbled across Martin Koch's website fairly early on, and after reading the exerpts, I realized I could at least attempt to make most of the guitar from scratch. Martin Koch's Build Your Guitar website In the meantime, I went to Chapters a lot and read all their books, none of which REALLY grabbed me and seemed worth the price. They didn't have the Hiscock book on hand, or I probably would have snapped it up. Many of the other websites I Googled are actually linked to from our very own ProjectGuitar.com, so I won't list them, but strangely enough it took me a while to realize this forum was here. I had the manufacturer's list, but I hadn't taken advantage of the link to the main page!! D'oh! Point being-- I read a bunch of tutorials, then realized I was tired of reading and was getting ready to get to the building. Having joined this forum, I got some valuable information, and I was ready to start. Step 2: Planning and Design -------- OK, so I've decided to build a guitar. The question that probably keeps a lot of us stumped is "what style should my first one be?" Here's how the thinking process went: 1. I need humbuckers. I have my Pacifica telecaster with singles, and my Godin LG with P-90s. Humbuckers it is. Of course, you can throw whatever pickups you want onto anything you want when you're building your own, but that's the first requirement I had. Before even deciding what body style I wanted, someone was selling a pair of used humbuckers-- an SD Jazz and JB pair, on the Guitarist (UK) forums. I bought them. 2. What body style? Well, it'd be great to design my own, but with the sketches I've done, I've found that I don't have a very good eye for design symmetry yet, so I'll stick with the tried-and-true for now. -Strat? I've already owned one, so I want something new... and I don't like dual-humbucker strats as much as the classic style -Telecaster? That base is covered for me. -Les Paul? Now we're getting closer... but the Godin is vagueley LP-like -DC LP? Yep, now we're talking. I've always liked the DC, as well as the Hamer version. PRS are nice, but I'm getting a bit tired of how exposed they are, to be honest. -Jazz-style guitars are ruled out, because I don't have the skill. Or are they? I dug out an old copy of Guitar Player, featuring BB King, one of my favourites. In it, he described Lucille as the Les Paul's 'big brother', because it's basically a solidbody that has a 335 look. Bingo! But I'm a small dude, and besides, I wanted to do something a LITTLE different, so I decided I wanted to do a 335-style with chambered body (for weight concerns moreso than tone) but which was about the same size as a Les Paul. That's the basis for my project, which I've come to think of as "Lucy" (shortened version of Lucille... it's dumb, but I can't shake it, so I guess it's stuck). At this point in time, I hadn't ordered any wood, but I decided to do some REALLY rough mock-ups of the guitar in Photoshop. I didn't bother with really smoothing the edges, etc., but here's an example (out of a few) that I came up with. It shows the Gibson Lucille, the Godin LG (my real-world reference for size, as I own one), my mock-up of what I'd like to try to accomplish, and a DC LP (also for size and style reference): I nagged my girlfriend a lot with different mock-ups... she doesn't know jack all about guitars, so I just asked, "Does this look cool?" and "Should I use chrome or gold hardware?" and stuff like that. I'm sure she was getting annoyed. Once I had done some mockups, I decided to take the design to the real world. I found some CAD drawings on GuitarBuild, along with some free CAD software. Unfortunately, some of them weren't to scale, so I had to compare the drawing to the Gibson specs, and resize from there. I resized the 335 so that it'd be 13 inches wide (the body blank I've been looking at was 14" wide), then printed the original, the resized, and the DC LP. I superimposed the DC over the resized 335, and copied the 'bottom' contour. From Left to right-- 335 cutout, my first version, and DC LP cutout: I liked the results, but after 'living with them' a few days, I realized that the body might be a bit small, after all. I bought some black construction paper (since the guitar will end up black) and mocked up a few more before coming up with a new version. It's the 335, scaled down, and then with the bottom bit narrowed a little bit, also. L-R 335, my new version, DC LP: Here they are again, superimposed. The black one is going to be "Lucy": I haven't re-printed it yet, but having reached a shape that I'm fairly happy with, I went back into CAD, and revised the drawing I had so that it would show the humbuckers, bridge, and stop tailpiece. If you look too closely, my black mock-up has some imperfect curves. The new CAD version should fix that. And for those who have never used CAD-- neither have I. In fact, I'm sure I used it improperly, and I couldn't find half the functions I wanted to use. I had to muck around a bit, but it wasn't all that tricky. Step 3: The planning's not over, but... --------------------------------------------- GOT WOOD! In the middle of trying to figure out exactly what hardware I want (it'll be TOM, but maybe string-through?) and where best to get it, I found some wood at a site for a good price: A & M Specialty Wood. I phoned them up with some special requests-- I didn't care about figure on the wood, so I wanted to know if I could get 'normal' maple for cheaper. Also, the website didn't list 5/8" tops (the Les Paul standard) for carving. They quoted me up a price for the multi-piece (turned out to be 2 rather than 3) White Limba, a 7/8" quartersawn hard maple neck blank, and my 'normal' soft maple top. Total, in $ (including taxes and UPS shipping): $173. Cheap? Not really... but compared to the other places I've looked, it was a bargain to get pieces I wouldn't have to joint and plane myself. It was packed with a 1/8" piece of scrap plywood, which I used to cut out my mock-up of my guitar, too. 3 pieces of wood, plus the plywood (already drawn on): I have other pictures, too, but they weren't superb. If anyone wants any close-up shots, let me know, but since it's not figured or special wood, I won't take up bandwidth for now. One final picture-- here's the workshop I get to do most of this in. It's in my dad's basement, and is small and improperly ventilated (no fumey finishes going on in here!). What's worse, it's a cluttered mess and I have no right to ask him to clean it up since it's his shop. I'll do it myself when I have a moment. For now, here it is: Wish me luck!! Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted April 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Not really an update, but I figured I'd move on to another page-- My next problem is figuring out what tools and hardware I'm going to need. Here's what I have: -table saw -scroll saw -sanders: belt, palm, random orbit, and some other kind that just seems to vibrate around. It's old. -bench-sized drill press (maybe use for the fret pressing thingy on StewMac?) -Jigsaws-- 2 of them, neither of which seem particularly robust -drills -Dremel (without flex-shaft or many attachments) -Plunge router with a few mediocre bits -mitre saw -circular saw -air compressor (with no painting attachments whatsoever yet) I haven't purchased anything yet, but here are a few thoughts (any advice is appreciated): -Spokeshave. Seems like an ideal tool for shaping the neck and contours. -Instrument-maker's plane. Maybe "plane" is a misnomer, but it's a bit curved so that I can carve the top. -Alternatively, the routing and then sanding trick I've seen around might be an option. -3-in-1 fret files -fret-levelling 'file'... more like a flat hunk of wood with paper on it...? -finger planes (instead of the instrument-maker's plane) I dunno... I'm actually quite confused and it's slowing me down a bit. I need to sit down and think through what I need to do and in what order before I buy ANYTHING, I think. [EDIT: I realized after posting this, that not ALL aspects of this project may be appropriate in this section... recommendations, etc., MAY be better off in another part of the forum. If that's the case, kindly ignore me any time I ask for advice, since I'm likely just mulling things over.) Cheers, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdw3332 Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Greg, Should be cool. Except for the double cutaway, it sorta looks like my latest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted April 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Looks great! I'm also likely going to add an f-hole to one side. Probably chrome hardware rather than gold, too. In the end, it will definitely not look like just a 'small Lucille', though the parentage will be obvious. Yours is unique, which is a great thing. Somehow it looks classic and yet different all at once. Since you're a few steps ahead of me, I might have to bug you for some information. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Looks like it should be a lot of fun! I love seeing people coming up with unique and original designs that meet their own needs, rather than doing copies. It reminds me a bit of the Kramer Nightrider or a double-cutaway version of one of the new compact Ibanez Artcores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdw3332 Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Greg, I'd be glad to help if I can. I'm still fumbling my way through learning this stuff. This site is the best I have found and has been a ton of help to me. Drak in particular has been great - check out his stuff and his tips. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 good luck. Might I reccomend some Freud router bits? Also, I posted a schematic in this section for lucille. There's also the Joe Perry and Jimmy Page LPs. And from Gibson no less. If you do a jimmy page, let me know...I kno of a better way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted April 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Thanks for that, folks. I'll have a look for those schematics. I'll have a peek around at the Joe Perry or Jimmy Page LPs (if I can find them!) and scavenge what I can from those. ;-) I have 3 projects planned for over the next few years <chuckle>, one of which includes an LP copy for my dad, so it'll all prove useful. Major differences that I'm already planning with my guitar: -Electronics will be PRS-style, but with a blade switch. So that's 2 knobs and one blade, rather than the whack of gizmos the Lucille has -Non-traditional headstock-- I'll post some images once they're drawn up in CAD, but I'm going a bit more compact than the Gibson standard. I'm not TOO concerned with ultra-straight string-pull since I won't be using a trem... but you never know, I might go Bigsby some day, so I'm trying to get straight-ish string pull with my design. -Bolt-on construction, so far. That might change, but none of the tutorials I've seen REALLY show how to do a set-in neck. I know that for someone with even a bit of knowledge, they probably look at the tutorials and say, "but... it's ALL right here!" but for a complete beginner, there are a few things missing from anything I've seen. The heel will be contoured and I'll be using washers rather than a plate-- so the final design will 'replicate' a set-in look. My other reason for going bolt-on is that if I screw up the neck, I can make a new one and give it another try without as many problems. -Undecided whether to go with TOM bridge and string-through behind the bridge (a la Schecter), standard TOM with stop tailpiece, or one-piece McCarty-style. As mentioned on another thread, part of my tool dilemna is solved-- I have a contact with access to a shop that has a bandsaw and other beefier versions of the tools I already have access to. Thanks for the router bits recommendation! I know for sure my father's router only has the cheap-ass bits it came with, and I was planning on getting at least 2 (probably 3) decent bits to do a better job. Knowing nothing about routers or bits, the recommendation is very welcome. Cheers, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 looks good. also it looks like you know what you're doing ans what you want, which is always good. i keep changing my mind about pickups. keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kings_x Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 now that my wood has arrived Our little boy is growing up. Man, that's alot of reading. Looks like you have gathered most of the info you need and have spent hours and hours planning. I'm sure it will turn out great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 For the jimmy page, search for a Schector super rock harness in google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckguitarist Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Man, that's alot of reading. He's an english teacher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Man, that's alot of reading. He's an english teacher It's true enough!! My specialties-- essay-writing and literature. <grin> Well, here's the next novel-lengthed installment. Nothing new and exciting, I'm afraid, but I promised "Every Smelly Step of the Way", so here are the next few smelly steps: Step... er... whatever... I'm going to give up on numbering them!: What to Buy? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All right. So those of you who live in Canada or who live abroad know that sometimes parts aren't as easy to get a hold of as we would like. Were I smart, I would have done what another forum member did, and scour eBay for good deals, and build a guitar for $147. Instead, I've already spent that much on wood, plus another $100CDN for a pair of pickups. I actually took heart from the credo "It's cheaper just to buy a new one" because it always reminds me that I'm not doing this to save money, but to try a new challenge. The good news is that if I totally mess this guitar up, most parts (except the wood, I guess!) will be salvageable for the next project. Still, I was thinking that I don't want to just THROW my money away, and since paying shipping costs from multiple suppliers was the equivalent of lighting dollar bills (or $5 bills, for Canadians) on fire, I wanted to limit myself to which suppliers I ordered from. In a rare case of organization and preparation, I developed an Excel spreadsheet which listed all the parts I still need (or at least the ones I could remember at the time), and began tracking down prices on a few of the more prominent and recommended websites: Highlighted parts indicate the supplier I'll likely order from, and shadowed lines show parts I've already obtained or ordered. This list is now out-of-date, but since it's just an example, I didn't bother uploading a newer version. As it turns out, there are some limitations and unexpected twists. For example, I wanted a pre-radiused, pre-slotted fretboard with a 15" radius. The only supplier I found for a reasonable rate was LMI. I ordered one up for my next project while I was at it, to save a WEE bit on future shipping costs. I also got my fretwire from them while I was at it. A trip to the local music shop also proved fruitful, as I found some tuners, a football jack, speed knobs, and a nickel Straplok. The pickups in the picture are Seymour Duncans-- a JB for the bridge and a Jazz for the neck. I bought them used as a pair from someone on the UK's Guitarist forum for a reasonable price. I'll have to add new wire to the Jazz's wires, I believe. I'm OK with a soldering gun, though, so no worries. So here's my hardware to date: Another unexpected twist was the lack of availability of nickel pickup covers. Universal Jems seems to be the only place that I can find them, but someone pointed out that they have hole-less ones, too, which may make for an interesting look for my guitar. Haven't decided yet. The Right Tools? We'll see. -------------------------------- Well, I find myself bogged down with wanting to do this 'too right', and 'in the right order'. I don't have my fingerboard yet, so I didn't want to start my neck, and I didn't want to start my body without an accurate neck for the neck pocket, and I don't have mounting rings, and blah blah BLAH! What's worse, I've convinced myself that I can't do ANYTHING until I get the right tools. So what do I do? Hopped up on GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) from all the hardware I bought the previous day, I run out to Lee Valley Tools to get a flush-trim router bit, which will be the main 'tool' I'll need for this project. I did NOT in fact get a flush trim router bit (I'm still wondering where to get a Freud that was recommended by Jeff), but I walked away with the following: What we have here are: - Burnisher/Scraper set - MicroPlane Rasp with extra round attachment - Contour Planes. C'mon. Look at the Lee Valley picture... tell me it doesn't scream "make a neck with me!"? Well, I'm not convinced that the scraper and contour planes were money well spent, but I can guarantee that the Microplane rasp beats the hell out of what I was going to use, which was a rusty old four-in-one, pictured here: Satisfied, I brought my purchases home, bemoaned the fact that without a router bit, I was still "incapable" of really starting the project, and threw everything into a plastic bucket for later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 After sitting around for a while, and actually making a few contacts with people that could help me (Yay! Bandsaw access will be mine!!), I was still sort of 'stuck' in the mode of "I don't know what the hell to do without the rest of my stuff". Having read a million times that a template is infinitely useful in shaping a body out of hardwood (using a router and the router bit I don't have yet!), I elected to waste some MDF I had lying around in an attempt to make a template for the body. First, I tweaked Keith Howell's 335 CAD file a bit (any comments about the headstock?): And then printed just the body part out, taped it together, glued it to some bristol board, and traced it out on a hunk of MDF: Next, instead of using the excuse that I don't have a bandsaw, and knowing that with MDF, I don't really NEED a bandsaw, I hopped over to the scroll saw and cut out a rough of the body: I learned 2 things about using a scroll saw: 1. Tighten the blade before beginning. I had no mishaps, but I lost accuracy by having a loose-ish blade. 2. When I think I can curve enough before getting too close to the line (during tight curves), I should think again and approach from another angle. Too many times I came right up to the line when I thought I wouldn't. Speaking of accuracy, how's this?: I have one word for that: ouch! Well, I had cut out the rough... and it was REALLY rough. In most places, I was about 2-3 mm away from the line. Well, I had new tools, and it was time to use them: Using a combination of the flat attachment and the round one, I really went through that MDF, but I still felt like I had a lot of control. The guy at Lee Valley had recommended it for 2 reasons: 1. the offset handle would make it more convenient in situations where my knuckles would be hitting the wood otherwise; and 2. it goes through a lot of wood without leaving a lot of rough marks. It only took me a short while to rasp the outline down to size. By doing it by hand, it wasn't always exactly 'square', but when it comes time to rout out the body, it'll be pretty close. I didn't get the whole thing absolutely perfect (a few flaws circled in the picture), because there'll be some shaping steps to be done after the rout anyhow. I was more concerned with leaving a half-mm around the edges than going right perfectly to the line. Still, MDF is easier to work than hardwood, so the better the template is to begin with, the less work I'll have to do later. Perhaps before I get to the rout, I'll touch it up a bit. Until then, this seems OK: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Having done that, I figured it was about time to re-evaluate my wood. I wish I had done this earlier, because I found 2 problems: 1. The limba is too thick. Between the Limba and the maple top, I would have had an overall thickness of 2.5". Now, that's not EXTREMELY thick, but to my eyes it seemed a bit much and didn't fit in with my vision of the guitar. Solution: After phoning around a bit and realizing I didn't know anyone who could thickness plane it, I swallowed my pride and burned $20 by getting a local commercial mill to thickness it down to 1 3/8" for a total thickness of 2". Speaking of burned... (the wood in the picture is labelled because the lack of contrast made it visually confusing at first): 2. The maple, which arrive flat, has now warped a bit. Maybe "warped" isn't the right word since it's still flat lengthwise, but I now have a curve along the width, likely due to the joining process. On a flat surface, the gap is exactly 3mm at its widest point: Solution: I have no fricking idea. If I try to thickness plane it, there won't be enough left over for carving. Nobody around has a 13" wide jointer, so I'd have to saw it in half, get it all planed up again, and re-join them. Who knows, it might end up curved again!? Besides that, it'd cost less just to order a new top. The guy at the commercial mill seemed to think that when it's glued up, it'll hold, but he's not an instrument-maker, so I dunno if he's considered all the miniscule details. What do you folks figure? I'm thinking that if necessary, I can form the limba to accomodate the maple...? Since it'll be chambered out, it'll only be the edges and the hunk in the middle that I'd have to add a curve to. It'd be laborious, though, and I'd rather just glue it down if the pros here think it'll hold. As a real-world reference, I can hold the pieces together with a bit of work from one hand... but they don't just 'easily' mate up by doing that, it does take a bit of main force. Thanks for any responses! Greg PS, why write this in 3 parts? I dunno... they seem like little 'breaths' to me. <grin> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 looks like it is actuallt eh maple that cupped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 It does look that way, doesn't it? Hrm... somehow in-person it looked like the joint, but in the picture it looks to be the maple. Perhaps the 'objective' view of a 2D photo made the truth more apparent. That said, I'm a bit hesitant to use glue to try to 'bully' it into staying in place. Figure I should order some new wood? I'm pretty sure it was flat when it arrived, though I didn't check as closely as I should have; in either case, I'd feel bad complaining with no proof that it came that way, as wood WILL change shape in different climates. Of course, the next problem is that another piece that I order may end up the same way. Any advice, anybody? Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 steam it flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 That's it? Even though it's 5/8" thick? I hope so, because that sounds like a plan. Any advice for technique? I have... er... a steam iron for clothes, or a bathroom with a tub... <laff>. Excuse my ignorance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 i use th tub with HOT water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 steaming it flat is an extremely bad idea. Simply clamp it flat dry, and see how it goes. It doesnt look like an issue to me. If you have to, shave the cupped "edges". You wont loose any carving depth, because the edges are always carved away anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asm Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 great progress and nice pictures! looks sweet! any idea on what finish you want yet? bet youll be glad later you practiced the body cut out on MDF rather than your final top. nice work! t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 hey are those grover locking tuners? good choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MzI Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 is that korina you have possibly white korina???? if so whered you get it, if you dont mind MzI i found it should have read more closely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted April 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 Thanks, guys! 1. The finish will be gloss black. After some recent discussions, I'll probably go with acrylic lacquer, though I haven't decided between spray and brush. Probably brush, even though it'll require more elbow grease. 2. The tricky part about shaving away the edges will be getting them to mate up square with the body. My first thought was that shaving away the edges would be the best course of action, but then I got stuck on how to do it precisely for a good glue join. I'll try clamping dry before I try clamping steamed. Any other opinions on the steaming? Still not sure why it'd be a 'bad' idea necessarily, but I don't intend to start a debate on this thread. 3. The Grovers aren't locking. When I purchased them, I asked the guitar tech his opinion, which was: "On a non-tremolo guitar, locking tuners are kind of like putting a wind foil on a garbage truck." He figured that there's a positive enough action on the Grovers that they won't 'slip', and if I'm not using a whammy I don't have to worry about the extra wraps shifting around. Sounded about right, so I just went with regular machine heads. I am quite glad that I am practicing on MDF, but soon I shall have to do some real work. I figure the next step will be drawing the hardware on the limba and routing out the hollow chambers. If my neck hasn't arrived, the step after that will be to glue and start carving the top (provided I get it to match up). Before I do that, a few questions-- a) I've noticed a few sites that have done the neck pocket AFTER the carve. I'm worried that if I do this, I'll have a hard time getting the neck pocket square, so I wanted (originally) to do the neck pocket first. b ) Do you reckon the carve should go all the way around (ie. where the neck pocket 'would' be, and thus necessitating a curved humbucker ring at the neck (at least)? I'm leaning toward a more flat appearance, with the height at the neck joint being level with the pickups, which are level with the bridge, and then doing the carve 'around' all that instead of through it. It might be a wee bit less 'authentic', but it seems like it'll make my life a lot easier. (we really need to make the icon respond to instead of the bracket right after the b which creates )! I don't know if that question was very clear-- what I mean is 'how domed should this sucker be, or is it ok to have the very top -flat-?' c) Same question as 'a)', really, I think-- should I rout the pickup cavities before or after the carve? My common sense tells me -after-, to avoid tear-outs; however that brings me back to the predicament of having a flat surface from which to base my routs. A plunge router atop a carved surface seems like a world of inaccuracy waiting to happen. d) Someone else asked this recently, but I think Brian's response of 'I leave it natural' was the only one: should I use a sealant or lacquer inside the hollow chambers? My instinct is that it won't matter one way or the other, but I suspect that using some sort of finish will help prevent any warping due to changes in humidity. Scientifically, it shouldn't affect the tone in any noticeable way, as the way the wood 'under' the finish will still resonate the same way. The thick coats of lacquer on the outside will affect the tone, I'm sure, but a thin sealer coat shouldn't really. Thanks for looking and helping! Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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