Boggs

Well, truth be told, I am just doing this by feel. I am sure there are a lot more expert people than I am at this who would give you a much more proper tutorial than I could. I probably do it the wrong way, but I still get it done. I guess the real message is, don't let any task intimidate you. For sharpening, I simply have a series of high quality sandpapers at progressively finer roughness adhered to a glass plate for flatness. I draw the beveled edge back towards me at the appropriate angle until I have a uniform and straight grind. I step down to the next finer and repeat. When I get to the 1200-2000 grit, I then turn it over and hold the flat side flat against the paper and draw it back to deburr. It is scary sharp. I mark and score the edge of the neck pocket with an exacto knife blade to the proper shape and dimension to a reasonable depth where I can now begin removing bulk material to the scored edge. I repeat the scoring process and bulk removal until I reach near the depth of the pocket. I then use sandpaper and a wood block to really level the pocket. I can use a bubble level (small round one used for leveling a turntable works really well) to make sure the level of the pocket is the same as the level of the top of the body. I can also check every so often by using the back flat side of the chisel for flatness of the pocket. I think you can see from the photo how I use a mallet (okay... a screwdriver handle) to tap on the chisel to control the drive and cut of the chisel. That is the very basics of what I do, right or wrong... Boggs

That's the best!!!!!!

Make sure you have it scary sharp... Actually, if you do decide to test yourself and make something because of what I do, well, that would make my day!

Well, I have been told many times that I have no brains, so I guess I'm on the right track! No... I'm on the wrong track... No... I'm so confused!!

First, I must soak the popsicle sticks in a mineral suspension and let dry. I figure on probably a year of alternately soaking and drying would pretty well infuse the popsicle stick with the minerals needed to harden it to where it could be sharpened to cut... You have to come up with a much tougher assignment, my friend!

Thanks for all the input, guys! I am going to first try and make the pocket profile as perfect as I can. If that doesn't work, I may do an inlay of some type. Mickguard, I do understand your infatuation with pickguards. I have made some clever wood guards in the past one of which was pretty spectacular in repairing an old Giannini Craviola...

Boggs, if you hide that koa I'll hunt you down and make you wear a grass skirt. ← That's okay... I have the legs for it... I'm not gonna hide it, so don't worry (the koa that is).

...but it's KOA... I bought it while I was in Hawaii... How do you hide that?

I'm a natural wood kind of guy, but I will not completely eliminate the idea... If a customer really wants one, of course, I would do it...

Actually, that handle has 3-sides in a triangular shape with a fairly large radius on each "flute" so it works perfectly! On the mahogany, it is heavy enough to do the job even on relatively thick cuts (my chisel is extremely sharp) but light enough to have exceptional feel and control. It's perfect!

You really do impressive work! Outstanding!

I refuse to hide that beautiful koa. Besides, I think you know by now I am not a "cheater!"

I am finding I can only work on guitars after 11:00pm when my wife goes to work so I don't wake her up with the noise of the woodworking... Here are a few shots of me carving the neck pocket into my prototype small body travel guitar. Koa top and back with Cuban mahogany chambered midsection. Still rough yet obviously... I am finding that 21 fret necks with zero fingerboard overhang are a pain in the ass because now, there is zero margin of error in the butt end of the neck pocket because there is no overhang from the 22nd fret of the fingerboard to hide any mismatch of the pocket and the end of the neck. Live and learn... Neck is being held in place only by friction fit... http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Gui...eckpocket2s.jpg http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Gui...eckpocket3s.jpg

I am really looking forward to seeing this guitar come together... and hearing it! Boggs

The neck looks and feels pretty good. Obviously not a high end neck, as it does need a string tree, but it seems reasonably well made. I'll know more once I finish a guitar to bolt it to... I have a second one as well. I got it on a "close-out" deal on eBAY from Jay Juliano...

Yes, it is a Saga Strat neck. I am going to use it on my prototype CamelBackPacker small chambered body koa/Cuban mahogany guitar.

Actually, I was asking the question. I realize the way I wrote it made it sound like it was something exclusive to me. Sorry 'bout that. I have never ordered a custom chambered body electric guitar before. I know it is common in the acoustic world. I'm new at this... Boggs

Here's a few pics of a bit of my work on guitars this weekend... Prototype CamelBackPack Coa/Cuban travel guitar neck/headstock. Neck is one of the 2 maple necks I got on eBAY. Still refining the shape. Suggestions welcomed... http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Gui...Headstock1S.JPG Next, 5 pics of more padauk I have been bookmatching for when orders start flowing in uncontrollably... Got to be prepared for the mad rush ... You can pick your top and back to have me make your guitar with. What other builder allows you to do that? All are rough sanded at this point with no seam inlay yet or finish, obviously. Sorry 'bout the shadow on the last one... http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Gui...Bookmatch2S.JPG http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Gui...Bookmatch3S.JPG http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Gui...Bookmatch4S.JPG http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/boggs.com/Gui...Bookmatch5S.JPG Did some home repairs with my wife, too, but I'll spare you those. Boggs

Cool!

I just checked the links to the sound clips and they are okay as far as I can tell. Try right clicking on them, copy the url in properties and past them into your address bar. They should work...

I use padauk and Cuban mahogany for my chambered body guitars. Padauk may be brighter in tone than you think. Remember, it is sometimes used for bass necks because of its strength. I felt after "ringing it out" that it would be too bright in tone for a solidbody, so I chose the chambered route using 1/4 inch thick padauk for the top and back with extensive chambering of the mahogany skeleton. This became a tone dream combination! I did use Honduran mahogany (laminated for strength) for the neck. You can see and hear one at www.rockbeachguitars.com . By the way, that will be a STUNNING guitar! I salute you, sir! Boggs

VERY nice work! My only suggestion would be to reshape the lower side of the headstock by taking where it is rounded and bringing it more from an arc to a point. Boggs

Thanks, Komodo! I have not seen the musiclander. I'll have to do a search to see one... For the plate cutout, I used a very thin diamond wheel dremel on the inside for the starter cut to ALMOST go through the back (from the inside). I then used a very thin exacto blade to initiate the through cut. I then inserted a very thin scroll saw blade through the initial cut and carefully cut the pre-drawn pattern. I just checked out the Musiclander... You're right. It has a lot of similarities. My real inspiration for it though was the Carvin Holdsworth Fatboy. I just wanted to try and improve on the design if I could...

The post in question had only one pic up and it was resized. There had been a single pic up in the original post at the beginning of the thread of the same size, and that one wasn't a problem. I had originally 3 very short lines of text in my sig, and the mod PM'ed me about that to change it to follow the rules... I honestly missed it... and I changed it immediately to one line. It all fit there on the one line. Immediately following was the slightly incendiary post from the mod threatening me he was going to delete my post if I don't follow the rules with the single pic changed to a link. Maybe he was just having a bad day. Suffice to say, I'm walking on eggshells here. I'm going to be very careful... As far as the Cuban goes, Blue Moon Exotic Woods does own a managed grove of Cuban mahogany and that is where I get it from. I had a local "specialist" make the same claim to me until he saw the wood and changed his tune... He said, "This is the real deal!" You may be confused by the layer of maple I have on the top and bottom of it that is between the bloodwood and the mahogany for more dramatic contrast between the woods... The straw conduits are infinitely easier to thread wiring through as just the routs alone require a fish wire to be able to push wires through all of the chambers or you would have to remove all pickups to change or service the neck pickup. Wire goes through those straws like buttuh! Boggs

Is it my imagination, or did I just read that off like Don Pardo?