Johnny Foreigner

i think i'll just start from scratch. the TR route wasn't as clean as I would have liked anyway, nor the fret markers. I'll def pull the TR out and reuse it at least. good opportunity to do over, take my time, do everything more carefully and aim to make the build a lot cleaner and more professional. might try a laminate neck as well - thinking maple, paduak and bubinga for some nice color variation - unless there's some reason those combos wouldn't work (I'm VERY paranoid now!!)

ok, looks like i'll be doing the neck over, then... ah well. you live, you learn. every mistake is something learned, right?

ha ha, i know. i really need to have a good clean up down there. so consensus is I could get away with this particular cockup?

correct. that's the flame running parallel(ish). so is this an "oh ****!!!" moment?

correct. that's the flame running parallel(ish).

the grain runs parallel to the neck. the figure is perpendicular to the neck. I think. EDIT: on closer inspection, I have actually managed to get the grain in the maple piece running perpendicular to the length of the neck. sooo.... how fatal a problem is that? is it going to fall apart as soon as there's string tension? or is it just more liable to break if dropped?

neck ready to carve rough carve done: nice!

12th fret inlay routed out and poured in: body final shaped and control cavity/holes routed/drilled:

just looked at the picture again. dude, were you trying to route off the entire thickness of the body and cap in one pass with the router? if so, then that's your fundamental misunderstanding. and very very easily rectified. i don't have photoshop on this pc but when i get 5 mins i'll put together some diagrams showing where you went wrong. if you'd like, that is.

IMHO.... don't do away with the templates AT ALL. I had zero woodworking skills before starting my build and using templates was my savior. If you had this big a problem then I suspect you have one simple, yet fundamental misunderstanding about how the template bit or router work - and if you can just correct that misunderstanding you should be fine. the only way your template bit should be digging into the template is if the router is set to the wrong plunge height. You should get it down to the correct height (so the bit's bearing is level with the template), lock it off and then approach the edge of the wood. shallow passes, taking no more than 1/8" off with each pass. If you do that, there's no way your router can eat into the template.

I think I saw it here on PG somewhere... anyways I was thinking about using them too here... http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...st&p=457462 ??? Aaaaahm would you mind if those appeared on my fingerboard too? not in the slightest. Until I make it big as a guitar maker, at which point I'll sue.

yup, this is his 30th birthday present. if i get it finished in time for his visit.

I think I saw it here on PG somewhere... anyways I was thinking about using them too here... http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...st&p=457462 ???

trademark as in you came up with this? as far as I know - I don't remember having seen it elsewhere. Tho there's never anything new in guitar design, right?

cut my template for the body shape (which is going to remain somewhat mysterious to you until closer to the end) body rough cut on the band saw and the fret markers razored flush: fretboard glued on:

fretboard not yet glued on, though, so I have better access to install my now signature fret markers:

so to recap, this is a 30th birthday present for my buddy who is traveling the world with his missus. originally they were going to spend months in asia and have Boston and NYC be the last stops before heading back to Blighty around January or February. So I had plenty of time. Right now they're in Vegas. And they're coming to join us at Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 7th, then they're coming to visit straight after that. So my deadline has suddenly been reduced. I've suspended work on the other build, which is 95% there, so I can try to finish this one up in time. TR channel routed: neck and headstock shaped: fretboard shaped:

not if you do this instead: http://failblog.org/2010/07/20/epic-fail-v...guitarist-fail/

that's one sexy guitar. my only niggly criticism would be that the cav cover being non-flush looks a little off.

I'd like to chip in with my experience and this quote from Stumacs instructions: OK, last part first: You do not need to sand between coats to get adhesion. That was common with older type of water based finishes, but the modern once doesn't need that. Its not a problem if you do it but it isnt necessary either. I haven't done that for the past 10 years and I have not had any problems at all. And I have used both colourtone and KTM-9 from LMII. And now on to the "time between coats" part. From my personal experience I'd say do not under any conditions spray coats with less than an hour between coats. It will cause a poor curing process and it will introduce a bueish tint to the finish (maybe not a major problem with this particular guitar). The finish will also be soft and gummy. Take it from one that has stripped off one too many finishes because they turned blue and soft from spraying coats to tight. As a minimum I try to have at least two hours beteeen coats, and no more than four coats per day. If I apply four coats in one day, I also try to leave the guitar for 48 hours before I aply more finish. Of cause it all comes down to thicknes of finish, drying conditions etc, but if you apply a good coat (no orrange peel from spraying too dry no sags or runs from too wet) you will need sufficient drying time between coats and my personal rule of thumb is no less than two hours, especially in dry, hot weather. And if possible I leave the guitar for at least 3-4 weeks before buffing as the water based finishes continue to cure ofer time and a harder finish is easier to buff and the end result will be better with a harder finish. thanks Peter, that definitely gives me something to think about....

I find the *entire* process enthrallingly exciting, but early on there's a definite sense that you only have a potentially awesome guitar. The closer you get to the end without major foo-bars, and the more this lump of wood starts to look like the thing you saw in your mind's eye all those weeks/months ago.... that's a pretty special moment, it has to be said.

there is a TR in there, right?

YUP! there were actually a few spots where the masking tape pulled up fibers - you can see it most dramatically on the HS shot. shouldn't be too hard to deal with. now i'm itching to get the lacquer on so i can see it all nice and shiny!

planed down the neck and got the TR in.

didn't take any pics of the sanded back state - i was too excited to get to the next bit - dyeing it the lighter blue. you can just about see on the side where the masking tape pulled out a few fibers. very annoying - i'm guessing i can just sand flat and re-dye, hoping for a decent color match...