Andyjr1515

Today was fitting the fretboard. I had already applied the veneer to the back of the board, so now it was a case of a quintuple check of the fretboard positioning and an final check that, when all was clamped down, the action was still going to be in the right place! As normal, I used violin clamps again, with a piece of offcut wood at the back of the neck as a protector and to give the clamps somewhere to tighten against. This was the final dry-fit check: Action should be spot on! Next was application of titebond extend (the modicum of extra sliding time before it grabs is useful) and some heavyweight clamps for good measure: This weekend is fitting the bridge!

Ooooh....that's got me inspired. And absolutely my wife is never going to see that picture @psikoT ! I can hear it now, 'Well look....if he can keep it that tidy, why can't YOU!' After 37 years of marriage, I didn't think it was possible for my wife to hate me any more than she already does....but if she saw that neat workshop, by golly she would find more...much more

I did the repeated final coat of the top varnish today....looks a LOT better. Useful timing because I've just got to that bit in the draft tutorial...

Not a lot to show, but actually not a lot still to do The next job - hopefully tomorrow - will be fitting the fretboard. Now the neck is on properly, I've been able to quadruple check the angles and heights and am pleased to find that I can fit the 'feature stripe' under the fretboard. It is a length of maple veneer: I don't recall actually seeing this on a guitar neck before, although I'm sure it's a very well trodden path. Whatever, it should link in nicely to the bwb stripe on the binding.... After this it's fitting the bridge and then final bits 'n pieces

The figuring looks lovely, @ScottR I've had one of those tiddly planes for a while - stunningly and surprisingly good once you get a feel of the setup. This thread is reigniting my thoughts of trying a carved top arch top.... Ref the thickness, are you doing it on a 'plane it and check it' basis or are you planning reference drill holes I've seen in one or two arch top vids.

That's some beautiful figuring, @Prostheta Much more elegant than my birch burl, which now looks vulgar in comparison

I like that a lot . It incorporates a number of subtle changes to the standard tele layout and construction that make all the difference. Some very advanced stuff for a first build and very well executed

The veneer I used on the Westone was described as simply 'Birch Burl' and was from a German supplier Designholz here This particular range are set on tissue, which make it a lot easier to handle but they also have some really good standard veneers in their range. The delivery (I bought a few types from them at the time) was fantastic - tightly rolled in an impossibly small box and no damage whatsoever! It's a good web site too....

I can see that one has to be philosophical when the trajectory of a piece of rock that has been travelling in free space for 30 or so billion years coincides with ones planet, nation, roof and project at that exact same moment...but I think not checking that the clamp was secure before moving the guitar around to check everything was OK was stacking the odds more in fate's favour I think....well....how shall I put it....maybe a holiday is overdue? On the topic of meteorites, I think I am right in saying there is only one recorded instance of someone actually getting hit by one - a lady - I think in the US - who was hanging out the washing and got hit on the arm by a small one... now that really is being in the wrong place at the wrong time

Wipe-on tutorial is in progress In the meantime, the varnish on the body is hard enough now to start the final stages, starting with fitting the neck. Here's the body...the top will get a touch of final treatment (more later) but this is broadly what it is going to be looking like: The small light mark in the middle of the bottom waist is a small bear-claw in the grain. The other light patches are reflections. Then, after a final fit check, the neck was glued, hammered and then clamped to dry: Now the varnish has fully dried and shrunk, top will have its final two stages - wet and dry 2000 grit used wet followed by the final wipes of thinned varnish. Then it's left for a couple of weeks and simply polished with Meguiers Ultimate Compound. For reasons I will explain in the tutorial, you do NOT buff this type of varnished finish. It's fortuitous that I have that final stage to do....you might be able to just see to the left of the clamp a bruise in the top....yes - dropped the clamp I'm quite relaxed about it as I think it will be pretty invisible in the final look even though it's irritating that I let it happen!

Looks pretty good to me, Matt. Even the lower horn Andy

Great thread @ScottR My sister bought me a mandolins plans book last year. It's been on my 'must get round to this sometime' list for ages. Your thread has inspired me to pull it a bit further up the pecking order...

So, after all the debate about the marmite issue of scratchplate or not, actually I'm probably going to finish it without and give the new owner the option (I'll probably use some of the Taylor non-glue clear removable ones for him to try out the guitar without scraping the top at first strum) The reason is that, while I was waiting for the sides to fully dry after their final varnish coat, I did some tap tuning tests. You see, @ScottR , I do sometimes take notice of members' concerns Now, bearing in mind this was just the body, sitting on a shoebox on some jiffy: No pickguard, full drum sound with very obvious harmonics and sustain This lacewood pickguard just laid in place, loose. Muted drum sound, NO audible harmonics I cut out the same shape in 0.6mm veneer and laid that one on. Back pretty much to the original full-range sound Back to the lacewood guard, this time lifted off the top at the sides with a couple of pieces of thin foam and touching at the soundhole, a bit Les-Paul-ish. Pretty much back to the original full sound. So I am now persuaded that the pickguard might tangibly affect the tone - especially at its present thickness and weight. I also showed it to MrsAndyjr1515 and she definitely prefers it without pickguard - with the finish now finished, it is indeed a lovely piece of wood (I'll post some pics tomorrow when its light). Plenty of chatoyance So (remembering this is a surprise special birthday present for our old-gits-band's vocalist in July) the plan is now: give it to him without pickguard. Take a non-glue Taylor clear film one with me as a temporary measure in case he's too worried about scratching the top on his first 'thank you' strum! fit him a glued clear one if he wants a pickguard purely for protection give him the lacewood one, fitted with les paul brackets and, if he likes the look and wants it fitted, I will fit it for him with brackets so the only contact point with the top is a couple of places at the soundhole (which is internally reinforced anyway so is not a resonating feature). In terms of the overall build, the body varnishing is done, waiting a week or two to harden fully before: Gluing the neck Gluing the bridge Double checking the heights and gluing the fretboard (with or without maple veneer demarcation depending on height) Installing pickups, preamp and jack Fitting tuners and saddle Stringing up Fine tuning neck profile shape Tru- oil the neck That really isn't much left and - more to the point - relatively few things I can do that could wreck it altogether!!!! By the way, @Prostheta ref the 'how to / tips and tricks' on wipe-on, do you want me to PM you a draft so you can decide where best to post it (and make any amendments or format changes you think might enhance the topic)? Subject to the normal vagaries of planning such activities, I should be able to get a wipe-on varnishing draft (and also an iron-on veneering draft if you want to consider one of those too) done by the weekend...

There is a new term for me to try not to forget...chatoyance! Very interested in your approach to applying the oil

Yes - thanks for the reminder! There's quite a bit of waiting for varnish to dry, etc, now so I'll try and catch up on one or two of those kind of things I get easily distracted so give me a nudge if too much time passes

Thanks It's taken a while to iron out the foibles and get a feel for the best way to go about it. This is probably my best result with so few coats on such a large area, so I must be learning some of the right things. Knowing when to stop is also a learned skill It's perfect for me, though. If I was having to spray, I'd be waiting months for the right weather conditions outside and, during that tiny window of time when conditions were OK, I'd be trying to learn the similar foibles and tips and tricks for spraying. Honestly, life's too short, however much I like a nice spray finish. As it is, other than now waiting the obligatory couple of weeks for full hardening, three days has done it from bare wood to finished varnish during which we've had sun, wind, torrential rain, gales, sun, bit of sleet and more rain outside

So three thin wiped-on coats of polyurethane varnish has given me this: That'll do

I got the body right down to the bare wood, and a little bit further for luck to make sure any residual coating would be fully sanded away: Difficult to see in the shot here, but actually there are definite darker areas in the grain. I re-sanded those areas just in case but they are definitely in the wood. I then did a tru-oil slurry to act effectively as the sanding sealer. And yes - the same patterns in the same places. I've darkened the shot a little which exaggerates the effect a little : So my conclusion is that the funny markings was nothing to do with the egg white in terms of fast-ness or moisture but is simply a quirk of the grain of the wood. It will be interesting when I get to the re-varnishing if it shows up the same way. I'm pleased the egg white still ticks the boxes, but I'm also pleased for the peace of mind in doing it again with my normal method It was a dry day all day (again!) so I abandoned the household chores and finished off the neck volute and heel sanding. The profile will be fine tuned when the guitar has been fully assembled.

Oh....and it looks great, by the way. Purely personal taste, I'd have missed out the final scorchings, but the overall it'll look great when it's finished whatever

Nowadays I apply tru-oil with a standard domestic microfibres cloth. Cheap as chips and completely lint free (after an initial shake to get rid of any manufacturing bits left over). I wear nitrile/latex gloves to keep my hands clean. Ref dust buggies, I also am nowadays very disciplined: I don't use commercial tack rags - ironically they tend to leave bits everywhere, I use a window cleaning microfibres cloth to do a pre coat wipe down I take off any pullovers etc and roll my sleeves up i avoid leaning over the body as I'm oiling i oil in a room that hasn't been used for a few hours (airborne dust is huge in many rooms) i creep about before oiling and during then leave the room for an hour, trying to have the minimum air disturbance. It sounds OCD but it has transformed my dust buggy problem

It's lovely. I love the carve.

....and the reason he doesn't know he's doing it is that his old hacker acoustic has a standard teardrop pickguard so there are no gouges on the top itself.

I did consider this. I have one on my 1970s Yairi flamenco (quite progressive for that age) and it's unobtrusive, but has been very well done. Never done one, though, and would hate to wreck the look. and yes - he hacks away. He doesn't even know he's doing it (he would be mortified if he knew he'd gouged my top). He does a sweeping full arm stroke on a trajectory where the pick brushes the bottom strings, digs in progressively into the treble strings and finishes its travel on the top. It sounds an odd addition to a blues/rock band but in the mix it's not a bad sound.

Well this 'special birthday' is his 70th! So, unless you really can teach old dogs new tricks, I think it is a lost cause

Me too. Trouble is, you are right...and this baby needs a bib! Our vocalist smacks the top with his pick almost every time he does a down stroke. He had a 5 minute go on my OM when I'd just finished it (and that doesn't have a pickguard) and I spent the next couple of evenings steaming out the gouges