Pariahrob

@10pizza it would have to follow the edge of the volute which is only curved on one axis so not too problematic. I think it might look quite elegant as well, which is why I originally thought about it. 

@Prostheta I should be ok with the grain. It's a shallow neck angle of just 8 degrees but I'll take extra strength if it's there! I agree that it might look great (if I do a good enough job) but would like to mirror the detail elsewhere and not sure what might work best. 

Mum debating a maple veneer as a key line maybe on wooden knobs or under wooden pickup rings. Both will be ebony. 

Ok. A little more progress on the semi (from now on known as the FF). 

Refined the neck carve and volute as well as sorting out the nut slot. I've done a double laminate on the headstock: maple then ebony to try for a nice pale accent stripe, as I'm not binding. 

I need to finish tidying the edges and the trussrod access hole but pretty pleased. Took a bit more work than expected but well worth it. 

Mum trying to decide wether or not to veneer the back of the headstock in the same way. I've seen some done like that and love how they look around the volute but undecided. 

Thoughts?

Just gorgeous! Adore that finish. 

I love this build. Think I've read through the whole thread a good few times now. Learning lots from you so a huge thanks and now inspired to tackle an acoustic. One day!

Great thread and love your attention to detail. I'm interested to see your results on finishing order. I'm planning on grain filling before staining my current build and always good to hear ither's experiences. 

Great idea but I bet you'll be less willing to let it go now!

love the revised inlays too. Think it's going to look great once done. Looking forward to seeing it get its second wind. 

9 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

These look lovely together.  Great job!

Thanks @Andyjr1515 I'm pleased with these two, although my very first build is still my favourite. Probably because I'm a big Nuno Bettencourt fan. Not sure I posted that so here it is just as I was fitting hardware. 

Ive yet to take proper shots of these. Typical as photography is a big part of my job!

That v works so well! All your builds look very clean but there's something special about that v. Even if it does have too many strings! Joke. It's ace. I just wouldn't know how to play it!

Onwards with the semi build. The neck is carved and the fingerboard is on and radiused. Compound 12-16 and the neck is a wide flat. A bit wizardlike but with a smoother shoulder. Carved a volute too for the first time.  Was a bit apprehensive but turned out far easier than I expected. 

Heading off soon so just got the maple/ebony veneer glued on. Will trim that back in the morning. 

Hi all. 

Well ive finished walnut wally. So happy with the end result. The walnut headstock veneer I think works just right and so glad I opted to do just the one dot at the 12th. 

I'll get a video shot at some point but for now here it is, next to my 'garron' which was the previous build. 

I need a name for this one so any ideas?

Cheers and off to carve a sapele neck now. 

I'd happily make the vectors for you. I'm not in the studio for a couple of days but if you still need it I'll do it. 

As for placement I think I'd have it oriented same as the neck, with the wing tips pointed toward the pickups. 

I kind of like the satin sheen as it stands but I think the gloss will look even better with that blue. 

Looking forward to seeing you finish it. 

That's a beauty. I love that forearm cut. Works just great!

I spoke to my buddy who makes double basses this morning (his workshop is in the same building as my studio). He took a look and recommended just clamping it up to a piece of thick flat mfd for a few days, which I have done. I'll not get the maple cap for a week anyway, so not too worried about the wait. I can finish off the strat and get a good start on this one's neck in that time.

I'd be very interested to hear how you guys have approached this problem as well? Hopefully I wont have to bin it and start again but if I have to that's ok. Not convinced the seller of the wood had kiln dried this and let it season for five years though!

The arrow is pointing to the warped section. That horn had lifted about 6mm. Didn't take a lot of clamping pressure to sit down, so maybe with a few days of this and then being glued to a thick maple cap I'll get away with it. If that's not likely I'll cut a new body. Don't want to make a sub standard guitar just for a quick time save!

This is such a great thread. It's great to see you overcome the little hurdles and also interesting as I'm a step behind with my semi hollow build. 

Yours is looking ace and really like your approach to jig building and so on. 

Yeah. Good few days have gone by now so my guess is it's down to the cavity routes. 

Think its saveable? 

I'll post photos tomorrow when I'm back at the studio. 

HELP!
Ok, so I just finished carving the strat neck and while I was tinkering looked across the bench at the semi body. Was thinking wow, look at the beautiful curves then realised they weren't the ones I put there!

The body has developed a slight bow from bottom right to top left. Straight edge confirms there's about a 1/4" variance. I wonder if this was brought on due to the stain in the recess below where the f hole will go. I used an alcohol based stain so wouldn't have thought the wood got overly wet.

So, my question is do I bin it and start again, or is there a way to get it back in shape?

Cheers in advance!

21 minutes ago, Prostheta said:

The headstock still needs colouring in. 

Hehe. Yep. I have some walnut veneer to go on there. 

4 hours ago, ScottR said:

More often than not, I just carve them out with palm gouges. They are always going into a surface of compound curves anyway. lately I've come to like the look of just insetting the knobs into the top with about three quarters of the know above the surface of the top. I just use a forstner bit about an eighth inch larger in diameter than my knobs....but a guided bit like Knightro uses would be better.

SR

Thanks all for your advice. 

Ive been thinking about it all day and I think I like your idea @ScottR. I like the idea of the knobs staying perpendicular to the back but slightly recessed into the top but with soft edge rather than just drilled in. 

my les paul knobs bug me sticking out at odd angles!

back to the strat! Frets levelled and dressed. I nipped the tang ends off and filled the slot ends with a glue/ebony dust mix. Cut the nut slot. Almost a guitar now. Tomorrow I'll carve the neck then it's time to string up!

34 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

A coving bit is what I use also...I haven't been able to find anything that gives anywhere near such a neat result.  

In terms of tearout, I use good bits (Axminster - as you are in the UK - are OK in my view), and I practice at various router speeds on some offcut of the wood I'm going to use.

So you do it with your router? I used the bit in my pillar drill as I thought it might give me more control. 

I feel like I could end up with an oval if I handheld!

i think my next question is what to do first: drill the hole for the shaft or cut the dish? There are benefits to either!

@Prostheta steady is the way to go. Actually, although the result of the test looks ok I'm thinking I need an alternative. 

The bit does have a bearing but because of the nature of the scrap it had something to run on. 

The top might not work so well. Thinner and with smaller diameter holes. So off to find a new method. 

Move seen people grind down spade bits but if anybody has a bright idea please say!

@Andyjr1515 I wasn't planning a tummy cut. I think I'll use this build as a diet aid!

Fretting is well underway on the walnut top. Bevels done but not levelled or dressed yet. That's a job for tomorrow. 

Just cut the sapele neck blank down to size, along with the ebony board. I'll size the heel block soon too, then fit the truss rod, glue the board on and start carving. 

The quilted tops won't be with me for a few days so going to try to use that time to finish off the walnut strat. 

Oh and I used a bit of scrap to test using a coving router bit in the drill press to make the knob recess. 

34 minutes ago, Norris said:

18mm? - you could probably get that split again and get two tops out of it

It's actually 28mm and I'm definitely going to get two out if it. Two decent tops and such a nice piece. Feels like my birthday. 

Mill post some photos when it arrives but for now I'm back to dressing the frets on the superstrat. 

Cheers @Norris I'll stop where I am then and I think apply the same stain that the back will have, which is a chocolate brown alcohol born stain. 

Ive tidied the routes up now and added a 1/4" roundover to the back.

Oh and just had an email with some top choices. This is my choice so should have it soon. 18mm quilted top.