I'm building a new guitar
- Thread starter JCH
- Start date
If anyone says anything about it, first I'll say it's "good enough",l then I'll blame it on my "wobbly
muttley600
Banned
blaumph2cool
New member
Hah made me chuckle. Looks great though. i like the subtle burst.
JCH
El Nacho
There may have been one in the room, but I didn't inhale.lol.. you should have done it with a Jointer..
You'll never make me squeal.You do have one don't you. It's a must have....
Thanks Man!
I sprayed three coats of clear on it today. Tomorrow I go back to work for a few days, but it'll be good for the lacquer to harden a little before I level it out.
Also today I rough cut the lumber that I picked up last Saturday, and some figured walnut for a friend. The walnut's been acclimating in my shop for over a year. He gave me a couple of pieces, a neck blank, and an nicely figured 1 3/4" thick top billet that I can re-saw. I went from having hardly any material to work with to having a hard time deciding what to do next.
from the left; These are two pieces of mahogany that I have set aside for the group project guitar, Five figured maple billet's that can be re-sawn into tops, figured walnut neck blank and 1 3/4" top billet, Mahogany neck blank, and two one piece mahogany bodies.
Been following from afar with jealous infatuation ... GREAT work!
I have a creative bent but never considered building guitars until recently ... to my dismay, much too late in life to begin investing in the tools, etc ... but will try gently steer my son in that direction (wink, wink).
Anyway, I've noticed one area where just maybe I can lend a hand. One area where that maybe you've left unchartered (perhaps purposely?). That is branding.
So, here you are ... free of charge. It's a simple sketch that has room for further customization (feel free), but I think it has potential headstock appeal. The 'J' is almost lost, but I think the JCH can be found ... beside a little vagueness just lends intrigue ...
I have a creative bent but never considered building guitars until recently ... to my dismay, much too late in life to begin investing in the tools, etc ... but will try gently steer my son in that direction (wink, wink).
Anyway, I've noticed one area where just maybe I can lend a hand. One area where that maybe you've left unchartered (perhaps purposely?). That is branding.
So, here you are ... free of charge. It's a simple sketch that has room for further customization (feel free), but I think it has potential headstock appeal. The 'J' is almost lost, but I think the JCH can be found ... beside a little vagueness just lends intrigue ...
JCH
El Nacho
Thanks for that. I think I still have much to learn though before I start putting my name on the guitar's machine head.
I got really bored sitting around watching lacquer cure, so "I'm building a new guitar"
I know I said I wasn't into building copies, but this Univox Hi Flyer bass landed on my workbench. I decided I needed one, so I started to make one for myself a couple of days ago.
It's a 30" scale. Mine's going to have a Maple top over a Mahogany body, with a one piece walnut neck.
JCH
El Nacho
I like one piece necks. This is my second one, and first that's made of walnut. This is the jig I use for cutting the truss rod channel in the back. It's very simple. It consists of two cambered MDF rails, and a block mounted to the router base. The rails are clamped to either side of the neck billet. The router is guided by the piece attached to it's base. I clamp blocks to the ends to act as stops. It's a simple jig that works really well.
muttley600
Banned
Thats exactly how I do it except I have a plant on jig that sits on top of the neck blank and router with a top hat rides inside the curved rails. That way I can just drop the thing on a centre line and have the job done in two minutes. I'll try and dig out a pic. How are you lining up the rails and making sure they are parallel?
muttley600
Banned
Found a pic...
JCH
El Nacho
I was sick, and didn't get much done for a few days.
I reworked the neck on the guitar, so I'm back at building up some tru-oil on it. I was getting too anxious, and hurrying the finish a little, so I made myself slow down.
Meanwhile, I made progress on the bass. The body is machined to size, and sanded. I needed to make a router template for the outline of the top carve. I did this by first tracing out the outline of the basic template, then drawing the contour to match that of the guitar. I cut the template with my jigsaw, and sanded the edges smooth. Tomorrow I plan to carve the top.
I reworked the neck on the guitar, so I'm back at building up some tru-oil on it. I was getting too anxious, and hurrying the finish a little, so I made myself slow down.
Meanwhile, I made progress on the bass. The body is machined to size, and sanded. I needed to make a router template for the outline of the top carve. I did this by first tracing out the outline of the basic template, then drawing the contour to match that of the guitar. I cut the template with my jigsaw, and sanded the edges smooth. Tomorrow I plan to carve the top.
JCH
El Nacho
Using the template I made yesterday, I made a router cut to act as a guideline for the carve. This gave me a reference for thickness, and the point at which the bevel starts. After that I freehand drew the rest of the bevel.
I did as much of the carving as I could with a chisel, gouge, and scrapers.
I did as much of the carving as I could with a chisel, gouge, and scrapers.
JCH
El Nacho
Not much progress here lately. Regress actually. I made the mistake of leaving the double cut guitar hanging in the shop overnight. I think the cold temperature caused some cracks in the finish. It's not the end of the world. I'll have to sand it back, re-coat the guitar top, then wait for it to cure. Sucks, but it is what it is.
I've got a couple of cabinet jobs that I'll be getting out of the way this week. After that, I'll move along on the Mose Bass.
I've got a couple of cabinet jobs that I'll be getting out of the way this week. After that, I'll move along on the Mose Bass.
muttley600
Banned
What did you finish it with again? Too lazy to read back...
JCH
El Nacho
muttley600
Banned
Depending on how bad the cracks are you can try pulling it over. Most suppliers sell pullover solvents but you can get by with a little thinner.
Using nitro thinners on a french polishing style rubber with a little lacquer work it as you would french polish. Use spit or a little water as a lubricant. Enough water to stop it grabbing no more and hardly any lacquer is the trick. Nothing to lose and a possible chance to learn a dodge..
Using nitro thinners on a french polishing style rubber with a little lacquer work it as you would french polish. Use spit or a little water as a lubricant. Enough water to stop it grabbing no more and hardly any lacquer is the trick. Nothing to lose and a possible chance to learn a dodge..