Monday 5th January '09
The new year couldn't have a more medoicre begining.. it started for me with a rather damp cough and a bit of a whimper.. man flu has struck again!! The fact that Tania and Jasmine both survived with little more than a cup of lemsip and a duvet doesn't deter me from demanding chicken soup and a sexy nurse.. unfortunately I was told to grow up and get back to work..
begins are begun with some headstock extentions.. mahogany with maple veneer..
on both Dave's left handed plagiarist and Stuart's 45rpm..
and here's one I prepared earlier.. the headstock outline is marked out on Archies guitar (I made this template over three years ago now.. I didn't even plan on having this headstock as my standard.. funny how things happen hey?
the tuner positions are marked out and small changes made to the headstock shape to take into account the custom fretboard width and straight strin pull..
and, after she is roughed out on the bandsaw, the bobbin sander is used to finalise the shape..
the tuner holes are drilled and we're done with this one for a while..
a bunch of damaged guitars arrive from the local music shop.. 8 of them damaged in transit and in need of my services..
this looks fairly simple..
but takes some figureing out and a custom clamping caul..
on to Jason's custom guitar.. the compensated brass nut is made..
..with the locking nut she's going to be quite something!!
the frets are leveled, profiled and polished and then the fretboard is oiled.. and ready for strings!!
this Ovation copy 12string is a bit screwed..
the top is reglued to the bowl back and held in place with masking tape (after checking how the tape reacted with the lacquer on the top.. you can't be too carefull!
and this dreadnaught's neck has become delaminated...the joint is cleaned out and reglued..
back to Jasons superstrat.. the controls are marked out
and drilled.. why I left it to this stage to drill them ou I don't really know.. it probably should have been done before the staining and finish was applied!!!
after a night clamped up the dreadnaught is cleaned up
..the frets polished.. you can see how much they dulled just through exposure to the air!!
..she is then strung up.. slowly and with some trepidation.. it's always rather a spectacularnoise when a neck rips itself away from a body!! (though the last time it happened to me I was on stage with a friends strat!!)
..don't you just love stringing up classicals.. it's such pretty effect
now this is something.. a chinese made Tokai SG type.. and the neck is snapped almost in half.. if it wasn't for the fretboard it would have completely seperated
..rosewood..
now.. cheap guitar and the shop doesn't mind me having some fun with a bit of experimentation!! .. I mark out what I need.. carefully..
and by hand recess three cavities.. it is now that I realise what the problems are.. the truss rod cavity is huge!!! .. and the timber the neck is made with is soft enough to damage with my fingernail!!! I think that the very thick hard lacquer is really what gives this neck any stability and strength!! Pitiful!!
we end up with three bits of rosewood recessed deep into the neck transecting the break.. she was stuffed with glue and hopefully will be stable enough to play.. we'll see in a few days..
Happy new year to you all!!!
Ben
Crimson custom guitars
