My Current guitar project.

Is the top of your guitar a single piece of wood? Most seem to be bookmatched, is why I ask. If it is, why did you use a single piece instead?
 
Can't wait to see the finished product !! A few of my family members work at Martian guitars designing and building guitars an I have a good idea of the time and craftsmanship that goes into building an heirloom like this !!! Keep up the good work !!
 
Very Cool Thread. Can't wait to see the update. Nice project, keep up the good work. :thumbup:
 
Wow... this is WONDERFUL! Thanks so much for posting it!

Who'da thunk it? I came to a knife site and a guy is taking the time to show me the process of building a guitar. What a bonus!!

And the detailed plans for the surface drum sander... wow, how generous of you guys to so willingly share. Folks like you is what makes this site worthwhile!
 
For those of you who didn't see Philip's previous build (one of them anyway), you really should check it out.

LINK

Awesome work man, I've really wanted to build a guitar for a long time now and love your WIPs. Thanks for posting!
 
foxx said:
Is the top of your guitar a single piece of wood? Most seem to be bookmatched, is why I ask. If it is, why did you use a single piece instead?
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The top is two pieces, but I didn't get any pics of that part. I have seen one piece tops, but trees that big are rare, which is probably the main reason most are bookmatched. Structurally, and tonally, I doubt it matters.



Thanks for speaking up fellas, I'm glad to know people are enjoying this.

I originally started this hobby as a way to relieve the tedium and stress of my job, which is knifemaking. Not saying I hate making knives, but it is a job, and I just needed something fun and stress free to do. Making musical instruments proved somewhat addictive, and I spent too much time on it last year. I'm doing better this year balancing my time, which I'm sure my waiting customers will be glad to hear. ;) :D


To pick up where I left off, I used double sticky tape to hold the fingerboard binding in place while I sanded off the bandsaw marks:

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Then glued them to the sides of the pre-slotted fretboard:

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The truss rod I had bought was too long, so I had to re-weld it and cut it down to length:

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Phillip, that is beautiful! Having made an acoustic....I can appreciate the time and effort that went into this! Amazing job!
 
The idea behind the bookmatching is for tonal balance. Each half of the soundboard is a mirror image of it's other half. Sound waves come off the top of the guitar more even, especially an acoustic.
 
The drum sander is almost done. I just have to make the dust cover/hood, true up the drum, and install the velcro when it comes.

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Really impressive Phillip. I'm enjoying this. (THIS is exactly why we asked for a Craftsman's / Hobby forum. This post started a few days early. ;))

I have a question: The slotting of the fretboard would appear to be as critical in positioning as it should be. How is this determined? I am thinking there is a formula or a template?

Thanks.

Coop
 
SharpByCoop said:
Really impressive Phillip. I'm enjoying this. (THIS is exactly why we asked for a Craftsman's / Hobby forum. This post started a few days early. ;))

I have a question: The slotting of the fretboard would appear to be as critical in positioning as it should be. How is this determined? I am thinking there is a formula or a template?

Thanks.

Coop
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Hi Coop,
Yes, the placement of the frets is very important, both in relation to each other and the bridge. The 12th fret has to be halfway between the nut and the saddle, plus a little bit.

There is a mathematical formula, but I use a rule which has 4 different scales marked on it. It's very handy. This guitar has a 24.5" scale, which is about an inch shorter than typical.

Thanks for reading, and your questions. :) I hope my answers were clear.
 
Maybe we should have a moderator move this thread to the new sub forum. Any reason why it should stay here?
 
Talk about a labor of love. Man you've got to love this. Just totally awesome.
 
mossyhorn said:
Talk about a labor of love. Man you've got to love this. Just totally awesome.
Click to expand...

Thanks, and yep, I do love it. :)


Yesterday Fedex brought me the velcro and sandpaper, and this morning I installed them both on the drum sander. So it's now complete! And works great.:thumbup:

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I thought I'd try it on something less expensive than the rosewood set, so here's a set of osage orange sides that I thicknessed to .080":

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Now, back to the guitar itself. I got the sides both sanded down to .085", then sanded with the hand held belt sander to 120 grit, which takes it down to about .080". Then I cut the sides to width:

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I mark the waist area with tape, then spray the side lightly on both sides with water, then put it in the bender.

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Turn the heat on:

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When it gets up to about 250 degrees F, I move the spring loaded cauls down to the ends of the sides:

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Then screw down the caul at the waist:

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Then I let it cook for awhile, until most of the moisture is driven off.
 
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