Pick Up Lines

So it begins. I shudder to think about cutting holes in the top I spent so long carving. But here is where I will be cutting for the neck position humbucker. I measured and checked and double checked these lines over and over before starting to cut the holes.

I don't have a proper router, so I chose to go with a somewhat unconventional method. I simply clamped a ruler in line with where I wanted to cut and followed it with my dremel, after drilling out the corners. Sounds crazy, but it worked.

 Here is the first cut.

 After doing the same all around I then began to clean out the hole and tweak the edges to accept the pick up cover.

 And it slides down into place like a dream.

 Next comes the bridge position pick up. Same thing.

I just need to fine adjust for height and angles, which I will do after the neck is set and I can be sure they are the correct distance below the strings.


I will also need to make a hole in the guitar top on either side of the boxes to allow the pick ups to be screwed down into place. I'm not sure yet how I will hide those holes. I might have to get creative.

From a Hunk O' Wood to a Neck Block

 It's a hunk o' wood, that's what you're thinking. And you'd be right. I found it at a local used/rescued building materials place. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it might be mahogany (don't assume I'm that good at identifying woods though). I brought it home because when I picked it up and tapped it with a knuckle it rang like glass. "Oh", said I, "that has a nice tone!" I used it to build the new neck and tail blocks. There wasn't enough usable area on it (knots, nail holes, etc) to do much else, but there is enough of it left to get at least a few more neck and tail blocks.


Why did I make yet another neck block? Well, after I changed the depth of the guitar I couldn't use the one I made before. This is just as well, as I much prefer the wood for this block anyway.

So here's the new neck block in place on the top. I've got the top set roughly in place on the back to check the fit of the join between the forward edge of the neck block and the edge of the upper bout wall section. As you can see, I had some tweaking to do... though the gap you see in the image is somewhat exaggerated due to it not sitting exactly in place for the picture. The fit is much nicer now, though I can't seem to find a picture of it. Well, that'll show up later as I construct further.

I'll have some trimming around the contour of the top and back after this is together. Time to see if I can source me a good quality router, I think.

Those Pesky Knobs are Back Again

After a bit of a talk with the man who will be playing this guitar, it was decided that just two knobs for volume and tone would be enough. This means a less cluttered top, and it also means I got to change things up again! Yay! I love changing things mid-project! (actually, I do) There will still be two humbuckers, but they will be controlled by two knobs and a three-way switch. The switch will be located on the upper bout.


So now we're looking at just the two knobs down at the back end below the tailpiece, following the curve of the sound hole. Once I receive the potentiometers and wiring I will drill the post holes. My pots and wires are coming from www.stewmac.com . Just shipped yesterday. Not sure how long it will take to get here. Pacing. Tapping fingers on desk. Checking time to see if mail is here yet. Remembering it's only been one day since the order got shipped.

Putting Things In Place

 Using some birch dowel around the inset for the neck overhang to provide both a clean edge and strength.

The hole in the bottom of the neck set was where I used a nut and bolt to compress the neck block into place on the underside of the guitar top while the glue dried. That hole won't matter when it's assembled, and it worked perfectly to keep the pressure and alignment right. Unfortunately, pictures of this process were lost when I put my trust in a cheap (read: free promotional item) USB stick.

Using some maple veneer on the undersides of the sound holes to prevent splitting of the laminated spruce strips of the top. Once glued in place I used a sharp blade to cut the holes open again, leaving only a maple rim around the underside of the sound holes. The one in the picture is extended downward to include the area where the holes for the knobs will be drilled as well.

Kerfing

Sometimes I like to try to make funny sounding title for new blog entries, but "kerfing" stands on its own.

 Well, kinda. The sides of the guitar are standing on their own in this shot, but not for long. The glue on the kerfing is drying even as I type.

 I had to run out and get more of those clamps before starting this stage. They are great clamps for this kind of job.

And, just for added security, I'm throwing in some nice pink clothespins as well. Not sure how that blue one sneaked in there. The big clamps take the brunt of the chore of holding the kerfing in place, but the clothespins add just enough extra clampitude to make it all neat and in place.







After the two remaining upper bout sides are in place I will finish the kerfing on the bottom and then glue the rest around the upper edges as well. Once that's done the back will be ready to assemble onto the top. But not before I prepare the top for the pickups, knobs and electronics.

Dot

 Remember when I said I was a low tech kinda guy? Well, that really is true. The inlay dot for my tailpiece was cut by hand, using only an X-acto knife, and bit of sandpaper to clean the edges up (not quite complete in the pic here). I used a flat-bottomed drill to make the recessed cut for the inset (making sure beforehand that my disk and the drill were the same size of course). You can barely see the shallow recess I made in the ebony.

The insert is now in place, and all that is left to do is level it flush with the ebony and smooth it all out. I used cyanoacrylate (super glue) to set it. That is what the little streak down the back end is from, where I wiped the excess away with a cloth. That sanded off very easily, and left no discolouration.

The little drawing you see here is what I want the finished inlay to look like. The dot is essentially a transmission point, and the concentric curves out from it represent "radio waves". I'm considering using the same motif on the fingerboard. The motif also recalls the fermata I was considering using a while back. I liked the fermata, but I found it was too static for the freehand kind of look I was going for.

The Contraption In Use

 OK, so about that side-bending form business I mentioned earlier.

There it is, with the veneer laminated in three layers, being held in place by the clamps and the strip of webbing to even out the downward pressure. Laminates have a tendency to pull apart at the crest of an outward curve; the webbing provided enough tension to prevent that.

 And here is the first side piece formed on my contraption! I'm so excited, it worked. I compared it with the outline of the guitar and it matches. Yay!

This is where I have to trim it back to fit the "puzzle" when the pieces are all formed. You can see the nice curly figure of the maple in this picture. It'll look awesome when it's got a nice polish on it.








More to come.

Guitar Making: A Bridged Version

Old piano keys are wonderful things. The true, solid black ebony of an old piano key is a treasure. I decided to make my own bridge rather than use a purchased one. There are two reasons for this; the first is because any bridge I buy will have to be modified to fit the curve and height of my guitar top anyway, and the second is the fact that I wanted something that evoked an old-fashioned kind of look.

Before cutting the ebony away from the key lever, I fixed it to a straight board and carefully (and fearfully) cut the channel for the bone saddle.

 After a little more shaping (you can see I cut the back end of the ebony to match the angle at the front end) I then cut it away from the wood.

After a few more cuts on another piano key I glued the pieces up. This is the rough shape before refining. The finished piece will be less chunky looking, tapering out toward the ends.







As of May 30, this is what the bridge looks like:

 The ends have been tapered out and I added feet.

The bottom may appear to be flat, but there is a gentle arch between one end and the other. I obtained this arch by gluing sandpaper to a flexible piece of wood and curving is slightly as I ran the feet of the bridge over the surface. I had to stop and check it often to see if the curve was right, otherwise I ran the risk of over sanding it and making it too arched.

Next will be to add the bone saddle, but I'll wait until I have the neck set in place before doing that, so as to be sure the height is correct. Those strings have to be exactly the same distance from the neck all the way down, or the action will be off.

And Then They Both Sighed, Side By Side

The title of this entry is a reference to the Marx Brothers, in case you were wondering where my head is.

Here begins the making of the sides. As mentioned earlier, I have maple veneer to laminate the sides with. I intend to use three layers. The veneer is 1/42" thick. That's less than a millimetre thick! It's so thin I don't need to steam it before bending it.

 I'm starting with sheets of maple that are about 30" long by 4 5/8" wide. Earlier on I mentioned I was going to make the sides 1 1/2" wide, but I've decided I want more interior volume, particularly since the top and back are relatively shallow compared to many archtops. I'm going with 2 1/4" wide sides. This will make the total depth of the guitar about 3 1/4"; deeper than I had originally dreamed it to be, but still not overly so.

I simply used a T Square as a guide and made my cuts with a new X-acto blade. You're not being stared at by an evil eye in this photo, it's just the ceiling fan light reflecting on the T Square.

OK, so now they are cut. I have enough to do three layers on each side, as well as on the cutaway and the upper bout face. This is a figured maple, with a very nice wavy sheen, which you might just make out in the pictures if you have a good monitor.




Next will come the glue up, and pressing the strips in place on the frame.

Back to the Back

I'm down to detailing the contours of the carving around the edges, particularly on the underside. I've opened up the inside scoop quite a bit, which will make more inside space for resonance. The overall thickness of the back averages about 4mm now. There is still a tad more work to do around the contours to bring the thickness down, but it's almost there.

The outside of the back is pretty much there. I've been gradually making it smoother with progressively finer sandpaper. Although it is vaulted somewhat, the back is essentially flat near the middle. This is an unusual form to carve an archtop into. Some would probably say you can't carve it that way and expect it to sound good. We'll see what happens when it's done and I get a recording of it being played.

Moving Along To Something That Will Work

An earlier entry hinted at a system I'd been considering for making the curved guitar sides. It didn't fail, really, because I didn't try it. I just decided it probably wouldn't be as dependable a system as I want. Instead, I'm going for this kinda thing, which is closer to a typical style guitar side form.

My original idea for this clamp system was to epoxy the nut to the outer surface of the cross bar, allowing for the bolt to be tightened down through the hole and against the block. I suddenly had one of those moments where you slap yourself on the forehead and say, "duh, that's not the way to do it".

 So I removed the nut from the outer surface and ...

Where did that nut go? How's that bolt supposed to stay in place?

See it? Now I don't have to spend time doing anything to fix the nut in place. When I tighten the bolt down against the block the nut will just push against the cross bar from underneath and create it's own support. It doesn't need much pressure, just enough to keep the layers of veneer in place while the glue dries. I have a similar set up for the inside curves on either side of the guitar, as well as the fiddly bits at the top end on either side of where the neck fits in place.

Not quite sure why this didn't occur to me right from the get-go. I must have been having one of those moments where I over think the process of something, not allowing for the simple answer to come into my head until I've relaxed and looked at things with a clear mind.



The actual block is the larger piece of MDF at the bottom of the image. The smaller block has a bore hole in it, and is glued to the larger block. This provides a nest for the end of the bolt, so nothing moves when I'm fixing in place. I am so looking forward to finally getting the maple veneer laminated up into the curved sides. This is gonna be fun!!

********

Here's an update, as of May 19. The side bending form is done.

 Undressed. Blocks and bolts all over the place.





Most of the blocks have a piece of PVC pipe fixed to them, to allow for contours. The one at the back end (you can just see the black square peeking out there) is flat with a piece of plastic over the surface, to avoid glue sticking to it. The black curved piece at the front end is cut from another piece of PVC pipe, having a broader curve for the shape there.

Dressed. All blocks in place, bolts inserted. I just wanted to be sure all of the hardware fit in properly before I actually start with the lamination process. Don't want things in the wrong spot, or wiggling around when it comes time to make those sides.

I Got Mail

Kerfing is such a funny word. In fact, even my spell checker doesn't recognize it. I'm here googling it, just to make sure I spelled it correctly (yes, that's the kind of guy I am).

Though I am trying to make from scratch as much of the guitar as I reasonably can, there are some aspects that I realized are too time-consuming or require tools I don't have access to in order to do a decent job. This kerfing was purchased, as I simply don't have an adequate tool to create all these little cuts with such precision. They are Honduras Mahogany.

So, to those who may be following this but are not familiar with guitar building (though kerfing is used in more than just instruments), it is a strip of wood that has little cuts that allow it to be curved to match a given contour. I have seen it used to create curved portions of furniture and occasionally in architecture. It's also a technique I have used to create sculptural works using materials like foamcore. In the case of guitar building, it is used to strengthen and increase bonding area around the edges of the body. It gets glued inside, flush with the top and bottom of the sides, allowing for a secure bond with the back and top.

Because of all the cuts it bends very easily, but I have to remember its delicate. Quit fiddling with it, I tells meself.

There are ten strips, each of them 18" X 5/8" X 3/16". I should only need eight of them to finish the guitar, but the extra two will be appreciate if I make a mistake somewhere.

When the mail delivery lady knocked on my door, I was pleased to see the poster tube. This kept the kerfing safe for the journey. If you ever have such things mailed to you, or have to mail something like it, I recommend making sure it's in a tube.

What, no clamps?

So, what's up with the straps? Let's see if my plan works. I intend to use a system to laminate up the sides that does not involve clamps. Wish me luck.