Pre-Construction Work

As tempting as it is with all my projects to just dive in and start making the thing, I have learned that the right amount of prep work can make life so much nicer when it comes time to actually start making it.


The Mold - Part One

The finished shape of the guitar will be greatly dependant on the shape of the sides. This feature must be considered in three dimensions in order to obtain the finished result desired. First, the shape of the body, as you look at the face, will be determined by the shape of the hole made in the mold. The mold (seen below, rough cut) is what will give shape to the sides as the maple veneer is laminated up against the inner edges. The surface against which the first layer of veneer meets the mold will be the shape of outer edge of the guitar when done. The first of the three smaller images on the right is the process of turning the two halves into a frame that can be put together and dismantled. I've glued the support struts to one side, and will use screws to attach it to the other side, making sure that the mold lines up correctly.

























The two images that are heavy on green show how I used a card stock template to check the shape of the mold. Pretty good, really, but for one area that just happens to be crucial to the construction - the area where the neck meets the body. As you can see, I had to shave a few milimeters off here and there.

Now, the vertical aspect of the cut must be square. If it isn't I'll end up with a wonky jazzbox. I'm using glazing and spot putty to get a perfectly smooth edge. Most guitar builders probably don't do this, but it's a method I've used a lot to get my sculptures surfaced just right, so I like to use it. The bottom image shows the use of a compound square to check the angles. Every spot I see that is off - such as the one you see below - I work at it until it's perfect.