Welcome to my Archtop Guitar Project Blog

The Archtop, or "Jazz Box", is a unique style of guitar. It has a complex design, and a sound that one might say can only come from such a design. Having never built a guitar of any kind before (unless you consider a ukulele to be a guitar) I have decided to jump right in up to the neck and start with the archtop. When I tell this to people, the normal response is something like, "have you ever built a guitar before?" or "so, you have a pretty good idea how to do this, right?". My usual reply is, "nope". I do, however, make a point to assure them that I have built many kinds of things, using many different materials, and I consider all constructions to have a logical and understandable process.

So, if you're interested in "newbe" projects like this, then grab a fresh cup of coffee or tea and follow along. The earliest post shows the design I'm going for.

**UPDATE TO INTRODUCTORY TEXT** You will see as the posts progress from earliest to newest that a few modifications and compromises have been made. As with all learning experiences, this project has allowed me to work out any problems with a design that have not been foreseen on paper. I also welcome any input from readers/followers who have some experience in either building or playing guitars that will point out potential problems.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Neck Block Fitting



The tenon and heel on the neck had yet to be cut at the correct height and angle. As mentioned before, I'm going for a 3.5 degree angle for the neck. I achieved this by making a very simple jig. All I did was glue a piece of wood edgewise onto another piece of wood at 3.5 degrees (lengthwise - the wood had to be perpendicular to the base) to the straight edge. With the fingerboard held firmly against the 3.5 degree board, I ran it through the table saw, after I determined the width of the tenon and heel (based on how thick the guitar will be, etc).

The image isn't plainly obvious - the piece of wood in the upper left of the top photo is the 3.5 degree angle against which the fingerboard was held. What you can't see is the edge of the base that was straight against the table saw fence. Anyway, you can see in the second photo the result, as the tenon and heel are now the correct depth and angle (though the photo seems to exaggerate the 3.5 degrees somewhat. Dang parallax!).

Oh, in case you're wondering, the grey blob on the neck is where I used epoxy to blend the curve of the added overhang with the sides of the neck at the join. It will be painted black, so this will not be visible... nor will the scorch marks from cutting the wood be visible.

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