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.

Taking Stock

I just wanted to have some pics that give a sense of where I am with this project, and how many parts I have for finishing it. The chunk of guitar shaped wood you will notice is the back, currently being carved, but still looks like a chunk of guitar shaped wood.

I cut the truss rod cover from ebony. I'm not certain I like the size, I may narrow it down just a tad. The tuners are Grover Locking Tuners. The (as yet uncut) nut is bone.



The basic set-up with what I have made or obtained so far: Maple/oak/ebony tailpiece, twin DiMarzio PAF humbuckers, two sets of tone and volume "speed knobs". Still to come is the bridge, which will have to accommodate the flat fingerboard. I was going to make a bridge, but I want to see about the possibility of using a special kind, generally called a Tune-O-Matic. The only reason I'm not sure about that bridge yet goes back to what I said about it being able to be used with a flat fingerboard.



The laminated maple back, still in the process of being carved. This is a long, tedious part of the project, which makes me realize just how limited my tool supply really is. I'm trying to get through this without having to purchase any more than I have to, but I may have to break down and get a new convex spoke shave, or something similar, that will allow for deeper, faster cutting.


Pretty much the whole deal (minus the sides and back) as it stands so far. The tailpiece will be held in place by a "gut" cord, which will catch on the endpin jack. It's a special endpin that allows for the tailpiece to be attached, as well as the guitar strap, AND it's also the jack plug. Cool! The white packaging beside the neck contains the metal frets. There is a second version of the truss rod cover sitting on the floor, which I may use instead. I have yet to decide upon inlay for the neck, but it will definitely have something there.


Please feel free to comment on what you see. I will take any (reasonable) criticism seriously.

Still workin' on that tailpiece

The bottom is carved out now. All that needs doing is to have the holes drilled for the strings. I'm gonna get a pro to do that for me, as my tools are not quite as accurate as I would like them to be. The spacing for the strings at the tail will be 1cm apart. The bar of wood left at the bottom is where the holes for the mounting "gut" will be drilled.

A couple of the things I've been tweaking are the tailpiece and the fingerboard. The tailpiece needs the underside carved out - looks a mess now, but it'll be all spiffy when I'm done. I want it hollowed to decrease the weight of the unit, as well as to provide a way to drill for the chord that will mount it on the endpin. You can see the portion I have left uncut; this will be the part through which the holes will be drilled for the mounting chord.

The fingerboard was not cut evenly, so one side was wider from the centerline toward the bottom end. The lines on the paper were used to line up everything in relation to the fret slots and centerline of the board. I had to angle in 3mm off that side toward the bottom end. The cut isn't perfect, but I'll be routing the edge later for binding, after its on the neck.