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01-25-2026 03:42 PM
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Well done, congratulations.
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Yes, well done.
You will perhaps need to add some datum holes to the plate edges for subsequent alignment. Also, is there any recoil on the shaped plate i.e. how well does it fit to the former after the vacuum is removed?
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Very interesting. Looking forward to seeing the complete process of building a guitar, and the final result. A JP-20-alike with the pickup in the right spot would be very cool, as would comparisons between that and the other Ibanezes with that body shape but different details (e.g., wood, dimensions).
Originally Posted by Archie
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Looks like Gibson have competition in 2026!
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Thanks Guy. Originally Posted by GuyBoden
Well done, congratulations.
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Thanks aquin Originally Posted by aquin43
Yes you’re right regarding datum/reference holes. I’ve been thinking about the best way to do it and I have a few thoughts. I’ll discuss them with you when I get round to addressing it.
Due to the former not having much shape, it is very difficult to realign them once you take the plate off. Not because the laminated sheet springs back but because there just isn't that much detail for the two surfaces to match up on. The best way you can see is to measure certain parts other the plate and compare them to the former dimensions.
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Thanks John. I read a lot of your posts with interest so do comment and advise where you see fit Originally Posted by John A.
I don't think I will complete the guitar for some time (at least a year), as I have to work my way through a lot of processes first, neck machining being the most difficult. It might be that i make a closed body and palm it off to someone who can put a neck on it and finish it themselves. Maybe more of a collaborative project with an enthusiast/luthier who’s up for a bit of fun.
That way it would have a realistic chance of being finished this year.
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Thanks Gary Originally Posted by garybaldy
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It was anti-climatic until you adjusted the lighting to reveal the profile of the top. Then it was like "whoa, it's an archtop!"
I don't know a lot about making laminate guitar plates. The only other video I have seen of someone making a laminate top for guitar was the one of Steve Andersen making the double top with Nomex as the core. It was interesting watching you cut the veneers as I've never seen that done before. Did you use three plies of the same wood? Does the grain run in the same direction for each ply? I don't know how Gibson and others do that; my understanding is that with Gibson the core of the laminate is poplar and the outer veneers are maple or spruce, but I could easily have that wrong.
Choice of glue is interesting, as well. You used epoxy as did Steven Andersen on his double top. Ken Parker seemed to make a lot of use of epoxy whereas more traditional luthiers seem to rely on Titebond or even hide glue. It would be interesting, at some point in the far future, to compare whether the kind of adhesive actually makes a difference in the final sound of an instrument. The violin family is designed to be disassembled and worked on, to adjust sound posts or whatever; guitars are not and it's sort of assumed that once they're put together they won't be taken apart unless something bad is happening.
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Ha! Yes I agree regarding the shape. Can you imagine the amount of money, time and effort I’ve put into bending a bit of wood? I must be mad! Originally Posted by Cunamara
It was anti-climatic until you adjusted the lighting to reveal the profile of the top. Then it was like "whoa, it's an archtop!"
I don't know a lot about making laminate guitar plates. The only other video I have seen of someone making a laminate top for guitar was the one of Steve Andersen making the double top with Nomex as the core. It was interesting watching you cut the veneers as I've never seen that done before. Did you use three plies of the same wood? Does the grain run in the same direction for each ply? I don't know how Gibson and others do that; my understanding is that with Gibson the core of the laminate is poplar and the outer veneers are maple or spruce, but I could easily have that wrong.
Choice of glue is interesting, as well. You used epoxy as did Steven Andersen on his double top. Ken Parker seemed to make a lot of use of epoxy whereas more traditional luthiers seem to rely on Titebond or even hide glue. It would be interesting, at some point in the far future, to compare whether the kind of adhesive actually makes a difference in the final sound of an instrument. The violin family is designed to be disassembled and worked on, to adjust sound posts or whatever; guitars are not and it's sort of assumed that once they're put together they won't be taken apart unless something bad is happening.
I think I used 4 veneer sheets to make the JP20 plate and it was only a first press, so nothing was done to production standards.
I didn’t cross the grains because I would have had to machine some more sheets, but that is the best way to do it. I actually did go on to press an ES-175 plate with cross grain and to the exact same specs Gibson use to make theirs.
Gibson use a 3 ply plate with a poplar core as you mention. Really the central core is ‘filler’ with two nice maples caps and laminate production for the most part seems to be a somewhat ‘cheap’ production method. I wanted to make my own from scratch because I would like to take the manufacturing of laminate plates more seriously, as in, not just some filler with two nice caps. I want to try and push it further than that.
There are differing schools on glue ect.. but epoxy has two advantages over say titebond.
1) It does not introduce water/moisture into the process.
2) It can cure quicker.
I have seen the Anderson video you talk about. It was watching that some years ago that helped spur me into doing this.
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