The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    good stuff mc!...like that ebony tailpiece...be a good idea for a one piece compensated bridge/tailpiece

    DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-tp-0401-001_b2c068bb-487d-4c13-a477-a83bc2632478-jpg

    brazilian walnut another super hardwood that would work nicely, besides ebony

    cheers

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  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    good stuff mc!...like that ebony tailpiece...be a good idea for a one piece compensated bridge/tailpiece

    DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-tp-0401-001_b2c068bb-487d-4c13-a477-a83bc2632478-jpg

    brazilian walnut another super hardwood that would work nicely, besides ebony

    cheers
    Thanks Neatomic ! A one piece T P bridge is a good idea. I think if I add a slot to fit a fret with the proper slant for intonation it could work. A few machine screws fitted with brass inserts could bear against the mounting posts and serve as fine tuning for better intonation.

  4. #28

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    What a fun project. Since it has multiple binding maybe you should go for the full on cease and desist es355! Trans cherry.....ebony board with blocks......split diamond head veneer. I would fill the bridge post holes and redrill to accept post without bushing as jabberwocky mentioned.

    The ebony stop tailpiece you made is of the hook...love it.

  5. #29

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    I drilled the headstock for tuners. Then I cut a double rabbet around the headstock. The body has multi line binding but no side stripe. I thought the headstock and neck should match the body so I will not be adding a black line to the side of the neck or the headstock. This is my first Cushtone, so I altered my usual signature a little. Finding a slab of MOP that is long enough was a challenge but I found one in my stash. I have a small band saw that has a diamond coated blade that runs through a tub of water for cutting small stuff with no dust problems. The wet blade does a number on the paper patterns I use. There are many ways to add a pattern to the shell blanks but I use double stick tape to stick down the pattern and then some clear tape over that to make it more waterproof. This is quick but the pattern is usually soaked and needs replacement before I have finished with the more intricate pieces I cut. I have learned to love this little saw. It looks funky but that is because I rebuilt it and used an old electric drill for a new motor. They say necessity is the mother of invention and I guess that's true. Here are some progress photos in no particular order.
    Attached Images Attached Images DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010001-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010009-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010015-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010018-jpg 

  6. #30

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    terrific craft and ingenuity! kudos..

    cheers

  7. #31

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    Sorry about the delay. I needed to order some plastic binding strips to match the binding on the body. I still don't have an exact color match with the abs plastic. The body binding is slightly off white. I bound the headstock with fiber and that is a good color match with the body binding. I forgot to take photos of the headstock binding process but I did cover that in an earlier post about fiber binding. After I finished with the headstock, I cut the neck joint on the band saw. Then it was time to ready the slotted fingerboard. I use my band saw for tapering the fingerboard. I use masking tape to mark my cut line. Then I saw the taper free hand. Then a pass or two on my power joiner and it is ready to radius to 12''. I use a finger plane and a sanding block to radius the board (it is a good workout for the forearms). I use a simple jig to keep the block 90% while sanding. Here are a few photos.
    Attached Images Attached Images DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010001-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010006-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010014-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010017-jpg 

  8. #32

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    Here are some photos of placing the fretboard markers. The mill does a clean and uniform cut out for placing the mop dots. I then glued the fingerboard to the neck with Smiths all wood epoxy. After the epoxy had cured overnight I sanded the mop dots flush with the board with 150 thru 320 grit sand papers. With the board polished I used a small file to bevel the top of the fret slots. Then I glued the laminated abs plastic binding around the fingerboard with Weld-on cement, once dry I scraped then sanded the plastic flush with the fingerboard. I then pressed and glued in the pre cut and rounded frets. I cut as close to the binding as I could on the band saw. Then I use a fingerplane and a rasp to carve and shape the neck.
    Attached Images Attached Images DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010027-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010022-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010031-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010005-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010010-jpg 

  9. #33

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    Thanks, Matt! I am enjoying this glimpse into where my guitar was born!

  10. #34

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    I really like the fingerboard's color variation. I may be an outlier, but to me the inherent characteristics of the wood are as, if not more, beautiful than strict uniformity, structural issues aside. When I think of all the ebony wasted because of color non-uniformity, it's just sad.

  11. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    terrific craft and ingenuity! kudos..

    cheers
    Thanks Neatomic!

    Thanks, Matt! I am enjoying this glimpse into where my guitar was born!
    I still have some of the sawdust here from when I made her!
    citizenk74
    I really like the fingerboard's color variation. I may be an outlier, but to me the inherent characteristics of the wood are as, if not more, beautiful than strict uniformity, structural issues aside. When I think of all the ebony wasted because of color non-uniformity, it's just sad.
    This is Macassar ebony. Macassar ebony can be very black or have brown and black stripes. I like to see a few variations in the color. This is a "second" grade fingerboard but it is well quartered. With time it will turn nearly black anyway.

  12. #36

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    i like streaks in ebony too..more natural, & gives a 3 dimensional look...nowadays, a lot of ebony is stained to get that uniform color anyway

    cheers

  13. #37

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    After I shaped the neck I used a half round wood file to smooth it then sanded it with 100 grit garnet sandpaper. I glued the neck to the body with HHG. I used an adjustable cradle to hold the body and propped up the neck with a stack of scrap wood. The neck joint fit well and every thing lines up for good string spacing and intonation. Now for some final sanding and clean up. I need to decide what the finish colors will be?
    Attached Images Attached Images DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010016-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010020-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010022-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010025-jpg 

  14. #38

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    Here is the finished guitar. I had some gold Grover tuners and some other gold hardware so I went with a gold and black combo. The guitar is dyed with yellow dye so the color is hard to capture in a photo. She plays and sounds great. The frets are very comfortable. This is the first time that I rounded the fret ends before their installation.
    Attached Images Attached Images DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010019-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010021-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010008-jpg DIY Semi-hollow body guitar-p1010009-jpg 
    Last edited by Matt Cushman; 06-14-2017 at 12:28 PM.

  15. #39

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    very nice mc...some jumbo fretmarkers!..is there a trick to the one screw trussrod cover?

    good stuff

    cheers

  16. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    very nice mc...some jumbo fretmarkers!..is there a trick to the one screw trussrod cover?

    good stuff

    cheers
    Thanks neatomic! I like markers that are easy to see. I ran out of my usual store bought MOP dots. These markers I made from some select MOP. They are easy to cut with the wet band saw.

    The truss rod cover only needs one screw. The trick is a small shim is placed behind the screw on the underside. With the shim in place the front of the cover is pressed down firmly to prevent any buzzing.

  17. #41

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    One-screw trussrod covers aren't uncommon. Both my Eastman and Benedetto have single screws. The nut prevents movement. The screw is usually in the other end, but either will work, I suppose.

  18. #42

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    Came out great!

  19. #43

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    Holy cow! That's beautiful! And what a craftsmanship, very impressive!

    The only thing I would change is the golden pickup ring screws: I like those black, looks better to me.
    (Hey, I'm Dutch, I gotta have something to nit-pick!)

    How does it sound and play? You say it sounds and plays great, but I like that a bit more specific. How about a (sound)clip?
    (I am not demanding at all ;-)

    Enjoy it!
    Last edited by Little Jay; 06-23-2017 at 04:05 PM.

  20. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by sgosnell
    One-screw trussrod covers aren't uncommon. Both my Eastman and Benedetto have single screws. The nut prevents movement. The screw is usually in the other end, but either will work, I suppose.
    I prefer a TR cover that has no screws. I have used a no screw TR cover on some of my other builds. It is a bit time consuming to make a no screw cover. The no screw cover I used had a clip on the under side that "snapped" firmly to the Allen head sleeve type TR nut. I have also seen builders that use small powerful magnets to hold the cover in place.

  21. #45

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    Quote Originally Posted by TOMMO
    Came out great!
    Thanks TOMMO!

  22. #46

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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Jay
    Holy cow! That's beautiful! And what a craftsmanship, very impressive!

    The only thing I would change is the golden prick up ring screws: I like those black, looks better to me.
    (Hey, I'm Dutch, I gotta have something to nit-pick!)

    How does it sound and play? You say it sounds and plays great, but I like that a bit more specific. How about a (sound)clip?
    (I am not demanding at all ;-)

    Enjoy it!
    Thanks Little Jay! It is easy to change a few screws and I might try it some time just to see how she would look with black screws. The pickup rings are Rosewood veneer over black plastic. My thinking was all the metal is gold plated. The black screws may contrast slightly with the Rosewood pickup rings.

    I will try and get a sound clip for you. First I will have to get her back from my brother. He is giving her an extensive test. He says she has become his most recent favorite guitar.