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Welp, it’s going on almost 2 years since my daughter was born and a year since I actually finished my first archtop.
During that time, a ‘smaller’ spruce tree was getting taken down in my parents yard where I grew up, and I have always wanted to make a guitar top with it. When they cut it, they left me a 4’ piece of the trunk to make do:
While I was visiting for Xmas, I took it to the mill and had it cut so it could fit traveling back to VA. I got 2 flat saw slabs of quarter sawn wood, and 2 pieces actually quarter sawn:
Unfortunately, there was some ants that took refuge in the edges, where the tighter grain was located. It had some knots, etc and it isn’t the most amazing pieces of spruce, but I’m gonna experiment and see what happens…
I always have been fond of the ES-140 3/4 scale guitars and after seeing the short-scale Monteleone, I settled on a small bodied archtop. I recently learned of Fibonacci guitars and they build a beautiful guitar in the same vein as the ES-140 with Venetian cutaway called the Chiquita. I think I’m gonna go a body depth midway between the ES-140T(1.75” deep) and ES-140 (3.25” deep). Thinking maybe 2.5” or 2.75” ….. any suggestions? I’m thinking I’ll try to expand my luthier skill set and have a Florentine cutaway and bind the neck and body. I’ll prolly go parallel bracing again, because my first guitar sounds really vocal and I have fear of the box joint for X-bracing.
I’m planning to expand my electronics experience as well, and put an inset humbucker PUP that will have a knob to split to single coil since I’ll only have a neck pickup.
I enlarged a few pics of guitars at Kinko’s that I’m using as a general shape template.. this is one example:
Since I sold my Flat Five X last year,
I’ll prolly use a Godin style F-hole:
This won’t be documented nearly as detailed as my first, but I’ll keep a general log going FYE.
Last edited by sbeishline; 12-30-2021 at 11:45 PM.
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12-30-2021 12:26 AM
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Watching this space with great interest....
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Went to the local hardwood supplier and to my delight, they had a few boards of 4/4 Birdseye maple. Took my time to sift through and found a few remarkable ones I couldn’t leave behind. Despite the hefty price, I dropped a bag of coppers on it for the sides and back. Here’s an example of a rough lumber board:
Was undecided about body depth and started by laminating two 3/4” pieces of plywood:
The next day I realized I want to at least be at 2.5”, so I laminated a 3rd piece today:
Here’s the slab of spruce I used:
Bandsaw cut lines to remove the pith:
Here’s the glued top plate pieces. It has a lot of flaws, but it’s more of a sentimental top if it holds up.
Of note, I decided to put the tighter grain towards the centerline as it will hopefully give more strength under the bridge:
I used Tite Bond II this time instead of HHG because I didn’t have any made up and my glue pot was at home.
I was only able to get just over 13” wide, so it’ll hopefully make it to end up at 12.75” at the lower bout.
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I’m gonna keep watching your progress! Any reason for nog using PU glue?
If it’s any use I’ve made a DWG for a Gibson ES 235 shape but it’s 14” at lower bout.
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Originally Posted by Eck
No reason in particular.. however, PU requires moisture to cure and it expands as it cures. When glueing 2 smooth surfaces together I wouldn’t want any expansion potentially pushing the 2 pieces apart. That’s a benefit of hot hide glue- they say it pulls the surfaces together as it cures.
I only used it once to glue a broken clay pot back together and that stuff expanded like foam insulation!
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With the piece of spruce I have to work with, I am limited to a 12.5” lower bout max to keep seam midline (right hand half is 6.25”):
I used the ES-140 photo I enlarged to 12.5” and decided to meld it with the cutaway shape from the Pedersen Little Drea:
Here’s a prelim tracing on the top plate:
Tonight, I made a general scale layout to see where the bridge location would end up. Amazingly, my plan to go 24.85” scale/22fret with 16th fret at body, landed the bridge in nearly exactly the same spot on my drawing as the photo of the ES-140 that used a short scale of 22.75”/19fret:
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Also traced the final shape to the mold and tried to refine the cutaway curve a tad:
I learned from the first build the mold isn’t something to rush over because it ultimately will affect how the body shell comes together and the how the shape will look. This time I used a square to make the neck block area so hopefully it’ll fit easier:
Final mold cut lines for this weekend:
Will be forced to put the bandsaw skills to the test!
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Brilliant! I looked inside my PRS Zach Meyers and saw the glue bulging out from between top and body, confirming what you said.
I’m guessing your mould is ply, I’m guessing back and sides mahogany?
I have pushed my project out, too much to do! But I’m thinking to have top bottom and mould cut out by laser cutting, hence the computer drawings. I also thought to put a Telecaster bridge and a Kent Armstrong p90 Stealth for the neck.
I’ll keep watching.
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Originally Posted by Eck
Backs/sides will be Birdseye maple. Neck will be Spanish cedar.
I’m planning to use vintage patina hardware and likely a single set-in Fralin Unbucker, which I’ve read is the best of both worlds with good PAF and when split, has legit single coil tones as the volume doesn’t drop because they’re unevenly wound. Would give this little beast some versatility.
Any readers have experience with this pickup?
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You could consider using "wings" to get to 15"
It's still your tree at work . . .
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Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
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Originally Posted by sbeishline
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To be able to create a guitar out of a tree.... that's really something!!
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"Only God can make a tree".
Only a skilled luthier can make a guitar out of a tree.
Following this thread...
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Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
Originally Posted by citizenk74
Originally Posted by Hammertone
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Did some final adjustments to make the cutaway look more satisfactory by eye and added in the centerline. I used the broad side of a marker to trace my pencil line so I could cut on the inside of the marker line to make sure I kept it short of 12.5" (some comes off when refining on the belt sander):
I always forget that when cutting the mold on the bandsaw, once you get to the neck block area, you can't turn the mold enough to fit to cut it because it runs into the body of the bandsaw. So you end up having to flip the entire mold; however, you don't have any cut lines except for the cut line you've made. So I used a square to mark the 90deg angle and then just drew a line by eye to connect it to the upper bout line:
Here's the final mold shape:
I epoxied in a acrylic plexiglass spacer as it spread the mold apart a little bit getting me closer to 12.5":
I also cut the inside waste pieces of the mold into clamping cauls, but didn't take any pics.
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Just on the pickup, I don’t think I can recommend anything but have you seen the Kinman demoed by the Brit with a Gibson DC junior, “piano-like sound”. If you like that sound on a guitar . Frankly I really like it but the price…..
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Originally Posted by Eck
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Got into the shop today to finish the mold and prep the cauls. Here's the final mold with lower bout at 12.5":
Appears I did the neck block corner better this time than the first go around and hopefully will be easier to glue in the neck block:
Here'r the clamping cauls:
Marked and with cutaway caul:
Just need to use the Festool mortiser to pop the mortise for the turnbuckle clamps in the cauls and stuck some cork lining on them and they're ready for some bent sides..
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While in the shop, I also started the mill some Birdseye for the sides. Here'r the boards in rough lumbar shape after I band sawed the 9" board in half:
I then jointed a surface and edge, and planed them to about 1/2" and will let them acclimate on stickers tonight. I did the measurements for the sides, which came to approximately 26" for the non-cut side, 5.5" for the short cutaway piece and 21" for the long cutaway side:
Here's a pic to better see the Birdseye figure:
Thankfully I ordered more neck blocks than necessary for the 1st build, so I don't have to reorder right away. Shipping from the suppler in CA is like $30 right now! Should be able to get both blocks out of one of these:
I think this was the block I previously milled to make the side braces. Hopefully I can get 10 braces that are 3/32" out of this remnant!
Supplier where I got those neck/tail blocks were out of spruce kerf linings, so I ordered from a different place that had it in the states and is on it's way. I am open for directions from anyone who has a recommendation on how to mill the cutaway corner block to fit properly! That's all for now.
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In my builder’s supply shop they used to have these ‘shape copiers’, like a stack of metal pins that could move individually and held together by a clever frame. But somehow I have a feeling you know about those given your substantial knowledge and skills, not to mention Festool (drool).
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Maybe taping the inside of the mold at the block location and then spray-paint to create a positive template? I’m watching your progress and learning, although I’m thinking of a laser cutter and birch ply for the sides of my future project
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Originally Posted by Eck
Originally Posted by Eck
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Got to the shop for a day last weekend and milled up some of the leftover spruce for more side braces:
Amazingly, I had a piece left over measuring 1" thick and and at least 2.5" wide. Being that I used 4" for a 15" guitar, this one I'm making 3.75" as it's a 12.5" body:
Since then, I decided I'm going to make the final guitar thickness 2 1/2", I will cut this to 2 1/4" thickness next time I'm at the shop (2 1/8" side + 1/8" excess).
Neck block cut to size (I think I did 2.5" wide, similar to last guitar):
RIP Nick Gravenites
Today, 05:48 PM in The Players