Finished Shots - Trini Lopez 335 ish Tribute

meltedbuzzbox

Looks brilliant mate.

I need to tell you where I want my switches and bits aren't I?

Andyjr1515

meltedbuzzbox said:

Looks brilliant mate.

I need to tell you where I want my switches and bits aren't I?

Great - thanks.

And yes you do
(actually, still no rush - the fretboard will take me a little while)

Andyjr1515

Grandparent duties done and it's back to the other little beauty

I got a lovely piece of ebony from Luthierwood.com.  We are going for a 'standard' 12" radius at 24 3/4" scale.

First out was the excellent radius router jig from G&W:


It makes quick and accurate work of getting the basic radius, ready for a final 20 mins or so sanding with a block to remove the router-bit step lines.  Good time to top up my stash of ebony dust too    :


Next, the equally excellent G&W mitre-block to cut the fret slots:


All done - actually 24 done although it will probably be cut off after the 22nd to make sure the neck pickup is in the right place.

I will leave the fretboard double-sided-taped on the template to keep it flat until I've done the swift inlays at the 12th.

All being well, the treble-side top (just placed on top here) will be able to be glued, trimmed and carved later this week:

DartmoorHedgehog

Nice to see all the wrinkle detail on the trunk.
Sorry... looking really good

Andyjr1515

DartmoorHedgehog said:

Nice to see all the wrinkle detail on the trunk.

Just for you
  

Corvus

Top stuff as always Andy ...

Andyjr1515

Corvus said:

Top stuff as always Andy ...

You say the nicest things   

Thanks 

Jazzthat

That looks stunning already ! I can't wait to see it with all hardware on it  and hopefully hear how it sounds .

Andyjr1515

Jazzthat said:

That looks stunning already ! I can't wait to see it with all hardware on it  and hopefully hear how it sounds .

Thanks! 

To everyone's relief - especially those who have heard me play - the sounds are more likely to come via @meltedbuzzbox ; when he finally gets his hands on it   



The next step is a big one - the second half of the top will be shortly glued on.  @meltedbuzzbox has given me his preferred controls layout.  We're actually going for a fairly conventional 3-way toggle with two volumes, master tone and top-mounted jack.

The pots will be fine with the ebony thickness, but knowing the broad positions will now allow me to rout the areas where the 3-way and jack socket will go, as slimming down the ebony will be nigh-on impossible once the top is fitted.

The 3-way switch rout is done with a similar area for the jack socket next to do.  Note the all-essential A4 paper trace so I know exactly where the thinned areas are when I come to drill the holes some time in the near future and after the holes are drilled  



The similar rout for the jack socket will only take a few minutes but I will wait until the morning before gluing on the top - this is no time for rushing but time for double and triple checking stuff first!  

davros

Definitely nervewracking closing the box!!! I did the same last weekend, double and triple checking everything fitted and the nuts would go on!

Andyjr1515

davros said:

Definitely nervewracking closing the box!!! I did the same last weekend, double and triple checking everything fitted and the nuts would go on!

Yes - watched that on your thread with great interest

Andyjr1515

Well...too late to change our minds now

It's a lot of clamps but they are actually only finger tight so as not to crush the relatively delicate walnut back.  The cauls are not only to protect the top and back but also to spread the load for a good, tight joint all round.  



And look what came, beautifully packaged, from @meltedbuzzbox this morning:


Hmm...that's class! 

Andyjr1515

The second side looks OK.  No gaps and no movement out of position.  Next job with that is trimming the edges flush with the sides and repeating the carve (maybe a touch more carving beyond that once I've seen how the whole thing looks.

Here it is in its 'raw' state:


The fretboard may or may not have some dots, but regardless, we're going for a couple of swifts at the 12th.  Same method as usual:

MoP cut with a jewellers saw:


Pencil line around the inlays on the board, and a Dremel with precision router base and 1mm bit to cut out the chambers.  One in and one to go:


And glued in with epoxy mixed with a generous amount of ebony sanding dust to invisibly fill any gaps:


Once that's set, they will be sanded flush with the radius sanding block.  And that - plus any further progress - will be tomorrow because I can hear the irresistible beckoning of a Friday gin... 

Cheers all 

Andyjr1515

And sanded down, we have a couple of swifts:


Main job for the weekend is re-sharpening my block plane blade and carving the second side of the guitar top

Andyjr1515

Basic top carve done there or thereabouts.  The fretboard will be shorter than this (this is still cut at 24 frets) and so the neck pickup position will be higher by two or three cm, but it gives a decent idea of the general arrangement:


With the Mojo's, it will look more like this:

WezV

That's very fancy.

meltedbuzzbox

As always, it's looking great Andy

meltedbuzzbox

I think I might need to buy a bridge that matches the shiny shiny of the pickups and the maestro Andy.

davros

Looking amazing! Looks like maybe the bridge is chrome and the other parts are nickel.

That ebony will really look amazing under finish

Andyjr1515

meltedbuzzbox said:

I think I might need to buy a bridge that matches the shiny shiny of the pickups and the maestro Andy.

davros said:

Looking amazing! Looks like maybe the bridge is chrome and the other parts are nickel.

Yes - this is just one out of my bits box to show where it will go.  I'm thinking a tonepros roller in nickel...?

The Steinbergers are also chrome but that won't show as much because of where they are.