Archtop & Solidbody. Languedoc inspired

PhilKing

That sounds really great.  I'm not sure if I want to put inlays in that fingerboard, it looks so nice.  I know the Languedoc has the small inlays, and maybe they would look good?

WezV

The luminlay works well as a small dot option for the face as well

WezV

@PhilKing ; we may have an issue with Luminlay as they are not  currently shipping to the UK, apparently due to the current situation in Russia and flight paths from Japan to Europe.

I can have a play making something similar out of luminous powder and resin and see if we get something I can use here.

Roland

@wezv I’ve got a piece if you’d like a centimetre 

davros

How about glow in the dark fimo? Don't know if it would be hard enough after baking

PhilKing

Hi Wez,  I think I can get it here and ship it to you.  Let me check.

WezV

Thanks @Roland, I could do with a bit more I think.  It does seem to go a long way though, I had one order from them years ago that managed to do 6 guitars

i assume other hardware supplies from japan will be getting it quite hard by this.

PhilKing said:

Hi Wez,  I think I can get it here and ship it to you.  Let me check.

if you can that would be good, although looking into powders I might be able to give more colour options if I make my own. also more options for the outer ring

PhilKing

Just ordered it in two sizes, 2mm for the edge and 4mm for the front.  Both the black wrapped.  I was thinking that the front might look good against the top edge of the fingerboard (I think you have done the hollow body like that).

WezV

Top carve day.

I start by marking on some contours


Then it's time to route some ledges, I freehand these here.  I have templates I made for a LP carve, but its just to remove bulk material for the carve, so doesn't need to be (and isnt) perfect.  I moved outside the workshop for this as its a nice day and it makes a lot of mess

After that I added the neck angle to the top,  and started going at it with a violin plane and curved scraper.  

Eventually we have a nicely subtle carved top plate






This plate is 8mm at the outer edge and a full 24mm in the centre.   Thats quite a deep carve for a small guitar, so I'm happy I managed to keep it o smooth and subtle.

PhilKing

That's looking great Wez.  I like the grain in the top.  The Luminlay arrived, so I will get it posted next week.   

Andyjr1515

Great progress, @WezV ;  

We had the same Luminlay discussion and other stuff from Japan on the Basschat forum.  It's all a bit of a challenge!

PeteC

Quick work on the carve!  - its looking very good already. 

WezV

It is sctually still a bit bumpy behind the bridge  but very close for the initial carve.   Will go back over it in a few days and make sure I am happy before I start on the inside carve. Also want to leave a bit of wood for final shaping once it's attached

WezV

Working on the neck today.

Board isn't attached yet, but its bound ready to go on




Walnut headplate is on, binding is cut and bent to fit


Interesting wood patterns round back from the marbl3d paduak, looks like bacon. should be fun once carved

PhilKing

WezV said:

Interesting wood patterns round back from the marbled paduak, looks like bacon. should be fun once carved

My wife should love that - she's vegan!

WezV

No pigs or snakes have been harmed in the making of this neck.

guitargeek62

WezV said:

No pigs or snakes have been harmed in the making of this neck.

..yet!

WezV

quick mockup,



I have started the carve on the inside using the drill press method to mark depth

Guess i need to start thinking about F-hole and control layout as i will need to sort all that before attaching the top to the rims

the Languedoc's used for inspiration come with 3 styles of f-hole.  Single slash and double f-holes shown below, and a slash both sides.  They also tend to group the controls very close to the bridge


Originally I was thinking of 2 f-holes, but need to plan it carefully as the dog ear mounts may end up quite close, add in the controls in those locations and it could look quite messy in that area.

WezV

carving the inside.  started with lots of drill holes to mark the depth
 
next stage is to use a gouge to remove most of those drill marks like this


My drill press doesn't quite reach the center, so i'm slowly working down the bump there.  once that is done i will finish off with a small round bottomed plane and scrapers to make it all flow nicely and go further out to the edges and slightly into the horns





yes, there is a small void on the join of the top, but it's in an area that will be routed away by the neck pocket

WezV

Second pass at carving the inside, this time with scrapers and a sander.  It's nearly there, but needs to settle a bit before I finalise it, and likely extend into the horns.     I also had another pass on the front as I felt a few bumps I hadn't spotted the first time round 

I am working with flatsawn wood here, which looks lovely but is more likely to warp as it settles into into new complex shape.  Not too much of a problem, but it means I need to go slow and give plenty of time for things to settle before the next step.   The good thing about cherry is it changes colour quite quickly, so it acts as a guide for where I have already worked and a quick scrape on the oxidized surface shows any bumps really clearly