righty, here we go again!!! the mando is finished. truss rod cover made & attached and it's now waiting for the customer to paypal me the dosh. Rediculously cheap as there is a flaw on one of the bends. I just want my costs back out of it. I'm happy, he's happy, we're all happy!!!

I got a LOAD done on the bouzouki this week. neck carved, a HEAP of sanding then a tryout of my new spray gun. Using a hook that's meant to hold a paint can onto a ladder, I hang the instrument by a tuner hole. then spray using water based varnish. to avoid drips I'm doing half coats. this is 4 coats on and after a night drying I'll sand it smooth tomorrow then get a few more coats on & let it cure ovr the christmas break.

I've started another acoustic for a pal. back & sides are Granadillo, a mexican hardwood. Looks like a grainy mahogany and smells WONDERFUL as it's sanded!!! top is cedar and for a first I'm gonna do a segmented rosette. I cut the donut with the fly cutter as usual then marked it at 30 degrees and cut it up into bitesize pieces (being careful to keep them in order!!!)

then glued them in with a maple purfling strip to separate the segments and round the whole thing inside & outside. I the put a sheet of polythene over the top and piled a stack of wood to hold it tight to let the glue dry.

More pix when I get the chance.

so here's the bouzouki with the mahogany bindings. I'm really looking forward to this one!!!

OK, so what have I been up to?

well, I'm still waiting for the bits & pieces to arrive from Stewmac (it is the busy time for the postal folks so I suppose I can't get too grumpy!!

the doubleneck languishes without the 6 string neck strung. I need the tuners!!!!

I carried on a bit with the cutaway mando, and it is pretty much done. Danish oil again, and all that is needed is the truss rod cover.


I've rigged a hot pipe bender to use on the new wood I got yesterday. Just a lump of Aluminium pipe with a bung in one end and a heat gun.

and here's the wood it's gonna be used on. left is granadillo, a mexican wood that looks quite like teak, and right is leopardwood whick looks just amazing!!!

the granadillo is earmarked for a minijumbo for a friend who wants a guitar for his wife. The Leopard wood has no plans so far.........

The Les Paul Build is stalled until I get the Stewmac bits and I bent the sides for a mandonaught in maple after trying the wallpaper stripper method of bending the sides for a guitar and wrecking them completely (hence the hot pipe!!) there's also a Guitar shaped bouzouki in walnut/cedar awaiting the stewmac parcel!!!