Martin Edwards Luthier

2012-01-25T19:02:00.001Z

OK the headscratching over string gauges continues.

my regular acoustic has a scale length of 645mm like a martin dread.....

I have a supply of D'Addario strings that I got bulk a while back for pennies, with the gauges:

13 / 17 / 26w / 35w / 45w / 56w

the tuning is standard E A D G B E........

now, the tenor has a scale of (lets average it) 550mm

tuned GDAE

so.......

the G string is just about right at 56 as the open G on the tenor is almost exactly the same as an E on a regular guitar fretted at the 3rd fret (a G!!)

the top E is 100 mm or so shorter than on a regular guitar, so it SHOULD go thicker.....at the minute I have the 13 on there, but I MIGHT just try the 17 ........

and in the middle?

well. I put the 45 on as the D. its 100mm shorter than it would be on a regular, but its tuned two semitones higher than the 3rd fret...... it'll do......

first attempt had the 17 on the A position but that meant it was loose.... regular guitar on a 3rd fret it'd be a C, but here its only an A..... it was loose, floppy and just not as nice as it should have been......

but with the 26 on there its a lot nicer on a regular guitar, that string would be playing at Ab on the 3rd fret so it's only a semitone away.......

so, all in all I THINK I'm sorted... at least I will be tomorrow when I swop the top E for the 17 just to see.....

I'll play it in for a day or two and then decide for certain, and sort the intonation and fit the pup

2012-01-24T20:00:00.003Z

the bridge takes a lot of thinking, being angled and all that......

but after rough making a nut, suing my patented bridge placer, its all ready to cut around and then use a sharp chisel to remove the varnish under the bridge. a little glue, a few hours drying time and we'll be ready for strings!

and here we go!!

still a load of setup to do, so I'll leave it under tension for a while before I get too involved in that. the string gauges will take a bit of thinking about too....

anyway still to do: nut tidied, intonation set on bridge, under saddle piezo and strap jack preamp fitted, and the frets polished. still, even as it is, I had a wee tinkle on it earlier and it has potential!!

2012-01-20T16:42:00.002Z

heel cap glued on and fret marked fitted.

traditionally instruments tuned in 5ths have a dot on the 10th fret while guitars (and bass guitars) have the dot on the 9th....

to save confusion, I just did 3,5,7,& 12.

a load of sanding, the the fretboard masked off and ready for some clear coat....

2012-01-19T20:26:00.001Z

neck work.....

fretboard radiused

back of neck carved

fretted

test fitting....... Looking like a guitar!!

neck glued in place.

and before someone starts, I KNOW the frets aren't parallel, and the tuner holes are asymetric. they're MEANT to be!!

2012-01-17T16:58:00.002Z

Holes drilled on the top edge

braces carved and maple bridge plate fitted

top glued to sides

binding with a black & white purfling strip

2012-01-11T17:02:00.002Z

started on a tenor guitar.

blame Seth Lakeman I suppose......

and as it's #80 (ie a "10" instruemnt) it has the potential to go off piste a little......

so, fanned frets, check

soundholes along the top edge rather than the front, check

two cutaways like a SG, check

mahogany back & sides, spruce top ebony fretboard & bridge, bone nut saddle & pins.

lets get stuck in!!

sides bent

back joined to sides

neck glued up, mahogany with a thin pencil line veneer of maple up the centre fretboard marked out with scale 560mm on the bass side and 530mm on the treble and the 8th fret being perpendicular

top rim beefed up to take the sound holes

and top bracing started

2011-12-19T22:54:00.002Z

cutaway guitar nearly done. strings on, a little fine tuning once the instrument settles under tension.

2011-12-16T16:36:00.001Z

mando:

top and back glued to sides

edges trimmed

binding slot cut

walnut binding on

2011-12-16T16:33:00.001Z

Work on the cutaway guitar.....

tuners in, frets levelled nut cut

bridge made and glued into place

2011-12-15T17:07:00.002Z

some time spent with the OM today.

I'll leave it for a week or so under tension to settle then see about a final setup.

because the scale length is slightly shorter than a bouzouki would be I've tilted the neck back an extra couple of degrees to increase the break angle of the strings over the bridge. no where near the angle of a violin, but just a little more than regular to help drive the top. (shorter scale means less tension unless you go up a gauge of strings)

2011-12-15T16:58:00.002Z

So what's a guy to do while he's waiting for the varnish on a guitar and an octave mandolin to dry?

I know!!

what about make another mando!!?

Mahogany back & sides, spruce top.

2011-12-13T21:23:00.000Z

It's spray time!!

2011-12-11T08:27:00.001Z

so, a load of sanding and ready for finish.....

the pics don't show it so well, but this top has a nice bit of bearclaw figure across it. subtle and pretty.....

2011-12-07T22:20:00.003Z

More neck work.

fretboard radiused and stained black (ebony isn't uniformly black y'know.....

frets in and the neck body joint fine tuned a little.....

and similar to the OM. without the blackening. rosewood isn't black......

this is ready to glue in now, but I've run out. Hopefully I'll get some tomorrow!

2011-12-01T18:06:00.002Z

A bit of neck work on the cutaway guitar..

and the OM....

bracing on the top

body closed

bound in walnut

and some neck work.

before long it will look like an instrument!!

2011-11-23T17:51:00.001Z

#79 mahogany spruce Octave mandolin

sides bent, back braced and attached to sides.

top joined and rosette cut

and partially sanded.

2011-11-10T17:55:00.001Z

so, I have a minor problem......

the two lefty mandos I'm just finishing off.....

the one with the bone saddle and the pickup, I KNOW where it's going, but I've lost the email addy for the person who said they were interested in the other one!! if by chance you read this and say "hey, that's mine!" drop me an email and claim it OK?

thanks!!

2011-10-26T19:51:00.002+01:00

well the inspectors have moved on and while we aren't allowed to say how well we did until it's published in December..... well, no-one's geting sacked!! but then again, that tells you nothing as they can't sack you on the strength of a single inspection anyway........

As a result of the ETI visit and all the extra stress involved, luthier work has been limited.

the guitar has had the back braced and fitted to the body.

the top braced

and fitted

the two mandos both have strings on, and need a little setting up to finish them. the one with the bone saddle in the bridge still needs the pickup fitted.

sadly I WON'T have them done before the Half term break which starts at 1pm tomorrow, but they WILL (hopefully anyway) be done by the end of the week we get back.

2011-10-07T17:11:00.002+01:00

I'm TRYING to find time to get some lutherie done, but unfortunately, those lovely people at the schools inspectorate have decided that my school is in need of a visit, so the last couple of weeks have been spent haring round like crazy making sure all the paperwork is 150% upto date and all the wall displays are recent......

still, I managed a LITTLE bit.......

a little setup work on the lefty mando #75..... still a fair bit to do though,

#76 is ready for tuners and all that malarkey....

#77 the cutaway guitar has the neck & tail blocks glued in and the linings in......

2011-09-30T16:45:00.000+01:00

#77 rosette sanded smooth

sides bent

and brought together.....

2011-09-29T19:52:00.002+01:00

#75 has strings on!!

bridge cut and slotted for the pickup and bone saddle. nut slotted and screws inserted to tuners.

still a LOT of setting up to do before I even considder fitting the pickup under the saddle. I'll leave it under tension for a week to let it settle first.

2011-09-29T19:46:00.002+01:00

#77 a cutaway acoustic guitar, Mahogany back & sides, sitka spruce top.

back and top joined.....

ebony fretboard slotted...

rosette?

haven't done a segmented one in a while, so first cut the pieces to fit and superglue them onto a scrap of worktop....

use the flycutter to cut the slot on the top and the ring of the rosette....

the dremel lifts out the wood between the cuts on the top, and the rosette ring goes in instead.

2011-09-23T16:27:00.002+01:00

mando #76

got a load done over the last couple of weeks but my PC wasn't talking to blogger, so I couldn't upload them.....

still!

fretslots cut

trussrod slot cut and fretboard glued on...

neck rough carved

frets on.....

neck glued onto body....

starting to look like a mando!

2011-09-23T16:23:00.002+01:00

#75 has tuners on (though I still have to fit the retaining screws.....

because this one will have a pickup, I need a jack socket. the easiest way to manage this is a strap jack fitted through the tailpiece.........

2011-09-12T20:20:00.001+01:00

Cherry mando #76

rosewood fretboard planed and marked out for fret slots.....

and a laminate of mahogany/Black walnut/mahogany for the neck

2011-09-12T20:14:00.002+01:00

back after the summer holidays and a chance to get some work done!!

so, the cherry mando (#75) fretboard profiled and frets fitted, then the neck glued into place......

fret markers in on 3,5,7 & 12, and yes I KNOW tyhey're on the wrong side, this ones a lefty.

tuner holes drilled and a LOAD of sanding done....

then a coat of varnish to see if there are any glue spots I missed.....

2011-06-29T16:18:00.001+01:00

rosewood binding on body and neck test fitted.

and I'm afraid that's pretty much me for the summer. Tomorrow is the last day of term so I'll be locked out of my workshop until September.

Ah well!!

2011-06-16T18:33:00.002+01:00

cherry mando....

ears glued onto headstock

headstock face sanded smooth

fret slots cut in fretboard and waste trimmed from round the body

truss rod slot cut

fingerboard glued onto neck

2011-06-13T20:00:00.003+01:00

Mango bouzouki:

after a sand down and another four coats the zouk is ready for the shiny bits:

tuners

tail piece

a nut and bridge are fabricated, and strings installed.

I'll leave it under tension for a week or so before I do the final set up.

2011-06-10T16:55:00.002+01:00

Cherry Mando.....

neck blank planed ready for shaping

F holes cut and internal braces glued in place

back brace glued in, carved and then back glued onto sides

and once the top braces are carved, the top is glued in place......

2011-06-09T20:49:00.003+01:00

I was sawing up some American Cherry yesterday.

as I opened up the bookmatch, I found two shiny blobs, one on each side......

what on earth?

clearly not iron or steel as the saw never made a sound as it went through......

so hoked them out of the wood...

and it's a bullet!!

the next couple of slices have a hole where it passed through, then the next (on the right) has a split. other cuts after that had noting.... no mark at all.....

so I'm thinking this has been in there a LOOOOOONG time....

I've seen barbed wire and nails and rubbish before, but NEVER a bullet!!

I've heard of guitars being shot, but never before they've even been built!

2011-06-09T20:42:00.002+01:00

cherry/cedar mando #75

juyst started a mando. I love this time of year in school as my senior exam classes have disappeared so I have a load of non contact time..... what's guy to do other than get into the workshop?

so, sides bent

neck & tail blocks glued in

linings glued in

neck laminated..... three layers of walnut (claro, american black, claro) with a pencil line of a maple veneer seperating them.....

back and top cut out and jointed

2011-06-09T20:34:00.002+01:00

right, lots of bassy goodness.....

fretless 5 is as done as it's going to be for the forseeable.... loads of hassle with the piezo preamp so I just closed it up and left it! Some day I'll get back to it, but for now, it'll do!!

just back from a band practice in church, and thru my Trace Elliot rig with a 15" speaker, its BOOMING!!

love it!!

heres what my study looks like now.....

2011-06-02T15:43:00.001+01:00

first finish coat on mango zouk.....

six coats, then dry over the weekend and sand, before a few more coats.

2011-05-31T16:35:00.002+01:00

Mango bouzouki......

binding on

neck shaped, fretted and set in place for a pic.....

tuner holes drilled,glued onto the body, heel cap glued on, ready for final shaping

2011-05-31T16:26:00.002+01:00

Back again!! blogspot hasn't been letting me in for a week, so a little catching up to do......

fretless bass.....

I was at a loss about what to do with the fingerboard. Unfinished? tru-oil? danish oil? then I got a stewmac "trades secrets" email which suggested using superglue as a fingerboard finish.

huh?

well I researched a bit and it seems that there are folks who do this......

so, 10 tubes for £1 from poundland, so why not? worst cae scenario, I can sand it all off again!!

wet sanded and then polished up, it's looking pretty nice!

then a few coats of Tru oil on the neck and body

and tuner holes drilled...

the pots I'm going to use haven't arrived yet so I'm not drilling holes for them till I see them, so I decided to make a back coverplate next....

and then the strings arrived, so I had to get them on and try it out! nut cut and a temporary jack soldered straight onto the pickup wires....

it works!!

2011-05-19T16:42:00.002+01:00

bouzouki top on, and binding channel routed

ears glued onto head, truss rod slot cut and fretboard glued on

2011-05-19T16:39:00.002+01:00

fretless bass body amnd mango top glued....

then cut out, neck pocket routed, front edge rounded

neck in place, pickup route still to be done.

2011-05-16T16:59:00.002+01:00

fretless bass.... fingerboard sanded....

internal circuitry

there will be a regular humbucker pickup and a piezo bridge. I have a number of guitars with piezo bridges and there is always a problem linking the two signals together for a single cable run.. so, to try to get around that, the plan is to have a seperate preamp for each of the pups then blend them afterwards. from what I've been able to glean on the net, the opamp circuit I'm using SHOULD do the job nicely with only one resistor to be changed between the teo pup types.

here's my first one, for the magnetic pick up. I haven't tried it with strings, but all connected up with a pup, when a screwdriver is scraped across the pole pieces it makes all the right noises!!

2011-05-13T17:49:00.001+01:00

bouzouki back braced.....

neck block and linings...

back glued to sides

2011-05-13T17:47:00.001+01:00

Mango bouzouki...

soundhole support patch glued on....

rosette made.....

soundhole cut

neck laminated. walnut, cherry, maple, cherry, walnut.

2011-05-13T17:42:00.002+01:00

fretless.....

but with markers where the frets WOULD be.....

slots sawn...

glue...

maple strips inserted and taped down...

then flipped over and clamped to the tabletop to make sure the tape doesn't loosen and let then rise...

2011-05-06T18:33:00.003+01:00

work done on the fretless neck.

maple blank cut out and marked roughly what goes where.....

truss rod slot cut and truss rod fitted

so, I'm going to have inlay strips where the frets would be if there were any. I'm also not going to fork out an extra £30 for a bass sized fingerboard when teo guitar sized ones can be had for £6...... so, after some careful measuring and cutting, the join between the two pieces will be under a fret line.......

and the back piece glued on.....

rough cut and the head recessed.

2011-05-04T17:06:00.002+01:00

a couple of new builds started. a mango bouzouki and a fretless bass.

the zouk?

back & sides cut & planed

and sides bent

and the bass....

two piece beech body joined

and carying on the mango theme, it will have a mango cap.

2011-04-05T20:17:00.000+01:00

All done!!

listed on eBay on Thursday

2011-03-26T19:10:00.003Z

several coats of varnish, sanded down between coats and then steel wooled to finish.

tuners fitted

2011-03-18T17:05:00.001Z

binding on, neck carved and fitted, heel plate on, tuner holes drilled

lots of sanding and first coat of varnish on

2011-02-28T16:30:00.001Z

archtop mando #70

back brace carved and back glued to sides:

top braces carved & fitted, then toip glued to body (sorry forgot pic of braces!)

and trimmed ready for binding

2011-02-26T09:21:00.002Z

I had a rummage in my woodpile and found a big chunk of western red cedar that I'd nearly forgotten about......

I've been thinking about the idea of a carved top mandolin for ages now, and rather than the hassle of the A style neck join with all those intersecting curves, I've decided to go more celtic, with the same type of neck join as tha last couple of bouzoukis..

for some reason the decade builds (50, 60, 70 etc seem to be something a little out of the ordinary, so here we go with #70!!)

so, lets start with a body shape.....

the top joined...

rough cut with the mango back...

to get the curve on the top, mark it out, set the depth gauge on the pillar drill and drill a million holes.....

after some carving, some sanding and cutting the f holes....

after much MORE sanding......

sides bent

neck & tail blocks in and linings glued in place

back brace glued in place

2011-02-26T09:18:00.002Z

zouk all done!!

2011-02-10T17:21:00.001Z

neck attached to body, heel cap in walnut glued in place, and lots of sanding!!

tuner holes drilled....

and first coats of varnish on

2011-02-09T17:13:00.002Z

Fret marker dots (mother of pearl) fitted and the fretboard sanded to a 14" radius

frets in...

and then FORCED in my handy dandy fret forcing jig.

just a plank of iroko with a v shaped slot in it. clamping the newly fretted neck in it makes sure all the fret ends are nicely pressed home.

2011-02-08T16:15:00.000Z

A little neck work today, shaping the headstock and getting the neck/body join sorted....

2011-02-07T16:47:00.002Z

Walnut binding on the cherry zouk....

I LOVE working with fruitwoods. the smell is GORGEOUS!!

mitred joints this time as my head of dept gave me a hard time over the simple butt joints on the last one!!

amd a little neck work....

truss rod slot cur, fretboard and cherry headplate fitted.

2011-02-04T17:04:00.002Z

hopefully I'll remember to detail this build!!

so, a cherry/spruce bouzouki, with rosewood fretboard and f-holes.

sides bent

neck & tail blocks in, linings started....

braces on back....

and back fitted to sides.... there is a walnut strip up the centre of the back, which will match the walnut binding round the edges of the body

top with f-holes cut and bracing bars in place...

and body closed

fret slots cut

fretboard extention glued and neck tenon cut

and ears glued on to make headstock

2011-02-04T17:02:00.001Z

I've been spending more time building than blogging.....

heres a family shot of two mandolins and a bouzouki.....

one of the mandos is likely to be heading to the US, the other will be going on eBay, and the zouk will be heading to Buckinghamshire.....

2010-12-22T09:11:00.001Z

Mahogany zouk 65

back jointed with an ovangkol strip

sides bent

linings on

2010-12-22T09:08:00.000Z

mango mando 66

some mango....

sides bent

back jointed

neck & tail blocks in & linings glued in

2010-12-22T09:06:00.001Z

Mango zouk prertty much finished apart from som fret polishing.

2010-12-08T17:00:00.002Z

mango topped bass is nearly done.....

tuners in, raked back for speed!!

neck on and strung up

backplate

concentric volume (centre) and tone, the switch is a coil split.

still a lot of set up to do, and the screws holding the pick up in place need replaced as the heads were destroyed screwing them in, but I've been playing this and I'm very happy!!

2010-12-08T16:57:00.001Z

Mango zouk progressing nicely.....

neck rough cut

neck/body join

neck joined and frets in....

and after some sanding a splash of finish...

that mango is LOVELY!!

2010-12-03T17:15:00.002Z

Mango/cedar zouk.....

top on, maple binding fitted, sanded and a coat of lacquer to show up where needs sanded.....

the neck is made from two pieces of really pale mahogany, glued together for thickness, then cut out and a mango faceplate glued on, and truss rod slot cut

fretboard slotted and glued in place

the hardware is going onto the bass.......

and the neck is all sanded and a coat of lacquer on. I'll drill the holes for the tuners when they finally arrive!

2010-11-26T18:28:00.002Z

bass body is sanded, and varnished. 6 coats on here......

bouzouki top (cedar) joined and mango rosette fitted....

and top bracing glued in place

2010-11-19T16:07:00.002Z

So on my latest scrounging escapade I fell in with some mango.

Aparently its used a lot for Ukeleles, so some of it will find it's way into my instrument making......

so, to see what it's like to work with I cut some up, planed off the manky dark stain and made a little trinket box.....(with a cherry top and base)

I LIKE this wood!!

so, anyway, lets build a bouzouki......

sides bent....

back joined with a wide strip of ovangkohl up the middle....

linings on the rim and neck and tail blocks glued in...

and back braces glued on

2010-11-17T23:00:00.002Z

I have been sadly remiss in updating this blog lately!!

OK background. My back is giving me a lot of trouble at the minute, so rather than staying after work for an hour or more I've been limpoing off home to get ice packs and relaxation......

but still, here's some progress.....

the archtop...

I TRIED a sunburst.

It was awful!!, so its now nicely understated in black.

lots of setup still to do, but its really comfy to play and it sounds really pretty nice, especially plugged it.

I've also started a bass. pretty straight forward, 4 string, single humbucker, coil split, concentric tone & volume & individual bridges..... body ash with a mango cap, neck maple with a synthetic fretboard.

and of course with seperate bridges, you need an earth wire to each one, so here are the 4 holes for the earths.....

2010-10-16T14:44:00.003+01:00

so, ever seen a fanned fret archtop?

me neither!!

sounds like as good a reason as any to have a go!!

fret slots cut

binding onto neck...

test fitting of neck onto body.....

frets on neck

first coats of finish on top

the PLAN is to try a old Gibson style black & yellow sunburst. I'll wet sand the clear coat smooth, then all the yellow burst, clear coat, sand smooth again then balck and then seal it with a few more coats of clear.

if it all goes pear shaped then I'll just go all black!!

once the top is done, I'll glue in the neck and tidy up the neck join before finishing the neck neck, back and sides.

2010-10-16T14:40:00.002+01:00

neck & tail blocks glued in...

top carved and sanded

tone bars fitted, top & back glued onto rim...

F holes cut (before attaching top) and tail piece carved....

neck blank is 3 pieces of mahogany with 2 strips of cherry for looks.....

2010-10-16T14:29:00.002+01:00

Always fancied an archtop, ever since the George Michael Faith video......

anyway,

no money to be spent as it's for me.... so back and sides cheapest mahogany I can find in the stash, top will be bracing wood, neck to be mahogany scraps. neck and tailpiece from ebony I have laying around.

I want a double cutaway with F holes though......

I HAVE read Benedetto's book on archtops so I'm not TOTALLY in the dark, but I'm not following his plans, just his layout.....

all righty....

body mould, I had already, the back will be two cheap "bending practice" sides joined to make a 4 piece back...

the top is a bunch of bracing billets glued up...

a double cutaway'sa symetry is likely to be a problem, so I'm bending a single side and then splitting it into two symetrical sides.... smart huh?

2010-10-16T14:23:00.002+01:00

so, I have a drum that the music dept were throwing away.....

I've always fancied a six string banjo......

hmmmmmmmmmmm

so, chop it in half......

add a back....

a neck.......

the tailpiece off an old acoustic guitar, bent to shape.......

and a maple bridge.....

yay!!

gitjo!!

2010-08-22T18:43:00.001+01:00

after a couple of coats of clear, and a 45 min lunch break, it's time to assemble....

tuners on....

pup in and the volume pot and jack socket soldered together......

control plate screwed into place.....

and once the fret layout is printed and stuck on under a sheet of clear acrylic......

its playable!!

in the car and heading home before 3 pm!!

he did the vast majority of the work.

I marked stuff out for him and did the curved cut under the head, and did the fretboard layout and made the acrylic cover for it, but he did ALL the rest.

as I'm typing this all I can hear is him playing "another one bites the dust" and "smoke on the water"!!!

2010-08-22T18:40:00.001+01:00

tuner holes marked out and drilled......

and then the whole thing sanded a bit.....

after studying the colours available he decides on red......

as the first two coats dry, its onto the metal work (11.00 am!)

this is shaping the end of the steel (ok, its a lump of brass bar, but it's still CALLED a steel!!

Cut out the bridge & nut.....

once the holes are drilled the ends are filed and emeried smooth....

2010-08-22T18:38:00.001+01:00

so, it's the school holidays, but due to contractual commitments I need to show my face in the building on one day during the summer break.

at the end of this year in his school, 12 year old Joshua will have a "make a musical instrument" competition......

hmmmmmm......

everyone else makes shakers with pasta & a pringles tube or wraps some rubber bands round a shoe bow to make a twangy thing........

Josh is going to make a lap steel, he plays cello, so he WANTS a 4 string tuned CGDA, but so that there's room for expansion down the road, I've persuaded him that six string availablility is a good thing, even if he only puts on 4 strings FOR NOW..........

so, 9.30 or so, josh has a block of Beech.....

I cut the awkward curve under the headstock, but he cuts the sides....

and then sands them....

the route for the pup is marked out and then drilled with a fostner bit......

then squared up on the vertical mill.

2010-07-17T17:49:00.003+01:00

Hi Lucy, If you've found this then you've made it home and found a PC!!

OK you said you wanteds a guitar to take back to Nepal......

What's your timescale?

I'm out of the school workshop where I do my guitarmaking until the end of August. If you were to decide on a build it would be the end of October at the earliest before I could have something made for you.

if thats too late there is another option...

I have this rosewood spruce jumbo that is homeless. I was planning to put a pickup into it, and as you're a missionary I'd let you have it for cost. which is the same as the price I told you at New Wine..... Heres a few pics.......

anyway have a think and a pray and let me know!!

Martin

2010-06-26T08:53:00.002+01:00

Glen's Les Paul is also done and home. there was a problem with one of the pickups so we had to wait for the EXCELLENT customer service from guitarfetish to replace the dead one, but here we are...... He did a great job and he now has a pretty good guitar!! my onlyu concern is that he is now fully bitten by the guitar building bug, so I expect him to prolly make a guitar a year for his remaining 4/6 years in the school!!

2010-06-26T08:51:00.000+01:00

Catch up time!!

OK the explorer zouk is done ebayed sold and shipped.....

2010-05-22T09:04:00.003+01:00

pay it forward #60

nearly done.

bridge placing jig is REALLY handy with a fanned fret set up

still the nut to fine tune, bridge intonation to do and the frets to tidy.

2010-05-22T08:59:00.003+01:00

explorer zouk......

so, top on, bound and neck pocket cut.....

tuners & frets in, nut roughed and my handy dandy bridge placing jig.

bridge glued in and strings on.

amazingly, it sounds like a zouk!!

still a load of setup to do, and a pickup to fit, but I've playing the life out of this thing!!

2010-05-22T08:57:00.001+01:00

Glen's Lezzer.....

Glen worked really hard this week, wet sanding the body, then the neck was fitted and we threw all the shiny bits in place to see what it'll look like when it's done......

2010-05-05T17:29:00.002+01:00

no soundhole on the front, so the top edge is vented to allow airflow for the top movement

sides are made from blocks of mahogany.

the neck block is the whole front edge of the instrument. this used to be the leg of a pew in my church.......

the front edge is trimmed and a back brace added for support.

the top is the strangest shape I've ever had to work out a bracing pattern for, but here goes!!

2010-05-05T17:23:00.002+01:00

three words you don't often see together.......

acoustic

explorer

bouzouki

yup, I may (may!!!!) be mad, but I'm gonna go for it.

I have an acoustic mahogany back. an engleman top.

ebony for a fret board and mahogany for a neck.

so, the plan...... as close as I ever actually GET to a plan.........

thin acoustic style back.
thicker solid mahogany sides
thin acoustic engleman top
pinned acoustic bridge maybe 4 pins, maybe 8
bolt on neck
4 pairs of strings
8 tuners, PROBABLY all on the top side, but there is the possibility of other stuff........

oh yeah, no soundhole on the front, a series of holes on the top edge.

a piezo under the saddle and a endpin jack preamp with a battery hatch beside the endpin, no volume or tone controls, that's the sound guy's job.

plain wood finish?

maybe, maybe some colour going on, I'm so far not decided......

the outcome, will hopefully LOOK like an explorer from a distance, but the closer you look, the more of a "huh?" factor comes in.

as I'm using bits & pieces from the parts bin, I reckon it'll come in under the £100........

so, start with a pic from the net of a real explorer, and project it onto the wall, adjusting it to get the scxale length right (620mm). then trace it.

now we have a template!

which lies on the back.....

and the top

the top will need an extra wing to reach all the way up, and the back will have the joint slightly north of centre.......

2010-05-05T17:16:00.001+01:00

Glen's Les Paul has been well sanded and a first coat of clear lacquer goes on......

and it seems that I'm not the only one taking pics!!

2010-05-05T17:15:00.001+01:00

#60, the neck glued on & heel block attached.

2010-04-21T16:28:00.002+01:00

Glen's Les Paul.......

marked out for pick-ups, drilled out & the hole for the pick-up selector switch drilled.

the void behind the pick-up selector switch drilled, and recessed for the cover.

HOPEFULLY we'll be able to drill between the cavities so we won't need to put on a huge back cover.....but if we need to, we need to.....

2010-04-16T19:10:00.002+01:00

cutaway jumbo pretty much done.....

a hole to drill for the strap jack and a strap button on the heel, but other than that, we're there.

summing up,

Madagasgar rosewood Back, sides & rosette.
Bearclaw spruce top.
Ebony fretboard & bridge
mahogany & cherry 5 piech neck
bone nut, saddle & pins.

2010-04-14T17:56:00.001+01:00

Glen's Les Paul continues.....

after staining the fretboard he used the pillar drill to press in the frets....

2010-04-14T17:51:00.003+01:00

Ok, what's what?

the cutaway Jumbo is pretty much done. I've cut the saddle to sort intonation but I still need to deepen a couple of slots in the nut by a hair and drill a hole for the strap Jack. HOPEFULLY it'll be in the post to the US within the week. LOTS of pics to follow!!

Cherry OM....

bridge made & strings on

a few days to settle then I'll sort the intonation and finish the fretwork and fit the pick-up.....

the pay it forward guitar has the binding on.....

and I've carved the neck.....

the neck looks ok in position......

and the soundholes and the hole for the preamp are cut.

2010-03-26T16:35:00.002Z

cherry OM.

tuners fitted....

and now a choice of tail pieces.....

chrome?

or brass?

2010-03-26T16:30:00.001Z

#60 edges trimmed... it starts to look like a guitar!!

walnut tail wedge

to match the walnut bindings

and the neck profile cut.

2010-03-25T18:55:00.001Z

another few coats of finish onto the Cherry OM. Looks the same, so no pics!!

carved the bracing on #60

and then glued on the top.

no you CAN'T have too many clamps!

2010-03-24T16:49:00.002Z

#60... bridge plate glued in...

2010-03-24T16:47:00.001Z

banjo refit.......

new neck complete and fitted.....

and here's a very happy looking Joshua!!

2010-03-23T16:34:00.003Z

Banjo rebuild.

This mandolin banjo came my way via freecycle. wonderfully free of charge, but needing a LOT of work.

The neck angle is all off and the glue joint between the sides and the back has let go.

My PLAN at this stage is to keep the one piece drum section, repair the pot (the wooden surround) and fit a longer 4 string tenor neck, so that my #2 son who plays cello will have another instrument with the same tuning........ Worst case scenario is that the pot doesn't hold up and I'll have to make another one from scratch.

so, first it comes easily apart with the aid of a screw driver

then re glue the back & sides joint. I also added a L shaped block of wood to provide extra support when the neck goes back on.

and the neck is a piece of beech I had in the stash. I decided on a 550mm scale length..... there's probably a good reason for that....... anyway, the fretboard is East Indian rosewood. I have a drawer full of strat tuners so this will have a 4 on a side headstock.

2010-03-23T16:28:00.002Z

#60.....

back braces carved and fitted, back & sides attached.

the neck was a 3 piece blank left over from a build a while back. maple centre and mahogany on the sides. rosewood fretboard glued on after milling out the trussrod slot and sanding the angled headstock.

top bracing fitted.

2010-03-22T18:12:00.002Z

After playing around with 3 sizes of Mother of Pearl dots, Glen came up this design.

still needs a little sanding, but looking good so far!

2010-03-22T18:05:00.002Z

#60......

Variable scale fretboard cut.......

647mm & 610mm.....

and laid on the top to work out the bridge angle.....

linings on.....

back bracing on....

2010-03-18T16:27:00.002Z

It's pay it forward time again!!

for those folks who are new to my blog, I try to give away a guitar or mando every year, as a tithe, giving it back as it were. I get a LOAD of my wood for free, from church pews and skips (dumpsters) so it seems only fair to make something every now & then to give away.

Hopefully this will be finished by the summer when I'll be attending a few Christian festivals & conferences. Last time I did this I found a wonderful young woman who sang like an angel and played a cheap nylon stgrung guitar. it was an absolute pleasure to hand over a steel strung acoustic when she had no idea that it was up for grabs. the idea is that this will be given to someone at one of the things I'm at in the summer and I trust God to guide them to me and let me see that they're the "one" when it happens.

anyway, this will be a mahogany/engleman 00 sized acoustic with a pair... maybe three.... soundports on the top edge and none on the front. some sort of pickup system.......

anyway, here we go!!!!

the top..... Engleman spruce.

the back...... Mahogany.

the sides...... Mahogany

2010-03-17T22:52:00.002Z

Cherry OM.... lots of sanding and a first coat of lacquer.......

cutaway jumbo....

tuners on, nut cut.....

bridge placed using my handy dandy bridge jig

bridge glued in place (in case?)

bridge pin holes reamed out. strings on!!

LOADS of setup to do, including replacing the nut as I took the high E too deep..... but I'll leave it under tension for a few days before I get to it.

2010-03-11T18:57:00.001Z

LOTS of body sanding on the OM and then the neck mortice cut

tuner holes drilled and some more neck shaping

then the body and neck permenantly brought together.....

2010-03-10T20:03:00.003Z

Glen's Les Paul neck work.....

lots of shaping on the sander.....

and the fretboard radius is under way.....

still a good bit to go, but visible progress made each time!!

2010-03-10T19:58:00.001Z

Cherry OM fret dots.....

holes drilled

filled

sanded

and fretted.

body binding on

and a mock up of how it'll look once it's all joined up.......