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Post by rebelrouser on Dec 30, 2008 16:47:56 GMT -5
Hi Glen,
Thanks and what a treat to see your build progress and your Gold Thread taking shape!
I've thought about taking up guitar building so I could do it when I retire--if ever!--and have gone as far ordering a Stew-Mac catalog. Although I'm a machinist, and my woodworking experience is very limited, I love the look, feel, aroma and workability of tonewoods and their wonderful place in guitar building. Would purchasing a kit from either Martin or Stew-Mac and using this as my introduction to building guitars be a good way to get a start? Of course, after gaining the basics of building, my goal would be to start experimenting with my own designs and refinements to the tried-and-true designs of Martin, Taylor and Gibson. It must be very satisfying to you to be at the point in your craft that your guitars are every bit the tone monsters that the best of the major makers offer but with your own trademark tonal characteristics? From what I've seen of your work, you're an artisan of the first degree!
Folk On & keep them build pictures comin'!
rebelrouser
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Dec 31, 2008 21:09:20 GMT -5
Thanks rebelrouser! ;D
But I can't take all the credit. I've had a "lot" of help from my mother and father, my wife, my children, Ken Hooley, Kent Hamblin, Tim McKnight, other builders, people who just play, and the list goes on, and on, and on.
I can talk about guitar building all day long. If you are thinking about building one or two, I would say go for it. You might have to build a couple of tools first to get you started to make it easier or faster but, you don't have to. I saw a young feller from Japan one day building a classical using only the tools in a tool box that he inherited from his grandfather. His workmanship was fantastic. And he was fast. And there were not very many tools in the box. ;D
I would skip the kits and go right for building by scratch. Nothing against the quality of the parts in the kits but, you should be able to make the braces yourself just as good, if not better then in a kit, with a hatchet and a pocket knife.
I would skip reading the books too. I would go to a guitar building forum and ask those guys and gals how to do it. A lot of those guys and gals have read the books, and they are willing to share how they do it, and how they have found to do it even easier, and better. ;D
Of course someone else might disagree with that. They might say that you "have" to read all the books first or you will never make a decent guitar. ;D
Of course there is a lot of misinformation out there that you have to sift through to find out the truth, or what works best for you. ;D
But we're willing to help.
Glen
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Jan 1, 2009 14:53:55 GMT -5
Side dot markers. We laid out where we think they should go. Drilled 1/16" holes. And glued in 1/16" black plastic rod that we got from Stewart McDonald. The very first guitar that I built I used the same 1/16" brass rod that I use as registration pins for the fingerboard that had rosewood binding. I had a bunch of it and it was cheap. And what I found out is that the brass does not show up very well against the rosewood. And when you are playing on stage and someone turns down the lights, you can be in a kind of a pickle. ;D Unless if you can play with your eyes closed like Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman, then you shouldn't have a problem with it. I ain't that good yet. ;D Now we do black on white and white on black. ;D Glen
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Jan 1, 2009 15:40:53 GMT -5
We started on some fret work. Here is a fret cut to length with the tangs nipped to fit by the binding. Then we radius the fret a little more then the fingerboard. And we tap it in. Here are the tools. I did a fret job on a table that was real bouncy once. It didn't work out very well. And this is where we are at now. Here are a couple of playful videos that we made about fret work. ;D Glen
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Post by Rhapsody on Jan 1, 2009 17:32:19 GMT -5
I've never seen a furry popsicle do such delicate work!
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Jan 2, 2009 23:35:29 GMT -5
Thanks Rhapsy! ;D Life is good! ;D We glue our frets in with super glue. I asked John Reuter about it one day. I asked, if the frets are all seated good with no ends popping up or anything, should I waste my time and super glue them in anyway? And he said, yes, waste your time and glue them in anyway. So I do. I tape off both sides of the fret so I don't get super glue all over the fret board. Clamp it down with one of these. Dribble some glue along the edge, spray it with accelerator, and it looks like this. After a while it looks like this. Then we take the tape off and it looks like this. Clean it up with a sharp chisel and it looks like this. Clip the ends off and file them with this homemade block with a file in it. Did the same thing with this one. And there it is. The Rhapso-day-ick tiara. ;D Never pass up an opportunity to take a close up of the Rhapso-day-ick tiara. Now in the next couple of days we should be able to do some serious neck carving. Stay tuned. ;D Glen
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Post by folkstrum on Jan 3, 2009 0:45:23 GMT -5
Very nice, Glen. I can see the "organic fret" slant now! Do you prefer a standard fret-wire, or go for the thicker ones? Frankly, I don't think I've played the wider diameter frets (that I knew of, anyway). Does anyone (like a major shop) use those, or is that a custom thing? Again; it that supposed to make action, or bends and pull-offis or whatever easier (the thicker?) or what? What's the supposed advantage besides wearing less fast?
Can't wait to see that neck carved, and the spraying and buffing. I guess you have to have some kind of sealer rubbed in first (?)...pore filler or such? Or is that already done by the time you glue it all up?
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Post by Rhapsody on Jan 3, 2009 7:30:57 GMT -5
Wow. *gets in line* *drools* *it looks five feet tall.....I only have a couple of inches on that...*
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Jan 3, 2009 20:22:35 GMT -5
Hi Norm, What is standard wire? ;D I'm using the wire that is .095" wide X .045" tall on these. I guess that is pretty standard. Not to big, not to small. I have used the wire that is .110" wide X .055" tall on electrics and acoustics. I like the big wire. Your finger tips don't touch the fretboard as much. You get the feel of just strings and frets. When you do string bends your finger tips are not dragging on the fingerboard. Supposably your suppose to be able to play your leads faster with tall wire. But if you play chords and push down to hard they go out of tune. But then your supposably suppose to be able to play your chords faster because you don't have to push down on them as hard. If your into that kind of thing. Need to have a lighter touch with that. More so with light gauge strings on an SG then heavier strings on an acoustic. Tall frets are not for everyone. I just happen to love them. They do change the voice of the guitar a little bit. Nothing major, and nothing to lose any sleep over. Some folks prefer it. And some don't. I don't know who all offers it as standard or an option. Maybe a lot of people don't even know that they have a choice? Why do you ask? Ya' thinkin' bout rippin' the frets out of the Omega and puttin' in jumbo, stainless wire? ;D Send her on over! I'll fix ya' right up! I can't wait to see the spraying and the buffing either. ;D We have a whole process for that. Stay tuned, that part will be fun. ;D Glen
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Jan 3, 2009 20:57:40 GMT -5
Wow. *gets in line* *drools* *it looks five feet tall.....I only have a couple of inches on that...* Yep! And your couple of inches happens to be front and center! ;D We didn't have a slow day at the office today. It was more of a cautious day. We were checking some things before we went ripping into it. There is a neck in there. We just have to find it. Glen
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Post by Rhapsody on Jan 3, 2009 21:16:57 GMT -5
Yep! And your couple of inches happens to be front and center! ;D More like---between my ears.... I love the look of the grain on the back of that guitar....very pretty!
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Post by chicagosandy on Jan 4, 2009 17:47:07 GMT -5
Beautiful! Can't wait to hear a clip.
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Post by Glen DeRusha on Jan 4, 2009 22:10:50 GMT -5
Beautiful! Can't wait to hear a clip. Thanks! You'll have to come over and make a couple of clips. We will put ya' right on youtube with it! ;D We did a little bit more carving. We're still in the chain saw stage. ;D Here is a bad lighting shot of the heel cap. It is 1 1/8" wide by 1 /18" tall. Here is some more bad lighting with a heel cap drawn on at 1 1/8" wide by 1" tall. MBL with a heel cap drawn on at 1" by 1". I'm not sure which one I am going to do. Big, medium, small? It's nice to have options though. ;D I'm not sure what I am going to do with the volute either. I have my mock up neck to use as a reference. ;D Glen
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Post by Rhapsody on Jan 5, 2009 7:00:30 GMT -5
Did you know that that pretty grain was going to be in the top of the neck from the beginning? Is it all the way through the wood? It's so pretty.... The first thing I thought of was Michelangelo's painting of the creation. Very pretty!
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Post by Col. D. Mortimer on Jan 6, 2009 16:18:36 GMT -5
Did you know that that pretty grain was going to be in the top of the neck from the beginning? Is it all the way through the wood? It's so pretty.... The first thing I thought of was Michelangelo's painting of the creation. Very pretty! Perhaps... but no danger of ever being called "Big" Adam... Mort
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