[bhurts]

Awesome job. You are really doing great work. I do have a suggestion for you for later builds that may help. I also sand my frets like you did to get them smooth. Instead of the micromesh pads to get the final polish I use a dremel with a small buffing wheel and jewellers rouge. It gets a great high polish and takes a fraction of the time. Anyway great job. I'll keep watching.

Ben

[beamerweb]

Thanks Ben!

You know, I have the buffing wheels and all that for my dremel - and I even think to use it for that very purpose once in awhile -- but sure enough, when it came time to DO it, the thought slipped my mind completely. I don't often think of my dremel for much - maybe that should change.

[beamerweb]

This is probably the most exciting episode to date, at least for me. We start by finalizing the neck pocket shape and break angle. A quick basic sanding of the front of the body while the whole surface is easy to access. Then, after a bit of stalling, the neck is finally glued onto the body - the two parts become one!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiEaEt0t02k

[hub]

Looks awesome!

[beamerweb]

Now that the neck is on, we tackle flushing the bout up with the body. After that, it's time to take care of that little issue with the body being just slightly too narrow for the fretboard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJPdhcQFmCs

[beamerweb]

This episode tackles the headstock inlay once and for all. We try some very cool techniques with v-carving and also try out a new vacuum fixture I designed. I also may or may not have lost what's left of my mind somewhere along the path...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtTiKJGbCuE

[beamerweb]

Today we start out with a little more headstock inlay testing. I think I've finally got the process that I was seeking. In between, I tackle some issues I noticed with the wiring - and cause a few more. Big lessons in soldering learned. Finally, the headstock inlay testing comes to fruition - a very cool headstock plate emerges!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9DzxmXAM7g

[beamerweb]

The headstock plate gets glued to the headstock first. Then, while that dries, some more wiring fun. I think I have figured out how to solder, finally. Though, I did find one oddity in the schematic that I need to remedy. First go at fishing all the stuff through into the body as well - that was the opposite of fun. In the end, good learning, good proofing of process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuNsMMsfjsQ

[beamerweb]

Trimming the headstock and filing/rasping it flush. I definitely should've done this sooner - like before the rough shaping was done on the headstock to start with. Lesson learned!

After the headstock plate is flush and all the holes drilled out, I set about making a nut and fitting it. Big floppy saw bouncing around near the headstock - eek!

As if that wasn't enough, I also reclaimed my truss rod access - more sharp things around that inlay - crazy. Yeah, not gonna do it this way ever again. Also mounted the cover plate, while I was at it.

Got a lot done this episode!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHyRUk3XmlA

[beamerweb]

Even more awesome progress this episode. With the nut in place, it's time to start placing the bridge and tailpiece. I also widened the access port for the wiring which really helped thread things through easier.

After that, we revamped the wiring to fix the lost ground and generally clean things up. Plus we fix my issue with the 'dependent volume' controls - I much prefer the ability to mix the pickups so I switched things slightly to choose INDEPENDENT and VINTAGE wiring scheme:

After that, the pickups get mounted properly and we see the whole thing with almost all the hardware installed. Getting VERY VERY Close!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IanEjPw-8f4

[beamerweb]

First, we make up a pickguard template then set about actually making the pickguard including the bevel. After that, we mount it and the strap pegs. Then the tuning machines ... a monumental step occurs... very important episode!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPTrhj3oXbM

[beamerweb]

If last episode was awesome, this one is even better. First it's time to break everything down and prep for the finishing process! After the final sanding, pore filler goes into the mahogany. Then, the brown color goes on and gets sanded back. Finally, the red comes out and shellac after that. This was a pretty densely packed episode for sure. We're definitely in the home stretch now!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iik0qoxSLV4

[beamerweb]

We're really into it now! Red's dry and it's time to clean up the binding a bit. Then a coat of sanding sealer goes on - with another lesson! After a little break, I come back and on goes the lacquer! The guitar looks amazing at this point and I'm really really getting close, now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tZRQWL158M

[beamerweb]

Now that the lacquer has cured for 3 weeks, you guys are about as close to realtime as I can get you while still leaving time for editing. The next step is to block the lacquer flat and get rid of all that orange peel while hopefully not burning through it into the color! I tried real hard to get this all done so that while you're watching this I'd be hearing it play for the first time. I didn't quite make that but I'm filming next week's episode as you're watching this, so now you're only a week behind. It's almost done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6KDRGRGbcg

[mmoe]

Looks like it came out well so far!

A little late for you, but thought I'd let you know how to scrape binding the way it's done at the Gibson factory (I used to work at the flattop factory and had worked at pretty much every position in the finish department while there short of spraying the color). What you do is get yourself some heavy duty glass microscope slides, then use your fingers to space the corner of the slide the appropriate distance from the edge of the binding to keep it even as you move along to strike a line between the binding and where the color starts. This line is generally just inside of the edge of the binding. If you look close on a Gibson, you'll notice that there is a slight overlap of color on the binding, so that should be considered normal. When we did these at Gibson, you'd spray color over the binding 100%, no taping over the binding, then scrape all the color off the binding using the glass slide. If you look closely at Gibsons, you'll notice a little bit of a "trench" where the binding meets the color, which is where the initial cut into the color is made with the corner of the slide. Depending on the skill of the person doing the scraping, this trench can be nearly invisible, or so deep that a lot of clear is required to fill it (pissing off everyone else in the finish department that handles the guitar there-after, since it has to be filled flush) . Once the inner line is made, you clear out the color with the slide more flat, though still angled a little forward. These glass slides are less likely to chatter than a knife blade and truly just as sharp/precise. I consider them a "must have" for any craftsman, but they remain almost a trade secret. You can actually shave off wood with them, with exceptionally clean results and more speed than sandpaper, or plane down finishes where there may be a ripple or run, etc. Once you learn to use them, glass slides are something you'll wonder how you got by without. I get them at my local university book store.

If you're ever doing another Gibson style specific finish, feel free to ask and I'll give you step by step directions as to how it was actually done at the factory, and the slight adjustments necessary as it relates to doing it at home (we had IR ovens, lacquer that is run through a heating plenum to make it as if it had been reduced, etc.).

[beamerweb]

Thanks very much for this! I sprayed nitro lacquer and it seems to be fairly period correct - but the genuine process is probably quite involved, huh?

[mmoe]

Thanks very much for this! I sprayed nitro lacquer and it seems to be fairly period correct - but the genuine process is probably quite involved, huh?

I wouldn't say it's that complicated, just specific and something that has evolved over their 100+ years of building guitars! Some of the things they do are hard to replicate at home just because the products are not available to hobbyists. For example, I have not found a pore filler that I think closely replicates what they use (used on mahogany, rosewood, etc.). I have resorted to making my own using oil based paint and Cabosil and it's pretty close.

It's funny, though. Since I have worked on perhaps thousands of Gibsons while I was there, my finishes now look like Gibson finishes no matter what kind of guitar I spray. I have a very hard time replicating a Fender finish, just because it's equally as foreign to me as it is to most everyone else who hasn't worked at Fender. I'll be helping my son spray a '68 Dodge Coronet we're working on for his first car (he will likely never drive it until after college), and I have no doubt it's going to end up looking like a Gibson instead of a Mopar!

[beamerweb]

LOL - that's awesome. I've been building furniture for a while and i keep trying different finishes over the years. I have to say, without a doubt, lacquer is my favorite to work with. I live in a dry area, so that probably helps my success rate, though. That and shellac - two of the most well behaved finishes i've ever used.

[beamerweb]

Home stretch time! First, I got some polishing compounds from a generous auto body friend of mine to get the super shine I'm after. After a little testing, I go after it with reckless abandon. Then, it's time to put the hardware on... carefully! After that, I try to take a final shot at fishing all the wiring back in - which needs a little help but ultimately it made it in. At the end, it's all over but the stringin'!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0dKnkBAWco

[beamerweb]

So it's gonna be kinda hard to say anything about this besides YOU WILL HEAR IT FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!! WoooHooo!!! First, I set it up and all that, though. Then some actual noise - I'm not very good at playing so please don't throw rotten veggies at me. I did the best I could! Well that's about all there is to say, eh?

This build is complete!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmZxPj9FedY