Members Blue Water Posted July 21, 2008 Members Share Posted July 21, 2008 Awesome work, I can't wait to see how it turns out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Galabar Posted July 21, 2008 Members Share Posted July 21, 2008 Wow, that is starting to look pretty nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 22, 2008 Originally Posted by Blue Water Awesome work, I can't wait to see how it turns out Originally Posted by Galabar Wow, that is starting to look pretty nice! thanks for the compliments...every time i finish another part of it i grow more & more excited to actually hear what kind of sound will come out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BROLEX Posted July 22, 2008 Members Share Posted July 22, 2008 wow! im liking the headstock design. simple, classy lines along the lines of beneteau's. love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 22, 2008 Originally Posted by Chuck Norris wow! im liking the headstock design. simple, classy lines along the lines of beneteau's. love it thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 23, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 23, 2008 drilled pilot holes for the tuners. clamped a couple of pieces of pine on either side of the neck to hold it in a level position for drilling process. clamping the veneer on back of headstock. had to use multiple clamping cauls to accomodate the curvature in the transition area between the neck & headstock. i was not sure i could bend the ebony (1/16") dry without breaking it, so i clamped it up dry first & was ready to back off if i heard any sound of breakage. i was quite surprised that it bent, as hard as it is, but it did...really figured i was going to have to wet it & steam it to get it to work. lookin good to me. tomorrow i'll thin the top side veneer & get it on the spindle sander for final shaping aroung the edges. then back on the fret slots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 23, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 23, 2008 after having been dressed on the spindle sander & top veneer thinned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 25, 2008 the fret slots are on the back burner...my son has a table saw at his place so i am going to buy stew macs table saw fret slot blade, build a jig for the notched slotting template & do in a few minutes what literally takes hours when doing it by hand. to open up the truss rod access i laid the truss rod cover template in place for reference & took a hand drill & punched a series of holes through the veneer. used chisels & file to dress the edges. truss rod loads from the front & is a snug fit. the nut that takes the hex wrench for adjustment lays solid along the bottom of the channel & there-by extends the truss rods influence out into the headstock along with the extended carbon fiber rods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 25, 2008 the neck is ready for a fingerboard & i'm waiting for a table saw blade for the fret slots. the spruce wedges have been in the shop a little over a week & although they were picked from a dry room for shipment, i want to give them at least a month to acclimate to my environment before working them. so i am going to bend my side wood & get it in the mold to dry while things continue to come together on this project. used the hand held orbital sander with some 80 grit to remove the marks left by the safety planer & thin the side wood to final dimension. this is my first experience at bending sides...so needless to say i'm anticipating learning the "feel" of how it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimmy Chaos Posted July 26, 2008 Members Share Posted July 26, 2008 Dude... What you are doing here is nothing short of genius, I'm awestruck.Keep up the good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 26, 2008 Originally Posted by Jimmy Chaos Dude... What you are doing here is nothing short of genius, I'm awestruck. Keep up the good work! i'm humbled & honored by your compliment...thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Catmeister Posted July 26, 2008 Members Share Posted July 26, 2008 I love archtops in general and wish I had anywhere near the skill (and the nerve) to attempt what you are doing. This archtop, and the purpleheart/maple neck on one of your other threads are absolutely stunning.I have always believed that 'if it looks right, it probably is right'.We are the ones who are honoured by your skills and dedication in letting us share in this creation.Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 26, 2008 Originally Posted by Catmeister I love archtops in general and wish I had anywhere near the skill (and the nerve) to attempt what you are doing. This archtop, and the purpleheart/maple neck on one of your other threads are absolutely stunning. I have always believed that 'if it looks right, it probably is right'. We are the ones who are honoured by your skills and dedication in letting us share in this creation. Thank you. thank you so much for the generous compliments. i too think the archtop is a wonderful instrument...easily my favorite of all the guitars! i love what i'm doing & i have a passion to create that i cannot ignore. i've got the equipment...so i guess the only way for me to find out if i actually have the skills to build a valad (the final proof is in how it plays/sounds) archtop is to try. as far as the nerve...all i've got to lose is a few dollars worth of wood & some time. if this first one doesn't pass muster...well, i've got the materials in shop for the next one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 27, 2008 this is the saw that i got from my son. nice compact benchtop model...if it were a floor model i don't know where i'd put it. it's got a 15 amp motor...no powerhouse but plenty adequate for my uses in this shop. was a little crusty with some paint spilled on the platform, so i polished the tops of the ribs with the palm sander. it's a flat platform as verified with a good straight edge. the begining of the fret sloting fixture is these two pieces of walnut that have been sized to fit snugly in the guide channels on either side of the blade. the heart of the fixture is the notched fret spacing template that i had in the small hand saw miter box in an earlier post. sure am glad i got this...it's going to save me a bunch of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 27, 2008 walnut runners were shaved down to just slightly above the surface of the platform. walnut board was carefully straightened along the leading edge as this is the surface that will push the fingerboard across the saw blade... then glued to the tops of the runners, making sure that everything is precisely squared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 27, 2008 archtop players...thinking ahead to a pickup for this guitar.what are you using on your guitars?benedettos, or something else?also what amps/speakers are you playing through?thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members reachjkh Posted July 27, 2008 Members Share Posted July 27, 2008 Wow, I'm so glad that I didn't throw that saw out How is that walnut going to ride smoothly in the guides? Oil? Wax? Other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2008 Originally Posted by reachjkh Wow, I'm so glad that I didn't throw that saw out How is that walnut going to ride smoothly in the guides? Oil? Wax? Other? yea, me too...one mans trash, another mans treasure. i fitted them pretty snug...but the guides being harder than the runners will seat them in. i ran the fixture back & forth several times yesterday & like the fit at this time...no hanging up, but snug enough there is no latteral motion, thus keeping everything square. this is one of the coolest things about benedetto in my mind...in spite of his success, other than a few basic wood shop tools (beltsander, bandsaw etc.) all of his jigs & fixtures (dovetail, slotting etc.) are self made. it's encouraging for a guy like me to see him doing his work without a million dollars of hi-tec shop equipment. makes me feel...if he can do it, i can do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2008 i drilled through the top plate & the runners & pinned them with 1/4" hardwood dowels to further strengthen the assembly. glued this strip to act as a stop to keep the spacing template flush & square with the front edge of the main plate of the jig. had to hold off on the side bending...i had neglected to coat the body mold with marine varnish to protect the wood from the moisture in the wet sides. the varnish requires extended dry time between coats & i want to get at least 4 coats applied, per the directions on the can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted July 28, 2008 Members Share Posted July 28, 2008 Meandi: archtop players...thinking ahead to a pickup for this guitar. what are you using on your guitars? No contest for the money. Kent Armstrong at Stew-Mac.com. It's what I use on mine. Di Benedetto's start at double the price, if you want to spend more. I seem to remember there was a black one available. But I don't see it on site. For the money, it's a monster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2008 Originally Posted by marcellis Meandi: No contest for the money. Kent Armstrong at Stew-Mac.com. It's what I use on mine. Di Benedetto's start at double the price, if you want to spend more. I seem to remember there was a black one available. But I don't see it on site. For the money, it's a monster! thanks for the info. what amp/speaker combination are you playing through? great looking guits. b.t.w. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2008 added a .0595" pin which is the solid upper part of a #53 drill bit as the locater for the spacing template...i tapped it through till i had the solid upper shaft in position & broke the excess off on the other side. locked it in place with a couple of drops of ultra thin super glue. fit is good enough that when the spacing template is pressed on to it, it snaps into place snugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikeSF Posted July 28, 2008 Members Share Posted July 28, 2008 Originally Posted by meandi archtop players...thinking ahead to a pickup for this guitar. what are you using on your guitars? benedettos, or something else? also what amps/speakers are you playing through? thanks lots of great choices in floating pickups out there. my favorite 6-string floaters are the Bartolini 5J and the Kent Armstrong(Vermont-made) PAF with 12 adjustable poles. Presently, all of my 7-strings have the Kent 14-pole PAF installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikeSF Posted July 28, 2008 Members Share Posted July 28, 2008 for jazz amps, i have 2 rigs which i like over everything else i've tried: Henriksen JazzAmp has the warm mellow sound of the great classic tube amps but is super lightweight. has an optional tweeter accessory if you want the high freqs to come out. Acoustic Image Clarus head through a Redstone Audio cab with tweeter - this is crisp and super clean for the pure acoustic sounds of a carved spruce top guitar. both are great. i am no longer a fan of Polytone, Jazzkat, Evans, etc, with these 2 rigs on board. I do still like the clean sound of the 90lb Fender Twin, but i would never haul that thing around to a gig when there are perfectly good 25lb jazz amps out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted July 28, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2008 Originally Posted by mikeSF lots of great choices in floating pickups out there. my favorite 6-string floaters are the Bartolini 5J and the Kent Armstrong(Vermont-made) PAF with 12 adjustable poles. Presently, all of my 7-strings have the Kent 14-pole PAF installed. Originally Posted by mikeSF for jazz amps, i have 2 rigs which i like over everything else i've tried: Henriksen JazzAmp has the warm mellow sound of the great classic tube amps but is super lightweight. has an optional tweeter accessory if you want the high freqs to come out. Acoustic Image Clarus head through a Redstone Audio cab with tweeter - this is crisp and super clean for the pure acoustic sounds of a carved spruce top guitar. both are great. i am no longer a fan of Polytone, Jazzkat, Evans, etc, with these 2 rigs on board. I do still like the clean sound of the 90lb Fender Twin, but i would never haul that thing around to a gig when there are perfectly good 25lb jazz amps out there. thanks for the input mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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