Thread: Archtop #2

The back was glued on yesterday. The edges need to be sanded flush to the sides and a good hand sand. Next is cutting the slots for the carbon fibre neck reinforcement and the truss rod then installation of both. Then the neck extension will be fitted.
Here is a picture of the back glued on:


Cheers

Alan

Great work Alan and thanks for sharing .......talk about prolific.

Steve

Thanks Steve. Back to work next week after four and a half months off due to illiness so that will slow down the progress in the woodwork room.

Cheers

Alan

Some more progress pics for you all.

The body needed the mortice area cut out and the newly glued backs edge trimmed. Now it's time to work on the neck. The tenon was cut on the neck blank using a good handsaw. My bandsaw is only very small GMC and the job was too big for it. The tenon was then hand fitted to the body using sanding sticks to get a nice snug fit. Next was the neck extension glue up and then the sides of the neck were sanded straight so the truss rod and carbon fibre reinforcement channels can be cut with the laminate trimmer. Today the headplate was glued on and then the headstock shape was cut out on the bandsaw. I spent good time setting up the neck extension glue up and it has turned out great.






Thanks for looking. More progress tomorrow I hope.

Cheers

Alan

Just a few more pics




Cheers
Alan

I see the B.B. book in many of the photos, looks familiar. Good progress Alan.

G'day Bill. Yes the Benedetto book is keep on the bench abd used often. Thanks for your comments.

As planned the truss rod and neck reinforcement channels were cut with the laminate trimmer on my protable bench. All worked a tread. I glued the carbon fire and the truss rod in using epoxy. Don't like that stuff but it is the best for the job. I thicknessed the ebony fingerboard, cut the fret slots and cut the side taper. When building these type of guitar I follow the method in the book. I glued the fingerboard on as the humidity was good and the neck is now in the drying box and I will release the clamps in a day or two.

Just a few pics for you all.






Thanks for looking
Cheers
Alan

Awesome work - anticipating more and the final product

I'm learning lots and ejoying the journey. Thanks for sharing. Its look great.

Thanks Kev and Jeff for your comments.

This weekend the fingerboard received a 12 inch radius using a radiused sanding block and plenty of elbow grease. I then trimmed the sides of the neck sanding them flush with the fingerboard and I lightly sanded around the headstock edges. Next was a check of measurements especially the area at the nut and the twelth fret. Last job was to drill the holes for the bolt on system.

Here are a few more pics for you all:



Thank you again for looking.
Cheers
Alan

Beautiful as always. Your work is always so precise and clean. Keep it up!

Looking very nice Alan. And clean as well.

Just for my info. I presume you've put carbon fibre in your neck on either side of the truss rod. Do you actually need to have a truss rod with the carbon fibre?? Does the truss rod still work??

Not a criticism, just curious.

Thanks Floddy for your support.

Mike: My last two guitars have had carbon firbe in the neck with a truss rod. The rod works nicely and it only needs a tweak to get good adjustment either way. I was told by some respected musical instrument builders there is a difference in sustain and tone to an instrument with carbon fibre reinforcement in the neck so I decided to try it. I would have to agree there is a big improvement

Cheers

Alan

Originally Posted by ozziebluesman

Mike: My last two guitars have had carbon firbe in the neck with a truss rod. The rod works nicely and it only needs a tweak to get good adjustment either way. I was told by some respected musical instrument builders there is a difference in sustain and tone to an instrument with carbon fibre reinforcement in the neck so I decided to try it. I would have to agree there is a big improvement

Cheers

Alan

So "carbon fibre" responsible OR are you just making better guitars?
Might try it myself though.

Thanks Alan.