Thread: TT Senorita

Couple more pics of the necks now that they are pretty much done.
Wasn't too pretty starting out with the shaping.
My cutting with a coping saw is a bit hap-hazard. They are not symetrical & the blade went at a funny angle on the left one, so I had to put a bevelled back on it - though I quite like that. The 2 different shapes are on purpose - couldn't settle on 1.
After a lot of work they start looking ok.
The finish on the back is Feast Watson fine buffing oil ( an oil/wax blend) & the headstock is clear poly.
Onwards to the bodies....

PJ

Gee that Silver Wattle looks fantastic. Top effort.

The plan for the bodies was to have just a 3mm top on the bodies. One of the body blanks had a good sized knotted section, so I decided to drill that one right through & put a back on it as well.
Man, this santos mahogany is hard stuff! You instantly know if your tools are not sharp. It has a distinct smell when cut, & when combined with a bit of smoke from hot drill bits, it's something I won't forget in a hurry. Quite pleasant really!
Then, when I was drilling out one of the bodies a huge chunk just snapped right off.
After a day or so of not being able to function properly I spoke to a friend who said it would be fine. If I glued it back together properly (lets hope I did), it would be stronger than a new bit of timber.
So I kept on drilling & routing & chiseling & smoking, trying to get some weight of this lump of lead. Eventually I got it down from a rough cut weight of 4.3kg to a hollowed weight of 2.3. A few more little carves etc hopefully will get down a bit more.
Then it was time to join the silver wattle top, cut it to shape & put in some decorative soundholes - echoes the body shape (though my wife says "how sweet, Leunig hearts!)
Ever onwards,
PJ

Almost had an absolute disaster recently!
While cleaning up the garage (which is where my little fold up workbench is), I put one of the finished tops on top of the car - & then proceeded to forget about it till the next night. Almost crapped myself when I realised my wife had been out driving that morning. Took a torch out & walked up & down the street. Nothing. Up at dawn the next morning walking around the route she would have taken - there it was! 2 1/2 blocks away in the middle of the road leaning up against the median strip! After 22 hours lying there it was still ok - nothing more than a few superficial scratches. PHEW!! The first pic here was taken just after I got it back home.
So feeling very relieved that I didn't have to make another top I took them up to work & glued them to the bodies. (Only read about routing channels for the electrics after I had done this - would have saved a lot of hassle! Oh well, next time...)
Put them up in the big hydrolic press at work - capable of about 40 000 kpa at 120C - but I kept it to 7000 at room temp.
Then more burning smells as I routed & drilled for all the fittings. Managed to get some dirty water/oil splashed on one but I think it should sand off ok.
Then had a think about where to put the controls- will probably go similar to a PRS DGT.
Lots of sanding to come & then some more....
Cheers
PJ

Classic story on the guitar parts left on top of the car!!

After mega-hours of sanding I was finally ready to put on some colour.
The original plan had been to keep these really simple - just a light wash of amber stain over the whole thing (even though I wanted a sunburst but didn't have a spray set-up).
Then guitaust came out with the Behlen aerosols right on time, so I decided to give it a shot.
Well HOLY SMOKE! Talk about pleased with the result. Using a combination of the Behlen instructions along with plenty of info from here & other forums, etc, I've managed what I reckon is a decent shot at a nice tobacco burst.
One of the bodies had some dodgy filler marks, etc along the sides so I put some black stain on that then some brown tint over the top. The other body is natural sides.
I didn't want too much dark coming in on the top as it's such a nice grain.
I'll post more on this a bit later on,on the "Behlen" post started by Groundhangers.
13 (or was it 14????) clear coats & I'm now waiting till I can start wet sanding.
Even if they sound like crap I can hang em on the wall & admire the look!
PJ

Finally got these done.
Booked myself a plane ticket to give myself a deadline for delivering 1 to my brother.
Worked frantically over a couple of weekends to get them done (thus forgetting to take any pics!). Put them both together so I could choose the best for him - they both sounded great though 1 has a few tuning issues so I'll keep that 1 & work on it later.
Packed the gift in a hard case & entrusted it to the cargo hold of Tiger.
Huge relief to pick it up safe & sound. Brother was stoked! Took it straight to his band practice where it was played by all & sundry for a few hours. Sounds beautiful!
Man, I'm so proud - there's plenty of little marks, dodgy workmanship, etc, but it all adds to the personality of it. Important thing is it works.