Archtop build number 2.

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WezVWezV Frets: 16547
edited March 2021 in Making & Modding
It will be coming up for 20 years since my first guitar build, so I want to mark it with something special.


I ordered this pickup on a whim from Mojo the other week, it gives me a starting point for ideas




I'm not going to be making a clone of a Bigsby guitar.  I considered it briefly, but given the 20 year milestone I thought it would be more fun to combine some of my influences into something unique.


I'm  considering an archtop, kinda inspired by Les Paul's Clunkers (the guitars that followed The Log).   Imagine they got tidied up and made into productions guitars

or like this bigsby guitar


or this Chet Atkins guitar


Still need to decide on a few bits but I'm thinking spec will be a development of the hollowbody I made this year and a few of the other "alternative reality prototypes" I have made before that 

*Medium/small single cut hollowbody
*Carved English Walnut back and sides
*Carved European Spruce top
*Laminated Birsdeye maple neck
*Single P.A.B pickup





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Comments

  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    Interesting looking pickup. 

    I really like the look of that Gibson clunker thing!

    Will be watching with interest ....
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  • PhilKingPhilKing Frets: 1473
    That looks very cool.  What about something with a staple or dynasonic neck pickup and a Bigsby?  I think that would be a nice versatile guitar.  The Bigsby guitars always look great when you see them.

    Do you know what the Bigsby pickup sounds like?
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  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7732
    edited December 2020


    This as a LP Junior: solid body & one pickup, keeping bridge and Bigsby. Now where to find a bird's-eye top :)
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    PhilKing said:
    That looks very cool.  What about something with a staple or dynasonic neck pickup and a Bigsby?  I think that would be a nice versatile guitar.  The Bigsby guitars always look great when you see them.

    Do you know what the Bigsby pickup sounds like?
     think i will stick to a single pickup, but a dynasonic could look really cool


    no idea how it sounds with modern playing, that will be the interesting bit.  

    here is a restored original, 

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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547


    This as a LP Junior: solid body & one pickup, keeping bridge and Bigsby. Now where to find a bird's-eye top :)
    Its a great idea!
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  • PeteCPeteC Frets: 409
    Cool - there's something very good about the Clunker non-cutaway and double f-holes....a modernised variant on that would be my preference if I was commissioning the guitar.  No widdling allowed,  but great for Jazz and alternative rock. 

    another arch top build will be great to follow @WezV ;


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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    Doing some wood prep

    This is the walnut back, spruce top and walnut sides 


    The spruce wedges for the top start like this
     

    They are nearly 2" at the thickest point.  The book matched face is in the middle, not the outside  of the wedge... important to remember that when jointing them

    They have gone through the planer to bring them down to a reasonable thickness.  This has the added advantage of giving me a flat surface to work with later on.   Nice consistent colour on the freshly planed woodqqq

    It did reveal a few flaws in the middle of the set  if I was going for a full size atchtop I would make sure these ended up in neck pocket and cutaway areas.   Since I am going for a smaller body, I will just cut them away altogether.  
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  • Andyjr1515Andyjr1515 Frets: 3127
    Excellent.  One to watch :)
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  • FuengiFuengi Frets: 2849
    That Chet Atkins D'Angelico is gorgeous. 

    Nice project Wez. 
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    I was going back and forth on the size for this, but decided to go with LP size again.... I'm loving the other one I made

    Today I cut out the walnut back, and spruce top.  I also managed to rough carve the spruce..


    I've left the plates oversized and some handy clamping tabs on each end.  Didnt do this last time and it made work holding a challenge 


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  • PeteCPeteC Frets: 409
    Pleased to see a @WezV update. 

    Nice to see you've gone down the small body LP route again - the spruce and walnut looks really good.  

    Do you fully hand carve the spruce or use some templates? 



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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    For LP's I use a set of contour templates first.

    One of the advantages of sticking with a small size is I have the templates already
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  • PhilKingPhilKing Frets: 1473
    It's already starting to look really interesting.  I like the look of the walnut.

    Can't believe it's been 20 years, I guess I met you when you'd made a few, I'm trying to remember which is the first you built me.  It might be the JB style SG (back in 2007).   
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    PhilKing said:
    It's already starting to look really interesting.  I like the look of the walnut.

    Can't believe it's been 20 years, I guess I met you when you'd made a few, I'm trying to remember which is the first you built me.  It might be the JB style SG (back in 2007).   
    The walnut is great... its not got much in the way of figuring, just a really nice colour and grain.  Darker than most English walnut.  I have some 2-tone acoustic sets from the same batch too.

    I can't believe it's 20 years either, but somehow it is.  It's when I was working at the school, and had some really productive summer holidays.... much harder to be productive these days.
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  • WezV said:
    The walnut is great... its not got much in the way of figuring, just a really nice colour and grain.  Darker than most English walnut.  I have some 2-tone acoustic sets from the same batch too.

    I can't believe it's 20 years either, but somehow it is.  It's when I was working at the school, and had some really productive summer holidays.... much harder to be productive these days.
    Was that the walnut from Prime Timber? Is it English grown American Black Walnut, I've played a few acoustic guitars made from the latter (Brook's Kew Gardens Black Walnut) which were out of this world.

    I'd be fascinated to how this guitar turns out. Acoustic guitars are my main interest, and Spruce & Walnut is a fairly popular combination that usually produces pleasing results to my ears, I imagine all the components mentioned above in Wez's fine hands the results will produce something exceptional, the last hollow LP was a cracker I imagine this one will surpass it!
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    Yes, you might be right about it being black walnut... I can't really remember, but he sent me a load of the stuff he had ready to slice last year.  

    The last one was a 20mm top and shallower 18mm back 

    This one is going deeper, 25mm top and 22mm back.  The extra depth and spruce top should increase the acoustic volume significantly 
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    Walnut back now carved


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  • PhilKingPhilKing Frets: 1473
    edited February 2021
    That look beautiful.  Very sexy curves bring out the grain!
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  • WezVWezV Frets: 16547
    No pics but I just got the sides thicknessed and prepped ready for bending.

    I would love a thickness sander, but without one this job involved a few hours hand planing and scraping to get them from 4mm rough sawn wood to 2mm, ready for bending.

    I managed to get a load of binding strips out of the walnut.   I think I want to use some walnut binding on this, but am still undecided.  I have the option either way

    Also got the tail block made and some mahogany glued up for the neck block which will encompass the cutaway, strap button and pickup, like the last mini archtop I built.  
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  • PhilKingPhilKing Frets: 1473
    Could you do a contrasting binding with the walnut on the outside (a two layer)?  I know it's more work, but would give a definite line around the back.
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