Finished Shots - Trini Lopez 335 ish Tribute

WezV

I like where this is going.   

I think you could probably go a bit lighter on the construction and still have the strength you require.  That mahogany strip could be thinned and weight relieved, and the braces scalloped without loosing any strength at all... but that might be stuff to try on the next one

Andyjr1515

WezV said:

I like where this is going.   

I think you could probably go a bit lighter on the construction and still have the strength you require.  That mahogany strip could be thinned and weight relieved, and the braces scalloped without loosing any strength at all... but that might be stuff to try on the next one

Good tips.  Thanks. 

The mahogany is planned to be thinned in the middle but I will keep the width at the pickup and bridge areas for that to become an internal extension of the through neck.

Good point about the braces.  I probably won't scallop them because I need the stiffness to countertact any forces the ebony might place on the box (there's a teeny bit of cupping on one of the pieces which cups and straightens when the weather changes if I don't keep them clamped to a backing board) but I could slim the and triangle them more than they are at the moment.

I will probably make them a bit longer too so they key into the kerfing.

Andyjr1515

Before bending the end piece, I cut a slot in the block former:


And cut a piece of the thicknessed walnut oversize in length and height.

Then out came the bending iron again and into the water went the walnut.  Once hot and sodden respectively I did the bend:


This will be final fitted after the box is built - there will be a shaped block behind it to give this area extra strength and stability, but there should only need to be minor tweaks at that stage. 

The butt joint with the side will be angled to give a sound and gap-free joint and the overage sitting in the slot will also trimmed at the appropriate time.
 



 Additionally, the bottom edge will be sanded to the curve of the radius dish and then the top edge, which will be straight, can be cut.  In the meantime, the other mahogany side-piece can be used to hold it in shape while it fully dries


Next job is to find the block of nice, light swamp ash I'm sure I have in my offcuts box to cut the blocks that will support this area and joints. 

Andyjr1515

I have to shape the bottom of the block to the radius and then cut the top (flat) to size, but first block done:


This will glue to the mahogany and walnut sides and then the walnut cutaway piece will be sized, fettled and fitted later. 

Andyjr1515

Laid out where the pickups and bridge components and screws, etc will sit, using a spacer of the width that the finished neck blank will be, and using the actual maestro vibrato and then some other components found in my bits box.  I may need to add a couple of small blocks either side of the T-o-m to ensure that the sizable studs have enough meat around them to ensure stability with the vibrato:


I've decided - at this stage at least - not to weight-relieve the side pieces.  I might be wrong, but I'm not sure that this will finish much heavier than many solid bodies.  The advantage I have is that, because of the slightly unconventional build sequence, I will be able to guestimate the weights of the various components while there is still access to the bits I might want to lighten. 
  
 

Andyjr1515

I trimmed the walnut back 5-10mm oversize.  It is easier to do it at this stage but also makes it form in the radius dish a little more smoothly:


And this done, some triple checking and fettling, the first side piece is being glued, with the spacer keeping everything true and the clamps pressing it into the walnut, and thus the walnut into the radius dish:


The whole side is firm against the radius dish so I will probably shape the bottoms of the side braces while the clamps are still on.  Which is the next job

TTony

Andyjr1515 said:

Still looks like this might work

50/50 I reckon

:P

WezV

Looking good.

Andyjr1515

TTony said:

Andyjr1515 said:

Still looks like this might work

50/50 I reckon

:P

Compared with some of my other builds, that's pretty good odds! 

WezV said:

Looking good.

Thanks, @WezV ;  Still plenty of time to get on the wrong side '50' of @TTony 's odds 

Andyjr1515

Well, you can't see it on the photo, but this, at the moment, is holding all the curves in all the right places! 


In the manner of modern haute cuisine, a deconstructed view of the main components:


And, once the kerfed lining has arrived and I have cut the block and end piece down to height, this is how it will eventually go together, and - eventually - with a 6mm slab of ebony on top  
 

WezV

Loving it

Andyjr1515

WezV said:

Loving it

Thanks

meltedbuzzbox

WezV said:

Loving it

Not as much as me

Andyjr1515

meltedbuzzbox said:

WezV said:

Loving it

Not as much as me

Phew!   

meltedbuzzbox

Andyjr1515 said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

WezV said:

Loving it

Not as much as me

Phew!   

Just needs a Floyd, some emgs and 8 strings

Andyjr1515

meltedbuzzbox said:

Andyjr1515 said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

WezV said:

Loving it

Not as much as me

Phew!   

Just needs a Floyd, some emgs and 8 strings

AAAAAaaAAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaaaaAAAAAaaa!!!!!!!!!

TTony

meltedbuzzbox said:

Just needs a Floyd, some emgs and 8 strings

I know you were joking, but ....




.... mmmmm, interesting ideas, and he's not really started the build yet, and the customer IS always right.

meltedbuzzbox

TTony said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

Just needs a Floyd, some emgs and 8 strings

I know you were joking, but ....




.... mmmmm, interesting ideas, and he's not really started the build yet, and the customer IS always right.

Is it too late to tell him I want it to look like a telecaster?

Andyjr1515

meltedbuzzbox said:

TTony said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

Just needs a Floyd, some emgs and 8 strings

I know you were joking, but ....




.... mmmmm, interesting ideas, and he's not really started the build yet, and the customer IS always right.

Is it too late to tell him I want it to look like a telecaster?

Hahahahahahaha







Yes

Andyjr1515

Next job is preparation for gluing the side and front block to the curved back.

There is an irony about the side-to-back joint...because when you rout for the binding (this is planned to have maple binding), you rout most of that joint away!  

But if the joint to the back is accurate, it will mean that the top dimensions will be accurate too...and I need that dead flat to the mahogany side piece so that the ebony has half a chance of fitting trouble-free

Pulling the sides up square with some spool clamps, I have a high spot at the extreme side of the main bout.  Running a pencil lead from the gaps at the two sides across the high spot should give me a fairly accurate sanding line:


That's better...


So just waiting for the kerfed lining and this can be glued.  For those who aren't sure what kerfed lining is, it's this slotted strip that reinforces the joint and acts as the main gluing surfaces between top, sides and back:


And in the meantime, I suppose I have no excuses left not to start on the other side and try to do it again