Finished Shots - Trini Lopez 335 ish Tribute

Andyjr1515

The second back and sides are now thicknessed to around 1.9mm and so the next set of radius-shaped braces can be glued:



Next job is cutting and bending the second side and end cap.

Andyjr1515

And we have a pair of bookmatched backs

meltedbuzzbox

Andyjr1515 said:

And we have a pair of bookmatched backs

superb!

I'm almost tempted to have two, with the second sporting a walnut front and an ebony back :-)

Andyjr1515

meltedbuzzbox said:

superb!

I'm almost tempted to have two, with the second sporting a walnut front and an ebony back :-)

Now you're talking the language I like

Andyjr1515

Second side cut and bent, here drying off in the mould:


And the kerfed linings have arrived! 

Here they are being glued using the old 'clothes pegs and rubber band' trick:


Tomorrow, I should be able to do the same with the other side:

Andyjr1515

And, we have two backs ready for trimming



These two are around 1.5lbs together...not bad so far.  Now where's that lightweight ebony...

Andyjr1515

And it's time to cut the ebony - although it will be a while before this can be glued in place.

I used the modded mould to chalk the outline:


You can see how close the outline gets to the side, top and bottom on the widest piece of ebony I could find!


And cut (always) oversize.  This is the cut pieces actually resting on the back assemblies:

  


Total weight of the backs and tops together is 3 1/2 lbs.  Not bad, although you have to remember that there is a through neck to add to that!

Andyjr1515

And so I'll be moving into a 'planning before doing' phase over the next couple of weeks - not least because there are some grandparenting duties looming which means 'moving all your mess out of the way' 

But there's a lot to get right and it is worth the pondering without the temptation of cutting or gluing something before I'm sure!

This is where I'm at with the wings:


The ebony is around 6mm thick and will have a subtle top carve, following the same sort of curve as the back, a couple of diamond 'f' holes and some weight relief scoops in the underneath.  And some very careful routing for the switches.

Switches?

Yes - we're going Jaguar switch system, back mounted.

"And so I'll be moving into a 'planning before doing' phase over the next couple of weeks" 

meltedbuzzbox

It's looking spectacular Andy!

Andyjr1515

meltedbuzzbox said:

It's looking spectacular Andy!

Thanks

Andyjr1515

Family commitments/holiday sorted and we're back to it

The timber for the neck arrived a couple of weeks ago from David Dyke.  Remembering that the timbers will darken and the maple will yellow a touch once the finish is on, this is broadly how it will look front and back when it's glued and sized up:




The first lamination is in the clamps gluing up as I type

Andyjr1515

Mahogany is now cut to a couple of mm wider than final width and 4 of the 5 pieces are glued:

Andyjr1515

And so that's pretty much all the structural components available except for the fretboard blank, which will be ordered this week:


Just got to turn them into a decent, playable guitar now, then!

*gulp*

Andyjr1515

The progress from now on will be a myriad of small, straightforward jobs and a few big and scary ones!

This is in the first category - gluing the cutaway sides:
Number 2 is gluing:


While Number 1 is glued and the excess removed, ready - at some stage - for the bottom edge to be routed for the maple binding:

Andyjr1515

The next stage is a bit chicken and egg.

I have to cut the access hatches (yes - absolutely NO to feeding everything through the 'f' holes ) but therefore I need to agree with @meltedbuzzbox ; the best place for the Jaguar-type slider switches.  And, actually, that's not such a straightforward decision with so much stuff going on with the top.

So, to help envisage it, I set about cutting the diamond 'f' holes.

I drew their basic positions up:


And marked up and cut them out slightly undersize - I will finish size them by hand before binding them with maple.



And that meant I could do a more realistic mockup for @meltedbuzzbox ; in terms of where he would prefer the switches and knobs to go (still under consideration but we are probably looking at a triple row of slider switches (no plate) and two of three pots)

meltedbuzzbox

Wow would you look at that!
I think I have an idea. I'll mull it over tonight and get back in touch sir

Andyjr1515

meltedbuzzbox said:

Wow would you look at that!
I think I have an idea. I'll mull it over tonight and get back in touch sir

Andyjr1515

For straightening up the edges of the diamonds I used the humble cabinet scraper (a simple cheap scraper set is probably the best 'usefulness vs cost' tool you are likely to ever get!) and a small sanding block cut from a plywood offcut:



A very sharp chisel and then a highly sophisticated clamping system to hold the bits in place while the glue was drying:


One done, one still to go


 

Andyjr1515

Both done

meltedbuzzbox

Can I have f holes?

It's looking great Andy!