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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 11:33 am
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Ceri wrote:
russianracehorse wrote:
You should sell tickets! :shock:
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:lol: :lol: :lol: Superb!!! I need a crying with laughter emoticon!
Y

You can't deny the wealth of creativity out here. 8)

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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:11 pm
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OK: the top seems to have glued up pretty well. There is an inch or so at the far left of the join where the two pieces didn't quite meet perfectly. We could easily sand that flat, but on this job there is no need because it will get cut off anyway. The rest is pretty nice and flat, and after a spot of all-over sanding I can't find the join on either side with my fingers:
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In order to get that wiggly grain to meet evenly across the join I had found that I needed to take off as little as possible on the planing machine. The result was that I left part of that small knot in the center, knowing I could place it where it will get removed by a pickup cavity.

However, placing that cavity is tricky, and anyway I wanted to be able to experiment with different placings of the top in order to make the most of the rather modest flame on this thing. So I quickly cut myself out a Perspex body template and marked the important positions onto it. Then I could just slide it around to find the best position - as you see in the picture above.

But I haven't tidied up the edges of that template yet, so to draw the actual outline I used my best plywood jig. This one was made from my American Strat and I took a lot of trouble when I made it, so it is as kosher as I can get it. The center line on the template lines up with the join on the sycamore top, et voila:
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Here's the resulting outline:
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Apologies for the darkness of these photos, by the way. It has been a filthy grey day, threatening rain all the way.

As I say, that outline is derived from a US Strat, and what we are working with here is a Mexican body (what's left of it). That shouldn't make a difference, but we just need to check to make sure:
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And a good thing we did because the curves are slightly but distinctly different in a couple of places, particularly round the treble cutout. I've marked those onto the board and will cut it out with plenty of margin for error:
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You wouldn't dream of using a handheld jig saw to cut out a body blank - that blade will never stay vertical around the corners (...I happen to know). But on a 4mm / 0.16" piece like this it is fine.

Now then. The bit that has worried several here: rounding over that forearm contour. First I marked it up like this:
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And then drew plenty of cross-hatching on, so that I can see where I've taken wood off:
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Then using a smoothing plane I took it down as you see here, doing my level best (ho-ho) to keep it level:
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I found it amazingly hard to get a useful photo from the side. I can see clearly enough what is happening by eye, but getting the camera to capture it seems to be beyond me. This is the best I could get:
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Then I marked the job up a second time:
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And using the plane again created two more steps of the curve (that cabinet scraper comes in shortly):
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Again, this shot probably doesn't help much:
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Now the surface travels from front to forearm contour in five flat steps. Lastly using the cabinet scraper and a block and sandpaper I rounded those carefully into a curve. The object is to keep it as much as humanly possible like the side of a cylinder, without it curving at all from one end to the other:
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And for what it's worth, one last side shot:
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My eye and fingertips tell me what I'm failing to capture with the camera: that curve is as regular as I can possibly make it.

Rain and darkness have now arrived and stopped play. Tomorrow is the moment of truth when we'll see if I can bend the wood round that 20 degree corner. I am seriously nervous about that bit...!

Cheers - C


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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 1:42 pm
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Ceri - its really amazing to watch you bring life back to this guitar. Fantastic work!

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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 1:45 pm
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Thanks for that installment...eargerly awaiting the next. Looking good.

RK


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Post subject: ceri
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 2:15 pm
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ceri,

excellent work

you know for a slightly different concept,
warmoth wil build you a pickguard to take almost any pickup config out there.

i toyed with the idea of p90 single humbucker
also mini hb single single.

you are probably going a diff direction, but just showing other ideas.

on a side note. zzdoc, im gonna download joe bonamassa from itunes,
live at royal albert hall cd, but i still want to buy the dvd.
blues deluxe and other songs were super amazing.
eric clapton does a camio.
personally i love his tone on the strat, but hes captured a large array of joe bonamassa tones if you will off the les paul.

if all goes well, ill check him out at austin texas


Last edited by bluesstrattone on Sun Dec 13, 2009 2:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 2:15 pm
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Yes, Ceri. Terrific work! I'm a metal fabricator by trade. I don't know much about wood working, but I do recognize a skilled man's work. I'm about to start making some bookshelves/entertainment center in my den for my wife. We're gonna buy a big LCD TV with our Income Tax Return. Her grandfather passed away a couple of years ago and I'm getting a bunch of his wood working tools: a table saw, table router, miter saw, some hand tools, etc. so I greatly appreciate your posting of your work. I have a lot to learn for this project!

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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 4:11 pm
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8) :) I'm still amazed Master Ceri!! :wink:

A lot of people talk but can't do the walk. You do both extremely well my friend! :wink:


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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 4:30 pm
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fhopkins wrote:
8) :) I'm still amazed Master Ceri!! :wink:


I agree completely Hop. Its obvious alot of others feel the same way. Over 7,800 views on this thread already. Ceri can work on my guitars anytime.

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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 5:57 pm
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Lovely work, Ceri... as with your other undertakings, I feel as if it's almost within my capabilities to do something similar when you break it all down so nicely. Almost... heh. Sadly, my otherwise excellent hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills are unsupported by any practical aptitude.

In keeping with the phoenix theme, I've been following this build taking place on an Aussie forum. It's fascinating viewing, but be warned: you will want this guitar! (or at least the builder's woods and workshop)

Carve-Top Firebird


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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 6:42 pm
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fhopkins wrote:
8) :) I'm still amazed Master Ceri!! :wink:


This is Great, isn't it!?!?! :)

The closest I came to this kind of thing is giving Wamoth my credit card and then bolting a lot of parts to the wonderful body they created and painted. At least I did my own soldering and circuit design. :lol:

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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 6:45 pm
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mondo500 wrote:
In keeping with the phoenix theme, I've been following this build taking place on an Aussie forum. It's fascinating viewing, but be warned: you will want this guitar! (or at least the builder's woods and workshop)

Carve-Top Firebird


Holy crap! I want that workshop!! I've never even shown a picture of my "workshop" (garage) because it is too unimpressive... :( Portable workbenches in the garden are my least bad option, sadly for me. And wait till you see my spray facilities... :lol: :cry: :lol:

Oh well - I don't have a mission statement, but if I did it would be to encourage people to see that we can all do this stuff without too much in the way of tools or skill. That's my USP! :D

...Mind you, he's a terse fella on that thread, isn't he? He ain't giving much away - one moment there's no control cavities, the next there they are with grain matched covers. How did he do that? I guess they came from the bit of the body blank just adjoining, but he isn't telling.

And the other guys on there are just as Ozzy button lipped. He pulls off an amazing piece of work and all they say is; "Nice one mate"...

I'd be demanding; "whither, whence, wherefore and why. And a big side order of how?" :lol:

Thanks for sharing that one, mondo. Very interesting!

And thank you to everyone else as well. See you tomorrow.

Cheers - C


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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 7:54 pm
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How about a mass sign up to that forum, just to interogate that builder :lol: .

By the time we were done quizzing him, he'd likely never touch a saw again.

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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 8:04 pm
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This is incredible! The patience you must pocess!!! :D :shock:

Thank you for sharing this with the rest of us. Can't wait to see the finished product.

I fell into this thread very late, and have been trying to catch up. And I appoligize if this has been discussed already, but once finished... a) What happens to the guitar, and b) Who will be demonstrating the finished product? just my curiosity getting the best of me.

Peace,
84


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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 4:17 am
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84whiteONwhite wrote:
I fell into this thread very late, and have been trying to catch up. And I appoligize if this has been discussed already, but once finished... a) What happens to the guitar, and b) Who will be demonstrating the finished product? just my curiosity getting the best of me.


Hi 84whiteONwhite: well originally I thought I was rebuilding this body to send back to Nikininja so that he could use it to reassemble a guitar. However, he has been absolutely clear that he doesn't want it back. I argued, but no dice. The man has made his remarkably open-handed choice and we must gracefully abide by it.

So now I'm building it for me.

In due course you'll see some nice and pretty expensive hardware turning up on this thread, and I also have some thoughts about the neck. But more on that - later...

By the way, you SERIOUSLY don't want to hear me demo'ing the guitar. Nobody would be impressed by that! :lol: One of my brothers-in-law is a good player, perhaps I can try and get him to do something with it, though he lives far away.

Anyhow, thank you for your nice comments. And the same as always to everyone else.

More later.

Cheers - C


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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:50 am
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By the way, you SERIOUSLY don't want to hear me demo'ing the guitar. Nobody would be impressed by that!


Sure Ceri - just like nobody would be impressed with your "amateur" woodworking skills, huh? :D

I'm sure you could bring the house down with your guitar skills as well!

This is neat - keep it coming!

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