Mockingbird p8

Mockingbird p7

Soapbox, p3 - Warp Factor 3

And that's the end of it for now,





As you can see, both the body AND the top pieces warped over the weekend. That doesn't mean I'm through with it - I still love the idea of a pine guitar. I just have to find a better supplier than the box stores. There are plenty of construction lumber yards I can talk to about it.

For now though, the soapbox is getting laid to rest.

Mockingbird p6

With all of the contouring, routing, and drilling on the body done, it's time for a test fit of everything but the pickups. The balance isn't just right, but that could be a couple of different things: strap button placement and body weight. Personally, I lean more towards the super-light cypress body. The balance isn't horrible - it wants to hang parallel with the floor - but it could be better.

Now the body starts the paint process and the headstock gets shaped.

Soapbox, p2

I got the body chambered. Next step is the wiring channel and gluing on the top.





EDIT: I had the wrong pics up the first time. They're fixed now.

Soapbox, p1

Guitar, thy name is Soapbox, for upon thee shall I stand.






There was a constant debate on a luthier's message board about what woods were appropriate to use for guitar building. There was/is a fair amount of snobbery that said lesser grade woods were unacceptable. This was then rammed down the throats of rookie builders who came there looking for help and instruction.

Fortunately, I can think for myself.

Now, there are still certain parameters and needs that must be met. For a neck, you need straight grain with little-to-no runout, and a good amount of strength to withstand the tension. For a body, you usually want something reasonably light, but not soft. For both, you need the wood to be stable, dry, not prone to movement, and able to hold the hardware firmly.

So balsa wood won't ever be seen. Beyond that and some others like that, basically anything is fair game.

Don't believe me? Do a Google search for Taylor's pallet guitar of for Robert Benedetto's construction-grade pine archtop. They know more about lutherie than I ever will. Their statements are that it's the craftsmanship, NOT the components, that determine the instrument's quality.

So here we are, and I'm making a guitar from Lowe's pine, just to make my point. All of the wood is from the same 8' long 2x8. The neck is one I have leftover from before I started making my own. Pickups are Atrec mini-HBs. Wilkinson tuners and a generic bridge & electronics round out the hardware.

The shape is a combined from elements of a Telecaster, Les Paul, and SG. I'd say it looks pretty damn good.

The body is a shade over 5/16". The bookmatched top is +/- 1/2" This will give me a finished thickness of between 1 3/4" and 1 7/8". The body will be chambered, the top carved with at least one f-hole. I'm seriously thinking about giving the top oak binding. I'm not sure if I'll leave the back natural or paint it. The top will be finished clear. Maybe I'll look into giving it a brown-burst.

Game Board, p2

CHECKERS!!!!

I got all the oak & bloodwood checker pieces cut out, sanded, ebonized, and began their finishing. I made a total of 20 of each. This should account for the odd need to king someone who made it across without losing a piece (very unlikely) and for the pieces that might get lost (almost guaranteed).

So I promised to tell you about how to ebonize oak. You can do it with walnut also. Both work extremely well with the very simple process.

First up is dissolving a steel wool pad in vinegar.
1) Get a quart bottle of white vinegar.
2) Get a steel wool pad that's free of any foreign substances (this means DON'T use an S.O.S pad). You might need to runse the pad first, just to be sure.
3) Tear the pad in little pieces and stuff it into the bottle of vinegar.
4) Set it outside or in the garage with the lid unscrewed but sitting on top. As the vinegar dissolves the steel wool, it will create some really potent fumes that you don't want in your house. It will take a few days for it to completely dissolve. Stir it up whenever you walk by to help break up the clumps.
5) Strain the mixture through a few layers of cheesecloth, a couple of coffee filters, some old nylons... anything that will not disintegrate from the vinegar but will catch the fine particles left over.

Once you have this stuff all set and back in the bottle, you're all set to go. Sand the wood to whatever grit you need, then flood the wood with the liquid, letting it absorb as much as it'll take in 10-15 minutes. The iron in the liquid reacts with the tanic acid in the wood, turning the wood black. Once it's dry, you can sand it (lightly) with 220 or higher to take off the raised fibers. Then you're ready for a finish.