Andyjr1515

Fan-bloody-tastic!

This is looking superb.... Can't wait for the next progress shots

It just gets better and better...

Having given the fretboard and the fret-cutting jig a good telling off - the former for being too wide and the latter for being too narrow, I thought the only way for them to understand was if it hurt. So, with only a hint of malice, I sliced up the offcut from the fretboard and attacked the jig with an allen key and forced the two to cooperate with each other. Let THAT be a lesson to them both! You can almost hear the humble apology from the fretboard here as it obediently fits into place in the jig... : It might be hard knocks, but they'll thank me in the end ...and it means I can get on with the fret slot-cutting

By the way - for any of you who have been following the design thoughts along the way, the fretboard is a couple of mm proud up to the 24th fret (it will radius down flush with the body halves) and then drops away a few mm progressively to the tail. You can see that effect a bit easier here: What this should do is give at least a few mm clearance from the top for the playing hand, although the playing experience will still be pretty close to that of playing with a bridging-plate (I think there's a current thread around on bridging plates?)

Of course, just because I'm waiting for some bits doesn't mean that there is NOTHING I can do. This morning, I slimmed the maple fretboard blank down to just a tad over 6mm: ...and then dimensioned it to slot into the top. I am able to rough-shape one half too - I have to leave the top edge straight as the datum of the fret cutting jig: Don't worry about the lower horn join - it isn't carved yet!

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1494015087' post='3292688'] No...which is why I didn't invest when I was doing the piccolo fan fret. [/quote] Actually, Norris, when I think about it, I'm not quite right here. Yes you can offset the two sides of the mitre box to produce a square but angled cut (if that makes any sense). However, you couldn't use the template plates, which is the one of the main attractions of the system...

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1494013313' post='3292666'] Does it do angled cuts? [/quote] No...which is why I didn't invest when I was doing the piccolo fan fret. Also, I've realised I need to get the wide plate for this build (another 45 Euros) because the fretboard blank is much wider than normal as it will extend the full length of the body. Ditto for the sanding block. I remember thinking that but then got distracted and went into 'auto' when I placed the order... Bummer...means I can't make any progress until sometime back end of next week based on the shipping time for this order!

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1493997149' post='3292508'] Ooh - nice slotting jig. Is that from G&W? [/quote] Yes. It's very nicely made. I've generally used a square block clamped to the fretboard, but it does give me the heebie-jeebies everytime I do it. Design-wise, the Stewmac and LMI ones are better because they incorporate a clamp but they are quite a bit more expensive. Nevertheless, this will be much more sure in the positioning than my present method

The reason that there's been no Andyjr1515 for a few days, apart from the prohibition order, is that I've been waiting for these: ...which arrived about 30 minutes ago So this weekend is fretboard weekend And it's a long one. This might take some time!

[quote name='JPJ' timestamp='1493986408' post='3292384'] No sign of Andyjr1515 for three days, should we be sending out a search party? [/quote] [quote name='Jabba_the_gut' timestamp='1493988080' post='3292401'] Hey Andy, I presume this will be finished for the Midlands Bass Bash?..... [/quote] Yes - It absolutely will be at the Bass Bash and Yes - It absolutely will [b]not[/b] be finished for the Bass Bash!

I think this is a bit like 'do you believe in ghosts'. Is there something tangible and real that people are sensing? Probably. Is their interpretation and explanation of what they are sensing correct? Probably not The trouble with the purely mathematical approach above, is that, unless you build all of the factors into the equations, it misses out all of the other factors relating to string tension and harmonics and soundboard resonance and harmonics within the soundboard etc, etc, etc. Anyone who has tap-tuned an acoustic top will confirm that what you do with the braces makes a huge difference to the sound, will probably confess that they don't fully understand exactly where to sand off 0.2mm off a brace for the 'best' result, but that it can make a big difference, and that they broadly end up with a result that is at least in the spectrum of sound they were after. But it will be just very slightly different to the next one they build. Basic mathematics probably says that the three strings for each note of a piano should be tuned to the same note. Ask a piano tuner. If you do that, it doesn't sound right. So each of the three strings are pitched very slightly different to each other. There is a mathematical explanation, but it's a very complex one So does tuning an acoustic guitar down part of a semitone make any difference? Absolutely. The harmonic and sub harmonic points will be in slightly different places because the string tension and the resonance points of the top and braces will interact to the changes frequencies. Will that be better? No....it will just be different. Will I be able to hear it? Some people will and some people won't. Most people are unlikely to hear it through a basic recording.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1493819769' post='3290937'] I went to Luminlay [url="http://s8.photobucket.com/user/peredur/media/18261605_10154735908570186_927547628_o_zpsnivbojrc.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] They're great - aren't they And they're just as good in daylight. These are the ones on gelfin's Mouradian-style:

Thanks, folks. With any luck, it will look properly finished when the side fillets are in place and the back carved I'm waiting for a 20" radius block to arrive and then will start working on the fretboard and top carve. I'll do the back carve last when I know how much wood I've got left to play with....

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1493726503' post='3290134'] Beautiful touch Andy...it'll be little things like this that will make the design. Well chuffed with the progress. [/quote] Excellent - that's what I like to hear

Thanks for the encouraging words, folks One of the challenges of this kind of build is envisaging quite how things are going to work - particularly curves and carves. And then that links to the sequence you do things. If I was better at envisaging shapes (some people are very good at this but I'm not), then the last thing I would want to do for all other practical reasons would be the tuner-block infill. But actually, because as soon as I start carving, pretty much everything is going to be curved, I have decided to put that on first and at least get the shape in my head from one 2-D viewpoint. So on goes some laminated neck offcut, angled accordingly and with an ebony veneer demarcation line: And then out come the chisels. The finished article will have two thin outside maple curved fillets to finish it off - and that will carve through to the general curve of the back, but I now can see how that will work (remember that the body panels at the back will be scooped so that the body edges at the join will be level with the neck, taking away completely the rebate you see in these shots):

I'm devastated, Mick, but can't make it, I'm afraid. Like NickD, though, would be very pleased if you accept my entry fee and diesel money anyway. FOLKS - if it is ANYTHING like last year's bash, it is such a well run and hugely rewarding experience.....

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1493647596' post='3289666'] Coming on strong...not sure whether to go with black, white or gold strings.... [/quote] As the AJRGuitarmods saying often goes, "If ever this actually makes it through to completion, you can have whatever b****y coloured strings you want!"

[quote name='JPJ' timestamp='1493646858' post='3289658'] Definitely a seminal moment in this build. And if ever an image reinforced the old saying 'you can never have enough clamps' then this is it [/quote] Absolutely. I don't know what pressure the big bench vice was applying, but I reckon combined the force was pretty massive

And here we have a self-supporting glued assembly where everything is broadly in the right place!

OK - I really did run out of excuses to avoid gluing the second body wing. Now this is a busy photo...but there's a lot going on: The side is being clamped with the big bench vice, and sash clamps and adjustable clamps. I am using the offcuts from the body blanks to give me squared-up surfaces for the clamps to work on. The top clamps are holding the two wings against the bench so that it will be flat and even on the top when I unclamp and turn it over. Additionally, I have an old bass string making sure the cable run's clear of glue (I've used it as a swab a now will leave it in place to take out once it's all dried) and I've loosely positioned the tuner block to make sure that the body section is in EXACTLY the right place...and it is

Well, there's little excuse not to glue this all together soon.... The cable runs are cut - rounding corners wherever possible to avoid snagging - and the cutout on the lower body wing has been done and checked for positioning of the tuner block: The ebony overlap will be taken off before I glue the wing on, now i know exactly where the wing will join. The one thing I will have a think about is whether to glue it with a removable string / cord in the cable channel to be pulled through while the glue is still soft - it would be a beggar if the channel got filled with glue squeeze-out...

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1493503292' post='3288868'] Silly question, but thinking back to the drawings and mock ups, have you cut the bridge slot the wrong way, or am I seeing the top as the back? It makes sense in my mildly tipsy head! [/quote] Happily, it is right . Mind you, you wouldn't believe how many times I checked before I cut or glued anything!

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1493482063' post='3288703'] like don't get me wrong - I think it's utterly mental. But it looks awesome so far. [/quote]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1493470047' post='3288590'] Looks great! [/quote] Thanks!