Manton Customs

Hope it's ok to post this here, it's not a bass but thought some here may find it interesting and if it were a bass the process would be the same. This is a 1938 Cromwell Archtop G4 I bought to restore. If you are unfamiliar with the name it's a brand which was made in the Gibson factory during the great depression for department stores. This one is in a pretty rough state...let's call it reliced! But we can make it solid and playable again. It's 24.75 scale, has Mahogany back and sides with a Spruce archtop. I believe I have accurately dated this guitar to 38 from the headstock shape amongst other details. The goal of the restoration will to be to make it solid, playable, though still showing it's age and not to make it look brand new....A natural wartime relic from the 30s, if that's not cool I don't know what is! It still has it's original tailpiece and tuners though there are obviously some key parts missing which will be replaced/made. So, here's a quick rundown of what's wrong, what needs doing and what will remain the same. 1) Most obviously...there's no fretboard! It did come with one when I bought it but it was not original (I suspect 70s), heavily worn and no longer attached to the neck. So I'll be making a vintage correct one for it. The original fretboard would have looked quite stylish with a binding strip down the middle of the board and oversized dots, both of these will be recreated. 2) No bridge, so I'll be making one of those from Rosewood also. Though as mentioned above I do have the tailpiece. 3) Side has been heavily damaged, most of it is present, though some pieces aren't, these will require replacing with matching Mahogany 4) A crack in the top which will be re glued and 'cleated' 5) F hole damage, this will remain to avoid losing that lovely original finish, the bass side isn't too bad and I'm going to have a scratchplate covering the other. A scratchplate came with the guitar, though I need to do more research on whether it's original or not, I suspect it's not in which case I'll get one in. 6) A poor attempt at an inlay on the headstock, I'll address this. 7) Some kerfing round the damaged area is missing, so I'll be replacing that also. That's about it, then it'll probably be time to find it a new owner (unless I decide to keep it!). It's going to be a slow project as I'm working on it in my spare time with clients builds taking priority. Though having said that a little work has already been done which I'll be updating this thread with shortly. So here it is! Notice there is no truss rod, there never would have been though I'm guessing the slot is there from the factory where they would have made other models from the same blanks. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/61010fa5-67d6-4666-acb9-54b713ef3dbd.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/61010fa5-67d6-4666-acb9-54b713ef3dbd.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The back is actually in great state, there is a hell of a lot of checking in the finish but I like that. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration2-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration2-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The Gibson label. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration3.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration3.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Here's the headstock shape and the inlay which shouldn't be there. Whoever did it didn't do a very good job and the piece can be removed easily. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration4.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration4.jpg[/IMG][/URL] SMASH! It must have taken a big hit a some point. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration6.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration6.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The crack in the top which was obviously held together with selotape for a long time. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration7.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration7.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Another shot of the damage...It actually proved handy providing access to get access to the top crack. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration8-1.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/1938CromwellbyGibsonG4MantonCustomsRestoration8-1.jpg[/IMG][/URL] That's the guitar, next post will be the start of repairs. Thanks for looking

What he said basically. To make something in the style of one would be really quite easy, an exact copy would take a little more research.

We use Linseed also. Don't overdo it though, oiling once every 6 months or so should be fine.

Why not just use your soldering iron which you are using at the same time anyway!? That's what I do

[quote name='Bradwell' timestamp='1418137773' post='2627230'] Mahogany necks are too heavy to give a good balance on most guitars [/quote] It depends on the Mahogany; genuine Mahogany is quite a bit lighter than Maple, African and Sapele can range from lighter than to heavier than Maple.

I think a fair few tonewood believers do believe the neck and fingerboard have a bigger impact on tone....I have seen people say that anyway! You probably see articles in magazines and the such mentioning body wood more than neck wood because necks are normally just Maple on a majority of guitars and basses. It would also get quite complicated trying to predict the tone from a multi lam neck, when as has already been seen people generally cant tell the difference between two different body woods.

If it's standard tuners screw size, you'll want a 1.5 mm bit to avoid any chance of breaking the screw. Breaking a screw is about the worst thing you can do as they usually break flush with the wood. All the advice so far is good, tape the bit to get the correct depth (so you don't drill too shallow, or through the other side!) and wax/soap the screw. Also make sure all tuners are in the correct position (obviously!) as they look awful if not.

You probably just enlarged one of the existing holes, so no, it's not big deal and it'll be fine . If it ever got to be a problem in the future you could either have it filled and re drilled or add threaded inserts. But that wont be necessary now, I just mentioned it so you don't panic in the future if it ever became stripped.

Actually 16" is used on 6 stringers quite often, sometimes even lower. Anyway, there's a seller on Ebay who sells them upto 20" as long as your board is not too wide [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LUTHIERS-FINGERBOARD-RADIUS-SANDING-BLOCKS-/330852715968?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item4d085bcdc0"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item4d085bcdc0[/url], or you could make your own pretty easily.

Well remembered Chris, yes it was the Sirius . My experience and opinion would be similar to Ian's; I haven't worked with it before but I have seen and played a Chestnut topped (thick) guitar before, which looked quite nice. Which species are we talking though? I'd imagine it's Sweet Chestnut, which is like Oak, whereas horse is soft and less porous. I wouldn't be put off it just because it's generally not used, the opposite in fact...I'd like that it'd be more unique. I'd ask the luthier what the blanks weight is like though.

To get it playing it's best whoever makes the nut should have the whole instrument to ensure the slot depths are perfect. So you would be better off paying a local luthier. You can get an approximation by buying one online (which is what most people do) but it wont play as it should without fiddling unless you're very lucky.

We could build you a custom body. Get in touch through the website or PM if interested .

No problem. Just for clarification when I say cure I mean to fully harden (this takes a couple of weeks for T.O) and not touch dry. It has been reported that the curing (before buffing) time can take much longer with old Truoil. If you don't polish/buff your finish you'll probably be fine.

You could use Turpentine or White Spirit/Naptha to thin it, whether that's worth doing or not would depend on how old it is...how long has it been open? If it's not particularly new I would discard it and buy a new bottle as it can take a really long time to fully cure if it's been open a while.

Thanks, we were going for snazzy . They are pretty hot (15.5K) so I'm sure you'd be happy on that front, they don't really sound like EMGs though if that's what you were going for. EMGs have a sound all of their own, a very clear modern sound which some say can sound sterile. The Claymores have more of a warm sound to them, but still very punchy. There I'm officially out of descriptive words for tone .

I've used them before and would recommend them, I'd describe them as smooth sounding above all else. I think they have changed the look and name of them since I last used one, they used to have gold writing on like the 6 string ones still do. I used one in this: [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/TheArchon.png.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/TheArchon.png[/IMG][/URL] I'm sure they are still the same pickup as the description and specs are the same.

One last picture which got forgotten, it's under an Ash tree so seems fitting [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsTeleInspiredEchoGuitar15.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsTeleInspiredEchoGuitar15.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

They are brad point bits and no, they wont work for this application. Ordinary twist bits will though, depending on the size you are enlarging to and from, I would step up the bits gradually and mask off the holes. The grain is most likely going to be plain and flat sawn so it's not going to be too problematic. A drill is the only real way you'll get perfect results. Regarding the hole not being perfect with a file, for me being in this trade it doesn't matter if I can see it or not, it's not acceptable having an imperfect hole like that but that's obviously up to you: take your time with a drill and get perfect results, or take care with a file and get mediocre results. Though if you aren't bothered about it being perfect have at it with the file .

Yep, string it up with some heavier gauge strings. Has worked for me before. I have also clamped necks to get the necessary relief, but this is usually for extreme cases and even then no heat was required.

Don't use a file, it'll end up a mess. Use a drill, any kind will do as the existing holes will center the bit and keep it square.

As others have said it's mainly down to the string gauge, there are some helpful sites to help with this, here's a good one: [url="http://www.daddario.com/upload/tension_chart_13934.pdf"]http://www.daddario....chart_13934.pdf[/url], and another easier to use one http://www.stringbusters.com/stringfaqs.asp#Calculator. If you do the equations you'll see that to get the same tension at A that you would get when tuned to B you need to step your string gauge by (perhaps) more than you may think. You really want something like a .145 to have comparable tension. As for the scale length: A 35" with a .130 B string will give you similar tension to a 34" with .135. So you can go around .5 lighter on a 35". This obviously isn't the whole story as there is more to it when you take into account perceived tension/stiffness which can vary over different brands and type of string. But in short, you need a heavier gauge set of strings!

Thanks!

Thank you! Glad you like it. Ok, all done here. Enjoy the finished pictures! Quite proud of this picture, so it' gets to be first and the main picture for the website. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired4Main.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired4Main.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Shot of the back showing the single piece Ash body. Using a top loading bridge meant we could keep the back clear from any unnecessary hardware and keeps the focus on the wood. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired7Main.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired7Main.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The colour proved difficult to photograph, but I believe this picture shows it closest to how it actually is. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired8Main.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired8Main.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The Ash neck [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired6Main.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired6Main.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired5Main.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired5Main.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The headstock, the black and brass theme is continued here with the brass nut and name plate. [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired10Main.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired10Main.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired9Main.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u425/Manton-Customs/MantonCustomsEchoGuitarTeleInspired9Main.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Thank you for following this build .

What's your budget? Send me a PM or email if our prices are anywhere near in your range, we'd be glad to help .

I really like it. I've been meaning to build a Yew capped guitar for a while as have some nice stuff stashed away but haven't got round to it yet. One of those woods where the cracks and knots really add character....Anyway, sorry for the de-rail, good luck with the re finishing, I'm sure it'll turn out great having seen your other stuff .