Help me pick a new project

[Elias Graves]

Back to sample 1. Although it's caliche clay and difficult to break down, once it is, the dust is finer than talc. My first "harvest."

 

[Elias Graves]

Wow. This stuff grinds down to powder.

I think it's finer than talc. It's dust. Pretty cool.

 

[Chad]

View attachment 19706

Back to sample 1. Although it's caliche clay and difficult to break down, once it is, the dust is finer than talc. My first "harvest."

I think that kind of finish on a body that is not sanded all the way, kind of like old barn wood, would be pretty cool.

 

[Elias Graves]

Wet paint! This is unfiltered dust an it has some chunks in it still but the color is good. Much darker than I expected.

 

[Elias Graves]

I think that kind of finish on a body that is not sanded all the way, kind of like old barn wood, would be pretty cool.

I like some finish techniques like that. Distressed finishes are an art form all their own.

 

[angry tele]

thats looks like shit

the only brown guitar I know is pages botswana brown bomber and that looks black under lights

 

[Elias Graves]

thats looks like shit

the only brown guitar I know is pages botswana brown bomber and that looks black under lights

Of course it looks like shit. It's little more than a chemistry experiment at this point. Looking good isn't the goal at this step. Checking a tone and viability of local sources is all that's happening now. It has a long way to go before it's paint.

 

[Elias Graves]

On the workbench tonight is the White Guitar. I had an odd ringing on the B string that I finally traced to the bridge saddle. It seems my wider, round-over bridge isn't such a great idea.
So, I did some shaping, reducing the width of the saddles and creating a sharper fall-off.
I also adjusted the radius a bit. The outside strings were sitting a bit high. Just a couple of thousandths but enough that you notice after a while. It feels better.
I still need to adjust the height down just a wee bit and fine tune the nut slots a little. Again, the outside strings are sitting a little high.
I don't know if it shows up in the pics, but the top is definitely yellowing. I figured the cheap Ace clear coat had no UV block or plasticizers and it looks to be so.

You can see the arc of the bridge in this one. The bass side rises up just a little.

Then I need to re-finish the bridge where I've been sanding it with some Danish oil finish.

 

[Elias Graves]

This shot is from right after I finished it. You can see the fatter top on the bridge.

Yes. I know it only had five strings on it.

 

[Elias Graves]

Oh, yeah. You can see the color difference easily. Same camera, same location, same light.

 

[Elias Graves]

Anyone have an opinion on this body shape?
Forget the goofy hole in the middle and just focus on the silhouette. Then add a cutaway.

 

[Guitar Heel]

I still like the other one better.

 

[Elias Graves]

This one?

 

[Guitar Heel]

Yep

 

[Elias Graves]

Have you seen that in person?

 

[Guitar Heel]

That's a negative Ghostrider. Just think it's a kick ass shape.

 

[Elias Graves]

Project Neck Shave is complete. Turned out well, I think.
A few frets to work on, then I'll re-string it.

 

[instantsteve]

I think I could do this using 100% grown in the red dirt Oklahoma wood.

Main body...eastern red cedar
Top...Silver maple
Neck...Laminated silver maple
Fretboard...Osage orange

Locally sourced! Low carbon footprint!

 

[Elias Graves]

Lol. But, you have a good point. I'm always in favor of taking as little as we need from the earth. Those following is might want some stuff, too. Like air and water and pesky shit like that.

-------------

Everything is done. The one thing I was really curious about was how much effect this neck shaving would impact the sound of the guitar.
The answer is: It did no change the sound of the guitar. I trimmed the neck from 1.125" down to .90". No difference.
I can, however, flex the neck more. It's definitely no spaghetti neck but I can bend more down now than I could before.