Archtop Build Pt 1
I noticed yesterday that Mark has expressed interest in having build threads posted on the forum.
73Custom/guitar noobie is doing a re-run of his wonderful les paul build here, so thought I'd jump in and share the build of my acoustic full hollow archtop as well.
I used Bob Benedettos full scale engineering drawings, his 9 1/2 hour dvd set where he builds an archtop front to back on camera & his 250+page book as my information resources.
This being my first acoustic build, I wanted to make sure that I would have good pictures in my mind in the shop, I studied the material exclusively for several months before cutting the first piece of wood on the project.
I've got a lot going on right now, but will try to get a few photos up with some dialog on a daily basis.
Hope you all find this entertaining & informative.
One of the coolest things about Benedetto, is that other than the standard set of wood shop equipment: bandsaw, joiner, drillpress etc, he built all of his jigs & fixtures: dovetail on the neck, neck pocket in the body, etc.
I duplicated all of this as the build progressed on an as needed basis.
The first couple of items were the body mold for the side bending opperation, the carving cradle, which holds the top & back blanks for shaping & the arching templates for proper configuration of the top and back plates.
The templates, which were provided with the book, were carefully cut out & double stick taped to 1/4" maple for accuracy in use.
The Fhole template was attached to a flexable piece of lexan plastic for durability.
Laminated neck blank in glue up.
When the woods used are in this position, the neck wood is in a quarter sawn configuration.
After the glue has set overnight, I put it on the belt sander to clean it up...
...making sure that it is straight & square to the sides of the laminate bundle.
Pencil line has been drawn with a square to indicate the break over point to the headstock face.
In this photo I have not yet put the headstock face on the belt sander, but it was done at this time also, making sure that it comes to the the break line precisely
Calibrated angle finder is set at 2 degrees & transferred to the heavier angle marker...
...and marked on the heel of the neck.
This is a critical layout, in that this angle is essential in assuring that the neck angle relative to the bridge/saddle will be correct when the neck & body are joined.
I noticed yesterday that Mark has expressed interest in having build threads posted on the forum.
73Custom/guitar noobie is doing a re-run of his wonderful les paul build here, so thought I'd jump in and share the build of my acoustic full hollow archtop as well.
I used Bob Benedettos full scale engineering drawings, his 9 1/2 hour dvd set where he builds an archtop front to back on camera & his 250+page book as my information resources.
This being my first acoustic build, I wanted to make sure that I would have good pictures in my mind in the shop, I studied the material exclusively for several months before cutting the first piece of wood on the project.
I've got a lot going on right now, but will try to get a few photos up with some dialog on a daily basis.
Hope you all find this entertaining & informative.
One of the coolest things about Benedetto, is that other than the standard set of wood shop equipment: bandsaw, joiner, drillpress etc, he built all of his jigs & fixtures: dovetail on the neck, neck pocket in the body, etc.
I duplicated all of this as the build progressed on an as needed basis.
The first couple of items were the body mold for the side bending opperation, the carving cradle, which holds the top & back blanks for shaping & the arching templates for proper configuration of the top and back plates.
The templates, which were provided with the book, were carefully cut out & double stick taped to 1/4" maple for accuracy in use.
The Fhole template was attached to a flexable piece of lexan plastic for durability.
Laminated neck blank in glue up.
When the woods used are in this position, the neck wood is in a quarter sawn configuration.
After the glue has set overnight, I put it on the belt sander to clean it up...
...making sure that it is straight & square to the sides of the laminate bundle.
Pencil line has been drawn with a square to indicate the break over point to the headstock face.
In this photo I have not yet put the headstock face on the belt sander, but it was done at this time also, making sure that it comes to the the break line precisely
Calibrated angle finder is set at 2 degrees & transferred to the heavier angle marker...
...and marked on the heel of the neck.
This is a critical layout, in that this angle is essential in assuring that the neck angle relative to the bridge/saddle will be correct when the neck & body are joined.
You did have a 50/50 chance of being right! chears