Friday 1st May ’09

three new guitars begin their lives here.. each ebony fretboard has the customers specific dimensions marked out.. for example at the 12th fret their is a difference of about 5mm between the two extremes!!

excess ebony is bansawed away, to be used later on down the line as binding..

all my planes require sharpening.. as soon as the blade can no longer be used as a razor it is too far gone to use properly!

the compound radius is planed on each fretboard

the fret positions are marked out

and cut..

and finally it’s on to the inlays.. abalone in both cases..

it’s easier to cut the cavity by hand in most cases..

and here she is..

and at the 12th fret of this one we have an abalone op amp symbol!

now.. finally my back order of dual action truss rods arrives!!

meaning we can actually put these necks together!!  Each truss rod chanel is routed out

and then, taking care to check the plans of each instrument

the necks are rough cut to size..

the headstock break angle is planed in place..

and, after installing the truss rod and protecting it from the glue with a strip of tape..

three new necks comes together!!

more of the same here.. as you’ll see later this fretboard is going to be a bit special.. requiring me to mix up the order in which I work.  the binding is laid out before it is glued in place..

and then, once cured the excess binding is planed off..

the whole fretboard is polished through the grits to achieve the quality finish you expect in a high spec bespoke guitar..

and finally the side dots are marked out.. now, the special bit!!

both fibre optics and cubic zirconia side dots are installed.. the fibre optics will be attached to an led in the body of the guitar and the zirconia’s will be lit from behind.. effective!!

the final stage is here for Nimrods two necks.. the fret ends are clipped off and profiled

and she finally has the first of many cxoats of lemon oil, which really brings her to life!!

the op am inlay needed some more sealing..

however the abalone inlays on this one are ready to be filed down.. and polished..

every now and then I chuck a ball for the boys.. it does get rather amusing..

the binding on these two beauties is the last job before the weekend.. have a happy bank holiday!!!

All the best, Ben

Criminal Guitars HQ