010909

Tuesday 1st September ’09

Also as a sop to the current economic down turn I’m offering a ten percent discount on every custom guitar order recieved this month!!  And just for fun we’ll put that up to 20% when you send your old guitar in a hardcase to us with the deposit..

we’re back with this piece of lovliness.. an old Levin archtop who had a new pickup installed last month.. turns out, after several hours of trouble shooting, that the Kent Armstrong pickup was very faulty! .. I’ve neber had a pickup that reacted this way..

so it is replaced with this beauty..

as an added extra the scratchplate is shielded

and a wire is run from a tailpiece screw to the jack ground..

also we use completely shielded wires..

and the result is a completely clean.. and rather pretty.. signal.. result!

the left-handed hollowbody is still under wraps for now..

and the pond gives some inspiration.. that would be a pretty cool finish.. (need I say it’s a very windy day?)

Now.. Archies Robert Fripp guitar.. the final sanding has occured..

and some stain is applied.. and looks a bit orange.. for now at least..

the back is done too and the binding scraped clean..

In the meantime Aki (the spray master) attacks Chris’ Ibanez twin neck..

and I spend a happy hour cuddling a guitar.. it’s not the same without strings on though..

here’s how we think she’ll look with lacquer on..

closer to the look we’re after.. no?

just look at that wiring!?

once more to these rippled inlays.. scrape off the excess to see which dips still need filling

and the final layer of clear resin is applied

now.. Kirk’s inlays on a fanned fret neck.. I’m a glutton for punishment so the inlays are split into three.. though it does look pretty shit hot if I say so myself!

I need some sharp chisels before I can finish setting the inlays in the fretboard

in the process I end up getting at least half of them back to a razor’s edge

here’s Fred’s guitar.. the original finish was a non-starter.. the lacquer was recomended by a friend and really didn’t do the job.. the final straw was when she was hung on a stand over-  night and half the lacquer melted from the rubber on the stand.. the moral of the story.. stick with what you know!!!

the inlays are marked around with a very sharp scalpel

before the bulk of the recess is routed out with this lovely little tool.. after that the chisels are used to clean up the cavity

..celtic knot inlay.. the first of many, I’m sure!

this one is recessed completely by hand

and here’s the result..

I can’t wait to see this one finished!
All my best,
Ben