041210

Saturday the 4th of December 2010

after completeing filming of the 24 (ish) hour guitar project last week I start this one in front of an editing suit… boring!!!

so I leave that to others and get back to work..

a left-handed version of our eight string guitar, the Scorpion.. with slightly amended (and more attractive) cut-outs..

there’s not much that can be done with an eight string headstock, if you want straight string pull that is, but I’m rather pleased with this one..

she will be loaded with a customised set of bareknuckle aftermath pickups..

where do Manson get off charging nearly £4000 for this? basic solid body with a very, very basic bridge, the only expensivee(ish)options are the sustainer and MIDI triggering touch pad, which combined would cost no more than three or four hundred.. makes me think I should charge £5000 for the Robert Fripp guitars..? No..? I agree, that would be stupid.. though they are much better than this ever will be! ..rant over!

and on (note the lovely segue) to our version of the Muse guitar.. though this one has been specced without the sustainer and with a zvex fx pedal built in..

anyway, the three we’re lacquering need more

and therefore need rubbing down

and keying.. to give the new lacquer something to grip to..

I’m very much looking forward to meeting this one when she’s finished.. I’m loving the staining!

the snow falls.. my feet get cold.. I insulate the workshop t little more.. I work..

the paf hollow/Robert Fripp slim amalgamation is next.. the control layout is finalised and drilled in

..and the mist (or fog?? I can never tell) arrives.. very pretty though!

carving begins on the internals.. by hand this time.. I really couldn’t be bothered to set up the pin router and there is something very therapeutic about hitting a gouge with a mallet!

the biggest thing is to make sure the sustainer unit fits in properly.. it’s biggest design flaw is that the switches are mounted directly to the pcb and all the cables are plugged in.. you guessed it.. to the underside of the bloody unit.. who thought that was a good idea?

in order to make the top look much more delicate the f-holes are carved around

finally the inside is sanded

and, to save work later, the electronic areas are shielded

glue (poly-u)

and pressure

make for a complete guitar! lovely! excess glue is scraped away

and the controls drilled all the way through the body

a new layout calls for a new control cavity…

which calls for a new template… or two! Here I confess an idiocy.. I’ve been calling this tool a fretsaw for years.. it’s bloody not! it’s a scroll saw! (here’s a cheer for learning something new every day!)