Saturday 13th June ’09

and the final stages are entered into, after shielding the cavity

the potentiometers are installed

and Nick’s bass is wired..

and then set up..

and a mostly happy client.. we’re not too happy with the wiring, but she’ll be back in a few weeks for an update

on to the Bubinga topped PAF Hollowbody

the frets are filed level.. after carefully making sure that the neck is perfectly flat

the fretboard is protected and each fret has the hell polished out of it!!

and finally more coats of lemon oil are applied.. bringing out the grain of the snakewood fretboard!

the grover tuners are installed

and it is on to making the ebony nut..

and installing the recessed truss rod cover..

the fret ends of Gary’s neck are filed at a 45 degree angle to the fretboard and profiled etc..

and then it is on to more inlays.. these stainless steel pieces were cut from a chute in the heinz baked bean factory, the rippling was caused by a year of beans being shot down the chute!!

after re-polishing each inlay piece is marked around with a sharp scalpel..

and then the milling machine is used to rough out the cavities..

and they are then tidied up with sharp chisels..

because of the uneven, but pretty, surfaces the inlays are recessed more deeply into the fretboard than usual

and then a clear casting resin is dripped into each cavity..

my new router is a little bigger than the last one..

and, at about a ton takes a lot of time and effort to get in place..

also creating a very very messy work environment for a while..

finally she is in place, though we’ve removed the motors etc.. the platform is a thing of beauty, the tables move in three dimensions a smoothly as they could but we will be grafting a brand new router in place of the old belt driven mechanism.. a melding of old and new technologies!

and in the process of tidying the workshop a new bench is added, preparing the way for the next phase of the Crimson Guitars experience.. ie video of the various processes involved in building your very own bespoke guitars and basses!

All my best,

Ben