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Saturday the 13th of November 2010

As you’ve seen over the past few weeks the new range of stock guitars, the signature and signature pro ranges are nearing the completion of development..  here’s a page about the signature paf we’ve just completed.  We also have plans for Dissident, PAF Bass and 45rpm Doublecut signature models, not to mention a standardised Robert Fripp Hollow signature built exactly as he would have it.

The next phase of the operation is to get guitars in boutique guitar shops around the UK and to that point we are looking for private investors looking for a 15% return on an investment in either 5 or 10 of the stock guitars.. email or call if you want more details..

now, to business.. the tuner alignment is checked and the holes drilled in Mike’s Ronbert Fripp slim

and it’s on to inlay.. this shell has been knocking about for months

and I’m finally going to see how it works as an inlay material.. curved of course but easy enough to cut and work with

the cavities are routed out

success!  not perfect here yet but we’ll re-visit them once the glue has cured for engraving etc..

the paf hollow needs final sanding, doing this by hand is actually really therapeutic!

her backplate is sanded and the positioning holes drilled

the binding is scraped clean with a sharp blade and then finely polished with some wire wool.. by far the easiest way to sort out binding and I’m pissed off it’s taken me this long to figure it out!!

she is stained

the black is then sanded back lightly

and then a red is washed over

a thus my favourite ever finish is born!! I can’t wait to see it under lacquer!

the Muse Descendant is rubbed down..

and she too is stained

and they both get a good old blackburst

the paf signature prototype is in need of a backplate

which I’m making in padouk to match the fretboard

I can’t help but think that screws detract from the look.. magnets it is next time round!!

finally the truss rod cover is in and we’re officially done with this one.. now to make some templates!!

the ‘Robert Fripp’ and ‘crimson’ inlays are engraved and the engraving filled with dust and glue.. and I am very very happy with the look!

ok, a bookmatched maple top is pulled out for Dave’s 45rpm

the neck pocket is roughed out

the wiring channel shielded

and she is glued up and left to cure..

a lovely levin comes in with a poorly repaired top crack.. I’m going to make a magnetic holder to keep the patches in the correct place.. but that’s next week!

half a hundredweight of clamps is removed from Daves guitar

and the excess maple bandsawed away

we’re using a real veneer on this one

and that is clamped up.. the green foam material compresses and pushes any air bubbles out from under the veneer.. you just have to reember to tighten the clamps again after 20 minutes..

now, I started drawing up plans for a version of the eight string scorpion model..

but we’re thinking ten strings may be a bit more fun!!  What say you?

carving commences on Mike’s slim..

a slightly shallower top carve than usual to let the trem sit on the body.. we only want one direction for this one!

mmm.. chunky!

all the ergonomic carving comes in

and the multi-multi-laminate neck recieves some loving rasping.. I do adore the look of this one!

the all access neck joint is something else that receives careful attention

the top carve is finalised with a pair of thumb planes left over from my violin building days

the internals of the control cavity are routed on the pin router

leaving the top only about a quarter of an inch thick here..

..the excess wood from the top of the deep set neck tenon in Mr Snyders custom guitar is planed away..

…dinner!!

ok, the Snyder guitar is a special case.. she is a Rober Fripp slim model but with tone chambers and to top it all off she’s going to have paf hollow sound holes!

now, the neck pocket etc is fitted carefully..

and then the layout is worked out.. for the life of me I can’t see how I’m going to fit all the electrickery in but we’ll give it a good go!

now, a guide bush in the router and a 3.2mm router bit should be useful, up until now I’ve been cutting these sound-holes by hand but a template is the next step and they are a popular design addition..

nearly there!.. the aim of the game now is to optimise production without compromising our standards or the quality of our work.. this should be great fun!

Till next weekend, all my best,

Ben

crimson custom guitars uk

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