Friday 24th April

..excess mother of pearl and glue are filed away from various fretboards..

leaving them pretty much ready for the next stage in a guitars metamorphosis..

using this template the truss rod channels are routed

then each neck has it’s dimensions marked out

and then they are cut out on the bandsaw

the headstock break angles have to be planed flat and then the truss rod access routed..

and then a change of pace.. this chunk of snakewood has been lurking around the timber store for years and I haven’t had the guts to cut into it.. finally there is a need.. and a guitar worthy of it!! .. a flat surface is planed in..

and then a fingerboard deep strip is bandsawed away..

back to Nimrods sister guitars.. I carefully mark out where the fretboard should be with masking tape

and then clamp them in place..

just to give you an idea of what snakewood is capable of looking like I damp this piece don with some naphta.. the bubinga hollowbody behind is the guitar that is destined to become one with the new fretboard..

to this end the original frets are removed with this delightful tool.. purpose built for the job and picked up in a junk store for 50 pence!!!

the snakewood board is clamped in place and left to cure

back to Andrews bespoke eight string guitar.. the frets have been glued in place and the fret ends are snipped off..

and filed flush with the fretboard..

the excess neck timber is removed

and she finally starts to look like a proto-guitar.. while I have her on the bench the first of many coats of oil is applied..

the sides of the neck are planed flush with the fretboard and she is now ready for her body..

just a small cross section of what is going on now..

a couple of strips of binding are glued in place on Joshua’s fretboard.. the first time I’ve done it using this method..

barb wire inlay for Nick’s bespoke bass guitar.. (who out there thinks Nick should give in to his mid-life crisis and get the tattoo done?)

after cutting the paper template out I mark around it with a sharp scalpel blade before recessing the cavities

finally it is glued in place..

back to Joshua’s neck.. the binding method was obviously a success and here I plane the excess material away..

the frets are installed.. gradually and with much banging..

and it’s back to the bubinga hollowbody.. after flattening the fretboard

this template is stuck on with double-sided tape

and the binding channels are routed in place..

..something tells me the horse is moulting??  She’s leaving white patches all over the field behind the workshop!

after planing in the compound radius the fret slots are marked out and cut

and then the dragons eye inlays are cut out of mother of pearl and raw abalone..

the cavities are recessed with a couple of sharp chisels

and installed.. at this point I’m looking forward to a day without an inlay in it!

the final job of the week is setting in Jason’s neck..

 

Have a great weekend world!

ben@crimsonguitars.com