Friday 31st July ’09

so, this week there was time enough for only two jobs..

the first.. the bespoke multi-scale 8 string guitar..

as ever the frets are filed perfectly flat and profiled..

in preperation for the polishing the fretboard is masked

and, after exposing each fret they are rubbed down with wet and dry paper and then polished with chrome polish and a little motor..

next up the bridge needs designing..

and fabricating, it is fairly simple, just a 4mm thick brass plate but half of the holes are threaded for the machine-bolt that will hold each saddle down

..I hate the way that half an hour of polishing just looks really shit in photo’s!

the through body stringing ferrule holes are drilled

and ferrules installed

and a nearly invisible bridge is installed.. along with a set of custom scatterwound pickups.

brass is used for the 8 string nut as well..

though this photo actually showed her off quite nicely.. just to explain a few things.. I know that the pickups should really be angled to match the fanned frets but the client specified this design on ‘aesthetic’ reasoning.. at the same time the area behind the nut is to be filled with rosewood to make her look like a standard guitar.. from a distance at least..

the lightweight.. mostly nylon, tuners are installed

the carved backplate is finally in place to keep eronious wires from creating last minutes scuffs and dents!

and eventually a compromise is built..

I do love the look of the shiny brass nut, though polishing it on the buffing wheel did create some serious finger-sucking heat!

now.. the second job.. from wednesday on this shed, formerly the abode of my ill-fated chickens, is labouriously transformed into a new spray booth!  Finally!

the roof is replaced with clear sheets, which means that there is no need for extra lighting, even on a gray day the light is a better standard than that created with flourescents etc.. and of course with no electricity in the building there is much less risk of explosion!

the first extractor system pulls the air down through the holes and out to the fan and filters.  next week we’ll also build a cascading water filtration system that will catch most of the overspray

nice and clean inside and quirky and cool out.. the main thing is that other than the roof the entire shed is a big black plastic bag and there is literally nowhere that air can come in except through filtered vents.. I can’t wait to get her up and running properly!

anyway, we couldn’t leave you with a picture of a shed.. so here’s the eight string, ready for wiring and a setup!

All my best to you and yours,

Ben