OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
The Gypsy Rosewood
Cooling the side down after they get up to temperature.
The bending press after bending, all heated up.
You can almost see the grain!
Brown paper absorbs the extra resin that boils out during the bending.
Getting the sides pulled in tight so that I can mark the ends for trimming.
The cutoff and of the bent cutaway side ready for fitting.
All the sides are bent a little long. I'm getting ready to mark them and trim them to length
Yours is the third one in.
Getting the sides fitted to the building frame. The trimmed end of the cutaway side wrapped around for the neck joint.
Rough sanded and shaped braces ready for gluing.
A different view of gluing on the head and tail block.
The top down view of gluing the mahogany end block and tail block.
Slightly different view of back bracing getting glued on.
Again with the go bar deck, this time back bracing.
Gluing on the top Spanish Cedar lining.
Using the go bar deck to hide glue on the top bracing.
Top bracing going on with go bars.
Using the go bars to glue down the center strip.
The side that I've cleaned the glue squeeze out off.
The center strip glue squeeze out. When I glue anything on, the glue squeeze out is inevitable. I first clean off with a sharpened ebony stick while it is still wet. Later, when it's dry, I clean it up with a steel scraper blade.
This is my sharpened ebony stick for cleaning glue. It is skewed on the other end the opposite way.
The rim assembly with the back liner being glued on.
The building frames including the new 000 cutaway.
Side braces.
Gluing the side braces.
The back getting glued on.
After getting the sides all trued up, I did the graduation on the tops, that is sanding the edges until they have the right amount of flex.
Now yours is on the left, this is just after sanding the sides flush and getting all the ripples out. Next I did the rolling pin sander in the waste.
Yours is the one to the right
Gluing on the top binding
Gluing on the back binding
Just after gluing binding.
Back binding on and ready to sand flush.
The top sanded to 120 grit after final thickness and voicing.
The sealer coat! I love it when I get to this stage and get to see the rosewood.
Here it is with the buildup coats. It will get sanded down one more time to get all the lumps and bumps out of the finish, and then two thin final coats.
Fun close up.
A little top glow.
The top with most of the build up coats… To be sanded one more time and two finish coats.
The finish is still lumpy so disregard any spots.
Again lumpy finish or disregard spots.
I think the abalone looks great against the sunburst.
Another abalone complementing sunburst.
After cutting blanks out of the big board.
A stack of necks out of one big board
Starting to taper the necks, getting ready for dovetail
2020 guitar necks in process.
Style A flower vine
The flower vine fitted to a slot head.
Finish completed on the neck.
The flower vine inlay!
The neck is set and the frets are in! It's getting close now.
The bridge goes on!
Three saddle heights
Flower vine inlay proportioned for 12 fret headstock
Flower vine inlay proportioned for 12 fret headstock... Ebony overlay... Black mother-of-pearl buttons on Sloan/ Waverly
Picture framed flower vine inlay proportioned to go with 12 fret
The front view
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Loar style sunburst on Adirondack spruce
The Gypsy Brazilian Rosewood
Ebony overlay on the back of the headstock
Hand engraved Bridgepins
Hand engraved Endpin
