newtherapist's 2012 Challenge Build Thread -- COMPLETED

[RogerC]

Beautiful work, NT. I really like how you took the binding down into the body on upper horn.

[henderson is go]

Wow, this tele is looking great. It almost looks like the tele version of one of Michi Matsuda's guitars

[glen smith]

Definitely different and very nice!

[newtherapist]

Originally Posted by henderson is go

Wow, this tele is looking great. It almost looks like the tele version of one of Michi Matsuda's guitars

Spot on Henderson. Matsuda ranks as my number one acoustic guitar über builder. I think his lines are the epitomy of tasteful and restrained while still being very experimental.

[Allthesound]

That is looking spectacular man! Love that top. Keep up the good work.

[emoney]

This thing is turning out to be so gorgeous I want to turn my build into firewood.
Loving it!

[kwerk]

Amazing work. This is gonna be outstanding. True craftsmanship right there.

[tehcnalp]

Great job. This looks fantastic. I'd like to see some more picture of the multi-scale fretboard template and miter box. What scale lengths are you using?

[newtherapist]

Thanks for generous comments, all.

Tehcnalp, the jig is a little primitive, so I have to make a new perspex template for each new scale length. So far, I have used 25.5 to 26.5 inches and this is my first multiscale baritone and is 26.5 to 27.5 for six strings, a little wider for seven. But the nice thing about the jig is that once its cut for six strings, it can be used for any number.

It works much like Stew Mac's mitre box and templates, but has three locating pins rather than Stew Mac's two - the additional one being along the centre line of the template.



The mitre box is just four angle brackets mounted on the wooden base, with an epoxy moulded head on each of them to keep the saw blade straight in all directions.

I stick the fingerboard blank to the template with the centre lines aligned, then put the template over the three panel pins protruding from the mitre box using the three lines of the first fret I'll be cutting. And then go on, etc.

The only real schlepp with this was drilling the holes accurately on the template.

Hope the pics make it clearer.

[volowv]

good stuff. i like the arm bevel idea, never occurred to me to do that.

[stijnkenens]

Ha, an other one with a multiscale neck.

I like your mitre box, I still do it by hand ...

Not sure if I understand the working of it, but it seems logic to me.
Curious what you will do with the bridge !


s.

[newtherapist]

Hey stijnkenens, speaking of the bridge, I went through a few ideas. What I'm going to try first is this:

A 2mm thick piece of african blackwood left over from the headstock laminate and a similar thickness piece of Mopane, a popular, indigenous South African and rather pricey wood used increasingly in high-end acoustic guitars.



I designed the organic take on a traditional tele bridge in Adobe Illustrator, and printed out the full-scale template.



Then I stuck the two laminates together with grain running opposite to each other and clamped really tightly for a few hours.



The result was a slightly bowed 4mm slab of wood that needed to be pressed flat for a few days, which I have left bowed in the opposite direction under a sturdy bridge since Tuesday.

I'll be adding another slab of blackwood for the back end of the bridge through which the bridge saddle screws will pass. The rest will be pretty much the same, design-wise, as a normal tele bridge with strings through the body at an angle.

I'll post updates as the bridge progresses but I'm away for a few days so hope that time will cure the bowed bridge plate.

[newtherapist]

After mulling the various neck inlay options, I went for a minimal approach in blue paua abalone, with a slightly fancy treatment of the 12th.

Here they are glued in



... and sanded flush



... and cut down to 400 grit paper on my first ever bookmatched fingerboard

[newtherapist]

Cleaned up the headstock laminate.



Fretted the board without too many problems. Bent the wire in the trusty stew mac fretwire bender.



Here's the fretted board with its characteristic bow, which I think helps slightly to counteract the pull of the strings when its stuck to the neck.



And the trimmed frets from the top.

[RogerC]

that looks incredible, nt! I'm anxious to see how your bridge turns out.

[newtherapist]

Stuck the fingerboard onto the neck. Here they are just prior to the always nerve-jangling operation.



Then routed the neck pocket using a new template for seven-string necks.



The routed pocket with a seven-string Kent Armstrong neck pickup rout.



And another romantic shot of the build so far in the evocative and gritty sawdust on my workshop floor.

[newtherapist]

Originally Posted by RogerC

that looks incredible, nt! I'm anxious to see how your bridge turns out.

Thanks RogerC. I'm as anxious about the bridge but have a fallback plan to an archtop type bridge if the wheels come off.

[newtherapist]

Began making all the necessary orifices in the body and neck.

Started with the seven tuner holes, using a standard Adobe Illustrator template.



Holes drilled



Electrosocket jack plug socket is done first with a 25mm bit for 3mm depth.



Then a 22m bit all the way through.



Then a trial fitting of the socket. Provided the drill bits are in good nick, this orifice comes out relatively reliably using this method.

[rcole_sooner]

Very cool!

[Maricopa]

Some sublime craftmanship there my friend.

I'm not a big fan of the forearm cut revealing the secondary wood, but otherwise I really like your design work.