Build an Gibson ES 135/137 style

[Dr.Ow!]

I have had a hankering for an ES type for many years and have started one recently after deciding which style I wanted. I am using some parts requisitioned from some guitar builds that were OK but not great- FB, and an early acoustic slope shoulder where my first try at heat bending the Khaya sides ended with wavy warpy sides due to too much H2O and thus steam.

I have the body together and in the next couple weeks should have it ready for a simple oil varnish finish job. Not sure yet on the bindings to use but it should have some purflings in the top but adds hassle and time.

[Dr.Ow!]

Here is the start. I have developed my plan based on the ES 175/135 etc types. But is not a copy per se, and I am going a bit deeper than the thinlines. Also I am trying a bit of experimentation so this may be a dud. I did another similar project 2 years ago using 4mm ockueme ply and a hollowed out centerblock of fine VG fir and that turned out very well so I am proceeding with some of that theory in play. Also I am using leftover wood stock and some older parts and trying to spend zero.

I took the slope shoulder's bent sides and resawed them for a laminated sides set netting .200" and 1.875" finished width. The laminating and clamping to the form will eliminate the wavyness. I make a form from 3 layers of 3/4" ply. Reheated the waist location and bent for the tighter radius. Then glued the 2 lam's with Titebond. Jointered the two halves and checked them on the table saw for flat/true plane before ripping to the 1.88".

The center block is Sitka from 6/4 stock so I glued 2 layers for the needed thickness of 2.5" as I am using a cambered block with the peak at the bridge location, and applying the top and backs in a mild bent approach to get some arch as well as some pre-stressed tension/compression into the top and back. No bracing of course. The top blank is .375"+ and the back is .25"+ in the rough before the final shaping and sanding. The back is built up from khaya scrap so not full width. The top was not enough width to make the lower bouts so I blended the grain figure AWAP for a discreet glue line.

Linings are Sitka 3/16x5/16" and kerfed on the bandsaw to eye. I have a plan for the D'Angelico archtop and he notes there that the kerfs are hand done and irregular, and as I am getting older I am liking a more soulfull and handmade approach to things. It is also quicker.

[Dr.Ow!]

Here is the way I glued in the cutaway veneer. It is 1/16"+ thick and was heated and bent on my basic bending iron- a propane heated 3"dia heavy wall. This was a tricky piece in the Mahogany as it is not the best bending wood. I tried 3/32" so I had a bit more fudge room for the flushing-up sanding that will be done to the neck/body join area, but it broke. I have satellite clamping blocks outboard of the body to apply the pressure w/o using the body itself.

Next is with the top on and trimmed edges. Then I located the bridge and mark that in chalk as no-touch area as I want full thickness there. I begin the cambering/arching roughing away with the beltsander and a new 80x. I take the edge down to 1/8". Most critical was carefully sanding in the neck and fingerboard landing on the body top. This is the most importany as it establishes the neck angle/rake relative to the bridge height above the body. I want 5/8-11/16" in this case, but without the F/B and frets and strings I need 3/8". When I got that I chalked that area. Then I roughed away the camber arching with the beltsander. Final shaping is with 60 and 100x and a hand block. Final final using a hard foam pad between the block and paper and feeling with hand for high/low spots. This is an easy type archtop with no reverse in the perimeter, just a mild curvature. The final edge is 3/32" and probably 1/8" over the linings inboard. The peak is still near the 3/8"

The F-holes are D'Angelico mimics I like more than the large Gibson-very 'violin' in style and narrow.

[Beachbum]

It's got to be rewarding to be able to create something like that with your own hands. I know diddle about what you are doing but I'm going to follow your progress since I own a 137 Custom that I truly do love. Send more pics as you go along please.


www.myspace.com/dawiklund

[Dr.Ow!]

The Neck. To date I've made several scratch builds and when I began a few years ago I made up many neck blanks from different woods as I had the material, and it is easier to fab up several at a time than to do these type parts one at a time when needed.
For this build I am still vacillating a bit between khaya mahog, or using this W.Ash blank all ready to go. The pic shows my jig for routing in the truss channel. I use a 5/8" wide cap and that shows in the pics. I do this now as a failsafe method to avoid clamping the rod too tight in the channel as I did in my first go at a neck-which meant a non-functional. I my experience anyway.

This one will have a Fender aspect using my preferred 25.5" scale unavailable in the Gibson. 1.75" nut. The F/B is Madagascar RoseW.

I have made my own HD truss nut washers from 1/2" dia bronze stock I happened to have, chucking a 3" or so section in the drill press, and with the drill turning file in a bevel on one end, then start a cut with the hacksaw to score in a clean consistent cut. Then hand drill the truss rod bore offset so it can be romeved easier than a concentric washer. This rod is also a salvege. The fixed end is also 1/2" bronze silver brazed to the mild steel rod. I skimp on the heat shrink as shown

[Dr.Ow!]

Hey BeachBum. I know what your saying-what you have there is what I want ;-)), but I only have wood and no expendable cash for a real McCoy. The 135/137 is a very fine looking shape a classic.

[Dr.Ow!]

Last pics for this stage here. I got the back glued on yesterday and will shape that tomorrow and then begin the bindings, neck pocket and pickup cavity's. I use a funny finagle method that may be common to others to rout those in to the archtop body's. Don't know as I'm somewhat in the boondocks as guitarbuilding goes, like most of us I suppose, so we come up with 'methods of acheivement'.

Anyway... pic with the top finite-ed to shape and then showing the innerds before the back goes on. Also I cut the F holes before any sanding/shaping of the top in case any chip-outs occured, and thus they could be removed in the sanding process. I just penciled the shape on using the cardboard thingy, then 6mm and 10mm brad point bits to drill the ends and a center hole for the Bosch jigsaw blades which when sharp/new cut so well no need to do the whole router/template jig-up scene...unless one wants the woodwork experience to do that-which has merit for sure. A bit of filing with fine files and done. I now use cheap to obtain localy chain saw files for their non-tapered round file advantage. And small mill file gives clean results.

Anyway...enjoy your Tele's 'all, and from one child of dust bowl immigrants to all the rest of you everywhere Gooday! And to TDPRI- thanks for such a great place to Twang Out!

[oigun]

This is great! I always want to do something like this!! maybe next year??

[herr_rudolf]

wow!
One day, I hope I'll have the guts to try and do a hollowbody like this. The way you're doing the centerblock and massive cutaway... Is that 'how it's done' by Gibson? It's lookin good already. Keeping my eye on this one...

[Dr.Ow!]

Thanks guys. I only have a few references to go by for the block and cutaway and this is what I have seen. I have finished buying plans for the most part now so I didn't get any, and mimicking instead. There are a few ES plans around, one source being through Amazon with what appear to be very accurate to the Gibson method-which looks like on the ES 335 there is no solid wood under the cutaway venitian horns-hollow with linings all the way. It seems I have seen somewhere this block florentine used in an electric but don't recall. I have a few books and thought Benedetto(Ooops-no way), or Martin Koch. Not sure now that you ask about it. I just did it this way...now I'm beginning to worry. No...the hollowed out bodies leave a mass at the ends so a little spruce block won't hurt on an electric. Will it?
The center line is a curved block, and some bend in the plates as mentioned. I'm not worried about the stress from the bend as the top only has 3/16"rise @ bridge and a straight flat slope from the neck to help keep the waist area bend minimal-where the real issue is. So the return curve is aft of the bridge where little stress is found in the slight compound curve. Long winded explanation, but this is the engineering aspect I really enjoy about luthery. The back is 1/4" rise, and both plates went down easily.
The Cherry is 1/4 sawn down the middle,air dried and very tough stuff. I oriented the small amount of plate warp to make the bend easier. Mahogany is pretty tough also in terms of split-proof as far as my experience anyway, whereas many deciduous woods are not. One attempt to ease that issue also is I wetted the outside of the mahog. back plate right after I glued it to the body, on the hypothesis that would help 'relax' the outer tension in the wood fiber...not scientific, but I think it helps.
In the last pic posted so far I have the little batten on the block-this is used to bend over the center block to the lining/sides to check/fair in the bevel necessary in the linings and sides to get a full glue surface. Also the batten shows you where to plane/sand on the center block for the same important gluing integrity.
These really are not much more difficult projects in actuality. One 'how to build an acoustic' book and start with some cheap wood for the first one and it opens up to you. If you can fit up a tight neck pocket on a Tele build.work patiently, and have the tools available set necks and acoustics only take a bit more time and patience.

[tgfmike]

Wow!

[whaledog]

Looks great. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

[doncha_magoso]

it's looking really good :D

[Dr.Ow!]

Anybody have any opinions Ash neck vs Mahogany? Thought I'd ask as my preference is to go with the Ash since it is already made up. It is not usual neck wood so maybe no opinions, but thought I'd ask for feedback as so many experienced builders are here. I assume it is 'bright' compared to Mahog, like maple maybe? If Mahogany would be a much better choice for any reason then I could do that. To date I have made several with Ash necks becuase I had a large 4/4 board of very fine grained in the rack for many years-paid for-and got me started. But have never heard how it compares.

My thread title is erroneous really as this project now has little in common with ES's due to the solid top and mahogany bent body. Was truely the inspiration though. Now it is 99% experimenting as I have departed from almost all ES parameters..as I usually do on almost everything I make.
I have made no progress on this as the weather has gotten cold and rainy until now, so I can put some time into it now. I should have the neck pocketed in and the pickup routs ready etc. I am contemplating installing the selector switch in the upper bout and deal with the added hassles involved. It looks rather blank in that area without. No back access/cover planned so all controls through f holes or pickup cavities.
Should have some pics soon.

[68thinline]

My ES-135 is all maple, including the neck which is a 3-piece laminate. I also have a 1970 Guild Starfire IV, which is basically an ES-335 copy, which has an all mahogany neck. Either way I think Ash is perfectly adequate for a neck if you select the right piece of wood and pay attention to the grain.

Nice work on the f-holes. I'll be following this build with great interest.

[herr_rudolf]

Originally Posted by Dr.Ow!

My thread title is erroneous really as this project now has little in common with ES's due to the solid top and mahogany bent body. Was truely the inspiration though. Now it is 99% experimenting as I have departed from almost all ES parameters..as I usually do on almost everything I make.

That really is a good thing. I find it interesting what people come up with other than what factories have allready been doing before. The more creative the better.

[Chris Clemens]

Jawel!

I wish I could do something like this! Well I just moved and I do have a garage for starters now, so, where did I put my skills...