Lets build something that looks like an L5 archtop

[screefer]

Your pic of the headstock and back is stunning even with the shop light glare!

Seeing how your transducer install is so tidy and perfectly placed, and given the overall cost, why would a customer not want one?
Does it affect the acoustics?

 

[Freeman Keller]

FK you ever considered using rubber bands (bicycle inner tube or the like) to clamp the fretboard to the neck to get a more even pressure distribution?

I've seen that done with binding and it sure could work for a neck and fretboard. The little quick clamps are so quick and easy and I seem to get pretty good squeeze out so I think the pressure is pretty even. I have a nice padded caul on the back of the neck, I just put a couple of clamps on each end to hold it in place and add the ones in the middle. Having the two dowels makes it easier too - some people put pins thru fret slots but since my boards are already fretted I can't do that.

I frequently fall into the trap that when I know something works I'm reluctant to try anything else.

 

[Freeman Keller]

Your pic of the headstock and back is stunning even with the shop light glare!

Seeing how your transducer install is so tidy and perfectly placed, and given the overall cost, why would a customer not want one?
Does it affect the acoustics?

Thank you. I have terrible light in my shop for that kind of work. This guitar is for me, if someone wanted a pickup built into their guitar I would sure do it. The one in the picture was actually built for a friend and he insisted that he would never plug it in but since I was doing some things with the top that I didn't know would work I put it there anyway. It is a good system for amplifying an acoustic guitar, I have installed those little dots for other people and they are quite realistic sounding.

I'm just primarily an acoustic player, in fact I play my electrics like acoustic guitars - I finger pick and play out of chord forms and all that folkie stuff. None of my acoustic have pickups and from the very start of this one it was off the radar. I may regret not spending the hundred bucks, I guess we'll find out.

 

[Freeman Keller]

Conditions are not the best in my shop right now but I'm too pig headed to stop. Kind of ironic because I'm going to come to a forced stop pretty soon - its too cold for finish and I'm approaching finishing. Oh well, I'll just put it away until spring.

Mean time the neck heel was made the same height as the end of the body,

I cut it back and glued a little rosewood cap on the bottom. I want to bind it to match the reset of the guitar, 'tways a bit tricky trying to figure out how to route the channel

Got it, and glued the binding in place

All capped and bound

And a test fit back in the guitar

While I was futzing with the neck I added the side dots

 

[crazydave911]

Superb!

 

[screefer]

Conditions are not the best in my shop right now but I'm too pig headed to stop.

I'm to the north of you a bit and this current weather is not normal and downright "ignorant".
Kudos for soldiering on

 

[Freeman Keller]

Superb!

Thanks Dave. I really like doing these little details.

I'm to the north of you a bit and this current weather is not normal and downright "ignorant".
Kudos for soldiering on

The weather is actually pretty normal for what I remember 40 or so years ago. Its certainly not normal anywhere in the world right now. We've been getting out skiing lately in the north cascades, and I can make the shop tolerable with two space heaters, but spraying lacquer just has to wait.

 

[photondev]

Looking great Freeman, too bad about the weather.

 

[Freeman Keller]

Looking great Freeman, too bad about the weather.

One of the reasons we chose to live where we do is that the weather is interesting and varies from summer to winter. It affects all of our life style activities. The weather this year is more like what we experienced the first years we were here, for the past few years its been anything but.

It definitely affects guitar building and I knew going into this project that this would happen - in the past I've always started a project about now so it woud be ready to shoot come March. I've got a few more things to do on it but shortly I'll be putting it under the bench and shutting down this thread. Time to go skiing...

 

[hopdybob]

one more reason to think about each operation and the order to do it.

View attachment 933434

before you do, Think! while doing, Think!

some wise words i once read, and i see it here happening and you have my deepest respect.
i may never use the things i learn from your topics, but i sure enjoy them a lot.

 

[Freeman Keller]

This has been sitting on the back burner while weather gets better, but I did a little work on it today. I normally don't put pick guards on any of my guitars but a few seem to call out for one. Some archtops don't have them and I may end up leaving this one off but it is very common to see either a p/g or a finger rest on archtops, so I thought I would go ahead and make one to see if I like it.

On the occasion that I make one I like to use wood that matches the rest of the guitar. Since the head plate, fretboard, bridge and neck heel were rosewood, and since I had I nice scrap of rose I figured I would use it. Cut out a big traditional shaped one and bound it to match the rest of the guitar

Here it is sitting on the guitar. Looks kind of big...

I'll wait and see what I think as I get a little farther along

 

[Boreas]

This has been sitting on the back burner while weather gets better, but I did a little work on it today. I normally don't put pick guards on any of my guitars but a few seem to call out for one. Some archtops don't have them and I may end up leaving this one off but it is very common to see either a p/g or a finger rest on archtops, so I thought I would go ahead and make one to see if I like it.

On the occasion that I make one I like to use wood that matches the rest of the guitar. Since the head plate, fretboard, bridge and neck heel were rosewood, and since I had I nice scrap of rose I figured I would use it. Cut out a big traditional shaped one and bound it to match the rest of the guitar

View attachment 937433

View attachment 937434


View attachment 937431

Here it is sitting on the guitar. Looks kind of big...

View attachment 937432

I'll wait and see what I think as I get a little farther along

A Blue Darner inlay would look pretty nice inlaid in that pickguard as well.

 

[Boreas]

One of the reasons we chose to live where we do is that the weather is interesting and varies from summer to winter. It affects all of our life style activities. The weather this year is more like what we experienced the first years we were here, for the past few years its been anything but.

It definitely affects guitar building and I knew going into this project that this would happen - in the past I've always started a project about now so it woud be ready to shoot come March. I've got a few more things to do on it but shortly I'll be putting it under the bench and shutting down this thread. Time to go skiing...

Is this winter similar to what the Donner Party ran into?

 

[envirodat]

Love the contrast. Looking forward to seeing the final finish (even it that means spring)

 

[screefer]

That PG is beauty!
I'm selfishly rooting for a big Chinook to blow in for you.
In the meantime, enjoy the skiing!!!

 

[Jim_in_PA]

I would guess that the style of playing would influence whether or not a PG is desirable on these particular instruments. That one you fabricated is da bomb! Absolutely beautiful!

 

[Telekarster]

Man that baby is looking right swell, Freeman! I wish I had all of your threads over the years put into a nice, hardbound, coffee table size, book! LOL!!

 

[Freeman Keller]

A Blue Darner inlay would look pretty nice inlaid in that pickguard as well.

There are three Blue Darner guitars, that inlay has been retired. However I was playing mine last night

Is this winter similar to what the Donner Party ran into?

My daughter and grand daughter drove up from Portland on wednesday. The Columbia River gorge was shut down (as it frequently is) but they got thru. Daughter was going to meet some friends in the north cascades for a few days of XC skiing, GD would stay with us. We had about 4 inches on the ground. Started snowing after they arrived.

We woke up yesterday to 29 inches on my back porch. I spent most of the day shoveling, got the drive and cars cleared out so we could go someplace if we needed to. Daughter set a ski track in the field across from the house, GD and my wife baked and read. In between shoveling I warmed the garage enough to make the p/g. Last night I played the blue darner parlor while we sat around the fire. Life is pretty darn good.

Predicted to go to 35 today which means I've got to finish the shoveling before it turns to concrete. If the roads open daughter will head home, wouldn't mind if they stayed.

This was a surprise but is actually how our weather used to be before everything turned up side down

 

[Freeman Keller]

Man that baby is looking right swell, Freeman! I wish I had all of your threads over the years put into a nice, hardbound, coffee table size, book! LOL!!

With the help of a forumite Envirodat the setup thread has been turned into a Word document. That eliminates all the chit chat and makes it possible to print a page or two at a time if you want to take a small part to your shop. Its available if you send me an e-mail address, working on a way to download it from the forum.

 

[Boreas]

There are three Blue Darner guitars, that inlay has been retired. However I was playing mine last night



My daughter and grand daughter drove up from Portland on wednesday. The Columbia River gorge was shut down (as it frequently is) but they got thru. Daughter was going to meet some friends in the north cascades for a few days of XC skiing, GD would stay with us. We had about 4 inches on the ground. Started snowing after they arrived.

We woke up yesterday to 29 inches on my back porch. I spent most of the day shoveling, got the drive and cars cleared out so we could go someplace if we needed to. Daughter set a ski track in the field across from the house, GD and my wife baked and read. In between shoveling I warmed the garage enough to make the p/g. Last night I played the blue darner parlor while we sat around the fire. Life is pretty darn good.

Predicted to go to 35 today which means I've got to finish the shoveling before it turns to concrete. If the roads open daughter will head home, wouldn't mind if they stayed.

This was a surprise but is actually how our weather used to be before everything turned up side down

Mayflies could make for some nice inlays as well... Since the pickguard can be removed, why not spice it up? Your Initials would be redundant.

Yeah, weather has certainly changed. I guess that is what it does best. In a previous life, I used to hike a lot in the Adirondacks when I lived near Syracuse (think LAKE EFFECT SNOW). Winters were severe with plenty of snow. My favorite winter activity was backcountry skiing combined with winter camping. No bugs!! Once I was able to move to the Adirondacks, winters have become pretty mild and summers quite warm. But since discovering the limitations of osteoarthritis, I can't enjoy the outdoors as much, but it remains in my mind's eye. If I were an artist as you, I would likely go overboard with outdoors-influenced inlays.