Never saw a Takamine Explorer/ Destroyer/ crooneryodeler!
Is that a MIJ guitar?
Any idea when it was made?
Looks like a pretty good guitar!
What's on your workbench today?
- Thread starter guitarbuilder
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Is that a MIJ guitar?
Any idea when it was made?
Looks like a pretty good guitar!
Yes made in Japan early 1980's. from what I've researched, Takamine contracted these out for a few years. There were a few models, I'm not sure which factory made them but it is a quality build.
I should have added, I believe it is a GX-100 or similar. Google Takamine GX 100 or GX series and you'll find some info.
All sharp edge tools, no CNC here. I don't do much complex stuff though, and only wooden inlays. With that approach you want to take your time, start with scoring the outline, to cut cleanly through the fibers - that will give you a clean edge. Then go deeper with shallow passes. I don't do Dremel, so I would chisel out to depth. You may want to refine the bottom inlay edges, to have some space for fit and glue to escape. Also tilt the angles on the inlay slightly inwards to the bottom, so it is like an extending plug. Then it is a matter of refining the fit, applying glue and setting it in. It may need a slight tap, as wood will start expanding with moisture. I usually leave it a tad proud, after it is dry it gets chiseled down and scraped plain.
That method does not usually require gap filling, which is handy on high contrast woods, as you would usually sand down and introduce colour smear. That is why I don't sand, until it is sealed.
I bet there are better techniques though I could benefit from learning
)
Freeman Keller
Poster Extraordinaire
There are two parts to this. First cutting the piece that will be inlayed, which is usually done with a jewelers saw and a flat piece of wood with a hole to hold the pearl. I did that with the first couple of guitars that I built and still do it for one of a kind inlay like the owl on the barncasters, but I prefer to buy precut pearl from a supply house.
The second part is routing the cavity for the inlay to set in. A dremel on a little router base and a very fine burr does the job. There are some tricks, I show both fretboard and head stock inlay in the L5 Archtop thread.
Inlay used to be a real art form. If you look at the work by Grit Laskin or Jimmi Wingert or the other masters each piece is individually cut and routed. Today on higher end production guitars it is all done by cnc mills. Bob Taylor had a pretty good description of how he does it in the last issue of Wood and Steel
There are some tricks. Inlaying into dark wood (rosewood, ebony) is much easier than light wood (maple, koa) as you can fill the little gaps next to the inlay with powered wood and CA or epoxy. The repair disappears with dark wood, stands out pretty badly with light wood.
When inlaying a fretboard with a radius the router base will want to tip. You want the bottom of the cavity flat so I like to do the routing before scrape the binding back level with the board. The inlay will be flush in the middle and stand slightly proud at the edges, it sands back fairly easily.
After pearl is sanded level scrape it with a box cutter blade, that will bring back the luster.
Standard fretboard inlay shapes (Gibson and Martin) are available from most of the lutherie supply houses. Andy DePaule and Chuck Erickson can supply the special stuff. The can also help with CITES paperwork, some pearl is listed.
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RickyRicardo
Friend of Leo's
I just ordered a router base for my Dremel from these guys. Same thing and much cheaper than Stew Mac:
https://elmerguitar.com/products/precision-router-base
I'm going to give it a try for the first time. I'm going to try this method. It starts around 2:30.
Freeman Keller
Poster Extraordinaire
Just a follow up. On Wednesday a friend brought over his almost brand new Martin D-18 complaining about buzzy action. The guitar was extremely dehydrated. I posted some pictures in post #20,344 and at the Acoustic forum. Last night (Friday) my phone buzzed and I saw my friends name - my immediate thought was " oh no, its cracked". The text actually was to let me know that the guitar was responding to the rehydration treatment and he wanted to thank me.
Three days is very fast, I thought it would take a month to stabilize. I'm still going to wait a couple of weeks before doing the frets and setup, but I did breath a big sigh of relief.
All I can say is if you have acoustic guitars and are heating your house thing about humidity.
OK, I'll get off my soap box
Three days is very fast, I thought it would take a month to stabilize. I'm still going to wait a couple of weeks before doing the frets and setup, but I did breath a big sigh of relief.
All I can say is if you have acoustic guitars and are heating your house thing about humidity.
OK, I'll get off my soap box
betocool
Tele-Meister
@Steveinthesticks , @Freeman Keller , @Jupiter , @tomasz , @RickyRicardo
Thanks for your kind replies! There is more than one way to skin that cat I see.Cheers,
Alberto
ghostchord
Tele-Holic
Hand routed a channel for wiring in my to be Tele:
And glued half the flame maple top on:
And glued half the flame maple top on:
crazydave911
Doctor of Teleocity
On my workbench this week is a new workbench top.
Made primarily out of twice-reclaimed pine from an Ikea futon frame which someone discarded, it was previously also used for a temporary assembly (hence the random screw holes)
Framed up with maple cut offs and a chunk of 2x8 pine forms the base for the vise.
Zero effort was put into making the underside look nice, obviously.
I built it in stages so it bootstrapped itself into it's final form... as it stabilized the Workmate frame and added the vise I was able to make more accurate parts so the final pieces are far more accurate that the initial pieces.
Made entirely with hand tools, this bench will be used for further hand tool work including making guitars.
The outer vise jaw thinks it's fancy, with it's dog holes and support blocks. It wants to be a Record when it grows up.
Embedded carriage bolts lock into the WorkMate frame without modifying it and the hardwood rails have an edge that fits under the Workmate's bamboo clamping panel when it's tight against the rear of the bench top. I've tried abusing it and moving it and it won't budge when locked in.
Since it's removable, the Workmate can be converted back to it's normal saw bench form as well.
Made primarily out of twice-reclaimed pine from an Ikea futon frame which someone discarded, it was previously also used for a temporary assembly (hence the random screw holes)
Framed up with maple cut offs and a chunk of 2x8 pine forms the base for the vise.
Zero effort was put into making the underside look nice, obviously.
I built it in stages so it bootstrapped itself into it's final form... as it stabilized the Workmate frame and added the vise I was able to make more accurate parts so the final pieces are far more accurate that the initial pieces.
Made entirely with hand tools, this bench will be used for further hand tool work including making guitars.
The outer vise jaw thinks it's fancy, with it's dog holes and support blocks. It wants to be a Record when it grows up.
Embedded carriage bolts lock into the WorkMate frame without modifying it and the hardwood rails have an edge that fits under the Workmate's bamboo clamping panel when it's tight against the rear of the bench top. I've tried abusing it and moving it and it won't budge when locked in.
Since it's removable, the Workmate can be converted back to it's normal saw bench form as well.
OOooo??
AHhhh...mmmm..
Original owner '87 SD Broadcaster pu from a guy who got it back then to replace a pu in his '65 Tele that failed, He played it for many years, loved it, but got his original 65 PU rewound and installed that back in....
I just happened to want a bridge pu, too.... I looked on the bay and there it was... new listing..Score
AHhhh...mmmm..
Original owner '87 SD Broadcaster pu from a guy who got it back then to replace a pu in his '65 Tele that failed, He played it for many years, loved it, but got his original 65 PU rewound and installed that back in....
I just happened to want a bridge pu, too.... I looked on the bay and there it was... new listing..Score
Resawing some flamed maple stock for a mandoline back, if you are doing it by hand, the key is to take it slow and steady, lower the hand, let the saw do the work. You want to flip the wood every few minutes. Usually the last couple of centimeters are the trickiest ones:
Eventually, after some rough planing, there it is, a bookmatched back. Still need to look at the grain do decide if I want to have it book matched or flip matched, but that's another story
Eventually, after some rough planing, there it is, a bookmatched back. Still need to look at the grain do decide if I want to have it book matched or flip matched, but that's another story
Steveinthesticks
Tele-Meister
crazydave911
Doctor of Teleocity
I probably won't be around much for awhile even though my workroom is finished. My fiance is getting hip surgery tomorrow so I will be busy being her swamper lol. I'll be reading along though 
I probably won't be around much for awhile even though my workroom is finished. My fiance is getting hip surgery tomorrow so I will be busy being her swamper lol. I'll be reading along though
Wish her well..
I guess it’ll be payback, after her having to care for you after car accident & heart surgery.
Scott
crazydave911
Doctor of Teleocity
Yeppers, paybackWish her well..
I guess it’ll be payback, after her having to care for you after car accident & heart surgery.
Scott
Glad you've got yer priorities straight!I probably won't be around much for awhile even though my workroom is finished. My fiance is getting hip surgery tomorrow so I will be busy being her swamper lol. I'll be reading along though
Lumber is more patient than a lady too, so there's that...
Nurse Dave has a nice ring to it...I probably won't be around much for awhile even though my workroom is finished. My fiance is getting hip surgery tomorrow so I will be busy being her swamper lol. I'll be reading along though
telepraise
Tele-Afflicted
Wow Freeman! I've never seen a top concave that badly before. Are the X braces still solidly glued?
I bought a new Custom Shop D-18 this summer and am having the opposite problem. Winter is our high humidity season in Florida (no air conditioning and almost no heating). RH in the house is in the upper 60s.
Edit: reading on to the next page, I see three days of humidification did the trick, phew!
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