Building a Chambered LP

[pinefd]

Originally Posted by nmguitars

a little mouse with a wet rag and a headlamp

Brilliant idea; why didn't I think of that?

[pinefd]

Originally Posted by nmguitars

Frank, how much is left on the gibson chambered reissues? It looks to be about 1/2", and that was my guess just from looking at the pics I have.

My '07 R8 Chambered is exactly 1/2":

[nmguitars]

Thanks for the info Frank, looks like by sheer luck I got the back thickness the same as the CRs. Tonight's installment is more top carving and body binding. After an hour or so more carving I got to the point where I was ready to finish cutting the binding channel. I have to wait until I have carved the bottom horn, because the binding follows the carve, leaving the exposed maple beneath the binding and above the mahogany. Here is the top carve about 90% done:


Now for my absolute least favorite part of building a guitar, especially when the maple is hard like this stuff is. I don't have a complicated rig like most archtop makers have, just a little stew-mac dremel attachment for cutting the arched binding channel. This process causes me more headaches and time than any other part of the guitar. I wonder if this "old-school" detail is worth it every time, and I have yet to be happy with the results. Here is the dremel attachment:

Slow passes are key, as the risk of tear-out here is magnified since the tool is hand held.

Thank god for old fashioned tools. I clean up the dremel route with super sharp gouge.


Next step is to clean the binding channel around the body with a little sanding stick and 150 grit.

[nmguitars]

I was going to wait on this part until tomorrow, but was on a roll so I went ahead and put the binding on. I usually use the stew-mac cream ABR plastic binding, but got ahold of some cellulose white binding so wanted to use that. it is not vintage-correct, but not much is on this guitar. I will tint it yellow when I paint the guitar. I use DUCO cement with this binding. Binding tape is essential for this since you can pull really hard on it and it won't break, allowing good pressure on the binding. I masked the mahogany first so that any glue drips would not get saturated into the wood causing problems for the grainfiller stain. Here is the binding going on:



Getting the binding around the bottom horn is REALLY hard. I used a hairdryer to bend the binding, but it is still a real chore, and I'm sure when I take the tape off in the morning I will have so spots to fill.

[BOBBO]

This is going to be quite a guitar !! How long has this process taken in real time ?? hours ? days ?

[nmguitars]

5 days so far, probably 20-25 hours in it so far. I had about a day's worth of work in it before I started this thread. Worked on it about 6hrs Sunday, and 3-4 hrs everyday this week. I think I may be able to get it ready for paint by Christmas. Got another guitar Im working on at the same time I will share pics of when its done, and a few others Im painting.

[nmguitars]

Took the tape off this morning before work:

Everything looked gap free for the most part. A couple spots around the horn that need a little filling but overall nice. I scraped the binding flush on the top and did a quick sanding on the sides:


The cutaway needed some attention though, as I suspected:

but after a little work and filling I got it looking ok:

Here is the binding cleaned up:

I will be setting the body aside for a while now, and start work on the neck.

[Gigan]

Awesome stuff, thanx for the nice pics of the binding process.

[Mikeeeeh]

One of thee most interesting threads EVER!

It really is an art form... make ya respect the workmanship even more seeing this...

[loneguitar]

MM I congratulate y'all, it's like watching an artist paint, thanks for the photos cain't wait to see how she turns out

[Redfish]

Very Cool. Thanks for sharing.

[nmguitars]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. Im still a hack at this though, some of the folks that post on here like Roman and Greg are the real pros. A guy on the LPF said a while back that it takes about 10 guitars before you get one you are really proud of. This one is number 8 for me, and I just try and learn how to make each one a little better than the one before.

[RFR]

[quote=nmguitars;49295]Thanks for all the kind words guys. Im still a hack at this though,


I think you are doing an amazing job!

Here are a couple of a binding tips (I learned after about 20 guitars)


A) I do the binding over a 2 day time period

I first do ONLY the binding up to the horn. I glue all the way around except for the bottom of the horn. with the tape I just tape the binding to get it to make the initial curve.

I let it do it's thing overnight and the next day, concentrate only on the horn.

B) the best tape I have found is that hardware store fiberglass re-enforced tape. you know the heavy duty stuff for packing.

It has the strands that run the length of the tape.

Also it is clear so you can SEE how tight the binding is snugging up. No surprises in the morning when you pull the tape off. Plus, it is strong as all hell.

C) Get from harbor freight a heat gun, they are under 20 bucks and use the low setting.


I thought I would throw that in, but I think you are doing an outstanding job!
cheers,
Roman

[nmguitars]

Thanks Roman, I've been debating a heat gun for some time, I think you just sold me on the idea. Any other tips are greatly appreciated!
I got started on the neck tonight. I picked out a nice light neck blank, and a brazillian RW fingerboard. The fingerboard is not particularly dark, but dark enough. I have 4 really dark braz board left which I am saving for something special way down the road, otherwise I am going to start using much less expensive, but I think equally good boards.

Next I marked out the neck on the wood (note the well worn LP plans. Even though I've departed from them in many ways, I always come back to them for base measurements):


I get two necks from each blank. This one cut it pretty close, but just enough. Next step is to cut the headstock angle on the mitre saw:



Then over to the bandsaw to cut out the profile of the neck:

Here is the result:

On every guitar up until this point, I have routed a curved truss rod channel using a jig that I made just for this. On a curved channel, the route is deeper in the middle of the neck than on the ends. On 50s LPs including original bursts until 1960, gibson used a straight channel that is 1/2" deep the length of the neck, so I thought I would give this method a try, even though I understand that this will make the truss rod a little less responsive the closer to straight the neck is. I set the blade on the table saw to 1/2" and cut a channel in three passes just slightly wider than 3/16" for the truss rod. It is a nice fit, with just enough room to allow for the truss rod to function, but not be rattling around:

[decoy205]

I would love to be able to complete a project like this. I wish i had the tools and experience. I know if i ever try to do it i will screw it up some how. lol.

Excellent workmanship man. Impressive.

Do you build guitars for a living?

[BigC]

Awesome!

I always wondering how the binding was applied.

Do you have any pics of the previous guitars you've made?

[nmguitars]

Originally Posted by decoy205

Do you build guitars for a living?

I teach English for a living Luckily, I just finished grading all my final exams so I have some time off before January to work on my hobbies

Originally Posted by BigC

Do you have any pics of the previous guitars you've made?

Two here

[nmguitars]

First item on today's agenda was cutting out the tenon. I started on the mitre saw and cut around the tenon:



Next stop, table saw, to cut the sides of the tenon:


Then finished the cuts with a pull saw and chisel:

Next step is to cut the neck profile. I have three templates for different widths. I am going to choose the medium profile for this guitar:


Then off to the router:

Finished product:

[Gigan]

Hehe, way to maximize the use of your material on the neck cuts!

[nmguitars]

I then attached the headstock profile:

and followed the same router process:


I then rough sanded the headstock to thickness:

Next, I cut a holly headplate and planned it to thickness. I like to make mine quite a bit thicker than gibson's, so it is more than just a veneer, but adds strength to the headstock. After I thickness the headplate I go back to the mitre saw and cut a bevel on it at the same angle as the headstock angle:


And then glued it onto the neck:

Onto the fingerboard, I planned it to a heavy 3/16" then rough cut the profile on the bandsaw:

Then cleaned it up on the router:

Next step is to cut the binding channel for the fingerboard. I use the same setup that I used for the body, except the bearing on the bit is larger since the neck binding is thinner:

Fingerboard cut to correct profile for binding:

[BigC]

Two here[/quote]

Cheers.

[loneguitar]

Thanks for the updates MM, this is so cool, is the medium template like a 50's profile or between that and a 60's?, also is it at a 17 deg angle, 14? this is really a great thread

[nmguitars]

I don't remember the nut widths off the top of my head, but the medium is the profile from the burst specs. The thinner one I based off a strat that I like, and the wider one is for a guitar I built for slide where I like a little more space between strings. As far as neck thickness, I like them about 3/4" thick but with no "shoulders," so the neck feels smaller than it actually is. On my 58RI the neck is about 1" thick, but has huge "shoulders" on it so it feels big too.

[loneguitar]

Very cool, I have an Eric Clapton Blackie strat and love the soft V neck, now when you say the Burst neck are they different from other LP's? sorry, I'm a novice when it comes to vintage LP's, but keep learning all the time from the wealth of knowledge on the forum here, Thanks MM

[pinefd]

C'mon, Nick! Where's my daily dose of guitar building tips? Don't tell me you're taking a day off?!? Get a move on!