MLP Bartlett Build

[alk-3]

Hey everyone!
It’s been a while since I built anything and shared the process here on the forum, so I thought now is as good a time as any!
I’m about to start building a guitar so I thought I’d document it as well as I can, and share the process. I am very lucky in that I have access to some great machinery collected over the years. I started out in woodworking nearly 15 years ago now, and have purchased machines as I needed them. I began working in a small cabinetry shop making kitchen and bathroom cabinets. This is where I first learned how to use lacquer, mix colours, and how to properly spray a high quality finish. I went out on my own after a while and catered more to the higher end of the furniture business. I would take any work I could get, but really enjoyed the finer pieces, focusing more on the function of proper joinery, and the higher end finishes like French polish. Eventually I was able to begin to focus my attention on even higher end furniture and in the end was building manly 18th century reproductions. Anyway, all of that seems a world away now, as I have not built a single piece of furniture in ages. Much of the machinery is the same though.
Here are some pictures of my shop, and some of the machines I’ll be using to build this guitar.







It’s a very small shop, designed around one person working here. I do on occasion have a helper come in to pack and ship orders, but for the most part, its just me.
This is the band saw that dominates the shop. I needed a good resaw capacity, and found this one to be just perfect. The wheels have a 36” diameter.



This is the main shop drill press. I don’t know how big it is really, but I'll bet it weighs more than 500 lbs. it's called a ‘camel back’ drill press. It runs on a wide belt, and is a lot of fun to use.



This is the jointer, and gets plenty of use preparing maple for guitar tops, and neck mahogany for necks.



And this is the pin router. This gets more use in the shop than any other tool.



My work bench is where I spend most of my time. I have everything within easy reach, and very little space is wasted.







Here is a bunch of lumber, mostly maple, but a few bits of mahogany, and some other wood mixed in.



That’s all for today, but I'll be starting the build shortly, so I’ll update this thread as I move forward with the build.
If anyone has questions or comments, please ask! That's what this thread is for.

Note: Admin approved thread. -a

[Freddy G]

Awesome! I love your shop, reminds me of my dad's....I'll be following this one. Subscribed!
Go Tom

[MRJ]

I'm really glad to see you do a thread Tom!

[captcoolaid]

My wife thought I was doin a hidden object game. Nice use of space.

[Barnaby]

Beautiful workshop! It's a sort of comforting space to view, I think. I feel strangely relaxed after looking at the photos, which is exactly the right frame of mind for me to be in before heading off to my day job in a few minutes...

[JonMan94]

man i want to be your apprentice XD

[topo1983]

That is a beautiful shop LUTHIER

[Taller76]

Looks like I bought my templates and plans just in time
Awesome shop Tom looking forward to the build..now if I could just stop buying fuzz pedals long enough to get a top too....

[silverkw]

man... that would be a dream personal space for me...

[Drew224]

Subscribed.

[Exluthier]

This is going to be good.

[Daintree]

Yeah, I really like your shop space too.
Cheers.

[bgillie]

Thank you for sharing this build. Can't wait to see how it all comes together!

[voices]

Originally Posted by JonMan94

man i want to be your apprentice XD

+1

[jonesy77777]

I was lucky enough to visit the shop. It is so unassuming from the outside, but as soon as you walk in you are greeting by warmth, different shades of brown and the smell of sawdust. I absolutely loved it in there and actually felt a tinge of sadness when I was in the boardroom a couple days later, so sterile and cold compared to the shop. Seeing your guitar on the workbench was pretty freaking cool too. Look forward to the build.

[tsk_2980]

Thanks for sharing. Also, I noticed you have several LPs just hanging there (looks like they're collecting some dust)... if you need some help taking that off your hands, just let me know!

[pumpkinhead]

Thanks, Tom


David

[Ken McKay]

That is a great shop Tom and it looks like a sancturary. Your skill level is obvious! I will be watching.

[The Thruth]

Awsome thread, you live in Heaven my friend

[Nostalgia]

Do You have a youtube account Tom? This build will be good.

[monsterwalley]

Nice Tom! That looks like a shop one could lose track of not hours but days in.
Nice and cozy with everything within arms reach.

[monsterwalley]

Ahhh, Your secrets out to now. I just noticed the horse shoe above the door. I'm putting one above mine now.

[ExNihilo]

I am really glad to see this thread! This is a great introduction to what is sure to be an incredible build..... Now, I have to know.... Is this one going to be for yourself? Every time I see you you don't have your own guitar!

What Jonsey said is true, It's a very warm and cozy shop. Everything in has an "authentic" feel to it.

Anyway, What are the plans for the build?

[GooCart]

Man, this is going to be a nice thread.
The top next to the horse shoe brings back some memories of a thread from the past.

[ExNihilo]

Originally Posted by GooCart

Man, this is going to be a nice thread.
The top next to the horse shoe brings back some memories of a thread from the past.

Wasn't there a Bigsby build prepared for that? Looks like it stands as a monument now.

[bodark]

I'm in and subscribed! Thanks Tom!

Looks like you still have penty of room for more
breakers on that panel=New tools!!!

[jonesy77777]

Originally Posted by ex-nihilo

I am really glad to see this thread! This is a great introduction to what is sure to be an incredible build..... Now, I have to know.... Is this one going to be for yourself? Every time I see you you don't have your own guitar!

What Jonsey said is true, It's a very warm and cozy shop. Everything in has an "authentic" feel to it.

Anyway, What are the plans for the build?

I think the goldtop was a personal, correct me if I'm wrong Tom.

[j.six]

Originally Posted by barnaby

beautiful workshop! It's a sort of comforting space to view, i think. I feel strangely relaxed after looking at the photos, which is exactly the right frame of mind for me to be in before heading off to my day job in a few minutes...

+1

[glimmertwins]

That shop is beautiful! Reminds me I'm seriously in need of some organizing in mine.

[alk-3]

Whoa! Lots of comments! Thanks everyone! I’m kind of used to the shop, so I don’t think too much of it day to day, but I'm glad everyone likes the atmosphere. I love it too. Its great to work in, which is a must because I spend so much time in it. Its small, but I do keep it well organized, and tidy. There is not too much in there that doesn't get used regularly. I do wish I had a bit more space for some machinery that would help speed things up a bit, but I refuse to move anywhere for more space. This shop is located on my property, so I have no commute to work, and that to me is priceless.
This guitar will be my own, I hope. I did build a goldtop for myself a while ago, but I do not have a burst, and every time I try to build one for myself, I end up getting talked into letting it go somehow, or like the goldtop, it gets stripped of its parts for a customer's guitar and ends up sitting idle.


I had a chance some time back to measure up a 1959 Les Paul that was located right nearby where I live. This is an opportunity that I took advantage of in that if I needed to re-measure anything, or if I had forgotten to measure something I could relatively easily make arrangements to get the guitar back for a short period.
Anyway I spent a great deal of time confirming the measurements that I had already gathered from other original guitars, and from the help of other very generous luthiers, both from North America and Europe.
In my findings I have determined what I think everyone already knows: That no two of these guitars were ever the same..
I’m planning to build one of these guitars with the spirit of the originals in mind, and to respect the materials that were used originally, and the craftsmanship most of all.
I think these guitars were made by everyday people, doing factory work like so many of us do every day. They had no idea they were creating an entire lifestyle by doing so.
The first thing I did was make hard copy templates of the data I had available to me.



I made up the templates in the manner in which I think they were used. For instance, I think it’s reasonable to assume that the pickup legs were routed at the same time and on the same jig as the neck mortise, so I made a template accordingly.




It’s also my assumption that the pickup legs are routed at the same time as the neck mortise, and that both control cavities are routed at the same time.

While I was making these templates I also made one to rout the secondary control rout, which I will discuss a bit later on.

There are some details that I included that I think are important. What’s interesting is that you can get a sense of the evolution of the process, and how the fixtures wear out over time. I made the templates to incorporate some of this wear. For instance, in the pickup bodies. On p-90 guitars the routs for the pickups are always fairly well fitted, and remain fairly crisp throughout each year. On the other hand, the humbucker guitars would start to show wear in the pickup body routs.. the lines were no longer straight (if they ever were), but bowed from being worn down on the pin router. I think the factory made little effort to correct this wear as the routs were concealed by the pickup rings. On p-90 guitars they needed to be fairly tight fitting, and I think the fixtures and jigs were replaced more often to account for this wear.
I’ve basically made all the templates I will need for use on the pin router.