Korina LP Replica Build

[treddingjr]

I've been looking for a one-piece korina body to make a second LP Replica. I kept visiting www.exoticwoods.com but each time it said 'Out of Stock'. I went ahead and ordered it thinking I'd at least get on the list and when one came in and my turn came . . .

Well, this came today. Took less than a week.


And as you can see, 'that shape' fits nicely on it.


I have already started a neck for it, also out of korina, and will post pictures of those steps later.

I have a flamed maple top made from the same blank as my other replica and a brazilian rosewood board, a set of Buzzy's inlays, some Grover Kidney Beans, a 50s headstock inlay and some holly veneer. I am going to use a Pigtail bridge and tailpiece set again.

My plans are to use a different pickup for this build and get away from my Duncans and Classic 57s, so if you read this my friend, Skatterbrane, feel free to recommend one of your PAFs for me.

[davebag89]

i like the idea of a korina lp, im subscribing to this thread

[single cut 54]

Originally Posted by kevinsaturday

i like the idea of a korina lp, im subscribing to this thread

+ 1

[rick13]

Funny you mention this....I am working on a chambered Korina LP with Dave Johnson and Roman. I will try to get a post up and running as things progress.
Rick

[shotgunlew]

Originally Posted by rick13

Funny you mention this....I am working on a chambered Korina LP with Dave Johnson and Roman. I will try to get a post up and running as things progress.
Rick

Thats quite a team ya got running there! Romans building mine as well!

[Sinmastah]

Whoooooo. I loved your other thread, and I will love this one as well.

[treddingjr]

The neck material, 3 x 3 x 30 has enough korina for two necks, and since it's just as easy to make two as one, I made two; one for now and one for later.

The blank.


Masonite template of the neck profile.


Template traced on the blank.

[eshuffle]

Looks fantastic. Love your choice of wood.

[shotgunlew]

Lookin solid my friend!

[treddingjr]

Here are the necks cut to the profile shape of the template.


Next they will be cut to the approximate width of the neck.


And routing out the truss rod channel. The depth is just over 1/2 inch at the headstock end of the neck.


A maple fill strip will be made and then a hole drilled for the anchor end of the rod. I used the Stew-Mac traditional truss rod.

[Loserface300]

nicely done, good luck...

[treddingjr]

Truss rod inserted and maple cover fitted and glued with hide glue.


While that dries, it's time to cut the body from the blank.
I used the band saw to make these cuts along the curves to make it easier for it to follow the shape. In carpenter's terms, I left the line for final shaping on the pin router.


As close as I dared to cut.


I have to plane it to the right thickness and then I'll rout the cavities.

[Loserface300]

so, are you going to do a bell top...

[treddingjr]

Yes, a full carved top is in the plans.

I routed the body back today. All went well except for one of the inherent korina problems; a chip exploded out of the one curve. S#$% happens!



But it was repairable and once the finish is applied, it should be invisible.

The control cavity:


The switch cavity:


The cable rout:


The patch is pretty close to invisible.

[treddingjr]

Routing for the neck tenon - yes, it's a LONG tenon. Is there any other way?


The jig sets the neck angle. It's not a final rout as I won't do that until I finish the neck.


The back of the top and the front. This is the other part of the billet I got from NW Timber (http://www.nwtimber.com). You can see the actual piece of wood on their website before you buy it.



Clamped and glued. Hide glue throughout.

[rockappalla]

Great job! more pics

[CARNAGE222]

MORE! MORE!! MORE!!!

Cool!

[Big John]

Just curious...should the center of the top be pressed or clamped down?

[treddingjr]

This is a work in progress and unlike my other replica, I am not as driven to be done. At least not yet anyway. Thank you for all of the nice comments, and suggestions.

I used two brads to keep the top from sliding and since both surfaces were planed true I didn't clamp the center. When I look in the cavity rout, it is all tight, no gaps so maybe I dodged a bullet!




I worked on the neck some as well.
I glued on the ears, planed the top, and then glued on the holly veneer on Tuesday so it was ready to go today.




Rough trimmed headstock.


Next up is radiusing the fretboard and fitting the inlays.

[treddingjr]

More headstock.


Time to shape the neck.

And the Brazilian fretboard; the fret slots are cut (actually they were cut 18 months ago when I did my other replica) and waiting for me to radius it.


I expect to do that and have the top carved by the end of Tuesday.

[TheWellGoodShow]

more!

[Sinmastah]

Talk about tone. Korina and Braz Rwood. Holy crap man, this is going to sound killer.

[treddingjr]

Originally Posted by TheWellGoodShow

more!

Sorry but that's it for now. I'll have new stuff Tuesday.

[treddingjr]

Originally Posted by Sinmastah

Talk about tone. Korina and Braz Rwood. Holy crap man, this is going to sound killer.

That's the plan as tone to die for is the goal.

[eshuffle]

Looks really Good. Nice Job!! Love the wood combination....

[Sinmastah]

Can't wait for videos of this thing in action. What kind of Pups are planned for this thing?

[treddingjr]

I am actually getting two sets; more on that later.

I thought I'd get top carving done today but my friend couldn't so I used my time wisely and worked on the fretboard. Since the last time I did this, my friends developed a new way to radius a board. Took about five minutes whereas the Stew-Mac block the last time took a day of blood and sweat - no tears but I was tempted.
This time I radiused first and routed for the inlays after that was done. No cutouts to catch your fingertips in this way.



I finished up with the trusty Stew-Mac radius tool.


Then, using the smallest pin and the smallest router bit, I went at it.


The results. I took my time; routed to depth in the middle and then made another pass on the ends at a deeper depth to be able to bend the inlay to the radius of the board.


Test fitting.


Glued in.


Ready for the taper.


Next, I'll trim the board and mark the neck for the tenon and angle and work on the '58 profile that I prefer for my necks.

I hope you are all enjoying this as much as I am.

[IceGator8]

You can bend the inlays to fit? Wow you learn something new every day. This is good stuff as I'm about to do my first inlay job on a radiused board.

[treddingjr]

I used the 5-15 second curing super glue, got the one end down then the other, pressed like hell, and held on. For some of them I had to spray the accelerator to speed the curing process so it helps to have an extra set of hands at the ready.