Little Lester, for My Little Guy

[Stephmon]

Time to make a precision template for the tailstop. This will be useful beyond this build, so I pay a bit more attention here. I scribe perpendicular lines in a scrap of plexi, then measure with a caliper and mark the post centers.

Then, I drill 7/16" holes, making sure the forstner point sits in the intersection of the scribed lnes...

Just to be extra sure, I test the template on a piece of scrap wood. Perfect fit!

I align the centerline scribed in the template with the body centerline and the perpendicular line sits at the proper distance from the nut. Then I attach the template with double-stick tape and drill.

A quick test fit (not ready to fully insert yet). Looking good...

 

[Mysicman]

Wow, just wow! Your attention to detail and skills are incredible. Thank you so much for sharing and keep up the great work. What a great heirloom.

Mike

 

[andreww]

Kinda reminds me a little of this one..

Wonder if Eddie had a cool luthier dad too?

 

[Jusamies]

The guitar is cute! I love the attention to detail that really makes this a miniature Octave-LP instead of just a miniature knock-off!

Wonder if Eddie had a cool luthier dad too?

He definitely didn't have a tailor dad.

 

[BrianM]

Eddie's little LP was made for him by a fan. There is some info about it in the latest issue of Guitar Aficionado.

 

[Stephmon]

I've also seen pics of Eddie playing "Little Guitars" (one of my faves) on a small-scale Les Paul Junior in Red and another Junior with the 'Frankie'-style taped red/black/white paint job. His tuning was up a minor 3rd from standard E, with the bass string dropped a full tone = F C F Bb D G.

 

[Stephmon]

Inevitably, things slow down come time for finish. In the meantime, I'll say a few words about my pickup.

For this build, I thought I would throw in the mojo of a pup I installed in my very first build. Earlier in the thread, I showed a picture of an acrylic, headless, 2x4 body guitar that my dad and I build back in 1983. This pickup was purchased at a little hole-in-the-wall guitar shop, in Green Bay, WI. If someone comes along and says "Dude! That's a priceless U-47!" I'll change my mind and maybe wind a pup. Otherwise, this will be the neck pup.

When I do decide to wind my own humbuckers, here is my home-built winder. I got the sewing machine motor (crawl, to 7k RPM) on Ebay and it came with the light (great for keeping track of the shape, as I wind). The counter counts to 10, for each rotation (reduces wear), so I had to fashion a 10:1 gearbox. The powered shaft turns a 5:1 ratio (16 & 80 teeth) which in turn drives a 2:1 ratio (16 & 32 teeth).

Here's a J-Bass pup that I've wound on a previous build.

Here's my vacuum (Seal-A-Meal provides the suction) potting setup.

And here are my 'so powerful, they came with a warning' neodymium magnets in action.

 

[entresz]

What a great build thread. Your work is amazing. I can't wait to see the finished piece. You should be nominated for a 'father of the year' award!

 

[archey]

You wind the pickups too? Geez the next picture will be of you cutting down the maple tree for the top!

 

[Stephmon]

Well, I didn't cut down the tree, but the 8ft log I took home from the exotic hardwood shop looked an awful lot like this, before re-sawing...

 

[mux164]

to quote south park "nice"

 

[Stephmon]

Experimentation is a big part of this build. Here, I'm trying plaster of paris as pore fill. I fill a small bowl with darkened mahogany stain, wet a cloth with the stain mix, dab it in the plaster of paris and then press it into the grain. After it begins to set, I scrape it and then rub the excess off with burlap.

I can't say I've found a method I really like here, but we'll I'll see how well it works. I won't mind some shrinkage and grain in the end, as I want this guitar to have an antique feel, without relc'ing it.

Hung to dry. We'll see...

 

[Stephmon]

After some careful scraping and light sanding... Meh, I think I'll keep looking for a method I like better. Plaster of Paris works well enough, but I'm not in love with the method.
Here you can get a sense for the mahogany tone I'm going for.

I mask the fret board and give the rest of the guitar a clear coat.

If this was my guitar, I would think long and hard about shooting a few more clear coats and stopping right here. But, my client has his 6 year old heart set on a "red guitar"...

 

[Stephmon]

A quick all-over orange, to further deepen the flame.

I go around the edge with progressively darker shades of red (adding a few drops of blue with each applicaiton and then black). A burst is born!

 

[Stephmon]

I carefully scraped the binding clean, using my fingertips as a guide for the safety razor.

A few thin coats of clear and hung to dry!

 

[andreww]

Looking just awesome!

 

[Stephmon]

I'm going to have to start hanging my builds in the enclosed spray booth, at this point of the finishing. I can waste long minutes, just staring at it hanging there. Studying the curves and flame have become my nightly ritual, before locking up and going to bed. I guess I have a passion for this.

 

[mux164]

awesome again

 

[Leendrix]

AWESOME work! He's got a great dad.

 

[TheWGuitar]

A few thin coats of clear and hung to dry!

That is absolutely GORGEOUS!