Tele-Style Guitar Build

[Julie Moriarty]

Since the Société de Luthier de SawMillCreek have conveyed upon me a sufficiently substantial measure of their collective knowledge, and since I have used that knowledge to showcase, exhaustively and possibly annoyingly, my application of all I have learned (thank you guys), I will forgo the endless parade of pictorials.

A friend of ours from Houston is in town on business. He's an avid guitarist and performs often. His favorite guitar is a natural wood body Telecaster. I probably oversold my skills, but he's asked me to build him a custom guitar. He pays for the materials and I get to have fun. :)

We've been talking back and forth for weeks, discussing the minutiae, and what came from it was that little was changed from a standard Tele. :( I'm still working on that... In the area of wood selection though, we agree that different is better. :D

For fun (and to help me make this happen), I made him a full scale drawing of his guitar. I told him he can have it plotted full scale and frame it. His response was, "This is amazing! It's going in my office!" So anyway, here's where we start on this project.


http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/KB%20Custom/KBCustomTeleFullcopy_zps14dbd0e6.jpg


FWIW, I've already shaped the neck, slotted & radiused the fretboard, and now the neck and fretboard are in glue-up.

I worked almost 8 hours today!!! I need a vacation! :rolleyes:

[Shawn Pixley]

Oooooohhhhhh!

I loves me some Telecaster. I have three ('72 Tele Custom original, not the reissue, '86 G&L ASAT, and '89 G&L ASAT NAMM guitar). I can't wait to see yours. If it were mine, I would put a humbucker in the neck position. I see you're using the new bridge / plate. This will be much easier to play than the original ashtray. I used to cut my right hand every performance until I modified it. Julie, your work ethic is remarkable. To knock out these as quickly as you do is impressive.

I'd like to build one myself. I'd put a maple top and banding on it.

[John Coloccia]

Oooooohhhhhh!

I loves me some Telecaster. I have three ('72 Tele Custom original, not the reissue, '86 G&L ASAT, and '89 G&L ASAT NAMM guitar). I can't wait to see yours. If it were mine, I would put a humbucker in the neck position. I see you're using the new bridge / plate. This will be much easier to play than the original ashtray. I used to cut my right hand every performance until I modified it. Julie, your work ethic is remarkable. To knock out these as quickly as you do is impressive.

I'd like to build one myself. I'd put a maple top and banding on it.

I have a build thread kicking around somewhere where I did do a maple top, with a humbucker in the neck. It's a 25" scale length. The body is also modified for better fret access up high. The heel plate is gone in favor of a carved heal and countersunk washers. It looks an awful lot like a tele, but plays much better.

[Chris Fournier]

"Pays for material..."

It ends there for me. There's always some "benefactor" offering this hollow oppportunity to a budding or hobby luthier. Ususally an up and coming recording artist no doubt.

I'm no mercenary but I've never worked for free. My time is worth too much to me. For no compensation I can think of endless personal projects that would benefit me more than doing someone else's bidding.

Why is your time worth nothing to a nameless guitar player? Does He/She perform for nothing? Build it, get paid for it. Simple as that. You can do free work for the rest of you life, why?

[Shawn Pixley]

I have a build thread kicking around somewhere where I did do a maple top, with a humbucker in the neck. It's a 25" scale length. The body is also modified for better fret access up high. The heel plate is gone in favor of a carved heal and countersunk washers. It looks an awful lot like a tele, but plays much better.

I remember the thread now. I loved the heel design and execution. I though it looked well suited to better play above the 15th fret. I'll go back and look through you photobucket images.

[Julie Moriarty]

Oooooohhhhhh!

I loves me some Telecaster. I have three ('72 Tele Custom original, not the reissue, '86 G&L ASAT, and '89 G&L ASAT NAMM guitar). I can't wait to see yours. If it were mine, I would put a humbucker in the neck position. I see you're using the new bridge / plate. This will be much easier to play than the original ashtray. I used to cut my right hand every performance until I modified it. Julie, your work ethic is remarkable. To knock out these as quickly as you do is impressive.

I'd like to build one myself. I'd put a maple top and banding on it.

Shawn, I'm learning a lot. I wish I knew enough about playing a guitar so I could understand why someone was a _________ person and someone else was a ___________ person (fill in the blanks). But what I have definitely learned is that "Musical Appreciation Disorder" MAD ;) is a condition as unique as the musician. And I wouldn't want it any other way. :D

The HB isn't going to happen. KB (our visitor) already has this setup in standard Tele style.

KB has enjoyed watching his Tele's birth. I've been involving him in the process as best I can and he seems almost mesmerized by the transition from blocky looking pieces of wood into something that actually looks like a guitar. Since this is the first time I've had a "customer", I've taken this as an opportunity to get as much feedback on the build from the "client" as I can. And I've been working like a dog. It's been like having a real job again! (not so sure this was ever my goal...)


http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/KB%20Custom/KBCustom_Neck_04_zpse987fad6.jpg

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/KB%20Custom/KBCustom_Neck_03_zpsb46785a8.jpg


After I was done roughing out the neck, I handed it to KB and said, "From now til tomorrow, keep this with you and find all the flaws. Run your hands up and down, side to side and every way in between. ANYTHING that bothers you, mark it up on the neck or make a note of it. Tomorrow I'll shape it some more and then let your hands do the walking again."

At first he just raved. Then he played with the neck some more. We set up Brian's old Tele body with the new neck and before long the problems started to emerge. As he gently broke the news to me, I smiled. This was exactly what I wanted - critical feedback - and I knew (or hoped) we could, together, make this neck actually custom.

How cool is that?

[Shawn Pixley]

Julie, that is very cool. When I look at the picture of the back of the neck, I think you may want to smooth the transition from the neck to the headstock.

[Julie Moriarty]

I think you may want to smooth the transition from the neck to the headstock.

I've had KB working on that most of the morning. It's been quite a while since I had an apprentice to boss around. I've been the taskmaster, making him go back and fix all the bumps and dips my hand can detect. :D But I think it's paid off. He now says the neck feels perfect.

Last night we were talking and he mentioned he already has 11 guitars. So I asked him how his wife feels about adding another to the collection. He said she plays the flute and has a collection herself, "and I never say anything about her flutes." I guess that means case closed. After that, my SO, Brian and KB were jamming. I've never had so much live music in this house. My daughter plays the flute but it was never as loud as last night. The musicians have taken over! :eek:

[Julie Moriarty]

Our visitor flew back home today. He was still excited about the neck so I have a feeling he'll like the finished product.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/KB%20Custom/KBCustom_02_zpsda8713d0.jpg


After he left I did the belly cut. It's a little harder to stay motivated working alone again. I put the headphones on and tried to lose myself in the music.


http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/KB%20Custom/KBCustom_03_zpsf84d1647.jpg

[george wilson]

Julie,you got it wrong: It's Le Socitie du Guitars e se Derivees du Sawmill Creek.

I speak less french than anything else!! Your Tele is looking good. I like your plan too.I'd like to have a full size plan like yours. I might get inspired to build a Tele.

[Shawn Pixley]

How about "Die Gesellschaft der Geigenbauer von Sagewerke Bach?"

Julie, i like your drawing as well. You might consider framed prints for your clients....

[Chris Fournier]

Years ago when I made guitars on a regular basis I hand drafted all of my models in full scale. Those drawings impress me more than the guitars when I stumble across then and look them over. I think of all of the erasing and re-work. Sketch Up made this a thing of the distant past. I like fench curves, battens and pencils.

[Julie Moriarty]

When I drew up the plans for my house, it was pencil, eraser, T-square and ruler. I had this kids' drafting table and I had a month to draw up the plans, submit them to the building apartment and get them approved or the contract for buying the property would be voided.

If anyone wants to download the plans...

Tele-Style with Hot Rod dual truss rod - http://www.julimorcreations.com/Plans/Tele-Style_Full-Std_TR.pdf

Tele-Style with standard truss rod - http://www.julimorcreations.com/Plans/Tele-Style_Full-HR_TR.pdf

I really enjoy design so I'm going to keep making build plans and posting them. I've got a lot of work done, I just don't have the drawings polished up.

[Julie Moriarty]

Drilling the thru-holes for the strings and the holes for the ferrules accurately had me stumped. My cruddy little drill press only has a 4" throat. I tried to rig up the mortiser but I'd need long bits that I wasn't sure would hold true through to the other side. If we ever manage to actually move to warmer climates, I had planned to try to sell some of the tools in the shop to whoever bought the house and buy new stuff for the new place. Regardless how selling tools went, I was definitely going to buy a real drill press.

Yesterday I did. Now I can stop trying to play MacGyver with the drill press.

I saw a very simple way to drill for the ferrules accurately:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_pL7lXIHrg

[george wilson]

I'm strictly old school myself. I drew up the plans for my new 30'x40' 2 story shop by hand. It was added onto the original 16' x 22' single car garage. Fortunately,the original garage was set way back from the front of the house. I was able to add on to it without the front edge of the new building getting out ahead of the house,which is against code. The well kept me from making the building any longer than 40'. The building had to be something like 20' from the well. Actually,I was extremely lucky that these perimeters were in the right places to allow me to add the large building on.

My biggest problem was keeping the contractors actually USING the drawings that I took weeks to make. Poor supervision on the part of the contractor kept problems popping up. But,in the end,I made them do the job right.

[george wilson]

Julie,if you were here,I'd be happy to let you use my shop. I know you are careful and trustworthy. I don't easily just let anyone use my stuff,either. I'm sure you'd leave everything better organized than I do any more. Getting too old to keep the shop as it should be kept,though I am careful to not abuse the machines and tools.

I mean it: I really need a more energetic,trustworthy and careful person to use my shop and help take care of it,and keep things organized.

[Julie Moriarty]

I'm strictly old school myself. I drew up the plans for my new 30'x40' 2 story shop by hand. It was added onto the original 16' x 22' single car garage. Fortunately,the original garage was set way back from the front of the house. I was able to add on to it without the front edge of the new building getting out ahead of the house,which is against code. The well kept me from making the building any longer than 40'. The building had to be something like 20' from the well. Actually,I was extremely lucky that these perimeters were in the right places to allow me to add the large building on.
I still have a pile of velum from when I used to draft by hand. I remember it being expensive and so I've kept it but


My biggest problem was keeping the contractors actually USING the drawings that I took weeks to make. Poor supervision on the part of the contractor kept problems popping up. But,in the end,I made them do the job right.
George, don't you know the master drawing is only used for making copies? I should have been there as the GC. I'd whip those boys into shape! ;)


Julie,if you were here,I'd be happy to let you use my shop. I know you are careful and trustworthy. I don't easily just let anyone use my stuff,either. I'm sure you'd leave everything better organized than I do any more. Getting too old to keep the shop as it should be kept,though I am careful to not abuse the machines and tools.

I mean it: I really need a more energetic,trustworthy and careful person to use my shop and help take care of it,and keep things organized.
If we lived closer, I probably would have been hanging out in front of your house until you invited me in. :D And once that happened, I'd be constantly pestering you trying to tap that encyclopedia in your head.

On another note - when will I learn to trust my instincts? KB wanted a yellow burst in the center, front and back, of the guitar body. I couldn't see it working but one's tastes are as individual as snowflakes. So I honored the request. After hours of final sanding, prepping it for dye, I dyed it black, sanded it back and applied the yellow dye. I then sprayed blue dye over that once it dried. The yellow stood out like a sore thumb. :( I tried to remove it with a wet rag but that yellow doesn't want to budge. I'm afraid if I sand it off, I'll lose too much of the body thickness and the hardware won't fit.

I'm thinking I'll have to start from scratch and use this body for another project, one where I can take the yellow and make it work, maybe by spraying it over the entire body. Follow your instincts!

[John Coloccia]

Follow your instincts![/I]

Quite a few older Fenders that are sprayed in solid colors will reveal a sunburst of some kind underneath if you strip away the top layer of paint. If someone screwed up a burst, or they detected a bad flaw in the wood, they wouldn't start over or throw it out. They just sprayed over it :)


288886

[george wilson]

Julie,of course I used the master drawings to make copies from!! I would not give the originals into the hands of those rough shod contractors!!:) Kinkos made a few dollars off of me!!

I used Caslon Vidalon for my drawings. It is a good,tough vellum like paper. Maybe you know of it,or used it. I also used it when making the marquetry guitars I made. It was glued to the sheets of veneer before sawing. It's toughness kept the very fragile pieces of vines and foliage from falling apart. It was sanded off later,after the marquetry was assembled and glued to the under strate. There are other brands,and I didn't try them all,but the Caslon Vidalon was my favorite.

If you,or John ever moved near here,you'd be welcome to use my shop.I know you both are careful and methodical.

[Jack Hogoboom]

I'd just like to know how you MADE the drawings. It must've taken hours. Where did the dimensions come from, what software, etc.? Forget the build, which is fantastic!! Those drawings are AMAZING. I'm a horrible guitarist so I'd do much less damage with the drawings than the instruments. Jack

[John Coloccia]

If you,or John ever moved near here,you'd be welcome to use my shop.I know you both are careful and methodical.

That actually means a lot to me, George. Truth be told, I'd love to get my hands on the metal working side of your shop! Since leaving my real job, I don't have access to a mill or a metal lathe anymore. I didn't realize just how much I'd miss having that.

I'd love to build guitars again one day. I've had to take my business in a different direction due to the twins, but I guess that means I can just build guitars for fun again :)

I've used Vidalon. It's almost like a plastic. Great stuff. That was back when I actually had to draw everything by hand and it had to be durable. I used to use it to make patterns for models, and things like that.

[george wilson]

You are welcome John. There are others,I'm sure that I'd be happy to let work here,including David Weaver. But,I don't know enough about everyone to make a decision. I would like to see my shop get used more as my energy level is low. I'm undergoing some therapy that I hope will lend me more energy,but this will take a few months to bear fruit,if any.

[Julie Moriarty]

Quite a few older Fenders that are sprayed in solid colors will reveal a sunburst of some kind underneath if you strip away the top layer of paint. If someone screwed up a burst, or they detected a bad flaw in the wood, they wouldn't start over or throw it out. They just sprayed over it :)

My post was more about being upset I didn't follow my instincts that really believing it was the end of the world (but it felt like it. :rolleyes:) I sanded it down just enough to get rid of most of the yellow and then dyed with black again, sanded and now I'm ready to spray the blue. Fingers will be crossed.

I'm learning it's a lot easier to make a guitar you know you can make and put it up for sale than trying to build a custom guitar. Yesterday I was talking to KB and asked which finish he liked better for the neck - "lacquer over shellac or just plain lacquer?" I had showed him both finishes when we was here. By using a washcoat of super blonde shellac under the lacquer, it made the maple finish lighter. Lacquer alone made it a shade darker. He replied, "How about something in between."


Julie,of course I used the master drawings to make copies from!! I would not give the originals into the hands of those rough shod contractors!!:) Kinkos made a few dollars off of me!!

If you,or John ever moved near here,you'd be welcome to use my shop.I know you both are careful and methodical.

Hey, careful there George! I could have been one of those rough shod workers! ;) Actually, I was pretty anal about keeping the prints in order. And thank you for the compliment. If we ever get out your way, I'd love to stop by and visit.


I'd just like to know how you MADE the drawings. It must've taken hours. Where did the dimensions come from, what software, etc.? Forget the build, which is fantastic!! Those drawings are AMAZING. I'm a horrible guitarist so I'd do much less damage with the drawings than the instruments. Jack

The drawings were a compilation of CAD drawings I got off the Internet, translating PDFs into CAD, applying information such as scale length and using what I've learned from construction about making workable drawings. I use AutoCAD. I've been working on the drawings in my spare time for a couple of months now. I've finally got the Tele-style completed enough to publish. I plan to do the same with a Strat-style guitar and along the way make some plans for jigs and things I've built. It's nice to finally be able to give back.

[Jack Hogoboom]

Wow. What a generous thing to do. Jigs seem like a pretty essential part of the process. I've only built from kits, but I always have a problem with the head stock. Having access to jigs would be a huge benefit to hacks like me.

Thanks for sharing!!

Jack

[Julie Moriarty]

Jigs seem like a pretty essential part of the process. I've only built from kits, but I always have a problem with the head stock.

For the Fender type guitar, the headstock is pretty straightforward. I've used Schaller tuning machines for the two I've built so far and for the one in progress. The only thing that's tricky is the 2-step hole for the pegholes and the pin holes on the back of the headstock. StewMac sells a 2-step bit and a drilling jig for the pin holes that makes that part a breeze.

Some day I'll try the angled head and scarf joint, maybe after I finish the two I have in progress.

Here's a link (http://www.julimorcreations.com/BuildPlans.htm) to the page where I'm loading the plans. There's 5 in all right now.

[Julie Moriarty]

I decided to get a bit more organized this build and made this for holding the fretwire prior to installing:
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/KB%20Custom/KBCustom_11_zps49d8f3bf.jpg


I drilled the holes in line with their location on the fretboard. The job went much faster. The piece of wood I used it flat and square and I've been using it for securing the neck to it for drilling side dots. Now it has a dual purpose. I'm wondering how many more jigs I'll be making as time goes on.

The figure on the neck is better than anything I've used so far. This is from that "HIWM" piece of maple:

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/KB%20Custom/KBCustom_17_zps17b93b07.jpg
It has a 1# cut washcoat of super-blonde shellac on it.


Maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist or just not experienced enough, but yesterday I sanded the body once again. I just didn't like how it was going. That will probably be the last time I can do that before starting with new stock.

The issue of weight was brought up by KB. Since then I've wondered about hogging out some of the wood under the PG. If I understand things correctly, I'd have to leave an area in the middle untouched, for structural and sustain purposes. Any thoughts about if it's worth it or not to hog out some of the wood?

[Shawn Pixley]

Julie, Nice work. I wished I had built a jig for the last time I fretted. Conicidently, I got the StewMac catalogue yesterday. On the cover was Dan Erlewine's new neck jig. Maybe you should market your own.

As far as chambering the body to relieve weight, you're right that you don't chamber it down the line of the neck/body. I have a Les Paul with the chambers. Les Pauls are notorious for being heavy. The 70's, 80's, 90's models could weigh in at over 10 lbs. chambering can put them in the 7-8 lb range. You'll notice the difference. My LP is a joy to play even for long sets (normally I switch guitars fairly often to get the right guitar for the right song). If you didn't know it was chambered, you couldn't tell from the sound or playing. I'd say go for it, though you've already cut away a belly on the back side, so it may be a bit of deminimus return.

[Julie Moriarty]

Thanks Shawn! I'm glad you mentioned the belly cut. I could see myself forgetting about that and drilling through. :eek: I'll talk to KB and see what he says. He's been posting pics I've sent him on the Gear Page and I guess someone recognized the pics and asked if it was me. KB told me I was famous. :rolleyes: I'm still waiting for the fortune.

[Sotos Patistas]

I recognized your plans in your TDPRI Home Depot post as well. Very generous of you to share them there. It's a great resource already, made better by your plans. It's nice to see plans that have the hardware included, as I don't believe the Terry Downs plans do.

[Shawn Pixley]

Julie, I really should have added another comment. Typically, when chambering a guitar, you're working with a top piece over the main body. This allows for the chambers to be hidden front and back. In the case of a slab body, you're faced with having a panel on the back or resawing the slab, chambering, and then gluing back together. I don't know whether you have the body thickness for this.

[John Coloccia]

Be careful with chambering. It's not always obvious what the results will be. If you just need it lighter, drill relatively small (maybe 1/2" to 3/4"), unconnected lightening holes with a forstner bit. Alternately, you can route 1/2", unconnected channels and that usually works OK too. If you do actual chambers, you might find that it ends up sounding great, or you might very well find that you completely killed the bass...or introduced dead notes....or any one of a bunch of different maladies. Strange things start to happen when you take a solid chunk of wood and significantly weaken it, allowing it to develop funny modes of vibration. It's much easier to predict hollow, or semi-hollow effects than it is to predict the effect of chambering. It's often times a trial and error thing.

[Julie Moriarty]

We have a guest in from CT this week so I don't know how much I can progress on the Tele. I haven't yet talked to KB about "lightening the load". He may say don't bother. But that whole process of chambering and gluing a bookmatched piece over the chambered body is something I want to do. And I just got my first American Lutherie magazine issue. WOW! Some pretty cool stuff there! With so much to learn, I think this can keeping me busy for a very long time.

Sotos, I'm not sure if you have followed the threads here but I owe so much to the wonderful people here and without their help I might still be wallowing in confusion. Not sharing would seem unforgivably selfish. And of the drawings I am assembling, I'd say maybe 20% of them are my own work and much of that is extrapolated from the work of others.

As a dear friend often tells me, "Sharing is caring." :)

[Julie Moriarty]

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/KB%20Custom/KBCustom_31_zps55813c87.jpg


So why is it that I get that dark/light effect? Flip it over and the dark strip is still on the right side. To make the body, I had to rotate it and flip it to make the curly figure symmetrical. So the dark streak on both sides were both on the same side of the original stock. But I don't understand why I couldn't get the dye to absorb evenly. The lighter blue just wouldn't absorb the dye well at all. I had the same problem with the body to Brian's guitar, also blue.

FWIW, all of the dye colors I have are Trans Tint except the blue, which is Trans Fast (Woodcraft was out of blue Trans Tint). Trans Fast comes in powder form and can only be dissolved in warm water. But I've dissolved Trans Tint in water and haven't had this problem. Unless dissolved Trans Fast isn't as small on the molecular level as Trans Tint, I'm stumped.

[george wilson]

Julie,I'm not certain what you are describing. But,on book matched wood,looking at the side view of a plank,if the grain is going upwards on one side,and downwards on the other side,even a perfectly bookmatched guitar top(for example) will look light on one side,and darker on the other. This is from sawing the planks out parallel to the log,on a tree that grew in a spiral. I hope this makes sense. When bookmatched pieces of wood are cut from such a tree,the spiral will be going up on one side,and down on the other. Stain applied to the 2 sides will be absorbed differently on each side. The cure? Spray CLEAR lacquer on the wood first.Totally seal it first,and then spray colored lacquer OVER the sealed wood,so none of the stain actually goes into the wood. The stain will help minimize the difference in reflected light that will always be seen in the naked wood. It does no good to re arrange the wood. That same effect will still be there.

To preview if you are going to have this reflected light problem on bookmatched pieces,I'd put the pieces together like you are going to use them,and wet the pieces with water. Step back and look at the pieces to see if one looks lighter or darker than the other. This would best be done in sunlight. I think the best policy is to seal the wood,then spray tinted lacquer on that does not go into the wood at all.

I hope this is an answer to your question.

[Julie Moriarty]

Thanks George!

As this color tone problem was happening, my initial reaction was frustration because this was the second time I has having problems with dye absorption and the second time it was blue Trans Fast dye on curly maple. I thought it was the dye brand. I wasn't getting any replies here so I took the question to the finishing section. Scott Holmes replied, "Let me take a guess... this is a used guitar and my guess is that there are body oils or something inhibiting the absorption of the dye." That's when it hit me. On both guitars the first attempt of achieving the right tone didn't meet "customer" expectations and on both guitars I had to sand it all back and start all over. Scott may not have had the used guitar part right but he did get it right by guessing the wood had a previous finish on it.

I've been thinking of toning the lacquer to even the color out. It will be tricky but I can do it with patience. I'm just not sure I can add water-dissolved dye into the lacquer. If not, I'll have to pick up some blue Trans Tint dye.

[george wilson]

I didn't realize you had posted a new post,Julie. Had I known,I'd have replied sooner.

I don't understand about the guitar. It HAD a previous finish on it?

[Julie Moriarty]

I don't understand about the guitar. It HAD a previous finish on it?
It was raw wood when I started. I bought a piece of 8/4 x 13+" wide maple, wide enough to make a body w/o a glue-up. But the figure on the piece was inconsistent. One half was a nicely figured curly maple, the other side looked mostly flat sawn with some curly maple on the edge.


http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/KB%20Custom/stock_01_zps33c68fac.jpg


I took the piece above and ripped it along its length. In order to get the bookmatch effect, the face of the above piece was on the front of the guitar on one side and on the back of the guitar on the other side. The dye absorption was consistent with whatever face it came from on the original stock, one side absorbing more deeply than the other. That's why I originally thought the problem was with the wood and dye combination and not with anything I may have done.

On the first run, I thought the dye job looked good. So I began spraying lacquer and did 3 coats. The next day I removed it from the rack to sand the orange peel out. When I saw it in the light of the workshop, I knew it was too dark.

So I stripped it with lacquer thinner and then sanded it back to bare wood (there was still dye left in some of the figure) and started the coloring process all over again. And stripping with the thinner is probably where I sealed some of the wood pores creating the problem of the dye being absorbed unevenly.

Woodcraft is having a 15% off everything-you-can-fit-in-the-bag sale on Monday. I'll be there and will be picking up some things I need, including blue Trans Tint dye. :) Then I can tint the lacquer and stop taking two steps back. I think it will turn out fine.

[george wilson]

In case you need to know,curly figure shows up MUCH more intensely on quarter sawn wood. That's why the curls look better on the edges of your board: The grain is at least curving away from the flat surface of the board,and starting to become more vertical to the surface. Riff sawn at best,but at least half way to being quartered. The problem is finding quartered wood. Grizzly sells some well figured billets,but they are not inexpensive. Have you tried Luthier's Merchantile in Heald,California? another source to check out. But,it still will not be a lower cost place.

[Julie Moriarty]

Usually George, the hardwood store has a nice selection of 8/4 curly maple but the last time I went there the only piece they had was the one I bought. They had a bigger than normal selection of quilted maple but our friend doesn't like quilted.

[Julie Moriarty]

Got the color toning problems solved. What I did was spray a lightly blue-tinted lacquer on the light spots, very sparingly, until I had built up enough color for it to blend in with the rest of the body. Then I used the same mix to spray several more coats over the body. The color looked so much richer, like it had more depth. I'll have to use that trick again.

Then I finished everything with several more coats of clear and finished with a 50/50 mix of lacquer and thinner. That makes a huge difference in leveling out orange peel. There's still some but nothing like the coat just before.

http://www.julimorcreations.com/Images/Guitars/Guitar/KB_Custom/KB%20Custom_40.jpg

http://www.julimorcreations.com/Images/Guitars/Guitar/KB_Custom/KB%20Custom_44.jpg

http://www.julimorcreations.com/Images/Guitars/Guitar/KB_Custom/KB%20Custom_46.jpg

[John Coloccia]

Very nice, Julie!

[Shawn Pixley]

Beautiful Julie. Simply beautiful!

[george wilson]

Very nice,Julie. I'm glad you got the color problem under control. In years to come,if the blue fades,the uneven effect may re appear,so next time,from the bare wood on up,use a consistent technique. I recommend tinting the lacquer blue from the start.

[Julie Moriarty]

Thank you guys. That means a lot to me.

What may be the coolest thing about this is the experience Kevin (the recipient) has had. He's been playing guitar for over 30 years and performs weekly in his community. I told him early on that a custom built guitar from an experienced luthier is as good or better than a Fender Custom Shoppe guitar. His reply left me with the impression he thought FCS was the pinnacle of guitar perfection.

When he was here, I had him do all the fine sanding on the neck and by the time he was done his comments made me wonder if FCS had fallen a notch or two in his mind. Now I'm working with him to set the action at the nut on his guitar when he gets it. Again, he was initially reluctant but just today he told me he has ordered files, feeler gauges, etc for fine tuning the nut. That brought a big smile to my face. I'll get it in the ballpark but I have learned the player is the only one who truly knows what feels right. And I think Kevin may just find that it's not so hard to get that perfect feel. When he does on one guitar, I suspect he'll do it on all his guitars.

We begin knowing nothing. The learned pass on their knowledge. And when we learn well from them, we have an obligation to pay it forward. To do so in nothing short of a great honor.

[Peter Lamborn]

Hi, Julie. This is my first time here. My name is Peter. What I want to know is, what is the best method for determining the center line on any body? Is there a good method for any body or is it different for each?

Peter

[Julie Moriarty]

Hi, Julie. This is my first time here. My name is Peter. What I want to know is, what is the best method for determining the center line on any body? Is there a good method for any body or is it different for each?

Peter

Sorry for not responding sooner Peter but we just got back from vacation...

When making a guitar, I establish a center line on the body (and neck) on the blank stock. If I am gluing up two pieces for the body, I usually make the glue line the center line. That way it's easy to find throughout the process. For the neck, I mark front and back as well as the top and bottom edges and remark the line when I lose it through the profiling, sanding, etc.

For an existing body, I use the center of the neck cavity and, if possible, the center of the bridge or tremolo. A fixed bridge will have screw holes and you can measure the distance between them for center. A tremolo thru-cavity is off center but you can use the center of the spring cavity on the back side and follow that through the thru-cavity. To double check, I'll mark the centers of the pickup cavities and place a straight-edge along those and the other two marks (neck and trem) see how they all line up.

[Julie Moriarty]

Got the guitar together and just strung it up this morning. I tuned the strings on the piano to start the setup process. I hadn't done anything to it, not even straighten the neck. It had a slight back bow so I wanted to see how much the strings pulled it up.

While I was tuning it I didn't notice any buzz but the action seemed fine. So when I was done I decided to play it before beginning the setup and it played incredibly well. No buzz. Fast action and it sounded pretty good. I didn't even intonate it.

Anyway, here's Brian playing, pre-setup.


http://youtu.be/-Aj5kx9dBJk

[John Coloccia]

Sounds like a Tele! Good job :)

[Julie Moriarty]

Thanks John. I don't know if I mentioned this but the pickups are Fender N3. They are supposed to be noiseless and they lived up to the billing. They are the first pickups I've seen that have + (red), - (black) and ground (green). Maybe the separate ground makes the difference.

After the video, I started the setup process. I adjusted the truss rod a bit to get a .008 relief at the 8th fret. The string tension had taken out the back bow and added a bit more so now the truss rod is tensioned. I was concerned if it didn't need tensioning that it might rattle.

I found the action on bass E, 1st fret, to be .016". Stew Mac suggests .024". But there is no buzz anywhere along the frets so I'm leaving it. KB likes low action and he's getting it. Treble E was .010", right on Stew Mac's recommendation.

I then set the saddle heights and set them for a 14" radius.

And that was it for the setup. No nut filing done. But I'm still not believing it could be this simple. The other guitars took me probably half a day to get everything right. This was almost there just after assembly. I keep thinking I'm missing something.

I'll take some final pictures, then send it out Monday and wait for the feedback. Brian said it had the fastest action of any guitar he's ever played. He also said it played easier. I kind of thought so too but I'm not experienced enough for my opinion to count much. Now Brian wants to make a neck to replace his Fender neck. And he has some WILD! ideas. :D

[Shawn Pixley]

Julie, Nice job. Sounds like it should and is beautiful to boot. I await the results of the setup but it doesn't seem like it needs much.

[Julie Moriarty]

KB called me the other night. He received the guitar late Monday. He tuned it and played it for a while before "showing it off" (his words) He said he went to the Guitar Center he frequents and showed the guys there and they were very impressed. The manager and several other guys who work there are professional musicians and all tried out the guitar. The manager told him he wished he could get his hands on guitars "like this" and offered to buy it from KB on the spot.

I think KB went into this venture expecting a fairly decent guitar that looked pretty. I don't think he expected it to play as well as it does. Now he finds he loves it. He even ordered a custom leather strap for it that set him back $200. He said he just called to let me know. That's pretty cool.

[Rob Matarazzo]

Well done!

[george wilson]

Julie,I wanted to play your video again just now,but it went black and said "error occurred". Can you do anything about it? I wanted to hear it again. Thank you,and great that your guitar was such a success.

[Shawn Pixley]

Terrific! What a compliment!

[george wilson]

I tried again and the video worked this time.

[Julie Moriarty]

The other day Kevin sent me a picture of the strap he had custom made for the guitar. It looks better than the guitar!


http://www.julimorcreations.com/Images/Guitars/Guitar/KB_Custom/strap9.jpg
Did I mention he's a pastor from Texas? :)


Then the next day he said he thought the strap was too dark. So he's going to have the guy make another one in a lighter color.

[Shawn Pixley]

It is a real pretty guitar. I like the strap, but I think lighter would be better as well.

[Peter Lamborn]

Julie - Hi! Thanks for the info! I think my account didn't say to notify me when answered. I notice that you replied on June 29th. I'll definitely benefit from your instructions as soon as I get my shop up and running. I'm currently working on it, having moved and needing to use a third bedroom rather than a garage which I don't have in this location!

Peter

[Peter Lamborn]

Julie - Hi! Thanks for the info! I think my account didn't say to notify me when answered. I notice that you replied on June 29th. I'll definitely benefit from your instructions as soon as I get my shop up and running. I'm currently working on it, having moved and needing to use a third bedroom rather than a garage which I don't have in this location!

Peter

[Julie Moriarty]

Kevin (KB) sent me a recording of him playing the guitar yesterday. They took the song Green River and rewrote the words for their church and called it Jordan River. The recording lost some of the instruments but the guitar and vocals were pretty clear. I thought the guitar sounded pretty good. I'd post it but don't know who to post an audio file. He didn't send pictures but he said he has the new strap. If I can get him to send me a pic, I'll post it.