Official Luthiers Forum!

So my first kit came in. My impressions thoughts?

#1. Props to LMI in packing the stuff and shipping it so quickly.
#2. I should have just ordered the curly maple binding instead of the ebony...
#3. I always envisioned Cocobolo as more... red? (Confused)
#4. For some reason, I thought the fretboard would come already slotted, but no big deal, I suppose.
#5. Guitars look very different before they're assembled.
#6. Now I just need a proper workbench and some more tools.
#7. What have I gotten myself into?

Anyway, here are some shots of my guitar-to-be. Cocobolo (I would hope) with Engelman. Any thoughts, guys?

Also, I was wondering if I should start working on it right away because I've always read about letting wood get accustomed to the temp/humidity of your workspace. Does this also apply to preshaped/prebent kits? I sort've also found it funny that there's a note on the side to place it directly into a mold upon receiving it given the fact that I don't have a mold yet. ^^;; Oh well, It'll probably be ok, right?

That is VERY pretty coco Michael!!! If I was able to go through a big stack and find that I would snatch it up.

Congrats!! No need to feel overwhelmed my friend it will all fall in place in time just take it one step at a time and pay attention to Robbie and his high-tech glue spreading device that he describes in the DVD.

Ideally you would want to put your sides in the mold but just keeping them taped at the ends as they are will probably help until you get a mold.

And yes you do want your wood, regardless of if it is serviced or not, to acclimate to your shop prior to diving in.

This should make a beautiful guitar - welcome to guitar building.

HAHAHA! Yeah, I spent the day watching Rob working with his high-tech glue spreading device. My customers must've thought I was crazy or something 'cause I couldn't help but laugh. My major concern was the issue of springback and/or potential cupping on the sides since they were already bent, but I guess it'll be ok. Just looking at the whole thing, I'm not entirely sure I'm going to be happy using an ebony binding for this guitar. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions in regard to that? Maybe flamed maple or something... =/

Very nice wood. That's going to be a sweet guitar.

Step one is to get that print copied. That way you've got one to cut up for templates and you can still have the original. Use the hard board to make your templates. Your going to be having lots of fun.
Good Luck!

Steve

I'm excited for you, Michael. This has been a long time coming. Please keep posting pictures so we can follow your progress!

That Coco is beautiful Michael, I'm with Hesh, I would be right onto that one if I came across it in a stash. Also there is a lot of silk in that top so this whole kit really does have a heap of potential. As for the bindings, I reckon a nice curly Koa would be ideal as it would marry in with the Coco just nicely.

Cheers

Kim

I think the cocobolo looks great. I was happy with the set LMI sent me until I saw yours. Thinking of phoning them up and saying "yeah, send me a set like you sent Michael Jin". As far as bindings Im still torn between curly maple and curly koa. Or maybe curly eucalyptus?
Warren

Dude, that is a SERIOUSLY gorgeous kit all the way around! Looking forward to seeing it come together.

Re: bindings. If ebony is not what you want, just set 'em aside for a later project and order some more. Poke around a bit (you might try searching for "coco" or "cocobolo" on the site to get some pics for inspiration) and browse some vendor sites. A flame maple, koa or eucalyptus would look great.

Personally, I would think seriously about binding in rosewood, but that's just me...

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

Your kit look great! You can make a temporary mold out of a stake of heavy cardboard if you are really concerned.
As to the binding and color of the Cocobolo, take a look at mine in the "4 piece Adirondack" thread. I used ebony rather than a lighter colored wood because the oil in Cocobolo can easily bleed into maple etc. and make for a difficult finish. This is also true of the sapwood strip on your back. Extra care is important there but the results can be beautiful!

Steve

Cngratulations Michael on the kit! It is beautiful! Goo dluck with the build and be sure to post pics. Contact me if you have questions about the steps I outline in the DVD.

Yes, I think ebony binding would look great against the cocobolo, highlighting the black lines in the wood. Match it with a nice ebony headplate and it will look very classy.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Gorgeous wood. Look forward to your progress. I would send the fretboard back and get a slotted one - LMI should swap it out for you, as I think kits are supposed to come with that critical step done for you (serviced kits).

Take your time and enjoy each step.

You can always exchange the bindings and fretboard. I've exchanged several items (fretboard, tuning pegs, pickguard) and LMI has been very helpful. On a side note, if you ordered a tor-tis OM pickguard, you might want to check whether it actually fits your rosette. Mine (ordered from LMI) didn't fit properly. There's some mix up at the moment and the right pick guards aren't (or weren't as of the end of last week) in stock.

Thanks for all of the wonderful support and advice guys. It seems that I've still some decisions yet to make, but I'll pull through. I'm probably going to go hit up Home Depot for some plywood this Saturday to make my mold and I'll work from there. I find the point about possible bleed onto lighter bindings interesting. I never knew that there was the potential for such a problem. I guess I learn something new everyday. As for the fretboard, I think I'll manage without sending it back. It's only a few dollars worth of wood after all and I think the experience would be educational at very least. I'm honestly not too fond of pickguards as I feel that it is just an injustice to the beauty of the wood to stick one on, but I will definitely check if it fits once I get back home. I'm still not sure if I want it on this particular top, though... At any rate, that's a decision that can be made later, I suppose. Maybe I'll get myself a clear one or something.

I will definitely keep you all updated on my progress as I go along. Just one question, though:

How important is it really to have a mold? Because I've been reading Cumpiano's book and it seems that he didn't use a mold in it so I suppose it's possible. Is there any significant difference one way or the other?

Don't second guess yourself. Go with the "force" and your initial feelings. The ebony is going to look great on that wood as a background. If you don't like the finished product, keep building. My guess is you won't stop at one guitar once you get going.

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

Stick with the ebony bindings. They set off the cocobolo nicely.

The form with spreaders will help keep the side shape from shifting when you glue the top and back. They also help correct springback if there is any.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Generally how long would you let wood from a serviced kit sit in your shop before you started to work on it? I expected a degree of springback from the sides and bindings (pretty natural), but at this point I'm beginning to see my top start to warp slightly... What's the best way to deal with this? Should I flatten it with a board and a weight?

Michael, find a couple of equally sized rods or pieces of wood that you can run under the top width-wise. Put them under the top, then put a few weights over the top. The idea is to let air flow on both sides while keeping it flat. You can also lightly wipe water in the warped areas, but I can't remember whether you wet the concave side or the convex side. Someone here will know. Good luck!

Hmm.. I see. I would wager that you'd wet the concave side since that would cause the wood there to expand and straighten the whole thing out (theoretically), but yeah... I guess I'll wait to see if anyone else chimes in. The weather here has just been very confusing the past few days and I guess not having a well-controlled environment isn't helping me much at this point...

Michael--

My personal rule of thumb is ten days to two weeks for the wood to equalize. You should sticker and weight the top and back wood to keep the pieces flat. Down and dirty stickers can be made from wooden yardsticks from you friendly local hardware store. Get a half dozen and cut them into 9" or 12" lengths (measure your wood!), put three on a hard, flat surface like a shelf, put one piece of wood, then another three stickers, etc. Keep the stickers on top of each other in a column and top the stack off with three stickers, a piece of 2x4 or 1x4 and a couple of bricks and you are in business. See how they look in a couple of days. If they are still cupped, there are some things you can do with a little heat and clamping them between a couple of peices of 3/4" ply, but post back first to get the specifics. They will be OK!

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

That is some great looking wood. I'm on the fence on ordering my first Kit from LMI. I am going to... I just have to get the timing right. What grade of coco is that? That fits the image of pretty much exactly what I think I'm looking for.

Good Luck
John

Thanks. I'll get on it ASAP.

killin, it's 1st grade Coco from LMI. In hindsight, I don't know if I would order the wood that I did if I could do it over again. Honestly, it's been stressful getting freaked out every time something strange starts to happen because I get worried about losing this beautiful wood. On the other hand, the stress might be a good thing because it makes me put that much more care and effort into this project. ^^;; A bit of good and a bit of bad, I guess.