Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi Mike !

I'm glad to hear that you wife is currently doing well...

The neck angle is 1,6°, but now I don't calculate it anymore, I use a piece of wood as tall as my bridge (15mm in these case) to put under my mortaise template to simulate the bridge. Doing it this way ensure me a proper angle...

I first route my mortaise with no angle :


And then I put the piece of wood at the futur bridge position and I route my angle...

Have a nice day everyone !

Jojo

It is a beautiful guitar, Jo Jo, and I have enjoyed seeing your work in progress. I think your choices of neck woods and binding are especially beautiful. I am eager to see more.
Sincerely,
Patrick

Hello again JoJo,

I had to solicit a little help, but I wanted to put a Les Paul type top on your guitar and thought you might like a preview. It only measures about 1/2" thick and therefore the dome and recurves are rather subtle. I hope you can pick it up in the pick. I also had to get help in applying the walnut burl texture to the model.

Before too long, I will start another and possibly use walnut burl similar to the photo.

Mike

Wow Mike, it looks great !!!

I can't wait to see your work !!! Do you already got the walnut burl ?

Patrick, thanks a lot for your comment... it's nice...

JoJo I don't have the burl big enough for the guitar, but one of my wood vendors is holding me a piece big enough for a spectular shotgun stock and fore arm.

I have also spoken for a fairly large slab of Myrtle burl. I think it will be large enough to get two of these tops from. 20" wide, 30" long and about 2-2 1/8" thick. The problem is it has the live edge on it and will lose some of it's dimensions. If it were good edges everywhere, I probably would have that one sent somewhere and have it resawn for acoustics! Not for me to build with, but to maybe help finance some more wood! The walnut burl I have holding, is a more black/brown tone that the photo of the model I posted.

I am curious if you could see the gentle arch of the model? If not, do you think it needs to be made from a thicker piece of wood. The piece will have to be a minimum of 5/8" to get the surface shown. One lesson I learned the hard way yesterday.......you always test your cnc programs on cheap junk wood! Not on the good stuff!

Mike

Hello Mike !

I almost didn't see the arch on your model... but I imagine it...

If you manage to finish the arch and let a very thin top on the edge of the guitar, masking it with bindings, it's ok for me...

But, yes, it's gonna be tricky... with a 1/2" thick piece... no place for a mistake...

But you'll try it with a piece of crap wood before, won't you ?

Have a nice afternoon...

Hi there !!!

Some news from my garage...

Tuners mounting holes :


Gluing the neck :


And these WE, I've started the finish process :

First and second coat of SB-112 system 3 epoxy :


I have to mask the padouk neck lamination because it stained the flamed maple when I wipe it off with 95° alcohol...

So, scrapers and sandpaper to get the maple white again, and "masking" tape on the padouk...

Tomorrow evening, I'll fill the padouk's pores with epoxy...

Have a nice day and see ya...

Benji

Hi everyone !

Last coat of epoxy as a pore filler before fine sanding and a washcoat with 60/40% epoxy/alcohol mix... then KTM9 applied with a foam brush...



Have a nice evening...

Jojo

Hello JoJo,

Keep the updates coming. Sorry I wasn't quick to answer your last post, but you know how things can get so busy in life.

I have not commented on the neck lamination you did here, but I am so impressed, I have put this link up for people to come see what you have done. That headstock/neck design, in combination with the laminations you chose, is about the nicest example of a laminated neck I have ever seen.

Mike

Thanks a lot Mike, it's very nice ...

I wanted to look after your project on the MIMF and couldn't manage to find it...

I hope it's going well at home...

Thanks again,

Ben

JoJo, I did not finish due to a couple of problems causing me too much time used, but after looking back, I would not have finished to the point of having a guitar that was very playable if I had rushed it. I discovered during the fretting process...my first, that fretting is as much art as it is work! Due to not having the proper tools, my fret slots were too large and I had to glue them in. In the process I got one of them that did not seat on one side and I did not catch it until it was too late. I will heat that one and take it out. I hope to order a crowning tool shortly and can then finish the project.

Deb (owner of the MIMF site) has ask all those that did not finish, to keep at it and then open a new thread showing the build when the instrument is finished.

Home....well, my wife is still undergoing chemo, and we found out something today that does not look good if we are understanding the numbers they gave us. Keep her in your prayers.

When I start the new thread, I will send you a link, or post it here. To tease you here is a unfinished photo showing a mock up with neck and some of the hardware.

Mike

Wow !!! It looks great Mike !!!

The flamed walnut top is gorgeous...

I hate the fretting process... it's time consuming and boring...

Can't wait to see it finished...

I wish the best for your wife and you two got all my support...

See you,

Ben

Hi everyone !

It's a shame, I don't have time for luthery and almost nothing to come here and read the forum...

Well, some news...

I'm done with the pore-filling part (SB-112 epoxy)... 4 coats (with sanding between each) were needed for the sipo mahogany and the paduk...

And today, I applied a "washcoat" of epoxy/alcohol mix... with a polishing cloath... I will let the epoxy cure till sunday and I will finally start the KTM9 process (with a foam brush)...

Here are some pics :



Sorry again for not posting on the forum as I would like to... and for my bad english...

Have a nice evening,

Ben

Hi there !!!

Same thing for tne neck :



I'll see sunday if it needs a little 320 grit sanding, and then, KTM9

Don't hesitate to comment, give advice, throw stones, etc...

Have a nice evening,

Jojo

Ben I don't dare throw a stone for fear of missing you and hitting the guitar!

I will be posting a build diary in the next few days on the guitar I started for the MIMF contest. I hope you will take a look.

I hope to play it tomorrow for the first time!

Mike

ps I still can't believe how beautiful that neck lamination is.

jojo:
Great job you are doing!

In future, when you are filling with epoxy and you see the air bubbles starting to form, fan a hair dryer - or heat gun - over the epoxy. You need to do this gently.

It temporarily warms and thins the epoxy, allowing the bubbles to rise to the surface and pop.

Sometimes, bubbles will form even with a thin coat of epoxy on a flat surface. The heat gun trick works just as well there, and it is very fast.

Keith

Thanks Mike and Keith !!!

Mike, I can't wait to see your work... and I'm sure you enjoy a lot playing your guitar for the first time...

Thanks for the tip Keith...

So, these afernoon, I applied the three first coat of KTM9. I wanted to try a foam brush, but it was bubbles-land so, I took my good old brush back...

I tried without warming the KTM9, but it didn't flow out as well as when warmed. So...

Some pics :



Once again, tips and advices are welcome...

Fourth coat tomorrow evening, then body and neck...

See ya,

Jojo

Hi everybody !!! (Good Evening for me...

First coat for the body and the neck !!!



Have a nice afternoon !!!

Ben

Hello Ben,

I just wanted to bring you up to date on what you have helped me create!

Though the guitar is not 100% complete, it is playable. I have had 4 different people play the guitar, two of which are professional players. I will leave the non pros out for now, but the pros both love the body shape, weight and the way the guitar plays. The pro who played it today owns a music store and I ask him to rate it on a scale of 0-100, mistakes, warts and all. His answer was: 75 overall, 100 on the body, 95-99 on the finish! Needless to say, I was elated. I am afraid my friend, you have created a monster.....I am wanting to start more and I don't even have this first one finished!!!

Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege of the use of your design. May you and your family have a blessed and happy Christmas, and a very properous new year!

Mike

ps I promise I will put the build thread up soon!!!

JoJo,

Here is the link to my build I promised you. I may or may not put it some place other than where it is depending on time.

http://www.mimf.com/cgi-bin/WebX?128@12 ... @.2cb6c120

Mike

Hi Mike !!!

thanks for the link !!! You did a great job with these guitar, I like your walnut a lot, it fits well to the design...

And I'm very glad to learn such good news for your wife and you...

About the Imago, with the winter cold in the garage, I didn't have time for sanding between coat...

Here is the 10th coat :



Synthetic brush for laque and varnish, three coats of KTM9, 320 grit sanding, three coats of KTM9, sanding, 4 coats, sanding in process... these week-end I'll apply the last two coats, then I let it cure for one month, before final sanding, buffing and polishing...

Have a nice day,

See you,

Ben

Hello Ben,

Thank you for your kind words, and thanks again for the use of your Imago design.

I can hardly wait to see your finished guitar. I hope you put up a sound clip so we can hear it. I am going to have one of the pro players do a vid for me. I have arthritis in my left had too bad to play well enough for a video, much less the fact I can't play well enough anyway!

Mike......sitting here waiting

looking good Jojo!

Thanks guys !!!

I applied the last 3 coats yesterday... and now... I have to wait at least 3 weeks...

Stunningly beautiful!

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia