Stages of Completion

Hand Made Acoustic Guitar


I started this guitar project in November of 2008 and completed it in March of 2009. It took almost 4 months of hard work. Most of the wood I used, I already had on hand in my shop. The only "special" wood had to obtained was the ebony for the fretboard and the bridge.

In the photo above I have made the sides, made and installed the kerfing on the top edge of the sides, and have installed the top and bottom blocks. Here I am planing the back edges of the sides so that I can have a tapered overall thickness of the guitar. Sides - Black Walnut; Kerfing - Linden; Top and Bottom Blocks - Hard Maple


 

Above - I have created a domed top for this guitar and have used X-bracing to strenghen the soundboard. In this photo I am not carving scallops on the bracing to enhance the final acoustics.

Above - The carving and scalloping of the bracing is complete. The final outline shape of the soundboard is yet to be done. I inlayed the herringbone rosette around the soundhole prior to adding the bracing. Soundboard - Western Red Cedar; X-bracing - Western Red Cedar; Soundhole bracing - Hard Maple; Bridge bracing - Hard Maple


 



Above - Here the back is complete. Bracing has been added as well as my label. Back - Black Walnut; Bracing - Western Red Cedar



Above - I have laminated the neck and here I am starting to carve a hand stop reinforcement at the vertex of the angle of the neck and headstock. Neck - Black Walnut; Decorative White Stripe - Hard Maple


 

Above - Here I am rough shaping the base of the neck. After this shaping is done I will carve a dovetail into this area.


Above - With the neck shaped up and the dovetail joint complete the neck is attached to the body of the guitar.


 

Above - Here I have carved a channel for the truss rod to run through. I threaded a steel rod to make the truss rod and anchored it by drilling and threading a piece of brass rod and threading the rod into it. Adjustment will be made by allen head nut through the sound hole.


 

Above - Here I have installed a strip of hard maple over the truss rod. I am in the process of planing in flush with the surface of the neck. After made flush, the fretboard will be installed over this area.


 

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