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  #46  
Old 05-06-2008, 03:36 PM
theotigno theotigno is offline
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Thanks for the kind words!

It's been a blessing that the shop is 5 minutes away from my work place. I was able to go down to the shop and get some "wet sanding" done at lunch with 800 grit sandpaper.

While sanding, I was struck by the intimacy a builder must have with their instruments. It's a different story when you're hacking away at a neck versus carefully sanding "just enough" of the finish to level the bumps.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get the rest of the sanding done over my next 2 lunch breaks. They said that the longer you wait, the harder it is to sand so they encouraged me to come in this week.
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  #47  
Old 05-06-2008, 03:53 PM
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ljguitar ljguitar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theotigno View Post
...While sanding, I was struck by the intimacy a builder must have with their instruments. It's a different story when you're hacking away at a neck versus carefully sanding "just enough" of the finish to level the bumps.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get the rest of the sanding done over my next 2 lunch breaks. They said that the longer you wait, the harder it is to sand so they encouraged me to come in this week.
Hi Theo...
Very cool - what an awesome learning experience for you huh?
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  #48  
Old 05-06-2008, 08:41 PM
theotigno theotigno is offline
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Originally Posted by ljguitar View Post
Hi Theo...
Very cool - what an awesome learning experience for you huh?
It truly is a great learning experience! It's amazing how much goes into building a guitar, from looking at pieces of wood, to putting it together, and now paying attention to every millimeter of detail.

I have a completely new appreciation for all that goes into building a handmade guitar!
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  #49  
Old 05-06-2008, 09:19 PM
Bruno42 Bruno42 is offline
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Man that is so awsome. Great thing your doing for your dad. That looks like a blast I wish they had something like that around here. I'd do it in a heartbeat.
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  #50  
Old 05-06-2008, 10:11 PM
strangeman strangeman is offline
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This is the coolest thread! Theo, what an awesome experience! That guitar is going very special!

Great work and thanks so much for sharing!
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  #51  
Old 05-06-2008, 11:38 PM
hnuuhiwa hnuuhiwa is offline
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Hey Theo...its almost there and looks great. Keep up the postings, as we are all awaiting its completion! Aloha
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  #52  
Old 05-06-2008, 11:48 PM
theotigno theotigno is offline
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You're welcome, and thanks! It's my pleasure to share this experience, especially since I'm trying to keep this a secret from my parents. My mom asked me last week what I had planned for Saturday. I simply said, "well, I have so much laundry to do and I may stop into work... we'll see what I do."

I'm still bummed that I can't find the camera that I was bringing to the class. I realized a few weeks ago that it's the only documentation of what I wrote on the inside of the top. There's one more place for me to look... hopefully it's there.

Thanks again for all your support!
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  #53  
Old 06-07-2008, 08:46 AM
theotigno theotigno is offline
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I know it had been a while since I updated this page, but it seems that every week I've been working on the finishing, so I thought there was no need for pictures. Hopefully that will change today, though because after putting in some time during my lunch breaks, I'm ready to pound in frets.

A word about finishing: it is so hard to get that just right. I've had the hardest time with it. I've sanded through the finish and so I had to respray the guitar. I used too much water during the wet sand process so when I laid my guitar down to dry, with water-based finish, it didn't cure properly. There is something that can be said for taking your time with things to get it right. Rushing to get things done can often lead to taking much longer than anticipated. Therefore, no getting the guitar shipped by Father's Day

But, there is some great news on the horizon: my parents are coming to visit on July 21st! I can't wait to give him his guitar then and to take him to the shop and see where it all took place!

Oh well, enough slacking off... Onward to pound in frets
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  #54  
Old 06-07-2008, 01:55 PM
kenny5060 kenny5060 is offline
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Great thread, Theo
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  #55  
Old 06-07-2008, 09:55 PM
theotigno theotigno is offline
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Default The Guitar Has Landed

Well, the guitar has strings and only needs a more detailed setup and buffing on the back.

The pictures I took were horrible of the guitar (the lighting in my house is just bad) so instead here are the first two songs the guitar played after the bridge was finally compensated:
Yes, the video is poor quality (it was taken from my phone... maybe it's time for a new phone... it's 3 years old after all).

Today's day went from pounding frets... to leveling, crowing and polishing... to making the nut and saddle... to stringing it up and hearing it sing.

Thanks everyone for allowing me to share in my joy! When I first heard it, I was truly shocked and surprised! I can't believe that I built this!
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  #56  
Old 06-08-2008, 08:27 AM
theotigno theotigno is offline
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Here are the pics I took this morning:






(You can see where the finish didn't cure properly and I had to resand the area )













Also, here's a recording from this morning as well:

http://treative.com/agf/dad-guitar.mp3

Overall, I love the tone coming from this guitar and I love how it feels! I'm hoping that my dad will feel the same way and being playing guitar again. I've always hoped for being able to play with him.
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  #57  
Old 06-08-2008, 09:01 AM
bandaid bandaid is offline
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theo,

I like the simplicity and the elegance of your guitar. Lateley i' been drawn to that classic shape. It sounds good and beautiful. Very classy guitar. If your dad dont want it.I'll take the guitar in a heartbeat.My birthday is on father's day too. Great job!!!

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  #58  
Old 07-25-2008, 06:12 PM
theotigno theotigno is offline
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I gave my dad my guitar this past Sunday night. We were all tired, but as you can see, he was happy:



They flew to Vegas on Wednesday morning and they flew into town this afternoon to watch me play at Fiddler's Dream tonight. I'm pretty excited. I asked if I could play his guitar on one song.

I wanted him to play with me, but he said that he was out of practice. Maybe next time I'm in Hawaii.

Thanks everyone for your encouraging words! It's been a great process and it sure made me appreciate all the hard work that goes into making a handmade guitar.
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  #59  
Old 07-25-2008, 06:19 PM
banpreso banpreso is offline
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looks great, happy ending!

so what happened to the finish?
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  #60  
Old 07-27-2008, 01:30 AM
theotigno theotigno is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by banpreso View Post
looks great, happy ending!

so what happened to the finish?
I went back the following Saturday to fix the finish on the back. It was fixable, but it took some time.

All in all, very happy. Here's a final picture of the class:



Yea, I'm the guy kneeling in the middle. On my left and right are the instructors, Diana and George. In the back row is Bill, Frank, John and Madison. Unfortunately, Jay showed up later. His last name is Taylor and that's what he put on his headstock. We all joked with him that he can start a new line of guitar: the J. Taylor
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