Build Thread: Tahoe Guitars Mahogany/Carpathian 000-12

[LaFaro]

another beauty matures.... seems to become a very, very fine guitar....
congrats to this instrument

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by LaFaro

another beauty matures.... seems to become a very, very fine guitar....
congrats to this instrument

Many thanks!

Larry is back from his summer trip, and is back to making sawdust in his shop.

Here the head is being slotted. The middle stripe is extra wide (5/8" if I recall), so the slots had to be adjusted a bit. His standard 9/16" slot would be a bit close to the center stripe, so he took it down to 1/2".

The wide center stripe.




Larry does a test run on a mock up of the head to be sure everything is good.




Larry drills the tuner holes prior to routing the slots. This prevents splintering when drilling the holes.






Now the slotting begins.







A half slot.

[OddManOut]

Larry inlays the white pearl logo and the fluer de lis.

[Bruce Sexauer]

Wow, that head slotting jig is incredible! I just carve my head with sharp tools, not very efficient, but it is work I love. Larry's jig looks state of the art to me and I would probably rather make it that use it. I mean that in a good way.

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

Wow, that head slotting jig is incredible! I just carve my head with sharp tools, not very efficient, but it is work I love. Larry's jig looks state of the art to me and I would probably rather make it that use it. I mean that in a good way.

I have had a number of conversations with Larry regarding that jig. He likes the efficiency and increased accuracy it provides, particularly when doing slotheads.

[eljay]

it has gotten me very interested in commissioning a tahoe build. i spoke with larry this a.m. and am considering a visit to his shop later this fall . . .

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by eljay

it has gotten me very interested in commissioning a tahoe build. i spoke with larry this a.m. and am considering a visit to his shop later this fall . . .

I dropped you a PM.

Yes, Larry's guitars are wonderful sounding and playing instruments. They generally have relatively simple appointments and a traditional look, so maybe not for everyone in this sense. Well worth looking into...you might be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for following this thread.

[OddManOut]

Larry places the bridge, and tends to a couple other details.

To find the correct bridge location, this clever bridge tool finds the distance between the nut and the 12th fret, then is reversed to find the same distance from the 12th fret to the lower bout.












Gluing on the heel cap.



The contoured fretboard end

[OddManOut]

Ramps are carved into the bottom of the head slots.

[OddManOut]

[OddManOut]

[OddManOut]

Larry has sprayed the sealer coats, and has applied the pore filler.

Sealer coats applied. Note the fiddleback neck and more quilted body. The sealer is not sanded at this point, thus the woods on this guitar promise to be rather spectacular when buffed to the final gloss. The neck in the background is a commission for another AGFer: a mahogany/Adi 12-fret dread.










Here you can see different unsanded pore fillers on the two mahogany necks. Mine is the red filler, the 12-fret dread neck is the black. It's all about the aesthetic each client desires.


Pore filler on the body

[OddManOut]

The pore filler has been sanded and the nitro lacquer has been sprayed. The pics show unsanded finish.

Now the guitar hangs for three weeks while the finish cures. *Cue Jeopardy Theme*

[OddManOut]

I popped over to Larry's today for a quick visit. I shot a short video of the guitars in process, and of him spraying lacquer. I took a few more pics. They don't look much different than the last pics, but I'll post 'em anyway. We love guitar pics, right?

[OddManOut]

It has been awhile since I last updated this thread. My guitar has been hanging while the finish cures, and Larry has been busy with various other things.

The final phase of the build begins: finish sanding/buffing, final assembly, fretting, and set up.

Here Larry is doing the finish sanding. While not the most exciting thing visually, it is a time-intesive process and should not be taken for granted. Larry spends many hours preparing the finish to be buffed. I once overheard a luthier say "My whole life is sanding." It is an orderly procedure which requires patience and attention to get it done in a complete and uniform manner.

Larry describes the basic process: "I started sanding with 400 grit dry to level, and then go to 600 wet to start polishing. I'll go through 1000, 1200, and 1500 wet before buffing."