Highly Figured Cocobolo Hatcher SJ Build

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by asp

Hey Mark... Very nice work for a wonderful instrument!

Thanks! I'm enjoying your build thread as well!

[Mark Hatcher]

Hello!

All of the fret ends are rounded and ready to install;



With this type of fret end dressing the work is done up front. Once they are installed your done! Here is a look close up;



Thanks for look'n!

[japple]

Very nice working! I am enjoying watching this progress!

[dlowry]

I've really enjoyed following this thread. Lovely work, and I envy your workshop - never seen so many well-engineered jigs!

With this type of fret end dressing the work is done up front. Once they are installed your done! Here is a look close up;

I can see this makes it easier to dress the fret-ends, particularly if they're rounded rather than bevelled. Isn't it more fiddly then to ensure the frets are aligned exactly when you fit them, as there's no margin for error? Or do you have a nice shiny jig for that?

Regards,
Drew

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by dlowry

I've really enjoyed following this thread. Lovely work, and I envy your workshop - never seen so many well-engineered jigs!



I can see this makes it easier to dress the fret-ends, particularly if they're rounded rather than bevelled. Isn't it more fiddly then to ensure the frets are aligned exactly when you fit them, as there's no margin for error? Or do you have a nice shiny jig for that?

Regards,
Drew

Thanks Japle and Drew,

I have a love/hate relationship with jigs. They can be a real time saver and can add the "perfect touch" to an object. But once you commit to a jig you more or less are saying "I am going to make this object exactly like this from now on". I try to stick with jigs that have some flexibility. For instance, this jig that holds the frets for cutting, works the same no matter what scale length fretboard your cutting the frets for. If it only did one scale length I wouldn't have made it.
And yes, your word "fiddly" is perfect for the final fitting before the frets are installed. I can only say you get better as you go. If you can think of a jig that would be practical, I'd be happy to hear your idea!
Here's a better shot of how I did;




Thanks!

[Marley]

mark, it's great work you are doing. beautiful work! thanks for posting .
one love

[architype]

That is a beautiful instrument.
Your photography is also stunning. Are you a luthier that does photography, or a photographer that does luthery?

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by architype

That is a beautiful instrument.
Your photography is also stunning. Are you a luthier that does photography, or a photographer that does luthery?

Thank You Marley and architype,

I use photography as a tool for making guitars. As with any tool in my shop I try hard to master it.

Thanks Again

[racman]

Great looking build and images Mark - I've really enjoyed this thread so far.

[Huckleberry]

Mark, that guitar is looking stunning. I can't wait to see it finished!

I hope you'll be able to post some sound clips too, I'd love to hear it. Any chance of that road trip extending to the UK - there's a fair few of us here who love quality handmade guitars from the US.

[Kyle76]

OK, seriously, this sets the standard as a build thread: great shots of nearly every step along the way -- and a stunning guitar made of beautiful wood to boot. I can't wait to see finish on this beauty.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Kyle76

OK, seriously, this sets the standard as a build thread: great shots of nearly every step along the way -- and a stunning guitar made of beautiful wood to boot. I can't wait to see finish on this beauty.

Hey Thanks Jim! I'm enjoying doing this thread and am thrilled with the response I'm getting. There's a lot more to come!

Huckleberry, Thanks, I will definitely get some sound clips up in the end. I can't promise to extend the road trip to the UK. However, the UK is on my list of places to go on vacation and I'd be sure to bring a guitar along.

Roy thank you too!

[Mark Hatcher]

It's pretty common these days not to put any markers on the fretboard. I tend to like the clean look myself. For many of us this may increase our reliance on side dots. I like to use Mother of Pearl for these markers. They are like little reflectors that show up better than most other materials. However, when installing them you have to be careful to orient them so they reflect up at the player.
I put them under a lot of light, underwater, on the bottom of my coffee mug so I can more easily see how they should be set.
Here's a couple pictures where I'm trying to show the difference. First, we have the little loser--I'm pointing at him with the tweezers;



With a little turning around he fits right in with the others;

[Battleman]

Keep up the good work.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by solotaylor

Keep up the good work.

Thanks Solo, I'll have more pics up tomorrow!