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  #1  
Old 01-31-2018, 02:29 PM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default Big Hollow goes to France -

Bonjour! this thread is a log of my 3rd build for a dedicated client who lives in France. For this guitar we decided a bit of a new twist was in order, so I tossed some ideas around and we got a little creative.

The client, JF, has these specifics:

24.9" scale
00 (14.5" LB)
1-3/4" nut

Top - Sitka Spruce - this piece was a gift from Michael Bashkin's personal stash of wood. It is old and stiff.



Back & sides - Honduran Rosewood - sourced from Hibdon Hardwoods, this set of wood is just exquisite. Quartersawn, straight and clear. A rare find.


Last edited by newvintage; 01-31-2018 at 02:37 PM.
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  #2  
Old 01-31-2018, 02:47 PM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default Bashkin Sitka

JF top .jpg

Bracing glued and ready for carving
Attached Images
File Type: jpg JF back.jpg (41.3 KB, 437 views)
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  #3  
Old 01-31-2018, 03:07 PM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default Trim scheme

I have kept my style to the straight and narrow over the years, pretty much sticking with herringbone top purfling. This guitar gets a different treatment. The green came about due to a wise suggestion from a friend, whose taste in guitars is for the finest. Once I saw it against the rosewood, I had to do it.

I understand this color combo is not for everybody, but it works for me and my client.
rosette.jpg

trim.jpg

trim2.jpg
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  #4  
Old 01-31-2018, 03:21 PM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default Logo Inlay

I have had this label from the very beginning :
label.JPG

It was drawn by Meghan Meier, of Rolling Tattoo in Laramie, WY.
For this guitar I had DePaule inlay make up the head of the girl from my label from black, gold, and white MOP and then I set it in the headstock and engraved the facial details.

There is some kind of magic in a face that is proportioned right. It takes on a personality, as if there is at least the sense of an other there, looking back. it is quite fun.

logo girl.jpg

logo girl 2.jpg
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File Type: jpg sologirl_bighollowguitars.jpg (36.8 KB, 424 views)
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  #5  
Old 01-31-2018, 03:33 PM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default Birds beak neck joint

Until this batch of guitars i had done bird's beak joints only as one-offs, but with this and many other orders, it was time to jig up. John Greven's website provides an excellent sequence that showed me the steps, but the more I got into it the more I saw the need for a new jig. The mortise in the headstock piece is angled in 3 axes, and if I could cut it all in one cut then it would be right and true right off the bat no hand adjusting needed.
So I started making a sled to hold the headstock at 15 degrees to the table, with a tapered router pattern and a slot to slide the headstock forward and back in.
A 10 degree tapered cutter cuts the angled wall of the mortise.

birds beak 4.jpg

A bit of fine tuning and the thing produces uniform mortises.

birds beak 7.jpg
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  #6  
Old 01-31-2018, 03:45 PM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default Birds beak neck joint

The neck tenon is cut on an angled sled on the bandsaw. The blank needs to be a certain dimension thick and gets a triangle pattern scribed on it.
birds beak 1.jpg

birds beak 2.jpg

birds beak 3.jpg

birds beak 6.jpg

birds beak 5.jpg
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  #7  
Old 01-31-2018, 06:19 PM
Poppa Poppa is offline
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Default

WOW! Stunting so far. Beautiful work. I'm heading to your website right now!
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  #8  
Old 01-31-2018, 08:28 PM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default Bending the sides

bending 1.jpg

bending 2.jpg

bending 3.jpg

bending 5.jpg

bending 7.JPG

alternating sides gives me a chance to let each section cool and set
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  #9  
Old 01-31-2018, 08:30 PM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default birds beak

here is the final birds beak detail
birds beak 8.jpg
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  #10  
Old 01-31-2018, 09:05 PM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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Default

Great work so far!!!
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  #11  
Old 01-31-2018, 09:19 PM
Carey Carey is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newvintage View Post
I have kept my style to the straight and narrow over the years, pretty much sticking with herringbone top purfling. This guitar gets a different treatment. The green came about due to a wise suggestion from a friend, whose taste in guitars is for the finest. Once I saw it against the rosewood, I had to do it.

I understand this color combo is not for everybody, but it works for me and my client.
Attachment 5034

Attachment 5035

Attachment 5036

I think the green works very well. Nice!
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  #12  
Old 02-01-2018, 02:29 AM
DamianL DamianL is offline
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Default

ALL of this is right up my alley...

Modern vintage and classy.


D
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  #13  
Old 02-02-2018, 10:40 AM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default sub-assemblies

The separate parts arranged to present a picture of the guitar to come
body assembly.jpg
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  #14  
Old 02-09-2018, 02:15 PM
newvintage newvintage is offline
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Default Sides bent, box closed, loud reverberations bouncing around

When the box comes out of the mold you can hear it for the first time. If it likes to talk loudly and sing harmony you're doing well. Ideally I like to be surprised at the volume and responsiveness when I tap it.

Then it is time to scrape/level the sides before routing the binding channels
scraping sides.JPG


scraped sides.jpg


Marking and trimming wood binding with purfling and miters can be a time consuming task.
marking binding.JPG

Dry fit, Mark, Trim, check, next piece.
marking binding 2.JPG

[ATTACH]binding 2.JPG[/ATTACH]

Getting a sense for how this is all coming together now and I like it a lot.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg binding.JPG (20.2 KB, 304 views)
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  #15  
Old 02-09-2018, 02:26 PM
DanR DanR is offline
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Default

The green works for me as well. Although, it causes me to ask, "What is the material? Dyed wood?"
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