Build Thread: Tahoe Guitar Co. 00-12 (Mahogany/Carpathian)

[OddManOut]

Now the heel is brought into close-to-final profile.









Makin' sawdust...mahogany and maple dust from two necks graces the shop floor.


EDIT: Here is one more little detail I forgot to include.

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird

I love a mahogany body with rosewood trim. Simply elegant.
You've got to be pretty excited, it's looking great!

Steve

Thank you! I can only take credit for choosing the aesthetic design elements. Larry is the artist and craftsman. I'll pass your compliment on to him.

I, too, am digging the the brown-not-black look of the EIR binding, macassar fretboard, head plate, and bridge against the mahogany. I am excited, actually. I am really pleased with how this guitar has morphed into having more spartan front aspect, with the flare of the flamed neck in back (a visual treat for the player IMO).

[OddManOut]

The neck is brought into final profile.









The EIR heel cap to match the binding is glued on. The heel shaping is then completed, bringing the edges of the heel cap into profile.

[OddManOut]

In this sequence Larry makes a pyramid bridge from scratch. Well, he didn't grow the Macassar Ebony, but you know what I mean.


The bridge blank is cut to size.



Surfaces are squared. The bottom surface is radiused to match the top radius.



A dime is used to mark the circles which will form the arch between the center and the pyramids.





The pyramids are marked.




The Grizzly is carefully fed some ebony.




And a pyramid bridge starts to take shape. She's rough yet, but coming into form.

[OddManOut]

The pin and saddle lines are drawn on the bridge, and the pin hole positions marked.









The pin holes are drilled. They will be tapered and chamfered later.



The arches are refined.

[OddManOut]

The facets of the pyramids are laid out.



The Dragon Rasp is used for the rough work.



The coarse sanding lines from the rasp are clearly visible.





A little fine sanding cleans it up.



Both pyramids are formed. Larry has left the bridge tall, and will sand it to final height and contour as part of the prep for final assembly.

[OddManOut]

The bridge is now placed at the proper location. This is a critical measurement.

The 12th fret must be the midpoint of the saddle and the nut. The tool shown is adjusted to the length between the nut and the 12th fret, then flipped over to find the correct location of the bridge. Brilliantly simple and elegant.



The proper lateral alignment is established.




The bridge is temporarily clamped into position. Two of the pin holes are used as guides to drill position holes through the top.




Small lengths of dowel are inserted into the bottom of the pin holes to allow accurate reproduction of the bridge position.





The guitar thus far, with its dreadnought sibling. Looking good.
NOTE: The fretboard extension on my guitar will be contoured to the soundhole.

[OddManOut]

The first coats of nitro finish have been sprayed! The wood...she pops!

[OddManOut]

The pore filler has been applied. Once it is sanded, the last coats of nitro will be sprayed. Not too much new to see, except perhaps the subtle darkening of the mahogany with the pore filler in.










Medullary Rays...



Mmmm...maple.

[OddManOut]

The final coats of finish have been applied. It now hangs for three weeks.

In an earlier post I stated I was going with black tuners. I am thinking the gold tuners will tie in better with the back and neck. We shall see...










Just Hangin'...

[OddManOut]

The finish has cured, and the guitar is waiting in the sanding and assembly cue. There is one ahead of it which Larry is preparing for a show. Should be another two weeks or so...

[OddManOut]

The final steps in the build process are underway.

Here Larry shapes the top of the bridge, bringing it to its final height and giving it a nice arched contour.


The bridge before final shaping. Note the rectangular shape.



Let the shaping begin...







The basic contour is established. The corners need to be brought into profile and the surface fine sanded.




The final shaping is done the good ol' fashion way.





The bridge height is checked to the plain of the fretboard.



SWEET!

[Berf]

Hi OMO, that's another beautiful looking Tahoe you're getting. Thanks to you and Larry for taking the time to share all the progress photos and explanations. Cheers, berf

[Guitars44me]

This should be a fine axe!

Appreciate all the pics and explanation!

Have fun and enjoy her...

Cheers

Paul

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by Berf

Hi OMO, that's another beautiful looking Tahoe you're getting. Thanks to you and Larry for taking the time to share all the progress photos and explanations. Cheers, berf

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

This should be a fine axe!

Appreciate all the pics and explanation!

Have fun and enjoy her...

Cheers

Paul

Thanks for the compliments. You're quite welcome. Glad you're enjoying the thread.

Here's a few pics of the guitar with the finish buffed out and a related process.


The buffer



There's a nice mirror-like shine.











During the process of spraying the nitro, finish builds up in the tuner holes. In this sequence Larry cleans up a tuner hole prior to installing the tuner bushing.

ASIDE: I am really liking the look of the EIR headplate.