Steel String Penelope Build Thread for TAMCO

[Mark Hatcher]

I just got these pics from the finisher. This is with the sealer, filler, and first gloss coat. Of course it's not leveled yet. It is usually about two weeks to get it back to the shop from this point;







Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[ross748]

Beautiful

[Mark Hatcher]

I got the TAMCO Penelope back from the finisher and will be setting it up this week;













Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

I made and glued on the bridge today. It is made with black ebony and will have black ebony bridge pins and a bone saddle;







I am looking forward to stringing this one up this week!
Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

Today I'm going to try and get the strings on. This is one of the times that most attracts me to guitar building. It's that moment that you see how you did. It's said that if you want to know what the best thing for you to do in life is you should look at what you are already always doing. For me it was using my hands building things with beautiful curves that had that climax moment.
When I was young I designed and made radio controlled gliders and it was that moment of first flight. Later, I designed and made cedar strip ocean kayaks and it was all about that first moment it went into the water. Finally, it's guitars and the excitement of the first play.

Here I'm trying out the new Stew-Mac feeler gauge holder thiga-ma-jig. This is a better way to hold the gauges when setting the depth of the nut cuts;



And here I am starting the custom ebony tuner buttons for the Gotoh Minis I use with this headstock;



Time to start my day in the shop!
Mark

[ukejon]

That is such a great shape for the body on that guitar. Resonates perfectly with the pillow headstock. Stringing up two finished guitars in one week...you are a busy fella these days!

[Martin Keith]

Mark,

Looks gorgeous! Especially love the rosette and the 3-D headpiece.
Nicely done!

What's your approach for cutting/milling the recesses in the tuner buttons?
(i.e. making the little 'flatted oval' hole to match the shape of the Gotoh tuner input shaft?)

Cheers,
Martin

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Martin Keith

Mark,

Looks gorgeous! Especially love the rosette and the 3-D headpiece.
Nicely done!

What's your approach for cutting/milling the recesses in the tuner buttons?
(i.e. making the little 'flatted oval' hole to match the shape of the Gotoh tuner input shaft?)

Cheers,
Martin

Hi Martin,

The post on the Gotoh tuner is 1/8th" by 5/32nds". What I do is run a pilot hole all the way through for the button set screw and the I use a 1/8" router bit down into the pilot hole 5/16ths" and then nudge it 1/64th" to each side.
It's fast and works great. Be sure the bottom of your button is flat where is meets the washers.

Here are a couple more pictures of the custom tuner buttons being made and mounted:





Thanks!
Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

I've got the strings on with a temporary bridge on. I'll keep that on for a couple days and then make the bone one after the guitar has settled in a bit.

In the meantime here are a couple pictures of the gold Gotoh 510 tuners being mounted and the completed headstock;





Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[ross748]

Love the pillow!

[ukejon]

Can Penelope come over to my house and play with Greta for a while?

[drcmusic7]

Well done, Mark! Love the headstock.

Kindly,
Danny

[nashmore]

I like how the headstock shape mirrors the body shape. Nice wood choice too.

[aknow]

Nice headstock Mark!

[David Wren]

Love it!!!