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That's better. It's coming along nicely. From your builds on the TDPRI I'm sure it'll come out great. Looking forward to seeing it with finish on. No pressure, lol.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Scraped the binding;



(I know it's pretty basic, but I'm so pleased with my end thingy)

I still need to floss the cheeks, but the neck is "set";


Bridge pin holes are started with a 3/32" bit as is the bridge slot, but there's still much to do there.

Fretboard end at the soundhole is close, but not done as I'm taking a little off at a time to make sure it doesn't
get all katty wompass. And, ftr, the fretboard & bridge are just stuck in place with a little double sided tape
because I measure the neck set after every step. Yes...even binding scraping.
Anyway, the list is still pretty long, but nothing's cooler to a new builder than that moment you get to take those
mock-up shots. Makes it worth all the sawdust you've swallowed I reckon.

I think that top is going to look gorgeous under finish!

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

What? An emoney build thread here? Howd I miss this =P

Murkar!!! Between you and Rob (Claymore) I feel at home here!
More work done today, such as gluing the fretboard to the neck;

I did this after I'd already shaped the maple binding, btw. Next up is adding markers (dots) and then frets.
I only know one way to build a guitar, even though this is my 1st acoustic, so I did want seemed right.
For example, after scraping the binding and sanding the guitar, I like to add a thin coat of nitro on the whole
thing because it accentuates any remaining glue;


It also gets down into any remaining deep scratches, so there's still more sanding to do, but all the attention goes
to the neck next and final sanding will remove those.
Here's an outside shot of the top, but please ignore the shadows;

I'm hoping a pickguard covers that little flat spot on the rosette and if not, so what.
And, in case anyone is worrying about it; it was 84 degrees and sunny today in Tampa Bay. You're welcome.
All in all, I'm very happy. Now let's see how much cussing takes place during the fret job.

I just can't stay away from this thing, sheesh. Actually, I went downstairs to bring the road bikes up, as 'shewhomustbeobeyed' and I
are planning to ride in the morning, and on the way, I remembered that I got a present in the mail. Our very own Rob "Claymore" McD, sent
me some MOP dot inlays. I mean, I was in the garage already, and they were just laying there, so what's a guy to do?
Dots!;

I also rounded the end of the fretboard, now that it's glued finally, to match the soundhole;

Tomorrow, after the ride, it's neck shaping day. Cross your fingers.

True to my word, today was "neck day" in the Emoney household;


Also notched the top for the truss rod;


Lots of work for a little bitty dot. Shaped the neck as well;

And added a veneer to the back of the headstock, for pretty reasons;

Put a screw in to make sure the neck is in her right place;

The body didn't fall off, so it must be ok. Next weekend (it's a looonnngggg work week for me this week), it's time
for final sanding, grain filling, and finishing. Just like that, I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Well, there is that tiny little detail of a bridge to finish making yet. Is there an end to this list?

But you're making great progress! I know what you mean though: Each step I complete, I think the end is in sight so I start recounting what is left to do ... and the list just seems to go on and on and on!

Thanks, Nick and you're right on target, sadly.

I just realized too that technically I should've put this thread in the "Doc-U-Build" forum. Oops!

I just realized I don't know what size/model my build is. I gleaned most of my info from the Cumpiano/Natelson book, but then I strayed
a bit from the measurements they chose. So, having said that, how does one determine if a guitar is, for example, a "00"? I didn't have
the patience to wait for plans to actually get shipped to me, and figured if I could artfully draw out half the guitar, the other half would
be a piece of cake, obviously. So, that's what I did. I need to measure it when I get home, but if there's a scale or something that
shares what's what, that would be very helpful.

Thanks to everyone that's commented. I really do appreciate it!

Looks like a curvy dred or a beefy 000? What are the measurements?

If memory serves me, it's a tad shy of 15 1/2" across the lower bout, so based on a recent msg containing a chart of sizes, I think that
means a 000 or OM.

At least I think. So now, when someone asks, I can answer with conviction, "000......pretty much......give or take a zero.....in that ballpark".
That's all I was after.

I would tell them "It's a variation of a 000", or whatever you think it more closely resembles. Another way to do it would be to give the "model" it's own name, like a lot of builders do. Most builders' designs are based loosely on more traditional shapes, with tweaks here and there to suit their taste.
Whatever you end up calling it, I like it! Here's hoping you find a case that fits it, lol.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Eric, I'm really enjoying your build thread. You're a hoot! I think that some of what makes a guitar what it is (000, vs OM etc) is scale length in addition to body shape.
Can't wait to see her strung up! Good luck with the finishing, which is for me, like spending several days at the dentist.

Good looking build you have going there !!!

The head stock with the killer logo are outstanding. Looks like a very nice binding job which is hard to do.

My only concerns are how thick is the head stock? Most factory tuners require it to be in the 1/2 to 9/16" range. And is the bridge a little cocked? It probably is just distortion from the camera angle. Also, I don't believe I have seen double scalloped X's before. Might be a hot ticket or it might be a little weak, I just don't know.

Overall a great job !!!

_________________
Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Thanks, Joe. The bridge isn't glued/set in place yet, just stuck on there with double sided tape for neck stuff in those pics.
As for the headstock, I think it's right at 1/2"; might be 1/16" over but there's room to come down on the top side if need be.
Yeah, as I'm told most newbies make their braces too thick//bulky, I figured why not try the double scallop zabby-da on the X,
figuring it never hurts to try. Just seems to me like there's so much bracing every with the UTB and then the flat brace between
the neck block & UTB, not to mention the soundhole bracing, that surely there's enough to hold up. I guess only time will tell,
but I'm a little more than interested to hear what the whole thing sounds like, lol. I may have built a "baritone" without trying.
Or, the whole thing may turn into splinters the first time I fret a G. Cross you fingers (and toes..and arms...and legs....and...)

My "Dentist Visit" is in the fretboard and all things fret-related. I just hate this part, which is why the build has suddenly
geared down into slow speed, lol. For example, 4 frets in and I realize they're not seating well because the slots aren't deep
enough . Been there enough to realize that wouldn't turn out well, so I'll gingerly remove those 4 and recut them. Sigh.
It's always something with me and fretboards.

Finishing I usually enjoy, however this will be the first time I've applied a finish just to scrape off an area (under the bridge).
And I wouldn't be truthful if I didn't say I'm more than a little "anxious" about the the whole bridge process: drilling/tapering bridge
pin holes, making the bone saddle, etc. etc.).

Great....now I've worried myself into a panic. Maybe I should call out sick the rest of day and go drinking?

Eric,

Sounds like you have it covered !!! Good job

_________________
Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Thanks, Joe, and everyone for weighing in, btw.

Finally got back home and since the wife wasn't home yet, jumped right back up on that horse!
Frets!!!


Just tapped in at the moment. I had to make sure it didn't look like all I cared about was building this guitar, so
I wanted to look like I was just patiently waiting for her to get home. You don't get to be married 27 years by
being a dummy, you know.
Anyway, since I was on a roll

The very observant of you just noticed I crossed another major milestone. For those still wondering what the
heck we're talking about;

That's right; papa's made a bridge, complete with saddle slot and all! Oh yeah! (I was more than a little concerned
about this step). Now it's time to fine tune things (still got just a smidge of neck adjusting to do so there's no
heel gap at all) and then it's on to final sanding and grain filling. What a great ride it's been, and quicker than I
imagined as well.
Sitting on that flat table, I was finally able to really get a view of the whole "radius thing" on the back;

As you can tell, "Maddie" is not overly impressed, but I kinda was. All she cares about right now is being warm,
because it's dropped down into the 50s down here, and the raccoons are trying to get in the trash, so she's torn
between the warm couch or going outside and throwing her weight around.

Pretty much the same type struggle we all go through this time of year. Dang raccoons......

Eric, you're doing great! What's the weight on that bridge?

You are going to have that strung up in no time!
What does "low 50's" mean? As in temperature? As in Fahrenheit?
It was -30 C here recently.... hahaa! Brass monkey time....

Maddie would do well to stay on the couch where it's warm, lol.
String that thing up, already! Really cool that most ofthe materials were given to you. Those woods are going to look great under finish. Gonna be sweet! I hope my first acoustic build goes so well. It'll definitely cost more, lol.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

How close are the bridge pin holes to the saddle slot?

@Beth - I have no idea. I didn't even know I should've weighed it. Is there a target weight I'm after?

@Rob - You're just teasing about the negative sign, right? Because if not, that's just plain crazy talk and you might need counseling.

@Mike - Isn't that the coolest thing you've ever heard?

@Clay - Offhand, I don't remember but I took the dimensional advice right out of the Cumpiano/Natelson book, so whatever that said.

I'm shooting for a depth of 5/16" on that slot, I'm assuming, which is half the thickness of the bridge. Is that right, anyone?

I use a kitchen gram scale. I've been told to shoot for the mid-20s (grams) at least for the mid or larger guitars. Maybe someone with more experience can weigh in (yup, I just said that:) about target weights and other bridge/bridge plate considerations.