Official Guitar Logistics build thread.

[RestorationAD]

Zebrawood carves like a dream with a sharp scraper.

 

[RestorationAD]

Bridge recess

 

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This thing is huge. Yet it balanced out and doesn't feel heavy or awkward. The neck stays in a very comfortable upward position.

I guess the neck pocket is tight enough. Better than the "hold the body above the desk" picture.

 

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[Fiction]

That bass is looking better every time I see it, is that accounted for?

 

[Jexey]

The burl is amazing, its going to look incredible with a finish on it. The carve really turned out beautiful!

 

[RestorationAD]

That bass is looking better every time I see it, is that accounted for?

Yes. I never would have started it without being pushed into it. I already have an order for another one as well.

The burl is amazing, its going to look incredible with a finish on it. The carve really turned out beautiful!

The carve still needs a lot of sanding and cleaning up but it turned out pretty nice. I will probably have a good look at it this weekend after several hours of hand sanding.

 

[Jexey]

So when you're carving the burl you don't have to worry about tear out? Is that a cutting problem only?

 

[RestorationAD]

So when you're carving the burl you don't have to worry about tear out? Is that a cutting problem only?

Burl sucks (so does Wenge and Ash). I hate frigging carving it. I like to use scrapers to do my carves. That is why I love tight straight grained exotics like bloodwood, cocobolo, ebony, zebrawood, etc. for tops. I can carve them with a scraper. With burl you can not use a scraper. You just can't touch a lot of the figured grains with a blade as there is always the chance you will catch one section that the grain flows a different direction and ruin the top.

repost from tdpri:

What do you use to carve burl?

My 4" air grinder with a flap wheel, 5" sanding disc with 100grit paper in a hand drill, a small air die grinder with a kutzall 1/2" fine cutting bit, Small rifler rasps, Rubber contoured sanding profilers, wood blocks shaped to the curve I wanted on my belt sander.

I also cursed a lot.


Anytime you are dealing with a soft wood or a hard wood with soft spots (Ash, Wenge) that you can not use a scraper on I try to use blocks. These woods tend to cut funny and get "woops" in them really easy. Using a straight block (even if it is curved) with sandpaper is usually the best way to not create uneven surfaces.

It is also important to trust your fingers. When you run your hand over the carve feel for the uneven spots.

I check with a straight edge where ever I can (down the length of a carve) to try and help spot low or high places.

 

[Jexey]

That's some awesomely intriguing information. I'm going to follow you around with a camera and time-lapse a carve !!!

 

[RestorationAD]

Not many updates when you are sanding scratches out of bodies and necks.

I did carve the necks... but I didn't take pictures as I went.


Here we are sanding the 120 grit scratches out of the wenge. Doesn't really look any different in the photos... but my help has no fingerprints left.

 

[RestorationAD]

While the help is working on the wenge I finished up the carve on the maple.





Clamp Score! All these Jorgenson 3700 series for $68.00.

 

[RestorationAD]

Test fit before gluing

 

[RestorationAD]

Now we send the burl to the sanding table.





Glued the necks in. No turning back now.

 

[RestorationAD]

Cleaned up the neck joint and heel transition

 

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Burl sanded out.

 

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Heel shaped.




Ribbons in the sapele should show up nicely when the finish goes on.

 

[RestorationAD]

The wenge is hard to photograph.

 

[RestorationAD]

Bass Neck set

 

[RestorationAD]

Pickup routed. When I re-design this monster I have to remember that all my pattern bits are 3/8" not 1/4". I managed to route the main parts out with the 3/8" then follow up with the 1/4" and get it to look good but I hate taking full depth cuts with the router. It is tempting fate.