Acoustic Guitar

For a nice change, I've been building an acoustic while I'm working on the last couple

electrics I'm doing this year. I'm trying another dreadnought.  I really like bluegrass music,

and the dreadnought is my favorite type of acoustic guitar.  I wanted to try some different

woods than the old standard Indian rosewood/Sitka spruce combo.  On this guitar I'll use

Carpathian spruce for the top and braces. I'll use lacewood for the back and sides.

She'll have Brazilian rosewood binding with w/b/w purflings all around.

 

 

Here's the pile-o-wood. AAA grade Carpathian spruce, Carpathian

spruce brace stock.  Also shown is a Brazilian rosewood bridge blank and

headstock overlay.  I'm going to use Spanish cedar kerfed linings.

 

 

I cut the braces to the correct width and traced out the bracing pattern.  I'll

cut the braces on my bandsaw.  I made some bracing templates from the Stew-Mac

dreadnought plans.

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This is after I cut the braces.  I have them roughed in and I'll finish shaping them

with a chisel later on after I glue them to the top.  The pattern is from the Stew-Mac

plans.  I'm using an African Blackwood bridge plate on this guitar.

 

 

This will be the back (hopefully lol...).  That lacewood is very pretty.  Lacewood

is supposed to have a tone similar to mahogany.  We'll see I guess.

 

 

I made a dreadnought mold that I use to keep everything straight.  Here I have the

bent lacewood sides in the mold.  I made the side supports.  I don't tighten the

side supports much.  They're just used to help hold the sides in place.

 

 

Routed the channel for the backstrip.

 

 

The neck and tail blocks are glued in.

 

 

This is the center seam support.  I glue it on in one piece. Later on,

I'll cut notches in it where the back braces cross. 

 

 

The dreadnought shape has been rough cut and now

I'm gluing on the back braces.  The back is sitting on a sanding dish that has

a 20' radii.  I first use the dish to sand the bottom shape of all the braces

and then I sit the back in it when I'm gluing the braces in.

 

 

Gluing in the kerfed linings.  I use paper binders for clamps.  They work really

well for this!

 

 

Starting to work on the fretboard.  I'm going to inlay some abalone diamond patterns.

I draw an X from one corner of each fret to the next.  This helps find the

center of the fretboard where the inlay needs to go.  One the 12th fret, I draw

a line in the center of the fretboard and then draw an X on each side.  I'll put two

diamonds on the 12th fret.

 

 

I glued the diamonds in place temporarily with white glue.  I use a razor knife to

scribe around the inlays.

 

 

After I scribed around all the diamonds, I use a little heat and the inlays come off easily.

 

 

I wiped some chalk into where I scribed around the inlay. 

Now I have to cut out the area between the scribed lines and the inlay should fit.

 

 

I use a dremel with the Stew-Mac router base to rout inside the scribed lines.

 

 

Fast forward...  After I routed all the diamond patterns, I glue in the inlay with

CA and then sand it flush to the fretboard.

 

 

All inlays in place.

 

 

I cut the fretboard to the correct width on the bandsaw and then clean

up the sides with some sandpaper. 

 

 

This fretboard will get some Brazilian rosewood binding with a white

purfling added between the fretboard and binding.  The binding is

glued on in the pic below.

 

 

The binding is complete and I have dyed the fretboard black to even the color of the ebony.

 

 

 

Now I drill the holes for the fretboard side markers.  I'm using pearl dots.  I

set up a fence on my drill press and hold the board against it so the side dots

are drilled in a straight line.

 

 

 

The fretboard is complete.

 

 

Let's give the bridge a go here.  I cut out the bridge template and tape it to the

Brazilian rosewood blank.

 

 

I cut the rough shape of the bridge and drilled for the bridge pins. 

I decided to drill the bridge pins at an angle that matches the bridge saddle.

That way, all the pins will be an equal distance from the saddle.

I have also traced on where the bridge saddle needs to go.  

 

 

I loaded my drill press with a downcut bit and I set up a fence.  I'm going to

try to cut the bridge saddle slot by using the drill press as a mill.

 

 

That worked fairly well.  I just sunk the downcut bit into the bridge and pushed it

through.  I made several passes until I got to the right depth.

 

 

Now I put a barrel sander in the drill press and set up the fence again.  This

time I need to shape the outside ears on the bridge.

 

 

 

 

Counter sunk the bridge pin holes.  I still have some more shaping to do to the bridge,

but I'll do that later on.

 

 

I have glued the top together and sanded it to around .120.  Then I cut it to the

rough dreadnought shape.  I'll now cut out for the rosette and

the 4" hole.  I use the Stew-Mac router base with the rosette attachment

 for this job.  I have put some lacquer on the top in the rosette

area to help lessen the chance I'll get tear out from the router bit.

 

 

Done.  No tear out!  Woohoo!

 

 

Glued in the herringbone rosette.

 

 

Scraped the rosette flush with the top.

 

 

Gluing on the top bracing.  I'm using a dish for the top just like I did for the back.

This dish has a 28' radius instead of the 20' I used for the back.

 

 

The back has been glued on.  I made some side supports and I'm gluing them in.

After that's done, I'll sand everything on the inside so it's nice and clean looking.

 

 

Gluing on the top.

 

 

 

A little mock-up to see how the fretboard will look.  She's taking shape.

 

 

I routed the binding ledges and now comes the body binding.  I'm using Brazilian

rosewood with w/b/w purflings.  I also installed a herringbone purfling on the top for a

somewhat traditional look.  After I bent the binding on a bending iron, I taped

it all to the guitar to make sure the fit is good.

 

 

 

 

First side of binding glued on and sanded flush.  That's going to look pretty decent I think.

 

 

 

Binding and purflings glued on back.  Just have to scrape everything flush.

 

 

I framed in the backstrip with purflings as well.

 

 

Side view after sanding.

 

 

Got all the binding leveled and I sanded the top.  I put a coat of vinyl

sealer on the top to help keep it from getting dirty when I sand the back and sides.

 

 

 

 

Got the grain filled.  I'll move on to finishing the neck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bending the fret wire.

 

 

I cut the fret wire to overhang the fretbaord 1/4" on both sides.

 

 

I use the StewMac fret tang nippers to undercut the fretwire so it will lay over the binding.

 

 

 

1st fret pressed in.

 

 

Now I continue on up the fretboard.

 

 

I install frets up to the 12th and ten glue the fretboard onto the neck

 

 

After the fretboard dries I start finish shaping the back profile of the neck.

 

 

 

Got a nice clean edge on the heel.  I installed a Brazilian rosewood heel cap too.

 

 

Applied the clear coats.  I tape off the area for the bridge before I spray.

 

 

Guitar has been buffed out and I'm gluing on the bridge.

 

 

 

Now I have to ream for the bridge pins and do the slots and ramps for the strings.

 

 

 

Got the slots and ramps cut.  I use unslotted bone bridge pins.

 

 

 

 

Now I glue down the fretboard extension.  I also taped off the fretboard area before I sprayed

the clear on.  The fretboard extension glues to bare wood.

 

 

DONE!  Made up a bone nut and finished up the fret work.  She's ready for a test!