Start by stocking up on rubber gloves, Q-tips, and lighter fluid.


Swab lighter fluid along the edge of the pickguard to soften the glue.


Find the sharpest corner of the pickguard and start lifting it with the point of a utility knife.

Keep swabbing in lighter fluid while you lift.

Once the edge is released enough, you can use tweezers and your fingers to pull the pickguard back.

Keep swabbing in lighter fluid while you lift.




With the guard removed, all that’s left is cleanup with lighter fluid and a paper towel.

First, I cut out two rectangular pieces of 3/8″ Polycarbonate on the bandsaw, and clamped them together.

Two perfectly vertical 7/32″ holes were drilled near the ends to hold the 1/4″ threaded rod that will be used for depth of cut adjustment.

The holes on the bottom section are 1/4″-20 tapped, and the top section holes are drilled out to 15/64″.

A 1/16″ center pilot hole was drilled. Then chased with a 1 1/4″ forstner bit on the bottom section.

An offset center 13/32″ hole was drilled in the top section, and was 3/4″ tapped to accept the 3/4″ Dremel tools threaded end. The location of the hole is not crucial, but the idea is to have the Dremel bits align close to the back edge of the bottom section hole for greater visibility of the cut.


I rounded the top edges of the top and bottom sections for comfort and looks.

After cutting two short lengths of 1/4″-20 treaded rod, and grinding the ends smooth on the beltsander, I glued the rods into the bottom sections threaded holes with Cyanoacrylate.


I purchased the cast Iron wing nuts from Lee Valley Tools. I use them for a few of the other jigs I make, so I always have some around. They are used to adjust the top section height and the Dremel bits depth of cut. §

keywords: dremel, base, wingnut, wing-nut, bases, Inlay, inlayed, inlays, shell, saw, guitar, guitars, maker, guitarmaker, luthier, bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After the center is nice and flat, I chase the edges of the mortise in a anti-clockwise motion making fine cuts.


I’m proud to say that not one of my inlays have fallen perfectly into place without a little tweaking of the mortice.

Most of the inlay fits, but there’s always a little corner somewhere that didn’t get fully cut.

For final fitting, place the inlay over the mortise, and align it as best as possible.

Hold it in place, trace around it again.

Remove the inlay section and trim the areas where the pencil shows up.


The inlay should fit snug, but not tight. Too tight and the glue might not full penetrate, or the inlay might break during installation.


After the inlay is seated to my liking, I sprinkle it with large and small particle sawdust (salvaged from the object being inlayed), and rub the dust into any gaps or fine lines. Do not pack the sawdust.


I then flood the inlay and surrounding area with Cyanoacrylate.


After a few hours of drying, the inlay can be sanded down flush.

If any small gaps or pin holes are discovered, they can be re-glued with sawdust.


Once the inlay is sanded flat, I coat it with shellac to seal it and prepare it for finish.

§

Hold the saw blade perfectly vertical as you saw. This will make the edges of your inlay square, easier to fit to other inlay sections, and easier to inlay.

I cut the printed line in half with the saw blade, leaving the half of the line bordering the inlay section. This way any intersecting inlay pieces with fit perfectly together.

When you come to a sharp point or fine line in an inlay section:
• cut to the end of the point, back the blade out (keeping the blade vertical)
• make a right angle cut in the waste area of the inlay blank
• turn the blade around (moving the saw up and down as you turn to keep it from binding and breaking)
• back the blade into the fine point
• exit the point and continue cutting the rest of the section out

Continue cutting out all of the sections and assemble them, face down on the reverse image assembly table with a drop of Cyanoacrylate.






§

I tape the sheets to a granite surface plate to make my assembly table.





Each section of the inlay must be cut out with a knife, and assigned a piece of shell (or other inlay material) to be glued to. Choosing the appropriate inlay material, is just as important as the inlay design.


This section of shell was chosen because the natural arc of the shell grain matches the tree frogs upper lip.

I glue the sections on with Cyanoacrylate (Super Glue). Contact cement works better, though it has deadly fumes, and requires a little brush.


After all of the sections have been glued up, the sawing can begin.


I use a cutting board (by Dave Nichols) clamped to my bench, and a piano stool as my workstation.


A jewelers saw, 3/0 saw blades (from Rio Grande Jewelry supply), and some Nicholson needle files, are my main tools.§

My goal at this point is to clean up the look of the drawing, and emulate what the final inlay will look like.


All of these steps can be done on paper, but I prefer “undo”ing to erasers. If you’re a fan of analog, simply substitute “layers” for tracing paper, and “printing” to photocopying.


After creating a new layer in Photoshop, I start to redraw the inlay sections. This will be a high contrast inlay so there are a lot of shadows and highlights.

§

The Guitarmaker Symposium will run from May 24th through to May 27th.

A.S.I.A. hosts a Symposium twice a year that allows guitar makers, repair technicians, and players to connect and share knowledge and information.

The association is best known for its quarterly Guitarmaker journal.§

keywords: asia, A.S.I.A., Guitarmaker, guitar, guitars, maker, guitarmaker, luthier, repair, show, symposium, event, events, guitarmaking, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As with all ideas, the only true test of a great one is time. Since 1984, Linda, as well as countless adopters of her design have used the Wedge©™ extensively in their instruments.

Some of the adopters are: David Berkowitz, Mark Blanchard, Charles Fox (Berkowitz inspired “ergo”), William Cumpiano, Andrew Ellis, Martin Guitars, Dennis Scannell, and many more.§

By Alastair Miller ·
A common occurrence in the electric guitar world is to throw out an old patch cord when it stops working, and then go out and spend $20 on a new one. If you’ve got five minutes and a soldering iron you can save that $20 for something special, and in the case of this super cool old telephone cord style patch, a fix is a must!


It took no time to spot the culprit. As you can see, the white wire has broken away from the solder joint.


I started by de-soldering the joints so i could expose fresh wire to make new joints.



Once apart i can strip back the wire enclosure to expose enough wire to get a good joint.



Next cover the end of the wire with solder.


Lastly solder the wires back to the point you took them out from and screw it back together, and your left with a good as new patch.


Five minutes work and my patch is good as new.§

keywords: Patchcord, Patch, Cord, electricguitar, electric, solder, soldering, broken, repair, fix, wires, wire, cable 1/4″, guitar, guitars, maker, guitarmaker, luthier, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Flush cut the top and back to the sides with a hand held router, or a binding jig.



You can set your binding jig to cut into the side slightly to aid sanding and flattening.



Move your hand along the surface of the sides, and mark any bumps or flat spots with a colored pencil.



Sand out all bumps and flat spots in the sides, and flatten the edges of the top and back with a cork faced sanding block. Use a dowel or curved block for the waist.



When the body is perfect you can route for binding and purfling. (Note: Featured in this picture is one of the few original guitar Trojy’s, built by Jean Larrivée in his old Toronto shop).§

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Start by taping your prepared binding strips together. Tape as many strips as you need, or feel comfortable bending.



The strips should be oriented in pairs, with their purfling strips touching. This will insure that you have strips for both the top and back of your guitar.



Mark the end joints and waist of your shape. You can make a tape template using your mold or guitar. Attach the tape template to the edge of your bench or another piece of tape for future use.



Set up your bending iron, and bring it up to the desired temperature. I have no idea what temperature that is, but it is hot. Water should bead and bounce off the pipe when its hot enough.



Wet both sides of the area you wish to bend. Use water in moderation, as too much can cause the purfling to delaminate.



Start bending in a rocking and/or sliding motion. It is important to keep the strips moving. This will keep the binding from burning, the purfling from distorting, and bumps from forming. (Note: while not necessary to use a calculator watch, it does makes a fine addition to a guitarmakers arsenal)



Add water to new areas as you bend.



When you get to the waist, center your registration mark on the hot iron.



Using a slow rocking motion bend the waist area, heating the side thoroughly.



Check the bend on your mold or guitar.



Make adjustments as needed. The binding waist should be bent slightly more than that of the guitar.



Once it fits, allow the waist area to cool.



Some woods will have a tendency to crack and/or splinter. These areas can be glued and cleaned up after the bending is complete.



Continue bending the rest of the shape.



The binding does not have to be bent to the guitar shape exactly. The thin strips will conform to the shape when you glue them on, as long as all of your bends are graceful, and without bumps or flat spots.§

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By Alastair Miller ·

Some of the more exotic tonewoods require a little bit of prep work before they’re fit to build an instrument out of, like this african blackwood that came complete with wormholes and sap pockets.

The first thing to do, is pick out any old dried up sap and mineral deposits with a small chisel and or pin.

Next is to fill the voids with wood dust. On this blackwood, I used some ebony dust that I had handy. Use my small chisel to scoop up the dust, and fill any spots that need it. Don’t pack it too tight or the cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) won’t be able to penetrate all the way through.

If you’ve got wormholes that go right through the piece, be sure to put masking tape on one side so you don’t glue the piece to your bench.

Next, take a toothpick and dull one end so you can hold a drop of glue on the end of it, and apply glue to the suspect areas.

…Then sit back and wait for the glue to dry. Using an accelerator to speed the drying time may cause the glue to bubble and leave voids, so use with caution or not at all.

Once the glue has dried, you can remove any excess from the piece with a scraper. If there are any voids remaining, repeat the same steps.§

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By Sergei de Jonge ·

Photo #1 shows two or three anonymous tops sitting on the bench beside the jointer plane. Any good plane #6 or larger is fine for joining a top. I prefer a #7 or #8 over a #6. I use the plane sideways on the bench to shoot the joint. No special jig is necessary.


Photo #2 shows Alan starting to shoot the joint on both halves of the top that he is joining. The reason I use tops (or backs) as a support for the top I want to join is because I’ve always got tops and backs kicking around and, once I’ve got my plane sharp I can start at the bottom of the blade to shoot joints by putting just two or three slices on the bench. Then I can go up in increments as the plane blade gets dull. This way I only have to sharpen my blade every 4 to 6 months.

Photo #3 shows Alan taking a pass just in the middle of the top, starting about 3 or 4 inches from the end and not shooting all the way to the other end. This is so that the ends of the top will be nice and tight. If you just keep shooting the plane all the way along the top on each pass, the ends will be open. After 1 or 2 passes in the middle we can take a couple of passes all the way–then check the joint.

Photos #4 and #5 show Alan checking the joint, first on a flat surface, and then against the light. The final check is on the joining board. If it’s good we’ll glue it.§

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By Alastair Miller ·

Here’s my absolutely beautiful home made caliper’s….. well they might not be the prettiest, but they do a swell job of measuring my tops and backs. They were an awful lot cheaper than buying a pair from your local luthier supply, and these ones come with a handy conversion chart.

I started this one with a chunk of 5/8″ thick aluminum, a $15.00 dial indicator, and a thumb lever for the dial that the hardware store salesman gave me for next to nothing.

I had to slightly modify the thumb lever, as the opening was too small for my dial. With a small file and a little patience - I had a perfect match.

I cut the aluminum billet on the bandsaw, and finished up with a couple of files and some sandpaper.

Once I had the shape shape cut out, I drilled a hole at the top just big enough for the dial caliper to slip into, and another hole in the bottom to be threaded for a 1/4″/20 bolt. Be sure to line these holes up the best you can.

I had to improve this tap of mine so that I could thread it all the way through the hole. She’s a real beauty now!

Almost done. Next I put a 1/4″ bolt in the chuck of my drill, and rounded the head on the belt sander using the drill like a lathe. I adjusted the bolt to the height I liked best (that being where it located the caliper needle to 12 o’clock), and tacked it in with a drop of carpenters glue.

…and for the final touch, I put on this handy conversion chart, so that even Canadians can use it!§

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I am pleased to announce the new Sound Salon Forum, generously hosted by The Official Luthiers Forum. This forum will give people a space to discuss the latest Sound Salon articles, as well as the site in general.If you haven’t visited the The Official Luthiers Forum yet, be sure you do. It holds a wealth of knowledge, as well as an amazing luthier community.We are very happy to be working in cooperation with such a great site.§

Start by laying out your braces on the back. You can use math or your eye to determine the correct spacing. It is wise to space the braces evenly.


Using a square… square the braces to the centerline.

With a Pencil (flattened on one side), mark the brace locations on the center strip. The flat side of the pencil should be held tight to the side of the brace to ensure an accurate projection of the brace width.


Choose a sharp chisel and cut down (just inside the drawn lines) in a slow rocking motion. The final slot edges will be cut once the center is hogged out.


Hog out the slot center with a smaller chisel (bevel down).


Cut the final slot edges (bevel toward slot). If you leave half of the pencil lines, you will have a snug (but not tight) fit.


Test fit the brace.


Continue cutting the slots for the remaining braces.


Place the back in a gluing or sanding bowl with the desired radius (usually somewhere between 12′-20′), place the bowl in your gluing area (go-stick bench for this article), and start applying glue to a brace.



Fit the brace into the slot. Hold it square, and add some pressure in the center to give the brace tack. Add one go-stick to the center. Once the brace is aligned, add more go-sticks.