I would be listening to this and making saw dust…..instead I get to deal with a mess…what fun…It’ll be over soon and I will have my shop together…coming soon though..a cheap way to make a fair facsimile of the Stew-Mac “TrueChannel Binding Routing Jig”
Until then enjoy!
So for about the last 6 months I havent had access to much of a workshop or any of my stuff due to some…well, we will call them growing pains…its been a trying few months but hopefully everything will work out for the best (for everyone).
I dont have any real updates to mention but wanted to take a minute to mention a few people and companies that deserve a pat on the back and a hardy recommendation.
When I initially started this blog I didnt really intend to be too specific about the sourcing of tools and materials, mainly because I had no real relationships with any particular business or suppliers….and I hate to recommend something and have someone end up on the wrong side of a deal or get less than what they expected because of my big mouth…I’ve done it once and that was it…or so I thought. I’ve had a change of heart.
I recently had an issue come up with an item that I purchased..quite a few months ago I should add…wood, by its very nature is extremely susceptible to environmental factors and its sometimes unpredictable behavior once cut can make it a bit finicky….so this problem had absolutely no reflection on the quality of the product….NONE ZERO ZILCH…it is what it is, and things happen that you cant predict or control even if reasonable measures are taken to prevent issues.
What does matter is how these issues are addressed if they should come up. This is what separates the men from the boys, the cream from the milk or any other silly idiom you want to throw at it…this is when a vendor has a chance to shine in my book….and a lot of times (especially over the Internet)
this is where a lot of them fall flat on their faces….I usually chalk it up to a lesson learned and move on…sometimes poorer, but always wiser.
I know, I know….What am I getting at??? Bottom line….Tom Bartlett and Eastern Maple Carved Tops is the ONLY place (so far) that I can fully, without any reservation or doubt, recommend for items to help build a proper ‘burst. There are other guys out there, they might be a few bucks less…or closer or whatever….BUT when the rubber meets the road and the shit hits the fan you need to have a guy like Tom to deal with. He already has a fantastic reputation and really, what difference does my endorsement make…Im just some asshole behind a laptop blabbing about building a guitar FOR THE FIRST TIME…wtf do I know, right? I do know that Tom has fantastic products, and even better customer service and communication. I cant think of anyone who has addressed an issue so fast or so fully beyond what would have been expected or even acceptable…..buy your stuff from him with complete confidence. THANKS SO MUCH TOM!
Another person and company worth mentioning is Chris Miller at Whiteside Machine Company. Folks, NEVER buy cheap router bits…just dont do it…I went looking for router bits and had narrowed it down to a few well-respected manufactures. I emailed them and asked a few simple questions about 5 different bits…just 5, nothing in bulk just a small order of 5 bits. Chris at Whiteside got back to me right away with answers to all my novice questions and pointed me in the right direction…followed up right away and sincerely wanted me as a customer…just an ordinary Joe building 1 guitar. Their bits are made in the USA, priced competitively, and are about as good as it gets. Whiteside Machine Company , you cant go wrong with ‘em
I want to stress that these “endorsements” are made completely based on my belief that one good turn deserves another…..they didn’t pay or expect anything…these guys were just honest, easy to communicate with and did right by me…so they deserve a pat on the back…and your consideration when shopping.
Warm regards from cold Iowa…
Josh
Another item I need for this build is glue….and if I am to build this somewhat close to the golden era specs I need a few different kinds. Take this with a grain of salt…this is all based on information gathered 3rd hand and may be completely inaccurate if you are trying to build a replica…..the good news is, all of these glues will work well for their given task….
So, I went back to double check on the router bushings and bits I need to route using these templates…and the info was gone….good thing I made a note of it.
Neck Mortise:
2″ Long 1/2″ Diameter, Straight Cutter, 3/4″ Bushing
Pickup Legs:
1 1/4” Long, 3/8” Diameter, Straight Cutter, 5/8” Bushing
Pickup Bodies & Wire Channel:
1 1/2″ Long, 3/8” Diameter, Straight Cutter, 5/8” Bushing
Control Cavity & Switch Cavity:
1 1/2″ Long, 1/2″ Diameter, Straight Cutter, 5/8” Bushing
Back Plates:
3/8” Long, 1/2″ Diameter, Top Bearing Pattern Bit
After a bit of research, I think I have a final list made of what I need to order from toolstoday.com as they have everything and the prices are fair…YMMV!
Based purely on multiple recommendations (as I have never purchased router bits) Amana Tool router bits are the ones to get….
To summarize:
Neck Mortise:
2″ Long 1/2″ Diameter, Straight Cutter
45426
Pickup Legs:
1 1/4” Long, 3/8” Diameter, Straight Cutter
45415
Pickup Bodies & Wire Channel:
1 1/2″ Long, 3/8” Diameter, Straight Cutter
51304* This is a stagger tooth bit, what does that do to the quality of the route?
Control Cavity & Switch Cavity:
1 1/2″ Long, 1/2″ Diameter, Straight Cutter
45422
Back Plates:
3/8” Long, 1/2″ Diameter, Top Bearing Pattern Bit
45481
If you spend any amount of time on random message boards there are usually a few guys that post a lot of awesome stuff…they are often treated like Gods among men, some deserve the respect…others…well…
There are a few builders on the boards I frequent that deserve mention.
First and foremost Gil Yaron. Gil posts on the boards I have seen him on as “preeb” (as in Pre-Ernie Ball..he is a bass player). His documentation of a Les Paul build is EPIC….a must read…but block out some time, there are 135 pages of detail.
On the same level is this thread on MLP….Tom Bartlett goes into amazing detail using methods similar to what might have been used in Kalamazoo circa 1959. A fantastic read that compliments Gils posts perfectly.
The person who got this build started for me is Scott Wilkinson or “ExNihilo” (meaning “from nothing”). There are 2 threads that he started that are note worthy. They are a great place to start…
ExNihilo Vintage Burst Build
Ex-Nihilo’s 2nd LP Build
Another one is a build detailed by Damian Probett..the thread seems to have stalled a bit but I hope that is because he is busy making guitars. Keep your eye on this one and lets hope he finishes it!
Others worth mentioning…
Newbie 1959 ‘Burst Build
Fletch’s Six Les Paul Buildup
Hope this helps anyone who stumbles on this randomly…’cause I’m pretty sure I’m still the only one reading these posts at this point.
Cheers!
So, its been a long time since I have posted anything. I don’t think anyone is reading this quite yet, but for posterity I want to add some notes on progress no matter how slow it is at this point.
One of (if not) the best resources I have found is the Luthiers Corner at MyLesPaul.com. There are a number of regular posters there that share an amazing amount of extremely useful information. I found the bulk of what I think I know at MLP….
Templates and Plans
Regarding plans, from what I understand a gentleman named John Catto can be credited with the first freely available set of plans taken directly from a vintage Les Paul. It appears that there are 10 or so revisions of his plans, while they are not exact or complete they can serve as a good reference.
The Catto plans:Lespaul59-ver10full
After doing some research on plans, it became apparent that the Stew-Mac Les Paul plans are inaccurate in a lot of ways. If I wanted to build a semi-accurate Les Paul, I would have to keep looking.
If you are willing to spend some money and want a more comprehensive set of plans, there is a vendor on MLP (MyLesPaul.com) that sells what are generally accepted to be a comprehensive and accurate set of plans and templates. This is what I went with. Just do a quick search on MLP and you will be able to find them. Only down side…no neck templates.
Wood
You find a lot of info on the Internet…all of it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Conventional wisdom held that Les Pauls built in the late 50′s were made from Honduran Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), while that might be the case, empirical research found that Gibson used African Mahogany (Khaya) for bodies and necks, and occasionally Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum) for necks.
I purchased a nice 1 piece African Mahogany body blank on eBay, you need to try and find a blank that is at least 17.5″ x 13.5″ x 1.875″…..my blank was 20″ x 14″ x 1.875″, error on the larger size…
I dont want to get into the habit of giving direct sources for a lot of these things as your buying experience might be different than mine….I got lucky on eBay, you may too. I would hate for someone to get burned based on my recommendation.
Tools
In the last few months, I have acquired:
Porter Cable 693LRPK router kit, used CraigsList $50
(US Made) Delta 36-505X Platinum Series 10″ Contractors Table Saw with Unifence, used, CraigsList $325
(US Made) Delta 6″ Jointer, used, CraigsList $125
Grizzly G0555 The Ultimate 14″ Bandsaw, new $400 + $100 shipping/lift gate….
Now if I could just get my garage cleaned and get the electrical updated…Id actually be able to make some saw dust with out having to drive an hour.
Miscellaneous
OK great, I have a bunch of tools and some wood…now what? Learn how to use the tools. I found these places very useful when it comes to basic woodworking know-how.
Thats it for now…hopefully I will be able to show some progress on the guitar next post.
I recently made a trip to “help” UC get some stuff over to where he sprays his basses (they have a proper finishing room). Imagine my surprise when I walked into a room at the end of the building and saw this….
I have wanted an R9 for a looooong time….unfortunately they are usually priced beyond what I would call reasonable for a factory built guitar. Sure they are great, but not that great. So I decided to build one….this is the first woodworking project I have ever done. I have no experience and no tools.
I wanted to start this blog to document the entire (learning) process…everything from setting up shop, buying tools, wood, making jigs, etc. and hopefully help others learn from my mistakes (and learn from folks that feel like contributing comments). These posts may turn out to be something that motivates me to keep the project going at a steady pace.
To date I have gathered plans, templates, and wood (more on these later). I got a little too ambitious and decided to cut the body (with a bit of guidance) on a borrowed band saw (thanks UC).
I traced the template out but didnt transfer a clear centerline from the plans to the blank…..thats probably not a big deal because the body still needs a fair amount of sanding to get rid of the saw marks left by my inexperience and snails pace cutting.
The biggest concern I have is the thickness of the body. I should have been patient and thicknessed the blank to the proper dimensions before cutting it to shape. A planer is probably a bad idea at this point because of the possibility of tearout. I think my best bet is a thickness sander.
For the sides I used a oscillating spindle sander (thanks again UC)….that thing made quick work of the big stuff but my inexperience took me a bit too close for comfort in a few spots….enter the Robo-Sander.
The Robo-Sander is nothing more than a “heavy duty sanding drum with a phenolic resin template guide.” Its simple, looks to be effective, reasonably priced and will be one of my first tool purchases.
The Robo-Sander
Thats all for now…doubt anyone will see this until it progresses a bit more (if even then), but if you do, thanks for reading. I will try to keep this updated as the build progresses.
If you are wondering what “w-machines” has to do with guitar building, the answer is absolutely nothing….w-machines.com is a domain I purchased about 10 years ago to share info about Oldsmobile W cars (W30, W31 etc.) I haven’t driven it in 2 years but this car was the impetus.
1970 Oldsmobile 442 W30
