Austin H.

New Tools/Some progress

2009-08-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

Today some tools came! It only takes stew-mac 2 days to deliver to my house, its amazing. I also got the f-holes sanded to final shape and started to sand the top to thickness. Theres still a fair amount of work to do until just the top is done. Pictures:::

Just have to sand out some valleys and the top will be ready to thickness and bind the f-holes.

Brand new Sloan Bending Iron. I'll use this to bend the sides to conform to a mold

Lots of spool clamps and a precision straight edge.
Total = 310$

After some time off..

2009-08-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

So I just got back from vacation with literally my entire family. It was awesome and i already miss you guys! (mostly ethan and his incredible shoulder kissing abilities). But anyway, during this vacation i came across a large sum of money. Unfortunately it wasnt in the form of pirate's gold or anything but it was still pretty sweet. This being said i had the oppurtunity to buy some tools that i would otherwise have to save up for. I just ordered them the other night so i'll have a few pictures up of them when they get here. Today i got a little work done, thanks to my new orbital sander! Heres some pics.

Here's the view from the roof of the house we stayed in on vacation.

New Dewalt orbital sander. =D

rough cut the f-holes just for fun.

Homemade Calipers + F-holes

2009-08-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

So i made some calipers to check the thickness of the top. Since the really nice ones cost 100+ i decided to make my own. I also chose what type of f-hole to use. I went with the standard shape and i'll bind that with Black/White/Black plastic strips. (as soon as that stuff gets here)

ange got a picture of me smiling, darn.

i slide the top in between the two wooden dowels, and on the top of the one stick is measurements equivalent the to the gap between to the two dowels.

that last picture is of the measurement stick on the calipers. Measures in 16ths of an inch.

Top Cont'd

2009-08-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

Tops just about done, started carving out the inside today. Just a little more sanding, and i'll be on to cutting the f-holes. after the f-holes are cut i brace the top and start on the back. Heres some pictures.
1: flamed maple back ready to be cut and carved. 2: outside of the top, just about done. 3: inside of the top, roughly carved 4: where i spend 5-8 hours on my days off. (notice the wawa hat i keep on the wall as motivation to one day do something i love, and NOT make hoagies for unsatisfied customers.)

New Toy!

2009-08-06T15:50:00.001-07:00

I got a new spindle sander today, AWESOME! Im getting near to having almost everything i'll need for guitar building. I still have to buy a bending iron, and a lot more clamps. Here's some pictures. My top is almost done on the outside.

:-D

Lots of Progress, but still not done

2009-08-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

Alright so today a few toys came in the mail. (finger plane, scraper, and 2 cam clamps). the finger plane really helped me get into the contours of the body and really clean things up. I spent about 4 or 5 hours today carving away with this tiny thing. Im pretty sure i'll have a huge blister or two, and im also pretty sure typing wont be as bad once my hand un-cramps. Needless to say it's loborious work, but its enjoyable and i like to see how the arch is taking shape. Here's a few pictures of the guitar and the new plane and scraper.

from far away it looks almost complete, but theres still plenty or planing and sanding to do.

Slowly but surely

2009-07-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

I worked for a couple of hours today just scrapin away at the top. it is definitely starting to look more and more like an archtop witch is really motivating.

the holes help act as a guide as to how deep to carve. as you can see i still have plenty of work to do still. then i get to do it all over again for the back.

Carving the Top

2009-07-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Heres a picture of progress on the top

lots of work to do..

Can It Be?! A New Post?!

2009-07-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone (or whoever actually reads this),

tonight i finally started gluing some wood together for my first build outside of school. Me and my dad glued together the top and back wedges. after this i'll need to carve both the inside and out to exact measurements. I took pictures but dont have the adapter so i'll upload them later. Heres a picture of what it will hopefully look like when its done.

the one on the left most likely. a few subtle differences but mostly like that.

Alright i give in

2008-12-23T09:27:00.001-08:00

So i've been getting complaints about not writing in my blog anymore..alright alright. I took some pictures of some projects im currently working on, be it for a customer or myself.

On a non-guitar related note, everyone will be going out to utah pretty soon to visit the family. I cant wait, that should be a lot of fun.

1st: banjo for a customer getting its frets cleaned. 2nd: My old sg thats getting completely re-done, i actually just ripped the frets out today. 3rd: a picture i found from our "graduation ceremony" down in atlanta.

Tuesday/Wednesday

2008-10-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

The past two days have been pretty hectic. I finally just got my guitar buffed and set up today, which was pretty exciting to finally be able to play it. My acoustic is coming along, i got the fingerboard glued on and should be able to finish it tomorrow and be able to start french polishing the next day. I have more pictures!

Shes almost done!

Work!Work!Work!

2008-10-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Its crunch time! i finally got my neck glued in, and im doing a lot of small tedious work to finish up my electric. I'll get more pictures up soon!

Sunday

2008-10-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today we had off alllll day. It gets pretty boring when you dont go to the shop, and i decided i need a hair cut. Because its sunday everything was closed, so i had john work his magic...i got me a mohawk!!

p.s. Dont worry mom i'll cut it off eventually!!

Fri/Sat.

2008-10-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

So its officially crunch time, everyone is really hustling to get their guitar perfect for graduation. The last coat of clear went onto my guitar today, and the top was glued onto the back and sides of my acoustic. Next week ill make the cuts for the neck joint, glue on the bridge and fingerboard and it'll be practically done. Pictures...

1st: the electric with the last coat of clear. 2nd: top glued onto the back and sides of the guitar. 3rd: ebony bridge i made. 4th: braces glued onto the top with the go bar deck. 5th: top braces

Wednesday/Thursday

2008-10-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

wednesday and today have been two kind of slow days. my acoustic was coming along pretty good, but i had to put a not so awesome rosette in my acoustics top. Also, i found some small cracks, and really rough patches in the back and sides, but i think it'll be ok.Here are some pictuers...

Tuesday!

2008-10-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Today i got a lot done! Lets see, I, made my top braces for the acoustic, glued on my back braces, got another few more clear coats on my electric, got a veneer glued onto my acoustic headstock, and got my top for my acoustic all glued up. Its almost crunch time, so there will be a lot of work ahead of us for the next two weeks. Here are some pictuers..
1st: back braces glued up in the go bar deck. 2nd: me and jon rockin out. 3rd: top braces. 4th: top for the acoustic being glued.

Monday

2008-10-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today we had our first electronics wiring class. It was pretty interesting, and we got to wire up a pickguard to learn a few basics. The rest of the day we got to work on our builds and i got some more finishing touches done on the electric.

1st: Pickguard all wired up. 2nd: last color coat on my electric! 3rd: first of many braces to go on the back of my acoustic. I also got all my pickups and made a pickup ring out of maple!

Saturday!/Sunday

2008-10-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday we got to work on our builds all day as usual, i got a lot done, including the first coat of color on my electric. We are doing a very subtle and natural looking burst, im really pleased with how its coming out. I also got my neck glued up for my acoustic, and the rest of the kerfing put on the sides, and even the braces that go on the back. Sunday is our day off so everyone usually just hangs out around the house, some people go to the shop for a few hours, but i like to enjoy my day off and not wear myself out.

Thursday/Friday

2008-10-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

The past 2 days have been pretty busy prepping our guitars for the first couple coats of filler. Most of the filler gets sanded off after its dry, and it helps to seal the pores of the wood so it will give it a more even finish. Today we got a little lesson on winding our own pickups, which was really awesome, but kind of boring sitting there watching a wire go around 5000+ turns. I got the first coat sprayed on my guitar, and the wood looks amazing. Let me post some pictures to give you an idea..

1st/3rd: my guitar 2nd: neck blanks for the acoustic 4th: brian teaching us how to wind pickups 5th: Jons total at wendys!!

Wednesday

2008-10-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

I got a lot done today on my build. Lets see, i drilled holes for the volume and tone knobs and countersunk them, drilled a hole for the input jack, did a lot of final sanding on the body so it will be ready for the spray booth, and even got the frets put in. I also got the chance to join my back for the acoustic, and bend the sides! I've decided on doing a very light translucent amber burst on the body, ( on my electric) so that i can still see the awesome birds eye's on the maple. Hopefully my stuff from stew mac will arrive tomorrow!! Here are some pics..
1st: Frets being clamped in overnight 2nd: Tim and I bending the rosewood sides for the acoustic

Monday/Tuesday

2008-10-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Today we pretty much worked on our builds all day. I worked on inlaying my initials on the headstock. it was pretty tedious work, but i got it done after about 2 and a half hours. its pretty hard to get those tiny little circles to match up. Nothing exciting has happened recently, so let me get some pictures up..

1st: initials inlayed roughly, still need to do some final sanding and filling. 2nd/3rd: my honduran rosewood back and sides for the acoustic. Tim said it looks and sounds an awful lot like brazilian rosewood (which is extremely difficult if not impossible to find)!! It sure does have some crazy figure to it huh?

Sunday!

2008-10-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

Finally a day off. today was pretty exciting, me jon lee guy and jess went into the city to get lunch and walk around. There was actually a big block party that we walked around in for a while. We ending up eating at the hard rock cafe, and it sure put a hurtin on my wallet. 15$ for a cheeseburger! Anyway, we went back to the house and hung out for a bit and went to brian's bands show down in atlanta again. Brian's band (Armazilla) was pretty darn good, then a few other bands played that were pretty good too! We are finally back at the house around midnight and its definetly time for bed.

Block Party!!

Hard Rock Atlanta

Underground Atlanta (underground mall pretty much)

Music Hates You

ARMAZILLA!!!!!!

Saturday!

2008-10-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today we got work on our builds pretty much all day again! i didn't really get much done because i glued the neck into my body and that has to dry overnight..Mostly i sat around and played guitar and got some small things done like mounting the pickguard and the bridge. The rest of the bigsby has to be screwed down on monday. For lunch tim and brian took all of us out to a mexican place (we called it little mexico). Needless to say it was pretty much all hispanic and no one really spoke great english. Anyway i got a chicken quesadilla (sp?) and it was pretty good. I also ordered a bunch of tools from stew mac so they should be coming in around wednesday! Next week should be pretty exciting. Here are a few pictures.

The first two pictures are of the neck being glued in and the bridge temporarily mounted. The last picture is on the drive to the mexican place.

Friday!

2008-10-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

Today we got to work on our builds all day for some reason, but thats fine with me! i got a lot done today and feel pretty proud of myself. the guitar is coming out better than i expected! Let me get some pictures up and explain them...

Ok so the first 3 pictures are the inlay work i did this morning, its pretty tough to get those little pieces to fit exactly in there, so its teaching me a lot of patience. (we all know i need some of that!) The 4th picture is my guitar mocked up so you can get an idea of how it will look, those knobs are cut from the same board as the top of the guitar so they kind of blend in! The last 2 pictures are me routing out the cavity for the mini humbucker ill be installing!. its getting pretty close!! i cant wait!

Passed Few Days

2008-10-09T09:41:00.001-07:00

So the passed two days have been pretty busy, during the repair part of the day we have been working on refretting and dressing the frets, making new bone nuts and saddles for them. As far as my build goes, i've been working on theneck pocket for 2 days, we managed mess it up not only once, but twice, so its come to a stand still almost. That will end today when i get it all finished up the right way. Oh yea, i also dressed up as one of the teachers to have a little fun around the shop. i went as far as to buy the pack of cigs he smokes and walk around with a pillow in my shirt, we even got a wig from walmart! the shirt says the name of his band, Armazilla!! it was pretty funny and i got to act like brian all day which was pretty fun. Here are some pictures to enjoy.

So the first one is gary helping jon out with his neck. The next one is brian and brian jr. The last picture is lee rocking out with his almost finished guitar, he sure does have a lot of energy, oh yea he's 21, doesnt he look like he's 16?! haha anyway i'll be sure to get some pictures of my build up soon.

tuesday: refret/build

2008-10-07T19:24:00.001-07:00

Today everyone finished up refretting our acoustics. After lunch we continued working on our builds till about 7. Not a very exciting day, but still it seems like time is flying. Here are some pictures..

1st: Tim showing every how to repair a neck break on a gibson sg..thats an expensive repair!! 2nd+3rd: Me working on my guitar (for all you complainers!)

4th: New frets being installed on my acoustic. 5th: The new frets!

Acoustic Refret/ Build

2008-10-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

so today we started refretting our acoustics. it was pretty fun working on my own instrument, and a little more care was takin not to mess it up big time. It went pretty well, no major chips or anything, then it was lunch time. Jon, Lee, and I went to a mexican place called moe's and it was actually pretty good. After lunch we all got to work on our builds like usual, and i got the arching on the top done and glued it to my body. That pretty much took all day. Here are some pictures to enjoy..

First Picture: Top being glued to the rest of the body. Second : Tim helpin me arch the top. Third: My acoustic with the frets ripped out. Ill be putting frets in it tomorrow morning..

Day Off

2008-10-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Today is our day off, and it sure does feel good. Me, john, and peter woke up pretty early and went out fishing. i managed to catch 2 fish, one is too small so we threw it back. it was a good time, here are some pictures..

Saturday: All Day Builds!

2008-10-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today we got to work on our builds all day, making saturdays the funnest day of the week. I got a pretty good amount of work done today, including : rough cut my f holes, flattened the top, got my fretboard all squared up with the neck, marked up my inlays so they are center on the fretboard, and almost got my tuning machines installed, but we had to stop to clean up so that will have to wait until monday. The day went by really fast, and this entire week seemed to fly by. No one has cut their fingers off, and everyones builds are coming along quite nicely. The canadian guy peter chose a really hard type of guitar to make so he is lagging behind a bit, but it should be done by the end. Here are some more pictures!!

The first picture is my neck with the inlay blocks laying on top to give you an idea of what it will look like. The 6th block from the right will be cut in half at an angle and inlayed with a gap in the middle. The next picture is roughly what my guitar will look like when its done. The bridge (the big chrom thing) isnt mounted yet, and neither are the knobs. There will be a gradual arch on the top and back when its completely done, hence "archtop" guitar. Within the next week id say it'll be done, depending on how long it takes to put a finish on it etc..enjoy!

Passed 2 Days

2008-10-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Thursday and Friday were long days. We started to tear out the frets on our electric guitar, its pretty tough but i kinda got the hang of it. Later wednesday after lunch we worked on our builds. i've actually managed to get a lot done these passed few days with my build, and...the allparts order came in!!! all the hardware for our guitar came today. I've got some pretty good pictures from the passed two days...

Alrighty so the first 3 pictures are of a guitar being refretted in different stages. Its kind of a frustrating job on a crappy guitar, but i finally got it done today. The 3rd picture is my headstock design (do you think i should put an ebony veneer over that???, i will be inlaying my initials on the headstock). The last picture is roughly what my guitar will look like. it will have 2 f-holes sooner or later and two control nobs. I hope to put a super high gloss finish on, but that will take a pretty long time so we'll see). So let me know what you think i should do about a veneer on the head stock!! also, the alternative to the pearl blocks is small circles in the upper right hand corner. Help me decide!!!!

I think im sick..but us luthiers never surrender!!!!

2008-10-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

So i woke up feeling pretty crumby today, but i decided the only way to get better was work it out. so we all get over to the shop and todays lesson was refrets..i worked on this piece of crap squier and the fretboard was chipping all over the place. all in all, i felt like crap, worked on a piece of crap, and got pretty dicsouraged. after the lunch break we worked on our builds, so the second half of the day was a success...here are some pics..

ok so the first picture is my headstock, not finished but its gettin pretty close. Second one is my neck and the top of my guitar. the last picture is the center and back of my guitar being glued together, dont those clamps look crazy!!! i'll be sure to buy some of those!

quote of the day "it ain't nothin but a thang" - tim joy saving my guitar from the grave..

Neck Shaping and Fret Dress

2008-09-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

So today we started on fret dressing. This levels out all the frets so you can set the intonation properly. This usually costs between 125-160$. Its pretty time consuming, and it requires a lot of sanding in gradually finer grits. After lunch we got to work on our builds till about 6, i didnt get as much as id like, but i got some of the aggravating work done..
Ok so i cant figure out how to organize the pictures on the screen so i'll try to explain the best i can. One picture is my neck on the shaping jig, i had to sit there and carve away until it was nice and smooth and round. Another one of the pictures is of the ears being glued onto my headstock, this is to allow the extra room needed for my design. The next picture is one of the metal heads lee and one of the instructors gary goofing off, both of them are equally hilarious. The next one is of the fret dress, its hard to tell but those frets are nice and shiny, i think im picking this stuff up pretty quick. One of the other teachers, brian, gave me a 7 out of 10 for my first fret dress, thats not bad if i do say so myself!!!

All Day Build!

2008-09-28T07:39:00.001-07:00

Because fridays are all day repairs, saturdays are all day builds! so everyone got work on their guitars and most of us got pretty far. i made a few more templates for routing out the body of the guitar, and even got my neck pieces glued up for the night. Here are some more pictures..This first picture is my neck being glued. Thats zebra wood on the outsides and a wood called wenge in the middle. (thats pronounced weng-ee) The other picture is my friend jon using an oscillating sander. I didnt think i took so few pictures so i'll be sure to get some good ones up next post! enjoy!

Set Ups and Bone Nuts

2008-09-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

So Fridays are all day repair days, so yesterday we started with one of the most basic repairs, a set up. its considered routine maintenance, and usually costs between 40-75 dollars depending on the guitar. we also made nuts out of cow bone, and believe me, that stuff smells like crap. id say it smells like a combination of old feet, and moldy doritos. let me get some pictures up so you know what im talking about...

Day ? : Wood and Tools

2008-09-26T06:33:00.001-07:00

So i havent gotten the chance to update as much as id like, but im missing breakfast so you guys can get an update!! We went wood shopping the other day, got some pretty awesome woods including birdseye maple, mahogany, ebony, flamed maple, spruce, and some rosewood. and a little zebra wood which smells like horse crap when you cut it. The last couple of days have been pretty busy with sawing wood up for our first guitars, and making the handle for this cool little
tool. Everyone is really having a good time, and this guy peter from canada can play this awesome jazz song which im tryin to slowly learn. As far as dinner goes, i'll just say whoever brought the george foreman grill is a life saver. oh yea, here are some pictures from the last few days...Thats my first guitar cut out on plywood

Day One : Orientation

2008-09-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

So, today was the first day of classes. The day started around 9:30, we all headed over to the shop about 5 minutes down the road. Everyone ordered all of the parts for both their electric and acoustic guitars. Shopping for parts is really fun, and i only spent like 250$! After that we got a quick introduction to tools and different saws around the shop. Around 6 we all left and came back to the house. I have to make dinner........

Heres some pictures i took real quick to give you a picture of what im talking about...

Thats the backyard view, my room, and the shop.

p.s. Ill be sure to get pictures of the inside of the shop up pretty soon!!!

A Few Days to go

2008-09-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

Today is Wednesday the 17, and im still not packed. I have a big long list of things to do, but ill get to them later, its only 9 am. Friday is the big day, me and my mom and dad will be leaving sometime in the morning to start the trip down to Lilburn, Georgia. Hopefully i wont forget anything...

Heres something interesting..

The highest price paid for an electric guitar at auction, was $959,500 at Christie's in July 2004 for Eric Clapton's 'Blackie' Stratocaster. The previous record was for Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia's custom-made 'Tiger' ($957,500 in 2002).