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Hello,

I'm buildings this first guitar as a gift. A late Christmas gift. [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

I'm wondering if I can go ahead and install everything and string it up so that he can hear some sounds coming out of it and then take it back and put on the pore fill and finish? Could I just mask off the bridge and fretboard and remove the tuners later and then spray the finish on?

Thanks!
Brad


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Sure you could. Cumpiano often used to list guitars on his website for sale "in the white" meaning they were set up and playable but without finish. He would stick the bridge on with just a little white glue and they remove it before finishing. It will end up adding time to the overall build, and there might be the chance , if you're like me, that finishing it will be put off for a long time to that it will get dinged dirty or stained in the meantime, but it could work of you really want it to.

Kent

I played my first for quite sometime using the brass bolt kit (bridge) from stewmac.
It sounded and played just fine.
Kent is absolutely right, doing so delayed me from finishing for just over a year. Playing it was fun, worrying about learning how to French polish ..... not so much.
Gregor

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Wake up and smell the rosewood!

If dirt of finger oils get on the bare wood then finishing may be compromised. Also, are you sure you want to finish the top with the bridge already attached? That makes it a lot more difficult. I advise that you finish the guitar and then present it as an early gift for Christmas 2016.

Aren't classical guitars finished with the bridge glued on?


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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Sometimes

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Can it be done? Sure. Will it result in some unforeseen damage necessitating you to go back several steps and make repairs? Probably. Just sayin'.

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George :-)

I would put a few coats of shellac on first. Just the smallest bead of glue on the back edge of bridge. Careful not to get center seem separation when you take it off.

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Pat

I finish mine with the bridges glued on. I found it easier. I take a razor blade and scribe around the base of the bridge, not the top, before pulling the tape off. It seems to work just fine for me. I always had a hard time removing the lacquer or getting nicks in the finish trying to get a nice fit after finishing. I also tape off the fretboard area before until after the final sanding down. Then pull the tape off and spray the final coat over it to blend any area of lines from the tape.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

That's some pretty wild bearclaw going on there
What's the B & S?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Ambrosia Maple B/S.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Jason, how do you level sand the finish and buff around the bridge? Any special tools?

I use a soft sponge with wet sandpaper wrapped around it so it conforms to the slight radius of the top. I polish by hand with a soft rag. I dont have a buffing wheel setup yet.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

If you want to attach a bridge to an unfinished guitar you can use these

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/To ... _of_4.html

Kerry

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