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PostPosted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 4:34 pm 
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First name: Kevin
Last Name: Looker
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Dan Smith has been patiently waiting for me to finish this Korina flying V build, & it's still not done. It's been close to a year on this flat, unbound slab guitar but life happens. So anyhow here are some progress pics.

The neck is on along with the fingerboard.
Attachment:
FrontView.jpg


Here's a back shot. This original style neck joint seems like it was easier to make when Gibson had to do the operations by hand with various sanders while the modern neck joint would be easier with CNC I assume.
Attachment:
RearView.jpg


Here's a shot of the Amazon rosewood fingerboard. Looks a lot like Brazilian after a little oil IMO (there's still a little epoxy on the fingerboard that still needs removed).
Attachment:
Fingerboard.jpg


The initials on the headstock are those of my buddy who the guitar is for. They match another guitar he had made. Thanks Ken McKay for sharing the technique (it will eventually be black).

That's it for now. Thanks for looking.

Kevin Looker


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PostPosted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 5:29 pm 
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Looks sharp, Kevin!

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These users thanked the author Chris Pile for the post: klooker (Sat Nov 29, 2014 9:12 pm)
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 6:37 pm 
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Thanks Kevin!
Man, it looks great!
The nexk to body junction looks perfect.
I like the body grain orientation, looks book-matched.
Thanks for posting an update!
Dan

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These users thanked the author dzsmith for the post: klooker (Sat Nov 29, 2014 9:12 pm)
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 9:26 pm 
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First name: Kevin
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Thanks Chris & Dan.

The book match look comes from orienting the grain so that it follows the outside lines of the overall V-shape. If you look at some of the original super rare ones from about '58, that's how they were made. A lot of the reissues have the grain lines parallel to the neck which doesn't look as good IMO.

I tried to be as authentic as I was comfortable with except:
Scarf joint at the headstock.
Headstock angle only about 13 degrees instead of 17.
2-Way trussrod

Hopefully I'll get this finished by spring since my buddy has just installed an industrial spray booth.

Kevin Looker

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:46 pm 
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Nice,
Whats your neck angle?

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2014 7:36 pm 
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The neck angle is somewhere around 3 to 3.5 degrees. I cut it at 3 then fine tuned the projected height at the bridge (like doing an acoustic I guess) using a block plane on the neck tenon. I ended up increasing the angle very slightly.

Kevin Looker

edit:
I just re-measured the neck angle, it's closer to 2.5 to 3 degrees!!!!

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Last edited by klooker on Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 1:04 am 
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Perfect!

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 7:03 pm 
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Love the heel, looks lovely to play! Great looking guitar man!



These users thanked the author msween for the post: klooker (Wed Dec 03, 2014 7:15 am)
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:38 am 
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In my typical mode of rushing, I didn't pay attention to the heel when making the body. I downloaded a print but it had the modern heel as opposed to the vintage.

So don't do it like this. I wasted some of my best Korina (White Limba). [headinwall] [headinwall] [headinwall]
Attachment:
Wrong.jpg


This is how the body needs to be when making the vintage neck joint.
Attachment:
Correct.jpg


Hopefully this will prevent someone else from making the same mistake.

Kevin Looker


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 9:32 pm 
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Where did you get your Korina ( White Limba) from?


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 11:31 pm 
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That thing is awesome!
I'm taking it you had a set back with the build.
I've had that happen, and it took forever to get it to the customer.
I'm sure you could still use the other body for a build,
so it's not wasted.
Maybe you could sell it,
if ya don't want to mess with it.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 5:13 pm 
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Oops, hadn't paid attention to this thread.

I got the Korina, aka White Limba, from Keim Lumber in Charm Ohio - it's a gigantic Amish home center type of place that has all types of hard woods, building materials, custom millwork, windows & doors, power tools, etc. It's not expensive but it's hard to find suitable pieces. It's almost always flat sawn and it is prone to cracking. On the positive side, it shapes like styrofoam.

Yes, I had more setbacks or stupid blunders so now I have 2 V's, once they're done the problem should be obvious on the "flawed" one but it will still be a perfectly playable guitar.

I sprayed lacquer last week so I'm giving them a couple of weeks before I sand & buff.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 6:46 pm 
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Looks awesome.

Sent from my HTC Desire 626s using Tapatalk

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 8:36 pm 
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Cool Kevin!
Well, you did not have to inlay "Flawed" into the headstock.
Unless, of course, you know a feller named "Flawed".

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 10:41 pm 
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Thanks guys.

Electrics are supposed to be easier than acoustics which must be my problem, I underestimate them.

The neck on FLAWED is out of alignment with the body which will be very noticeable with the traditional V-shaped flat metal tail piece. I could put a stop bar on it which will be less noticeable but I've decided not to. My wife went to art school & threw away all of her early work which I think is a shame. I want to remember this lesson, not to rub my nose in it, just don't want to forget and want to be able to laugh about it.

Thanks for all the support. [:Y:]

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PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 10:47 pm 
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I love flawed guitars.


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