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Really, dude?



That was my rent guitar too. Sometime I wonder how I can even do something that dumb. I then it all comes rushing back...

Hmm.... that's a toughie.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Quite frustrating -- fill the hole, new headplate, backstrap, and refinish -- arghhh. I hate redoing work !!!!

How in the he double hockey sticks did u do that?

Well, you see, the pen I used to mark the holes was just about out of ink, so I guess a wood chip looked more like the mark than the mark did. But, I saved 1.49 on a pen, so there's that.

And of course my CNC guy is going on vacation next week. This guitar has been...resisting.

Oh well. Sometimes relying on this stuff for income is a sketchy deal...

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

I feel for you, Ed.
My guitar has been indoors for two months.
I brought it out to the shop last weekend and started spraying lacquer.
The binding started coming unglued. I reckon it was too hot and humid.
And the more I mess with it, the worse it gets.
Good luck on a speedy fix.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Seems someone used to have a "screw up of the week" thread where that would qualify for the "tub 'o lard" award. Yall remember "tub 'o lard"? Anyways, you are in good company. That is an error you can recover from. My last doozie was a photograph of a recently glued up coco cutaway side set (profiled) I sent to a client. Soon, I received an email reminding me he was left handed. Doh!

That's just an opportunity to do an inlay, front and back.

Couple of observations if I may please.

Number one impression is that i see really nice, super clean work with very clean lines, bevels and if every nut slot that I had to work looked like this it would make my day! I like your vibe, Ed that you are going for - simple essential design elements with a nod to tradition!

Next, yes very recoverable replacing the head plate, maybe saving the cool logo (what's the "H" stand for).

We have mini lathe and what you could do if you have a lathe, cut-offs from the exact stick and there is not a back overlay is turn a matching plug. Orienting the turned piece the same grain wise and gluing and perhaps tuners with greater surface areas on the base plate and my guess is that this will be very near invisible.

Sure it's a bummer to have to fix this but a positive outlook, rembering that even a bad day fixing cool guitars is better than a good day working for the man (or woman), a nice Canadian beer (avoid edge and power tools) and Uncle Bobs you uncle too!

That's a good excuse to make a jig Ed.

Cal

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Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

Cal, it really is, but, due to the nature of our processes, there are still a few variables that occasionally change the headstock shape a smidge here and there. Once I get a CNC though...

Hesh,

I've been at this for about 18 years now, so the carpentry is more or less there, except in cases like this, where it just isn't. I learned long ago to build the nut slot into the face of the fingerboard surface. We use TUSQ nuts, so usually just a quick surface sand and they pop right in, you only need to sand them down from the bottom like a saddle. Get within a smidge then crack out the nut files and go. When it works, nut making should only take about 3 minutes.

That is exactly our vibe, classic looking guitars with the complete absence of anything fancy and time con$uming. The only steps not strictly necessary are the fingerboard binding (I cannot abide open fret slots), and the purfling on the binding. To the point of diminishing returns, and no further.

The 'H' is for Halcyon, from a song by a Canadian band called The Tea Party, who's guitarist is a major reason why I'm building at all. www.halcyonguitars.com

I'll be going to Lee Valley for one of their dowel makers to turn plugs to fill the hole, and will be adding a backstrap. Yay, free feature, if I don't blarf it. Of course, the CNC guy is going on vacation, I owe the ebony supplier money, etc...so it goes when this is yer job;). Worst comes to worse, I make a new neck.

The positive side, since I've become my own 'the man', is that I saved 1.49 on a new pen, there is one bland import beer in the fridge, and it is clearly time to say 'fold this shirt' and go fishing.

Pinks are running, tomorrow's a new day, there are four more gits coming out of paint in a day or so, with another half dozen hot on the heels.

And there's coffee in the cupboard, so I have all the readies to get by until the next thing...

.

The band The Tea Party has some very cool tunes and that guest appearance from Ian Anderson was very cool too! Going to download (and purchase...) their latest when I get home and off a public server.

Thanks for turning us on to TTP!

Most welcome!

If you listen to 'Haze on the Hills' into 'Majestic Song' from Splendor Solis, you'll hear ten of my favorite minutes of music:)

You post reminds me that a few years back I measured for the sound hole location on a new top using, as I always do, the one inch mark rather than the end of the ruler as the starting point.

Installed a beautiful rosette, cut out the hole and it looked great. Wait, it looks a little funny. Whoops it's an inch closer to the north end of the guitar.

I could't think of a good way to salvage it so it hangs on my wall as a reminder to measure twice cut once.

We all feel your pain.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I made an error akin to this when drilling my bridge pin holes. I was so concerned about getting the holes perfectly aligned I tried a completely new method that I thought would be more accurate: making a paper template. I drilled the first and dust got under the paper, shifting the alignment. Five slots are perfect and one is off just enough to irritate me.

I know how you feel.

That hurt's just looking at it. Now git back to work!

Not the type of thing you want to happen when it pays your bills. Not too bad though, just more time and effort to put in. In my case it was just a personal guitar so other than being a little bummed out not a great loss.

What a rad concept! A sound port for the belly. You could market it as a BellyportTM

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Printer2, ouch.

For myself, all is not lost:)



Though in keeping in theme to the thread, the biggest one I caught, I somehow managed not to place in the bag properly, and it washed away without a trace. Whatreyagunnado?

At least I got a day where I spent no time at all thinking guitar.

Now, back to work at my favorite job!

Oh wow. New level of screw-updome. That one is for Zappa fingers

Printer2, thank you so much! I must have been very tired because it took me a good five minutes to see what the problem was. When it finally registered I laughed out loud!

Of course it is funny because I could so easily have done the same.

Printer2, you should have just made it a left handed guitar.

OK, no joking, I sympathize; it stinks to have these sorts of things happen. However, it provides some comfort to hack hobbyists like me that very experienced luthiers also experience these sorts of setbacks. It makes it less of a personal failure when it happens to me (because it does) if I know you go through this stuff, too.

In other words, I benefit from your pain, so: thanks!

Been posting my guitar building progress for a while showing things that work out and, well things that didn't. Part of the reason is if everyone just showed the successes people starting out might get discouraged from setbacks they encounter. Stuff happens, not the end of the world. The above guitar was an experiment and in the end it sounded like crap. Didn't know at the time though, routed out the right end, patched up the wrong end and did my first sunburst. Ed probably went through more grief as the guitar is for a paying customer. As long as nobody got hurt...

wow... So the decreased angle on the bass string obviously causes a lower tension thereby enhancing the bass notes... awesome innovation that ought to increase the value by $200. Maybe $400 if the angle is critical and requires extra accuracy.