• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Roberto-Venn: The Dream Starts...

Thumpin_P

Thumpin_P

Nov 26, 2006
958
153
Limestone, TN
#1
Now..., I realize that there are quite a few of you who would think that this venture is foolish. One would say, "Simply start building and off you go". While I respect that sentiment, that is simply not the case for me. I have wanted to pursue this school ever since 1993, between then and now, I have lived a lot of life, been married, a father, and now, divorced. At this point, it is time to find a job, doing what I have wanted to do for years. To acheive this goal, it would help to attend this school and receive recommendation from the instructors, as well as picking up the skills I require. I did not have the money to start my own shop, or invest in several specialized tools, so, Uncle Sam Is helping me with Financial Aid for the school, and there you go...
Now that my rant is out of the way..., I AM HAVING A GREAT TIME!!! I will continue with another post and pictures from the 3-day tool seminar, where we get reacquainted with several power tools, and complete a Telecaster body. Thank you,
Thumpin_P
 
#2
Where was I... Oh! The Pics!
105_7225.jpg


First day, we discuss several tools, math, the science of grain, and are gived a matched set of poplar for our Tele body. Here you see the set matched up (not bookmatched on the top, but matched endgrain). I spend most of the day on the sander trying to get a good seam. Finally at the end of day 1, I have a good seam, but not enough time to glue. Sooo, On to day two!
 
#3
Today was day two, and a lot of progress was made!
I got there early to get caught up with the rest of the class. As soon as i got there, got some clamps, spread some Titebond, clamped and waited 30 minutes. After a couple of passes through the planer, and a re-sketching of the template..voila!

105_7226.jpg


Next was a trip to the band saw, notice: the area where the neck pocket will be cut out is a little beefier, to allow for routing the neck pocket later.

105_7228.jpg


105_7229.jpg


Next was spindle sanding and edge sanding. I believe the previous picture was after the sanding, not just the band saw. (Yep, just checked the picture..I'm not that good)
Here is a picture of how the two pieces meet up at the butt of the guitar, The two flaws are kind nice...different, but nice.

105_7236.jpg


After that, Hogging out the cavities with forstner bits. I am rather impressed with the bridge pickup, not so with the control cavity. I did stay inside the lines, though.

105_7231.jpg


105_7230.jpg


105_7232.jpg


105_7233.jpg


105_7234.jpg


The final step was using a 1/4" roundover bit. I have to confess, I have never used a router. Yes...I know, I know. The bit worked fine, just the operator was too slow on his passes, so the rounds got burned. I plan to take care of that with some sanding.

105_7237.jpg


105_7238.jpg


105_7239.jpg


That's it for today! Like I said...a lot was accomplished, at least for a newbie! Thanks for looking, and tomorrow will be the last day of the tool seminar, so I will be completed with the tele, then on to the regular class. My goal.., a sunburst stingray 4 and an homage to a HD-28V, probably with some minute changes..more to come!

Thumpin-P
 
#10
Thanks guys! J; the class is M-F, 8:00A -6:00P. I believe that class is over January 31. and BB, I will include updates as often as I have pictures. I will say, there are some days that I won't have pictures, and we will have celebrity lectures from time to time. I was told yesterday that Lawrence Juber will give a meet and greet and performance one day. I had the light-bulb moment yesterday, the moment when I realized that this is now going to be my career. I want to find a job in a company, and learn even more tricks of the trade, and keep with the studying. Hopefully, by the time I start my own business, I can have the skills that some of you gauys have. BB, I want to be able to design my own preamp...That is just mad skillz. Thanks to all for the inspiration and stay tuned!
 
#15
Sorry for the delay,
My ex-wife called and really bummed me out, so, I have just now recovered.
Day three, the third and final day of the tool seminar:
I waited most of the day to use one of the routers, to finish the cutting on the tele body. They had plenty of routers, not plenty of bits. Only after lunch, do I find out that one of the instructors went shopping for bits. There should really be memos... anyway, I didn't quite get finished, because I ran out of time, and I will finish this little project in time. Soooo...,

105_7246.jpg


Here's the control cavity, I plan on shielding this, so the nibs from the forstner bit will not show.

105_7243.jpg


The bridge pickup...turned out ok.

105_7245.jpg


The neck pocket, maybe a little deeper, in time. And..the mass on the treble side will get cleared out once I get a neck situated. I'll keep it for now, in case I want to route it deeper.

105_7247.jpg


The only thing I lack is the neck pickup. I am glad that I got the neck pocket and the bridge pickup done, so that the string alignment should end up OK, becaude of the style of tele bridge ( Most know this, that was for newbies).

I am glad that I took this course, getting comfortable with all sorts of power tools. Some I have not used, some have been used back in the 90's. I would highly recommend this seminar for anyone wishing to go to this school. I feel more comfortable, and ready for the real stuff...starting tomorrow! I will continue with this thread, be prepared, I will be doing this for 5 months. Thanks again, and Stay Tuned!!!

Oh....the "hair shot"

105_7242.jpg


If you really want hair, this will have to do...

105_7241.jpg


Thanks for all the support, LC!!!!

Thumpin_P:bassist:
 
#17
Ok....avid watchers,
First day of the course!!! A whole lot of lecture and going through the rules, signing papers, slideshows, etc.., Now to the fun part. EBONY!!!!!

105_7251.jpg


We were given an ebony fretboard for our acoustic build, it needed to be thickness sanded to .285". We did so with a thickness sander, basically a long, thin drum with 80 grit on it. The drum was connected to a motor, and the adjustable part was the table, which was under the sander. You turned a crank, and the angle of the table changed, closer or farther away from the sander. I got mine to .290" and stopped there, afraid that I would sand a gouge in it and have to go too far. Before I got too crazy, I collected some of the dust, for later use with inlays. I think that I was the only one out of the class to think ahead. Thank you, LC!!! Here is the completed board, the first shot was for grain detail, which I will probably use some dye on to blacken it.

105_7250.jpg


We also started working on tail and neck blocks. I screwed the first one up, so I grabbed a second one. There are two blocks of mahogany by the fretboard, but one is a neck block, the other a tail block. I will work on those tomorrow.

105_7252.jpg


Several people brought their tele bodies with them, to work on completing them. But, without knowing what was in store, I left mine back at the apartment.

I will take the tele body tomorrow... I got bored reading research material, waiting on the equipment, yes..., I will take the tele tomorrow.

Well, not a lot of photography for today, I will say that part of the new location of the school is a gallery. For now instructor instruments are there. Wow!!! Beautiful instruments! One of the instructors built an electric upright, with a seperate set of harp strings on the bass side. Not only was it rather innovative, to me anyway, but, made from beautiful quilted maple, with rather nice ergonomics. i will try to get some pictures of there instruments, checking permission first, and post them.

I know that some of you might be saying "All you have been talking about is guitars...This is TalkBASS!!!) Believe me, THE STINGRAY COMETH!!!!! Just had to reassure those who doubt my low-end.

My name is Thumpin, and I am funky!!!

Thanks to all who have stuck around, there will be more tomorrow...

C-Ya!

Thumpin_P
 
#19
Tapy... I understand your point. It does look very nice. I want the D-28 to have an aged look to it, like the old Martins did, Once I take a look at the other wood, I may reconsider, I just know that the older guitars that I have seen, haven't used marked ebony. With that said, maybe it will be a nice change, pleasing to the eye. I am, by far, not above suggestions. So, thank you.

Thumpin_P
 
#20
Thumpin_P said:
Tapy... I understand your point. It does look very nice. I want the D-28 to have an aged look to it, like the old Martins did, Once I take a look at the other wood, I may reconsider, I just know that the older guitars that I have seen, haven't used marked ebony. With that said, maybe it will be a nice change, pleasing to the eye. I am, by far, not above suggestions. So, thank you.

Thumpin_P
Click to expand...

No problem. As you said, it is only my suggestion...but it's your project. ;) I just happen to prefer to see the beauty of wood patterns and colors as they actually occur. Each piece is always unique.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back