Marshwood Guitars

Fun with GarageBand and a Marshwood Guitar

2012-01-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

12th Fret Inlay

2012-01-04T05:37:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple pictures of the Mountain Pine Beetle inlay which will be installed on the 12th fret. There will be two smaller ovals of pearl on the 9th and 15th fret positions as well. The material is abalone.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-12-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

Update

2011-12-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

The Beetle Kill Electric (lower pictures) has had some progress: The body has been rough-carved and the neck is in its early stages. Can't wait to begin some inlay work. Another body has been started as well. This one has an African Mahogany top on a base of Butternut wood. The bindings are black and white. This should contrast well in the end.

2011-09-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Brainchild is going to jam here in Denver. Come one come all for a shredfest. I can't wait to see Roy rippin' his Marshwood.

Now on Facebook under Marshwood Guitars

2011-06-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

Results, May 14, 2011

2011-05-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

I had a great time instructing a beginning level, electric guitar building course this semester at Red Rocks Community College. The students worked hard and should be proud of their accomplishments.

Beetle Kill Electric

2011-04-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

This is a cool electric top that is from Colorado. The ponderosa pine trees along the Front Range have had it pretty rough due to an increased population of Mountain Pine Beetle. The beetles kill the tree but leave a cool blue stain to the wood. I found a piece which book-matched nicely. This guitar will one day be finished in blue lacquer to work with this natural color. Walnut has been used for the base of the body.

Time: 4.5 hrs.

The Rufus

2011-04-01T05:11:00.000-07:00

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T606r4EJzg
Copy this ink into your browser to hear The Rufus being destroyed by the Dr.

2011-03-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

The sound track for this short film was recorded with the new Marshwood prototype (for pictures see below). I was looking to do something with this footage. Fishing is my other obsession. Wear headphones if you have them.

New Prototype from Marshwood!

2011-03-27T17:52:00.001-07:00

This is a prototype which has passed the test and will eventually become one of the standards offered by Marshwood. The woods used in construction: Quarter-sawn flame maple drop top on a base of alder, Honduran mahogany for the neck, and a rosewood headplate and fretboard. The two Seymour Duncan Phatcats sound real nice like.

New Prototype from Marshwood

2011-03-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

New Project

2011-01-30T08:03:00.000-08:00

This electric is going to be based off Roy's model with some differences of course. Alder and walnut are woods for the body. Maple for the neck. I will keep you posted.

Marshwood Flagship Model

2010-12-10T15:39:00.000-08:00

After about three years of designing, trial and error(s) a "standard" model prototype is in the works. Once completed the photos and videos will follow.

Marshwood Acoustic, The Finishing Stages

2010-12-10T15:31:00.001-08:00

After applying lacquer to the instrument and letting it sit for a few weeks the time has come to level the finish with sandpaper. Here if the coat looks good you can go on to buff. Or in this case I need to apply a couple more coats (small pits and voids). The guitar will sit for another two/three weeks and will be leveled again. Can't wait to hear this one. The close-up photo shows the detail of the flame maple.

The Rufus has a new home.

2010-10-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

From Sketch To Reality

2010-09-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Been working a lot on The Rufus this week. Dressed the frets and put in the electronics. Just a few things to tight up and she is done. When building a guitar from a sketch like this the challenges run high. This has been one of the most complex designs to bring into fruition but has also been rewarding. Hopefully, Dr. Rufus will like it.

The Rufus, Truss Rod Cover Plate

2010-09-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

The truss rod is made of steel and runs the length of the neck. Its purpose is to allow some adjustability of the neck action. One can adjust the neck tension with an allen wrench at the headstock. This hole in the headstock must be covered with a plate. This one is made of ebony and has been routed to say, "Dr. Rehfuss," the future owner of this guitar. Silver has been filed down to fill the letter cavities. Then, with the glue dried sanded off and shaped into the truss rod cover. These shots show the process:

The Rufus, Tailpiece

2010-09-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

After designing and building a prototype tailpiece for the Rufus (which did not work) I made some changes and began again. This one is going to be both light and strong. A jig was taped to a piece of mahogany and was then cut out. I drilled holes for the future strings. To give it a matching look with the headstock, bridge, etc. a veneer of ebony was then glued to the top. Once dried the ebony was cut away leaving the rough bridge. The next step will be to shape to thickness and add some brass which will ground the strings to the endpin jack.

Roy Ponce and his Marshwood in action at Summer Camp 2010!

2010-06-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

Roy Ponce rippin' his custom Marshwood with Brainchild (www.brainchildjam.com) at Summer Camp Music Festival. That's Roy jamming with Jake of Umphrey's McGee preforming the song Resolution at Summer Camp Late Night.

The Rufus, Sanding and Buffing

2010-05-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

The guitar's lacquer coat has cured long enough to begin the final sanding. I started with a wet sanding of 600 and 800 grit paper (picture). At this point it was a good time to fit the bridge (picture). This was made from ebony. Once the contour of the bottom of the bridge matched the top of the guitar I buffed the instrument. So far it looks great.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 7, The Bridge

2010-05-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

Began this process by making a template out of plywood. First by cutting out the diagram (made some subtle changes) on the acoustic guitar plans, then gluing it to a piece of .5 inch ply. I then cut this out (picture). Using two small screws I joined this to the rosewood stock, cut and sanded the rosewood flush with the template. In the picture the bridge is still very rough but that will change soon.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 6, The Neck

2010-05-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

With radius sanding blocks I gave this fretboard a 12, 14 and 16 compound radius (More detail on radius-ing in previous blogs). After that, I used a straight sanding bar to level the board. Then the frets went in. It is starting to look like a steel string guitar. The headstock is taped for protection from bumps and bruises. The heel of the neck is beginning to take shape too. Once completed, I can focus on building the bridge.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 6, The Neck

2010-04-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

Did some rasping on the neck the other day. The first picture shows the neck in my shaping jig. On this guitar a volute was apart of the design. This decorative addition adds strength. The second photo details this area. The side position markers, were made from maple. You can use plastic, mother-of-pearl, all kinds of material for this task. I had some maple scraps left over from the back of the acoustic, so I used it. A pencil sharper was used to give the piece of maple a point. The holes were drilled and the maple points glued in (photo). The result can be seen in the last picture.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 5, Body and Neck

2010-04-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Of course on the blog it seems these different stages go quickly but much time is spent every step of the way. The first picture shows a piece of sandpaper sticking out of the neck joint. This is put in and tugged out until the seam is acceptable. Sometimes you have to take off more on one side to get the center lines on the neck and body to match up. In the second picture the neck has been bolted on and the fretboard clamped to the neck. Everything is lined up a triple-checked. It is time to glue the fretboard to the neck (third picture). The next day I flushed up the neck to the fretboard and the routed the headstock (fourth picture).

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 5, Body and Neck

2010-04-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

With the neck roughed out and marked (center lines, nut location, 14th fret) it was time to route the tenon which will join the body. The body too was routed but with a mortis. These were both done using jigs made for this purpose. The next step will be to fit the heel of the neck to the body. This will be tough and time consuming. As you can see by the picture the future headstock looks uneven on one side. This is because it will have six-in-line tuners, not three on each side. No very traditional for a steel string, but Fender has made some acoustics this way in the past. I will use the same headstock pattern I designed for "The Rufus."

The Rufus, Cure Time

2010-04-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

The last coat of clear was sprayed on today. The guitar must now be given time for the lacquer to cure. This will be about three to four weeks. After this, final sanding and buffing. In the mean time I will begin to build the tailpiece and bridge.

Spraying The Rufus

2010-04-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

In the spray booth working with The Rufus. I decided to add a mix of golden and dark brown tints to the lacquer to give the guitar a soul-glow. It was too bright before. Looking really nice now. Once again, the sound track for this short film was created with a Mac, a synth and a guitar.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 4, The Body

2010-04-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

The rosewood bindings have been added to the body. Bindings are thin strips of would which act to cover the joints of the top/back plates with the sides of the guitar. Here is the gist of it: 1. I bent the wooden bindings with heat and steam in a bending-jig (picture). 2. A laminate trimmer was used to route a channel along the sides of the body. This channel will accommodate the binding. 3. The binding was glued in using filament tape to hold it down (picture). 4. The end results are pictured here. The next step will be to sand the binding flush with the body.

The Rufus, Pore Filling

2010-03-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Using an oil-based pore filler I have officially begun the finishing process on The Rufus. The three pictures show the dramatic effect this filler has on the wood. Before beginning, the wood seems dull and lacking personality.

The filler compound was applied with a small brush then wiped off with a cloth. It will take several applications in order to fill the pores.

Pictured here is what the wood looks like with three coats of filler. It is really beginning to come alive. The effect will become even more complex when lacquer is sprayed onto the guitar.

The Rufus, Final Sanding

2010-03-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks I have been sanding The Rufus. Mahogany has very open pores. The two pictures show the pores of this wood. They don't look like much, but when it comes to applying lacquer they have gorge-crater-ish quality. Pores have to be filled in order to create a level surface for the lacquer. I have tried two methods and was not happy with the results. So, I came across a product the other day which will do the trick. Saturday I will begin the finishing process by using this filler.

The Rufus, Shaping the Heel

2010-03-19T08:50:00.001-07:00

The heel is shaped.

The Rufus, Shaping the Heel

2010-03-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

Rasps, files and sandpaper are what one needs to blend the neck and the body of the guitar together. The idea is to make it ergonomic for the player's hands. Which, will be Dr. Rufus.

Some Interesting Wood

2010-03-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is truly a piece of Colorado. This is a slab of Ponderosa Pine which has been killed due to the Pine Beetle infestation of the past few years. The mountain pine beetle is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America. The beetle measures about 5 millimeters (picture).

Mountain pine beetles inhabit pines, particularly the Ponderosa Pine. During early stages of an outbreak, attacks are limited largely to trees under stress from injury, poor site conditions, fire damage, overcrowding, root disease or old age. As beetle populations increase, the beetles attack the largest trees in the outbreak area. The trees respond to attack by increasing their resin output in order to discourage or kill the beetles. It isn't the number of pitch-out tubes that kill the pine tree but the beetles carry blue stain fungi which, if established, will block the tree resin response. This is the blue color you see in the picture. I feel this will make a cool top for an electric guitar. This piece will live again in the form of an instrument. Keep a look-out for the progress on this one. Don't know when I'll begin but I will let you know.

The Rufus, Two are One

2010-03-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple weeks The Rufus has been getting pore-filled and sanded in preparation for finish work to begin. Today I decided that the sanding was done to a point where the neck could be added to the body. This clamping arrangement will stay like this over-night allowing the glue to harden undisturbed. After this is completely dry, the neck and body will be blended together with rasps and files. This will make for a more comfortable instrument.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 4, The Body

2010-03-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

Well, the top has been glued to the back/sides. I applied glue to the sides (kerfed edge) and using the "Go-Bar-Deck," clamped the the two together. After about an hour-and-a-half, the body was removed from the clamping deck. I then used a flush-cut bit in a laminate trimmer and cut the excess wood leaving what is beginning to look like a guitar body.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 3, The Top

2010-03-11T19:09:00.001-08:00

The top braces have been shaped and sculpted to the point where the top rings nicely. This is what I was looking for. A nice low tone and sustaining ring. The pictures show the patterns. The next step will be to join the top to the back and sides to form the rough body.

Roy and his Guitar Meet

2010-03-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 3, The Top

2010-02-26T14:17:00.000-08:00

The x-brace provides some of the main strength for the top of the steel string. Two pieces of quarter sawn spruce are joined together to form the X. These pieces were sanded on a radius dish prior to joining. The photos show before and after sequences:
1st-The layout of the braces. 2nd - Notching where the other brace will connect. 3rd - Inspecting the joint. 4th - Clamping and gluing the x-brace to the top. More braces will be added to the guitar's top. This bracework will be a large contributer to the voice of this instrument.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 3, The Top

2010-02-25T15:40:00.001-08:00

The Douglas Fir top has been joined and sanded. This piece of wood has lots of personality. It is not the traditional choice for this application but it has all of the characteristics which make it a good sounding board. The rosette is the decorative circle which surrounds the sound hole of the acoustic. I have chosen a traditional and simple approach by using a pre-made herringbone rosette.

After lining up the rosette in position and marking its location on the top it was time to route the cavity. Using a Port-a-Cable laminate trimmer and a rosette cutting jig the channel was routed. Once the fit was good and tight it was glued in.

After the glue was dried the rosette was scraped and sanded flush with the top. The fit is really tight and is seamless. I am happy with that.

After the rosette was sanded flush the top was thicknessed with a drum sander to approximately 2.6 mm. Then using the same jigs and router I cut out the sound hole.

The Rufus, Fretwork

2010-02-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

In this series of photos a much abridged overview of fretwork is discussed. The first step is to radius the ebony board across the its length. The radius block has sand paper on the underside and it takes some time to get it done.

Even after sanding with the blocks the fret board can still be not perfectly level. In this picture I am using a level steel beam with sandpaper glued to one side to make sure the board is level. The more level the board is the less fret dressing I will have to do later.

After the board was level it was sanded to 400 grit and then buffed on the wheel in preparation for the frets. All of the needed tools and fret wire are where I need them.

In order to hide the ends of these frets (unlike a Strat for example) the fretboard was bound with a piece of ebony binding. This look does add a lot of time in preparing the frets to be installed. The frets have to be trimmed and filed before hammering them in. It does look clean though and is worth the time. You can see this detail in the first photo.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 2, The Back

2010-02-18T17:33:00.000-08:00

The maple back of this guitar was glued on today. Before this could take place small notches on the sides of the guitar had to be cut to accept the back braces (pictures). This was done with a fine saw and files. Then the back was glued and clamped using the Go-Bar-Deck (picture). This is a stressful time but everything went OK (picture). Tomorrow I will look to joining the Douglas Fir top and create a rosette.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 2, The Back

2010-02-11T17:25:00.000-08:00

With the braces glued in it was time to shape the braces. Acoustic guitar bracing is complex and many guitars have differing patterns. This being my first attempt at a steel string guitar I am applying my experience with spruce to these braces. The truth is I will not find out if the way I have shaped these braces was successful until the first chord is played. The general locations are taken from plans. The material width, height, taper and shape are up to me. Personally, music is a round force, melodies are played, musicians improvise, then return to the root melody. This train of thought has influenced how these braces have been shaped. The back and side braces have rounded features. Many builders use triangular shaped braces. We'll hear many months from now if this was the right track.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 2, The Back

2010-02-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

Installing Spruce Braces to the Back:

1.I set out the radius dish, the back and the OM plans. The placement of the spruce braces are measured (locations taken from plans).

2.The spruce braces are sanded to a 15 foot radius using the dish. I used a bandsaw and hand plane to remove the bulk of the wood until the brace fit roughly to the dish.

3.The placement of the spruce braces are transfered to the center strip on the guitar's back. Using a square, I held each brace perpendicular to the center strip and scored the outline of the brace with a razor onto the center strip. Using a saw the back strip was cut with a small saw then chiseled the rest to the scored line. This small channel will allow the brace to lay flush against the maple back.

4.Using the "Go Bar Deck", a clamping devise, I glued in each brace while cleaning up all glue squeeze-out along the way. The next step will be to shape the braces.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 2, The Back

2010-02-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

The back of this guitar is a subtlety flamed piece of maple. I re-sawed a board creating two book-matched pieces and then joined them together. They were then sanded to a thickness of 2.5mm. The glue was scraped away and then a spruce back-strip was glued in using a clamping device called a "Go Bar Deck." The strip was glued in while the back plate is in a 15 foot radius dish. This will help top maintain the radius as we move forward.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 1, The Sides

2010-02-05T18:16:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, many acoustic guitars have a feature called an "end-wedge" at the butt-end of the instrument. This also is practical because it is difficult and time consuming to get a very clean butt-joint with the guitar sides. A butt-joint is when two pieces of wood create a perfect seam when joined together end-to-end. An end-wedge good alternative to the butt-joint. Plus it can add an accent to your piece. I have made this one out of a scrap piece of rosewood. Basically, the wedge was made, the shape was traced onto the guitar, the side wood was cut, then the wedge was glued in and sanded flush. This process sounds easy but it took a couple hours. This chapter is about finished. The sides are have the correct radius, the kerfing is in, the braces and end-wedge are also in. Time to work on the back.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 1, The Sides

2010-02-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

The sides have been sanded to the appropriate radius. The kerfed linings have now been glued in. These linings support the top and back of the acoustic. The series of pictures shows the basic process. The glue is applied to the kerfing, then clamped into position. After about twenty minutes the clamps are removed and the linings are checked for glue squeeze-out and cleaned. Once the linings were all in I made up some side support braces out of spruce and glue them in. These give extra protection to the sides of the guitar.

Film: Chapter 1, Radius the Sides

2010-01-28T19:02:00.000-08:00

Acoustic guitars tops and backs traditionally have a slight radius to them. To achieve this the sides must be sanded in the appropriate sanding dish. The sides of the guitar which will one day support the spruce top need a radius of 30 feet. This is done with the sides in the form (the bulky thing surrounding the sides). In this short film you can see this takes some patience and time. It took about 2 hours for me to finish just the one side of the guitar. The sides that will hold the back of the guitar will have a radius of 15 feet. This drove me crazy, just like this film will drive you crazy.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 1, The Sides

2010-01-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

The sides are bent and the heel/neck blocks are in place. The blocks are mahogany and the sides are flame maple.

The Rufus, Back to Work

2010-01-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

This week I should be able to make some headway on The Rufus. I plan on finishing the neck shape, radius the fretboard and install the frets. I hope to do some final shaping and sanding to the body in preparation for gluing on the neck.

Marshwood Acoustic, Chapter 1, The Sides

2010-01-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

This year I am taking a course at RRCC in acoustic steel string construction. Since this will be the first attempt I have scrounged for materials. I milled the maple sides and back out of wood left behind by students. This will be a Martin-ish OM model guitar. Sitka spruce will be the top, Honduran mahogany for the neck and rosewood for the fretboard. These series of pictures show the bending process for the sides. One way of bending these is on an iron, but I was able to use a bending jig. This gives a more consistent result. I soaked the maple sides for a couple minutes, then put them in the bending jig. This jig has a heat blanket which steams the wood into shape. Once finished out it goes into the guitar form. We'll see how all this goes.

Roy's Guitar, Slideshow

2010-01-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

Click on the icon to the right under, Marshwood Guitars on Film

A recently completed slideshow of instrument for the guitarist Roy Ponce of the band, Brainchild. The guitar's recording on this short film are clean with a little reverb. Kept it simple so you can hear the guitar in the raw. Wear headphones if you have them.

Roy's Guitar, From Sketch to Reality

2010-01-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

One year since Roy and I began to trade ideas, a sketch once on a page has turned into a Guitar. Slide show and recordings of this instrument to come.

Roy's Guitar, Intonation Nation

2010-01-15T09:18:00.000-08:00

Intonation is the pitch accuracy of a musical instrument. Or in guitar terms, the open notes in the lower register are in tune with fretted notes in the upper positions.
The steps:
1. Strum the open E string.
2. Using a good tuner (picture) (I salvaged this one from an old school's music room that was being gutted when I was 16) tune the open E string.
3. Now, fret the string at the 12th fret, this is the "high E" (picture), the tuner is telling me the note is flat.
4. Adjust the bridge (picture) by moving the E-string saddle forward until the open E is in tune with the fretted E.

Roy's Guitar, Soldering

2010-01-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

Guitar wiring can be difficult sometimes. The wiring diagrams found on the web are a big help. Using a soldering iron one makes the needed connecting the wires from the pickup to the three-way switch, to the volume control and out to the 1/4 inch jack. I looks like chaos in the control cavity but it works.

Roy's Guitars, Installing the Gibson Pickups

2010-01-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

The pickup mounting rings (black plastic rectangles) have been sanded to the proper height (b/w picture). After this the pickups and rings were mounted to the guitar. A schematic of the wiring configuration for this instrument was printed off the web. Soldering will commence shortly. From the front it is starting to look like a guitar (color picture).

Roy's Guitar, Back to Work

2010-01-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Virginia visiting friends and family. This week the opportunity has presented itself to give Roy's guitar some solid attention. The last finishing touches are very detailed oriented: The frets must be smoothed, the action set, pickups and other electric components wired/soldered and the cavity covers fitted. In this picture the nut is being shaped and filed. This is a important because if there are any sharp edges on the nut the player will feel them. I feel good about what will get done this week and will keep you posted.

Roy's Guitar, Truss Rod Cover

2009-12-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

I wanted to use Roy's actual signature but not being able to find a product called "gold write" I had to try something else. Gold Write, a product no longer made, was a small piece of paper with one side coated in gold. It allowed one to sign and transfer his/her signature onto a medium. But I have used something with results which will turn out great.
The steps: a. choose a font which could I route with a very find routing bit.
b. printed out R. Ponce and glued it to a piece of rosewood
c. routed the letters away leaving an imprint in the wood
d. filled the imprint with silver dust, which I filed off a silver letter removed from an old belt (bought at Goodwill)
e. dropped super glue over the letters (picture)

Next step will be to sand off the glue and shape the truss rod cover.

The Rufus, Neck Shaping

2009-12-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

Using a rasp the once square neck has now become rounded. More to come.

Film: Roy's Guitar, Buffage

2009-10-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

Making an executive decision I decided to go ahead and put Roy's guitar body on the buffing wheel. I felt that the finish was thick enough to go for it. This short film shows the process.

Logoing The Rufus

2009-10-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

After sanding away the dried epoxy you are left with a pearl logo that looks like it was a natural part of the wood. The small air bubbles will be filed with super glue and sanded flush.

Film: Logoing the Rufus

2009-10-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

This short film shows the process I use when inlaying pearl or abalone into an ebony medium.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 20, Lacquer Finish

2009-10-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

The process for a color nitrocellulose lacquer finish is enough to test anyone's patience. All I can say it takes many coats, weeks for drying and much sanding. In the photo you can see the finish is building up nicely. The next step will be to sand flat using 400, 600 and 800 grit paper. Then a final coat will go on and the instrument will sit for three weeks. Then the buffing process will begin.

Red Rocks Community College's 40th Anniversary Gig

2009-09-17T13:47:00.001-07:00

Some fellow instructors and I preformed at the 40th Anniversary celebration of Red Rocks Community College. It is at this school where I assist the Electric Guitar building program. We decided it would be fun to promote the program by playing on our own instruments. The set list: Brown Eyed Girl, Let It Shine, Any Major Dude and Ain't Misbehavin'.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 20, Lacquer Finish

2009-09-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today I added some color tones to the neck and body of the guitar. Sometimes you get lucky, by combining two color dyes and mixing them with the lacquer I was able to produce a nice reddish brown. This blends the maple neck with the mahogany body.

The Rufus, Carving the Recurve

2009-09-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

Traditionally the recurved is carved into an arched instrument (violin, cello, etc,) and it gives the top or back plate the ability to vibrate creating a rich sound. In this case it will mainly be an aesthetic addition. A scraper is used to remove wood leaving behind a small concave ring around the body's edges. The light helps see the progress.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 22, Lacquer Finish

2009-08-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been a while, but summer is always a busy time. I have finally got around to applying some lacquer to the body. This is a long process which requires many coats and much fine sanding in between. The photos are of the guitar hanging in a spray booth. You can see the true nature of the walnut top as it is brought to life by the lacquer. This is the first coat, there will be many more to come.

Recording

2009-06-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need to use your feet when recording (picture). Jerry Lewis style. At the keys doing the sounds for the Film, Fret Work. The guitar part once again was recorded with a Marshwood instrument. It is a more subtle part using an EBow (comes in at about 25 seconds) to give it that synthesizer sound. It is a small device held over the strings near the pickups, it sends a vibration through the strings. You can build tension with this thing. You don't pluck!

Film: Roy's Guitar, Chapter 21, Fret Work

2009-06-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

Fretwork. All of the preparations are ready; clean radius, straight fretboard and sanded to 000 steel wool. The frets are bent with a crude radius jig which takes the once straight wire and bends it to a circle. Then the fretwire is cut to the appropriate length and set aside. The short film will show you the rest. The guitar part is played using an Ebow. It sounds like a synth.

If you have headphones put em' on.

Film: Fret Work

2009-06-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 20, Fretboard Radius

2009-06-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

Shaping the neck is completed. While working on the neck I decided to remove the walnut veneer on the back of the headstock. This has a cleaner look to it (picture). With the neck shaped and sanded it was time to radius the fretboard. This means taking the existing flat surface of the rosewood fretboard and giving it an arch. This can be nerve racking, because of the choice of inlay (the blocks). A radius is a circle measured in inches, fretboards can have a 7.25-20 inch radius. So if I used a tight radius like 7.25, I might sand away the edges of the block inlay, so I chose a 12 inch radius (the choice of many professionals) and all went well. Using the appropriate radius block, sand paper is adhered to the block and used to sand in the radius. This can take some time. This will be sanded with 80, 100, 150, 220, 320, 400 and 600 grit papers. The key is having a nice straight fretboard the entire length of the neck. This will aid in the installation of the frets, meaning the straighter the job radiusing the fretboard the less work will be needed when dressing the frets.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 19, Shaping the Neck

2009-06-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

With the inlay work completed it was time to shape the neck. With the neck clamped down on a holding jig the center line was drawn. This penciled in line will serve as a guide. Since the neck already has the correct taper I want to work to this line. A rough file starts the process, working evenly is the key. Files seem better for this job, some folks use spoke shaves but I find these have a tendency to dig into the wood. Once the files have done their job the neck is left with a series of parallel lines (see Fig 1.) Then it is time to round it over using a sanding block. A round neck feels good to me.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 18, Inlaying the Neck

2009-06-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

These pictures show the process for pearl block inlays being installed in Roy's guitar. Once the placement is found outlines are traced around the pearl in pen. A Dremel Tool and special inlay bit is used to rout the cavities. Chisels clean the corners of the square cavities, as you can see this can take some time. Each piece of block pearl is fitted in this way. Of course the goal is to have a clean fit with minimal fill needed. With each piece fitting nicely they were glued in place. The next step will be to do some touch up fill. Colored dyes will be mixed with super glue to blend the fill work in with the rosewood fretboard.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 18, Inlaying the Neck

2009-05-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

1. With the pearl logo in-hand the placement on the headstock was found and traced. 2. A Dremel tool was used to route a cavity to the appropriate depth. 3. It is not the black oil from X-Files. Epoxy and black dye were mixed together to make a black filling mixture. This will fill the negative spaces of the logo and will set it off visually. 5. America's best beer, possibly the world and or universe, held the headstock at the perfect angle for drying epoxy. 6. Sanded down to 220 grit the Marshwood Logo on Roy's future guitar has come alive. The drops are not tears of joy but super glue. This was used to fill tiny air holes that sometimes develop in epoxy.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 18, Inlaying the Neck

2009-05-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

The neck is at the pearl inlaying stage. For the headstock on this guitar the Marshwood Logo will be inlayed out of mother-of-pearl. First the logo is re-sized on the computer to the appropriate scale and printed. It is glued onto the two mother-of-pearl pieces which have been also joined together to form a larger piece. Small access holes (for the saw) are drilled into the pearl. Using the saw the parts not wanted are cut out. It is good to set up some kind of vacuum for this task. Once the logo is completely cut out files and sandpaper are used to smooth lines and saw marks. The finished logo. Next we will inlay this into the headstock.. Stay tuned...

Roy's Guitars, Chapter 17

2009-05-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

Roy's Guitar body is 90% complete, the tremolo system and control cavity covers have been made, all the accesses (knob, switch, etc) have also been routed or drilled. Some small adjustments still need to be made to the cover plates. Magnets will be installed so that when you look at the back of the guitar one will not see any screws. This should have a cleaner look. The body has been sanded to about 100 grit and will eventually be sanded to 220. After that it will be time to spray lacquer.

Roy's Guitar, Update

2009-05-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

On the player's side of the neck there are small position markers, these have now been installed in Roy's neck (close-up picture). Tortoise shell material (synthetic, not real shell) was chosen and looks right at home with the color-tones we have established. The mother-of-pearl blocks for the position markers on the fretboard are on the way and should arrive next week. Once the blocks are inlayed on the fretboard the neck shaping can begin. The body has been carved and scuff-sanded. The neck has been fitted into the neck pocket.

Marshwood Guitars makes it on the front page!

2009-04-27T09:22:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the staff of Golden Transcript for spending a rainy afternoon talking to me about Marshwood Guitars. You can see the article at: http://www.milehighnews.com/Articles-i-2009-04-23-210483.114125_Sixstring_serenade.html

Just a couple corrections: 1.) I actually made my first guitar (an archtop guitar) at a luthiery school in 2000. A two month intensive course. 2.) I don't remember saying the word "worthless" in reference to an instrument with set-up issues, seems too harsh to me, in guitar making there are no mistakes only repairs. 3.) I also wanted to mention that Roy Ponce is a professional guitarist for the band Brainchild. 4.) To put it in prospective my favorite guitar is a 1985 Ibanez Artist AS-200, for those of you who know what that means, it is a good goal to create something better.

Carving The Rufus

2009-04-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Carving can take time. I wish I could carve at the speed of this film. It is, however, one of the more rewarding tasks in guitar building. Watch those shavings build up! After I was finished rough carving a sander was used to knock it smooth. I will then go back with scrapers to even out problem areas.

Recording with a Marshwood

2009-04-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the computer recording the guitar parts for the film, Carving the Rufus.

The Carving Process

2009-04-18T09:47:00.001-07:00

For the past couple weeks I have been carving Roy's top and both sides of The Rufus. Using the Wagner Safety Plane on the drill press I roughed carved the top leaving what looks like stair stepping (picture). Once completed it is time for the small hand planes. The carving process can take some time. Especially in the case of Roy's guitar, the figured walnut is very hard.

The Rufus, Neck Pocket

2009-03-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

The same neck pocket preparation process is applied to The Rufus, except this guitar is to have a glued-in neck with a floating bridge which required an angled headstock. The rest of the process follows "Roy's Guitar, Chapter 16" Mike Snider (www.sniderguitars.com), a luthier and inlay artist was on hand to lend his expertise. Notice the care in wearing protective gloves during the guitar's procedure.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 16

2009-03-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

Neck pocket preparation can be stressful, if mistakes are made now it could really set you back. In the picture you can see a straight edge lined up on the center line of the neck. This is moved around until it matches up with the center line on the body. The neck is then clamped to the body. The part of the neck that is to sit in the body is etched with a blade onto the top of the body. The neck is then moved to the side. A routing fixture is then clamped to the body, the metal guides of this fixture are lined up with the lines that were etched before. This is then routed to the proper depth (picture). The neck does not fit yet (picture) but with patience and care it should fit like a glove.

Roy and Rufus Necks, continued

2009-03-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

After the headstock and neck taper were complete the rear of the headstocks both received veneers. Roy's a walnut and Rufus's ebony. These continue the themes established earlier in our wood choices. The rear of the headstocks were sanded and prepared. Each thin veneer was glued and clamped to the headstock. When gluing veneers I have found it useful to use a very small amount of glue. If too much is applied the veneers will bubble up. Now both of these necks are ready to be inlayed with pearl.

Roy and Rufus Neck Tapering

2009-03-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, some tapering of the headstock and neck was done using a Wagner Safety Planner and drill press (picture). This tool allows one to plane down one surface (back of the headstock) to match the other (veneered player's side). You can also use this tool to taper a piece of wood. In the second picture you can see a jig to the right. This piece of oak has a taper to it, and this is what I want the guitar neck to have. Again using the Wagner with the neck taped to the jig I run it under the planner until i have my desired thickness. You can see in the picture that one end of the neck is thicker than the other. This is what I want.

Film: The Story of Two Necks

2009-03-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

In this film you can get a glimpse of the process of building the headstock jigs, routing the headstocks and then flush routing the neck to the fret-board. Both Roy and Dr. Rufus's future guitar necks are featured in this film. The solo instrument you hear is a Marshwood Guitar and the sound tracks in these shorts are created in my studio (a computer, interface and synth but studio sounds better). Look to the right under "Marshwood Guitars on Film." Made some headway today!

Rufus, P.H.D. Head Plate Veneer

2009-03-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

With the fretboard on, the next step was to glue on the ebony head plate (1/8 inch veneer). First a truss rod access was chiseled, filed and sanded out (picture). Then glue was applied to the head stock. You have to be patient with the glue during this process. The ebony head plate wants to slide around on the glue and if you clamp to quickly the truss rod access will not be lined up how you intended. After waiting a few minutes I clamped it down (picture). Once dry,the excess ebony is trimmed away . A truss rod cover plate will be made out of this extra wood. Rarely does extra wood go to waste, you can always find a use for it. And should try too (soapbox).

Fretboards + Necks = A Step Closer

2009-03-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Both Roy's and Dr. Rufus's fretboards have been bound. Roy's with a maple/walnut combo and Dr. Rufus's in ebony (color picture). Today it was time to glue the fretboards to the neck blanks. First, I matched the center line on the fretboard to the neck blank, then the fretboard was temporarily clamped and two wire brads installed (picture). These will act as a guide making it easier to find the correct placement once glue is applied. The fretboard is pulled off leaving the two guide holes created by the brads, glue is applied, then many clamps are utilized (picture). The neck blank for Roy's guitar is not wide enough to accommodate the headstock so "ears" are attached to either side (picture). Don't worry, the headstock will not be paddle sized. The next step for both of these puppies will be to glue on the headstock veneers.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 15, Fretboard Preparation

2009-03-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

Today some bindings were made, these will compliment the fretboard. The binding will match the body. They are maple with a walnut line at the bottom. The next step was to cut the rosewood fretboard to its proper measurement and taper. With all the lines drawn on the board (considering the binding) a rough cut was made. Then using a table router and jig system a few passes were made leaving a clean tapered piece of wood (picture). The next step will be to bind the fretboard then glue the fretboard to the neck.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 14, Routing the Control Cavity

2009-03-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

A) Chose control cavity layout (home for the volume and selector switch), built the template and routed the shape into the guitar

B) Kept on routing down to the proper depth

C) This cavity needs to be covered so I came up with the cover plate design. Walnut is the wood to be used for this application, of course because the top is also walnut. I drew the design, then made a jig (template or router guide) then routed it to the correct depth, about 1/8 inch.

D) Two pieces of walnut were glued together to make a cool control cavity cover plate

E) I traced the template onto the walnut and cut, sanded and fitted the piece to fit. The tremelo system will also get a walnut cover plate.

Rufus, P.H.D., Chapter 7

2009-03-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

The Rufus, P.H.D. and myself communicated back and forth until we nailed down a f-hole design. I felt this instrument needed something a little non-traditional. Once the Doctor choose the best design it was time to snap into action. The f-holes were transfered onto the top and then pilot holes drilled. The humbucker pickup cavities were routed at this time (picture). I then cut the f-holes.

With this completed I choose the toggle switch, volume and tone control placement and drilled the appropriate holes. I prepared the top plate to be glued to the body. This required some fine joining and then applying shellac to the inside. In the picture you can see the top plate waiting to be joined with clamps in the background. Once the glue was dried I flushed up the top plate with the sides of the body. The body looks thick in this picture but once the neck pocket is routed the carving will begin leaving a nice contoured guitar.

Rufus, P.H.D., Chapter 6

2009-03-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

As in Roy's Guitar, Chapter 12, the same processes are applied this neck. This is a quarter-sawn (vertical grain) piece of African Mahogany. The scarf-joint was cut, planed and glued.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 13

2009-03-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

The supplies came in and we pinned down the headstock design. So it was time to route the truss rod cavity. This was done with the table mounted router (picture). The truss rod allow one to adjust the tension in the neck. It does not matter what you do to wood it will always seek to move. As if the swaying branches it once had are intrenched in its memory. The next step after this is to route the cavities and install the graphite rods. At this point I also cut the fret slots in the Rosewood. This was done with table saw and template system (picture).

Rufus, P.H.D., Chapter 5

2009-03-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

So far the body has been routed out and the back plate has been glued. With it dry it is time to flush up the plate to the body shape. For this a table router is used (picture). Be careful! This tool can rip the wood out of your hands and take bites out of the guitar. After using this thing again for this purpose I feel that sanding the plate flush to the body is the way to go. After this step I sanded and sealed the inside of this body with shellac. This is a good measure and will help to protect the inside from environmental factors.

Film: Routing The Rufus

2009-02-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

In this film you can see the rough process of making a hollow body without bending the sides on an iron. Jigs have been set up to route pieces of the body leaving a 5/8 inch side. At the end of the film, "clamp and glue" the back plate has been glued to the newly formed hollow body.

Roy's Guitar, Waiting for Delivery

2009-02-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

Roy and I are communicating back and forth until we nail down a headstock design for his guitar. This is definitely an important visual component to the instrument so we don't want to rush it (pictured with designs all over). An order was placed the other day for carbon rods (picture). These will be put into the neck as re-enforcements to the truss rod. In the diagram you can see where they be in relation to the truss rod. These rods are super light and super strong. Hopefully, these rods will help the wood resist the temptation to move or shift as the instrument moves from one climate to another. They should arrive next week.

Rufus, P.H.D., Chapter 4

2009-02-26T20:07:00.000-08:00

The African Mahogany top plate and back plate were re-sawn, joined, planed and glued. When you re-saw a board it is pretty cool because it opens up like a book, hence the phrase, "book-matched." A mirror image. In the picture you can see this effect. Also in the picture is a jig which will be used for hollowing out the body. Once that is finished I can glue these two plates to the guitar. Sometimes when you spit a piece of wood from a tree that grew in Africa you stare off into the horizon, and wonder...

Rufus, P.H.D., Chapter 3

2009-02-25T17:47:00.000-08:00

The two piece mahogany body was glued up the other day. With this dry a template of the guitar was traced onto the wood. The bandsaw made quick work of cutting out the rough body. This is going to be a hollow-body electric with a carved plate on top and on the back. The next step will be to hollow out the body inside and out, then sand and smooth it down.

Rufus, P.H.D., Chapter 2

2009-02-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend I sat down and drew out, to scale, Dr. Rufus's proposed instrument. With the calculated board feet of mahogany necessary for the neck and body in hand, I took a trip to the wood store (picture). The African Mahogany looks great! This is a great wood to work with. It is light, beautiful to look at, strong and begs to become an instrument. The main body of this instrument will be planed and joined hopefully today.

Roy's Guitar, Chapter 12

2009-02-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

The three piece maple neck has been planed, joined and glued together (picture 1). An angled headstock has been chosen for this guitar. I have a nice rosewood veneer head-plate which will adorn player's side of the guitar (as chosen by Roy). An angled headstock will help to facilitate the joining of this veneer and creates a smooth transition between fretboard and headstock.. This type of joint is called a "scarf joint." I first cut the angle where the headstock begins (picture 2). Then clamp the shorter piece to the longer piece and plane/block-sand the newly formed angle flush and square (picture 2). The final step is to clamp and glue the two pieces of wood together forming what will eventually be the headstock of the guitar (picture 4).