With the Sakura finish having cured for fourteen days, it’s time to pull the fingerboard mask and do the detail work. I begin by making an incision across the bottom of the string nut with an Exacto knife. Then, using 600 grit sandpaper on a rubber block, I sand the edge of the board—cutting through the lacquer to the wood and frets. This allows me to gently remove the masking tape without shattering the lacquer on the sides of the neck. The next step is to go over every milimeter of the fingerboard edge with the knife. This cleans the edge and bevels it for a smooth feel.
I decided to put some of the masking into the Sakura’s journal—I like the way it looks. It’s an interesting artifact of the build and is a perfect companion to the previous page with the color tests. The label is included as wel—the number is a reference to the finished weight of the guitar without hardware.
There are a lot of little details that need attending to before Sakura can be assembled. One thing I like to do is to polish the potentiometer casings. It doesn’t make the guitar sound any different, but it makes me happy to think that if someone ever opens up the guitar, they’ll enjoy what they see.
The tuners are something that not only are seen, but are touched and felt. I love the way an old, broken in vintage guitar feels. Years of use smooths the edges on everything, and makes touching the instrument a friendly experience. Tuners get used a lot, so naturally all the sharp edges and mold marks get worn down. Before I patina the plastic, I take all the edges off with a superfine sanding. I stop when the feel is right.
Using techniques that I’ve learned from years of art training, I age the plastic with heat and dyes. This brings out the swirl of the plastic in the button and gives it a warmth that beckons you to touch it.
The next step is to pre-wire the electronics and mount everything on the engraved front plate for fitting on the guitar. It won’t be long now.
Jol, thank you for posting your work on this blog. It's great to get a behind the scenes look at the shop, and learn the rationale behind some of your design & build choices. I have an exceptional 2004 Studio Custom that is near and dear to my heart. The build quality and tone of that instrument continue to amaze me.
I was recently reading a discussion between Terry McInturff, John Suhr, and others, about the pros and cons of different types of truss rods. I know it's not immediately relevant to this post, but how do you feel about the (Lloyd Loar, 1924) traditional single action rod vs. a double action, compressed single rod?
Posted by: Andrew | March 02, 2012 at 11:51 PM