Gettin' there

[Serge]

Hi folks, i just thought i'd start the new year by sharing some progress pics of no 4, i lately started the fretboard, had some difficulty with the purling lines channels but managed to hide the mistakes somehow with a bit of EIR dust and CA glue.

A tennant in the building gave me some old trays (The Lord is sooo Gooood!!) that he had received in Africa years ago and there were chunks and bits of ivory inlayed in it so i recuperated all i could and used it on this fretboard that now has a theme so brace up because no 4 now has a name, the "ALIGITTER", i think brother Martin will love the look.

Ok, here goes,



roughed up a bit





It was my first time really inlaying a fretboard so i had to use my dremel tool with a jig of sort to do the job, it worked out pretty well for a firt try



the fretboard has a 16" radius from side to side and (The Lord was really good on this!) found a plank that was curved perfectly by humidity at that radius so i used it to sand the fretboard flush!



Now the fun begins with installing the frets



Not really fancy but it worked, i think i'll take 5 minutes next time and build the little jig



Now i love this part, the brass inserts for the drill press, That John Watkins man, what a great guy!!!!



The first fret was a bit of challenge for the pieces had to be cut very small and with some angles so no fret press cauls, just by knocking them in with a very small hammer.



My fret organizer, this helps a lot



A fret tang nipper, the guy who invented this is a GENIUS!



Pressing the frets in





Cutting the ends



Frets no 2 and no 12 are not pressed in so that i have a place to insert pins for when i will glue the fretboard on the neck, so far so good...



Brought the frets flush with the sides using a rasp



Gives an idea of how it will look when all assembled



I had a lot of fun inlaying this and being inspired to call her ALIGITTER, sort of gives her more personality!

Thanks for watching

Sergio

[Dennis Leahy]

Way to go Serge! Nice job on making a unique fingerboard. I really like the purfling you used.

Dennis

[Serge]

Hey thanks Dennis, i used the same coralsnake purfling that i used on the box, i thought it would look well all together, the next big challenge will be to install b/w/b lines under the headplate veneer and underneath the fretboard like Dave White does but i'm preparing psychologicly for the task! Oh and i gotta inlay the headplate veneer too now!

[Kim]

Looks great Serge, the snake wood binding is very nice and the purfling knits it all together beautifully. Unique and cool I recon M8.

Cheers

Kim

[Serge]

Thanks Kim, that snakewood binding is from our Zootman!

[Ron Wisdom]

I like it, Serge !!! Very ambitious, my friend. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Ron

[Serge]

Thank you Ron, me too, my brother Martin is now in Florida with my parents so i'm doing as much as i can before he returns January 15th, i need a few good evenings and a couple of good week ends and i should be putting strings on soon!

Serge

[sebastiaan56]

Hi Serge,

looking very nice mate. I like matching stuff and that binding is very attractive. Would you post a closer picture of your dremel jig, Im going to have to get some inlaying going.

Isnt time off grand. Ive spent a week stuffing around with the binding and finish on a F style kit, but hey, Ive got the time,

Sebastiaan

[Serge]

Thanks Sebastiaan,

Here's the best pic i could find, it's from when i first made it, i had to modify it a bit but the principle doesn't change, if you got springs, it sure helps keeping it all tight!

[Hesh1956]

Looking great Serge!!!! I spent all week-end on a fret board, fretting, dressing the ends etc. too. We both brought in the new year fretting ...... :serg :serg :serg :hny3

[Tom Morici]

Serge,
That looks great! I can't wait to see how it all will look under finish.
That coralsnake/snakewood combo has a look that is hard to describe.
All I know is I really like it.

Tom

[Serge]

Thanks Hesh and Tom!!

Hesh, that means you gave up on the chocolates! Good thing that i was not alone fretting! Thanks bro!

Thanks Tom, yes, i wish i could afford to send that one to Tony the finisher, can't wait to see that binding under finish, snakewood is not easy to bend, i broke 2 of them while bending and still had to use them, the broken spots were in the waist of course but are invisible now, i love that look too.

Serge

[kiwigeo]

Hey Serge,

Good to see you working on a guitar Bro'!!

[sebastiaan56]

Thanks for the pictures Serge, for the record I spent New Years dyeing

Sebastiaan

[Serge]

Thanks Martin!

You're welcome Sebastiaan, looks like you're gonna get a lot busier soon my friend, looking forward to see how your project is coming along!

Serge

[Bob Connor]

That's going to make one nice and unique instrument Serge.

The purfling on the fingerboard really sets it off.

Bob

[Serge]

Many thanks Bob and all, y'all been so kind that i decided to get back in the shop today and have some more fun and to bring more pics in here!

Made myself some rasp holders for the fretboard, 30 and 90 degrees, i should have done that a long time ago!





i was inspired by our friend Dave White's tutorial to do the same and install b/w/b purf lines under the headplate veneer and under the fingerboard as well, now i understand what he meant when he said that it is no time to sneeze! It was my first time doing this and i think it will look gorgeous with the snakewood headplate on top.







And finally, i was so excited that i could not help myself and took a couple of pics of how it is going to look, i just love that part when you can start to see it all coming together.





Thanks for watching again

Serge

[Dave Anderson]

Hey Serge man you been busy in your shop.The fingerboard looks absolutely beautiful and unique.
You did good buddy!! It's coming together very nicely.
I like that ivory a lot along with the purfs. Did you say how you are going to finish this one??
French polish maybe ? Man, your brother Martin is going to flip when he sees this guitar! So which
relative is getting # 5 Sergio??:lol:
I wish I was related! That's a great name for it,Aligitter! :serg Great work Bro !

[Serge]

Many Thanks brother Dave,

I am not sure about the finish, i think i might do the same as i did on no 3 and have a couple of sessions of FP and have something else over it or the other way around, i'll see when i get there! Finishing is my pet peeve

No 5 will be for Dad, no 6 for uncle Paul and no 7 for Sergio here, i will try to build 3 D-r-e-a-d-n-a-u-t-s at once with cutaways if all goes well and Lord willing!

[Alain]

Right on dude! That coral snake purf looks really nice on the fingerboard too! I don't know if I would have inlayed ivory like that for myself, but that's why this guitar building is so amazing, each person can bring his own flavor to his projects and that's pretty cool!

So, string her up already! LOL

[Serge]

Thanks Al, you're the one to blame for that awesome look, i mean that coralsnake purf suits my fancy in terms of how i see appointments with the style that i love.

Oh the strings should be on that darlin' pretty soon!