Ivison Guitars - Build and Repair Thread

sawyer · September 2019

Gorgeous! Looks good enough to eat. New logo looks quality too:)

Philly_Q · September 2019

Neil, I've noticed some guitars have the more extreme vintage-correct slant to the stoptail, others are more like the modern reissues. Is it just customer preference?

roberty · September 2019

Properly stunning, I love the unbound look on this too. Really cool spec

skippy76 · September 2019

Looks very nice indeed Neil, really like the new logo.

I have a couple of vintage Specials (56 single cut and a 60 DC) and would more than happy to have one of your Juniors as part of the crew, I even sourced an Aussie penny from 1959 for the head stock. Just a shame my Braz rosewood source fell through

IvisonGuitars · September 2019

Philly_Q said:

Neil, I've noticed some guitars have the more extreme vintage-correct slant to the stoptail, others are more like the modern reissues. Is it just customer preference?

Basically, I intonate each bridge to that particular guitar so there will always be a slight variation. In the 50's, Gibson used a simple 'Offset T' bar that was pushed against the nut and gave a position to drill the two bridge holes for wraparound bridges:

So this gave an average position of the stud holes then the bridge would be intonated to suit, hence why some vintage examples have the bridge grub screws wound right out/in to achieve intonation.

As a side note, a particular anomaly I've found on 1956 TV Yellow guitars, be it Junior or Special, only TV Yellow colour and only in the year 1956, is that the bridge holes are not in the right place. Of all the '56 TV yellow guitars i've personally handled (bar one) the bass or treble stud hole has been moved and re-drilled to achieve proper intonation. I'm sure they are not ALL like that but certainly the one's i've handled have been.

Here's a quick run through of the latest '59 DC Special:

Philly_Q · September 2019

@IvisonGuitars thanks for the explanation above. And great attention to detail, I was assuming the bridge just went in one "standard" position or another, I didn't think each one would be individually intonated.

I've got one of the MojoAxe compensated wraparounds on one of my guitars and the grub screws had to be wound right in to get the intonation right, so most of the bridge is hanging out of the studs - a bit like the picture from their own site below. It works fine but I don't like the way it looks.

Image: http://www.mojoaxe.com/images/MojoAxe%20Wraptail%20on%2055%20Junior.jpg

tone1 · September 2019

I actually wince when I see a bridge wound right out by the grub screw...It just screams ‘not drilled studs in the right place’

hoops · September 2019

Logo looks fantastic. Nice one!

IvisonGuitars · September 2019

@Philly_Q @tone1 As you can see from the tool used, the originals were a bit 'Heath Robinson' in placement and, as you rightly say, some have to have the screws wound out which presents much of the problem the wraparounds get a bad rep for. The whole bridge is essentially rocking on those two grub screws which is where half of the intonation issues arise plus as the bridge tilts forward it can cause a 'sitar' effect from the break angle.

Hence why I position each of mine individually, I could make a 'T' (It'd be MUCH quicker) but i'd be introducing the same problems as some of the originals have and, while mine may be accurate, only an idiot copies the mistakes too!

Thanks @hoops, much appreciated!

rsvmark · September 2019

A bit late but I liked the coin..... but I like the logo even better! Top work

IvisonGuitars · October 2019

This one got quite a bit of interest at the Kempton show this past weekend...'56 SC...

Keefy · October 2019

Ding, and indeed dong!

IvisonGuitars · February 2020

Hi folks, I haven't been posting here much recently, been very busy building guitars (a good thing of course!) so here's a couple that i'm taking to The Guitar Show with me this weekend which will be available for sale:

'58 DC in Aged & Faded Cherry:

My new 'Fillmore' Model named in tribute to my hero Steve Marriott, it's based on a '63 Coronet that @guitars4you owns and was kind enough to let me take the vitals from...

Aged Shoreline Gold:

guitars4you · February 2020

^^^^^^^^^^^^ - that Coronet looks supa cool - will certainly be keen to take a look at that and have a 5 min chat

roberty · February 2020

These are stunning, the grain on the '58 replica looks properly nice

sawyer · February 2020

Just awesome as always. Glad your getting plenty of orders in

guitars4you · March 2020

IvisonGuitars said:

My new 'Fillmore' Model named in tribute to my hero Steve Marriott, it's based on a '63 Coronet that @guitars4you owns and was kind enough to let me take the vitals from...

Aged Shoreline Gold:

Played the Coronet at the recent Brum Show - It looks supa cool - I own the original that Neil 'borrowed' to take down the dimensions etc - You can argue all day long about the merits of a vintage guitar, but the Ivison Coronet played superbly and far more 'slick 'n' fluent' than my original version - Congrats

hoops · March 2020

Both guitars looking great!

fnpt · March 2020

What would be the time frame from ordering to getting the finished guitar?

IvisonGuitars · March 2020

Thanks for the kind words chaps!

fnpt said:

What would be the time frame from ordering to getting the finished guitar?

@fnpt ;At the moment, I'm working on an approx. 4 month build time from placing an order.

99% of my builds are built to order but I do have Cherry '58 DC above available now at £2299 inc Hiscox case plus shipping.

fnpt · March 2020

@IvisonGuitars Thanks

IvisonGuitars · March 2020

Here's a few more pics of the '58 DC:

Gassage · March 2020

@IvisonGuitars ; - Neil, every one a winner. I was in awe of the quality and feel of them on Sat. Really- top work.

mburekenge · March 2020

Love your work.

IvisonGuitars · March 2020

@Gassage @mburekenge Thank's guys. Much appreciated!

Very proud to introduce my first new model, The Hurricane!

The Hurricane is my blend of my favourite attributes from the Junior, Special and Standard.

Chambered Mahogany body slightly tucked in at the waist in a nod to another favourite builder of mine Tony Zemaitis, subtly carved Eastern Maple top, One Piece Honduran Neck, Indian Rosewood fingerboard, celluloid dot inlays, Single Volume and Tone like the Junior, LP Standard neck joint, '56 Neck Carve (measurements taken from my original '56 TV Model), Finished in Aged Black or Aged Goldtop using Crescent Bronze #256 powder in nitrocellulose by the awesome @rexter ;, handwound P90's & PAF's and Faber Hardware, weighing in at 7lb 10z: