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Comments
Assembly begins.
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I've just tuned it up for the first time and am really happy with the way it sounds acoustically... can't wait to see how it settles in and get it wired up. Usually they sound boxy at this stage, but this already has a nice amount of acoustic volume and natural reverb
Still a few bits to do yet.
The tailpiece is currently shimmed to align properly, but my shim wasnt quite right so i need to make another. This is due to it being a right angle bracket on an offset body. I also need to add some string grounding to it, likely with a brass plate inlaid underneath.
I have a bit of snakewood left that i am hoping can be used for a couple of small details, truss rod cover and things like that.
The back plate is held on by a couple of magnets, but i think it needs a couple more to make it more secure
The finish is thin, but glossy. I didn't grainfill much so it's now starting to sink in nicely on the cherry and walnut grainlines.
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This is fully hollow solid wood, carved inside and out. No laminates or solid centre block, just 2 big spruce braces running from neck to tailblock.
The body will resonate a lot more than the average 335. It probably wont cope with as much gain as they do, but it's not really built for that.
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The relatively heavy neck and locking tuners are throwing balance off a bit, but should be fine if i put the strap on the upper horn.
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Instagram
Issues.
1. The bracket is at a right angle to the centreline, the body is not.
2. No string grounding as its solid ebony
3. String holes were too small for ball ends, so needed to be strung from underneath
Solution
1. This was shimmed in the pic above. Since then I have removed the bracket and redrilled it to match the angle at the end of the body and filled on the old pin holes with saw dust and superglue
2. I was considering a brass plate inlaid underneath, but would still expect the high strings to cut into and eventually split the ebony on front.
I decided instead to add a fretslot just in front of the string holes. I drilled a tiny hole through the fretslot to allow a wire to be fed through, and routed a channel in the back to take the wire to the bracket. I added a stainless steel fret to the slot. Now I can ground the fretwire via the bracket and don't need to worry about the high strings cutting into the tailpiece. It also ties in aesthetically with the bridge and pickups.
3. These just got drilled a little larger. But it will sace a lot of fiddling on string changes.
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Think I'm going to stick with the Hofner style bridge, but might replace the saddles with SS fretwire . I might see if I can get it swappable with a TOM though, just to be sure which sounds better
I will add some pickup shims (just reminded myself to order some oil city shims, i have allparts ones here which i have had for 15 years and never used as they are ridiculously oversized). Partly for better height, partly to help isolate the pickups from the body vibration
Then its knobs and truss rod cover... where I am hoping I can incorporate the last bits of snakewood
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the standard aftermarket dog ear shim on the left, the oil city ones on the right.
generic
Oil City
I have used the generic ones before by gently scoring around the pickup and trimming to shape, that is why I still have one in the parts drawer... but it's nice to have an option that just fits as it should!
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Jobs to do are make a truss rod cover and also maybe swap out the magnets on the back plate for something a bit beefier, it holds, but not as securely as I would like
I was having some issues with the Hofner style bridge as the fret wire saddles just don't sit high enough on such a wide bridge. This meant a heavy strum would displace the strings. Slotting them obviously made it sit even lower and was rubbing more on the back edge. I've swapped out for a tune-o-matic for now.
I also pinned the bridge base in place. This is done with 2 small screws hidden under the thumbwheels. Those 2 changes have helped make everything feel a lot more stable
It weighs in ay 5lb 9oz
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excuse the crappy pic, but this shows the guitar balanced on two fingers, putting the center of gravity just behind the strap button.
And hanging on a strap
I think that is going to be okay. If not, lighter tuners or a heavier tailpiece would help it hang in a tilted playing position
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http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/61134/sarge/p1
The pickups suit the character of the guitar nicely and work well with each other. I'm never great at describing sound
I do need to double check the wiring as the neck was cutting out a bit, I think I have displaced a wire when squeezing it all in, I probably should have gone for a right angle toggle instead of a short one to make it easier to fit.
I've also got a bit of sympathetic vibration that I think is coming from the switch, pickups or backplate... just minor troubleshooting, but it will probably still come apart a few more times yet
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I had a slight issue with the neck pickup cutting out. Turned out I had bent a switch tab squeezing the short toggle in the body. I probably should have gone for a right angle toggle instead
Looks good with the other 2 archtops
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