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A very special project to me - may I?

Looking good Jason.

I would have started new sides also.

I never want to go through a build like that and have something sticking in my head that I should have fixed - I would never be able to live with that, knowing that I "should have" fixed it.
 
Part 13 - we finally start getting some parts together. Sides and center block going together - with a minor booboo that'll be remedied pretty easily. It's beginning to take on a distinct guitar-shape now!

 
Looks like your horn is much larger than that on the 335, though, no? The radius on the 355 is down around 3/4" or less, the ones in your pics look more like 1.5 but I'm hardly an expert.

I can see it making the bend you're working with - there simply isn't physically enough space for the kerfs to close up far enough to make the tight tight bends on the horns of the 335 - at least not that I could make it do. Obviously, I'm a complete novice but I simply couldn't fit that bend physically - the kerfs bottom out before they reach that radius.


OH - upon closer inspection, i see you aren't working with the wedge shaped stuff, are you? Your "web" is on the inside, instead of up against the sides - so in that tight bend, you are spreading the kerfs not compressing 'em. That would definitely make it possible. Though, not period correct - gibson put blocks in the horns of the 335s, so that was why I went that way. They also applied their kerfing the other way around (and it was wedge shaped).
 
:lurk:

Still following along, it's starting to look like a guitar!

Two questions I haven't been able to figure out:

What does beveling the lining do? I realize it's partly for historical accuracy, but figure there must be some reason it was done..

How would you have cut the ends on the bottom to get a zero error cut line if you hasn't trimmed the one a bit to short? It seems that that would require some other jig so you could cut them both at once somehow..
 
Ryan Mooney said:
:lurk:

Still following along, it's starting to look like a guitar!

Two questions I haven't been able to figure out:

What does beveling the lining do? I realize it's partly for historical accuracy, but figure there must be some reason it was done..

How would you have cut the ends on the bottom to get a zero error cut line if you hasn't trimmed the one a bit to short? It seems that that would require some other jig so you could cut them both at once somehow..
Click to expand...

Great questions!

The beveling, i believe, is about lightening. I'm not an expert so maybe there are other reasons, but I think it's a weight thing.

The ends. Since I did that, I've been pondering just how I'd do it next time without this problem. So far, I haven't come up with a great option. Best thing i've come up with so far is to get one straight edge so i can mark it square (that's the first problem). As for getting it the right length - I hadn't clamped my sides into the mold very well and that was why they came up a little shorter than i thought they would. I think i would get better results marking it on the bending form instead of the mold - maybe. I think getting the right length is something i'm gonna have to practice a few times ... still pondering that.

Some of the more experienced guys may be able to tell ya better ... a good accurate template would probably be ideal - one that's already sized for the right length, maybe.
 
Jason Beam said:
The beveling, i believe, is about lightening. I'm not an expert so maybe there are other reasons, but I think it's a weight thing.
Click to expand...

That was my first guess, but on reflection it seemed that the change would be fairly small compared to the over all weight - although I don't have a good handle on how heavy the rest of the pieces are so maybe its a bigger difference that it would seem from sitting in my arm chair.

My second guess was that thinning the inside edge allows the sides to reverb more effectively, but that was getting into pretty wild speculation on areas I know just about squat about.

Jason Beam said:
Some of the more experienced guys may be able to tell ya better ... a good accurate template would probably be ideal - one that's already sized for the right length, maybe.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I suppose with the CNC you could make another exact match template. Hrmm... Not used to having that sort of precision available.

I was initially thinking that if you cut them just a tiny bit proud and had an inside form you could clamp both two at once butted up against each other you could cut through the join and have them perfectly matched. Seemed like it would exceedingly difficult/ maybe impossible to get the length exactly right with that technique though..
 
I think you're right about the drop in the bucket of lightening ... my best guess is that they used the same kerfed lining on all their guitars - some were more sensitive to this weight (acoustics are, much more) situation. It probably matters a lot less on this beast - it's got thick top, back and sides and I've even heard some say that on *these* models, the kerfing could actually be skipped since the sides are so thick and there's apparently enough contact between them and the top/back already.

I'll have to build a whole bunch more before i can claim any expertise on it, and even then who knows! :D
 
Well - in a glorious snafu with youtube's calendar - i accidentally published the SEQUEL to this episode early ... so as an attempt to make up for pulling that, here's the first in the two-part series ... shoot!

 
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