Day 10: From now on it will only get better

I took the guitar home yesterday evening in its temporarily assembled state. This gave me an opportunity to assess it as a complete musical instrument rather than the component parts which I have been working on for almost two weeks. I decided that the neck still doesn't have the perfect feel which I am seeking so in the morning I remove it and go back to carving and shaping. This reduces the thickness in the playing area by a little over a tenth of an inch. The heel and volute must then be modified so that all the compound curves blend together elegantly again. I am very satisfied with the result.

To protect the heel where the neck joins the body, and blend in with the body binding at the point of contact, I add a thin piece of ebony.

The remainder of the time is spent learning and performing detailed set-up work. Chuck's approach is characteristically precise so I take some notes which will allow me to better set up my own guitars. The angle at which the neck joins the body is modified very slightly to change the line of projection from fretboard to bridge. The nut and saddle are modified to adjust the height of individual strings above the fretboard and the truss rod is tensioned to counteract the pull of the strings and impart a very slight curvature to the fretboard to preclude string buzz. When reassembled this time the guitar not only sounds good but plays easily. The construction is essentially finished except for the permanent installation of the bridge. This is left till after the finish is applied.

The quality of the guitar has exceeded my expectations and is worthy of a professional finish so I'm having Chuck do the finishing work for me. This involves several coats of lacquer with waiting periods between times for the lacquer to cure. Multiple sandings, polishing and buffing follow until the body has a high gloss. The neck will be left with a satin finish which is more practical from a playing perspective.

Finishing will take approximately one month. I reluctantly leave the guitar but look forward to seeing the result of Chuck's efforts.

Check in tomorrow for reflections and final comments.