New Work Shop

I am making a dedicated work shop for my guitar making. This is a tiny 8"x15" legal limit size custom shed. I selected a nice green color for out-side to match surrounding trees. For the inside, I selected yellow to make emotionally active. In California, 8"x15" shed can be built without government permission, and I selected the largest possible size. As a guitar work shop, this is a super small size. However, I added large shelving spaces. Those extra storage spaces make this work shop large enough for my guitar making activity. I will install two work benches, jointer, drill press, drum sander, air compressor, and dust collector. I am very excited about moving to a new nest. I will spend next couple of weeks for my relocation.

 

Custom MD Complete

      Custom MD Project is completed. I installed D'addario EJ16 phosphor bronze strings. I made two saddles one for low action setting and the other for normal setting. A fresh built guitar requires approximately 48 hours to stabilize body construction against strings pull. Now, the MD is stable and ready for evaluating the sound character. Sound character is just like my standard MD sound with well balanced tonal distribution from bass to treble. MD model was originally designed by Late Taku Sakashita. He specially designed for studio recording purposes. He wanted to realize a guitar that does not need any equalizing work for the studio recording. He mentioned that making over tones is not difficult. However, optimally distributing over tone generation from bass to treble is a really challenging subject. Taku mentioned that many modern guitars have too much buss and over tones in low E strings. Therefore, equalizing work is requires for compensating the strong buss in a recording session. I was afraid of generating more stronger over tones in low E strings due to the different bridge location from the 12F joint design. 12F joint makes bridge location almost center between the sound hole and the body tail. This makes the highest bridge excitation from the strings forces. However, the 24.9" scale made the bridge location closer to the standard 14F joint position with the 25.4" scale. So, this special MD model created just like standard MD model with 25.4" scale. There is an advantage from the 24.9" scale design. This guitar has specially easy playability, because of the 24.9" scale. In conclusion, this guitar has the best playability without sacrificing the Taku's signature MD sound.

Guitar Specifications

Body design: Modified-D with cut-a-way, scrolled edge, and beveled armrest

Body binding: Madagascar RW

Bridge: Madagascar RW

Bridge pins: Ebony

Side and Back: Honduras Rosewood

Top: Carpathian Red Spruce with Taku Sakashita designed X-bracing and two additional graphite braces from top to the bottom for the body deformation protection.

Bracing material: Adirondack red spruce

Rosetta: Brazilian RW with two original ornaments

Neck: Spanish cedar, Bigleaf maple, Ebony, Bigleaf maple, and Spanish car laminate.

Head stock front veneer: Madagascar RW

Head stock back veneer: Katalox

Neck Head Joint: Classic V-joint

Neck joint to the body: Mortise joint with two dowels

Neck heal cap: Brazilian RW

Finger board: East African Ebony, and 12G joint to the body

Finger board scale: 24.9"

Fingerboard binding: African black wood

Truss rods: Double action steel truss rod and two Epoxy carbon fiber rods

Nut and Saddle: Breached Bone

Tuning Machines: Gotoh 510

Set-up part 1

      Finishing work is done. I am doing a set-up work. First step was the bridge install. I have been using the vacuum clumping system. This system enables to install a bridge with minimum failure. My bridge design has super thin edges to minimize weight. Conventional clumping technique does not work for my bridge design. Conventional method is not able to press super thin edges nicely. However, the vacuum clump is able to apply holding forces evenly with the rubber membrane.

     While weighting the bridge glue set, I did fretting work. For the fretting work, side portion needs to be protected by a plastic tape. Then, the fingerboard surface is also protected by the masking tape. Fret wires were painted with a maker, and then fret wired were filed for the leveling. After the leveling work was completed, re-crowning work has been done. Fret edges were also filed to make smooth edges. Then, I applied the boiled linseed oil to the finger board surface. Boiled linseed oil prevents the finger board clacking issue. I recommend to apply the boiled linseed oil every three year. Bridge pin installation was done. My bridge pins have designated number in it. Bridge pins must not be mixed. Now, nut and saddle making works are on going. Those processes need some adjustment to obtain the best action setting. All of assembly jobs and final adjustment will be done by end of next Sunday.

Polishing work

      After cure the EM6000 coats, 2000 grid water paper polishing work was done. Next step is the buffing. I do not have a buffing machine. I have been doing a hand polishing using the Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #7. It is very time consuming work; however, it makes equally nice finish as the buffing machine work.  Third photo is the before the Meguiare's polishing. Photo 4, 5, and 6 are after final polishing. 

     Next week, I will install the bridge, Now, the final polishing for the bridge is completed, and it is ready for install to the body.

Final coating and bridge making

      Final coating work is done. I sprayed total 9-coats of EM6000 water based acrylic lacquer. I did two sanding sessions in between. First sanding was the 400-grit and the second sanding was the 600-grit. Sanding sessions are not necessary in theory. However, some unwanted debris were happened in the spray session. To make a nice and clean surface, I did two sanding sessions.

     I did one Epoxy filling session for the bridge. Bridge material is a Madagascar RW. After the epoxy filling, I had a sanding session with the 600-grid sanding paper. Then, I applied couple of coats of Shellac. After cure the shellac, I will have 0000 steel wool polishing to make a matt finish.

First Spray Session

      I have done a first spray session. After two coats of EM6000 water based acrylic lacquer spray, I fixed tiny pores. Tiny pores are very herd to recognize after Epoxy filling sessions. Once apply lacquer spray, tiny pores are visible. I have been using the EM6000 with silica thickener powder. This formula works as pore filler. Silica thickener is a powder glass. So, this thickener is 100% transparent. After over night cure, I have 400-grit dry sanding session to make pore free finish. Now, the guitar is ready for the final spray session.

     EM6000 is an excellent water based acrylic lacquer. However, you cannot apply this water based finish to a bare wood surface. You can imagine that you are spraying water into a bare wood surface, if you do not have primer coats. That is why I have been using Epoxy filler for the water based acrylic lacquer. Epoxy filler is also a primer coat to protect moisture from the water based acrylic. 

     I finished three coats spraying today. I will have four to seven more coats depending on locations in next couple of days.

Ready for the spraying session

      Epoxy filling and sanding sessions were completed. After the final sanding with 400-grid sanding paper, Alcohol thinned epoxy was applied. This Alcohol thinned Epoxy makes even finishing color. During the final sanding session, epoxy filler should be removed completely except wood pores. However, some locations, remaining epoxy fillers are there. This un-even epoxy filler distribution makes uneven color distribution. To avoid the uneven color, the thinned epoxy courting is required.

     Next week, I will spray a Water based acrylic lacquer. In March, here in Northam California is worm enough for the spraying sessions.