The Red Special

Very productive day, three pickup cavities, and the output jack have been routed, holes for the bridge post have been drilled. I've started reconsidering using a single concentric volume and tone pot. I may instead opt for the traditional separate pots.



The second photo is to help me see what this will look like once completed.

Neck Pain Relief

So after simplifying the routing jig, I discovered solution to my inability to route a clean straight line. In this jig, I clamp the neck into place and use a guide on only one side. It took about 5 or six passes to route to the proper depth of about 9mm. This new neck blank is made of curly maple and will likely be a replacement for the Firebird neck that I have been working on. In the background is the Red Special I have been working on.

Pain in the Neck

So, I'm having trouble routing the truss rod channels on my necks. The issue is that I am having problem routing a straight and clean channel. In my latest attempts I have switched from using the router braced in place on a table to using a jig that keeps the router straight. The jig is an improvement, but just not clean enough yet. Since I am making several passes, the neck blanks have a tendency to slip slightly. I will probably move onto a different version of his same type of jig.

The Red Special Latest Update

I've made a great deal of progress in the last week on my Red Special. The neck pocket has been routed, the abalone dots have been inlayed, the face and back of the body have been sanded to 120 grit, the neck now has a rough profile and has been sanded to 120 grit.

Harmony Patrician Restoration

About 5 years ago I stumbled on this guitar in a local antique shop here in Clintonville. It was sitting in two pieces, just as it is in the first photo. Without knowing anything about it's age or the model, I picked it up for $25. After doing an internet search when I got it home I discovered that the Harmony Patrician I picked up was either a 1940 or 1941 pre-war archtop guitar.The top is Mahogany with a Spruce center panel. The back and the sides are also Mahogany.

My goal with this restoration project will be to get this guitar playable again, specifically so that I can sit on our porch and play the blues.

My first step is to sand off the old lacquer.









On the top just above f-hole is discolored from where player's would rest their fingers.




The headstock of the Patrician is a sweet piece of handy work. I'm looking forward to making this shine.

























The lacquer has aged so dramatically that the spruce center panel is almost as dark as the mahogany.

























There are numerous cracks in the body. This one on the back will be exceptionally difficult to repair.
















Another crack, this one on the top, will present a different kind of a challenge.

Red Special

The truss rod channel is cut, and the neck and body take shape.

Scarf Joints

I mark the angle for the cut, 10 degrees.

I've created an angled jig for use with my band saw to help me make a precise cut. I clamp the neck

blank to the jig just behind the blade. I then brace the neck blank on the opposite side a

s I slowly make the angled cut.

The jig helps make a clean cut.

The scarf joints are ready to be glued together.

Firebird

The Curly Maple lays on top of Purple Heart backs. This Firebird is made from Purple Heart and Maple. The wings are book matched Curly Maple.

The Curly Maple lays on top of Purple Heart backs.

The neck is also Maple sandwiched between two pieces of Purple Heart.

The Red Special part 2

For the neck I've sandwiched a strip of Maple between two strips of Padauk. The wood is clamped together and clamped to the work table to keep it flat.

The neck blank and the center piece of the Red Special body after being planed. The center piece has not been joined to the wings just yet.

The Red Special

My next project is a copy of Brian May's Red Special. Well, not exactly a copy. The overall shape will be the same, but I'm planning on giving this one some of my special touches - f-holes and output jack on the back. Still haven't decided about pickup configuration or bridge choice.

Here is the basic sketch, that I found online, of the Red Special body with my wood choices in the background. I'll be using padouk for the top and maple for the back. The center piece is a laminate of the two woods.


Here, I've routed out internal chambers on the maple before gluing the padouk top to the wings. This really won't give the guitar any acoustic qualities but it will lighten the weight some. It will also help with the f-holes that I am considering for the top.

Here, the padouk has been cut to a rough shape. I won't glue the top to the wings until I decide I've decided on the f-holes and the configuration of volume and tone pots as well as the pick up selector.