Jazz Guitar Commission

In preparation for my upcoming commission to make a jazz guitar I have recently made a prototype top (below).  The carving has gone so well that I've decided to finish the top and make it into a second jazz guitar.  I'll be posting its progression here.

Hawaiian Guitar

I was recently asked to take a look at a Hawaiian guitar to see if I could refresh it a little.  It definitely had a little of the home-made about it which gave it a unique charm.  In my opinion, instruments like these which have been made by and passed down through family members (which this one has) have no less value than the most expensive guitar.

Below: the tuning peg insert on the right is in its original condition; on the left I have applied a little elbow grease to bring out the shine.

Above: the guitar with all plates removed.

Below: routered cavities.

Below: tuning peg components.

Finished Guitar

Just in time for Christmas Eve delivery, here is the finished article!  We did our best with the photos under some extremely dark clouds.  Minutes after we took these the Heavens opened, but my wife couldn't let it go without taking some shots.

Not long 'til Christmas...

...and the guitar I'm making is nearly finished.  Here are some more shots of its progress:

In the photo above, the bent sides are being held in place by a jig I designed whilst I peg on the kerfing.

Below is the roughed-out neck, fret board and truss rod.

Above: the back and top showing the bracing patterns.

Below: glueing down the top using the jig and elastic.

Above: ready to add the back.

Below: I add my signature to the inside of the guitar.

Below: closing the box.

Bracing

Below is a photo showing the guitar back with bracing in place.  I prefer to glue most of the braces in place and carve them in-situ.

Guitar Order

Here are a couple more photos of the guitar I am currently working on.  Here's the roughed-out back with the centre strip in place:

And here I'm using go-bars to keep the sound hole doughnut in place while it's being glued:



Christmas Guitar Order

I've just received a box of goodies from LMI which will be transformed into a guitar by Christmas - I hope!

The rosewood back:

The design for the guitar and a template showing the bracing pattern:

 

A general view of my workshop:

I will keep you updated on its progress.