Guitar Retop


bob493

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Figured I'd post a blog here as well.

 

Retopping my EBMM Axis model.  EBMM's are some of the best sounding, playing, and feeling guitars on the planet. However, unless you strike a jackpot, youre usually left with a lack luster top. mine is a blue quilt model, and while it's "pretty" its not that great. It's pretty beat up and needs some work anyway, so I figured I'd go ham and retop it. Not an overly complicated process, but it should leave with me a unique, great looking guitar that looks as good as it sounds and plays.

 

The quilt looks GREAT from one angle, but dead on, its very washed out. I could easily recolor it and clear, but I am also not a huge fan of the plastic binding and I don't care for the switch right next to the bridge (hence the EVH mod). So I get to knock out like 12 birds with one stone with a retop

 

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Pleasant enough, but heres my new top :)

 

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Will post updates as they come, will start when I get the wood. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got the wood in today. Let it acclimate for 24 hours, so im gluing it up now.

 

Here she is 

 

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And heres a neat trick I learned from a violin maker. I always got frustrated gluing tops together like this, it to clamp up without it bowing some place is rather difficult, and jigs were quite the pain to deal with. This simple, effective solution has worked every time for me. Its pretty self explanatory, but if you need a better descriptiojn of whats going on, lemme know.

 

This is about the right height

20141118_154403_resized_zpsc0ce4602.jpg

 

then push it down, and clamp it down the middle. Don't forget your wax paper, or you're in for a rough day.

 

20141118_154717_resized_zpsd5aec805.jpg

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That's going to be stunning!  I typically use backing tape on one side but, this method works well too!

 

Tape would work :)   Its just an incredibly simple, fool proof method to get great clamping pressure across the entire piece.  I can't find my freaking jig, I promise im not ignoring you haha 

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I do it a similar way Bob but use a series of nails knocked into a build board. Then each of the jointed sound boards are placed onto the build board with a thin strip of timber underneath at the joint and the back edge of the soundboards simply butt up against the nails. That's only because most of the sound boards I get are odd sizes some with waney edges. Good tip about the wax paper to stop you glueing the soundboard down to the bench too. Then I extract the thin strip and push down on the boards. 

A great project so far. Are you going to keep the top flat or do you have a carve in mind for it?

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Sweet! I love the through neck design. I've always been amazed that bolt-on necks don't come apart more often, considering all the stress that relatively small joint is under.

 

In my opinion, a PROPER bolt on neck is the best way to go. The stresses of 6 string guitar is typically around 100 pounds, a 7 string would be around 110 pounds. So considering the surface area of a typical guitar joint, that equates to around 13-14lbs/inch. Not a horrible amount of stress considering. The real issue is when its a sloppy fit, and thats where the havoc can be played. If you smash a guitar, it will almost never explode at the neck joint, almost always the body or the head stock. 

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The force that the joint is subjected to is not that much only about 80 to 100 lbs on a six string (dependant upon the string gauge). I've never seen a joint come apart (glued or screwed) unless somebody has been messing.

I like the thru neck design too. Les Paul was right when he created his "plank" and then put wings on it so it looked like an acoustic guitar shape.

 

Edit: LOL Bob was adding a note at the same time as me

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I understand that string tension isn't terribly high, but it isn't the only force acting on the joint, either. Anyway, I agree about through necks having better sustain, and I just like the appearance.

I recently watched a video on Youtube where a luthier used a router and a collection of jigs & sleds to carve and entire Les Paul style guitar from this huge slab of wood. Don't know how the finished product sounds, but it sure looked awesome. I'll edit in the link if I can find it again.

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I understand that string tension isn't terribly high, but it isn't the only force acting on the joint, either. Anyway, I agree about through necks having better sustain, and I just like the appearance.

I recently watched a video on Youtube where a luthier used a router and a collection of jigs & sleds to carve and entire Les Paul style guitar from this huge slab of wood. Don't know how the finished product sounds, but it sure looked awesome. I'll edit in the link if I can find it again.

 

A PROPER (key word is proper here...) bolt on will perform just as well as a neck through guitar in any circumstance. If anything a bolt on is better, because you can remove it, tweak it, set the angle, etc without seriously modifying the guitar. Set necks are pretty poor in comparison. The ONLY good set necks are the long tenon ones , and those are rare now. Dave thomas mcnaught is a huge influence on my build style, check out his "set through" neck design, its pretty sweet. 

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