Ep 12 - FINALLY ready for finish! | Building a Guitar from 42,000 Year Old Wood!

[@stuartrharder8057]

Thanks for getting back to this project. I love your work but this one has captured my heart.

[@brianjenkins6157]

Ben is going to have to change the name of this video. 4300........😊

[@lordjoemott1683]

Dude, you kind of remind me of Bob Ross, in the way you go over things as if it’s the first time you’re explaining it. That’s cool 👌

[@Rsama60]

In the dictionary English - Ben, Ben - English fast approaching most likely means 5 more episodes. I’m looking forward to all of them.

[@PaulCooksStuff]

🎉🎈🥳🎂 Happy Birthday Mr Crowe 🎂🥳🎈🎉

[@SweetTGuitars]

Very Very Killer! I love the guitar. I also have to say that the beard is coming along nicely!! Peace & Love brother!

[@TheCatNipGardener]

That's looking stunning Ben.

[@jacobthellamer]

Maybe get some other New Zealand woods for the next one? Pohutukawa or Puriri fretboard would be epic.

[@brendangilmore4297]

we do have some lovely tone woods down here - like those you mentioned :)

[@etf1767]

It’s looking amazing! I’m always inspired coming to this channel.

[@philgallagher1]

Not sure anybody's mentioned this, but that wood is really soft!

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Basically usesless. And not even pretty to offset its uselessness.

[@PaulCooksStuff]

Not pretty? It has sumptuous curvy figuring like windswept sand dunes! I'd die happy with a guitar as unpretty as that's going to be under finish.

[@scottmartinezguitarandbass]

Ben is SO thorough, when drilling tuner holes on the other side, he flips the Bench Cookie over to the other side too. He's a master. 9:34

[@caseymclane1972]

have a drink every time Ben mentions the (lack of) density of this kauri

[@marcusaurelius49]

This whole show I was waiting for you to burn it!

[@Eff_Marti]

Mothafucka started like 3 new series and left us hanging with this one 😢

[@brucefaulkner30]

its taken 42,000years so far, what is a couple of months now!?

[@thatdiyguyraymondmonk1225]

I drill a pilot hole 1/4 size then drill half way each side

[@chrisggoodwin777]

The 42,000 year build.... Sorry, the 42,000 year old wood build... 😂 Seriously though I'm excited for the finished product! Cheers, Crimson team! 🍻

[@AndrewSmith-pc8eq]

If you dont want to use a drill press, shouldn't you use a drill bit under the 10 mm you want, then use a reamer to get it perfect, so the tuners are not loose??

[@chrisyoung8062]

Is 42k years the age of the wood or the length of time this build is going to take?

[@peachmelba1000]

So I had a run in with something known as CA Glue Flu. It's a suite of symptoms that arise from exposure, acute or cumulative, to CA glue that presents like the flu (stuffy head, fatigue, in some cases breathing problems). Anyway the point is, wear a mask and have ventilation. I was not wise enough to remember this, and so I have to sit through a few days of these uncomfortable symptoms. Luckily, this is not a permanent thing, but it does mean that sensitization has occurred. Be careful with CA glue and all chemicals.

[@Kevin-nr9lj]

What color is this guitar going to be?

[@TarnishedViking.]

👍

[@benlewis9841]

What about the last video for the hand build travel guitar?! 😂

[@matt6288joyce]

I just can’t get my head around how you’ve built a business when it takes you months and months to finish every project? Have you just become less time pressured as your employees do the profitable work?

[@peachmelba1000]

Owners of businesses which become successful, and who started the business by doing the so called grunt work eventually have more "non grunt" work to do than they can keep up with. I suspect this is the case with Ben. Look at the very earliest Crimson guitars videos. He was completely by himself, in a shed. Now he has a lot of other irons in the fire. In terms of the guitar builds he does, I just fast forward to the end of these longer videos to see what actually got done. He always gets there, I just don't expect a lot of progress in each installment.

[@stevenedwards4470]

Does the content production pay for the cost of the wood and the time spent on this? Outside of its age, which is interesting I suppose on some level, I've never seen wood that was less suitable for guitar building. You're making a guitar out of what is essentially balsa wood. I don't understand why someone with 20 years experience would think this was a good idea.

[@TomWebbFilms]

If you watch the first episode of this series it’s all explained. Ben has been commissioned by the person who owns the wood to build one possibly two guitars from the initial slab. I imagine the owner of the wood is also paying for the custom build too. It will be fascinating to see how it turns out and whether that wood will actually sound good.

[@stevenedwards4470]

@@TomWebbFilms I saw that. I missed or forgot the point of ownership. I'm curious if it'll sound good too. But it's ill advised. I wonder if there was a conversation about that. In my head this wood doesn't want to be a guitar. 😝

[@TomWebbFilms]

@@stevenedwards4470 yeah I think that conversation took place as like you say it’s a very risky build!

[@jimmytree1936]

40,000 year old build; sorry, 42,000 year old Kauri build...😆and sanding is not boring if you do it with music in the background

[@lonesom]

Huh? Okay. Take a piece of anything and put it under the headstock. honestly

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

I really do feel this Kauri is utterly useless to build guitars with. And it doesn't even look that pretty to offset its soft uselessness. In that sense this has been an epic build in Ben overcoming major obstacles and what to do with crap wood.

[@GenghisDaniel]

It is used sometimes by really well revered luthiers, for ukulele or guitar soundboards, especially around New Zeland where it is coming from. Lichty guitars a very high end luthier use it. But using it for a structural element is a bit risky (Ben has multilaminated the neck so it should be okay)... Some says it does sound really nice as soundboard material but I was never in any position to attest that ^^. It might just be because it is a really beautiful wood that some use it. Will Ben's guitar sound better because it is made in kauri wood ? Probably not, but it is a knock off of a Fender Acoustasonic, a type of guitars for which wood has no impact on the sound (they simply sound really bad in my opinion, but it is a personal opinion ^^).

[@euopful]

Ben, I know it's a bit late for this build but if you need to strengthen softer wood in the future have a look at TimbaBuild EWS. It is a low viscosity epoxy that is made to penetrate, strengthen and stabilise wood. Excellent stuff and has a similar effect to what you have achieved with super glue with much fewer applications. I started to use it as part of a system to restore rotten timber windows on listed buildings etc. but over the years I have found many more applications. It's a very useful thing to have in my bag of tricks.

[@octoBadger]

How does it compare to cactus juice (thin heat cured resin used to stabilise wood). Ben used several treatments of cactus juice on the neck blank in a different video. Not used it myself, but it didn't seem to have a huge effect. Don't think the body was treated. EDIT: found it online... looks good, quite different to cactus, but another bullet in the arsenal - thanks for the recommendation.

[@izzajoker]

This build is so oddly fascinating. I'd be interested in an interview with the client, because right now all I can suss out is: Rich guy wants a Fender experimental guitar that took years of R&D on wood types and design, and he wants it to be made out of wood that is as expensive as it is soft, by a man that isn't known for following instructions. Someone make it make sense....or not, I'm enjoying watching, I suppose.

[@PaulCooksStuff]

Rich guy also wants a Kauri archtop, and a second acoustasonic as a surprise gift to a friend. And has a name Ben can't mention because we'd recognise it. Intriguing isn't it? Maybe we'll find out after the surprise presentation to his friend. I say rich because he can afford the wood, the multi year paperwork battle to get it out of New Zealand, and to trash (presumably two?) Acoustasonics for the circuit boards. On the Premier Guitar KZbin channel, fender custom shop tour, they also showed a custom order Kauri jaguar/jazzmaster. Intriguing if that's the same client.

[@davepayne164]

I’m more stressed about the softness of this wood than anything else in my life at the moment. Brings a new meaning to string tension.

[@rauschguitars]

I found the cleanest way to drill tuner holes is to drill through with a small bit, then use a step drill bit from both sides to bring them to the required diameter. There will still be a bit in the middle to drill out, but the end result is usually excellent.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I have often thought of trying this but never have.. I WILL now though. Thanks for the tip

[@Snivic-music]

Ben! you should do a crop circle theme on the new guitar you are making

[@heymrguitarman7637]

Being honest I always find the multi piece neck looks unattractive when it's visible on the head stock from the front. Obviously it's all subjective but I'd always opt for a veneer on the headstock face.

[@ibalrog]

12:30 "My body's a little bit uneven." Right there with you, my brother.

[@bevo65]

We get more uneven with each passing year. 😢

[@guitfidle]

Welcome to the 42,000th hour of the build process on this guitar....

[@Finn-McCool]

Using a nice good beautiful fresh honest well intentioned Forstner bit will give the cleanest hole and of course you can use a 3/8" 9mm piece of Baltic Birch as a backing plate fixed in place with a strong spring clamp or 2 in order to get the job did. 👍

[@StevieScotty19]

First for Ben👍👍

[@sporadicamnesic]

"Through to the Laser Room!". Sounds like something an evil villain with a secret lair would say!

[@monkeybrains]

Just doesnt seem like good materials to make a guitar from. Soft wood and superglue, nope from me

[@MikeKing-wj6sr]

Legendary! Will it be as good as the Nebula? That's my favourite guitar you have built.... X

[@Giant_Guitars]

Don't worry it's been worth the wait 👌

[@brendangilmore4297]

it's been 42,000 years so far - what's a few days more?

[@Insanalyst]

I drill the tuner holes before I cut the headstock to thickness so tear out is never a worry

[@myoldmate]

17:55. "We are fast approaching.." 😂😂😂

[@archloy]

About humidity and drying : you will superglue the outside of the body, but the inside will continue to absorb humidity and differently as the top, no ? Is it a problem ?

[@EddieFrenchComedian]

"My body's a little bit uneven." *looks in mirror and sighs* Same, mate. Same.

[@terryjohinke8065]

I think you talk too much. Don't assume that all your viewers are absolute beginners. Some probably are but many are not as per the comments

[@khaiber_kakar]

20 Minutes ... Nothing done what was the point of watching this? Ben that was not very cool 😮

[@rosettenzerrer]

I bought a 10mm Forstner-Bit for this Job. Works great, halfway then from the other side.

[@K1W1fly]

Did you accidentally steal the laser safety glasses?

[@mikehoward587]

sanding the body sounds like a locomotive, lol.

[@AndyTake2]

Are you going to stabilise the holes with C A glue? There will be a lot of stress on that soft wood once strung up.

[@vmann-jd5yw]

Hate the wood, love Ben's need to do crazy guitars.

[@bbarone]

"Wow this wood is soft!" -- My wife after I had a few too many beers with dinner

[@thatdiyguyraymondmonk1225]

Maybe you should think about putting everything in some playlist? This would increase your views from people like me who choose a video from my feed and listen to everything new from that channel, whilst working on whatever thing I am doing…. At the very least it will increase your view counts….if it’s a one off then create a playlist of your one offs and it will increase views on even older videos…

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Every video is in a playlist?????

[@joachimmoller1725]

Hello Ben, how does the guitar look now that it's finished? Somehow I'm missing the grand finale.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

That's because it is not done yet. Hang in there. DC

[@alexcorona]

I have a drill press but I still like to do the holes by hand.

[@AndrewAHayes]

Some air assist would have stopped that scorching on the template, finally! I can do something better than Crimson can!

[@mattomon1045]

Ben even when your borring ( a hole ) , You are never borring. great work Ben!!!

[@jonathanmayo4898]

Brilliant, stay exceptional! ❤

[@nutball73]

It must be just the camera angle, but those tuner holes look a little too close to the edge of the headstock. Maybe it's an optical illusion due to the veneer stripes.

[@peachmelba1000]

You have remember that the actual center points of the drilled holes are where the tuner posts will reside. I have an old Tele neck I use for reference measurements some times and from the headstock edge to the edges of the through holes is only .280" from factory.

[@theashen]

At some point that beard is going to need a channel of its own

[@drej1714]

At 8:09 the 4th tuner (pilot) hole looks off. At 8:39 (ish) the 3rd hole looks off. Weird.

[@peachmelba1000]

I've had this happen in the past. Regular pilot drills can slip and wander, try as one might to keep them on the line. I now use a brad point .125" drill for this process, and I center punch before drilling.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Well spotted, the pilot hole drifted a tad and I didn't spot it until a bit later. No worry though, drilled the 10mm hole where it needed to be and glossed over the mistake.. until you.. pointed it out 😞 😓 😩 😆

[@patchofgravity]

Did you finish the hand build guitar?

[@gustau4764]

How about finishing the manual-tool-only travel guitar? 😉

[@favrejean-michel1543]

Desperate waiting this one also...😢

[@Forest_Fifer]

He mentioned it on a live stream last week,he's going to be filming it soon.