Ep 5 - Taking a Cheap Kit Guitar and Making it GREAT - Routing pickup cavities

[@jawsykilla]

When the volume increased on the table router before the clip ended I dropped my tea everywhere!

[@dojix96]

JordyNorm This comment prepared me so I put my tea down before it happened. Thank you for helping me avoid a disaster. :D

[@jawsykilla]

Dojix Haha no worries, glad my failure could help others!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Talitha here... Please please forgive me! :(

[@sokhaDotCom]

@JordyNorm: hint hint....when you see the worker wear an earmuff, either it's really cold or it's very noisy! :-)@Talitha: export your video timeline audio and run it thru an audio workstation normalization. on a fast computer such as an Intel i7, the task took less than a minute for a one hour video. that way, it guarantees your audio level is consistent for the entire program.

[@garybrown7497]

JordyNorm that's friggin funny!

[@haroldhayesiii5846]

Howard is doing a fine job and the series has been of great value. I would offer for anyone just starting out with power tools to start with and keep your work surfaces as clean as possible, remove jewelry and wear eye protection along with hearing protection he has on. Thanks again!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

It is a constant struggle to me to force apprentices to wear goggles and remove jewelery.. I starting to sound like an old house wife :( it's easier with hearing protection, for some reason they're more scared of losing their hearing than a finger?!

[@haroldhayesiii5846]

Crimson Custom Guitars I hope they see this comment and take it in the spirit of it's intent. Here in the states, they produced short films shown to young students on the dangers of everything from woodshop to school bus saftey. The stories of the man who got his hair caught in drill press have stayed with me for 35+ years!

[@rumbachumba330]

Crimson Custom Guitars Of course they're more scared to lose their hearing than a finger, You can't listen to music with your fingers! haha :)

[@ypsito]

+Rumba Chumba You may not be able to listen to listen to music if you have lost hearing but you can't play a guitar that you make with a lost finger (unless you're Tony Iommi or some of the players that inspired him to continue guitar after the accident).

[@krisztian76]

Before gluing the top, take a transparent paper, put it on the body and cut it around. Draw the holes, When you glued the top, put the paper on and you have the holes. Faster then searching.

[@Jeekinz]

I was thinking I bet they didn't make a template before gluing that veneer on.

[@DaveMorrisonMusic]

I was thinking the same thing. Wouldn't want to ruin the whole project by missing the routed areas with a test hole.

[@Bbendfender]

I did something similar today with a Tele body but I drilled 1" holes in proper places in the body before gluing on the top. This was to reduce weight since I was also installing a Parsons-Greene B-bender mechanism on the back. I really enjoy these videos.

[@stevesoldwedel]

I am by no means a luthier, nor a woodworker, so I recognize that my inference is poorly informed. But I keep thinking as I watch this series that it might have made sense to shave off an amount of the top of the body equal to the thickness of the figure top. It looks like the height of the figure top is about equal to the amount of the neck that clears the pocket. I'm interested to see how it works out.

[@pigjubby1]

I added a thin top on a project. I took my router and removed just shy of the top thickness, then I took it to a local hardwood shop and had them run it through their wide-belt sander. Came out great.

[@ArielsSmartyPants]

Time for a sharp drill bit, he almost pushed it through the back it was so dull ;)

[@trappenweisseguy27]

Was thinking the same thing, or that he had it in reverse.

[@FtnHills38]

Paper clip in small hole works well for a feeler gauge to check proximity of route walls.

[@Zeetwig]

I have a question, or rather a request actually, for you Ben. Throughout the podcasts you have recommended and praised a number of hand tool manufacturers, so why not either make a list of all these gems and put it on the web page or, better still, make a short video where you briefly talk about which tool manufacturers you like and why you like them? That would be extremely helpful for hobby luthiers like me, since we don't have the experience and knowledge of the woodworking tool manufacturing world that you do. Cheers

[@derranged28]

You could take a rubbing of the original top before gluing the new top on. Lay the rubbing on the new top to get an idea of where to drill for the cut outs.

[@GavinMorris1]

Loving this series Ben. Immediately useful.

[@SiggyMe]

would have made a cardboard overlay of the original for the cavities and then place it on top of added top to mark routing places. Just saying....

[@Mephiston]

Pretty sure it was done deliberately, to show how it is all done in the event that it happens. Common sense would otherwise dictate doing it your way, but alas a great many people lack that simple thing.

[@Barrygee]

Drill bit and router cutter a tad blunt?

[@starlifeforce]

It's getting cooler every video.

[@justanotherdummy3448]

if you put the drill bit deeper in the chuck its easier to control and it flexes less and doesn't wobble out your hole as much

[@krustybuzzard2477]

why didn't you mark the cavities before you glued the top on?

[@projectgoatse]

He's an apprentice.

[@Davelembo]

To check if a small hole can be enlarged in a cavity, insert small end of an allen key, then hold it by the long end and spin it.

[@davidsutton9951]

Hiya, I found your videos today and looked at your site which I found really useful. I note you mention wilkinson Pickups quite often. Are they any good as I want to swap out the pick ups on a cheap guitar for something better.

[@tyrssen1]

One thing I wasn't clear on: how do you keep from "running over" when routing the cavities? Got a special spacer of some sort on that router bit? (Howard, your routing looks better than the factory wood beneath, by the way!)

[@Mephiston]

there is a ball bearing on the bottom of the router bit that sticks out SLIGHTLY beyond the edge of the blade, so that when the blade hits the cavity wall, it stops carving out the wood where required.

[@TheAngryFapper]

Whats the power tool youre using at 3:35?

[@id3072]

The Angry Fapper 3 months late... But it is a handheld router

[@tyrssen1]

Um um um, wouldn't a paper blueprint be of some help in finding the routed areas? (Either cut out the routing areas or use carbon paper to trace over?) Just wondering.

[@alansturgess1324]

Yes. That IS incredibly cool. Great look when you see through the holes. The offset effect is excellent. Could be a bit of a bitch to keep dust-free though unless it's never left on a stand for any length of time.

[@Clearanceman2]

How do you know where to stop with the router, doesn't it eat into the poplar below the ash as soon as it hits the sides of the opening in the poplar?

[@atsernov]

The router bit has a bearing on the tip. This bearing is set deeper than the veneer. The blade is then able to cut the veneer and the bearing on the tip prevents you from going outside the edge of the cavity.

[@scienceisgod1]

Love the videos! Why not make a paper or wood layout guide to located holes exactly?

[@mrnegronis]

How can you get an exact shape of the cavity with just the acoustics of the wood?

[@danosper2953]

I'm about to start this project and was wondering how to go about this part. My drop top is 2.9 mm mountain ash and was supposed to be for an acoustic. If it is an awkward fit, is there anything inherently bad about gluing it on in two separate pieces?

[@briandabrowa8129]

been watching alot and alot more lately but to the meaning of my message, i'm starting to get into the making your own guitars, been doing alot of practice on cheap kits and I was wondering if you have any advise for filling in a pickup cavity? for example I have jazz bass body, that I got free, but I wanna do a Double P pickup style The middle/bridge pickup cane be easily hidden by the pickguard but the bridge pickup, not so easy. I've read alot of forums that then turned into trolling forums, but read, for the most part, wood cuts and wooden dowels (for the contours)... I'm concerned about the grain filling and bleeding through the primer and paint. Son any info on that would be much appreciated... thanks for your time and hear from ya soon. cheers!

[@wijk89]

Why don't you, previous to fixing the veneer, make a template of where the caveties are?

[@vancouverbuspilot]

How hard would it have been to take a rubbing of the guitar face to get an exact location of the cavities ?

[@altomic4701]

or photo copy the guitar face.

[@209chancho]

Does anyone know what router bit is used to cutout the channel for the binding. I saw the one on StewMac but I can't afford that. It would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

[@dannyoneal4166]

MegaDeth4 Go to your local hardware store and look for a "Rabbeting" bit. You can find them in a set with different bearings to cut various size channels. should be around $20.

[@209chancho]

Awesome!!! Thanks I think I'll Try and do my first binding this summer

[@GavinMorris1]

Danny O'neal Or rebating in the UK.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Standard 6mm or 1/4 inch straight router cutter will do.. 10 a penny :)

[@Barrygee]

I've been meaning to ask this for quite some time but never got around to it....this may sound like I'm being snarky but I'm not...I'm genuinely interested.....What makes you a Master Luthier? You're often described as a Master in your videos and you have referred to yourself as a master...so I ask...what makes you a Master?..is there some kind of qualification that gives you the title of Master....like a Master butcher for example...a master butcher spends many years as an apprentice learning the skills of the trade, the different cuts and how to make them etc before he can receive the title of master....Is this the same in luthiery? Did you have to spend years to gain this qualification?

[@ThePerfectOrbit]

+Michael Barnes The £12,500 a year college course over 2 years He did might have something to do with it lol :D West Dean College are renowned throughout Europe for being on of the ultimate courses to go on. Second, you only have to look at his work to know he is a Master Luthier. Watch some of the other so called Luthiers on the Internet and do the Pepsi Challenge. Ben is Head and Shoulders above. Its all the small details that make him a Master. Putting tape over the Truss Rod before gluing the Fret Board down. A small thing, but you wouldn't believe how many Luthiers don't bother, and end up with binding Truss Rods as its glued in place.

[@rogeriosartori555]

Putting some strong magnets inside the cavities would help you to find them where they are.

[@CorollaNut68]

Stabbed right through the bottom!

[@Gkucuk1215]

Its time for new drill bits...

[@krustybuzzard2477]

a simple center point is easier than listening for a sound.

[@graemebell2585]

Safety glasses??

[@davidtomkins4242]

Jeez, no goggles/eye protection on the router? It's harder to make a guitar with timber sticking out of your eyeball

[@CrowwreakStevenson]

This episode sponsored by Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music.

[@BoudreauGuitars]

I did the exact same thing on a recent build except the top was thicker so I routed off a 1/4" from the body first. I also laminated the headstock with a piece of the same wood, if you're interested here's a link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpetXpaHaq9rmcU

[@oliverbarry7160]

Woooo

[@Ibaneddie76]

WOULDN'T YU JUST ROUT AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE CAVITIES THAT WAY ITS ONE SMOOTH PASS AND YOU ARE DONE INSTEAD OF ROUTING AWAY ALL OF THE WOOD IN THE MIDDLE?

[@twootters7433]

This really is cool watching these videos but these aren't for kit buyers. I doubt most kit buyers even have 1/4 the knowledge you guys do, nor the tools, a place to work etc. I was lucky I have some tools and a shop. Now I have a back porch and pretty much use hand tools...lol

[@pyramidblack]

no dislike till 26.6.2015

[@juanjan__]

Start: RIP headphone users 😅