Building Les Pauls Part 5

The next in a series of videos documenting a Les Paul build. This one focuses on carving the top and cutting the mortise.
Link to a scan of 1960 Les Paul top contour templates:
app.box.com/s/9md13r36qv6bovo...

[@vt750dc]

Freddy, I've been watching your videos in complete awe since I was 11-12 years old. Just turned 21 and I'm finally building my first Les Paul. Re-watching these to learn as much as I can... thanks for all the amazing content over the years.

[@stealingtomorrowband]

What kind of wood did you use??

[@CyclopsGuitars8642]

Love the video’s and the bench cookies.I’m looking to start making some guitar bodies soon

[@SmokeFlame1]

My friend, you are a real pro, and having your dad around is a real plus. Great series.

[@FreddysFrets]

Thanks for the comment. And yes, I am blessed to have my dad help.

[@wkmetaal]

Thank you Freddy, for youre nice LP building video serie's. In march 2024 i start my third build.

[@Ibaneddie76]

MAN FREDDY YOU ARE THE DEFINITION OF PRECISION LUTHERY I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS I REALLY APPRECIATE THE TIME AND EFFORT YOU PUT IN TO SHOW US YOUR METHODS. THANKS AND AGAIN YOUR DAD IS A GEM AS WELL.

[@intervasion1]

Definitive explanation of guitar building from a skilled artisan. Great videos!

[@andreambuter6806]

Love seeing your dad involved! Great work!

[@TempoDrift1480]

Man that's just fantastic. What a hell of a series!

[@seanfagan4996]

Thank good guys like you are building guitars with care and pride somthing Gibson lost years ago. Keep up the good work.

[@MarijnSlot]

Loving these series! I've already build a few LPs myself but every build thread or video teaches you something new. And it's always great to see the masters at work! Thanks very much for the carve templates as well.

[@ianbrown1089]

Love your Dad! Haven't seen mine for too long, so now I'm gonna go see him tomorrow. Fine work on the gits as well.

[@aspeguitars4071]

Another interesting video about the same work I do. Very special you and your dad are both on the project, like to see that. I wish you all the best with your nice guitars.

[@reijerlincoln]

Thanks for taking the time to make these vids. Great stuff.

[@bigdguitars]

always great to watch your vids. Thanks Freddy!

[@MagVair]

Spectacular video! In the boat yard, we called it a bevel gauge. We also had bevel boards to set the angle against.

[@jbonham78]

Great work and very informative videos!

[@skeleon246]

Thanks so much for sharing your templates! Maybe this year i will build my dream guitar.

[@marcusjones882]

Anyone can learn to programme, use photoshop, edit videos etc in a short time. But this here takes years of precision craftsmanship, any man would be proud of!

[@ximonium]

thats not even programming the ones you mentioned. programming requires learning encoding and a bunch of programming languages. do you even know what's programming?

[@ghosthead2008]

Freddy, your dad is the coolest!

[@jothanankrogh]

I really enjoy building these and especially these parts. I built a copy carver of a similar style a few years ago, boy, lots of patience required! I am estimating this guitar lands smack on 8lbs, judging by the look of that body wood endgrain :)

[@tinfoilhatorchestra5214]

have referred to it as an "angle finder" for almost 30 years now lol love the Vids Freddy

[@johnhulsker1453]

Bevel square

[@MrKempy20]

Freddy in the U.K. We call the tool you used to cut the angles of the neck a sliding bevel. Ged

[@genekloszewski5484]

very nice work,, ( that tool is a bevel square,, ) best tool in the workbox, for finish guys, ...

[@Stratamania]

Great video series. The tool at around 19 odd minutes I know as a bevel guage, or sliding T. Edit. I see you had a catalogue later on.

[@etbilu5031]

perfect! thanks for sharing

[@TempoDrift1480]

That's real cool you got your pappy there with ya.

[@scottforrest2097]

Might try some different thicknesses of neoprene for sanding blocks as well, the rubber worked out to hard for me for certain applications but perfect for others.

[@kommi1974]

Not even Gibson builds a Les Paul this well.

[@jon-xq2lc]

this is built 10 times better then gibson, what does this guys guitars go for?

[@guitmanful]

I use those sanders too, it's A DA sander meant for wood. I think they are turning too fast, makes them too hard to control. They are vibrating, bouncing, buzzing, etc, so I got me a variac ( a variable AC transformer), and turned it down to about 80 volts, when I plug the sander into that, it's more control-able.

[@Andyjpro]

Hey Watertown, SD. Just down the road from me

[@genericjesus8803]

NICE JOB, tip; CA (AKA CyanoAcrylate or super glue) needs moisture to set. Baking soda will also make it set too, so will cotton

[@jeffhall5888]

This kind of instruction would cost at least 10k. Ask me how I know. Hahaha. Thanks Freddy. Much appreciated!

[@aevoguitars2576]

hi, i like the concept of this, could you tell me what that machine is with the router attached... many thanks

[@catdumpling]

Great to see more videos, hope all is well up in the Great White North! The NFT Floyd I got from you is still going strong (although now that they have parts available, I should probably replace some of the screws or maybe get a new saddle set, give it a makeover.) Hey, here's a question: do you over-radius EVO fretwire? I'm perfectly comfortable doing my own refrets, but so far have only used nickel wire (Jescar, my fave.) Now that I've narrowed down my favorite sizes, I'd like to plop some EVO onto my guitars, but I'm not sure if it needs to be over-radiused like NS or exact-radiused like SS. I generally go about 4" tighter on NS than the fretboard radius, but I'm not sure if that would be too much for EVO and I'm worried it would spring back. I hammer in my frets with a brass-faced deadblow backed with a shot-filled bag. Take care, eh! ;)

[@FreddysFrets]

Hiya cat! Regarding the NFT floyd rose....the ones available currently are not so hot....poor quality control. They moved manufacturing from Germany to Korea and it went downhill. So you actually have one of the good ones! Yes make the radius of the EVO match more closely than NS, you can overbend it a tiny bit though.

[@lgjames35]

do you ship to the UK and how much for a body and neck with holes and pickup roughs?

[@ThreeTitsAwsome]

Hey FreddysFrets, I played Pete Townsend on my 78 LP custom several decades ago. The LP has sentimental value and I'm going to restore it. I have a 5A flame billet that I'll be prepping and mating to the mahogany bottom during the summer. What would you charge to copy carve the top and leave it at that. I'll take care of the rest.

[@youtubecommentor4480]

Hi Freddy, I did not see how you cut the neck-pocket. Do you sell an in-depth video series on this How-to ‘59 Les Paul project? Thanks again Freddy. These videos are so very helpful.

[@FreddysFrets]

The last few minutes of the video shows the neck mortise operation. I don't sell the video series....it's all online for free on youtube. And it's as in depth as I could make it.

[@plexibreath]

You should do a video about your dad, he's a very interesting dude. Did he teach you woodworking?

[@FreddysFrets]

Yes he did. Thanks for watching!

[@pagewannabe272]

Thank you Freddy! I am a HUGE Les Paul collector and player. Do you sell these? So very interesting. Bill

[@FreddysFrets]

The tenons have not been trimmed down to final length in this video. They will be in the next video when I fit the necks to the bodies.

[@gurupmuhtesem9824]

What is the thickness of material you used to prop up the template for the neck pocket angle?

[@tonyblankenship5976]

I have always heard that square being called a "squaggle"

[@peterlamborn]

Freddy...do you have any videos from BEFORE you got that c&c - like thing for carving the top? I've never done this before and I'm not that flush so Ive gotta start small; but I do want to do it. Very slowly of course, because I'm still wrestling with the measurement concepts for the neck!

[@FreddysFrets]

Peter, check this thread out. www.mylespaul.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124446&highlight=ex+nihilo It's a different method of going about carving the top utilizing a series of templates and a router....it's pretty brilliant!

[@peterlamborn]

Thanks, Freddy! That'll help me a lot. Wait... I went to the link but can't find the video, just the picture of his collected materials. Did I do something wrong?

[@aevoguitars2576]

aah ive just googled the marlin name.. not much info. how much do they cost. cheers freddy frets g8 name

[@lgjames35]

The tool is called a sliding bevel

[@paulanderson5492]

The link to the template only has one page in the pdf file?

[@Alexay1000]

очень круто!!! gibson завидует вам)))

[@peterlamborn]

Hi, Freddie. Question; what is climb cutting?

[@FreddysFrets]

Here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHfTZXqpo8erhtU

[@peterlamborn]

FreddysFrets Thanks, Freddy!

[@frontbum420]

can you reup the links for templates? Are there some subtle curves in the 60" that are different from a 59"

[@FreddysFrets]

Yes....the ones I have don't have as much of a recurve as many 59s do.

[@DrZirta]

So did you route the mortise flat and do the angle into the tenon?

[@FreddysFrets]

No the mortise angle followed the top carve angle. The tenon is square.

[@reinaldokingg]

Se puder ativar a legenda, seria ótimo!!

[@kevintingzon]

is that standard length for the tenon, or is it longer?

[@FreddysFrets]

It's known as the long tenon version.

[@user-co3hs8pm5w]

hello.and how wide is 13 inches?

[@willdenham]

Was Gibson using orbital sanders back then?

[@FreddysFrets]

Probably not. I think they used slack belt sanders.

[@willdenham]

@@FreddysFrets For the carved top?

[@MrMuncieman]

How can I contact you about doing some work for me?

[@FreddysFrets]

freddy at freddysfrets dot com

[@Ibaneddie76]

THAT'S HILLARIOUS, ONLY A GUITAR BUILDER WOULD HAVE SCRAP BRAZILIAN LYING AROUND TO USE AS A CAUL, I'M GUILTY OF THAT MYSELF, I NEVER THROUGH ANY OF MY CUTOFFS AWAY.

[@FreddysFrets]

Haha....I thought some other builder out there would get a chuckle out of that! Thanks for watching.

[@xavierbalzola880]

Why not place the camera DOWN on one spot...I got DIZZY watching the videos...too much movement while you explain the process...otherwise GREAT work..

[@seanfagan4996]

You shouldn't call them led Paul's since people tend to think of Gibson which today no one wants to be compared to since them pump out shit now and yours are made right unlike Gibson's fails.

[@dunboozin]

Sliding bevel.