Tutorial - How to Make a Scratchplate With Hand Tools

[@briw4647]

As a trained joiner, many years ago, I learned to do things by hand first and then by machine. While it takes considerably less time by power tools, I love the feeling of using hand tools. Also, I have a much better feeling of satisfaction at the finish

[@UncleKennysPlace]

I used to make Stratocaster pick guards out of the birch plywood used for model making. The plies made for an effect similar to laminated plastic. I still have one hanging on my wall, from 1975 or so.

[@MakeBrooklyn]

Well done Ben. I'm all hand tools (Small apartment in Brooklyn) and I'm going to start a solid body carved Les Paul Style guitar as soon as I find some timber that I like for the neck. I'd really love to see how you tackle something like that with hand tools!

[@mvyper]

How did it turn out?

[@griffgarmers2383]

Are you there yet, I’ve been watching and learning since the early days back in the barn with the rain and a cup of tea, 100k Congratulations!!!

[@paleosteveo3501]

Totally just saw this in my feed and instinctively clicked on it, did not know it was a brand new video!

[@muznick]

That wood grain is intense and you're skills are top notch.

[@paulwhitlock855]

Speechless. Mesmerizing to watch a true artisan an craftsman at work. Just lovely.

[@carlosfeliciano5543]

I really want to see the next Guitar part hands made. Is awesome learning from you, thanks for all the knowledge that you shares.

[@tho2ea]

I was taken aback by the way the hand scraper revealed the burl on that wood, seriously cool! I was so burned out on Classical Gas, I never dreamed anyone could make that number so cool to me again! Kudos to Mr. Phil Walker! OK, I"ll just shut the hell up and enjoy now ;)

[@pjbaddict]

Mesmerising to watch Ben. Ps thanks for the package, you are a true gent

[@mykhough6614]

I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing Phil play Classical Gas on the Nebula. You've given me an idea for tarting up my cheap Yamaha although I doubt I'll find a piece of wood as nice as that one.

[@kohl-1934]

Lovely guard there and good to see a lower tech method that gets back to basics. Also you are nearly there, currently at 99,579 subscribers so another day or three and it is such a testament to you Ben and the whole Crimson Guitars team!

[@SuperParve]

Ben you should make the pickup ring out of the same wood!

[@johnvandevelden7524]

Just watched this video and Crimson is at 287K! How time flies. Keep up the awesome work ✌🏼

[@johnvandevelden7524]

Whoops 278k🤣

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

for now :) we'll get there eventually.. and it truly is incredible to me where we have ended up. all thanks to people like you who enjoy what we put out. Thank you! B

[@fepatton]

Scrapers ARE amazing! Wow, was not expecting the figuring to come out so much as you were running the scraper over it. Just a bit disappointed you used an electric drill instead of a brace and bit, though. :D

[@kylem5576]

with that thin of a piece of wood he would risk cracking pieces off

[@dhfreak5575]

Tommy emmanuel backing track, uh i love it

[@phililpb]

why does it remind me of the intro to "crazy on you"

[@Jaryth14]

*Sees that it's all hand tools* Oh, this is gonna be a nice, relaxing video. *Cue the most frantic acoustic song I've ever heard, on repeat for a quarter hour.*

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Yeah, I apologise, out editor has had a questionable taste in music at times.. sorry. B

[@Jaryth14]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Haven't we all? Was still an excellent video as I'm trying to figure out how to replace pickguards on the Epiphone Goth series.

[@Max-ns3tw]

Hi there, can you do a tutorial on how to do all the templates one needs for guitar building? I'd love it!

[@GerasimosHandmadeGuitars]

cant say what i loved more..the video or the song!!!!!!!!!! both amazing!

[@paulcarver973]

Beautiful work on the scratch plate.....

[@johne7100]

Titebond III is bloody marvellous. Careful with that there bit of wood though, Ben, it's got a nasty rash.

[@2000SkyView]

Amazing pg! Wouldn't think wood pg needs shielding. Won't build up a charge like plastic. I guess if 50-60 cycle hum is a concern. 🤔

[@ParallaxRS]

It would have been cool to see you use a manual hand drill for the screw holes! But that's just me being picky! Looks beautiful too, and well done on the 100 min challenge too, it was really amazing to see what could be achieved in that amount of time! However, I'd love to see more 'quality' long term full builds too! Keep up the awesome work, and thanks for providing entertainment and inspiration to 100,000 people!

[@swwm88]

awesome! would like to see the machine tools version as well

[@pedraw]

absolute work of art.

[@Barrygee]

A video on making a bespoke scratch plate would be nice, from making the template through to the finished loaded product

[@FreddyJ120]

Ben, where did you get that v-shaped anvil you used so handily as a base for cutting in this video? Is it a specialty tool and, if so, does it have a name? Or, is it a homemade contraption? Many thanks for all your tutorials - always entertaining as well as a great help!

[@dickranmarsupial4911]

Looking at this at Christmas 2021. Nice. Where is the "project" video?

[@MusicMike939]

You have finally put a beautiful control cover on the front. Now to take the covers off the backs of your guitars and put them on the front where people can see them.

[@simonecamplani2430]

this is a scratchplate so good that is better not to be scratched!

[@americannerdproject]

Awesome! Was just about to do this, myself. Thanks for the tips!

[@tombstone1055]

Classical Gas on point

[@gazgrob]

Really cool Ben ...I will have a go at making one ..thanks for all the tips n vids .Hope u reach 100000 soon !

[@taylorjay2834]

Hay, your at 132K where's the project? lol THANKS, great video!

[@bubastro1959]

Congrats. Very beautiful job !!!

[@stefanion5921]

That nebula is sick \m/

[@danielirvine7468]

Man that was so good to watch thanks for the tips !

[@stephencarey6114]

Very very beautiful wood Ben

[@mikesenko1]

outstanding thanks beautiful work

[@johnkirkpatrick1778]

Adding screening foil to the back of the scratchplate is always a good idea, but only ONE of the pots (normally the volume pot) should actually be in contact with the copper foil. This makes sense, as all of the pickup 'common' wires (as well as the common for the output jack) will usually be soldered to the back of the volume pot. The foil needs to be removed below the other two pots to prevent them from causing earth loops: just cut a circle slightly larger than the body of the two pots in the screening foil, and remove it from these areas. Also note that the copper foil fitted inside the pickup routes needs to come up over the edge on to the front of the guitar, normally at one or more of the screw holes, so that when the scratchplate is fitted, its screening is in tight physical contact with the foil in the body: it MUST have a very low electrical resistance between the two parts. Finally, as you will have to use multiple pieces of foil to cover all the inside faces of the pickup routes, these should be slightly overlapped, and electrically 'commoned' using small dabs of solder. Remember to earth the guitar bridge as well.

[@StopLossDill]

John, you seem to know what you're talking about. Please if you wouldn't mind explaining to me why guitars must have some form of an electrical conductor underneath the pick guard by the volume and tome knobs. What would the consequence be if I were to omit this step completely?

[@StopLossDill]

tone*

[@FairlyUnknown]

Ground loops in an electric guitar is a myth. It's impossible for there to be one. One pot being used as a common ground is a convenience and tidiness thing. You can link every component to every other component, even multiple times if you would like, and never have a problem but you'd have extra wires going everywhere.

[@jeffreytgilbert]

@@StopLossDill it is shielding for emi noise. It’s like putting a water slide next to a set of stairs and then watching which one gets more traffic. The noisy kids are going to take the water slide almost always. So they slide down the grounded path and away from your other electronics sending signal which would normally attract those noisy kids, like wires and metal pots and such.

[@wrenchhead4378]

Beautiful

[@DavidHinesMusic]

I think that is gorgeous!

[@carolinehaf21]

Almost 165k subscribers now! Please link if I missed the video of the project - new subscriber still going through them all ♡

[@darrengallagher8051]

Thanks Ben

[@Ten80pete]

Wow. Loved seeing how that was done at 500% speed. Now... could you make a second video explaining what you were doing at each point, why, and what tools you were using. I'll be honest, I followed most of the process, but that coping saw or whatever it was had a uniquely ergonomic design and I want one, and the part where it looked like you were scraping the top layer off with a piece of sharpened bar stock... I mean, is that what was happening or am I missing a crucial piece of info. Note: If you couldn't immediately tell, I'm not a woodworker (yet). My hobbyist wheelhouse lies between smithing, forging, and ironworking. Edit: I wrote this as the video was paused not 2 seconds before he said "scrapers are cool."

[@MikeFox__FoxMan2099]

Top tier as always. That is very, very impressive. Thank you for this demo.

[@mbradshaw6760]

Well I think your a top bloke Ben , very skilled obviously and relaxing and enjoyable to watch !!!! And to all these other critics I'd like to say (FUCK OFF) !!!! THANK YOU BEN me like crimson ....

[@TheBrewersDroop]

Whats the third pot hole for if there's only one pickup?

[@mrscary3105]

That is beautiful.

[@Kingleazard]

Oh the song of the Nebula, what a fantastic guitar !

[@timeudy8560]

any tips on making pickguard for guitars that either are so unique, or no templates exist. i got a mark II guitar, and nearest i can figure is the company that made it became first act but most of there guitar are vastly different from my guitar. and it's pickguard has seen better days

[@Uncle_Buzz]

Another well produced/edited video! Killer background music. Cheers! Chris.

[@Migueltxum]

Nice job as usual! One question though...what do you use as a blade when you cut the pickgard by hand (with that big old tool whose name in english I ignore)? Is it suitable for ordinary plastic pickgard materials? it seems to cut nice and easy to do bends and cornerings...what would you recommend for cutting by hand on ordinary plastic material? Thank you in advance!

[@bastafari73]

106K where is this project you speak of Ben? Love your work.

[@jdsinclair8070]

very cool man! Totally dig it!

[@angeldelvax7219]

My mother taught me to hold the saw you used on the outside of my arm, not under it. I find it's a LOT easier to control the motion and to follow the curves that way. Holding it under my arm also really limits my movement. Yet EVERYONE I see using a saw like that holds it under their arm. Is there a correct way to hold it? Do you hold it under your arm because you're used to working that way, or does it have benefits for your work?

[@jeffreytgilbert]

Is it a jewelers saw or a jumbo coping saw or what’s that thing called? I was considering getting one as i’ve never seen such a big coping saw and i also need to cut a pick guard by hand 😄

[@geras2058]

hey! you've hit 249k, where's the project? 😋

[@ShuffleFatCat]

classical gas! wasn't expecting to hear that in this video.

[@U014B]

With that first background song in the silent bit, I was half expecting the video to turn black-and-white and grainy.

[@watchtheskies]

Ben check out Susan Gardener's latest video, she used CA Super Glue as a finish, and it worked surprisingly well!

[@dougbrett-matthewson2640]

Aw Ben you missed a trick... where was the egg-beater drill?!

[@cavebeastdemon3631]

Doug Brett-Matthewson - Get’n me one of dose!

[@GreboGent]

have you ever made a scratchplate from perspex? i've done a couple, it's a laugh as you can paint a design on the back (backwards) and then when it's fitted the design can't be scratched! i even painted a fake pick up on my first one and it fooled quite a few people haha in fact, what about a wood/epoxy one? it'd make a good use of small off cuts with nice grain

[@riley0187]

Excellent that Ben Thumbs up!!

[@jpkalishek4586]

You really need to see if Phil will do Flight Of The Bummble Bee and Sabre Dance for the sped up stuff

[@abdrahmanabdullah3113]

awesome

[@caseychapman4525]

You’re a god

[@Lucas-vr2ww]

very nice.

[@brandondufrene4706]

Good work Ben, but can you please have your editors use more than two songs on loop. It kind of got old real fast.

[@volvot5turbo]

157k subscription :) nice vid btw - doing one myself out of 3 sheets of veneer

[@Diebold410]

Why did it need three pot routes if it’s only a single humbucker? I’ve only ever seen one or two cos you don’t need a switch with one pickup and most people don’t use the tone knob so it’s usually a killswitch when there’s 2 routes from the ones I’ve seen. Just curious! This turned out AMAZING

[@matt6288joyce]

Hi there, I absolutely love all of your videos and wondered where I would look to buy some thin wood with a nice grain to use for a scratchplate myself? (I also live in the UK)

[@J.Burrough]

The guitar in background sounds Amazing!! That’s gotta be the nebula. ?

[@powermonkey1979]

Sounds like the Nebula. Love that guitar.

[@sebastienlefevre276]

Really helpful. Thanks a lot. 🤙🏻

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

My pleasure, thank you for watching. B

[@Stangil1]

Take a drink every time he says stunning.

[@doctoribanez]

Can 3 ply pick guard material be cut by hand?

[@jonharwood8133]

You could make one for a G&L ASAT special in maple. It would make great viewing and after you could sell it too me.😁😁🪳🎸🎸

[@mikepurdy5734]

Binge watching back catalogue, again.... Beats Netflix for scratchplate content

[@donvanco3078]

Sanding at 400x normal speed is the best way to watch (and listen to) sanding.

[@WindowLicker_]

I'm doing this for my strat but out of walnut

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

walnut, king of woods! It is going to look awesome I am sure. B

[@daviidhopper7875]

This is way in the past, can I get a link to the project video

[@patrizioetoile7702]

thanks!, I´ll make it one !!!

[@VAXHeadroom]

Q: I would have put finish on both sides of the wood to prevent uneven moisture retention, is this not really necessary?

[@tonehouseguitars]

Can you please send me the link for your finished project

[@ihaveriffs8261]

I've always wanted to do a project similar to this, but quite a bit more complicated. My dream is to have a perfect template to replace the front cavity cover on the cheaper Jackson Rhoads. But in my design, it would cover the whole top of the guitar, giving me the option to have no neck pickup, toggle switch or tone control. I've also toyed with transparent materials, so I could conceivably underlay temporary, non-destructive artwork under it. Honestly, I've already spent much time and money on unsuccessful attempts. The bevels make it very difficult to get precise measurements and I've finally decided that I should just leave it to someone with the right skills and tools to bring it to life for me. Any suggestions?

[@USCxGAMECOCKS1801]

We have to get you a larger library of background songs. Beautiful piece of work though, as always!

[@mikenoface]

This guy sands real fast!

[@RobbNemo1975]

9 to go !!!!!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

+robb nemo I know!?! Insane! B

[@crazyuncleduke8012]

When I watch Ben work I always wonder how Stradivari made his exquisite instruments with the few tools that were available at the time. :-)

[@michalneubauer4325]

What tool did you ise to flatten out the copper?

[@rxcoma]

What saw was it used to cut out the total delineation of it? Is that a scroll or old school harpsaw?

[@ROOKTABULA]

What were you spraying on the knot breakout you glued back in?

[@jasonpoole3723]

well this has given me an idea to make a similar one for my shitty 'S type'. I have no space for machine tools so hand tools and a cordless drill will have to do. this is a beauty! I can't wait to see what this is going on. Just wondering how long this took to do? I would guess under 2 hours?

[@joserodriguez-uj9po]

What ia the name of that wood you use?

[@timbeaton5045]

99K is the current count....nearly there!

[@esa062]

That's one good looking scratchplate. Although, it's not really a scratchplate, is it? It's not there to protect the guitar from plectrum. It is a mounting plate. Isn't it weird that we use the name of that piece of plastic glued to the top of an acoustic guitar?

[@davide.waterbury6295]

What did he use to burnish the shielding foil to the back?

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

The amazing B C Woodworks gifted Ben with the prototype Masking Tape Burnisher. This is a multi-purpose tool and even works on shielding foil. www.thebcwoodworks.co.uk/store/product/masking-tape-burnisher DC

[@farhad-kaveh]

how thick is the wood

[@andrewvanbrook3948]

Could you send me the link for the build with this scratch plate? I can't find it.

[@myprivatelibrary]

Anyone know the name of the 9th song?

[@seannodonnell]

What kind of coping saw/blade is that?