Fitting the top

Soundboard has been voiced and fitted to the rims. It has a 3-4 second sustain! Best fit I've ever gotten, it perfectly aligns itself to the centerline with no play. I'd glue it on tonight, but I'm out of glue.....

Scoop Cutaway teaser...

I came up with an idea for how to make the scoop cutaway a little easier. Will do a full post on the process once it's ready to go, but for now here's a preview. What is that ugly thing? Perhaps a vacuum bag veneer form being made that happens to be the inverse of a scoop cutaway?

Just waiting for all that expanding foam to solidify.

All braced up.... nowhere to go

Got the back bracing shaped EARLY this morning before the heat set in. Top bracing is in place, but now it's 105 degrees outside (hotter in the shop) and that's the last thing an unfinished guitar needs. Plates and rim are now sitting in my new "shop"... the commandeered guest bathroom... with a humidifier running. So we wait for the evening.....

Back kerfing with armrest bevel support

Gluing up the rims

Starting to look like an instrument!

Back inlay strip

Preparing the back for bracing, Indian Rosewood back strip to match the binding. Vacuum bag was great for glueing it in and getting full pressure.

Scoop Cutaway kerfing

This guitar will have a "scoop" cutaway. More on what that is later, but on the cutaway area, I need full coverage on the sides to attach the cutaway veneer. So I made some custom kerfing from basswood that is the full height of the guitar sides. Then when I sand away the circular cutaway, there will be good surface area anywhere for gluing the veneer.