The black guitar went
to M this week! He's pleased with it and so am I.
Here are the last few
stages.
The whole body was
covered in layers of low tack masking tape and then the channels for
the maple binding were routed. Scraping the bindings back to flush
with the surface was tricky but the masking tape protected the black
finish. When a guitar is the natural wood colour all the finishing is
done after the the bindings are completed.
The neck joint needed
only minimal adjustment.
The fretting was done
before the finger-board was glued into place and then the neck finish
was applied. The neck was left natural because over years of use the
black finish would be worn away by the fretting hand.
The precise
measurements required for fitting the bridge could now be marked out
on the masking tape. The area was stripped of the top layers of black
finish with Nitromors. Gulp!
Then it was time for
the tuning pegs and stringing.
The final set-up and
fitting of the pick-up was done by Paul Walker of Courtney and Walker. He has many years of experience with guitars, violins and
also woodwind and brass instruments. He did a great job and the
guitar was comfortable to play.
So what now for GBG? A little break and then on with the next commission. A spruce and rosewood combo 000 for B. NOT IN BLACK!