Next up I made a wooden buck to hold the sides, then wrapped a 2" wide strip all the way 'round, soldering the ends together.
This pic is a little out of order and has the back set in place.
The shape in the back is 'stamped' in by clamping it to a form with a smaller 1/4" form in the center. Then I use another form and a $#itload of clamps to walk around the edge, pressing the shape into it. Unfortunately it's not very deep and is only slightly convex. If I had some cool stuff like an English wheel....or a 50 ton press and steel forms I could make it a true arched shape. But this looks better than the ones I did before with essentially flat backs.
Now we jump over to the top, which is flat, and solder it to the sides. Both the top and back are made in the same way as the well. I leave a little extra brass, notch all the way 'round and use a body hammer to create a flange that slips inside the sides.
Inside the top
Top 'o the top
The solder is regular plumbers lead-free 'silver bearing' solder and I use a hand held torch and MapGas to heat it.
This'll do it for today, got the well on and top cut out. Just a little grinding to clean stuff up and next week I'll get going on the inner structure that will support the top, neck and pickup. After that's done the back can be attached.
These were the first kind of guitars I built, starting about '98 or '99 and I had sworn I wasn't going to build any more metal guitars but I guess it's been long enough that I forgot all about the little cuts and burns you get along the way. One thing I did insist on when I agreed to this build is no more plating. Usually these are polished and nickeled or chromed but that means dealing with platers and after 5 guitars I'd had enough of that. This one will have a Hot Rod theme and will have a chrome cover plate over the well (I can buy those pre-made) and the body will be painted black, either with flames or pinstriped depending on what the customer decides. The neck will be flamed maple, maybe with a metal overlay on the head.
|
) notches in the ends so I could wrap it around this 9.5" dia wooden buck. Before I wrap it I place the floor of the well in. It's a 1/2" wide piece of brass.
