Guitar Build - Day 3

I started making adjustments to the neck today. A Les Paul neck has a 4 degree offset to the body. To achieve a neck-through design I had to cut a wedge from the neck which I will later glue onto the back. It took me about an hour to cut and chisel the wood.
Here is the body template that I made previously. This gives a good idea of what the guitar should look like later down the line.

Guitar Build - Day 2

That's right, Day 2. It has been 3 months but my guitar neck finally arrived from Doeringer Guitar. Hopefully the project can get under way again. Neck building is quite technical and I didn't trust myself to get it right on my first guitar, therefore I ordered this partially built neck. I also ordered the 2 blank mahogany blocks for the guitar body.
The neck is laminated using 5 alternating layers of maple and mahogany. The rough block is then carved to become a comfortable neck shape. A dual action truss rod was added to allow for slight adjustments to the neck curvature in both directions. In this case I opted for a rosewood fretboard. A Les Paul has a scale of 24.75 inches and Doeringer cut the fret slots accordingly. I still need to insert the fret wire, cut the headstock to the Les Paul shape, drill out the holes for the tuning machines and glue in the nut.
I have decided to attempt to build this as a neck-through design, as opposed to a set neck. With a neck through this will be a much stronger guitar. The next step will be to make some critical cuts to get these pieces to fit together into the basic guitar shape.

(Click here to link back to Day 1 of the build)

Scott & Carrie's Wedding

We're back. The blog has been quiet due to a very busy couple of weeks at work.
Well, this weekend Scott Logan & Carrie McGilvery got married. The wedding was held in the chapel at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Jen participated as a bridesmaid. The reception was also in Brunswick, at the Captain Daniel Stone Inn. Everything went smoothly and fun was had by all. After a long night of partying, Jen and I are still recovering and will need to catch up on lost sleep.
The wedding party. Jen is hidden in there somewhere Derrick & MikeThe McGilvery crewThe LogansThe mandatory Bowdoin photoMe & Adam. As you can see, I wore my Fermanagh tartan.Jen, Thom & JessJen & Adam