A Guitar Called Jack--Part 16

At this point the luthier traditionally signs and dates the soundboard before it is closed in.  Gerry graciously invited me to sign as well.  I, in turn, invited my wife, Donna to sign as well.  I also took the liberty to write a little phrase.  The feeling of watching this guitar evolve and even being involved in the process is an experience I would hope every musician gets to go through.  Thanks, boquets and hats off to Gerry Gruber and Xaver guitars.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 15

Once all the slats and go-bars are removed, you can see that the soundboard and the sides are now one.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 14

Two shots of the soundboard being installed onto the sides. Actually, you can't see the soundboard in either picture - it is on the bottom, and the mold is hiding it. The soundboard lies in the 25 foot radiused dish (which is covered with newspaper), while the sides (which have previously been profiled in the same dish) are pressed down onto the soundboard with 5 slats lying across the guitar sides and about 30 "go-bars" wedged between the slats and the workshop ceiling. Also, two big clamps are used to snug down the neck and tail blocks

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 13

A shot of the rim with all of the notches routed... see for example the channel routed on the top of the armrest block, into which one of the X-brace ends is glued. You can see this channel goes right through the side of the guitar, as the bevel that is eventually cut on the outside of the guitar and the walnut "tiles" that will cover the armrest will hide the brace end.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 12

One of the more critical aspects of ensuring a responsive soundboard is to precisely "tuck" the ends of the major braces "under" the kerfing. Here you can see notches routed into the kerfing for the X-brace and the upper-transverse brace.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 11

Here you can see that Gerry is bracing up the walls of the guitar with threaded rod rather than the wooden cauls used earlier. He switched to the threaded rod at this point in order to better see precisely where the sides of the guitar and the soundboard line up. This is critical, as it is necessary to cut back the X-brace and the upper-transverse brace to fit within the sides. It is also necessary to notch the kerfed lining to allow the brace ends to "sit" in the linings. These procedures have to be done with painstaking accuracy, as the coupling of the soundboard to the side is absolutely critical to the guitar's tone. And the alignment of the soundboard to the sides also is critical to the ultimate action. So, slow and steady wins the race....

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 10

Here we see the armrest support block (a beautiful piece of cherry which we will see as it evolves into the guitar's armrest, but once the walnut tiles are in place--this piece of wood will never again be seen), which is now beveled (on the inside of the guitar). The outside beveling occurs after the box is closed up. This inside and outside beveling removes about two-thirds of the mass of the block, ensuring that the guitar remains light and responsive.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 9

Before Gerry attaches the soundboard to the sides, he drilled holes for the two hanger lagbolts that will hold the neck to the body. He countersunk these so the washer, lockwasher, and nut would sit below the surface of the neck block. Later on, a decal will cover the front of the neck block, hiding the hardware. Finally, he also notched out the top of the neck block to provide access to the truss rod nut once the guitar box is closed up. Notice that the neckblock is shorter than the sides at the moment. The back edge of the sides will not be profiled (height reduced) until after the soundboard is attached.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 8

Here Gerry has installed the side braces. These are quarter-cut spruce, as are all the braces (light and strong). These side braces not only prevent damage to the side of the guitar and keep the sides straight, they also couple the soundboard to the back of the guitar, not unlike how a soundpost couples the two plates on a violin. Note also that the cutaway horn block has now been shaped - removing much of its mass.

 Gerry has now installed the kerfed linings on the soundboard edge of the sides as well as the armrest block (both cherry) and sanded the soundboard edge of the sides in the 25 foot radius sanding dish. Because the soundboard was also braced in the same dish, the sides will now match up perfectly to the soundboard dome.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 7

In the top photo the tail block is now glued to the two sides. This happens as one step (unlike the neck block installation, which is a bit more complicated).

Once all the clamps are removed and the glue squeeze-out is scraped away, you have the beginnings of a guitar sound box. Next steps will be to profile the horn block, removing about half of the wood from the block, and then the installation of the side braces.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 6

The top photo shows the first side that is bent over a hot pipe, and then clamped into the mold. Once in the mold, the side is reheated with a regular heat gun, and then left to cool, to refine the curve.

The middle photo shows the same process for the other side.

The bottom photo shows the first of two steps in gluing the sides to the neck block (the block of wood inside the sound box to which the neck eventually gets attached - once the finish is applied). Here the "side" of the neck block is being glued to the cutaway side of the guitar. The other guitar side is in position, but separated from the block by wax paper. Here also you can see that the horn block has been installed, reinforcing the tip of the horn of the cutaway. The outside decorative inlay doesn't get done until the sound box is completely closed up.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 5

And this, ladies and gents, is a Western Red Cedar top.  Notice the inlay around the soundhole.  That is approximately 55 walnut tiles making it match perfectly with the walnut back and sides of the guitar.  Now, believe it or not, by far my most difficult decision with this entire project was the selection of a pick-guard.  The three we see in front of us were all immediately rejected.  The thought entered my mind to go with a big, gaudy, Elvis Presley style pickguard, but then I considered that I already have a Gibson super deluxe J-200, so when I finally decided not to go with the flash, we were down to two choices.  A clear mylar pick guard which is hardly visible at all and no pick guard at all.  No pick guard at all is a serious option, but what if someone other than me is playing this guitar.  I love other players to play my guitars because I find no greater pleasure than to listen to another musician interperet the various tones and capabilities of my instruments.  Especially a fine instrument such as Gerry is about to create.  So--I opted for the clear mylar pick guard.  Stay tuned to this Blog and see how the hunks of wood that we have viewed thus far, will turn into one of the most beautiful musical instruments ever created.  Zakk Wylde--I love your Fiddle of Doom, but once you see A Guitar Called Jack, a tear will come to your eye.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 4

After about two months of pondering, the guitar I had visioned in my mind had an Engelmann spruce top.  This would be an upgrade from the more common Sitka spruce which is most popular for flat-top guitars.  Gerry showed me this top which is Western Red Cedar.  I rather had made up my mind about the Engelmann top until we tap tested several of the tops on hand in the shop.  This cedar top just rang out so I decided to change my mind and give it a try.  I just hope it is not too lively, but then again--I think I can hold back just a bit in my attack of the strings to compensate if necessary.  And to top it off, I save a few bucks by not upgrading the soundboard to the Engelmann top.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 3

Here you have it ladies and gents.  This pile of  boards will soon become "A Guitar Called Jack".  They must be bent, shaped, glued, braced and I don't know what all else, but what I do know is that they will come together and make the perfect guitar for Jack.  That's me.  I'm a lucky dude.  Where did I meet Gerry Gruber?  In church.  What more can I say.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 2

This is the back of the back of a guitar called Jack.  My friend Murray thinks it looks like someone ran over it with a tractor tire.  To my eye it is a beautiful bookmatched piece of flamed walnut.  Keep your eye on this Blog ladies and germs, because once the finish is sprayed onto this baby, the grain in this wood will virtually come alive.  As something of a guitar collector I currently own dreadnaughts, a jumbo, and a Spanish classical guitar.  I have guitars of mahogany, rosewood and maple so this fine piece will be a mini jumbo with back and sides of walnut.  I am hoping it will sound very much like Koa, but at a fraction of the cost.  I have learned so much about custom guitars in these past weeks and will be happy to pass this information on to the readers of this Blog.

A Guitar Called Jack--Part 1

 

This is the back of a guitar called Jack.  The back is solid walnut and the bracings are spruce.  Luthier Gerry Gruber will make this piece of wood into a guitar called Jack.  Gerry makes Xaver guitars, and this guitar will be a Xaver guitar, but nonetheless, an Xaver guitar called Jack.  I know this back will eventually become a guitar called Jack, because as we speak, Jack's nitrocellulose finish is drying.  It has been drying for a week now, and will dry/cure for another five weeks.  Have you ever sat and watched paint dry--for six weeks?  Well, after the first week I decided to make this Blog because, well, watching paint dry for a whole week is really a bit of a drag.  So for the next 5 weeks or so, I am hoping to make the time go a little faster by Blogging.  I have never blogged before, so if anybody actually reads this, please bare with me.