Preparing The Body Blanks

For the next round of Envirocasters, I've decided to make the bodies out of Northern Ash. Northern Ash is much harder and heavier than Swamp Ash, however, it is way cheaper and easier to come by. Also, IMO, it has better tone and longer sustain. To reduce the weight, I drilled some 1 inch diameter holes into the glueing edge about 2 inches deep. The bodies still won't be as light as a Swamp Ash version, but I'm hoping each will be around 6 lbs. After I cut out the shapes and rout the pockets, I'll put them on a scale to see where they end up. Stay tuned!

The Next Round Of Guitar Builds

I've sold out my current batch of Envirocaster guitars, so it's time to get cranking on the next round. The plan is to build 4 guitars at the same time and hopefully have them ready for sale mid summer. This will be tough to do as my freelance graphics business has me jumping and to top it off, I am training for an Ironman triathlon that will take place on June 24th in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.

The process began today with the fretboards. After cutting the blanks from a slab of Flamed Maple, I carved the radius (12") for each, cut the fret slots, trimmed the boards to shape and drilled the marker holes.

In the next day or so, I hope to pick up a 1/4" Walnut dowel to be used for the markers and some Alder for the body blanks. Building 4 guitars at the same time will be a challenge, but I should be able to do it without any problems. Stay tuned!

A Lefty Tomahawk, Just For Me!

Mexican Bocote neck with a Panamanian Rosewood fretboard and a one piece Honduran Mahogany body.

Who needs CNC!!!

I'm A Sucker For A Sexy Neck!

This one is carved out of a slab of Mexican Bocote with a Panamanian Rosewood fretboard. One coat of pure tung oil is all I will use to finish it. SWEET!

No. 16 Finished And Ready To Sell

Check out Highline Envirocaster No. 16:

Guess What? That's Right, ANOTHER JIG!!

This one is for routing the truss rod slot: