16 Archtop Build PDF

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16-Inch Archtop Guitar Kit
Building Manual
MK16EN_V102.0
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This Page Inten5onally Le& Blank
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Introduction
Thank you for the confidence that you have put in my products!
This is a kit for building a 16” hollow archtop guitar. It looks quite tradi/onal, but
there are some details that make it unusual and some among them make it easier
to build than conven/onal archtop guitars:
The neck uses a tenon-mor/se instead of a dovetail. Thus, it does not have a sepa-
rate extension as most archtop guitars have. The tenon itself is unusual too: unlike
most joints of its kind (perhaps all), this one does not need fi1ng at its le side.
The inner surface of the top has been simplified right below the braces. That allows
me to supply carved braces that fit perfectly without having to spend a lot of /me
working on their underside.
The tailpiece is a0ached to the tail block through a bolt that locks into a metal
piece embedded in the tailpiece. This eliminates the need for a tailpiece bracket.
The volume poten/ometer is disguised under the fingerboard. This is made easier
using a special ebony piece that is glued to the fingerboard and to which the pot,
in turn, is glued
The fret ends are not visible, as the fretboard has two binding strips made from
the same material as the fretboard itself.
The pickup ring is ebony; it fits the top perfectly and at the right angle. This is so-
mething hard to find even in top-class instruments.
Most parts are made using CNC technology. All the wooden pieces except the ker-
fed linings have been manufactured in my workshop in Spain. Metal parts and
electronic components are all top quality, some being imported manufactured pro-
ducts.
Please note that this kit may be slightly different from what is explained in these
instruc/ons. Also no/ce that this is not a complete kit; below, you’ll find a list of
addi/onal materials that you will need for its comple/on.
Although the materials in this kit are all high quality, we cannot guarantee that
the resul/ng instrument is, as skill levels vary. If you have already worked with
wood and take your /me following these instruc/ons precisely, you’ll end up with a
quality instrument that you’ll be proud of. Good luck!
3
4 Introduction
Check the contents of the box now. They should be as follows:
1 An arched carved top made of Spruce, Maple or some other wood.

2 Precut braces, Spruce (2)
3 A carved back made of Maple or some other hard wood
4 A set of prebent sides (2)
5 A shaped neck block made of Sapele or Khaya, which includes a mor-
5se for the neck
6 A shaped tail block made of the same wood as the neck block
7 Enough length of kerfed linings (around 110” or 2800 mm), made of
the same wood as the neck block
8 Enough length of Spruce side reinforcement strips (at least 36” or 900
mm)
9 White plas5c binding strips (2)
10 A semi machined neck, usually made of maple.
11 Peghead face veneer, quite probably made of Ebony
12 An Ebony or Rosewood fretboard, ready to be glued to the neck and
sanded
13 Strips for binding the fretboard, made of the same wood as the fret-
board (2)
14 A Stainless Steel compression truss rod, cut to size and threaded
15 A truss rod cover piece, made of maple, the same thickness as the
truss rod channel in the neck
16 Fretwire (at least 63” or 1600 mm)
17 A bag with a semi machined bridge, made of Ebony or Rosewood,
composed of a foot with its base adapted to the top and a compensa-
ted saddle. The bag also includes the posts/thumbwheels and an auxi-
liary nut
18 A semi machined Ebony or Rosewood tailpiece, with an insert for at-
taching it to the body
19 A semi machined Ebony or Rosewood pickup ring, with its base adap-
ted to the curvature of the top
20 An Ebony or Rosewood finger rest
21 An Ebony or Rosewood truss rod nut cover
22 An Ebony or Rosewood neck cap blank
23 A mold template
24 Peghead sides waste material (2)
25 A CDROM with this manual (high defini5on version)
26 Truss rod adjustment nut, barrel nut and washer
27 PTFE tape, for the truss rod
28 Screws for truss rod nut cover (2)
29 Plas5c rod for side dots
30 Pickup ring screws (4)
31 Tailpiece bolt
32 Finger rest a6achment screws (2)
Introduction 5
33 Finger rest spacer

34 Finger rest reinforcement strip
35 Blank bone nut
36 Strap holders with screws and felt spacers (2)
37 Maple veneer for shims
38 Magnets (8)
39 Cups for magnets (4)
40 Mold dowel pins (8)
41 Mold tail reinforcing cap
42 Long bolt (M8), with nuts and washers
43 Miniature Poten5ometer for gluing under the fingerboard
44 Adhesive Felt for Poten5ometer
45 Jack, wiring and connectors (3)
46 Jack reinforcing plate
47 Wiring guides (2)
48 Nylon 5e
Cannot iden5fy those parts...? You'll find photos at

www.archtopguitarkits.com/Kits/Parts16_EN.html
This kit does not contain the following:
Pickup: Most conven5onal humbuckers fit the ring supplied with the kit
and the hole in the top
Machine heads
Strings
Glue and finishing supplies
Case
You will find these parts in most lutherie suppliers; there is a very complete
list at h6p://buildyourguitar.com/resources/suppliers.htm
If you find some error in the content of the package, or if you need some
spares, please contact me at contact@archtopguitarkits.com.
Ques5ons...?
www.archtopguitarkits.com/Kits/FAQ16_EN.html
6 Introduction
Before You Start …

Control the rela5ve humidity at your workplace, which must be bet-
ween 40 and 50%.
Don’t do anything without having read carefully the instruc5ons in ad-
vance. Try to complement it with the sec5ons in the books that are re-
ferenced at the end of this manual. Previous experience with flat top
or even solid guitar kits is great.
Keep your edge tools well sharpened.
Some power tools are very dangerous if used improperly, but the
same can be said of many manual tools. Read, understand and follow
all the safety advices included with both.
Be careful with adhesives and other chemicals. Read, understand and
follow the indica5ons in the product MSDS (Material Safety Data
Sheet).
Wood dust can be a health and fire hazard. Always wear a mask, espe-
cially when sanding wood, and use extrac5on equipment.
This kit includes some powerful magnets that can be dangerous in
many different ways. Read, understand and follow the magnet han-
dling safety advices at the end of this manual.
This manual includes metric and inch measurements. I have followed
the simple default criterion that, when a measurement is men5oned, I
use the intended value (what I was aiming at) first, whatever its units.
If necessary, the transla5on to the other system follows, but no5ce
that in most cases it is an approxima5on. Feel confident to use any of
the two, as the transla5on error has been chosen to be below other
sources of error.
Step 1: Building a Body Mold
Molds are used extensively by guitar makers everywhere. They are used to effec5vely support the
sides in the right posi5on during the first stages of the building process.
When I decided to make this kit, my first worry was how to avoid the maker the pain of making a
mold. A&er giving it a lot of thought, I didn’t find how an inexperienced maker could build a guitar
like this without using one. Experienced makers could do it somehow, spot bending the difficult to
bend curly woods and working with a lot of care, but even they avoid what some call “free buil-
ding”. Yes, now you know: you will have to make a mold. However, it has some details that make it
quite simple and easy to make, without compromising its func5onality or toughness. I have tried my
best to make it one of the best molds that you can find, with details such as the magnets that will
surely be adopted by other makers in the future. And, last but not least, its construc5on may be as
much fun as the construc5on of the guitar itself.
7
8 Step 1 - Building a Body Mold
Tools and Supplies
You will need at least two power tools: a Router with a Pa6ern Bit
and a Jig Saw. The Pa6ern Bit has a bearing above the cu6ers, so
that it can follow a template, effec5vely copying it. If the cu7ng
length is not enough for the material that you are using, then you
will have to work in two or more passes but, apart from that, al-
most any commercial pa6ern bit will do.
I recommend that, if possible, you use a Drill Press instead of Por-

table and Manual Drills, but you will need these also.
I have used the following manual tools:
Cabinet Scraper
Chisels (miniature 2 mm and 12 mm)
Clamps (at least 15)
Engineer’s Square
Pain5ng Brush
Pencil, Marker
Straight Edge
Saw
And the following supplies:
Mold Template, #23

Magnets, #38
Cups for Magnets, #39
Mold Dowel Pins, #40
Tail Reinforcing Cap, #41
Long M8 Bolt, #42
Epoxy Glue
Polyurethane Varnish
Wood Glue
Waxed Paper
Sandpaper (P120)
Step 1 - Building a Body Mold 9
Procedure
The thickness of this guitar at the sides is around 66-68 mm. Wi-
thout the top and back glued, the sides and blocks (neck, tail) will
be around 10 mm less due to them having a thickness of around 5
mm each. Thus, the sides will be 56-58 mm tall. The mold must be
thinner than that, so that it can be used to glue the back (and
even the top, as we will see) to the sides while these are placed in-
side it. However, it must not be too thin, as it wouldn’t support
very well the sides and it wouldn’t work well for clamping the
blocks while they are being glued to the sides. With all this in
mind, we will make the mold around 50 mm thick. Fortunately,
there are standard thickness of MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
stock that coincide more or less in most countries, and permit to
arrive there easily: use one ¾” (or 19 mm) and two 5/8” (or 16
mm) MDF lamina5ons. If you don’t find those thicknesses, you can
use some other combina5on, even using the template itself, but
the following instruc5ons describe three-layered molds. Every-
thing will be fine if the total thickness is somewhere between 50
and 54 mm.
Standard MDF stock is a material that swells a lot when we6ed. If

you use it, you will have to protect it somehow. I suggest that you
use polyurethane varnish, as described later. You can use moisture
resistant MDF instead, but it is not as readily available as standard
MDF.
Before you start making the mold I would like to men5on that
there exist the open and closed varie5es. Open molds are formed
by two halves that are a6ached by toggle latches or a similar me-
chanism, and allow easy removal of complete glued soundboxes
(top, back and sides), if this construc5on method was used. Closed
molds cannot be disassembled and are used to glue the back (or
top) to the sides, but closing the soundbox using the mold is not
recommended, as there is no guarantee that the guitar can be ex-
tracted without suffering damage. The mold described here is a
third kind, midway between both types. It can be opened at the
tail, but not at the neck end.
Separate the two parts of the template cu7ng the tabs and smoo-
thing them with a chisel and sandpaper. Work with the outside
part, which is the real template; the inside will be used later.
A6ach the template to one of the thin (5/8” or 16 mm) MDF bo-
ards, using a few clamps. Drill the six holes in the stock as in the
template using a 5/16” (or 8 mm) pilot point drill bit; try to keep it
perfectly upright (use a drill press if possible).
Using the dowel pins instead of the clamps, trace the outline of
the template on the board.
Remove the clamps and cut it with the jig saw, following the pencil
lines, inside and outside, and leaving a li6le to be trimmed by the
router later.
Do the same for the other two boards. Eventually you will have
the three lamina5ons and the template. Don’t discard the three
central sec5ons.
I will show you several ways of rou5ng those lamina5ons to get an

accurate shape. For the first method (first and second pictures),
join the three lamina5ons, using the 8 mm dowels supplied with
the kit and, on top, the supplied template. Don’t use glue yet.
Now use the router with the pa6ern bit to copy the template to
the mold lamina5on above.
I have used clamps and a heavy chunk of wood to fix the lamina-

5ons to the table. The idea here is to use the template first and
then remove it, using each routed lamina5on as a template for the
one below it. This is a simple method, but you will have difficul5es
trying to keep the router straight, because the narrow mold walls
are not a steady base for it.
The second method fixes that problem with the stability of the
router. It involves the use of a rou5ng table where the router is
placed upside down, in this case with a Flush Trim Bit instead of a
Pa6ern Bit. I consider that a rou5ng table is not difficult to make;
you may even find commercial units that can be adapted to a
great variety of routers. If you plan to rout a binding channel for
your guitar with a minimum guarantee of success, a rou5ng table
is the easiest way to go. By the way, I was only posing for the
photo. Otherwise, my hands would be farther away from the bit!
Rou5ng tables are not available to everybody, so there is another

alterna5ve: use the central part of the template. Screw it to one or
more of the central pieces that you sawed from the boards and
you will have a wider base for rou5ng the outside curve.
Rou5ng the inside will not be possible unless you make the central
base smaller, leaving enough room for the router bit.
Whatever the method, you may cut more than one lamina5on if
the bit length permits it; if not, you may need to remove the tem-
plate and use the area that has been cut on the lamina5on above
as the new template, placing and removing lamina5ons similarly
for the central support if you use it. This is only a guide, and what
you do depends a lot on the bit dimensions and other factors.
Now that you have cut the three lamina5ons, get the middle lami-
na5on and, using a chisel, cut four recesses at the points shown.
These must allow the placement of the magnets supplied with the
kit. Their external surface must be as close as possible to the inner
surface of the mold, but not protrude above it. Warning: these
magnets are excep/onally strong and can be dangerous if your
skin is caught between them. Wear gloves and work with one
magnet at a /me, keeping the others at a safe distance. Read the
important safety rules at the end of this manual!
Magnets…??
The waist spreader in most molds is based on

a turnbuckle screw that pushes upon the
waist. While it is not difficult to make, you will
need to cut two addi5onal blocks that act as
intermediary between the screw and the
waist. There are other designs; the one shown
here, used by some makers, is elegant and
simple.
However, neither of these designs will allow

you to close the soundbox with the waist spre-
ader inside, at least in guitars with limited ac-
cess (f-holes instead of round hole, for
example). I considered that a necessity for a
guitar built by someone who cannot retouch
the sides in a bending iron. These magnets
may not be as powerful as turnbuckle screws,
but wait 5ll you see them in ac5on!
Now glue the three lamina5ons together; use wood glue (I used
Titebond), spread it well with a brush, use the dowel pins to keep
the three lamina5ons aligned except the pin at the tail end and, fi-
nally, clamp everything.
Be careful when gluing the lamina5ons, as they may slip, losing

their alignment. To avoid that, do it in two or three steps, using
gradually more clamping force. Try not to use a lot of glue to avoid
ooze-out, especially around the recesses for the magnets. If you
look at the photo you’ll see a lot of clamps; you can do this with
less, but my recommenda5on is that you have at least 15 – you’ll
need them later.
When the glue is dry, remove the clamps and check the ver5cality
of the inner walls. This is very important at the neckblok area! Co-
rrect them with a cabinet scraper, also removing the dried glue
from inside and outside.
Use a saw and a small chisel to shape the area at which the router
bit couldn’t arrive, opening a small recess for the cutaway side.
Trim the excess off the dowel pins.
Glue the supplied tail reinforcing cap.
Trim it and then apply two or three coats of polyurethane varnish

to protect the mold from water spills, as MDF swells a lot when
we6ed. Try to avoid varnishing inside the cavi5es for the magnets.
If you’re using moisture resistant MDF, you may skip this step.
We will install the magnets now. There are eight, separated by

plas5c pieces. They are magne5zed so that it’s their faces that are
North and South. While they are all in a row, write their polarity
with a permanent marker (there's a 50% probability that you get it
wrong, but it doesn't ma6er)..
All the magnets in the mold must show the same polarity outside,
N for example. Get four magnets and, working one by one, sand
their S surfaces (P120) un5l they are rough. Use a good epoxy to
glue them in the mold cavi5es, S face down. Use a plas5c straight
edge to verify that they are flush with the inner surface of the
mold.
Work now on the remaining four magnets. Again, work one by

one, sanding the N faces this 5me. Epoxy them to the four sup-
plied cups, N face down. With these precau5ons, the fragile mag-
nets may s5ll collide, but there will always be a wooden cup
between them.
Drill a 5/16” (8 mm) hole at the tail end for the M8 bolt (#42). Be
careful to make it straight, especially if you need to drill from both
sides.
Trace the center line at the neck end. Use the hole for the dowel
pin as a reference, as it is located at the center line of the instru-
ment. Mark it permanently making shallow cuts with a fine saw.
Similarly, draw the center line at the tail end, but this 5me cut the
mold along it.
Now the mold can be opened at the tail end. It is 5me to glue the
last 5/16” (8 mm) dowel pin in its hole. Apply glue to a half of it
only, so that it is glued to one of the sides of the mold. Avoid con-
tact with the other side using a piece of waxed paper or similar.
With the dowel pin glued, you’ll no5ce that both halves don’t
close completely. There is a narrow gap le& by the saw, which you
must close now. Glue the correct thickness of cardboard or wood
to one of the sides, again using waxed paper to avoid it gluing to
the other side.
A&er the glue is dry, trim the glued pieces and retouch with polyu-
rethane varnish. Finally, install the M8 long bolt with its washers
to close the mold.
Now that you have finished the mold, put the sides in it, using a
few spring clamps and the magnets. If your clamps do not have
so& jaws, use small wood pieces in between.
You can leave the sides in the mold for a long 5me, but they
should stay clamped to avoid distor5ons. No5ce that, as the tail
area is not trimmed yet, it cannot be clamped adequately: I re-
commend you to follow the order of opera5ons in this manual
and start working on the sides now.
USING THE MOLD TO FINE-BEND THE SIDES
If you find that the sides don't fit well inside the mold, leaving more
than 1/8" at some places, wet them well inside and out. Clamp them
to the mold using as many spring clamps and wood intermediaries as
you need to get a good fit without distor5ons or cupping. The wet
wood is very so& and can get impressions quite easily, so try to use
some so& material between the intermediaries and the sides. Once
dry (typically one day), work on them soon or you'll have to repeat the
procedure again.
Wet sides can damage the mold, and that's the reason why it must be
varnished. But the mold can cause damage to the sides too, the main
reason being the magnets having lost their chrome pla5ng due to colli-
sions with other magnets. The oxide in the magnet will contaminate
the sides and you will get a nasty black spot. If you see that the surface
of the magnets is chipped, cover them with tape whenever you place
wet sides in the mold.
Step 2: Preparing the Sides
The sides, as supplied, are already bent. It is not easy for a supplier to do that, because bending
curly woods is far from being a simple procedure, especially at the cutaway area. In fact, it can get
so frustra5ng that I am sure that this is one of the aspects that any archtop guitar maker with pre-
vious experience will value most for this kit.
21
22 Step 2 - Preparing the Sides
Tools and Supplies
Prepare to collect as many Miniature Spring Clamps as you can, for

gluing the kerfed linings to the sides. Some makers use clothes
pins instead, but most 5mes the spring is not enough for the job.
Some others use modified clothes pins (usually with a rubber band
wrapped around them) that seem to work fine.
You will need a Drill and some Drill Bits (see details at the Proce-
dure sec5on). Also a Chisel, Saw, Pencil, some Spring Clamps and a
good quality Machinist Square.
There are other more special tools that you'll probably need, des-
cribed in the Procedure sec5on.
You will need the following supplies:
Sides, #4
Neckblock, #5
Tailblock, #6
Kerfed linings, #7
Spruce side reinforcement strips, #8
Wax paper
Sandpaper (P80, P120, P180 and P220)
Step 2 - Preparing the Sides 23
Procedure
The first thing that you will need to do is find a good flat working
table. Place the sides inside the mold, flat on the table, and clamp
them using the magnets and some spring clamps.
Watch the gap between them at the neck area. Contrary to the tail
block, this doesn't need to be very narrow, but you can trim it any-
way following the procedure shown in the pictures, using a machi-
nist square and a block plane. You'll avoid tearing out the wood
(end grain is frail) if you start from both ends.
Note: A&er making the guitar for this kit I discovered that the neck
heel was not tall enough to cover the en5re joint between the sides at
the neckblock, unless a very thick heel cap was used. If you look at the
neck in your kit, it has a taller heel to avoid this problem.
Addi5onally, I don't want to give you a heel cap that is much thicker
than what is necessary, so, if you don't plan to bind the back, don't
make a lap joint as shown at right, because the neck cap won't cover
the end grain of the cutaway side completely. For unbound backs, use
a miter joint.
[See also page 94]
The block plane is not included in the list of tools; you may use
files, sandpaper, etc.
The neckblock can be glued without much prepara5on using Tite-

bond. You will need to sand or scrape the gluing surface at the
sides, with the purpose of cleaning the quite possibly dirty maple.
Do a dry run first!
The blocks and the sides are both made from stock 58 mm high. However,
we7ng and hea5ng the wood for bending may modify its dimensions. Addi-
5onally, there will be some tolerances that you'll surely find a&er you glue the
blocks. This is why the final thickness of the guitar at the sides may range bet-
ween 56 and 58 mm.
Use a few clamps to press the neckblock while gluing, keeping

everything flat.
While the glue sets, you can find the points at both sides where
they will meet at the tail end. Use spring clamps to adapt one of
the sides to the mold without leaving gaps, and then mark the
center point. Do the same for the other side.
Draw a line at the marks found, using a machinist square. Cut the
excess with a saw and refine it with a block plane (if not available,
use a file or sandpaper).
With the mold and sides firmly on the table, check that the joint is
at the center of the instrument and that the gap is not wider at
one of its ends, correc5ng the joint with the block plane if neces-
sary.
With the basic joint already done, you'll have to refine it in order
to make the gap as small as possible. Use sandpaper, a small hard
sanding block and a lamp behind the joint: you must not see any
light through it.
When sa5sfied, join the sides with tape.
Note: For some tapes, when the tailblock is glued to the sides the pressure
put by the clamps will cement the tape to the sides very strongly. You may da-
mage the sides if you try to remove the tape without using alcohol or ace-
tone!
Put them inside the mold using some wax paper in between. Sand
the gluing surface because, as before, the sides may be dirty.
Find the center of the tailblock and mark it with a pencil. When
you glue the block to the sides (using Titebond), keep everything
flat on the table and the center marks aligned. Do a dry run first!
No/ce that your tailblock may look different from the one shown here. With
the new design, you may use addi/onal clamps (arrows):
A&er sanding the inside of the sides (P120, P180 and P220), you'll
install the kerfed linings. There are four lengths of this material in
the kit, enough for the en5re guitar and some le&over just in case.
Some guitars have uninterrupted linings from neckblock to tail-

block. While this saves 5me at the factory, it is not an acceptable
method. Without the side reinforcement strips, the sides would
probably rip open a&er a moderate blow, ruining them. If the
strips are there, but they don't cover all the width of the sides, the
danger is s5ll present, so the best solu5on is to interrupt the lining
strips with the side reinforcement strips.
Begin cu7ng 16 lengths of 17 teeth. The rest will be approxima-

tely two lengths of 23 and two more of 20 (see diagram), but this
may vary, so wait un5l you have glued all the 17-teeth lengths.
With the supplied kerfed lining, each 17-teeth piece will be around
113 mm.
Glue the linings (Titebond), clamping them with the spring clamps.
They should be a hair above the sides. As always, remove the glue
ooze out.
Insert spruce side reinforcement strips between the lining pieces.

You must not glue them yet.
When you glue the lining at the other side, use the strip as an
alignment. As before, don't glue the reinforcement strips yet.
At areas with high curvature, (waist and cutaway), you will have to
saw the kerfings almost all the way down before gluing. Other-
wise, they will break.
Take each reinforcement strip and shape it as shown. If you use

sandpaper alone it will be easier.
Glue and clamp each strip (use Titebond). Do it with the sides in
the mold, so that the spring clamps exert enough pressure to
adapt the flat strips to the curved sides.
Glue a couple of teeth to each strip at each side.
This came as a surprise. I hadn't used magnets in molds before,

and I didn't contemplate the possibility of the magnet being right
below one of the reinforcement strips. However, it has power to
spare, and will work well even in that situa5on.
You must make a tool for sanding the excess height at the linings
and blocks. It is a long piece of wood with sanding paper (P60 or
P80), glued (I use double-sided tape) at one of its ends, as shown.
You can improve it easily using hook-and-loop fastening.
If you trace a line along the sides, you will know when to stop san-
ding.
It is not necessary that you use clamps, just the magnets. When
you are sanding at a certain area, press the side against the mold
with your free hand; that will be enough.
The blocks must be sanded carefully. If you don't do it right, you

won't get a flat gluing surface for the top and back. Also, you may
disturb the angle between that gluing surface and the sides, that
must be a right angle. If that happens, you will probably have to
make tedious correc5ons to the neck angle when you glue the
neck. To avoid that, press the neckblock and tailblock to the sides
using a clamp. This is be6er and simpler than using a turnbuckle
screw from block to block.
In ideal condi5ons, all the sanding will be limited to the blocks and linings. Ho-
wever, it is possible that you have to sand the sides, making them narrower,
due to small construc5on errors (typically, small imperfec5ons in the mold or
in the gluing of the blocks). This is not a big problem for later stages, at least if
it is not much more than, say, 2 mm. If it happens, try to keep the sides the
same width everywhere.
A&er some detail sanding, this is the way the sides look inside the
mold right before gluing the top and back:
Step 3: Preparing the Top
Tops are usually made of so&wood. This makes carving them quite easy, especially when comparing
the curly maple used for the backs. However, they are trickier to make: they have pickup and f-
holes, braces and more complex thickness gradua5ons. I have tried to simplify these tasks: the
holes are open and the braces are extremely easy to fit.
The braces deserve some more comments. The first version of this kit had "integral" braces (carved
in the top). As the strength of a brace is highest when the grain runs straight along it, they were per-
fectly parallel. However, most makers think that braces must form an angle with the direc5on of the
grain at the top; otherwise, there is an increased danger of spli7ng the top along their corners. Un-
fortunately, this rules out the integral braces. What I have done is to simplify the inner surface of
the top right below the braces, making it the same height at both sides of the brace. That way, I can
make them using a template, and they will fit perfectly without any further adjustment.
Despite these simplifica5ons, you'll s5ll have to graduate the top, but most of it will be done a&er
the soundbox is closed (see Step 7, Binding and Tuning the Soundbox).
31
32 Step 3 - Preparing the Top
Tools and Supplies
The top and back, as supplied, don't need much addi5onal car-
ving. A cabinet scraper with a curved shape is a great tool when
you don’t have a lot of wood to remove (removing the machining
marks, carving the recurve...). While the “French curve” scraper
(first picture, le&) may have some other uses, you may also use a
rectangular scraper with one or more corners ground, as the one
to the right.
You will need gouges and chisels. These are great carving tools
that can reach inside corners, for example around the gluing areas
for the neck and tail blocks. Chisels are also great for trimming the
braces to their final shape.
You’ll need clamps for gluing the braces. Steel clamps of the requi-
red throat depth are usually very heavy; it is preferable to use the
lighter wooden cam clamps.
You’ll have to sand also, manually or with an electric sander. Fi-

nally, you will need some other common tools such as a pencil and
a measuring ruler.
If you have built more archtop guitars, perhaps you have learnt to
es5mate the plate thickness with enough precision simply using
your hands. You can exercise this ability by having some wood pie-
ces of known thicknesses at hand.
The tools described below will definitely make your work easier,
but they are not necessary.
The best tool for carving tops and backs is a plane with its sole
curved (le&).
Step 3 - Preparing the Top 33
These are mainly sold for violin builders, and are available from
many lutherie suppliers. You will find them in many sizes, but the
larger planes (palm planes, le& in the picture) are unnecessary be-
cause both top and back have been rough carved already. I prefer
to use a smaller finger plane (the one to the right in the picture)
with a blade width of 12 mm.
As an alterna5ve to the method described, you may use a thick-

ness caliper for measuring the thickness of tops and backs (right).
Top, #1
Precut braces, two pieces, #2
Side reinforcement strip material (for the pickup hole), #8
Glue (Titebond)
Sandpaper (P80,P120,P180 andP220)
Procedure
Before doing anything, take your 5me studying the top. No5ce the
following:
The machine carving has been done with a square bit. This
means that you will no5ce some “stair stepping” especially
where the slope of the surface is higher.
The top has been cut approximately 1/8” (3 mm) bigger than
necessary, all around.
As supplied, the top has three different regions. The central

region has a uniform thickness of around 6.5 mm (¼”). The
other two are around 5 mm (3/16”). There are two smoother
regions at both sides of the central region, about 8 mm
(5/16") wide, clearly visible in the picture. Those are the sur-
faces where the braces must be glued.
The size and outline of the f-holes is quite tradi5onal. You

may enlarge them either to change the overall shape or to
make more room if you want to install bindings. These holes
follow the tradi5onal rule that locates the bridge approxima-
tely between their inner 5ps. When we men5on the bridge
area (and we’ll do it a few 5mes), you will be able to locate it
easily if you remember this rule.
There is a par5ally finished aperture for the neck tenon. It is

undersized: 1.5 mm (around 1/16”) smaller than it should be,
all around. You can compare its size now with the size of the
cavity in the neckblock, which has the right final dimension.
The inside of the top has been machined using an upcut bit. This
means that the edge of all the ver5cal surfaces will surely need a
li6le cleaning of the dangling fibers. Use a piece of sandpaper
(P120) everywhere that you see them; forget the areas that show
a lot of stair stepping, as they will be smoothed soon using other
methods. Be careful not to remove more than necessary, and
don't sand on the surfaces where the braces will be glued.
For all that follows, it is advisable to trace the outline of the guitar
at the top plate, inside. This can be done easily measuring 441
mm (17 23/64”) from the end of the aperture for the neck tenon:
This distance will be measured with the top as supplied, i.e., with
the undersized aperture for the tenon.
Once the end point of the guitar at the tail has been found, all
that remains is to use the mold to trace the outline.
Fine tuning the top has to do with giving it enough structural s5ff-
ness and a long life free from deforma5ons, while at the same
5me giving good tone and volume.
If you choose not to modify the gradua5ons that will be great for
electric instruments, but you will definitely get a be6er acous5c
tone (and even its electric counterpart) if you modify some of
them. In par5cular, the area right behind the bridge is thicker than
necessary. I could have made it thinner but then, if you decided to
start an X-bracing design of your own, that area would probably
be weak.
Removing the wood from that area is easy with a chisel, as shown.
If available, use a finger plane.
Very important: for all the opera/ons that follow, don't remove
any wood from the smooth areas to the sides of the central region,
where the braces will be glued later. You will need to carve quite
close to them now; I recommend that you mark with a cu6er first
and then cut with the chisel, as shown.
When you work at the tail end, don't carve beyond the last CNC
machining mark.
The final gradua5ons in this area will be as shown here:
There is an area of 5 mm or a li6le more (“5+” in the picture),

then a transi5on area and finally an area of around 6.5 mm. These
are inner gradua5ons; the final tuning will be done later, when the
soundbox is closed.
Remove the stair stepping from everywhere inside the top. Here I
am doing it with a finger plane, but you may use many other
things, electric sanders being a valid alterna5ve if you are good at
controlling them.
Don’t remove more wood than necessary. Also, it is very impor-

tant that you work at a safe distance from the edge of the instru-
ment to avoid modifying the flat area that will be glued to the
sides.
Again, use gouges and chisels for reaching near the base of the
braces (be careful) and around the neck block gluing area.
If you are new to carving wood, you will discover that grain direc-
5on may guide the tool if the shavings are too thick, or if your
tools are dull. Tear-out as shown at le& can be avoided simply by
changing the carving angle or by adjus5ng the tool for a thinner
shaving. I suppose that your tool is sharp as a razor – is it?
No5ce that we haven’t thinned the top ahead of the bridge. I have
found that this raises a li6le the feedback threshold but, if you
don’t care, thin the area similarly to what you have done behind
the bridge.
If you do this, you should leave a round area below the bridge, extending
about 50 mm (2”) to both ends, where the top must be around 6.5 mm thick.
Don’t be afraid for the edge of the pickup hole being too fragile at 5 mm (or
less a&er thinning the outside): we will glue a small transverse brace there.
Next we will glue the braces. As men5oned, they are ready for
gluing. The brace to the right (corresponding to the non-cutaway
side) is marked "2". The other brace (cutaway side) is shorter and
it is marked "1".
Check that there are no gaps at any point along the en5re length
of the brace. Where there are faint machining marks, remove
them very carefully, using sandpaper or, preferably, a razor blade.
Glue them, one at a 5me. As always, clean the ooze out.
I have used four small and four large cam clamps. It can be done
with less, however. The braces tend to slip out of place when
clamped. To avoid this, press them in place by hand before clam-
ping, and don’t apply full clamping pressure at first. Use whatever
clamps you have available, but try not to use heavy clamps that
may harm or even break the top.
A&er the glue has dried, begin removing wood from the top of the
braces with a chisel.
The central area of the top must be s5ff from neck to tail. You can
check it by pu7ng pressure with your thumbs, using the mold as a
support.
You will feel that the bridge area deforms more under the same
pressure, the main reason being that it is at the center of the top.
Carve the braces so thatyou can feel more or less the same s5ff-
ness at the bridge and near the end of the braces at the tail area,
where I am pressing in the picture. That means that the tail end of
the braces will have to be thinner. How much thinner is a subjec-
5ve ques5on, but this picture will let you judge how the braces
should look a&er this ini5al carving:
The highest point is at the bridge area, where their tops should be
at a height of around 18 mm (11/16") above the surface of the
top.
Beam theory shows that the deflec5on of a beam of rectangular

sec5on is inversely propor5onal to its width and to the cube of its
thickness. Thus thick (tall) braces are great at suppor5ng the pres-
sure from the bridge with li6le weight. Our braces are tall already,
so we will shape them removing material from their tops, giving
them a somewhat parabolic sec5on:
You may want to remove some more wood making the braces
lower. That's correct; in fact, if you have followed my recommne-
da5ons you must have an ample safety margin.
Sand the braces and the rest of the top (P80, P120, P180 and
P220). If you use an electric sander, like I'm doing here, be careful
with the f-holes. Almost all sanders are too big for the central sec-
5on between the braces, so you'll have to hand sand there.
Glue a piece of the same material that you used for the side rein-
forcement strips (spruce) to reinforce the pickup end grain. It
must go between the braces:
If you have used an electric sander, sand the top manually (P220)
following the direc5on of the grain. Electric sanders usually leave
very small spiral marks, but even if they are invisible inside the
closed soundbox, a smooth surface is great at avoiding the dust
s/cking to it.
There is a situa5on when sanding marks inside the soundbox may become vi-
sible, and it is a&er you seal it with shellac (we won't do this). Some makers
favor this prac5ce because it slows the exchange of humidity with the envi-
ronment.
Note that the contour line has disappeared in many places a&er
sanding. You may trace it again, but only if you know posi/vely
that you are going to install binding at the top/sides joint. Other-
wise, be extremely cau5ous with the pencil: when you glue the
top to the sides, it will make the joint much more visible.
Step 4: Preparing the Back
The techniques and tools that you have used for the top will also work for the back. Being quite
close to the final gradua5ons, it will not be difficult to carve it in spite of curly maple being so tem-
peramental.
43
44 Step 4 - Preparing the Back
The back (#3) should be carved to a uniform thickness of around 5

mm (3/16”). Currently, it is around 6.5 mm (1/4"). Being hard
wood, not braced, not having to stand a lot of stress and being
very important for shaping the tone of archtops, we'll carve it
more flexible. You'll have to remove wood from all areas, but be
careful with the gluing surfaces for the sides/blocks. Thus, the first
thing to do will be to protect those areas from your tools.
To trace the outline of the guitar on the back, take the line where
its two halves join as the reference. For the sides, their mid point
at the tail end is evident, but at the neck end you'll have to mea-
sure 27.5 mm (1.08") from the wall of the cutaway:
(Note: You can use the mid line at the mold instead)
The first photo shows how to mark the sides with that measure-
ment, using a machinist square. With all those references, and
using the sides already assembled inside the mold, trace the ou-
tline of the tailblock and neckblock, as in the second photo. Never
carve beyond the lines or too close to the edge of the instrument
(third photo).
Curly maple is much easier to work if your tool goes across the
grain. In case of trouble, change direc5on. Here I am using a finger
plane, but you can use gouges instead.
Step 4 - Preparing the Back 45
Near the tailblock you will have to remove more wood, crea5ng an
abrupt transi5on.
Near the neck end, round the corner of the ver5cal wall at the
neckblock transi5on.
Work with a gouge at the abrupt transi5ons near the neckblock.

46 Step 4 - Preparing the Back
This is the aspect of the area near the neckblock a&er carving it.
Here you can see the carved back, right before sanding. Its thick-
ness is more or less constant, around 5mm (3/16") everywhere.
The flame is more evident now.
Sand the back, using P80 or rougher and then going up to 220. You
may use an electric sander, but the last step should be done ma-
nually, following the direc5on of the grain. Electric sanders usually
leave very small spiral marks, but even if they are invisible inside
the closed soundbox, a smooth surface is great at avoiding the
dust s/cking to it.
There is a situa5on when sanding marks inside the soundbox may become vi-
sible, and it is a&er you seal it with shellac (we won't do this). Some makers
favor this prac5ce because it slows the exchange of humidity with the environ-
ment.
Step 4 - Preparing the Back 47
This is the back a&er the final sanding:
The flame is less evident now, but it will jump again a&er the finish
is applied.
Note that the contour line has disappeared in many places a&er
sanding. You may trace it again, but only if you know posi/vely
that you are going to install binding at the back/sides joint. Other-
wise, be extremely cau5ous with the pencil: when you glue the
back to the sides, it will make the joint much more visible.
48
Step 5: Preparing the Neck
Probably this is the part that will take more 5me and effort from you. Necks have a lot of parts, and
must be built under very low tolerances. Despite the many steps, you will not face difficult pro-
blems if, as always, you don't rush things and read everything very well before grasping a tool.
49
50 Step 5 - Preparing the Neck
Tools and Supplies
A Cabinet Scraper is the best tool for removing the carving marks
le& by the CNC machine.
You will need Chisels, Gouges, some conven5onal Clamps and a

few Spring Clamps.
A Coping Saw and Files are the tools recommended for cu7ng
what remains of the shape of the peghead.
You will need some small Drill Bits (read the Procedure sec5on for
details) to use with a Hand Drill. A Center Punch made of harde-
ned steel is the best tool for a6aching the barrel nut to the truss
rod.
Adhesive Tape works fine for holding the bindings in place while
the glue dries. You may use strong tape (filament tape, for exam-
ple), especially if you are going to need it also for gluing the body
bindings. However, I will explain here the method that works bet-
ter for the wooden neck bindings, for which you will need a few
meters of Cord.
Cleaning the slots a&er the neck bindings are glued is a must. You
may use a Fret Slot Cleaning Tool, available from some lutherie
suppliers or make your own.
Some opera5ons (for example, fre7ng) will require addi5onal

tools – please read the Procedure sec5on below.
Neck, #10
Headplate, #11
Fretboard, #12
Ebony binding strips, #13
Truss rod, complete, #14 and #26
Truss rod cover, #15
Plas5c rod for side dots, #29
Nut blank, #35
Fretwire, #16
Peghead sides waste, #24
PTFE tape, #27
Wood glue (Titebond, regular and for dark wood)
Toothpicks
Step 5 - Preparing the Neck 51
Cord, 8 meters/yards
Sandpaper (P80, P120, P180, P220, P360, P600, P800, P1200)
Procedure
Before doing anything, take your 5me studying the neck. It is

made of three main lamina5ons, that become five at the peghead.
As other parts that you have seen before, it shows stair stepping.
The picture also shows that the CNC machine didn't finish the peg-
head transi5on completely.
The top of the peghead, where the maker usually writes his name,
has not been cut. This is because the design of the peghead is
usually one of the signatures of the maker. There are many de-
signs for which the holes are not where I have drilled them, but I
decided to drill them anyway, as it is a process that can go wrong
quite easily.
No5ce the channel for the truss rod. Its bo6om is semicircular, but
it has the same depth everywhere. At the heel end there is a hole
for the barrel nut. No5ce also that the area right below the nut
has two parallel pencil marks. They represent the two faces of the
nut, i.e., the beginning of the peghead and the beginning of the
fretboard.
The CNC machine could not remove all the wood from the tenon,
due to the radius of the cu6er.
Our first task will be to install the truss rod. Measure 1/2” (13
mm) from the beginning of the peghead (the vertex of its angle)
to the beginning of the access cavity; draw two lines (the sides of
the cavity) at a distance of 7/16” (11 mm).
Clamp the peghead, not the neck: with the truss rod channel
empty, it can break easily. The kits include the two waste pieces
that were cut from the sides of the peghead so that you can use a
conven5onal vise, as shown in the picture.
With a narrow chisel and a hammer, cut the ver5cal wall at the
beginning of the cavity. Be very careful: it must be normal (per-
pendicular) to the surface where the fretboard will be glued, not
to the peghead.
Use a gouge to open the rest of the cavity. This opera5on and the
previous one must be done in several steps, each one deeper.
To check that you have reached the right depth, screw the brass
nut to the rod (to the side with a longer threaded sec5on), put it
in place and try to turn the nut with the supplied wrench; It must
be possible to insert and turn it, but try to remove the minimum
amount of wood.
Remove the brass nut and screw the barrel nut to the end of the
rod with the shortest length of threads. Check that the access at
the other end, brass nut and washer, is correct; when you are sa-
5sfied, peen the barrel nut to the rod using a hardened steel cen-
ter punch and a heavy hammer. Do it at both sides of the barrel
nut.
Wrap the rod in PTFE tape and insert it inside the channel.
Note: Although the truss rod has 10-32 threads at its ends, it has been made
from 5 mm instead of 3/16" (4.8 mm) rod. Anyway, as the width of the chan-
nel is a hair above 5 mm, you won't probably find problems inser5ng the rod
with the tape in it. If you do, file lightly each side of the rod.
Cut the cover to size, glue it above the rod (Titebond) and press it
with three or four clamps. Do the same for that sec5on of the
channel that doesn't have a rod below; for this, shape the base of
the wood cover with some sandpaper un5l it has a semicircular
sec5on (the bo6om of the channel is round)
Don't throw away the cover le over. We will use it later.

Once the glue gas dried, use a wide chisel and then a cabinet scra-
per to remove the truss rod cover excess.
Center the fretboard and place it above the pencil mark. This is
because the finished nut, ini5ally 5 mm thick, will be a li6le thin-
ner in the end due to sanding and polishing. Ideally, the nut
should fit perfectly inside its channel; this is one of the places
where guitar making needs all your precision, so take your 5me
posi5oning the fretboard prior to gluing it. Hold it with strong
spring clamps.
Check the alignment once more, and then drill two holes at the
first and last fret. They must have a diameter a hair below the dia-
meter of a toothpick (I use a 2 mm bit – not all toothpicks are
equal, not even inside the same box, but they use to be a li6le
more than that).
Remove the fretboard and insert a length of toothpick inside each

hole. The fretboard should align perfectly now with just the two
toothpick guides and without the spring clamps.
The main problem to avoid when gluing the fretboard is neck dis-
tor5on. As the gluing surface is large, you will have to use a lot of
clamps. These are usually heavy, so it is common that the neck is
under stress while the glue dries. A part of the problem can be at-
tributed to the water in the glue (Titebond in this case), but that
must be a much less important factor. In my experience, the best
way to avoid this problem is to let the neck rest on its side while
the glue sets, using iden5cal clamps placed to the same side.
Try to 5ghten the clamps progressively, in several passes, as the

glue makes everything much more slippery, even with the tooth-
picks.
Clean the glue ooze out. Use a wet piece of cloth and then a chi-
sel. Do it very well while wet and a&er it has dried: the binding
must sit on flat and clean surfaces.
Check the two ebony binding strips. One of their sides is flat (the
narrow sides, the ones that should be glued to the neck, not to
the fretboard); the other may or may not be, so beware. They
must be taller than the edge of the fretboard, but not much more
than 1 mm. Scrape them if necessary.
Apply glue to the binding (use preferably Titebond for dark

woods, or add two drops of black water dye to some of your regu-
lar Titebond) and use a length of cord (8 meters/yards should be
more than enough) to clamp the bindings in place, applying a firm
constant pressure.
Don't use adhesive tape here: the cord is much simpler and it
works much be6er.
While the glue is s5ll wet, you can clean some or all the slots with
a small tool that you may find at some lutherie suppliers or at
some hobby shops, or even make yourself (as I did). If you are ca-
reful placing the cord over the frets, you will be able to clean
them all.
A&er the glue is dry, remove the cord and clean the slots again if
necessary.
Before sanding the fretboard, check its straightness with a straigh-

tedge and correct if necessary with a cabinet scraper or sandpa-
per (P80 or P120). Then sand the en5re fretboard surface un5l
you cannot see any router marks. You may use a radiused sanding
block (12" curvature radius) or a straight wooden block; avoid
using any so backing.
Always watch the ends of the fretboard at the first and last frets: it
is easy to sand them more than necessary. If that happened, it
wouldn't be very no5ceable now, but it surely would show up
a&er the fretboard surface was polished.
Sand the sides of the fretboard so that the transi5on between the
fretboard and the main body of the neck is smooth. With a pencil,
draw a line along it and locate the center of frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 15, 17
and 19. These must be marked with single side dots. Fret #12
must be marked with a double dot.
Drill the holes (hand drill!) at the points marked, using a 1/16”
(1.5 mm) bit at a depth of around 3 mm (1/8”).
Use superglue for gluing enough length of the white plas5c rod.
A&er the glue sets, file them even with the fretboard surface.
Now you will sand and true the bone for the nut. This is the first
step for preparing the gluing of the headplate. The bone is pro-
bably rough now, but it will shine if you sand it following the gra-
des: P220, P360, P600, P800, and P1200. Wrap some tape around
your fingers to aid holding it against the sandpaper; always try to
keep its faces well squared.
Chisel out the ends of the binding strips at the nut.

Sand one of the face-grain edges of the headplate on a flat table

un5l you get the same angle as the peghead. This is important, as
you won't make any further adjustments to the nut channel. The
two faces of the nut should fully contact the end of the fretboard
and the end of the faceplate.
Hold everything with strong spring clamps and drill two holes (2
mm). There will be one near the nut; the loca5on of the other
hole depends on your design for the headstock, but you cannot be
very wrong if you place it at the upper corner, as shown. Use to-
othpicks as you did when you glued the fretboard.
Note: Most commercial headplates have a width of 3½”. This is not enough for
most archtop headstocks, that are a li6le wider, so many makers need to “cut
and paste” peghead material. I have enough stock of 4” wide peghead vene-
ers, and that's what I will supply with the kit.
Before gluing the headplate it is advisable to open the access hole

for the truss rod nut in it. You can do it a&er it is glued, but the
wood may get damaged especially where you have to cut along
face grain. I have an easy method for which you will need just a lit-
tle white paint, that you will apply to the corners of the hole, as
shown.
Plug the veneer into the guiding toothpicks and you will have the
reference of where to cut.
Drill some holes and then work with files and chisels un5l you get
the access right.
Now you can glue the headplate, using Titebond. Use a flat block
above it to even up the clamping pressure (some MDF le&over
from the mold...?). Don't clamp too strong or you may break the
peghead; it is be6er to use many clamps with a moderate pres-
sure at each one. You don't want a lot of glue inside the tuner
holes or the truss rod access cavity: use as li6le as possible and, as
always, clean the ooze out.
Now it is 5me to decide your headstock design. It is not easy to

find something really new that doesn't look odd. You have an ob-
vious size limita5on, but there are other concerns; for example, if
you are going to use the same design in the future, think very well
how you will manage to rout the peghead binding channels. Also,
study how you will rout the peghead shape using a template; per-
haps it will not be possible if there are, for example, 5ght curves.
In the end, if you don't want to spend a lot of 5me working on the
peghead, you will arrive at some simple designs, most of which
have been used already. If that's your decision, I suggest that you
try to refine their propor5ons un5l you make them more personal.
For this guitar, I have chosen a very simple design; if you want to
use it as it is or modify it somehow, you may download it here:
www.archtopguitarkits.com/Kits/Peghead_16i.jpg
The real dimensions of the rectangle that encloses the drawing

are 140x230 mm.
We'll cut the peghead shape with a coping saw and then refine it
with files and sandpaper. If you print the peghead shape, cut it
and then glue it to the back of the peghead, it will be easier.
I am sure that you will prefer to use some kind of sanding drum
instead of doing it all by hand.
A&er that, use coping saw, chisel, cabinet scraper and sandpaper
to trim the ebony headplate to the peghead shape.
In the future, if you decide to use the same peghead design, you may want to
use a router with a template. Unfortunately (for this opera5on), I have cut al-
most the en5re peghead shape, and this makes it much more probable that
you get chipping problems where the bit exits the wood. To avoid that, you
may use a spiral bit and a rou5ng guide (these bits are too thin for using them
with bearings). Or, if you use a pa6ern bit, remove as much wood as possible
at the end of the peghead where the bit exits the wood.
Next, drill the tuner holes for the headplate, preferably using a
drill press (10 mm bit). It is very important that you use a backing
for the peghead and press firmly to avoid chipping the ebony. If
you want to reduce even more that danger, don't rely on your
own strength alone: use some kind of clamping between the peg-
head and the backing.
Saw off the end of the neck and refine it with sandpaper using a
hard sanding block.
Now you will have to cut the corners at the tenon that the CNC
machine couldn't finish (there are three). Use a chisel and a mallet
and remove the wood gradually as shown in the first two photos.
This is the tenon a&er cu7ng the three corners.
Finally, smooth the end corners to around a 1/4” (6.5 mm) curva-
ture radius.
Before installing the frets, we'll sand and polish the fretboard.
Many makers will polish it a&er the frets are installed, probably
because they use some kind of glue for the frets that will mess up
the polished wood. I don't use any glue, and I've never had any
fret li&ing problems, but you may do as you like: there are many
good sources on the subject of fre7ng and there is not a best me-
thod yet.
The fretboard should be already sanded to P80 or P120. Go gra-

dually through the sandpaper grades un5l you arrive at P1200, al-
ways using a hard sanding block. Watch the ends of the fretboard
at the first and last frets: it is easy to sand them more than neces-
sary. Finally, polish it to give it a high luster. I use a small co6on
buffing wheel on the drill press, without any polishing compound.
You may use some kind of wool pad and work manually or even
Micromesh to get the same result.
Clean the fret slots again; compressed air is great, but you can do
it with a brush. The finished fretboard, right before installing the
frets, should look like the picture.
The fretwire in the kit is already curved to match the curved fret-
board surface. In fact, it is curved more than necessary, because
that helps the fret ends to seat be6er. Cut each individual fret so
that you have an excess of around 5 mm (3/16”) at both sides.
The fret ends must fit over the bindings, so you must remove a
small length of the tangs there; there is a great tool for this at
Stewmac, shown at le&. If you don't have one, you can s5ll trim
the tangs with a file.
I like to use a file anyway to remove the small burr le& by the tool.
Try to keep as much length of tang as possible, but not so much

that the binding may break or unglue when the fret is seated. This
is correct.
The most conven5onal tool to seat the frets is a nylon or brass

hammer. Hand press the fret at its posi5on and then pound it with
a few sharp blows, working from the center to both edges. There
must be a wooden block below the pounding area. Work on a
sturdy table, preferably right above one of its legs.
For each fret installed, bend down a li6le its ends with the ham-
mer. This will definitely avoid any end gap between the fret and
the fretboard. Don't over bend: the moment that the fret starts to
bend, you know that it has bi6en the fretboard. Finally, cut the ex-
cess using the end nippers.
If you find problems using the hammer (I don't think so) there are
other alterna5ves (fret presses) at affordable prices.
A&er all the frets are installed, file their ends with a long metal
file. Do it at a slight angle.
Wri5ng your name on the headstock should be the next step. This
can be done in many ways; I use mostly inlaid mother-of-pearl,
CNC cut.
I did that manually in the past; I used (s5ll use) 1.5 mm thick pearl,
and cut it with a jeweler's saw. Then I traced the contour of the
sawn pieces on the headstock and used a small bit in a small rou-
ter (Dremel) to open the cavity. Finally, I glued the pearl in the ca-
vity with a glue capable of filling the voids (I s5ll prefer pigmented
superglue instead of epoxy). I agree that this is an incomplete des-
crip5on: whatever I could say in a reasonable amount of space
would be incomplete, and you would like to consult other sources
anyway. S5ll, if you don't feel confident, you may use a white-ink
pen for signing the headstock – if you do it well, it can be very at-
trac5ve.
The cabinet scraper is the best tool for removing the CNC machi-
ning marks. When you don't see them anymore, sand the neck
with P120, P180 and P220.
Use a half-round file for shaping the small area at the peghead
that the router could not reach.
A&er all these opera5ons, this is the way the neck should look:
Step 6: Main Assembly
By Main Assembly, I mean closing the soundbox. It is not uncommon to have some problems a&er
doing this; typically, irregular or not quite ver5cal sides. Hopefully the mold design, with its unusual
magnets, will help you avoid these problems.
69
70 Step 6 - Main Assembly
Tools and Supplies
Archtop guitars are difficult to assemble because of the arching it-

self. You'll need to make a flat base like this, using MDF:
No5ce that it is a li6le bigger than the outline of the guitar. I re-
commend that you make it without a cutaway, as shown. The legs
(the three rectangles inside it) raise the plate about 2 inches (50
mm).
My main flat base has a cutaway, but it would be be6er without it.
It can be used for guitars up to 18 inches. Instead of three it has
two legs, glued and screwed, but is equivalent to what I have ex-
plained.
Step 6 - Main Assembly 71
I used a different flat base for the photos that follow, shown at
right. Despite the holes, it is the same idea.
Apart from that, you must also have four wooden blocks to be
used as legs to raise the mold around 2 inches (50 mm).
You will need as many clamps as you have (plus two more), a ma-
chinist square, a calibrated ruler and a pencil. Also chisels, cabinet
scraper and saws, as always.
Wiring guides, #47

Jack, #45, and Jack reinforcing plate, #46
Back, top and sides
Glue
Thread
Adhesive tape
Procedure
The width of the neck where it joins the soundbox (14th fret) is 55
mm. Thus, its mid line is at 27.5 mm (1.08") from the wall of the
cutaway, as it was men5oned when we carved the back plate.
Trace it, if not already traced, using a machinist square.
Place the flat plate on the table, and then the mold with the sides
inside. Place the magnets and a wooden s5ck of 389 mm (15.31")
to press the end blocks apart.
Align the back using the line that you have traced and the middle
lines of the sides and back at both ends. Watch the inside o&en,
especially if you have carved the back very close to the end blocks.
When sa5sfied, clamp the back temporarily.
Glue a few stop pieces like these around the back, using super-
glue.
For gluing them, I use a base (a cabinet scraper) with which I push
the pieces up against the back; on top of the scraper there is a
small wooden s5ck that I use to push them against the side. Be ca-
reful to glue the pieces only to the back.
This is the back with the glued stop pieces.
Now you can glue the back (Titebond). Use glue very sparingly, to
avoid excessive ooze out.
If you use small wooden blocks under the clamps, you won't need
as many. I have used a con5nuous block around the contour of the
back, that is faster to set than individual lengths. It is more diffi-
cult to make, however.
No5ce that there are a couple of clamps out of the con5nuous

block, pressing directly upon the back. These are necessary to
guarantee good gluing pressure at the neckblock and tailblock
areas.
When the glue is dry, extract the sides from the mold and clean
the glue excess with a chisel. If the amount of glue was right, you
shouldn't clean much more than what's shown in the picture.
Learn as much as you can now: when you glue the top, you won't
be able to clean the excess.
A&er removing the stop pieces you'll have to trim the overhang
from the back plate. If you don't have a rou/ng table or a similar
jig, then I recommend that you remove the overhang using manual
tools.
Don't leave this step for later: if you do, you will not be able to re-
move the soundbox from the mold a er gluing the top!
A rou5ng table has a router below, with its bit protruding through
it. The soundbox is kept parallel to the table by means of three
"legs" (modified spool clamps) that can be adjusted to any sound-
box depth. They keep the guitar above the table at a height a li6le
higher than the maximum arching of the plates.
I use a long Flush Trim bit (bearing above the cu6ers). It cuts the
overhang fast and cleanly.
If you use a rou5ng table, you will have to take into account two
very important things.
The first is safety: the bit is exposed, so take every conceivable pre-
cau/on, including a hood for it (that I don't use, but I should).
The second is tear-out. As you know, hand held routers must be

fed against the piece ("conven5onal cu7ng"). This is safe for you,
but not as much for the piece, that may suffer tear-out. The sim-
plest way to avoid this is to not let the bit reach full depth at first
at the problem areas, while s/ll keeping the conven/onal cu1ng
direc/on. Don't use old/bad quality bits either.
This may not always avoid tear-out, especially with spruce tops,
that show li6le cohesion parallel to the grain. It will be more effec-
5ve if you manually remove as much wood as you can from the
areas marked "!":
The diagram represents the guitar on the rou5ng table, as seen

from above while rou5ng the back. No5ce that he rota5on of the
bit is an5clockwise, as corresponds to a router that is upside
down.
If you want to avoid any possibility of tear-out, follow the feed di-
rec5ons given by the arrows. Rout first the "!" (climb cu7ng)
areas, but be extremely alert and prudent: climb cu1ng is not safe
for the operator. If you feel uncomfortable doing this, try the al-
terna5ves explained above; at least, I don't think that you have
problems now with the maple back.
Glue the wiring guides at the places shown, using superglue. Pass
a thread through them and 5e and tape the end securely near the
pickup area. This thread will be used to pass the wiring through
the guides; if you don't tape it well, it may become extremely dan-
gerous if caught while rou5ng the binding or buffing the finish.
Shape and glue (Titebond) the jack reinforcement plate. No5ce

that it is a laminate of two veneers with their grains at right an-
gles. Glue it so that the grains of the three lamina5ons involved
(the side and the two lamina5ons of the plate) alternate direc-
5ons. Drill a hole in it for the jack. Don't use a bit of the final dia-
meter; instead, use a smaller bit and finish the hole with a circular
file or a reamer.
Preparing the top for gluing will be a li6le more complicated. The
first thing to do will be to measure the length of the neck exten-
sion. It must be around 91 mm (3.58"), but it may vary, perhaps
because you sanded the neck end differently.
Draw the mid lines inside the neckblock and at the edge of the
top, as shown.
Align the midlines at both ends of the instrument and adjust the
distance from the edge of the pickup hole to the outer surface of
the sides. It should be the length of the extension that we found
plus 5 mm (3/16"). In this case, around 96 mm.
Glue a stop piece, as we did before for the back, to freeze the co-
rrect loca5on of the top rela5ve to the sides.
Make a stack as you did for the back, but this 5me don't use the
flat base. Instead, put some wooden blocks under the mold so
that the back doesn't touch the table. Insert the sides in the mold
again, with the magnets.
Align the top again and glue the stop pieces around it, as you did
for the back. Before closing the box, be sure to sign the top and/or
glue a label to the back (usually visible through the bass-side f-
hole).
The magnets must be in place, but this 5me don't use the wooden
s5ck from block to block.
Glue the top the same way as the back. This 5me you don't have a
flat base below, so you´ll have to find a way of not marring the
back, especially with the two clamps that press directly on the
soundbox. No5ce that I have used again the "con5nuous block".
When the glue has dried, remove the clamps and the end bolt of
the mold. A&er that, you will be able to extract the soundbox
quite easily. Recover the magnets through the f-holes.
Follow the direc5ons given above for rou5ng the plate overhang,
now for the top. This is the new feed diagram:
It is very important that the sides are true. Work with a scraper
and sandpaper un5l you feel (touch them with your eyes closed)
that they are smooth and regular.
Remove the side wood at the body mor5se. Be very careful with
the edges of the top, especially at the bass side. Remove also the
excess at the cutaway side. Finally, use the rou5ng table to re-
move the top overhang inside the mor5se.
Use a fine-toothed file to finish the cut areas.
If you join the neck now (don't insert it fully though), you'll see a
guitar emerge for the first 5me. No5ce that the tenon is slightly
narrower than necessary, so you'll probably need to shim it.
80
Step 7: Binding & Tuning the Soundbox
Far from being a purely cosme5c add-on, the binding has a purpose protec5ng the edge of the
soundbox from small dents. This is more probable if the top, as usual, is made of a so& wood such
as spruce. Unfortunately, binding a guitar is not easy, even less an archtop.
Tuning the soundbox is one of the most ethereal steps at making a guitar. You'll find makers favoring
a lot of different techniques, leading to different final gradua5ons. Each one has a concept of how a
carved plate should be and work and, given the great results of so many personal approaches, I
don't believe that there is a magical "best" method for this.
81
82 Step 7 - Binding and Tuning the Soundbox
Tools and Supplies
Opening a channel for the binding in an archtop guitar is more dif-

ficult due to the greater arching of the plates. There are several
methods for doing this correctly, usually involving the use of a rou-
ter that slides on a ver5cal support while the guitar is kept hori-
zontal by means of some kind of adjustable carriage. These
machines are quite popular now, and you may purchase one of
them at some lutherie suppliers. However, you can use a rou5ng
table with similar results, provided that it is big enough for the job.
Addi5onally, you may use it for other tasks, as explained in the
previous chapters.
As for the cu6er, you'll see me use the one from Luthier's Mercan-
5le, which comes with many different bearings (Stewmac sells a si-
milar one) . If you are going to rout just the top and back of this
guitar, there is a simpler solu5on using a ½” flush trim bit, for
example the CMT 806.128.11. It has a diameter of 1/2" and a cut-
5ng length of 1/2". If you replace its bearing (3/16" inner diame-
ter, 1/2" outer) with one of 3/16" ID and 3/8" OD, you'll rout a
1/16" channel which is perfect for the 0.060" binding that I supply
with the kit. Small diameter bits like this are great for this, as they
limit the damage if you don't keep the guitar horizontal above the
table (see the following sec5on).
Inch bits are harder to find in some countries. If you have problems, you may
use the CMT metric bit 906.190.11 instead, subs5tu5ng its 19mm OD bearing
for a 16 mm OD with similar results.
Apart from this, you will need chisels, sandpaper, cabinet scrapers
and a small finger plane in case you have one. Nothing new at this
phase of the project.
Binding, #9
Closed soundbox
Glue (read the discussion below)
Tape
At the end of this sec5on you will find the procedure for drilling
the hole for a6aching the tailpiece bolt. The necessary tools and
supplies are explained there.
Step 7 - Binding & Tuning the Soundbox 83
Procedure
As I said before, I use the Binding Cu6er/Bearing kit from Luthier's

Mercan5le, using the correct bearing for the supplied binding: the
kit, unless noted, has .060" (1.5 mm) thick binding.
The guitar is kept horizontal above the table using the same sup-
ports("legs") that we used for rou5ng the top and back overhang,
except that here we will use only two. The third support will be
the ring that surrounds the router bit. Obviously, you will have to
move the legs as you progress rou5ng the contour. Do it so that
the surface of the triangle defined by the two legs plus the ring is
as big as possible.
The cu6ers must project around 6 mm above the surface of the

ring (a li6le less than 1/4"). I personally don't find it necessary to
climb cut to avoid tear out, even in spruce, but take your precau-
5ons, as explained in the previous chapter.
I rout the en5re contour changing three 5mes the posi5on of the
legs. When you do this, the channel may show a small step if
there is some error in your tool, for example, the legs not having
the same height, the table not being flat or something similar.
Given that the third support is the ring itself, these discrepancies
have a very limited effect, and you will surely remove them with a
second pass of the router. Don't disregard these small errors: they
are the difference between first and second-class jobs.
You have several alterna5ves for gluing the plas5c binding. Weld-
on 16 must the most common these days, but you may use UHU
Hart (similar to Duco). If you use cyanochrylate (super glue), be
warned that it is not as easy to use as the slower glues. With it,
glue lines will be visible most 5mes, and purfling lines won't be as
sharp and uniform as if you use a solvent-based glue.
I will use another alterna5ve: plas5c (from the same bindings, for
example) dissolved in acetone un5l it has the consistency of glue.
Even if you use some other thing, you should have some of this
mixture to join white bindings, as you can get completely invisible
glue lines. If you make a 50/50 mixture of UHU hart and this plas-
5c solu5on, you'll get the (for me) best glue for gluing white bin-
dings.
Use tape for holding the bindings in place while the glue sets. Use
a strong one, for example filament tape. Press it against the side,
pull strong and then press it against the top or back.
Use a good amount of glue, and clean the excess thoroughly be-
fore taping the binding in place.
The bindings are long enough to avoid using a joint at the tail.
When you arrive at a curved area like the waist or the inside of the
cutaway, work the binding with your fingers un5l it has the correct
curvature, as shown. You may be tempted to use a heat gun to sof-
ten the plas5c, but I don't recommend it: it is very easy to heat the
plas5c more than necessary. With the binding in the kit, .060"
thick, a heat gun is not necessary. No5ce that I am really using
.090" binding here, and even at that thickness a heat gun is unne-
cessary.
This is the top a&er binding it.

The back is bound similarly, but you have a joint at the cutaway
corner. Treat it the same way as the joint between the wooden
sides. Start installing the binding from the non-cutaway side and
trim the excess before gluing the other side. Try to use plas5c dis-
solved in acetone or, alterna5vely, wet the joint with acetone be-
fore gluing.
A&er the glue has set (a few hours should be enough), remove the
tape. Do this carefully, at an angle, to avoid pulling wood fibers
with the tape; while you don't have to be as careful as with flat-
tops (you'll be carving a recurve later anyway), you may s5ll do a
lot of damage.
A rounded cabinet scraper is absolutely the best tool for removing

the binding excess. If, while using it, you no/ce that the surface of
the binding gets rough, it is probable that the glue is not comple-
tely dry.
For you that have purchased this kit, there are two ways to see the
tuning of the soundbox. The first is to simply follow the guidelines
here or at some other place. You will get a great sounding guitar, I
am sure. Play it, alone or with your friends, and be happy. Skip the
following paragraph and enjoy.
The second approach is not as easy. Try to listen to what other ma-
kers have to say about your work or theirs. Listen also to what
good musicians, guitarists or not, have to say about your guitar.
Compare it with others, even dissimilar: flat tops, bigger archtops,
whatever. Do the comparisons again with different strings, for
example bronze. You'll start to discover that you may have been
biased, but you are not the only one. Be concerned that, quite
probably, there won't be a general agreement on the tone of your
guitar. Be ready to hear contradictory opinions from respected
makers or musicians. Humans don't agree even with themselves at
different moments or situa5ons, and are easily impressed with
other things not related to the tone of the guitar: learn from that
too; I could tell you many stories about it. Make guitars, as many
as you can. Submit them to all those tests. With 5me, you'll deve-
lop an objec5ve sense for evalua5ng a guitar, and you'll start to
hear things in your unfinished soundbox. You'll have sympathy and
probably will adhere to some (or all) of the tribes in this field:
those that work mostly feeling the vibra5on with the 5p of their
fingers, those that mainly put pressure with their thumbs, the
ones that tune the plates while they are not glued to the sides,
those that tune the closed soundbox, those who tap the plates,
those who excite modes with pure tones, those who analyze the
impulse response, the chemists that try to find the composi5on of
the varnish, the botanists, even the mys5cs... feel free to listen to
all of them: most 5mes there's something interes5ng there, some-
5mes a lot, but try to take it with a grain of salt.
Start scraping the recurve for the top, as shown. You can do it with
a gouge, a rounded cabinet scraper or a finger plane, as I am doing
here. Check the thickness near the f-hole: you'll be able to es5-
mate how much wood you are removing from other places. Don't
remove wood from above the neck and tail blocks or from the
central area of the instrument. Tap the top at different places as
you carve the recurve, ge7ng familiar with the change in tone as
you progress. For that, you will have to learn to isolate it from
other sources of vibra5on, especially the back and the main reso-
nance of the air in the box.
Working on a so& pad will make it easier. The top will lower its
pitch, and it will get definite, more musical, as you remove wood
from the recurve. Stop when its thickness is around 3.5 mm, as
checked through the f-holes.
If you go below 3 mm or so, you'll hear that the tap tone starts to
change: instead of ge7ng more musical, it will start sounding dull.
You must stop the carving before ge7ng there, so you must learn
to start hearing that change in the sanded top. That's why you
must switch from edge tools to sandpaper when the recurve is at
about 3.5 mm.
Sand the whole top from P80 to P120, trying to keep it at a mini-
mum out of the recurve area.
Do the same with the back. You won't hear this dullness here, so
work feeling the change in s5ffness at the recurve, ini5ally a very
s5ff area that doesn't deform no5ceably under the pressure of
your thumbs. Remove wood un5l you can feel it flexing with a mo-
derate pressure.
Now it is 5me to drill a hole for the tailpiece at the tail end. No5ce
that it will be a6ached to the guitar by means of a bolt that screws
through the top and into the tailblock.
The bolt must be approximately perpendicular to the tailpiece as

the strings pull towards the top of the bridge saddle. Thus, it is ne-
cessary that the hole for it is drilled at an angle.
Start marking the loca5on of the bolt: draw a point on the top at
the central line of the instrument, 22 mm (7/8") from the edge.
Use double sided adhesive tape for s5cking a small piece of wood
taken from the truss rod wooden cover. If you threw it away, use a
piece of wood around 5 mm (3/16") thick. Place it at around 50
mm (2") from the edge (this is not a cri5cal distance).
Use a 5.5 mm (7/32") drill bit to make a hole in a piece of flat

hardwood, around 1/2" (13 mm) thick. Place it as shown, res5ng
both on the edge of the guitar and on the former piece of wood.
Place the piece so that you can see the mark on the top while loo-
king through the hole. Ask someone to hold it firmly while you drill
the hole for the bolt with the same 5.5 mm bit. The depth must be
enough for the bolt, around 45 mm (1 3/4").
Finally, sand the en5re soundbox to P220 un5l you see no scrat-
ches le& by the previous grades. Do not sand too hard where the
pickup, neck joint and bridge will be. Otherwise, you'll have to
spend more /me to get a no-gap joint for the pickup ring, bridge
and neck.
At this stage of the construc5on, you will be able to correct the top
for any gaps that you no5ce between it and the bridge foot and
pickup ring.
Step 8: Joining the Neck
A good neck-to-soundbox joint is a combina5on of precise woodworking and careful measuring:

don't forget any. When you are done, you won't be working on a neck or a soundbox, but on a gui-
tar, so this must be the one of the main milestones.
89
90 Step 8 - Joining the Neck
Tools and Supplies
A good chisel sharpened like a razor is the best tool for shaping
the neck surfaces where they contact the soundbox. You may use
a riffler at the latest stages of the adjustment, but sandpaper will
do fine. Carbon paper is a must. If you plan to make more guitars,
get some sheets before they don't make them anymore.
You will need a long straightedge and a small ruler, but read the
procedure sec5on first. There you will find more informa5on on
the rest of the tools and supplies.
Procedure
It has been already men5oned that the neck tenon is a li6le narro-
wer than necessary. For the dry adjustments that follow, use card-
board or paper to shim the joint temporarily (at the treble side of
the joint). Confirm that the mid lines for the top and the neck are
the same, give or take 1 mm.
The photos explain well the first adjustments. You must remove
wood from the neck sec5on that projects beyond the tenon un5l
you get a decent fit between both parts. This is a work of half an
hour at most; if it takes more, then you are probably trying to get
a good fit, which you s5ll don't need at this stage.
If you haven't sanded the top in excess, you'll no5ce that the un-
derside of the tenon is about 1 mm above the bo6om of the mor-
5se. There is a similar gap between the end of the tenon and the
back of the mor5se. No ma6er the adjustments that you do, keep
those gaps.
The first photo above shows the removal of wood from the treble
side of the neck. That side will separate from the soundbox, as
shown here. The bass side is adjusted to the top, as shown in the
following page.
Step 8 - Joining the Neck 91
Now it is 5me to check a few things. The height of the bridge

above the top is one of them. For that, I use a jig similar to the one
that Benede6o describes in his book. It is a straightedge that rests
on the top of the frets and has a projec5ng piece at the end right
where the bridge must be located. The height of the projec5ng
piece is 1" but, for this model, I prefer to set the bridge at slightly
less height, 23 mm (29/32"), which is the value for which the kit
was built. If that measurement is greater than 23 mm, you'll have
to lower the neck, removing wood from the neck extension. If it is
smaller, you'll have to set a new angle between the neck and the
soundbox, modifying the neck contact surfaces both under the
neck extension and behind the heel. This is more difficult, but
don't come to think that you'll find many problems here: if you
have built using the mold as described and followed all the advice
given in this manual, you'll hardly find large mismatches.
The second thing that you must check now is the alignment of the
neck with the axis of the instrument. Use a long straightedge res-
5ng on the fingerboard edges and extending to the tail end, and
mark two lines there. The center line of the instrument must be
midway between both. If you find a discrepancy of more than 2
mm, you'll have to modify the tenon. However, as before, don't
expect this to happen.
Once sa5sfied with the adjustments, you'll have to refine the joint
un5l the gaps are minimal. Before doing that, subs5tute the tem-
porary shim for a permanent one, using the maple veneer that
comes with the kit (#37) and se7ng its thickness with a scraper or
a sander.
A common technique that facilitates the job of reducing the gaps

is to work on smaller surfaces. For that, remove a small amount of
wood from the inside (closer to the tenon walls) of the neck con-
tact surfaces, both from the surface that will be above the top
(picture) and from the surface behind the heel. This will leave
small empty cavi5es between the neck and the soundbox, but you
must realize that it's the lateral surfaces of the heel that will keep
the neck glued. Working hard to get a good fit on other surfaces
do not add to the quality of the joint and will in fact make it har-
der both to glue and to unglue the neck, if ever necessary.
Carbon paper is the best thing for the final adjustments. Use it as
shown; when you have a big gap, you may use the chisel to re-
move the excess, but later you will have to switch to sandpaper or
use a riffler.
Step 8 - Joining the Neck 93
At some point you may have to remove wood from the underside
of the tenon to keep an appropriate gap there.
When you are sa5sfied, carefully sand out the stains from the car-
bon paper and then prepare to glue the joint. Before that, use
some masking tape as shown; it avoids the glue ooze out reaching
the sanded top and the neck. Use only enough glue (Titebond) for
the lateral surfaces of the joint, but be sure to wet both the tenon
and mor/se. Press the neck un5l you don't see any gaps, but have
long and short clamps at your reach just in case you need to push
on some part of the neck: 5ght joints behave badly when they
have liquid glue inside. Work fast in any case, finally clamping the
work with one or two cam clamps. Once the glue is dry, remove
the tape (be careful with the top: you may need a heat gun to
avoid damaging its fibers).
The thickness of the heel cap must make the binding at the back
totally visible below it, as shown at le&. There shouldn't be side
wood visible between the neck cap and the back binding; other-
wise, the end grain at the lap joint between the sides will be visi-
ble. If you didn't bind the back, this end grain shouldn't exist,
because there must be a miter joint, as men5oned in the note in
page 23.
No5ce that the guitar in this manual has a visible lap joint because, as we said
in page 23, its heel is not tall enough. This has been corrected in produc5on
kits.
Measure and shape the heel cap (#22) as shown, using a coping
saw and sandpaper un5l it has the required shape and thickness.
Glue it, using two clamps to push it against the two surfaces invol-
ved. Finally, a&er the glue has set, sand the heel, its cap and the
inside of the cutaway un5l all the transi5ons are smooth.
Step 9: Finishing
Guitars are not as sensi5ve to the type of finish as other stringed instruments seem to be. A good fi-
nish should help you create a uniform, thin, transparent, smooth, repairable and durable coa5ng.
With so many requirements (and the list is not complete), you will understand that there is not a
perfect finish. In this sec5on, my objec5ve is more trying to help you decide what to use and give
you some general rules than explaining in detail some of the alterna5ves.
95
96 Step 9 - Finishing
There are a lot of finishes that makers and factories use for gui-
tars. These are all common:
Nitrocellulose lacquer
Waterbase
Shellac
Polyurethane (two-component)
Polyester
Conversion Varnish (Acid Catalyst Lacquer)
What follows is oriented to finishes that coat the wood comple-

tely, either with a shiny or sa5n look. There are oil finishes that are
more or less absorbed into the wood and which many players like,
but I won't talk about them.
Ideally, the finish must have the following characteris5cs:
Transparency.- All the finishes men5oned above rate very

high, including the best modern waterbase (not so for the old for-
mula5ons).
Repairability.- Nitrocellulose and Shellac are repairable as

they harden by evapora5on of their solvents instead of through a
chemical reac5on. The new coats of finish fuse with the old, for-
ming a single thicker coat. The other types of finish are difficult to
repair without leaving telltale marks. In general, the more resis-
tant a finish is to chemicals, the harder it is to repair.
Low Toxicity.- This is desirable for you and for the environ-
ment. Waterbase uses mainly water and Shellac uses ethanol as its
only solvent, so these must be the least toxic finishes in the list.
The other finishes are all dangerous for your health or the environ-
ment.
Some finishes have a greater solid content than others, so they

will emit less vola5le compounds per finished instrument. Polys
and Conversion are like this. Nitrocellulose is exactly the opposite.
HVLP guns can be used to improve this aspect.
Low Flammability.- Among those men5oned, Waterbase is

the only finish that is not flammable.
Ease of applica5on.- Shellac is usually applied with a pad,

but it is not a technique that you'll master easily. The other finis-
hes are usually designed for spray gun applica5on, but you can try
Step 9 - Finishing 97
brushing at least some of them. Waterbase can be applied care-

fully with a foam pad, trying to avoid any bubbles. Nitrocellulose,
if thinned with an adequate thinner, may be applied with a con-
ven5onal brush, but be warned that it won't be easy.
Some finishes require expensive guns. Conversion uses an acid

catalyst, which will probably require a stainless steel gun (or, at
least, stainless steel fluid passages).
Some finishes, especially the polys, cover the wood very well
to the point that pore filling is unnecessary even with porous
woods such as mahogany.
Short drying/curing 5me.- Nitrocellulose and Conversion

varnish rate low here. They need at least three weeks, although
Nitrocellulose will keep shrinking for years. Most waterbases are
ready for buffing in less than two weeks, while polys may be ready
the same day.
Tradi5on.- Nitrocellulose is by far the most tradi5onal fi-

nish for archtop guitars. Shellac has been used tradi5onally for the
best classical guitars, but it doesn't have a tradi5on for archtops.
All the other finishes can be considered as non-tradi5onal, mo-
dern alterna5ves. This is not related to the quality of the finish,
but it may be important for some players.
Good Adhesion.- I have had problems with Waterbase fi-

nishes, reac5ng to the perspira5on of some players and then pee-
ling off. This may be a thing of the past (I am talking of waterbase
finishes designed around 2002 but sold specifically for guitars).
Polyurethane and Conversion may also suffer adhesion problems,
but most 5mes that seems to be related to excessive film thick-
ness.
Some finishes may show incompa5bility issues with some

other products. For example, Conversion varnish shouldn't be
used over Shellac. This is surprising, because Shellac is the first
product that finishers think of when they suspect adhesion pro-
blems. The moral is: always refer to the technical documenta5on.
Good Durability/Resistance to Chemicals.- Shellac is by far

the less durable. It doesn't have any resistance to most common
chemicals and is very prone to abrasion. Consequently, it needs
maintenance to the point that some players even learn do it
themselves.
Nitrocellulose is a tougher finish, more resistant to chemicals

than Shellac (not much, though), but it loses plas5cizers with 5me,
becoming very bri6le and cracking easily ("cold checking"). This
can happen to almost any type of finish if applied too thick, but ni-
trocellulose alone without its plas5cizers is extremely bri6le . Take
this into account when choosing the right Nitrocellulose lacquer:
those designed for furniture are too bri6le, even when they are
young, and are not adequate for guitars.
Some waterbase finishes are tough, some are not. There is a lot
of varia5on in the formula5on of waterbase finishes. Most have
fair resistance to most common chemicals.
The other finishes are tough and have excellent resistance to

most chemicals. The bad consequence of this is that they are very
hard to strip.
Some finishes tend to yellow with 5me, but most modern for-
mula5ons don't suffer that problem.
Good Sandability.- Some finishes are easier to sand be-

cause they are scratched more easily. This is not a good thing, as
that means that they can also be easily scratched in use; however,
some finishes sand easily because the dust doesn't s5ck to the
sandpaper so easily. Some finishes are be6er than others in this
aspect.
Easy to use.- All the finishes men5oned must be applied

within certain margins regarding temperature and humidity. Wa-
terbase, Conversion varnish and the polys are the most sensi5ve,
but you will have to be careful with all of them.
Some finishes come in two parts that must be thoroughly

mixed before the applica5on. Conversion varnish is like that, but it
is not difficult to use because the ac5vated lacquer will remain
usable for more than one day ("pot life"), which is enough for fi-
nishing a guitar.
There exist precat single-component lacquers, where the catalyst starts the
reac5on a&er reaching a given concentra5on, i.e., when enough solvent has
been released, but we won't men5on them here anymore.
Polys are different: it will be a ques5on of minutes before the

mixture becomes unusable, especially for Polyester. To avoid this,
there are Polyester lacquers that are ac5vated by UV-light. The
drying cabins are expensive and out of the reach of most small
makers, though.
Cleaning the spray gun or brush may be awkward for some fi-

nishes, and that is complicated even more when they have a very
short life, as most polys.
Fusing .- As the finish will be sanded and buffed, it must

have enough thickness that must be built coat a&er coat. The
coats must fuse together or you may get a nasty effect that is
known as witness lines. Only evapora5ve finishes fuse perfectly,
but all the other will fuse enough if you apply each coat within
some 5me window. Sanding right before applying the following
coat will help exposing fresh finish and improving the mechanical
bond between coats.
Smoothness.- Some finishes feel a li6le s5cky. This is a

common problem with Nitrocellulose, and less with Polyurethane,
Polyester and Conversion varnish. Few players will complain,
though.
Long Shelf Life - Most Nitrocellulose lacquers specify a

shelf life of around 1 year, but most makers will tell you that it can
be used a&er many years without any problem. Shellac has an in-
definite shelf life when undissolved. Once dissolved in alcohol, it
will be suspect a&er six months: old shellac doesn't dry well, sta-
ying gummy, and will ruin any other finish if used as a sealer
below it. The other finishes must be used as indicated in their
technical documenta5on.
:::
A good finish is not complete without a good finisher that achie-

ves uniform and thin coa5ngs.
Uniformity is hard to achieve, and it can be controlled be6er using

a brush or a pad. If you use a spray gun, you will discover sooner
or later that you are not being uniform, coa5ng some areas less
than others. There are ways to improve on this, and finishing
many guitars will help, of course. This may not be very useful if
you plan to make a few, so another technique is to 5nt the lacquer
(a drop of concentrated dye will be enough for 1 quart/liter) if it is
totally transparent. If the guitar has white bindings, it will be easy
to discover thinly finished areas before you get a sandthrough. Fi-
nishes look more natural when they have a slight amber hue,
much be6er than the transparent look or the bluish hues of some
waterbases. Another technique is to lightly sand between coats,

no ma6er if the finish needs it or not. You will discover and then
correct any thin area while the finish is fresh (at a 5me when the
coats will fuse even for reac5ve finishes) instead of finding it a&er
a month's drying (too late for invisible repairs in reac5ve finishes).
The thickness of the film must be kept at an absolute minimum.

Tone is nega5vely affected by thick finishes, but they also affect
the integrity of the coa5ng, which may be severely weakened.
A&er sanding, buffing and polishing, it must be below 100 microns
(4 mils). For this, if you use a spray gun, I recommend that you
place some cardboard under the pickup and f-holes. Check with a
caliper from 5me to 5me, no5cing that the finish will shrink more
if it is totally or par5ally evapora5ve. Aim at around 150 microns
(6 mils) before sanding.
:::
You will find a lot of informa5on on finishes, especially nitrocellu-

lose lacquer, at many places. However, I will show you a different
alterna5ve, conversion varnish (called acid catalysed lacquer in
UK). Few use it, partly because it has the disadvantage of emi7ng
formaldehyde while it hardens, but if you have a warm ven5lated
place it is a great finish and very easy to use.
I use Morrells 5901/450, a general purpose high solids (45%) low

odour conversion varnish, made in UK (so it should be called acid
catalysed lacquer instead). For applica5on, I use a mid-priced con-
ven5onal gun, with a 1.6 mm 5p. No5ce that this finish has acid in
its composi5on, so it must be a gun with stainless steel fluid passa-
ges. A HVLP gun will save lacquer, as the finish droplets will not
bounce back as much.
The guitar must be sanded very well to P220. The parts of ebony
and other oily woods must be sanded to P120; otherwise, you may
find adhesion problems. If you used an orbital sander, you may
have spiral marks that are almost invisible un5l a&er the finish is
applied. Sanding by hand may also leave marks. The solu5on is to
make the last sanding by hand, working methodically, and using
reflected light to discover the possible marks before it is too late.
Also, try to find small holes or dents, for example around the mo-
ther-of-pearl inlays. Drop fill them with some superglue. A&er this,
the dust must be removed, for which a compressed air gun is a
great tool.
Mask the fingerboard and nut channel with masking tape. It must
be fi6ed without leaving cavi5es, especially near the frets; other-

wise, the lacquer may get inside. Use a piece of drinking straw to
cover the threads of the truss rod. Finally, inflate some balloons
inside the soundbox through the f and pickup holes, and place
some cardboard above them; this is a simple and effec5ve method
for avoiding lacquer into the soundbox. That cardboard can be
used to measure the thickness of the coa5ng as explained above.
Prepare the lacquer by mixing the two components. You'll need

around 600ml (conven5onal gun) to which you must add a drop of
ColorTone Vintage Amber dye or equivalent. Without it, this finish
is absolutely colorless. Once mixed, the lacquer remains usable for
around 36 hours.
The wood species tradi5onally used for archtops don't need any
pore filling, so we will simply spray the same finish on the guitar,
coat a&er coat.
Start early in the morning, spraying a light first coat of finish. A&er
around one hour, examine the guitar for possible sanding marks
that went unno5ced; if you find some, this is your last opportunity
to sand them. Apply three more coats, wai5ng around 2 hours and
sanding between them. Wait five or six hours, sand again and
apply the fi&h coat. Wait two hours, sand and apply the last (sixth)
coat.
Two or three days later, when the finish is hard enough but not to-
tally cured (it needs about three weeks), sand with P600 and then
turn to the following sec5on and do what must be done before
polishing and buffing.
When totally cured, sand with P800. This finish is extremely easy
to sand dry, as it doesn't clog the sandpaper (I use 3M Gold). Sand
with P1500 (for example, Micromesh), and then use a drill with a
foam polishing pad and liquid compounds of different grits, the
last step being a swirl remover. Alterna5vely, if you have a buffing
arbor, machine buff with Menzerna 38, 16 and 6 (in that order)
and, finally, use a drill with a foam pad to apply swirl remover. Pu-
rely manual methods are hard work; if you prefer them, Micro-
mesh pads will be helpful.
Summarizing, Morrells 5901/450 can be applied the same as nitro, and using a si-
milar schedule. Sanding is easier, and the coa/ng is more resistant in all aspects,
but its chemical resistance, being high, is not as high as in polys: if you need to
strip it, it will be easy with a commercial stripper. This is good news for a reac/ve
lacquer, but that's not all: if the finish needs repair, it will fuse perfectly without le-
aving any telltale mark! Regarding flexibility, I have tried other conversion varnis-
hes and they are not flexible enough to be applied on guitars even in very light
coats, but this one is amazingly flexible. It has some nega/ve characteris/cs, of
course: it must be applied with a more expensive stainless steel gun, it is more sen-
si/ve to contaminants (water, oil) in the compressed air and it emits formaldehyde
while it cures, but if you find a way around, you'll use the, in my experience, abso-
lutely best product for finishing guitars.
102
Step 10: Fittings And Final Adjustments
This chapter will cover the main items that make the guitar playable and useful for a musician. Even
having a fine tone, any player will dismiss a guitar if it has problems with ac5on or intona5on. Try
not to rush things now that it is almost finished: give all this the 5me that it deserves.
103
104 Step 10 - Fittings & Final A djus tments
Tools and Supplies
There are lots of tools for doing fretwork. Here we will use a long
flat metal file to level the fret tops; if you have one, check its
straightness, as files are not precision-made to be straight. I will
use a fine diamond fret file and a triangular file with smoothed
corners; these are tools that many old-5me makers don't use. I
will also use masking tape, sandpaper (P600, P800, P1200), a per-
manent marker, a good thin straightedge and the Dremel tool with
the accessories 414 (felt polishing wheel) and 421 (polishing com-
pound).
You'll need to polish some wood (ebony) parts. You may use Mi-
cromesh abrasives or a small cloth wheel in a drill.
The channels for the strings in the nut and bridge saddle can be
done with a miniature saw, but it is much easier to use a few nut
files.
You'll need a small round file (1/8" diameter, 3 mm) for opening a
small window at the pickup ring for the wiring.
You'll also need screwdrivers drill bits in different diameters and,

as always, sandpaper, scraper, chisels, etc. For details, refer to the
Procedure sec5on.
Bridge, #17
Tailpiece, #18 and bolt, #31
Pickup ring, #19 and screws, #30
Finger rest, #20 and its parts, #32, #33 and #34
Truss rod nut cover, #21 and screws, #28
Strap holders, #36
Electronics (#43, #44, #45, #48)
Glue (Titebond, Super glue)
Naphta (lighter fuel)
Step 10 - Fittings & Final A djustments 105
Procedure
These operaons can be done before the finish is ready to be sanded

and buffed. Some of them may scratch the finish, so doing them now
should be the rule.
Dressing the Frets

Scrape or sand the edges of the fretboard to avoid the lacquer co-
ming off the fretboard edge when you remove the masking tape.
Once removed, no5ce that you may have some lacquer over the
fretboard; remove it carefully with a razor blade.
Put masking tape between the frets and draw a line on top of
each fret with a permanent marker. Install the truss rod nut and
washer and 5ghten it around a quarter turn.
Check with the straightedge if you have some fret or group of frets
higher and use the file to correct it. Both the straightedge and the
file must be used more or less parallel to the axis of the instru-
ment or more or less following the lies of the strings (the diffe-
rence between both methods is 5ny). Check frequently with the
straightedge un5l all frets have been at least touched from side to
side. Do not try to use the file without measuring first where to
file, and watch closely the first fret. It is easy to file it too much, an
error with bad consequences; to avoid that, be very careful when
you get close to the nut, pressing on the file always above the fret-
board, far from the first fret.
When you are sa5sfied with the leveling, use a wooden block and
sand (P600) to remove the nibs of lacquer that adhered to the fret
ends. Then use the fret file to recrown the frets. Stop when you
see a thin line untouched by the file.
Use the triangular file to smooth the fret ends, rounding the face-
ted edges at the ends of each fret. Some makers round the fret
ends completely; this will be easier if you use a rectangular fret-
end dressing file instead.
The two images show a fret end before and a&er being dressed
with the triangular file. Four or five strokes at each side of the fret
are enough.
Sand the frets, star5ng at P600 and ending at P1200.
Polish each fret with the Dremel felt wheel #414 and #421 polis-
hing compound; do not spend a lot of 5me at each fret, as they
can heat in excess. It is be6er to work with a group of several
frets, going from one to another cyclically. Be warned that the
#421 compound is not very fine. If you use finer compounds they
will give an even be6er mirror-like finish.
Clean all the frets with a piece of cloth and naphta (lighter fuel).
Remove the masking tape and con5nue cleaning everything un5l
you don't get any more polishing residue on the cloth.
Fi1ng the Bridge to the Top

Before star5ng this procedure, mark the bridge posi5on on the
top. Its center will be at a distance of 322 mm (12 11/16") from
fret #12:
If you have followed the instruc5ons, the foot of the bridge must
be very close to its final shape.
Place the bridge foot at its loca5on, well centered and oriented.
There are marks on it that will help you determine its correct
orienta5on, but you'll easily no5ce that an inverted bridge will be
very poorly fi6ed to the top. Mark its center for reference and
then use carbon paper to determine the high spots, as shown. Re-
move them with a scraper un5l you have a good fit everywhere.
Sand and polish the bridge foot (except its base) and saddle, from
P120 to P1200, then buff them as you did for the fretboard.
The bridge posts must be sawn off to around 22 mm (7/8"). File

the sawn ends un5l rounded and smooth. To screw the posts to
the bridge foot, use the acorn nut and the thumbwheels as
shown, turning the acorn nut to screw and the thumbwheel to

unscrew. The wood is threaded, but you will find some resistance,
which is fine. However, if you find a lot, unscrew the post and
make it shorter (it should protrude around 1/2" (13 mm) above
the foot). Check that the posts are ver/cal and parallel.
Open the channels for the strings in the saddle. It will be easier if
you use nut files, but you may use some miniature saw and even
guitar strings. Don't go too deep: it is enough for the string to be
buried down to its center. It is very important that you file at an
angle, more or less following the line from the saddle to the tail-
piece. Otherwise, the strings may ra6le. Use the following distan-
ces between the string slot centers; with them, it's the space
between each pair of adjoining strings that is constant (these
numbers are valid for the most common string gauges found in
jazz guitars):
6th to 5th: 11.5 mm

6th to 4th: 22.8 mm
6th to 3rd: 33.9 mm
6th to 2nd: 44.8 mm
6th to 1st: 55.5 mm
Fi1ng the Pickup Ring to the Top

If you didn't sand the pickup area in excess, the fi7ng of this part
must be great already. Otherwise, use carbon paper the same as
you did for the bridge foot. Try to get at least a decent fit here;
otherwise, there's a real danger of breaking the ring (or, in some
cases, the top) when you 5ghten the screws.
Use a small circular file to, open a hole of around 1/8" (3 mm) dia-
meter at the treble side of the pickup ring, as shown. It will be
used to pass the wiring from the soundbox to the finger rest. Then
as with all the ebony parts, sand (P120 to P1200) and buff as you
did for the fretboard.
No5ce that the ring has not the holes for the pickup height screws;
drill them from below, using the pickup as a template. Don't drill
without clamping a wooden base to the ring, as shown. Then
mount the pickup in the neck ring.
Posi5on the pickup centered in its hole. A straightedge following

the two edges of the fretboard will be very helpful. At this stage,
you will probably discover that the pickup cover is wider near its
bo6om. Many pickups with metal covers have this problem, but it
is not important for most solid guitars, which have them buried.
Pickups in archtops are considerably higher above the top; in some
cases, you may have to cut the solder at the back of the pickup,
clamp it to close it and then resolder it. You may also file the hole
for the pickup in the top of the guitar.
Drill the four holes (1.5 mm, 1/16") to fix the pickup and its ring to
the top.
Fi1ng the Finger Rest

Trim and glue (Titebond) the ebony spacer (#33), the reinforce-
ment strip (#34) and the poten5ometer (#43) under the finger
rest, as shown in the figures. The reinforcement strip will avoid
fractures like the one shown in the diagram, so don't forget it.
No5ce that the finger rest shown throughout this manual is shorter than
yours, which also has a rounded edge. With this new version, you'll have
more room between the poten5ometer and the guitar top.
When the glue has set, drill two holes for the installa5on screws
(1/8", 3.2 mm diameter) as close to the finger rest surface as pos-
sible, but leaving enough room for the screw heads.
Cut the corners of the notch for the pickup ring that the router
couldn't reach due to the radius of the cu6er.
With the pickup ring s5ll screwed to the top, posi5on the finger
rest as shown. It must have the same angle as the neck, as if it was
an extension of it, and its top must be in line with the top surface
of the pickup ring. If you fail doing these adjustments, you may
compromise the room for the poten5ometer. Mark the loca5on of
the holes at the neck (you'll need a thin and long marker for this).
Drilling the holes for the finger rest at the side of the neck is easy
with a long drill. I use a miniature drill (found in hobby shops) with
an extension a6ached and then inserted into a bigger manual drill.
Use a 2.5 mm (3/32") bit.
Use a long screwdriver to a6ach the finger rest to the guitar. Soap
the threads if you find the screws are too hard. If you find some
misalignment, enlarge one or both finger rest holes with a minia-
ture file.
Remove the finger rest and the pickup. Sand and buff the surface
and edge of the finger rest the same as you did for the other
ebony parts. Don't let the dust reach the poten5ometer: protect it
with tape.
Preparing the Tailpiece

The underside of the tailpiece has recesses for the string ball ends,
as shown, but the channels for the strings on the other side are
not deep enough to reach them. Use a miniature file to correct
that (first photo, next page).
Finally, sand and buff the surface and edge of the tailpiece the
same as you did for the other ebony parts.
Preparing the Nut

In a previous step you thicknessed and polished the nut sides.
Now you will trim the nut to its correct height and width, which
you'll do with the help of a half pencil. This is built from a pencil
cut lengthwise so that its base is flat, using it as shown.
Cut and sand the excess leaving some material above the pencil
line. At the 6th string, that excess (A in the figure) must be around
1 mm; at the side of the 1st string, it will be around 0.5 mm (B in
the figure).
The top of the nut must be more or less at a plane parallel to the
peghead, and its upper corners must be rounded slightly. The
ends of the nut are cut flush with the neck surfaces.
I recommend that you open the string slots using nut files. If you
use a miniature saw, try to keep the bo6om of the slots round.
There are two principles that are generally accepted for determi-
ning the posi5on of the string slots:
1.- The outside edges (not the centers) of the 6th and 1st
strings must be at around the same distance from their corres-
ponding fretboard edges. As for most common string sets the
sixth is around 1 mm thicker than the first string, the center of
the slot for the first string must be around 0.5 mm closer to the
edge of the fretboard.
2.- It is the space between each pair of adjoining strings that is

constant, not the distance between their centers. Thus, the
centers of the thinner strings are closer than the centers of the
thicker strings.
The following procedure fulfills those requirements for 1 3/4" nuts

and the string gauges most commonly found in jazz guitars:
- Mark the slots with the thinnest nut file at the following loca-
5ons:
From fretboard edge to center of 6th string: 4 mm
From center of 6th to center of 5th: 7.8 mm
From center of 6th to center of 4th: 15.5 mm
From center of 6th to center of 3rd: 22.8 mm
From center of 6th to center of 2nd: 30.0 mm
From center of 6th to center of 1st: 37 mm
-Widen each slot using files increasingly thicker. For example,

use the file for the 2nd string to widen the slots for the 2nd to
6th strings. This will give you more control and the ability to co-
rrect the misplaced slots. And remember, don't file deeper
than half the diameter of the string.
Polish the whole nut (except its base) the same as you did when
you polished its sides.
Preparing the Electronics

Clamp and then solder two terminals to the single-conductor
shielded wire. It must have a length of around 50cm (20").
Insert the terminals into the small connector, ground (jacket) ter-
minal at le&.
Do the same for the large connector, using 15cm (6") of two-con-
ductor shielded wire. Posi5on the ground (jacket) terminal at
right, and the other two wires (dark and clear) as shown.
The pickup must be connected to the male plug. The hot from the
pickup is connected to terminal #2. The ground from the pickup is
connected to both #3 and #4. Addi5onally, there is a wire connec-
5ng #1 and #5 together.
This is the way to make the connec5ons inside the guitar.
The short two-conductor shielded wire must be connected to the

poten5ometer. The jacket up, the dark wire at the center and the
clear terminal down. No5ce that the poten5ometer will work op-
posite as usual: seen from above, the volume will increase when
turned counterclockwise. Given the side that is glued to the finger-
board and its logarithmic taper, this is the way to go. Anyway, as it
is different from conven5onal pots, players don't find it wrong.
Put two or three drops of super-glue between the wire and the
finger rest. Remember that it must reach the hole in the pickup
ring.
Screw the wheel and glue the self adhesive piece of felt. With it,
the pot won't mar the top if the finger rest is bent excessively.
Check that everything fits well. If necessary, file a small channel in

the top for the wire to pass more easily.
The following operaons must be done aer the finish has been sanded
and buffed.
Install the tailpiece bolt, pu7ng some soap on the threads. It

must protrude around 10 mm (3/8") above the guitar top.
Reach the thread that passes through the wiring guides and super-
glue it to the bare end of the single-conductor wire, as shown.
Pull the thread and the wire will pass through the guides.
Solder the female jack and use a piece of wire to guide it into its
hole, as shown.
Tightening the jack without having access to the guitar inside can
prove impossible. If this happens, you may find that Frank Ford's
"Jack The Gripper" is the tool to use.
Make the connec5ons and secure the wires with a nylon 5e. Now
you can screw the finger rest and pickup in place.
The machines can be installed two ways, as shown. Whatever you

choose, keep them symmetrical. Always drill pilot holes for the
screws.
Install the strap holders. One of them must be placed at the tail
where the sides join; the other, either at the heel or at the back of
the guitar. In any case, always drill a pilot hole preferably using a
manual drill and a 3 mm (1/8") drill bit.
Stringing up the first /me

This is an electric jazz guitar, and as such it should be equipped
with flat-wound electric guitar strings. A medium gauge common
for jazz is 13-56, but feel free to experiment.
Install the nut, but don't glue it yet. With the bridge more or less
in place, the tailpiece on and a&er 5ghtening a quarter turn the
truss rod nut, you can install the strings. Do it symmetrically (1st
and then 6th, 2nd and then 5th...).
Tune the guitar. With the bridge thumbwheels, set the strings at a
height of no more than 1/8" (3 mm) above the last frets.
Trimming the Nut Slots

Guitarists enjoy guitars with nuts as low as possible, not only be-
cause they are easier to play but because they tune be6er at the
first frets. However, there is a 5ny difference between a comforta-
ble nut and one that makes open strings buzz. I would recom-
mend you to take some risks here, it's well worth it.
For each string, loosen it, file the slot, 5ghten it again at or near its
tension, and measure the distance between it and the first fret
with a feeler gauge while having it fre6ed at the sixth fret, near
the bar of the fi&h fret. Measuring while fre7ng takes the ac5on
out of the equa5on. The measured distance should be less than
0.1 mm (0.004"), the thickness of a piece of paper. Work carefully:
two or three file strokes may separate you from having to make a
new nut.
A&er having done this, you can glue the nut in place. Use a couple
drops of Titebond on each contact surface (fretboard and nut bot-
tom). To improve adhesion, sand slightly some of its polished sur-
face.
Checking and adjus/ng the Relief

Necks work be6er when they have a slight relief instead of being
perfectly straight. They must show a concavity that is deeper more
or less at mid length (around fret #7). To measure it, press one of
the middle strings simultaneously at the first and fi&eenth frets.
Get the help of someone to measure the gap between the bo6om
of the string and the 7th fret; it should be around 0.010" (0.25
mm). You can measure this using a guitar string as a feeler gauge.
If it is greater, 5ghten the truss rod. If smaller, loosen it. Always do
it a quarter turn at a 5me and then let guitar rest: a&er a guitar is
stringed up for the first 5me, changes are slow but develop for
days or even weeks.
A&er se7ng the relief, always check the bridge height. A general
rule says that it must be as low as possible, so that the strings
don't buzz when the player uses the strongest a6ack in his pla-
ying. Anyway, this is extremely up to the individual, and many jazz
players like to have high ac5ons. Always that you modify the
bridge height, adjust the bridge compensa5on.
Adjus/ng the Bridge Compensa/on
Wooden saddles don't give perfect intona5on for all the strings.
However, if you place the bridge so that the second and fi&h
strings tune perfectly, then the others will be very close to being
perfect too.
Check if the natural harmonic for the second string in fret 12th is
the same as the fingered note in that same fret. If the tuner (or
your ear) finds that the fingered note is higher than the harmonic,
the bridge will have to be moved closer to the tailpiece. Other-
wise, move it further away from the tailpiece.
Check the same for the fi&h string, but this 5me don’t move the
whole bridge, as you must not modify its posi/on for the second
string.
Pickup height
Humbuckers can be placed between ample distance margins rela-
5ve to the strings. A general rule for neck pickups says that there
must be a distance of around 3/32" (2.5 mm) from the bo6om of
the strings to the top of the pole pieces when the strings are de-
pressed at the last fret. This must be set with the height screws;
the pole pieces can be adjusted individually, but this should be
done only if you find some strings louder than others, for example
if you are using bronze-wound strings.
Truss Rod Nut Cover

When the neck has stabilized, you can install the truss rod nut
cover, which you must have sanded and polished as usual. Place it
centered, touching the nut and, as always, open pilot holes for the
screws.
Congratulaons! By now you probably have a guitar that you are

proud of. Keep it in a good hard case, far from temperature and
humidity extremes and enjoy it for years to come!
Bibliography
There are many books on the subject of guitar making, but I consider that you'll
benefit mainly from these four:
- Erlewine, Dan. Guitar Player Repair Guide. Backbeat Books, 2007.

- Benede6o, Robert. Making an Archtop Guitar. Centerstream Publica5ons,,
1996.
- Hoadley, Bruce. Understanding Wood. Taunton Press, 2000.
- Dresdner, Michael. The New Woodfinishing Book. Taunton Press, 2000.
The book by Erlewine, a master repairman, will answer a lot of your ques5ons, es-
pecially those related to guitar electronics, setup and fre7ng. If you want to com-
plement the book with his DVDs, that will be great too.
The book by Benede6o, a master archtop maker, is the only one describing the
construc5on of an archtop guitar. Again, there is a collec5on of DVDs that is a
great complement to the book.
The two other books are not guitar related, but I strongly recommend them: a
thorough knowledge of wood and finishes is paramount when it comes to avoid
future problems.
Finally, there is a book by Bill Cory, Complete Guide to Building Kit Acous/c Guitars,
available at www.KitGuitarManuals.com both in printed and e-book forms. It deals
with flat-top acous5c guitars, but you'll find a lot of helpful informa5on in it.
121
122
Safety Issues - Read First
Magnet Safety
Liability
we do not assume any responsibility for damage that has been caused by the improper handling of magnets. With
the purchase of these magnets, you confirm that you have read and understood the following warnings.
Danger of breaking or chipping

NdFeB magnets can break. The most common cause of breakage is when two magnets are allowed to collide. It is
also conceivable that chips of the magnet will fly due to such a collision. You should wear gloves and protec5ve glas-
ses when handling magnets. You should always handle magnets with cau5on and never let them collide together.
Danger for children

These magnets are not toys and can be dangerous in many ways. Keep them out of the reach of children.
Crushing
When these magnets are brought close enough together, fingers can be quickly caught between them causing blood
blisters or cuts. Remember: always wear gloves.
Magne/sm - danger for appliances

Keep a safe distance between the magnets and all appliances and objects that can be damaged by magne5sm. This
includes, amongst other things, television and computer monitors, credit cards, diske6es and other data devices,
video tapes, mechanical clocks, hearing aids and loud speakers. Pacemakers can be disturbed by large magnets - in
case of doubt, exercise cau5on.
Processing, drilling, sawing, fire

Never a6empt to cut or drill into a magnet. First, the magnets will break. Second, this cu7ng or boring will produce
a dust that is easily flammable. Keep the magnets away from open flames and any heat sources. The magne5za5on
of neodymium magnets reduces quickly at temperatures of more than 80 degrees Celsius.
Nickel allergies
These magnets are nickel-plated. Nickel is a metal which can cause an allergic reac5on in some people
123

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ArchtopGuitarKits.

Check the contents of the box now. They should be as follows:

1 An arched carved top made of Spruce, Maple or some other wood.

33 Finger rest spacer

Cannot iden5fy those parts...? You'll ﬁnd photos at

This kit does not contain the following:

Before You Start …

Tools and Supplies

I recommend that, if possible, you use a Drill Press instead of Por-

I have used the following manual tools:

And the following supplies:

Mold Template, #23

Standard MDF stock is a material that swells a lot when we6ed. If

I will show you several ways of rou5ng those lamina5ons to get an

I have used clamps and a heavy chunk of wood to ﬁx the lamina-

Rou5ng tables are not available to everybody, so there is another

The waist spreader in most molds is based on

However, neither of these designs will allow

Be careful when gluing the lamina5ons, as they may slip, losing

Trim the excess oﬀ the dowel pins.

Glue the supplied tail reinforcing cap.

Trim it and then apply two or three coats of polyurethane varnish

We will install the magnets now. There are eight, separated by

Work now on the remaining four magnets. Again, work one by

USING THE MOLD TO FINE-BEND THE SIDES

Tools and Supplies

Prepare to collect as many Miniature Spring Clamps as you can, for

You will need the following supplies:

[See also page 94]

The neckblock can be glued without much prepara5on using Tite-

Use a few clamps to press the neckblock while gluing, keeping

When sa5sﬁed, join the sides with tape.

Some guitars have uninterrupted linings from neckblock to tail-

Begin cu7ng 16 lengths of 17 teeth. The rest will be approxima-

Insert spruce side reinforcement strips between the lining pieces.

Take each reinforcement strip and shape it as shown. If you use

Glue a couple of teeth to each strip at each side.

This came as a surprise. I hadn't used magnets in molds before,

The blocks must be sanded carefully. If you don't do it right, you

Tools and Supplies

You’ll have to sand also, manually or with an electric sander. Fi-

As an alterna5ve to the method described, you may use a thick-

You will need the following supplies:

As supplied, the top has three diﬀerent regions. The central

The size and outline of the f-holes is quite tradi5onal. You

There is a par5ally ﬁnished aperture for the neck tenon. It is

If available, use a ﬁnger plane.

The ﬁnal gradua5ons in this area will be as shown here:

There is an area of 5 mm or a li6le more (“5+” in the picture),

Don’t remove more wood than necessary. Also, it is very impor-

Beam theory shows that the deﬂec5on of a beam of rectangular

The back (#3) should be carved to a uniform thickness of around 5

Work with a gouge at the abrupt transi5ons near the neckblock.

This is the back a&er the ﬁnal sanding:

Tools and Supplies

You will need Chisels, Gouges, some conven5onal Clamps and a

Some opera5ons (for example, fre7ng) will require addi5onal

You will need the following supplies: