12 strings crossover building process

[ramonet]

As SustainerPlayer asked for more photos of my in-process project and I have it stopped, I put a new topic with the complete building of my 12 strigs crossover that's posted in Misc.Guitars section.
This was a gift for my brother's birthday: a 12 strings gtr with a TV Jones pickup in neck position and a Rickenbacker hi-gain in the bridge; two classic sounds in one guitar. The sound is amazing in every position!!!
First of all, the neck pocket and the raw cut. Everything done in freehand style.

 

[ramonet]

Raw cut completed and first try with the neck. The coloured pice of wood shows muy colour test for this guitar and for the other project I was building at the same time: Blue Rick.

For pickup placement purposes I drawed reproductions in paper of the pickups and their polepieces

 

[ramonet]

The TV Jones is in it's place

 

[ramonet]

I made a paper test for the picguard and after cuted the real one with a copy saw. As this is a 2 levels picguard, I must cut 2 diferent pieces and space them with 3 of those ruber pieces used to hold the glass in place in top of a table. The most difficult part was to make the holes in the spaces. I ended using the tool for make the holes on leather straps.
The beveled edge and the countershuk holes are also drilled by hand, with no drill press (very tricky)

 

[ramonet]

The control cavity it's routed and for the side jack hole I used a Fastner bit.

 

[ramonet]

First test of almost all together: bridge, Rick pickup, TV Jones, pickguard with knobs and switch, and the neck (ebony fretboard with creme dots over maple) with schaller tuners.
My brother is holding what's going to be his new guitar... He has 12 guitars but none of them is a 12 electric.

 

[ramonet]

The neck you can see behind my bro is for the Blue Rick.
Dyed in dark green. The colour is made mixing Stewmac tints green, blue and black. I don't know the exact proportions so I can't never replicate de exact colour.
This is my first attempt to finish a guitar so I was "discovering" the process. (Also I have the very helpful information from Stewmac's website and from the posts of this site)

 

[ramonet]

the grain filler takes away some dye and adds brightness; this is the result I'm looking for.

 

[ramonet]

Sanding grain filler and starting with the crear coats (lots of them, in a very thin applications). The clear coats are made using cans that I put in hot water for haf an hour before use to prevent spits (it works!)

 

[ramonet]

Waiting for sanding with her sister, the Blue Rick

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Thanks ramonet! I like your level of service  :icon_thumright:

And I really do enjoy threads like these.  :toothy10:

 

[ramonet]

Thanks Sustainer.
Following the process, it comes the wet sanding and polishing. For this steps I soaked the sandpaper all night in water. In the polishing proces I used the Stewmac compounds, skiping the coarse one and going trough medium and fine, and finishing with the swirl remover. This last compound I also use for dirty or lightly scratched instruments and it works really good

 

[ramonet]

The instrument finished, neck attached and ferrules installed. It's not a Tonar's finish (it's far far away from the master's work, but it was my first time and I work alone...)

 

[ramonet]

Shielding cavities with copper foil and doing the wiring

 

[ramonet]

And that's it!! Final assembly. I hope everybody has enjoyed this post. I also have pics of all the building process of the Blue Rick, a one hubucking pickup guitar with the same sape but with different pickguard (really original, some kind of Ying or Yang).
I keep posting the proces of the new Rick...

 

[Nando Vallart]

Very nice!