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Tagged With: guitar making

Raffle Update – $14,000 for Make-a-Wish!

This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series Double Dragon

A New Home As planned, the “Double Dragon” was raffled off at intermission on the House of Blues Chicago mainstage. Make-a-Wish Illinois representative Wande Olude helped draw the winning tickets. This year we sold $7,010 in tickets, which was matched by our coprorate parent Alliance Data Systems, bringing the this year’s donation to $14,020. Special … Continue reading »

Categories: Luthiery, Uncategorized, Guitar Building | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Custom Dragon Hardware

This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Double Dragon

Back when I first acquired the CNC, I also purchased some sheets of thin plywood, vinyl, and aluminum of varying thickness. My plan was to experiment with cutting these materials immediately after assembly to learn just what it could — and couldn’t — do. I instead wound up diving headlong into cutting wood and building … Continue reading »

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Dragon’s breath

This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Double Dragon

Once the guitar was out of the clamps with the neck permanently secured, it was time for finishing it up. The neck joint was flushed with scrapers and sandpaper, and the entire guitar was given a good sanding down to 220. I’d already applied some finish to the inside of the sound hole and so … Continue reading »

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Carving the Dragon’s Neck

This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Double Dragon

The CNC cut a 3-degree angled neck pocket on its final pass. The bottom of the pocket came out great. Unfortunately I screwed up the top edge, which came out rough. Thankfully this wasn’t a huge issue – I pulled out my neck pocket routing jig and manually cleaned up the top. CNCs are great … Continue reading »

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Lap Steel in a Day

Summer fun list We have an annual tradition in our house of making a “summer fun list.” Towards the end of the school year, we all sit down and take turns coming up with activities we’d like to do during summer vacation. The list usually includes stuff like “Picnic” or “Christmas in July” or “Sundae … Continue reading »

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Finishing Up the Body

This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Sapele Tele

Ouch! When I was prepping to cut out the body on the CNC, I knew I didn’t have a long enough bit or enough Z height to cut the entire way through from the top. I considered cutting half-way through from the bottom first and then flipping it over, but I was anxious that I … Continue reading »

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