Day Five

 Ever since I decided to build a guitar with a set-in neck I realised the moment when the clamps were removed would be something of a test of my woodworking inexperience. In the event, once the neck and body remained firmly joined together it was almost a let-down. Of course, I’d told myself that the bodies of violins to double basses have been glued to their necks for centuries but the satisfaction at realising that I’d done the job in my kitchen was a moment of satisfaction.

Clearly, I’d probably applied too much pressure through the clamps since the outline of the woodblock protecting the back of the body had become imprinted in the mahogany. The woodblock was an oak offcut left after our kitchen was extended a couple of years back; maybe a softer wood would be better next time. In the event, some determined sanding solved the problem. That has delayed the build by a day since the latest sanding needed another coat of penetrating guitar oil.

That left time to mask up the fretboard with painter’s tape and to line the sockets for the pickups and the controls with copper tape. Now it’s just a matter of patience.