New Custom Scratch Build - The Narwhal (Lots of Pics!)

[overpwredbyfunk]

Greetings digital friends! sorry for the unusual delay in completing this build, but I had some other activities come up. I'm happy to say the narwhal is done! Thanks for your patience!

So, first of all I moved . . . a whole zip code away. Not very far, but it ate into my free time for the build for a while.

I also got engaged! And uh, I had to lie about what I was doing in the shop. I made my (now) fiancee think I was working on the guitar, but I was really working on a box for the engagement ring. It was fun seeing her get mildly aggravated thinking I was screwing around, when I was really up to serious business.

First, I designed the thing


Then I did a 3D printed prototype


Then I moved to wood


Out of the CNC


Finish Sanded


Magnets installed. Hinges are silly


Test fit with the ring


And finally clear coated. It's Patagonian Rosewood for anyone curious. I did the deed down in Argentina, so thought it'd be appropriate


Okay--enough of that detour. Back to the guitar. So, because of my time constraints, I ended up just ordering a Warmoth neck. Truth be told, I shit the bed on my attempt to hand rasping and ate a little too much wood. And all that happened right before I needed to get on a plane to Argentina, so I didn't have time to deal with it. I still have a slab of pretty birdseye and cocobolo and i'm hoping to eventually make a neck for the guitar from scratch. But for now, I had some shows and recording dates I was eager to have the guitar complete for.

Historically I've had a lot of luck with Warmoth necks, but this one was a bit unsatisfying, so I had to do a lot of fretwork to the thing to get it in playable condition. There were a lot of high frets and in some places on the guitar I'd fret a note, and it'd go up a full step or step and a half. The neck required a full fret leveling, dressing, crowning, beveling, and polishing. Now it plays great.



https://youtu.be/zwUPw2waPCU
Here's a link to me testing it out on YouTube. Signal chain is just the guitar into a Fender Hot Rod DeVille (2x12), Shure Beta 57, Apogee Duet, Logic Pro.

Thanks for following along! Not sure what I'll build next. Maybe a St. Vincent style guitar? I'll post the neck build when I get to it here as well.

[Jaguar018]

Engagement ring box should have had a little tort triangle pick guard. You blew it.

[Awesome guitar and box! Also congrats!]

[overpwredbyfunk]

Engagement ring box should have had a little tort triangle pick guard. You blew it.

[Awesome guitar and box! Also congrats!]

Thanks!

[danp3man]

Greetings digital friends! sorry for the unusual delay in completing this build, but I had some other activities come up. I'm happy to say the narwhal is done! Thanks for your patience!

So, first of all I moved . . . a whole zip code away. Not very far, but it ate into my free time for the build for a while.

I also got engaged! And uh, I had to lie about what I was doing in the shop. I made my (now) fiancee think I was working on the guitar, but I was really working on a box for the engagement ring. It was fun seeing her get mildly aggravated thinking I was screwing around, when I was really up to serious business.

First, I designed the thing


Magnets installed. Hinges are silly


Test fit with the ring


And finally clear coated. It's Patagonian Rosewood for anyone curious. I did the deed down in Argentina, so thought it'd be appropriate


Okay--enough of that detour. Back to the guitar. So, because of my time constraints, I ended up just ordering a Warmoth neck. Truth be told, I shit the bed on my attempt to hand rasping and ate a little too much wood. And all that happened right before I needed to get on a plane to Argentina, so I didn't have time to deal with it. I still have a slab of pretty birdseye and cocobolo and i'm hoping to eventually make a neck for the guitar from scratch. But for now, I had some shows and recording dates I was eager to have the guitar complete for.

Historically I've had a lot of luck with Warmoth necks, but this one was a bit unsatisfying, so I had to do a lot of fretwork to the thing to get it in playable condition. There were a lot of high frets and in some places on the guitar I'd fret a note, and it'd go up a full step or step and a half. The neck required a full fret leveling, dressing, crowning, beveling, and polishing. Now it plays great.



https://youtu.be/zwUPw2waPCU
Here's a link to me testing it out on YouTube. Signal chain is just the guitar into a Fender Hot Rod DeVille (2x12), Shure Beta 57, Apogee Duet, Logic Pro.

Thanks for following along! Not sure what I'll build next. Maybe a St. Vincent style guitar? I'll post the neck build when I get to it here as well.

Absolutely stunning! Great job on the ring box as well- congratulations!

[shadowplay]

That box is really nicely done. The Patagonian rosewood looks almost identical to the Macassar ebony wood trim on an old car I own.

D

[Shadoweclipse13]

That's amazing! I've loved the guitar from the beginning, but I'm a romantic at heart, and that box is awesome!!

[markblack77]

that is very nice. well done Sir.

[kdanie]

Beautiful work on both!

ken

[Rgand]

Beautiful guitar. Outstanding ring box. Nice work. Thumbs-up to both.

[bacongrease]

impressive

would it have been out of the question to make two or three at once?

[PorkyPrimeCut]

I missed this update. Congratulations!! What a great touch!