Idabelle - Part Two
My old man was a woodwork teacher (he’s reticently retired now), so I spent a fair bit of time as a kid hanging around the school workshop, playing with wood and tools.
I always loved the smell of the place, a mixture of pine, sawdust, sweat and turpentine. Dad is more into house-carpentry and joinery than finer scale woodworking but he instilled in me a love of timber and an admiration for the great skill of working with it. He caused me to notice how things were made and the timbers involved so now everywhere I go I admire big Silky Oak doors or window frames, fine mortise work on a set of drawers, or the Walnut veneer on an antique piano.
All that said, I think instrument making is some of the most amazing woodworking. I have so much admiration for the skill that is required, the reverence for the materials and tradition of luthiery. I don’t claim to know very much about the details of how it all comes together but Geoff at GB Guitars has been kindly sharing some progress shots and with his permission I am delighted to share a few more of those with you (in roughly chronological order.)
These images show the sides being bent. It still blows my mind that you can do this with a solid piece of timber. Traditionally it’s done with steam but these days you can use these electric blankets!
One of the things I love about woodworking is all the jigs and forms that makers create. There’s some really genius engineering and craftsmanship that is never seen outside of the workshop.
I can’t wait to see that back with some finish on there. The Blackwood has some nice fiddleback in the the grain.
The King Billy Pine soundboard coming together - the initial cross bracing and then the full construction. I think the hand-carving of the bracing is one of the most beautiful parts of luthiery. Seeing inside an instrument is always fascinating, there is so much fine craft and micro-adjustments that give the instrument its voice.
Here is the top being glued on - so the body is pretty much complete! I was excited to see the timber rosette - Geoff gave me the option of a parquetry rosette or one with mother of pearl but I’m glad I opted for this simpler design. I’ve always preferred guitars that are a bit understated in their appointments and I think Geoff shares my taste in this.
This part is pretty amazing to me - the traditional dovetail neck joint. Getting those two pieces to marry up perfectly is a little bit miraculous in my opinion.
The final few images for this instalment. Firstly shaping the neck and heel by hand which is truly incredible work. I asked for a neck that is somewhat on the thick side. My hands are like paddles and probably not the best implements for playing guitar, so a thicker neck feels more comfortable.
The second and third images show the truss rod in place and then the fretboard getting glued on. You might also notice the beautiful Sheoak binding has been added to the body in these images - again I can’t wait to see the colours come out with some finish on there.
Well I’ll leave it there for now but thank you for reading. The response to the first instalment was really lovely so I’m encouraged to share more, and once again this is all made possibly by the incredible skill and generosity of Geoff Baker / GB Guitars. Stay tuned for the final construction and some videos when I get my hands on this beautiful instrument.
