Waimea slack key guitar going to the spray booth

The Waimea slack key guitar is almost ready for the spray booth where it will get its lacquer finish. It now has two coats of sanding seal and one coat of pore fill. It will be sanded back and then head into the spray booth. Its flamed curly Koa back and sides will pop under finish. The sealer and pore fill give only an indication of what’s to come. Hang in there, Jeff, it won’t be long now till you will be playing your new guitar!

 

Gluing the fretboard to the neck
James glues the Ebony fretboard to the neck of the Waimea slack key guitar. The neck is Honduran Mahogany and the headstock is slotted. The Madagascar Rosewood headplate is already glued on the headstock, the slots are cut, and the tuner holes are drilled. In the photo below the asymmetrical curve at the end of the fretboard can be seen.

Gluing Fretboard to the Neck
In the photo below we see James getting going in the neck carving for this slack key guitar. He has already started working on the volute which ends up smaller when complete. Also the heel curve is not complete yet; more will be coming off. Then the sanding begins, progressively moving through levels of sandpaper to 220 grit. At that level there is still some tooth on the wood for the finish to adhere to.

Carving the Neck for the Slack Key Guitar

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