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The Crimson Guitars Workshop Diary – 121111
At Crimson Guitars we are nearing the end of a push to change the way we build our guitars, quality and reliability of course are still the watch words but the demand for our work has created a back log that threatened to overwhelm me entirely: over the past year I have worked to clear the decks of part-built guitars and have worked out a new system of building that means that we will be creating only one custom ordered hand built guitar at a time. Without the distractions of trying to semi-mass produce the guitars I am able to build a new guitar from start to finish in just 2 to 3 weeks! The back log of already started custom guitar projects is very nearly clear and I am starting to concentrate at least half our time on instruments whose amazingly patient soon-to-be owners have been waiting for, this will obviously make the workshop diary a much more fast paced, and hopefully interesting, place to visit.
On top of the changes in the workshop the past month has seen lots of development and change in the website, a software glitch of epic proportions lost me my control of a full third of the site and I used the opportunity to rebuild the entire website in a new, more reliable (read fool-proof!) content management system and in a new format that I think is a vast improvement. The gallery, arguably the most important part of the site, now has one huge wall of thumbnails so you can browse all our recent custom builds. Alternatively you can browse a similar page full of all guitars of a particular model or category of models, for example all the Robert Fripp guitars we have built can be seen here. Finally you can view each guitar and all the vital statistics of that instrument on it’s very own page, here is the newest addition to the site.. the new custom built 21 string twin neck guitar.
Finally I have reworked a pdf that I put out last year walking potential clients, or hobby guitar builders, through some of the myriad options available when you choose to order a bespoke, hand made guitar or bass from Crimson Guitars.. just click the (pretty :)) banner below to go there.
Anyway, now that the site is all back together, and barring any as yet undiscovered issues, I am now going to concentrate entirely on the part of my job that I actually want to do.. build guitars!
To that end here we have the bespoke Robert Fripp model I’ve been building over the past week or so, the cxlient has decided to revert back to his original plan for the finish so, somewhat sacrilegiously, the whole guitar is coated with a 2 pack primer..
The primer once cured is rubbed down, it is vitally important to have a perfect finish right from the start!
So we go up to 600 grit with wet wet and dry paper all over the guitar.
several coats of solid black paint are built up to give the required ‘stealth’ look.
While painting, and waiting for it to cure in between coats, I can’t create too much dust so it is to the other side of the finishing job, rubbing down the lacquer on Davids custom Robert Fripp/PAF Hollow cross-breed guitar.
1200 grit for starters..
With all the black paint on the fret-boards binding is unmasked and cleaned up a little.
The same goes for the logo inlay.
This PAF Hollow is also being refinished and is prepped for lacquer.
Davids guitars top at least is ready for buffing..
In the meantime lacquer starts to build up.
I need a change of position so the window on the workshops front door becomes a light box and I start a redesign for our next build.. the Eyry was originally going to be an 8 string..
This is turned into a multi-scale six stringer..
And then furthur afield we end up with a six string guitar and six string bass twin neck.. this is the rough design but I’m already loving it!
to help the lacquer cure the heaters are turned on.. at least while there is no actual spraying going on… KABOOM!!!
More work on Davids hollow guitar to pass the time constructively..
By the end of the night here is the final result, two slightly damp but very pretty hand made, hand finished, custom guitars… (note the search engine friendly terminology!:)
After a few days curing more rubbing down..
it turns out that this is much much easier going after only a few days curing.. Davids guitars lacquer is fully cured and is very hard work!
Friday night, but I can’t resist a preliminary polish.. I love it!
Have a great day!
Ben
Crimson Guitars UK | redefining the British custom Guitar