Guitar Building Products
In the book it was not possible to include full size plans. The best we could do was to give an approximate enlargement percentage. After the book was released readers expressed frustration at not being able to scale the plans up to full size with any accuracy. That prompted me to put together a complete set of plans using a CAD program and make them available. These plans also included some things that were not included in the book such as the 15' and 25' radius sticks, which are easily traceable from these plans, and an acetate used to lay out the soundboard bracing as demonstrated in the book. It is very difficult to draw this acetate by hand and get the accuracy needed. This acetate is extremely accurate. Positioning the braces with this is a breeze and yields very consistent results.
After having created a complete set of CAD drawings of the guitar, I saw an opportunity to create the templates and molds from these drawings to improve the accuracy here in the shop. The CAD drawings could be used to create the programs needed to cut these on a CNC machine. A CNC machine can produce these templates and molds with ultimate accuracy. Not only are accurate templates and molds difficult at best to create by hand because of the complex symmetric curves and tight tolerances necessary for good results, making them is time consuming. It can take someone a week or more to make all the necessary templates and molds with careful layout and execution. In the case of the lining molds for instance, the curve of the outer template and the inner template are not the same, and to create linings that fit properly and will not require undo force to conform to the shape of the sides, they must be offset by an exact amount along the entire curve. This I can tell you from experience is next to impossible to achieve making these by hand.
With these newly created templates and molds there were immediate quality improvements in the final product, and time was being saved all throughout the process. The mere fact that the templates along with their registration holes were now perfectly symmetric meant that orientation was no longer an issue, made things easier to manage throughout the process. All the templates and molds, along with some specialty tools and difficult to get laminations and veneers are available here on the web site.
see listing of all productsThe J.S. Bogdanovich Guitars store is a secure shopping environment. All transactions are encrypted for security. Click the small lock icon on your browser when viewing your cart or on the checkout page to view the SSL Certificate. If you are not comfortable using your credit card online I have included downloadable product catalog with fax order form (linked below). Just download, fill out the form, and fax to (828)299-3629.
New Products Added
Two new products have been recently added. An adjustable tuning machine drilling jig, a crude version of which I have been using in shop for years, will place and drill tuning machine roller holes that are 35mm on centers in the headpiece. The jig is used in conjunction with the headpiece template which is included in the template set. The holes can be drilled using the jig with the template still on which greatly improves the workflow. The jig is adjustable for different width tuner base plates and comes with two shims for drilling 16 and 18mm wide base plates. Shims can be easily made to accommodate any size base plate.
Lamination wood has also been added to the store. The small quantities and odd sizes of wood required to make one instrument, are difficult if not impossible to find commercially. For those that do not have the ability to resaw, laminations for the linings and sides have been made available. Four sheets of mahogany pre-thicknessed to the size needed for a set of linings, and side laminations in three different types of wood are now available in the store. Ebonized pearwood veneer sheets have also been added. Finding good black veneer for purflings, back strips, and headpiece veneers is difficult and if you are using dyed poplar you know how it tears leaving little voids where dust can settle and eventually show up through the finish. Ebonized pearwood planes very nicely and leaves a silky smooth, flat appearance.
The rosette cutting router attachment, and a fret leveling kit have been made available. The rosette router attachment came about because I was frustrated cutting out channels for the rosette without being able to see what was going on until it was too late. I also felt the device should be easily adjustable. Hence, I came up with this gadget. It is really easy to use, yields great results, can be adapted for any laminate trimming router, and I think you will find it a big help.
For a long time I used files and even shaped sharpening stones at one point to file frets level. I was never happy with these methods as they took too long and removed either too much material, or too little. I then began using sand paper and have never used any else since. The dowels round out the kit making it easy to check for high frets and ultimately making leveling a breeze.
Also,be sure to check out the sets. I have packaged items together to make them more economical. All sets have been priced with a 10% discount from the original price on all set items.
A word on the molds. These products are heavy and my make shipping internationally impractical. The side mold weighs 12 lbs. by itself without any packaging. Therefore it will be prohibitively expensive to ship internationally. If you are an international customer and would still like to purchase these items please contact me.
The shipping portion for the store has been restructured. Parcel post has been added for domestic shipping. This is a less expensive method. Some shipping methods have been eliminated and the remaining methods simplified. Pricing has been improved. New territories and countries will also be added.
