# Caparison #1 HeadBender Mod



## HeadBender (Dec 4, 2012)

Hey Guys,

So I am driving this on the Caparison Forum, but going to do it here as well.

Today I have received the victim of the mod, a Yellow Sand Horus.
I will try to give regular updates and post progress pictures as well.
As for today

This is how it started:















Removal of the pivot studs:





Strap Button: no comment

This is how the upper horn screw looks like:





And the typical Caparison sickness (thank god in this case only in the clear coat and not in the wood):





Here it is stripped:





Started to thin the neck satin clear coat with some 00 Steel Wool.
(The Maple has some nice figure!)









First checks how the Rosewood reacts with the dye, I guess in the end once it gets to that it will result well. The grain is still visible so its not complete black, but looks deeper and darker then originally. This is after maybe 1 layer (1st and 2nd fret)










Thats all for today. I only had 2 hours to deal with it. Next step is to order the Luminlay (I am going for Blue ones on this) remove the satin clear coat completely, then oil the neck. Decide if i will refret it or not, if not to glue the frets, treat the fretboard, then apply the dye. A Truss rod cover out of Rosewood and I guess thats it for the Neck. Will also check if I need to do a fret levelling if I go for the original frets, but I might end up refretting with a narrower fretwire. Any input if I should go for it?


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## Senaeth (Dec 4, 2012)

plz do not change anything about the headstock shape. Personally I always loved the caparison head


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## ILuvPillows (Dec 4, 2012)

^When was that ever mentioned?


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## HeadBender (Dec 4, 2012)

Senaeth said:


> plz do not change anything about the headstock shape. Personally I always loved the caparison head



No way I am changing that


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## Alexis (Dec 6, 2012)

that's a nice one!
but that strapscrew?!


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## Metaljesus (Dec 6, 2012)

ILuvPillows said:


> ^When was that ever mentioned?



I think he got it from the thread tittle, "headBender mod".


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## HeadBender (Dec 14, 2012)

Just some things and details:

I was in the progress of stripping down the clear coat from the neck.
Liminlay has already arrived. (I went for blue on this one - SB-25)
Ordered a paint stripper (Liberon fine wood stripper) but it does not have too much of an effect 

Will post soon measurements of the neck profile, I guess that will be helpful for a lot of people here. (Thickness)

Also as far as the fretwire goes, here are the measurements of the factory frets (factory ones as far as I know): tallness of the frets is one thing (0.043" - 0.054") the wideness of them is 0.112".

For comparison, the Dunlop 6100 is 0.110" wide and 0.055 tall, the 6105 is 0.090" wide and 0.055" tall.

This pushes me towards re-fret as I might want to end up with a narrower fret wire like the 6105. Also In a really old post I have found a cool idea, which is to get narrower frets for the ~24 - 27 frets then the rest.

As for the neck radius and nut, bridge goes, this has already been mentioned, but anyway:
Officially:
R2 nut: 10"
Schaller S-FRT II bridge: 12"
Fretboard at the first frets: 350mm (13.75")
Fretboard at the last frets: 400mm (15.75")

Neck Profile at the Nut:





1st Fret:





6th Fret:





12th Fret:





15th Fret:





As for the Top I went for a nice curly redwood.
(Haven't decided which sides will be matched)






Yesterday I have started to trip the paint. Went for the cavities first. Only removed the paint from the edges of the cavities where the backplates are laying on. (To remove the whole paint from the trem cavitiy would be a massive pain, so I decided that all the vacities will be covered with conductive black paint)

Will post pics soon of the progress.


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## quoenusz (Dec 14, 2012)

I would go with the one on the left.. Looks great!


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## jahosy (Dec 14, 2012)

quoenusz said:


> I would go with the one on the left.. Looks great!



+1


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## Kroaton (Dec 14, 2012)

The pattern on the left one is way more defined and uniform. It also seems to flow better.


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## HeadBender (Dec 15, 2012)

Picture time:

The cavities (I was working on these for the last 2 days)















The cutaway:










Sand a bit with hand:





With palm Sander:


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## HeadBender (Dec 15, 2012)

Also applied the dye to the fretboard, which is drying now.


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## jordanky (Dec 15, 2012)

This is awesome! I don't think I've ever seen a Caparison refinish thread. Subscribed!


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## F0rte (Dec 15, 2012)

That redwood is INSANE!


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## Rojne (Dec 15, 2012)

Awesome project... can't wait to see this finished! !


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## ikarus (Dec 15, 2012)

Where can I buy that little thing to measure the neck shape?!


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## BillNephew (Dec 15, 2012)

It looks like OP is using one of these to measure the neck profile.


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## MaxAidingAres (Dec 16, 2012)

Damn i love redwood


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## HeadBender (Dec 18, 2012)

So, Paint is DOWN....only missing the edges at some places, which I will take down tomorrow. will try to post pictures as well.

The 2 piece mahagony body is beautiful underneath, I really like the wood.

I only went until the sealer, so the next phase is going to be to remove the sealer, and also to remove ap. 4 mm from the Top, to compensate the height of the Redwood Top.


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## ECGuitars (Dec 18, 2012)

HeadBender said:


> So, Paint is DOWN....only missing the edges at some places, which I will take down tomorrow. will try to post pictures as well.
> 
> The 2 piece mahagony body is beautiful underneath, I really like the wood.
> 
> I only went until the sealer, so the next phase is going to be to remove the sealer, and also to remove ap. 4 mm from the Top, to compensate the height of the Redwood Top.



Just curious as to why you bothered with sanding the paint off the top instead of just planing off the 4 mm plus maybe a .25 mm to include the thickness of the paint. Would have save you a lot of time!


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## HeadBender (Dec 19, 2012)

ECGuitars said:


> Just curious as to why you bothered with sanding the paint off the top instead of just planing off the 4 mm plus maybe a .25 mm to include the thickness of the paint. Would have save you a lot of time!



The lack of the machine is kind of a reason


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## canuck brian (Dec 19, 2012)

I'm dying to see the finished result here. 

how thick is that redwood cap?

The only thing I didn't like seeing in this entire thread is the wood used for the neck - 1 piece flatsawn maple. I would really expect a company like Caparison (and the associated costs!!) to use quartersawn for more stability.


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## HeadBender (Dec 19, 2012)

canuck brian said:


> I'm dying to see the finished result here.
> 
> how thick is that redwood cap?
> 
> The only thing I didn't like seeing in this entire thread is the wood used for the neck - 1 piece flatsawn maple. I would really expect a company like Caparison (and the associated costs!!) to use quartersawn for more stability.



There is nothing wrong with a flatsawn maple as long as the grain is perfect, straight, no natural twist etc. I have never seen a Capa with a crappy piece of Maple neckwood.

However I see your point.


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## HeadBender (Dec 29, 2012)

So, this is how it looks now. (_The sealer is still on_)













...and the Redwood Top has arrived:







I have done som test staining on the broken piece. Surprisingly it seems like I did not even have to pre-stain to raise the figure, the red stain one resulted pretty well and I like it.


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## LetsMosey (Dec 30, 2012)

You're a brave guy, I'd have such a hard time modding such an expensive guitar.  Definitely looking forward to seeing how this turns out!


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## Watty (Dec 30, 2012)

Nice, good to see some red stain on the redwood to darken the color; will be doing the same with my next custom.


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## ntroulis (Dec 30, 2012)

i cant wait to see how it looks at the end


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## iRaiseTheDead (Dec 30, 2012)

Holy crap dude, looking fantastic!


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## HeadBender (Dec 30, 2012)

At this point, I think I will go for a black stained back, and a red stained top.
That way the Gold Hardware will also fit in.

Possibly first gonna do a Mahagony Red stain to raise the grain, then a Cherry-ish final stain witha tad of black in it.


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## TheSixthWheel (Dec 31, 2012)

What is a headbender mod, and how was the guitar a victim of it?

Didn't look that hard, but it looked like a functional caparison to me.


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## GXPO (Dec 31, 2012)

Subbed. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.


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## HeadBender (Dec 31, 2012)

So, I had quite a nice last day of the year, made some nice progress with her.

Removed the sealer from the back completely:



























Then for the Top: holes, holes and more holes:







...to help the job of this:












Result:

















Around 4mm has been removed so far from the Top, and around 0.5 more will be with hand later on. The forearm scoop is also jet to be sanded.

Happy New Year Everyone!

EDIT: 500th Post


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## jahosy (Jan 1, 2013)

HeadBender said:


> Then for the Top: holes, holes and more holes:



My heart skipped a beat when i saw this LOL 

Can't wait to see the new redwood top matie


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## HeadBender (Jan 1, 2013)

Today took care of most of the shaping of the scoop:






















...and my little helpers around to store things:


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## guidothepimmp (Jan 1, 2013)

Grande maluco 

Excellente trabalho 

Looks awesome dude


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## Ironbird (Jan 2, 2013)

It looks like Cristiano Ronaldo isn't the only Portuguese with mad skills! 

Nice work, really. I wouldn't do this to such an expensive guitar myself, but hey, if you can...


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## HeadBender (Jan 2, 2013)

Ironbird said:


> It looks like Cristiano Ronaldo isn't the only Portuguese with mad skills!
> 
> Nice work, really. I wouldn't do this to such an expensive guitar myself, but hey, if you can...



Thanks, however I am not Portuguese 
Think about Hungarians with Mad Skills


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## HeadBender (Jan 2, 2013)

Lets get crazy....

What do you guys think of the following:
- Change the Horus Logo on the Headstock and replace it with Luminlay Material \m/
- Was thinking about doing the same with the Clock inlay - replace the clock hands with Luminlay Material, but the issue there would be the fact that in normal daylight the hands would not be that different from the surrounding pearl.


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## jahosy (Jan 2, 2013)

HeadBender said:


> - Change the Horus Logo on the Headstock and replace it with Luminlay Material \m/



This. 

I've always like MoP logo! This will look kinda similar?


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## HeadBender (Jan 3, 2013)

Updates:

- Yesterday I have installed the Luminlay side dots on the neck. Sanding and final touch follows today.
- Ordered the block Luminlay material for the Horus Logo replacement

Now I am also thinking to do an inlay on the Top, behind the tremolo if I have enough of the Luminlay left. Would be an Eye of Horus inlay. (Not yet sure about it though)

Another thing that I realized I should do after the top is the body is to route the area between the pivot studs deeper. Initially that area already had some marks in the paint from the screws holding the saddles to the base plate, and that ap. 1-2mm deeper route will make sure that if needed the tremolo can be lowered properly.


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## peagull (Jan 3, 2013)

Well, I'm late to the party here, but that's looking awesome. It took some balls to start modding an expensive guitar but you should be glad you did. A lovely piece of wood under that paint and I think it will look ace with the top on. Looking forward to seeing this finished!


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## HeadBender (Jan 3, 2013)

So the Luminlay side dots are finished:






















The final result:


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## LetsMosey (Jan 3, 2013)

Seriously, this is going to be delicious when you're done!


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## engage757 (Jan 4, 2013)

Looking good so far brother! As blasphemous as it seems!


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## AxeHappy (Jan 4, 2013)

TheSixthWheel said:


> What is a headbender mod, and how was the guitar a victim of it?



Head Bender is the username of the original poster.


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## teleofseven (Jan 4, 2013)

HeadBender said:


>



what is this tool called? i must have it!


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## HeadBender (Jan 4, 2013)

teleofseven said:


> what is this tool called? i must have it!



It is the *Wagner Safe-T-Planner* and it is awesome!
As far as I know it is unfortunately already discontinued. There might be a few in stores somewhere, also seen kinda copies of this.

Check here: 
Wagner Safe-T-Planer - Information and Pricing at LMI


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## bob123 (Jan 4, 2013)

New Drill Press Safety Wood Planer Replacement to Wagner Safe T Planer 1 2 Shank | eBay


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## HeadBender (Jan 4, 2013)

bob123 said:


> New Drill Press Safety Wood Planer Replacement to Wagner Safe T Planer 1 2 Shank | eBay



Yeah these are the "alternatives".
The thing is since the Wagner is discontinued their price went nuts. Initially they were like 50-60$ now if you find it on Ebay they go up to 410$!


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## bob123 (Jan 4, 2013)

HeadBender said:


> Yeah these are the "alternatives".
> The thing is since the Wagner is discontinued their price went nuts. Initially they were like 50-60$ now if you find it on Ebay they go up to 410$!



Wow haha.


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## HeadBender (Jan 12, 2013)

The reason for the silence was due to the fact that I have decided to move forward with the idea of replacing the painted logo on the headstock with Luminlay actual inlay.

I have ordered the block Luminlay, which has already arrived and as I have no prior experience or knowledge of inlay work I started to practice routing and crafting the inlay itself.

Here are some pictures of the crap I have made by trying out different things:

The wood one is the first ever I made, the black is plastic - that is number 2.
(These ones were done by rough cutting the material with a small bend-saw and then using files shaping it with hand.






The next one was done today after I made a jig for the inlay cutting and basically using the "traditional" method of cutting the pieces. Turned out pretty well, quite satisfied with it, there is room for improvement but now I see that I can actually make it and that it will end up great eventually:

(They also fit together nicely, so the space between them upon installation would be even)










Plans for next week: keep practicing the inlay crafting and then do some routing and installation on some scrapwood.

Also probably on Saturday I will start working with the Redwood as now enough time has passed for it to settle.


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## teleofseven (Jan 12, 2013)

HeadBender said:


> It is the *Wagner Safe-T-Planner* and it is awesome!
> As far as I know it is unfortunately already discontinued. There might be a few in stores somewhere, also seen kinda copies of this.
> 
> Check here:
> Wagner Safe-T-Planer - Information and Pricing at LMI



did wagner go bust or why'd they stop making such a (apparently) sought after tool?


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## cypher858 (Jan 16, 2013)

This is one hell of a project! I'd never have the balls to do something this big to such a spendy guitar! Can't wait to see how this turns out dude!


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## HeadBender (Jan 19, 2013)

Progress from today:

Checked out the shielding paint I bought, put one coat into the trem cavity and I actually liked it:






Then started with the Top.
Cut the shape of the guitar to check the positioning of the top itselt, figure, faults in the wood etc:

(The part of the top at the bottom has a bit of alcohol near the endge that is why it is a bit darker there)

















Then you add alcohol to the full and...you are starting to have doubts if you even wann stain the Top red or any other color....































Here is how it is going to be with the routing. All the small faults of the wood are out luckily:







After this started to wok on sanding the edges of the Top for the bookmatching, which is almost doen just needs a bit of planning and done..

Also started to sand the back of the tops. The body itself is almost ready for the Top (sanding / leveling)


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## Adrian-XI (Jan 19, 2013)

Oh wow, that top looks like an aerial view of a mountain range in a couple of those pics. 

Can't wait to see this completed!


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## TheFashel12 (Jan 20, 2013)

DO NOT STAIN THAT REDWOOD 
I think it looks really nice the way it is .
Anyways great build


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## skisgaar (Jan 20, 2013)

Can't wait to see that redwood all oiled up and shiny! Awesome mods so far man!


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## SDMFVan (Jan 20, 2013)

What a cool project! I can't wait to see how the inlay turns out.


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## iRaiseTheDead (Jan 20, 2013)

Looking so much better from when I last saw it. Dear God, please finish it!


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## JPMike (Jan 20, 2013)

God damn, I really wanna see how it will be in the end.


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## HeadBender (Jan 22, 2013)

Guys,

Looking for your input on the following:
So today an idea came to my mind, here is the stock photo of the Top. What if you take away the middle part:







Add the rest together, rotate it on the contrary how you would normally do and...:






Will try to make somehow a mockup with the Body shape on this one.


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## SDMFVan (Jan 22, 2013)

I like the original version, because the middle part you'd take away will look cool with the pickups/bridge mixed in.


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## Purelojik (Jan 22, 2013)

i agree with above. you're gonna be ignoring the middle figure once the strings and pups and bridge are mounted. you could also use the far left and far right and bookmatch them instead.


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## HeadBender (Jan 23, 2013)

Purelojik said:


> i agree with above. you're gonna be ignoring the middle figure once the strings and pups and bridge are mounted. you could also use the far left and far right and bookmatch them instead.



The Top is big, but not big enough to use them individually for another Top if thats what you have meant.

The reason I am thinking of this, because the main figure of the Top would stay on the outer edges, most of it would be cut during the shaping, so they would go to waste.

I like the middle figure, its not because I do not like it and I do not want to use it. Simply the outer part of the Top contains the actual "better" figure.


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## Purelojik (Jan 23, 2013)

HeadBender said:


> The Top is big, but not big enough to use them individually for another Top if thats what you have meant.
> 
> The reason I am thinking of this, because the main figure of the Top would stay on the outer edges, most of it would be cut during the shaping, so they would go to waste.
> 
> I like the middle figure, its not because I do not like it and I do not want to use it. Simply the outer part of the Top contains the actual "better" figure.



no noono not as another top just take the right side of the right half and the left side of the left half and make those the bookmatched parts


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## HeadBender (Jan 23, 2013)

Here are the actual pictures. (cut to fit together)


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## HeadBender (Jan 24, 2013)

Purelojik said:


> no noono not as another top just take the right side of the right half and the left side of the left half and make those the bookmatched parts



Like this?
(I find it less "matched")


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## peagull (Jan 24, 2013)

HeadBender said:


> Like this?
> (I find it less "matched")


 
Yes, Yes and Yes


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## Pikka Bird (Jan 24, 2013)

^I'd prefer that too... Personally I think the way the figure's curves "increase" looks better than when it fans out and falls off like the leaves of a fern or something.

I didn't follow every word of this thread 100%, but were you going to make a cut for the headstock too?


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## HeadBender (Jan 25, 2013)

Inlay cutting time:
















And the final result:





Some fine sanding is still to come, then the sides of the pieces has to be painted to white, to produce a better Lume


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## Purelojik (Jan 25, 2013)

HeadBender said:


> Like this?
> (I find it less "matched")



hmm you're right it doesnt look as good as i thought it would lol


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## TheFashel12 (Jan 26, 2013)

Nice job on the inlay


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## capoeiraesp (Jan 26, 2013)

Yep! Tidy ass work on that inlay.


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## HeadBender (Jan 26, 2013)

capoeiraesp said:


> Yep! Tidy ass work on that inlay.



Thanks! Although let's hope that once it is installed it will also look good.


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## teleofseven (Jan 26, 2013)

EDIT: nevermind! (runs away in shame)


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## HeadBender (Jan 26, 2013)

teleofseven said:


> you guys don't really read earlier posts? he already cut the middle part out



Nope, the Top is still untouched. (If you are referring to the Pics, its a mockup by cutting 2 pics)


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## teleofseven (Jan 26, 2013)

HeadBender said:


> Nope, the Top is still untouched. (If you are referring to the Pics, its a mockup by cutting 2 pics)



wait wut? i thoughuhh... whaaa... uuhh... umm. k bye


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## HeadBender (Jan 26, 2013)

teleofseven said:


> wait wut? i thoughuhh... whaaa... uuhh... umm. k bye



Although it was done by Paint, its not that bad of a mockup


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## teleofseven (Jan 26, 2013)

HeadBender said:


> Although it was done by Paint, its not that bad of a mockup



totally had me


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## HeadBender (Feb 13, 2013)

(small) Update time:

The inlay parts were painted white - as suggested by the Limnlay site - to achieve a better lume.

Also I was practicing the routing, here is a shot of the 3rd inlay version - the routing of the right wing end part is screwed, but the other parts look fairly ok:

(It is scracthed as in the meanwhile I was already sanding the block for other things - as you can see)











The Top pieces have been cut together. The middle part has been cut out, ap. 3.5-4cm. Bookmatching and sanding of the edges are almost fully done.

Here are some pictures of it (with dry wood):


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## Rojne (Feb 13, 2013)

MOOOOOAR!!!


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## matt397 (Feb 13, 2013)

Very interesting refinish. I really like the luminlay side dots. I plan on stripping my cheapo Ibby 7321 and putting a redwood burl top on it so this is definitely relative to my interests lol. Good luck !


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## HeadBender (Feb 16, 2013)

Preparing to glue the top.
In order for the top not to move during the phase of clamping (stay at the correct place) I built a jig:












The idea is this: in the trem cavity there is a piece which is secured to the base of the jig. Also in the neck pocket there will be another piece of wood secured with 2 screws. Once the position of the top is finalized, I ma going to drill 4 holes thru the top into these 2 pieces. Then inserting 4 pins (wood or metal) which will make sure that the top is unable to move sideways. Also these 2 pieces of wood are lower then the body so they will not get any glue. 

The jig will also help later to put clamps during the gluing process.
The plan is to first glue the top together, then drill the holes I mentioned above, also the first holes for the cavities and the pivot studs. Then comes the forearm scoop bending. Next is to cut the shape of the top (this will be done with +- 0.5 cm extra) and finally gluing it to the body.

Here are some shots of the bottom of the top with the larger shape (+0.5cm) drawn along with the cavities. I was unlucky as after cutting there will be no piece to do a matching headstock, unless I glue 2 pieces together - which I don't want to.


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## HeadBender (Feb 19, 2013)

Drawing for the cavity hole drilling:







Finally decided about the alignment of the pieces for the bookmatching, hopefully today I will be able to glue them together:


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## Slunk Dragon (Feb 19, 2013)

Hell yes, thank you for these updates.


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## Pikka Bird (Feb 19, 2013)

I like that clamping idea, very ingenious.
Is there really no way you can move the outline a little so you can get a headstock veneer out of the treble cutaway? It looks like it's _almost_ there...


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## HeadBender (Feb 19, 2013)

Pikka Bird said:


> I like that clamping idea, very ingenious.
> Is there really no way you can move the outline a little so you can get a headstock veneer out of the treble cutaway? It looks like it's _almost_ there...



Unfortuantely no...and today I did the matching an gluing and moved the lower side a bit further even for a better grain match, so even less remains at the lower cutaway. I will give it some time, maybe I will have 2 pieces that I can glue togeter, or maybe going for a rosewood veneer...anyway I have alternatives ideas.

Here is a pic of the gluing process:


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## bluevoodoo (Feb 19, 2013)




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## HeadBender (Feb 21, 2013)

Gluing is done and seems to be really good. (Bookmatching and alignment)

Also the jig is "done" meaning the top is drilled, and adjusted to the Jig. Serves it's purpose perfectly, the top cannot move.


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## ExtendedRange (Feb 21, 2013)

Great thread! This inspired me to dust off my very first guitar and use it as a project guitar as well. May do so with my 7 too.


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## HeadBender (Feb 23, 2013)

Not so lucky day....seems like I am gonna need a new top.
Did not really have luck with this redwood top since the beginning and it did not react the bending the way I wanted to.

Done several testing and it never bent without mark, no matter how much water it had, heat etc. Putting it into water for hours also did not help. Not sure if I screwed up or this peice was just not the best to do this in terms of density.


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## SpaceDock (Feb 23, 2013)

NO!! That really sucks dude, better luck next time.


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## CD1221 (Feb 23, 2013)

Sorry to see that. So much great stuff in this thread, especially the jigs.

Did you remove any material from the back of the bend prior to trying it? I have seen the way several manufacturers bend tops and they nearly always route out some timber in line with the bend to allow the bend to form properly.

I can't find the pics I was looking for to show you what I mean...


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## HeadBender (Feb 24, 2013)

CD1221 said:


> Sorry to see that. So much great stuff in this thread, especially the jigs.
> 
> Did you remove any material from the back of the bend prior to trying it? I have seen the way several manufacturers bend tops and they nearly always route out some timber in line with the bend to allow the bend to form properly.
> 
> I can't find the pics I was looking for to show you what I mean...



I know what you mean. I do not do that due to the nature of this redwood. The dentisiy was quite low of it, also the fibers were kinda open and wavy so after checking many things on the net I decided not to do it as it would just weaken that part further. Also it is around 5mm and I have seen doing that routing on thicker ones.


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## Lotra (Feb 24, 2013)

I know that shop from somewhere......


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## jahosy (Feb 24, 2013)

Shit happens mate. Am sure you'll get this right!


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## HeadBender (Feb 24, 2013)

jahosy said:


> Shit happens mate. Am sure you'll get this right!



Yeah, so now I will have to get a better top somehow 
Considering options. Maple is obvious as with that I could reach almost the same result in terms of color that I wanted, also Maple would be dense enough and hard so hopefully it would not crack like this while bending.
Zebrano is also something I love....

Any suggestions?


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## Lotra (Feb 24, 2013)

Poplar Burl....


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## HeadBender (Feb 24, 2013)

Lotra said:


> Poplar Burl....



Yup I love them, but right now I do not seem to find one which is a good enough figured version


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## HeadBender (Feb 24, 2013)

So, future possible tops:


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## Overtone (Feb 24, 2013)

How about claro walnut?

Sucks about that top!


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## swarming (Feb 24, 2013)

did you try steaming the top wood before attempting a bend... thats usually how wood bending is done


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## teleofseven (Feb 24, 2013)

swarming said:


> did you try steaming the top wood before attempting a bend... thats usually how wood bending is done



also, keeping the wood in boiling water works too.


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## HeadBender (Feb 25, 2013)

swarming said:


> did you try steaming the top wood before attempting a bend... thats usually how wood bending is done



Steaming was not the issue there, there was steam...a lot.
Anyway as there is not a piece to experiment, I will try several other things later will see how it turns out


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## HeadBender (Feb 25, 2013)

Overtone said:


> How about claro walnut?
> 
> Sucks about that top!



I would not want that, because in production there is a model which is coming with walnut top. I have the same feeling with Maple, but eventually it is still a better option as I could finish maple with the red-ish color I want.


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## HeadBender (Feb 25, 2013)

So how about the following?

I really like that Cedar Top (last one among the possible ones) but it is due to its shape a bit small, so I was thinking, putting a Ziricote middle piece. Would be definitely harder to make, but I guess it would look good. Here is a quick mockup, just imagine a really nicely figured Ziricote instead of the black line:


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## CaptainLuckeyBeard (Feb 25, 2013)

That cedar is definitely tasty for sure. Can't go wrong there!


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## PrestigeRS4 (Mar 30, 2013)

How does the Cedar hold up compared to the redwood from before? Amazing work I can't wait to see the next run of pics on this one.


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## ECGuitars (Mar 31, 2013)

Cedar should bend quite easily, so you're good to go in that aspect!


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## HeadBender (Apr 1, 2013)

Gentlemen,

The project is not dead, not at all.
The replacement Tops have arrived, and they needed time to settle a bit. A Redwood top and the above Cedar are the ones which arrived.

I have decided to go for the Redwood as it is really a nice piece, after the broken piece I promised myself that I will only use a Redwood top if it is better than the original one, and I got lucky with the piece I received (pics will follow).

I did not go on with anything as I was not so eager so far to continue and I did not want to continue it on a "just do it" base. Now my passion for this is coming back so soon it will be continued.


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## Artifacts in Motion (Apr 1, 2013)

Glad to hear this build still has life, as well as your choice to use a redwood top on the second shot. I hope this next piece is more compliant with the top contour!


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## vick1000 (Apr 2, 2013)

Half depth relief cuts at the angle of the cut away, if binding is going to be used.


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## lordrcceaser (Apr 2, 2013)

How about using some of the old top for a headstock cap?


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## Artifacts in Motion (Apr 2, 2013)

lordrcceaser said:


> How about using some of the old top for a headstock cap?



I second this. Always for matching headstocks.


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## SkullCrusher (Apr 2, 2013)

Could you do like a 3d effect where you do not mould the top. and show the body wood on the forearm contour.?


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## HeadBender (Apr 25, 2013)

_*Here are the latest updates in a bunch (was posting these over at the Caparison Forum):*_

Progress is going in the background, little by little.

I am getting motivated again to finish this, so soon I will have a large update with pictures.
What is happening is basically I am doing now test bendings with the leftovers of the cursed/damned/broken Redwood Top

The new Redwood Top is amazing, so the selection for the new Top is definitely going to be Redwood.

I have done a 0.1 test where I have done relief routings at the bending part. The idea was promising although I have even broke it before actually trying to do the bending process

The Test #1 was awesome. I was able to bend it only cracked at the edge for 1cm, but the wood was already snapped/cracked there prior to bending. In this case I have used fairly large relief routings. Test #2 is in progress now. On that one the routings are already done and in this case I have used smaller diameter for the lines and due to the smaller diameter there are more cuts. Will see how it turns out.

Also the new Top is a big piece, so I will have 2 shots of bending as if it cracks I simply cut down the damaged part and I will still have enough left. A matching headstock is also quite likely from that piece. 

Here are some pics of bending #1 and #2:












No. #2 Test (Again a 0,5cm crack) although the bending itself went quickly and easily, now drying:







The Top:

First the shop picture:





Raw Top (without any fluids to enhance the grain)





Thicknessing is done, so bookmatching options:

#1













#2










#3






#1 and #2 comparison:









Top pieces are matched - at least in terms of side sanding - still meditating on the figure matching, but for now it seems it will go link on the pictures:






















Also some more test bending (#3 also got cracky, but I did it super fast - I am an idiot) so #4 is prepared and will try to do it in daily separated phases










Also had to work on the scoop as the edges were not sharp enough so once the wood has been bended over it, there were gaps between the 2 pieces at the edges. I guess I will still need to work on it.


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## CircuitalPlacidity (Sep 17, 2016)

Sorry for the necrobump but was this ever finished?


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## narad (Sep 18, 2016)

Yea, not sorry for the necrobump - this was coming along super nice! What happened?


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