DIY Network

Handmade Guitar, Part 15: Tuners, Saddle, Nut and Strings From "Handmade Music" episode DHMM-104

Ebony and ivory: the guitar's bridge, saddle and bridge-pins.

In this segment of DIY's Handmade Music, the tuners, saddle, nut and strings are added to complete Lynn Dudenbostel's fiftieth guitar creation.

Materials:

Guitar tuners
Fret wire
Guitar strings
Ivory blanks for guitar nut and saddle
Guitar pick-guard
Belt sander
Screwdriver
Tap-hammer
Sanding block
File

Safety Alert: Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses when
working with wood, power-tools, saws, drills, routers, etc.

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Handmade Guitar: Finishing Touches

• Before stringing the guitar, Lynn installs tuners. Earlier he slipped bushings into the peg head. Now he pushes the tuners through each of the six holes, secures them with screws (figure A) and checks them to ensure they operate properly (figure B).

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  
• Next, Lynn adds fret wire to the ebony fingerboard. Earlier he notched the fret slots using a template for spacing. He cuts just enough wire to match the neck's width at each position (figures C and D). The frets are hammered into place for a snug fit using a tap-hammer. There's no glue used, and these should never come out unless a qualified repairman wants them out.

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  
• As you can imagine, playing a guitar with sharp metal protruding from the edge would be less than enjoyable for a musician. To facilitate ease in playing, Lynn files, shapes and profiles the frets on each end of the fingerboard (figure E). He also gives the face of each fret a radius.

• A pick guard is added below the sound hole (figure F) to protect the finish from the constant strumming and picking this guitar will endure for many years.

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  
• With ivory blanks, Lynn creates the guitar's saddle and nut. Both serve as guides for the guitar strings. A belt sander is used to shape the ivory.

• First the saddle is shaved to fit the groove in the bridge (figure G). When the blank fits Lynn marks with a pencil the bridge profile. After cutting away excess ivory and shaping the ends Lynn has a rough approximation of a saddle (figure H). This element will be tweaked to produce perfect tone and to create a user-friendly action.

• Handmade Music factoid: A guitar's action refers to the height of the strings over the fingerboard. Some pickers like the strings high, and some low. The musician's personal preference dictates the setting.)

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  
• With the saddle in place, Lynn moves on to the nut. The nut blank is fit into the slot left earlier in the guitar's neck and marked to indicate the final height of the nut (figure I). The blank is then ground to its final dimension on the belt sander.

• Once it's ground down to the proper height, so that it will rise just above the surface of the neck, Lynn glues the nut in place using super-glue (figure J).

  Figure I

  Figure J

  
  
• Using a hand-saw, Lynn begins cutting carefully spaced slots in the nut (figure K). The six slots will be the guideposts for the strings.

• Now, for the first time, the guitar will be strung (figure L). The exact positioning and depth of cuts in the nut also affects the action, so getting the slots just right is really a process of trial and error. "I'll string it up for the first time," says Dudenbostel, "but still I don't bring it up to full tension because there's an hour or two of going back and forth, getting these just a little closer each time."

  Figure K

  Figure L

  
  

RESOURCES :

Stewart MacDonald's Luthier Supply Shop
Website: www.stewmac.com

Luthier's Mercantile International, Inc.
Website: www.lmii.com

Pioneer Valley Luthier Supply Company
Website: www.pioneervalleyluthier.com

GUESTS :

Lynn Dudenbostel, Luthier
Dudenbostel Stringed Instruments
Knoxville, TN

John Arnold, Luthier
Newport, TN

Ted Davis, Luthier
Loudon, TN