12 Fret Slope Shoulder Dread

[Joe Sustaire]

Thanks guys!

Yeah I thought I could iron the wrinkles out of that headplate but I think I just ironed them into permanent creases. They ain't ever coming out!

And yes I was going to consult with you John on the stained top idea when I got to the finishing stage, but I think I agree with you, leave well enough alone. The colors are balancing out nicely now with the binding and perfs, and staining for me is always kind of a gamble. Usually I like where it goes, but sometimes it really gets me scrambling to try and get back to something I'm pleased with and then I'm kicking myself, for jumping into the deep end.

Joe

[WaddyT]

It all looks good to me, Joe. It's going to be a winner!

[DaveAnderson]

It's going to be a real nice dred Joe.
So,How did you like the Simpson neck jig. Any problems with it ?

[Joe Sustaire]

Thanks Waddy and Dave, I've never been a dred lover but these slope shoulders are a nice shape, never played one so looking forward to it.

As is usual with most things there is a learning curve, (I could have used some more directions), and I've only used the Simpson jig this one time, so I look forward to getting more familiar with it. From one use, I'd have to say it's a heck of a jig for the price, I can see ways it could be improved but then of course the price would have to be higher as well, so. For one, I think the templates for routing the neck tenon should be adjustable like the stewmac templates are, so you can set the length of the tenon you want. It really makes a tenon for a dred depth body which worked great for this one but I'll have to modify it for my smaller builds. The body routing jig is adjustable for mortise length. Since it's made of ply and ordinary hardware, it's shop friendly for mods and improvements. Great bang for the buck.

Joe

[Arnt]

Nice job, Joe. I like the tenon reinforcements that extend into the heel

[Eben]

REALLY lookin' nice, Joe!!

Urb

[Colin S]

Joe, I've never built a dred, but if I had I'd like it to be just like this one!

Colin

[Joe Sustaire]

Wow, thanks for the fine words guys!
I truly appreciate it.

Well this was supposed to be a custom build for a fellow in Canada who wanted to swap me a 1924 Gibson L2, roundhole archtop that he had been trying to sell. I'm a sucker for old guitars so we worked out the details and I started this build for him. Hadn't heard from him for a couple of months and checked last week to see if we were still on track. He said it was looking good, he was starting his vacation this week and would pack it up and ship it to me. Sunday I get a pm, says he was playing it, getting ready to pack it up and decided, sorry, he can't let it go, but he hopes I can find another buyer for this one.

I just love getting kicked in the teeth!

But enough of my sob story! Full steam ahead, time to make a bridge for this baby.
I decided to go with a 1" x 6" long saddle bridge. Picked a nice piece of rosewood, cut it to size and thicknessed it, then cut out most of the waste from the wings on the bandsaw.

Then used a fence on my spindle sander to bring the wings down to final size.


Made a jig to hold the bridge and used my new 17" pro. Craftsman drillpress that I picked up on sale for $300 and routed my saddle slot.



Here's a shot showing the jig with wedges to anchor the bridge.

Then I layed out the pin holes, drilled them, did some sander shaping, bringing the top of the bridge to a 20" radius, and then countersunk the pin holes. Finish sanded by hand up to 400 grit, then polished it out with tripoli on a buffing wheel, shaped the saddle and here it is.




I tell you it's really a thrill to have a good drillpress. The one I had I bought about 30 years ago, floor standing, but lots of slop in the spindle and no depth gauge, so this is quite a change for me, wow!

Thanks for putting up with me guys!
Joe