Portland Guitar Co.

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I set up my spray booth and use a special pedestal to hold and rotate the body while I spray it.

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After the lacquer has set and cured to some degree I polish it to a high luster.

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After cleaning out the holes I install the tuning machines.

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This is the sub-nut for the sympathetic strings.

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The standard nut sits on top of the sub-nut

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And at this point I sand the sub-bridge flush to the top.

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The underside of the bridge is hollowed out to accommodate the sym-strings. It is critical that the top of the guitar and the bridge for the sym-strings are completely isolated from each other. If they touch, the top will stop vibrating... don't want that.

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Eventuallly, we will have to open up this slot to accommodate the flex in the top when the strings are installed.

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Now I can finish shaping the bridge.

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After I finishing the bridge I test it for fit.

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I tape off the bridge area and set the position of the bridge.

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And then I score the top around the perimeter of the bridge with an exacto knife.

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Next I scrape away the finish inside the scored perimeter, leaving clean wood to glue the bridge to.

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A bit of glue and a few special clamps sets the bridge in place.

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I use my milling machine and a diamond blade to score the position of the strings on the nut.

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And after a bit of work I have everything set up.

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There will be a period of "dialing in the system" as this is a rather complex instrument.

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Ben giving it its first test ride.

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