The New Butterfly Guitar
New picture of the Butterfly Guitar after adding a proper fingerboard made with leftover cocobolo and a new nut.
#1 This guitar started out as an idea for a toy for the kids. It is a pine plywood top, back and side, oak bridge, pine neck with wood frets, flat top acoustic blue butterfly guitar. The kids get to play this when I get out one of my guitars.
Here is the link to my new commercial site... custom6strings.com This site will remain as long as I can keep it up. Enjoy!
I can make that! This is my line of thinking when I see something in a store or catalog that I like. I have put this page together to show the hand-made guitars that I have produced. This page will change as I figure out the best way to display my guitars. I will also try to describe in detail the processes used to build in the hope that others may learn. If you are thinking about your own hand-made guitar, I hope this page helps. - Dave Nelson
My Guitars
The Maple Archtop
#2 was a maple top and back and neck, mahogany sides, with mahogany fingerboard, acoustic archtop.
Cedar Acoustic Archtop
#3 is a wetern red cedar top and back, maple side, maple neck with cocobolo fingerboard, acoustic archtop.
Cedar Acoustic Archtop in process
The cedar archtop under construction. Above is the side body waiting for the top and back.
Cedar Acoustic Archtop in process
This is a view of the top with integral X bracing, having carved some of the tops inner surface leaving the material for the bracing.
Conversion to Electric
The Maple Archtop from above (#2) I trimmed a little from the top end of the headstock, added the "59" style humbucker with volume and tone knobs, finshed the whole thing with clear lacquer. Strings are missing from the picture.
My new project is a 1959 Les Paul Standard. My Les Paul will me made as close as I can make to the classic Burst. I am even going to try winding my own pickups. It will also get the 3 color cherry sunburst finish. Pictured above neck is fit but not glued, waiting for the neck to be carved and the body cavity cover recesses to be cut.
So here is the finished product. I couldn't have hoped for a better faded burst. This is now my main electric guitar and I don't see myself ever selling it.
