How we build them | probettguitars

CONSTRUCTION

I`ve made guitars all sorts of ways. The first couple I made using no more than hand tools and a £30 hand held router. I then made myself a router table and bought a small planer thicknesser which helped with efficiency.

Then followed a borrowed pin router and a table saw, later, along with various drills and bandsaws I bought a thickness sander and a pin router of my own. For top carving I started with gouges and planes followed by a self made duplicarver.

All woodworking is performed in time tested early 20th century style with bandsaws, table saws, planers and spindle moulders. All body and neck routing is completed on my trusty Wadkin pin router. I carve necks by hand. I cut fret slots with an accurate self made slotting machine. There are also clamping and glueing using methods dating back to the very early days of woodworking.

I don`t choose any of my methods for either romantic or financial reasons. I use them because they give me the best results possible.

All great guitars start with careful material selection. I have specific requirements for wood selection that require a hands on approach. Once the wood has been selected in board form we store it in our shop until it meets our requirements for both moisture content and stability.

To make boards of wood into the early stages of a guitar requires careful cutting to ensure grain direction of the finished part is where I want it.

These early stages are the vital building blocks on which everything else is based.

Joinery is important!

All final joinery is done by hand. This is essential due to the variability caused by climactic conditions. Neck to body joints, fingerboard shaping, neck and body shaping are all done by hand.

Our finishing is resolutely old school. I`ve nothing against modern catalysed finishes but for the Rocket series with their roots in the classic era I`m sticking with what I know. Traditional, unplasticised nitrocellulose lacquer. The finish is both thin and beautiful. It also ages in a way that looks incredible.