Preparation for Assembly

Before reinforcing the top I like to have everything fitting together, this begins with the sides. The sides are hand bent with heat to the shape of the guitar and subsequentially into the assembly mould.

Bending the rib to the line.

Bed Springs used to hold the rib in place

Once the top, sides and neck are fitting each other and comfortably held in the mould I am ready to brace.

Trimming the ends

Setting the bevel to the correct angle.

Sides with angles cut ready to fit to the neck.

The sides slot into the neck.

Neck and sides fitting the top in the mould

3 is the magic number

A final fit of the sides to the neck, here I'm concerned with how well they fit each other and making sure there is "snug" fit with no gaps.

Once the sides are scraped clean and the tops are braced I can start assembly.

Now I can start bracing!