Gibson Ultratone Build

[Mark Frederick Jr]

Once again to the rescue! Excellent breakdown, thank you!

For those interested in Gibson lap steels, the Duchsossoir book is a treasure trove of information. The photos alone are worth the price of admission. It's jam-packed with fascinating information throughout. Highly recommended.

I have it on my wish list, my wife just had knee surgery a few weeks back and won't be back to work for a bit. We prepared financially and there are no problems, but I don't want to tempt fate. It always seems like a car dies or a roof needs replacing at moments like this..

[Mark Frederick Jr]

After getting the body blank down to 1.75", I cut it out on the bandsaw and did the same with a hardboard template. I love seeing shapes emerge from chunks of wood.

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[Mark Frederick Jr]

Making progress on the covers. They still need sanding and some small fills. This is sometimes the moment where impatience can take over, and I may end up with something less than it could be. I have to get more spray fill, the can I had was used. The pics can be deceiving, they aren't quite as nice as they appear, and the color coats will accentuate that. So I have a few more rounds of spray and sand to go before I shoot the color.

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[Jack Hanson]

Anxious to see the finished covers.

[Mark Frederick Jr]

Trying to keep things moving at a steady pace, a bit here a bit there. The covers are so darn close to getting color, there are just a few small imperfections that need to be sanded out, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am using rattle cans for this, it is too cold for my spray setup and I am not an expert in mixing colors. Plus, the cans are formulated for plastic, but we will see how it comes out. I usually use a waterbased product called crystalac, and I can mix pigment in to get whatever shades I need, but I have only done that twice.

I took the template to my sanders and got it as perfect as I can. Spindle sanders are amazing and awful. Just the tiniest bit of pressure can easily ruin a project. It went fine though, I am happy. I will probably just use the template as a reference with a one-off piece like this. I have all sorts of neat router bits, but the router is always a bit of a calculated risk. Then again, this wood is very soft compared to maple and walnut, so maybe there is nothing to worry about there. And maybe I am way overthinking it.

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I have to ponder a bridge. I saw a neat design posted by Mike Holland that used two pieces of angle aluminum. I have some of that (though one is steel).

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I saw another by Jim Pitman on the forum that used a piece of metal rod, threaded like a big tele saddle to intonate a bit, with a base of angle aluminum. I really like the way that looks too. I have some steel rod I could work up like that I think. Have to ponder more, don't want to overthink there, the cover means it doesn't have to be a dead ringer.

[Mark Frederick Jr]

Not much to report, I sanded the body to the final dimensions yesterday, but it wasn't an exciting task. That isn't a bad thing, the older I get the more I appreciate intense concentration on a single activity. It has been raining and cold so I haven't been able to start shooting color on the covers, hopefully this weekend.

I also took the body to the bandsaw and gave it a rough cut to the side profile. I will finish that up with hand tools. Hoping to get to the router this weekend and hog out the cavities and roundover.

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Aesthetically, I am a bit torn with the tuners. I have a set of gold grovers that have been lying around, they were a good deal and I just added them to the parts bin. I think I will use these, it won't look too out of place with the gold knobs. I do think the original tuners look better, but these are here and 'free'.

[Mark Frederick Jr]

Shot some color, this is the lighter shade. We will see how it looks, it is tough to really tell from the caps. This may not be gray enough.

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[Mark Frederick Jr]

I received a P90 pickup kit from mojotone today, unfortunately the other company never sent the kit until I had the payment reversed. It apparently is on its way now, but I will just be sending it back. I left several phone messages and emails and they didn't answer for a month, so they have lost my business. I don't want to badmouth anyone on the forum, all I will say is I should have researched my sources first, as this isn't an uncommon thing for this particular vendor.

I wanted a kit because according to my CAD software, the pickup cover is the same size as a standard P90, just with wider spacing. This seems to play out as the kit bobbin is the same size as my printed templates. It makes sense that a large company like Gibson would repurpose existing resources.

However, it does mean that I have to consider a few things. The wider spacing means less room on the bobbin for wire. If they simply ran the machines as usual, with a set wind count of around 10k, will there be enough room on this bobbin? Did they use less winds for these pickups, or thinner wire? I am not too concerned with being exact, I am confident whatever I make will be a functional magnetic pickup. I am very curious though! If anyone has insight to this mystery let me know!

Ok, so I used double sided tape to attach my bobbin fibre to my 3d printed template. Then I sanded and scraped it flush and drilled the holes. It mostly went fine, but next time I will drill halfway and flip the piece on a central pin and drill the second half, like a set of string-through holes. The was a small bit of wandering. I was hoping the template would keep the thin bit straight, but it isn't perfect. Then I glued the wood spacer I made out of some laminated maple, which wasn't that hard to whip up. Then I expanded the holes using the kit bobbin as a reference. I'll use the whole kit as a reference to manufacture my own pieces (baseplate, spacer), and then I can make a whole P90 from the kit for a Les Paul Double Cut Special build down the road. Now I just have to give the bobbin a spin on my homemade pickup winder! Fun!!

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[Mark Frederick Jr]

Had a productive day, things are moving at a very nice pace. I brought the covers in after three coats of base color. It looks really nice! Very excited for the potential! Of course, angle is everything, spray cans generally leave a lot of 'orange peel', and this is no exception. But I can take a pic to minimize the effect and give an idea what it will look like when sanded flat.

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Unfortunately, I am having a problem with another vendor, who is not coming through on my custom flower decal prints for the cover. They keep assuring me it will be sent out any day, but I am about out of patience there. Some bad luck with procurement on this build. Well, I'll figure it out. Might just do it myself, but I'll have to learn photoshop I suppose...

[Mark Frederick Jr]

I spent some time on the body as well. I used my #4 plane, a rasp, file, and a sanding sponge to shape the back contours. It is looking really nice so far!

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[Mark Frederick Jr]

Had a couple of setbacks this week, there are always a few in the adventures of an amateur luthier. Nothing catastrophic, things were just going so well that it was a bit of a bummer. I took some time to get the headstock down to the proper thickness, that went fine. I used the band saw and some hand tools, and the body is just about done with major shaping.

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I moved on to the fretboard. I have never done a board like this, only regular wood guitar fretboards. Thought I would be clever, as I have a dremel engraving bit I have never used. I 3d printed a router collar for the dremel (not my design, works great though), and a circular routing template. The idea is to engrave a recess in the clear acrylic and then paint the recesses. I can do straight lines against a straight edge, or circles in the template.

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No dice though. The bit, even at slower speeds, melts the plastic as it routs, even on a very shallow pass. It also leaves a cloudy finish, nothing I can paint to see on the other side. It is a straight bit, I don't know if a ball shape bit would do any better. Have to think a bit on that, I am not finding a lot of info on this online.

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I'll try drilling with a forstner and a saw for straight cuts next. As always, if you have insight into this please let me know. I'll keep searching!

[Mark Frederick Jr]

Alright, looking at some past threads I see a few options:

1. Have a board laser-cut and etched
2. Vinyl or other printed material board under clear fretboard
3. Combo of painted board, pinstripe tape-off of frets, and cut holes
4. Stick a paper template on, use punches and straight edges to remove fret lines and markers, paint everything in

I would rather do this in the shop if possible, but I think a laser cut board would be neat as well. I don't know that it would be that much of a time saver, since the painting seems like it would be a pain, but maybe not. I'll get a price on one of those this week and see what that may cost.

Vinyl underlay makes the most practical sense, considering time and cost, but I like the idea of that the least.

I tried an experiment, using one of my 1/4" router bits in the drill press. I clamped everything down and made a very shallow cut straight down. The end result was pretty good. I have to imagine a bit made for this task exists. I put some tape down and shot some paint. Wasn't perfect, the bit pulled the tape and some paint is showing next to the hole. The hole also isn't flat, the bit is not designed for that. I will look at flat bottom plastic bits, probably an upcut design to pull the cut plastic away. I can use thin pinstripe tape for the frets. However, the proper bit may be comparable in price to a laser-cut board, have to see about that first.

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I will try the template removal/paint frets and markers method first. It is free, I have lots of clear acrylic here, and I will know right away if it will work.

[Chris Clem]

I have never seen one of these in person.....but. They look to me like they are just a quality paper (like artist paper) punched out with a leather punch and stuck on with a spray adhesive.....not routed in at all. Would be easy to do.

[Mark Frederick Jr]

I have never seen one of these in person.....but. They look to me like they are just a quality paper (like artist paper) punched out with a leather punch and stuck on with a spray adhesive.....not routed in at all. Would be easy to do.

I think Jack Hanson said they were etched and painted further back in the post, i'll have to go back and check that out. Some sort of sheet would be the easiest way, I agree.

[Chris Clem]

Way back when I was a journeyman cabinet maker we used plexiglass on some of the high in hotels (Marriott/ Sheraton's etc.) They liked to use in their lobby's. They often sandblasted their logos in the Plexiglass ( so that is an option) . We didn't do the sandblasting ( we farmed that out) But we did the cutting and routing. To rout in the middle of a piece you need to use a Plunge bit, a regular router bit doesn't really work. But plunge bits do not leave a flat bottom. The drill press just does not have the speed you need to do the job.
If you need to have clear edges after you cut it size. Sand the sides to 220 grit and blast it with a propane torch, it will turn crystal clear.

[Mark Frederick Jr]

Way back when I was a journeyman cabinet maker we used plexiglass on some of the high in hotels (Marriott/ Sheraton's etc.) They liked to use in their lobby's. They often sandblasted their logos in the Plexiglass ( so that is an option) . We didn't do the sandblasting ( we farmed that out) But we did the cutting and routing. To rout in the middle of a piece you need to use a Plunge bit, a regular router bit doesn't really work. But plunge bits do not leave a flat bottom. The drill press just does not have the speed you need to do the job.
If you need to have clear edges after you cut it size. Sand the sides to 220 grit and blast it with a propane torch, it will turn crystal clear.

That is really interesting and useful information, thank you! I'm going to do some experimenting and try that out.

[Greg Forsyth]

Mark,
Great thread you have concerning your Ultratone build. I'm curious, what is the vehicle you're using as a display platform for your 3'd parts?

[Mark Frederick Jr]

Mark,
Great thread you have concerning your Ultratone build. I'm curious, what is the vehicle you're using as a display platform for your 3'd parts?

Haha!! That is a 1974 super beetle, a relatively rare sun bug model. Runs great, needs a lot of cosmetic work. We have a 1964 that is all in pieces, we have to weld and replace a lot of the body. Very long term project. They are under a carport, so I have been using it as a drying area for the rattle can offgas. I have worked mostly with waterbased and shellac for the last few years, so I have gotten used to stuff drying and curing right in my little shop.

[Greg Forsyth]

Aha, a Beetle is what I thought I saw! That convertible is a special ride. So is your Ultratone build.

[Mark Frederick Jr]

Aha, a Beetle is what I thought I saw! That convertible is a special ride. So is your Ultratone build.

Thanks so much! I am having a lot of fun with both! The kids like the beetle more though...

[Mark Frederick Jr]

Today I took some time to make the control cavity. There are lots of neat tricks other folks at other forums building other instruments have taught me over the years, so I hope someone can use something in this thread in their own journey. If anyone has a way to do something better please let me know. I am consistently impressed with the ingenuity of folks in this forum.

So to start, I grabbed an old broken dremel bit. These are nice to use as 1/8" pins for this task. I used my plan template to drill 1/8" shallow holes in the body already, so I am confident in the spacing on top of the instrument:

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Drill bits can wander as they go through a thick piece of wood, so to ensure everything lines up I will index the holes in the top to a pin. I have a scrap piece that I secure to the drill press table, and drill a 1/8" hole to a depth that will allow the pin to protrude. The pin and the drill bit are now as perfectly aligned as I can get them. I flip the body and rest the pin in one of the control holes in the top. Now I can drill down and meet that hole from the other side. Bits will follow the path of least resistance, so these holes will be continuous. Repeat for the others and now I have aligned holes in the top and bottom.

I expand the holes with increasing bit sizes until I get to 3/8" for the pot shafts. As long as I don't try to up the bit size too drastically, they will follow the previous holes and maintain the straight path. Then I can insert two pots, and use them to align the cavity template.

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I have the long shaft pots, like a Les Paul uses, so my cavity will be about 1.18". Using the line from the template, I hog out as much as I can with a forstner, saving my routing. As always, the Diana Ross song "I'm Coming Out" plays in my head, except the words become "I'm Hogging Out". If that happens to you from now on, you are welcome.

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[Mark Frederick Jr]

I use my laminate trimmer for hand routing, and I keep my big router in the table. I use two pattern bits, a 1/2" to start and a 1" to finish the rout. Nothing much to report there. I took my time hogging out, so there isn't a lot left to remove. Which I like, because routers can be a bit terrifying.

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After that everything looks clean, and my glue joint for the nub is tight throughout, which is always nice to see. I can now take a bit to shape the cover recess template and the cover template.
I do pretty much the same thing, I hog out the middle of the recess template, and use the spindle sander to finish up. The belt sander does most of the work for the cover. Then I use files to get everything snug, but not so snug I won't be able to remove the cover once it is on. Been there before.

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[Mark Frederick Jr]

Home stretch for this task. I need more height for this template, so I glue it to a piece of 1/2" plywood after rough cutting the inside of the plywood. I just use the bandsaw, so there is a cut going into the area to be routed out, but everything will be indexed to the hardboard template, so the plywood is simply a spacer. I do need to be aware the void is present though, and not allow the router bearing to go below the original template. Also been there before.

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I rout a very shallow recess and use a small offcut of pickguard material to make sure it is deep enough. Now I can take the cover teplate and attach it to some pickguard material. Routing small items like this can be dangerous, so I try to be very aware of my hand position at all times. I have to admit these operations still give me a flutter in the belly.

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However, there are no issues whatsoever, and I think keeping a healthy respect for this tool is wise for any of us. I place the cover in it's cavity, with the template still on. I use the markings to drill 1/16" holes through, and then take the cover off the template. I use a countersink bit in the holes and that's that. Fits well! I wax my screws, secure the cover, and that is all there is to it!

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[Mark Frederick Jr]

Now I have to clean up the shop again. The curse of the woodworker. That and shortened fingers occasionally.

[Mark Frederick Jr]

So, instead of cleaning up, I continued...

I have a few cavities to make still, but I can't do the pickup until I finish making the pickup. The hole and cover for the jack are fair game though.

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So I made a template on my 3d printer for the jack plate. I have seen what looks like a typical gibson square jack plate made of BWB pickguard material. I wanted to try something out that I saw, which was a kind of cover for the template which keeps my hand away from the bit on a small part. I saw this used for making truss rod covers.

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