Firebird is out of Spray.

Spray is done, I think it looks pretty good. Needs a little more final buffing and touch up, then the final build up with hardware and electronics.

Sneak Peak

I like to drill out the bridge mounting holes before spray (in this case just the bridge and not the tailpiece). This picture gives a sneak peak of what's to come. We're going with a Wilkinson roller-saddle bridge, and a Bigsby B5 trem. I'm surprised you don't see more Bigsby's on Firebirds, I think the aesthetic goes perfectly.
At this point it's just a matter of doing some final sanding and then getting it into spray.
We've decided on a 2-tone Sunburst top, transparent brown back, amber tinted neck and of course, a black headstock.
stay tuned!

Neck Heel Contour Carve

As mentioned earlier, we wanted to go with a body that was full depth (approx. 1 3/4") as opposed to the rather thin body traditionally used on Firebirds. I knew this would result in a bulky heel (where the neck meets the body), and wouldn't be very comfortable when playing the upper frets.
I knew I would end up doing some sort of relief carving/routing in this area, but wanted to wait until the neck was glued in so I could actually hold the guitar in player position and feel what was needed and where.
I ended up carving a bit of a shell shape which brings this portion of the body down flush with the neck. It's very comfortable and fits the palm of your hand perfectly as you move into the upper register of the neck.
Should look nice after spray as well, the dark banding of the sunburst finish will cover the neck joint.

Neck Set

Neck glued in, fingerboard side-dots installed.




Same shot, but now with frets.

Gluing the Neck in.

It's a big moment when you glue in the neck of a set-neck guitar.

Rear Control Cavity Route.

Routing for a rear control cavity; a second template will route for a recessed cover plate.