First Build - SF Signature Box

Being a big Samantha Fish fan, I decided my first build would be a signature model with her distinctive "Fish Sound hole"

I managed to get a couple of CBs from a cigar shop here in the UK, and ended up picking the larger plain wooden one. The lid is actually quite thick, so not ideal for an acoustic, but I was going to add one of the cheap single coil Pickups that crop up everywhere you look, and play mostly "plugged in".
I found suitable wood for the neck and fretboard, ordered some bit and pieces online and I was off...

I quickly found that building a CBG is really all about building a neck!

I made one school boy error which really annoyed me, but I'm not prepared to point it out, because I've been told no one will notice...

The box itself was a secondary affair, and had it not been for the sound hole, I'd probably have finished that part of the construction in not much time at all.

I kept the neck and fretboard natural and just used oil as a finish.

The box I applied about 10 coats of shellac. I didn't want a super bright finish, just something other than bare wood.

I'm pretty pleased with the result and it sounds good too, although I need a bit of fret work to sort out a very minor buzz on the 2nd fret.

The final touch was to get Samantha (and the band) to sign the box,which I am eternally grateful for.
I now have started build #2, as I don't want to scratch the signature model :-)

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Comment by Grandpa on December 9, 2017 at 7:11pm

First build? Monster build right out of the gate!  Great you got to meet Samantha and got signatures from SF and the band. Yep, build another git, and hang on to your one-off. Kudos on your fine build.

Comment by Peter Martin on December 6, 2017 at 1:54pm

Taff, don't tell anyone. I'm usually pretty careful with my tools, but that one slipped my attention..

Comment by Taffy Evans on December 6, 2017 at 11:46am

Hi, great clean work.

I spotted a schoolboy mistake.

picture number one, hand plane resting on hard surface with blade down. Planes best placed on their side when not in use. Ha ha.

cheers Taff

Comment by Jeff 'Bones' Reilly on December 4, 2017 at 5:26pm

very nice rig the pics are great that tell the story love the sound hole 

Comment by Korrigan on December 4, 2017 at 5:11pm

That's gorgeous, nice work!

And you're right, it's all about neck.

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