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Trying to make a 6-string CBG - 7

Here's the headstock with the tuners in there. (I should have put the nut in for the picture... Let's hope my photography improves along with my building)

Here's the fretboard with the frets filed down. I still had a few high ones, which I had to go back and pound on a bit, or glue and clamp. I hope I've corrected the problems.

Here's me fixing the screw holes for the pick-up.

I decided not to put fret markers on top of the fretboard. I've fallen in love with the grain pattern and I don't want to touch it. So I've done side markers. I saw this technique a long time ago on CBN, and I'm sorry to say that I can't remember who it was.

First, I filed some extra wood from the mahogany neck and collected the dust in a bowl.

Then I drilled some little holes in the side of the fretboard.

I put a dab of glue in the hole and then sprinkled the wood dust over the glue. The sprinkling didn't seem like enough to me, so I got my fingers dirty and was pushing the dust into the hole. It left a sloppy mess over the hole, but after letting the glue dry, I sanded that down and it left a perfect circle with the color (more or less) of the neck.

On the next post, I'll try to include another picture (a better picture) of these markers. It turned out great.

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Comment by John Schafer on October 11, 2011 at 1:25am: Hey Jef,

Great suggestions. I can't wait to try them all (maybe I'll go crazy and try them all on ONE guitar).

I like the nail polish idea. It gives me an excuse to paint my toenails again.

Comment by The Phrygian Kid on October 10, 2011 at 11:42pm: tell you one i've done a lot, nail varnish. Often at the $2 junk shop I can get bright coloured nail varnish, all kindsa colours. Couple coats of that then some glue over the top works great. Make sure you let the nail varnish dries properly.

also, bone dust, when you work with bone save the dust, its pretty easy to get a decent sized bag. Luthiers been using bone dust mixed with glue for hundreds of years, great to fill little faults in binding, nuts, saddles etc too, but ive used it for dots lots

Comment by The Phrygian Kid on October 10, 2011 at 11:30pm: very good :D

next time just squeeze some glue out onto a margarine bucket lid or whatever and mix some sawdust in with it..

then spread that over your inlays, wait and sand..

theres lots of cool things you can put in glue to make inlay material. Try chalk ground to dust, Also coffee works pretty good.

also, especially when you do bigger inlays, writing words with a dremel etc, try shooting over with a rattle can, white or black paint under the coloured glue really makes it pop, and the paint 'outlines' your dots. Try it..

good work