Completed My Second Build- Blackmachine B6 Replica!

silence2-38554 · Aug 10, 2017

Hello fellow builders! Just thought I'd share my second build with y'all. My first build was last summer, a modern take on a telecaster. I glued & cut the body from scratch out of old redwood & it turned out great! Prefab neck, though. So this summer, I decided to do a whole build from scratch, including the neck! I did everything as methodically as possible & it turned out pretty great. I had access to woodworking tools via SF TechShop, but most of the work was done in my kitchen. Here's a piscstory of the process:

First AllParts order:

IMG_1410 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Rough cut body:

IMG_1434 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Lining up template:

IMG_1435 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

IMG_1436 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Rough Forearm contour:

IMG_1444 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Back cavities, rev. 1

fullsizeoutput_707b by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Pickup cavities:

fullsizeoutput_707e by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Sizing up routing for the switch & realizing something's off with the template's cavity sizes:

IMG_1458 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Just didn't look quite right. A little small.....

IMG_1462 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

A quick shot of the "workshop" (SF bay area problems haha). I also realized this is the only picture I took of the neck blank + ebony veneers getting glued up:

fullsizeoutput_70c2 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

After running it through the planer:

IMG_1502 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Fancy new acrylic routing template!

IMG_1509 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Workshop morning. Note the size-corrected cavities on the back of the body:

IMG_1511 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

IMG_1512 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Neck blank with headstock extensions added:

IMG_1513 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

10º fresh off the band saw:

IMG_1514 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

10º ramps made & ready for the router:

IMG_1515 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Looking good:

IMG_1517 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Looking better:

IMG_1518 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

silence2-38554 · Aug 10, 2017

Gluing the rosewood headstock veneer:

IMG_1603 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

IMG_1604 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

IMG_1656 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Test fitting the new plate:

IMG_1730 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Stainless T-nuts in the neck before gluing the fretboard:

IMG_1743 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

The center line rules all:

IMG_1744 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Truss rod looking good:

IMG_1745 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Pickup test fit:

IMG_1762 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Electronics test fit:

IMG_1763 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Neck profile shaping! Angle grinder = your friend

IMG_1799 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Not bad!

IMG_1801 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Time for some Tru-Oil on the body:

IMG_1841 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

silence2-38554 · Aug 10, 2017

.....Excellent

IMG_1890 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

That Hannes!

IMG_1891 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Leveling & radiusing the fretboard. This took.......awhile:

IMG_1983 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Time for frets!

IMG_1985 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

This is Cookie guarding the body while I work on the neck:

IMG_1996 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Last visit to TechShop, pressing frets:

IMG_2015 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Tru Oiling the neck:

IMG_2019 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

The fretting went well:

IMG_2020 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Leveling / crowning party:

IMG_2025 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Getting some F1 oil on that fresh board!

IMG_2026 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

IMG_2027 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

The wiring begins:

IMG_2029 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Tuning machines installed & looking fabulous! Note the spacer on the 4th string machine, though. Sperzel done messed up lol. The correct one in en route.

IMG_2030 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Shielding done & done:

IMG_2032 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

So close!

IMG_2033 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Wiring done up right:

IMG_2035 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

IMG_2036 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

Oh yeah, Luminlays!

IMG_2042 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

That's it for the build! Pretty pics & specs in next post!

silence2-38554 · Aug 10, 2017

Specs-

35mm thick swamp ash body
Maple neck w/ ebony veneer strips
Rosewood fretboard, headstock veneer, truss rod cover & control cavity cover
16" fretboard radius
25.5" scale
Dunlop 6100 frets
Graphtech Tusq XL nut
Sperzel open gear locking tuning machines
Schaller Hannes bridge
ASL Blackbird pickups
Switchcraft switch / jack
CRL pots
Luminlay side dot markers
6lbs dead

fullsizeoutput_7032 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_7033 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_7031 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_7037 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_7038 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_703a by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_7028 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_703b by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_7017 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_703c by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_7042 by Kris Yates, on Flickr

fullsizeoutput_7047 by Kris Yates, on Flickr