Orchid Body
While Orchid's stacked laminate neck blank is stabilizing, it is time to build the body.
PHOTOS:
1. Five pieces of wood will join to form the body blank — Two pieces of swamp ash form the back. Swamp ash has a lovely mellow woody thump as a tonewood due to its soft, light and porous nature. Two pieces of curly maple form the front, cut from the same board and slip matched (not book matched) because I liked the appearance much better with slip matching. Slip matching is simply taking bookmatched halves, flipping one, then sliding the fiber patterns to create a pleasing match. Curly maple is a dense wood, so tonally will provide a treble bite and clarity to balance the mellow swamp ash and add definition to notes. A strip of ebony seperates the two halves of the top to provide striking visual contrast...the bass will be translucent purple, remember.
2. Glue — Lots 'o waterproof glue locks all the wood together. Fully coat both mating glue surfaces. Clamp until the excess is squeezed. Work rapidly and efficiently during the ten minutes before the glue sets. Leave clamped for 24-48 hours.
3. Mock-up — The stacked laminate neck blank is positioned where it will be inlet and glued. This design is a neck-into-body glued design. More time consuming and elaborate than neck-through-body but the bling factor is very high: as sculpture, it is quite fascinating and beautiful how the joints and interlocking pieces form a whole. The neck joint will terminate beneath the pickup.
4. Figure — I quick wiped the rough body blank with a damp cloth to bring out the fiber patterns for the camera. Water roughly approximates how finish will look on the wood surface: finish adds depth and highlight. Next, the body will sit for a week or so until fully cured before I inlet the neck blank.
Oh...what's that peeking into the bottom of the last photo?!
Definitely not a curly walnut and mahogany Orchid guitar body blank.
Nope.
ORCHID SERIES:
Orchid Design
Orchid (Explained)
Stacked Laminate Neck Construction
Orchid Body
Orchid Neck Construction (Trapezoidal)
Trapezoidal Neck Profile
Skipping Ahead
Purple
Orchid Assembly
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