Fixing Mistakes on Guitar #86

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I am preparing my new Parlor Guitar prototype for the finishing room. The first step is circling back around to all of the little nicks, indentations, tearouts, and all other blemishes.
In this video:
-Obscuring Soundboard Tearout
- Filing Binding Gaps
- Fixing Purfling Lines
-Touching up the Neckshape
-Filing Fret Slots Below the Tang
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[@dennissiler6672]

Eric, thank you for disclosing your errors and your techniques for fixing them. After 43 years of building guitars, I have learned that the true mastery of luthiery is not never making mistakes, but learning better and better ways to problem-solve and fix mistakes. Bruce Scotten, who trained me years ago, used to say, "Screw up and you just get a fancier guitar." I have taken that to heart.

[@Elise_Guitars]

Eric - thanks for sharing your past mistakes! As a beginner, I am making many, but it's great to realize that it is just part of the learning process.

[@CMRWoodworks]

It’s cool that you showed some errors and your thoughts on how to repair them!

[@dalgguitars]

I'm looking at the fretboard end over the sound hole. Design choice to leave it there. Good for you. It looks like a really great place to put an inlay of some sort to dress it up. Maybe a diamond? Maybe a cross? Maybe your model number? Maybe just a simple dot? Maybe something blue? Not sure; but it looks like it needs something dressy. Just my two cents. (Love, Love, Love this build!) Looking at it again, it might be cool to continue the rosette on top of the fretboard.?. Or just leave it as is, it's a sweet little guitar. Sometimes we just need to finish a project and move on.

[@short6691]

Great info, especially on the binding repairs.
I have had mixed results in avoiding these gaps. I have shifted to thinner binding to help it conform under the pressure of binding tape and this has helped minimize the gaps…. I have used white oak and black walnut binding. Both bend well when hot, but are quite rigid during the glue up. The cold bending resistance scales as 1/thickness cubed so a small thickness reduction improves cold compliance.

[@user-ch9jo8mi7m]

If you use a jewelers engraving tool you can gouge out those small areas. You can get them as narrow as 10-15 thousands of an inch wide and then fill the gouge with your repair material.

[@BMWHP2]

Thanks Eric, good info on how to get these wood fibers up a bit.

[@walterrider9600]

thank you Eric.

[@johnford7847]

Very useful information. Thanks, Eric.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Love it! I want to make one!

[@NewLifeWithGuitar]

That is super interesting

[@edwardpetersen4309]

"Never let the perfect be enemy to the good." - Voltaire