Summary of Contents for Dakota PARLOR
- Page 1 DAKOTA PARLOR GUITAR KIT MUSICMAKER’S KITS, INC PO Box 2117 Stillwater, MN 55082 651-439-9120 harpkit.com...
- Page 2 DAKOTA GUITAR KIT WOOD PARTS: A - Neck B - Fretboard C - Heel Block D - Tail Block E - 2 Heel Ribs F - 2 Side Ribs G - 2 Tail Ribs H - 4 Corner Blocks I - Back Panel...
- Page 3 GLUING THE BODY FRAME It is smart to skim through the entire directions before beginning, just to get an overview of the project. You may need to gather more tools or purchase a few optional decorations or accessories to enhance the finished instrument. Now is a good time to make those plans so you can avoid delays later.
- Page 4 QU ESTION Have you checked to make sure you are still gluing the parts in the correct positions? If you fi nd a corner block glued to the wrong end of a rib, you’ll need to correct it now, before proceeding further. You can soft en the dried glue by getting the seam wet to allow the parts to be separated without breaking anything.
- Page 5 _____7. When the corner blocks are dry, you can re- move the clamps and glue the C2 blocks to the tail ribs, as shown in fig 7a. Check for straightness by pressing sides down Check for straightness against clamping board. by pressing sides down Make sure you can press against clamping board.
-
Page 6: Check-Point
_____10. Flip the instrument over (soundboard edge up) so you can fit kerfing inside the frame. Cut a length of kerfing to fit between the corners and blocks inside each rib (fig 10a & 10b). We like to cut these strips a little oversize and then sand them to fit nicely into the corners, as shown in fig 10c and 10d. - Page 7 _____12. This is a good time to open up the slot for the tenon in the heel block so it looks like fig 12a below. You could do this by hand with a sharp chisel and/or razor knife, but we use a router with a flush trim bit (fig 12b).
- Page 8 PREPARING THE SOUNDBOARD _____14. Now you can open the sealed bag and begin working on the soundboard. First thing is to outline the inside of the frame on the draw line to mark heel end of frame inside face of the soundboard so you know how to trim the braces. We have marked the location of most of the braces in pencil, but there are a few things you need to draw.
- Page 9 Mark and trim these braces to the pencil line, as shown in fig 15c and 15d. (or cut them a little longer if you plan to cut pockets for them in the kerfing) Fig 15c Fig 15d _____16. Before gluing the X braces in place, test your clamp- ing system without glue to make sure you have sufficient pressure everywhere.
- Page 10 _____18. Mark and trim all but the bridge plate three shortest braces, and glue them in place where they are marked on the soundboard (fig 18). NOTE: Hold off on the three short transverse soundhole braces for now. It is easier brace to shape and sand the larger braces be- fore installing the short ones.
- Page 11 GLUING THE SOUNDBOARD _____21. Be sure to keep the spac- er block firmly clamped to the frame for this operation! This will help hold the shape of the body as you apply clamps. Test-fit the frame on top of the soundboard without glue first, to see how the braces fit inside the kerfing.
- Page 12 _____23. Now you need to install kerfing all around the back edge of frame, just as you did on the front edge earlier (fig 23). CAUTION: Don’t sand this kerfing with the flat sanding block. You will make a curved block for this because the back is arched (see step #30).
- Page 13 _____27. Notice that only one brace is outlined on the back panel, but there are little circles drawn to show the ends of the other two braces. Connect those circles with a straight edge to mark the location of the other two braces, as shown in fig 27a. Find the three back braces and mark where to trim them so they don’t interfere with the back kerfing (step 27b).
- Page 14 Balance the back panel on a long flat board beneath the centerline to support this pressure. Use long clamps or weights to press these braces in place with glue (fig 29c). Add scrap wood under the clamps to distribute the pressure evenly over this flexible flat bracing.
- Page 15 _____31. Turn the frame back-side-up and arrange it on your work surface. Apply glue to the back edge, all the way around the circumference, including the kerfing, heel, tail, and corner blocks. Carefully position the back panel on top, nicely centered at each end, and apply clamping pressure.
- Page 16 cutter height matches _____33. OPTIONAL DECORATING: If you have a router, you can install width of inlay strip binding around edges of the guitar. This is not a necessary step, but it adds a lot to the appearance of the finished instrument. Use our Inlay Router Bit with the smaller bearing for this operation.
- Page 17 Once you have planned your joint, you can apply glue to the groove and use lots of masking tape to hold the binding in place until dry (fig 33j). Be sure to pull the binding fully into the slot as you tape it.
- Page 18 PREPARING THE FRETBOARD _____34. ANOTHER OPTIONAL STEP: You can trim the width of your fretboard to suit the grip of your left hand. Most production guitars measure about 1-3/4” (44-45mm) wide at the narrow end (by the “nut”), and 2-1/4” (57mm) wide at the 12th fret. You’ll notice that we supply slightly wider parts in this kit to allow someone to make the neck fit a larger hand.
- Page 19 Fig 36a Draw a centerline down the fretboard and use an awl to punchmark the locations of the mark- Fig 36b ing dots, as shown above. Then use a 1/4” drill bit to bore shallow holes (1/16”, or 2mm deep) at each punch (fig 36b). Glue each dot with a drop of 5-minute epoxy or Superglue (CA adhesive) (fig 36c), and press 1/4”...
- Page 20 PREPARING THE NECK _____39. Temporarily clamp the fretboard to the neck, carefully centering it and leaving enough flat space at the narrow end to allow for the ebony nut. Use a pencil to outline the fretboard as shown in fig 39a. These lines will be helpful reference points as you do more shaping on the neck to fit your grip.
- Page 21 _____40. Before doing more fitting of the neck to the body, it is best to use your flat sanding block to make sure the heel end of the body is flat and level (fig 40). Try to keep the sanding block from rocking too much as you work on the end of the guitar.
- Page 22 POINT OF INTEREST Many guitar builders angle the neck down a few degrees from the plane of the soundboard on purpose to help lower the string action, but on this kit, we have sloped the fretboard to accomplish the same result. This makes your kit easier to assemble, with less guess-work.
- Page 23 We recommend installing two tiny nails partway into the neck: one near each end, as shown in fig 43b. Clip the nails close to the wood (fig 43c). These studs will help prevent the fretboard from slipping out of position as you glue and clamp it to the neck. Fig 43b Fig 43c _____44.
- Page 24 _____46. The peghead can be shaped a little further at the end if you want to customize the instrument that way. Just make sure you don’t interfere with the fit of the geared tuners by removing too much material. We use a band saw and spindle sander or drum sander for this kind of modification (fig 46a).
- Page 25 _____48. When you have the neck shaped to your liking, smooth everything off with medium Fig 48 sandpaper (about 100-150 grit). Check carefully for scratches from your coarser tools, and sand with the grain direction wherever possible (fig 48). _____49. OPTIONAL: Some players like having side-marking dots on the fretboard for easier reference from the player’s perspective.
- Page 26 Quickly slide the neck into place and install the bolt to pull the parts togeth- er. Make sure the fretboard is resting flat on the soundboard. Remember that you have a little “wiggle room” to slide the neck up or down to get a tight fit.
-
Page 27: Installing The Bridge
INSTALLING THE BRIDGE ____53. Now that the neck is in place permanently, you can find the proper location for the bridge and install that on the soundboard. Begin by measuring 24-1/2” from the #0 fret at the narrow end of the fret- board and placing a piece of masking tape lightly on the soundboard at Straight edge that location (fig 53a). - Page 28 When you determine the correct place for the bridge, use masking tape to hold it in place while you drill just the outer two peg holes with a 3/16” bit, as shown in fig 55b. Don’t risk trying to drill all six holes now - the bridge may slip out of position.
- Page 29 If you ended up flattening the tops of some frets significantly with the big Small file file, you’ll want to round them over again by knocking off the sharp cor- held at angle ners with a small triangle file or needle file (fig 56b). Be sure to protect the surface of the fretboard with some tape when doing this work so you don’t scratch the wood you so carefully sanded earlier.
- Page 30 APPLYING THE FINISH Use a clean cloth to wipe off any sanding dust from the wood. Some people buy tack cloth for this purpose, but we just use a clean rag. Another option is to wet the rag with denatured alcohol (from the hardware store) for cleaning the wood more fully. Alcohol does not raise the grain like water does, and it evaporates quickly, leaving no spots.
- Page 31 ____60. The nut needs to be notched for spacing the strings evenly across the width. We like to leave about 1/8” (3mm) space at each side before the first and last notches. Then we try to space the other 4 notches evenly between them.
- Page 32 ____62. Before covering the truss rod slot, find the Allen wrench provided and tighten the nut finger-tight for now, just to keep it from rattling (fig 62a). You may need to adjust it one way or the other later to correct a bow in the neck. Then center the truss rod cover over the opening and hold it in place with masking tape while you drill 1/16”...
- Page 33 ____65. Stretch the string across the instrument to the peghead and attach it to the first tuning post. Turn the gear so the string wraps to the inside of the post, as shown in fig 65a. Be careful not to over-tighten -- it is best to pluck the string and let it ring as you tighten the tuning gear.
- Page 34 Plastic pick-guard Spare set of 6 steel strings (light gauge) Guitar strap with 2 mounting buttons Hard-shell, plush-lined case for parlor size guitar Electronic Tuner (chromatic) to aid in accurate tuning Piezo Pickup for amplification Call us toll-free (1-800-432-5487) or check our web sit (www.harpkit.com) for pricing and availability.
-
Page 35: Installing Optional Accessories
INSTALLING OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES ____66. If you want to install a strap on your guitar, place one mounting button centered at the tail end of the body, and the other button at the heel, as shown in fig 66. 1-1/2” NOTE: The screw should be located about 1-1/2” from the bottom of the heel so as to avoid interfering with the bolt in- side the heel.
Need help?
Do you have a question about the PARLOR and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers