Project -
Guitar for Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) of Franklin County, VA

The Builders

Tom Pafford
Larry Sakayama
Jack Gellerstedt
Howard Wilson
Robbie Dummitt
Gary Mellas
David Motley
Chet Dickerson
Jerry McGuire
Kenny Craft
Eli Craft
Patrick Geoghegan
Frank Riner
Mark Maloney

Thanks

to these folks for their generous contribution of parts

Hibdon Hardwood, Inc.
Allied Lutherie

Jim Mullens, Program Director for Franklin County VA JAM Program, with the BRL JAM Guitar

JAM of Franklin County is supported by the Smith Mountain Arts Council

Guitar Label

From the Junior Appalachian Musicians - Franklin County website:

Junior Appalachian Musicians is a non-profit and the parent organization for 50+ after school programs for children in grades 4 – 8. We provide communities with the tools and support they need to teach children to play and dance to traditional old time and bluegrass music.

Franklin County JAM is a program that began in 2014, and is made possible by the Smith Mountain Arts Council. The program is held for 4-8 grade elementary and middle students throughout Franklin County at the Leonard A. Gereau Center for Applied Technology and Career Exploration and offers instruction in fiddle, banjo and guitar, with cultural enrichment and community performance opportunities!

Jim Mullens, Program Director (for Franklin County, VA), Smith Mountain Arts Council

More about Junior Appalachian Musicians at jamkids.org/

Making the Rosette

Our original plan was to do a radial design but we ended up doing a block layout.

Fret Slots

Jack cut slots for 20 frets on the Ebony fretboard for the J45 on his radial arm saw. When we positioned the fretboard on the soundboard, we decided that 21 frets would be better.

The Body Assembled

Binding and mitered purfling at the end wedge

This work takes a lot of care and patience.

Mortise and tenon neck joint

The Bridge

line

Guitar for Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) of Franklin County, VA
Completed Aug 14, 2022

Done! (click on any image to start a slide show)

Building the J45 Project Guitar

We started in 2017, got interrupted by the Covid pandemic and completed it in 2022.

Some of the parts needed to build the guitar - Amazon Rosewood back and sides set, linings, fretboard, neck wood, bracing

The Amazon Rosewood back and headplate

The Neck.

Shaping the neck

Joining the top plates.

The Sides and Rim

Radius the Braces

Howard adds a radius to the braces using a router with flush trim bit and radius template. Then he cleans them up on the radius dish.

Back Bracing

With the back center strip in place, Howard marks the slot positions for the transverse braces. Then he and Robbie cut the slots.

Braces are glued in and then shaped.

Attach the back on the J45 project guitar

Dry fit and then glue and clamp on the back. We used large rubber bands for clamping

Bracing the soundboard

The braces were radiused to 40' then cut to final height. Braces were trimmed to proper lengths and slots cut for the intersection of the x-braces. Then we glued them in using a go-bar deck.