Congratulations to Rod Jaeger from  Jaeger Guitar Werks  on being our June Guitar of the Month winner! Let's learn how he crafted this beautiful T-Style Guitar.

"Thank you so much to Mohawk for featuring Jaeger Guitar Werks first build on your series, Guitar of the Month!

A little background on JGW first. We (my wife, Sherry, and myself) are a small instrument repair shop in Stuarts Draft, Virginia. Repairs and setups are our main focus, but I always wanted to build a limited number of guitars, as time would allow. One or two a year.

As a repair shop owner, I'm no stranger to Behlen products. They are used on a daily basis around here. I use  Naptha every day for cleaning fretboards, removing old sticker glue from guitar bodies, and cleaning fretwire before installation. Blush Eraser is also a must have in a repair shop. From melting in spot repairs, to removing any blushing after steaming a neck for removal. Behlen products are my choice.

The featured guitar is a scratch built T-style guitar called the "Modern Heritage". I love Teles, so I wanted the shop's first build to be the Tele I've always dreamed of. Also, I wanted to show what can be achieved in a small, ultra-basic shop as a builder.

The guitar is a 2 piece Alder body with a 3A bookmatched Quilted Maple top. The neck is 3A flame Maple. Hardware is Fender and pickups are Joe Barden.

The finish process was really pretty simple. Water based dyes were used for color. 3 or 4 coats of Vinyl Sealer were applied to the body and headstock face. (The rest of the neck is Tung oiled)

After a light sanding, 12 coats of Stringed Instrument Lacquer were applied with the HVLP gun. No booth was used. I shot it hanging right in the middle of my shop. The lacquer dries fast enough that contaminants aren't an issue if some care is used.

I let the guitar cure for a month before handling. I masked the top off and Micro mesh sanded the back and sides to a satin finish. The top also was wet sanded with micro mesh and then buffed.

Surface prep is really key for a great finish. If that is done correctly, then finishing is pretty easy and fun.

As of now, I'm starting on build #3. The "Katana"; my own soloist design.

Please visit our Facebook Page for more info on what's going on at the shop and info on the Modern Heritage and my new Katana model."

We want to thank Rod for sharing his story with us. If you have any questions about the guitar, our products, or anything touch up related, feel free to reach out. You can share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Stay tuned for the next blog post - there's something new every Friday!