jammy

Well, it's playing! Still needs a little more fine work, and of course spraying. That will come next week (I'll be spraying my first acoustic then too.

For now, here's some photos...

http://www.solar.myby.co.uk/misc/andy/acoustic2/7.jpg

http://www.solar.myby.co.uk/misc/andy/acoustic2/8.jpg

http://www.solar.myby.co.uk/misc/andy/acoustic2/9.jpg

http://www.solar.myby.co.uk/misc/andy/acoustic2/10.jpg

http://www.solar.myby.co.uk/misc/andy/acoustic2/11.jpg

It'll have strings on and be playing by tomorrow night.

Mark my words, and expect photos when it's done!

I'm using a 29" scale, and to keep things looking right, a 15 fret neck joint.

This leaves the bridge about 1.5cm further back on the body than normal on a 000, to compensate for this I shifted the X a little, but added a large, slightly thicker than normal bridge plate to transfer the string tension stress to the X's a little better. Other than that it's normal 000 like my last (with the wing/block arrangment at the neck end like before)

Side thickness was about normal (2.7mm) but I thinned them a little at the wastes to avoid cracking in the flame.

Cheers for the kind words all.

As predicted the neck joint's on it's way. I'm hoping to have the neck on, and the fretboard radiused and slotted tomorrow.

Cool, You gotta love that Myrtle. Should be interesting to see how it sounds with that scale length and tuning. Any pix inside the Box? Very nice clean work!

Peace,Rich

None inside the box no, unfortunatly.

Its as clean as I could make it - cheers

Well, this guitar's quite far along now, but I thought I'd start the thread at the begining...

Here's the pile of wood I started off with Click

And my spec list...

Oregon myrtle back and sides

Sitka Spruce top

Rosewood neck

Ebony Board

Ebony Bridge

Spruce bracing

Mahogany blocks

Mahogany linings

Rosewood binding on the body

Maple bound fretboard

29" scale tuned B to B or A to A

000 body shape, but 10mm deeper at all points

Pinned tennon neck joint

Bone nut and saddle

And where I'm up to today - I've just leveled the bindings up to the top and back, and I'll get them flush with the sides tomorrow, and start the neck joint.

picture of front

matebo - a name I'd looked into.

They look very good indeed, but I'm a bit warey of the lack of a cast iron table (a nice luxary)

I'm soon to be furnishing my new workshop (it's in the process of being built at the moment) and I've decided on most of my tools, apart from my bandsaw.

I'd originally settled on an axminster saw which retails at about £455, but I was warned off this unit by Nathan Sheppard.

So I'm on the hunt again - I need a bandsaw, which is as good as possible, available in the UK with a price limit of £500. What do you guys suggest?

If you're on about normans nut files I've allready got some...

And they're excellent! A little dry soap as a lubricant and they cut bone smoothly and easily. Far better than normal files.

Why dont you use an original floyd rose instead of a licenced version

Money I guess.

Schaller's are the best licenced units IMO - I think they're easily as good as OFRs

Looks like an excellent piece of kit.

Just from curiosity,...

How on earth do you manage to purchase such fine necks/neck woods with barenuckle pickups at the age of 14???!!!!

Firstly, its a double neck!! Are you that good at playing? And Roland GK-3, since when did you become a recording artist needing synth?

Well, good luck with your build but right now I feel a bit jealous.

*sigh* If he's good at what he does, which he certainly seems to be, why not use the finest kit available?

Also - why do you have to be an amazing player to build an awesome guitar?

I'm not that good at all, but I love making guitars and hearing them played by people better than me.

He doesn't have to justify his choices to you - he's just doing what he wants.

I could only *just* intonate a F# on a 26" scale.

When I get round to making my 8 it'll be fanned i think, makes soooo much more sense

Still, Awesome work man - I love it!

Downloaded, took about 4mins 30 secs

I'd have a go at the neck on that other one - could be a nice way to start.

Archtops are difficult, difficult instruments to make. Especially difficult to make them sound nice.

I plan to try one for my 4th acoustic instrument, and that one's got a year in my timetable, and I've got proffesional assistance...

How long is the CF rod?

I'd be tempted to dowel that heel - either from the top after removing the fretboard, or at an angle from the rear of the joint. You could also remove the heelcap and go through that way.

That way, even if your glue joint fails down the line, the dowel will keep the joint together.

A good plan Stech. without replacing the block you're not going to get a nice super-tight dovetail in that again.

Dowels would be a great idea.

That's awesome - nice to see it's got a 25.5" scale too!

I just was't sure about any weird twisting because of one side having only three as opposed to six strings.

Thanks

Shouldn't be an issue, just make sure you get some well seasoned quartered wood for the neck and you'll be fine.

Since the wood never bends exactly the same each time, you then form the top and back to match the way the sides came out.

Um.... not according to *anything* I've seen. You start out with a design, you bend the sides and shape the top to fit that design, and then you glue them togther, so they hold that shape.

He's right you know - it's virtually impossible to get your rib structure perfect, so the top and back are adjusted slightly from plans if required to provide the correct overhangs.

It's only minimal, but that's the way it's done.

Right, there's a better picture - as you can see it's not been sprayed yet.

I lost one of the ebony bridge pins, and that's all I had spare, by the way

http://www.j4mie.org/misc/dmgdemo.mp3 Thats a little badly recorded soundclip, but it gives the basic idea

Well, it's making noises, and really nice ones too!

More pics to come...

God that must take AGES. I didn't know anyone did it...

The yellow mark is just where the glue seaped out when I was gluing up the blocks. It'll be carved out when the neck gets done - no problem

cheers