mx5apex

Thanks for all the kind words everybody! I hope not to disappoint. Been thinking about using an epoxy for gain filler. What do you all think?

Thanks ScottR, I hope it sounds good too. I haven't seen too many acoustics with bocote, thought I would try it out.

All insights are welcome, it's my first time dealing with what is a complex sound box. At least it's not just saw dust sitting on the floor.

looking awesome, get some finish on it.

The length is not where you should be concerned about having a dome. Wood shrinks laterally, not along it's length, with changes in humidity. Having a dome, laterally, in the back is useful because if the guitar gets less humid than the environment that you built it in, it has some le-way for shrinking. As once it gets drier than when it was glued it, and it has no dome to flatten out, it starts then pulling at the sides to try and shrink. Sides are very rigid and the back will give way first. What humidity were you at when you glued on the braces? I'm hoping quite dry (or at least drier than the environment the guitar will ever live in) or you will most likely have issues down the road with back splits/cracks. Same goes for the top if it has no lateral doming.

Best choice in the future is to look into radius dishes for sanding the sides and gluing braces. This gives you both your lateral and longitudinal doming in one go.

It looks great though.

Chris

I know what you're talking about with the doming, it's my first and I just wanted to see if I could do it. I was reading about Charles Hoffman and Jim Olson and they both build using flat tops but with an angle for the neck. Their backs are built with a slight dome though. I routed a 2˚ angle for the neck, did the same for the back. I also shellacked the inside to help with moisture. I'll do a dome on the next one.

Thanks for the info.

This is the last of the photos until I start making the bridge which will be next weekend.

Some neck work

Fun way of glueing up binding

Looking good!

The guitar is mostly done, I'm just uploading pic now.

They are flat but the back is curved along its length.

I started building this a year or so ago and hit a road block. Now it's back on the work bench. I used Jim Olson's SJ numbers for the body.

Top - sitka spruce

Back and Sides - bocote wood

3 Piece Neck - mahogany, maple, cocobolo

Fingerboard - cocobolo

Bracing - spruce, mahogany

Binding - cocobolo