fryovanni

Regarding Plywood. Plywood has advantages, and disadvantages. We make plywood all the time when building. The key difference is the quality of the plywood. There is nothing wrong with using 100% structurally sound, void free, high grade ply of a material that suits our needs. This type of material is often more expensive than solid wood, not your home depot ply. High grade Baltic Birch ply has taken favor for neck blocks and tail blocks on acoustics. It makes perfect sense as dimensional stability and strength requirements are a great match. Laminate sides are becoming popular. Made by laminating multiple structurally sound high grade laminates. Double tops are being used with good success, this is more of a composite contruction method, but takes on the similar concept of joining materials to gain an advantage). CF/spruce composite bracing is being used by some. We laminate neck stock, and enen add Carbon fiber laminates. Figured drop tops and carved tops have been used for a good long time. Often semi-hollow designs take advantage of this kind of cunstruction. The list can go on. Don't confuse this with using crappy wood though, "plywood" has a rep. for being scrap wood covered by nicer looking wood(and for the most part that is true, very high grade ply not withstanding). It is worth mentioning also that ply does not have to be unidirectional in terms of strength and grain orientation. One of the nice features of composites is that you can choose directional strength through orientation. Ply construction requires more skill, and understanding to pull of better results but allows design oportunities. Stay away from junk wood composites, that is the wrong direction, but go for it with creative well constructed composites. Luthiers have been doing it for hundreds of years Rich

Nothing at all wrong with Epoxy, and it has a value in building as Mattia mentioned. The advantage relates more to the final stages of neck construction where moisture control in assembly can be a more significant consideration. A good quality(there are different grades, and formulas) wood glue such as Titebond, LMI white or Elmers wood glue are perfectly fine and simple to use. HHG, Fish glue and other collagen based glues are fine, and offer advantages. Urea resin is another viable option for bodies. Cold creep is really not a huge concern with a body, because there is just not that much stress regularly placed upon it(atleast not the joints we are speaking of). Because of its simplicity, and effectiveness PVA is used by most builders. Some builders and large manufactuers have decided to go with different glues for some applications for various reasons. I could ramble on about the specifics and reasons behind these choices, but it doesnt really matter in this case. Rich

Thanks, are you familar with making a one piece neck and fretboard with either of these? I m tempted to use either cocobolo or some kind of ebony I've used cocobolo on my 2 latest guitars and I definitely prefer the look and feel of it compared to Rosewood - Its pores are tighter and it almost feels like ebony. It seems to me like its slightly harder and that it doesn't darken as much. The colour is nicer too but... these are all personal preferences. http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL912/4316378/19245043/308312697.jpg FWIW; Cocobolo is a true rosewood. (Dalbergia Retusa). It is med. light in weight for a rosewood, a bit oilier than most rosewoods, hardness is about average for a rosewood, stiffness is also pretty average for a rosewood. Most ebony is about 30% heavier than rosewoods. Cocobolo is one of the best values relative to todays market, although Honduran RW is as good a value if not better, the availability is small compaired to Coco. Honduran has a sweet fragranant smell(some compair it to apples, I don't think it smeel quite like apples, but it is nice), is not quite as oily. Color range on Cocobolo tends to the orange/brown/red/yellow/black, Honduran tends to the tan/brown/black, Braz. RW purple/brown/tan/black(old growth Indian and palisander can pull from a similar range of colors). Rich

Kinda hard to say. Questions that come to mind. 1. What is the moisture content? A $30 moisture meter would give you a pretty good idea(may not be extreamly accurate, but +/- 2%, who really cares.). 2. If it was reasonably dry, Has it reached equalibrium? Again that little meter would allow you to reference other bits of wood that have been in your shop for long enough to be sure they are equalized. 3. Did the wood have a lot of stored tension? Did the amount of wood you removed shift the balance, and the wood is now moving to it's new state of balance? Who knows? 4. Is the woods grain oriented in such a way that maybe a change in your ambient moisture levels are distorting the wood? No idea, can't see the piece. I guess bottom line is you have a tweaked board. It is certainly worth placing it on sticks and weighting it. Leave it for a few weeks and see what you get. Whatever you do, don't lay it down on a flat surface(keep the air flowing). Time is always your friend if you want to rule out moisture issues(6 months to a year and a half depending on thickness up to 2-1/2", given the wood was already known to be pretty dry.). Rich

+1 to what Mattia said

Consider taking this to a professional if you value the instrument (no offense intended, but you may very well not have ideal results if you have neve done a reset before). A simple web search "neck reset" will lead you to information on the subject. link link link link rich

As soon as you get home I want to hear about some serious cutting. Feed that big old bandsaw of yours buddy! It's hungry Rich

As weight goes. The neck is probably going to amount to something like 2.5(mahog), 3.5 (Rosewood), 4-4.5(ebony). Those are generic, but are probably in the ballpark. Hardware can vary quite a bit in terms of weight. A standard TOM & tailpiece plus full size tuners vs an aluminum wrap and mini's could have about 3/4 of a pound worth of difference. The body wood(wings) of course would vary much like the neck, but it is a smaller volume of wood(given cavities are going to be there anyway) so holllowing could maybe knock a bit more off the top. Either way, you have an idea of the weight difference. It will add a few pounds. If that is not an issue to you, have at it(it is your guitar after all). Rich

This is a good observation. The angle of a headstock is not the only factor in deterning actual string break over a nut. A neck with no heastock angle, can certainly have break angle. It just depends on the distance of the tuner post from the nut and the height of that post. This is what you should look at. A good point is made about down force required to cleanly produce a not. Very little is actually required. The downward pressure also plays another role though at the nut and bridge as you actually will be setting the instrument in motion to a degree. Too little pressure and your strings may not have a very good coupling with these components. There is no firm angle that is best for all situations. Maybe a good point of reference would be an acoustic bridge. A 15 degree angle developed behind the saddle provides a good coupling, much more helps little. An acoustic bridge is going to have a lot more movement than an electric, and your needs would certainly not exceed that requirement(likely less is going to perform just fine). How much less will vary from instrument to instrument. Rich

You might try Larry Davis at Gallery for BRW or maybe give Marc at Gilmer a call, hard to say if you will get straight grain, clear, nicely quartered cuts at full neck through dimensions. If you do find a billet that is that size it will cost you, because cut into parts it holds a heck of a lot of value(and the demand is there to easily back the price). Don't buy from a non reputable dealer, you may wind up with something that is not even actually BRW. There are a lot of people selling wood as BRW that is not(to be expected with the silly frenzy out there to buy any BRW just because it is BRW). The biggest suckers in the musical instrument wood trade are beginners, and guys that are inexperienced bargain hunters. Personally, I think BRW is dandy, but I stray well away from using it or purchasing it in general. First I think the tonal properties are potentially slightly different than several other similar rosewoods, but certainly there is overlap(this is wood, and you have to be realistic, unless you buy into Myth blindly as many do). It does have nice working properties if the cut is good, but I would not place it far off several other rosewoods for workability. I would sooner buy into a notable or percievable difference in two similar species if the wood was used on an acoustic instrument, but on an electric that subtle difference could be overshadowed easily with electronics. Just my thoughts on the subject. As far as similar woods go. East Indian is used as a sub. there is a lot of varience in quality though(at least in the current market). If you have a chance to purchase some very nice, well seasoned, old growth East Indian RW I think you would be impressed with the wood. Much of the wild grain or plantation stock is VERY different from the old stock. Watch out for that wood as a nice option. Palisander (a RW from Madagascar) is a very nice wood that compairs favorably in looks and other properties, but this is not an easy wood to get your hands on either. If you find a nice cut of palisander, grab that baby up and you will be quite happy. These are both very good options, and prices for high quality cuts will run you between $60-$100 bd. ft.(not cheap, but quality). Cocobolo is a very cool rosewood, although it ranks high on my "hate to use woods" woods. You can certainly find a quality piece in the dimensions you are after for somewhere around $35-45 bd. ft. It is a love hate with that wood because it sucks to work with, but is a great resonant wood. Bolivian Rosewood is a very nice wood. Not a true rosewood, but density and stiffness gives it much of the same charictor. It is not notably oily, and machines very very well. If you run across a nice dark, quality cut of this wood(often times you can find nice inking and I have even run across landscaped figure in this wood) it will be a bargain(outstanding value) at closer to $15-20 bd. ft. Quality Honduran RW although generally lighter in color, is an extreamly resonant rosewood, and a quality cut of this will perform beautifully. The asking price will range more in the $25-30 bd. ft. range for this wood. I could keep listing species here, as many will offer you a great option. Think over your logic in such a rigid comparison of these woods to BRW. Many of these woods may give you something better for your project. There is a lot of buzz about all things compaired to BRW of old, but you are not trying to clone a historic acoustic model for a collector(so the reality of what will work best vs hype and buzz may not even be the same). You will have to do a lot of footwork to find these woods in quality cuts, unless you are willing to spend the cash to pay someone who has done this for you. If you spend the cash to buy from a dealer, be sure they know what they are doing(there are a LOT of wood dealers who do not know how to build a damn guitar, and are about as qualified to grade a piece of instrument wood as any general woodworker* pretty much not qualified). Some companies that have specialized in instrument grade wood and have been in the business for many years(note; with someone on staff who actually has experience building instruments) will be a reliable option. If you buy elsewhere you need to use your knowledge and experience to preferably hand select this wood. Also, other woods that you mentioned. African Blackwood(a true Dalbergia) is very nice, personally I think it better than BRW in many regards(none of which would translate to a neck through solid body). It is extreamly expensive when you buy quality cuts, and rare even at those prices. Mac. Ebony is a nice resoant wood, but different(weight, density, resin/oil content). A great resonant wood and can be purchased in quality cuts for around $50-60bd. ft.(fairly common up to 4" in quarter sawn boards). I would stear clear of gabon or nigerian ebony for a neck, and Mad. ebony is a little nicer, but still wouldn't be a wood I would want to use for a neck. Actually Mac. Ebony is a good direction to go if you want an ebony neck(value, availability, and resonant properties). Good luck with your search, Rich

My recommendation would be to buy a good playing guitar. You do not need a dozen guitars to be able to record several styles of music, but as you said you just want them. Most players starting out wouldn't know if a guitar plays well or not, an experienced player will be able to tell a difference. NOTE, I have not put a price tag on a "good" guitar because there are many decent mid level guitars out there. The cheap $100 toys may arrive in good shape, they most likely will function, but they will not stand the test of time(unless of course you hang them on a wall) if you play them regularly. There are many mid level guitars that can be had that have fair components, and are constructed well with no real fit or finish issues, and those will hold there own as players. Get one decent player you can rely on. If you want a wall full of look alikes. Look for them second hand($100 goes a long way when you are buying used knock offs that people are dumping, and yes they dump them). You can have some fun collecting them. I actually used to buy old 60's imports for kicks because they are kinda unique(not players, but unique). I bought a couple early 80's Ibanez X series for very little. Those actually were fair players(which was a steal for what I payed for them). Collecting can be a lot of fun, especially if you make it a poor mans treasure hunt The Pod is a very cool tool for a home studio wiz. When they first can out I tried one and I can tell you at the time I was blown away. The salesman had a real easy job with those things. He just said go try it and left me alone(not real common in most guitar shops). A LOT of bang for your buck there. A pod and a decent playing guitar will give you a HUGE amount of home recording flexability, and like you mentioned you can record quietly. Have fun with your hobby. Home studios are the great Rich

Hearing is a funny thing. None of us hear all frequencies equally. No mic tracks absolutely flat, then again who knows what the sound system it is played on will do to the sound(just about every device is going to alter things a bit). Very High frequencies and very low frequencies tend to be harder to hear. If you hear loud sounds for a short period, you will lose your ability to hear to a degree(temp. unless you did some damage). You could almost think of it like your hearing is being re-equalized daily. If you have ever had a guy play his guitar loud and then listen to his track, he will likely want to boost certain frequencies too much, have him do it again and he will want to add more. A totally flat responce will capture what is there, and I think that is best for studio work. I got over trying to "fix" bad tracks with a lot of equalization, compression, and what not. The best recordings are all about the good source, and go figure they are the simplest to track. Rich

It may be that you were compairing a smaller bodied Breedlove to a larger Alvarez. I believe the Focus is about 15" at the lower bout, and the Steel string Yari is Dreadnought, and a Jumbo(both are wider at the lower bout, and deeper). A larger box produces bass easier than a smaller box. Your first choice should be the size/model/design you think most suits your needs. That is the biggest factor in the sound of an acoustic. You can "tweak" the sound a bit. You can certainly get more focused responce with material selection and bracing configuration. In the end though, you can make 20 small changes that impact the sound a little, however you will never make as significant a choice as the size/design. There are a lot of little things that you will question along the way on your first acoustic. Keep one concept in mind though, 20 little things may add up to a small change in performance. Stick with the design as drawn(I assume you will be using a set of drawings), and don't worry too much about making "improvements". Focus on good joining, getting a feel for the thickness/ stiffness/ tapped responce and so forth(don't put too much pressure on mastering these things, you are only trying to develop a first point of reference on your first). If you feel like making some little changes after careful consideration, do so, but remember little changes are secondary to solid construction. Always feel free to toss out questions, or ask for dimensions others are using for this part or that. Also ask for tool and jig suggestions as well as dig around on the web for these things. GW is right that many books on building acoustics are outdated, and those builders are probably using several different methods today. Rich

and I want to hear what you think of the blades after you have chewed up some wood . Rich

Interesting observations. The AKG 100 has a fairly flat responce curveAKG link(good for a clean even less colored responce, very good for studio mics). The 57 has a curve like this-57. The 58's curve58's curve is slightly different(dip in the range that often causes problems with sibilance-around 7K give or take*that varies with the vocalist) and slightly better 10-12K for sparkle and clarity. In the studio a condensor is much more repsoncive, but of course you have to watch the SPL cause they are not going to take the pressure well. Drums are a great example. I take dynamics in close(near heads, or in the kick) but prefer condensors for OH's capture cymbals. Nice thing about condensors is that you can capture more of the room dynamics also. Condensors tand to favor close in micing(less of the room is captured, which is ideal for live or isolating). Peace,Rich

A couple things about the mics. You mentioned your not sure about dynamic vs condensor. There is a huge difference. A condensor is much more sensitive, it requires phantom power, is not really a good choice in a less controlled environment(such as stage, better in the studio). A dynamic con handle higher sound pressure, and is more focused on the source, you can get in closer to a speaker/drum head or what have you. You usually want your mic to capture the sound that is present as accuratly as possible, although sometimes special preamps on condensors or a mic that may favor a particular range may be desirable. The beauty of the 57 is that they are accurate for many instruments range, they are durable and can take some stage abuse. There is a reason why you are not likely to find a studio that does not have several of them, and they are the most popular rented mic. Don't take that as they are less unique for your personal sound. Take it as they will accurately capture the unique sound you produce, lets face it your not playing your mic, it is more like your guitars cable. When you consider the price of a 57, it is really a natural choice for a first mic. If you have a cage full of mics, and your just looking for a mic to use occasionally in the studio(possibly for some effect or special micing, then you can start searching for condensors. If this is going to be a vocalists personal mic, then they need to go do some searching, and trying out many mics. Peace,Rich

I have used the tool center a couple times-link Rich

This is a good jig for routing uneven surfaces, that require a small index area. link

Last time I checked. Look up Ormsby guitars. His Work is amazing, those guitars look awesome Look up some of his topics or post. His user name is Rhoads56. He is a regular around here.

Dave, You break that way because boards have about 1/5th the strength across the grain vs with the grain. As for orientation. The best orientation for any board is going to relate to stability. You want the longest dimension oriented with the longtitudinal orientation(lowest dimensional change due to changes in moisture), the second widest should be oriented with the radial (about 1/2 the dimensional change due to changes in moisture), and the narrowest should be oriented with the tangential(the largest dimensional change due to moisture change). This would mean the best orientation would be quartersawn on a neck. Because a neck has fairly small dimensions in width and thickness, flatsawn is also viable(although technically less than ideal). Some woods are much closer in their shrinkage rates, such as Mahogany, and the stability vs orientation becomes even less of an issue. Straight grain in the longtitudinal is a very large consideration(probably the largest), and care should be taken to use straight clear grain. FWIW, unless you are trying to make a one piece neck(no scarf, or added heel), buy lumber that is closer to the dimension needed. It dries with less stress, and often is dried better not to mention is usually about 10-20% less expensive(reason for the lower cost relates to less risk and lower loss during drying). The difference in strength is not going to be that much, so it is less of a consideration. Peace,Rich

Last time I checked. Look up Ormsby guitars.

Ace hardware, Home Depot, Lowes etc...... They all sell these. They are threaded inserts, and you want to pick up the wood type. Don't try the regular thread pattern stuff, they strip out and do not hold as well in wood. Rich

Draw out your volute area and see if you need to add. If the board is dry and straight you may be just fine. There is also the option of using a 1/4" thickness on your fretboard which gives you a bit more overall thickness. Not sure of all the details(type of truss rod, your intention for thickness, volute, scarf style, heel style, bridge, neck angle, and so forth) so it is hard to tell what is best. You should have this drawn out fully, and know all these things. Honestly your drawing should be the source for the answer to your question, not a bunch of people giving you generic feedback(although there is nothing wrong with you asking, its a fair question ). Rich

Are you planning a volute? You mentioned a heel, and the shaft will not need more thickness. If your shooting for something less than say .90" at just before the heel, and your fretboard is 3/16"(.1875") and your blank is 3/4" your close, like 1/32" breathing room. So as long as you have a well seasoned true neck blank you should be close, but doable. Personally, I need 7/8"(min.) for my volute and scarf configuration on my acoustics. Peace,Rich

Fair enough, I look forward to seeing your progress, and hope it runs out well.