pinefd

Nice job, so far! Frank

Great job on this build! Wasn't it fun doing something in a smaller scale? You have to use a bit more creativity in the design and build aspect. And I'm glad my little builds could be an inspiration to someone! You mentioned that you're using 9 gauge strings? I used 8s, and found that to be a good gauge for tuning up the full octave, FWIW. Frank

Spoke, whichever way you end up going, make sure you do some tests first with wood from the same board (if possible). I have been really struggling lately applying dye directly to maple, and I've tried virtually all types of dye, and all methods. I keep getting quite a bit of unwanted blotchiness on the wood, which is a result of dye soaking into the end grain. I've come to the conclusion that it's the type of maple I'm using, since I haven't had this difficulty with other types of maple. I believe the type of wood I'm using is a soft Eastern maple, FWIW. Hard rock maple and Western maple seem to take dye much better. Frank

Those who know me, know that I'm into small scale guitars. That being said, the one thing I've found with looking at...and buying any small scale guitar, is that intonation can be a major problem with many of them. So, my recommendation would be, if you decide to buy this, is to try your best to intonate it properly and measure to see that everything is laid out correctly. That way, if you find the bridge position is off a bit, you could potentially move it a bit before trying any kind of refin on the guitar (assuming you want to go to that extreme). Overall, it looks like a fun, and potentially worthwhile project. (BTW, since when does Restoration Hardware carry guitars?!?) Frank

This video may be of some help: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Ski...e.aspx?id=30182

How 'bout sending some of the larger pieces my way...I may be able to use them for some of my builds!:

Before this thread is shut down, I wanted to take this opportunity to praise my fellow GOTM builders for creating some beautiful guitars, and to thank everyone for voting in this month’s GOTM. I really appreciate your kind words and constructive criticism with regard to my GOTM entry…regardless of the outcome. Building guitars is mostly just a hobby for me (albeit a very serious one), so my satisfaction is measured by the fun I have doing it, and the reactions I get from those who see and play my guitars. The praise I’ve received from my fellow members here means a great deal to me, and is what keeps me going and striving to better my craft. Thanks again! Frank Pine

I did, but again we're confusing the 1/2 scale Less Tall with the Octave Guitar (which is the guitar in this GOTM competition). I built a replica 1/2 scale Lifton case for the Less Tall, and for the Octave Guitar, I used a modified tenor ukulele case, which turned out to be a perfect fit. Here's a link to that 1/2 scale Lifton case I believe you're referring to: http://images.lilypix.com/displayimage.php...&fullsize=1

I'd like to thank everyone so much for their votes and their kind words. And considering the top notch guitars in the field, I'm honored to have received as many votes as I have. But I want to clarify something. It seems that some people are confusing my entry (the fully playable octave guitar), with my non-entry (my 1/2 scale Less Tall non-playable model). The octave guitar is a fully functional, playable guitar with a 14.7" scale length, very similar to that of a mandolin or tenor ukulele. Not only is it playable, but it will play a major role in the CD that Matte Henderson is currently working on. Here is a quick clip of Matte playing this octave guitar: http://www.mattemusic.com/smith8valester.aif I hope that helps clear up any confusion! Thanks again for everything! Frank

Thanks komodo! Keep in mind, that the hardware construction mostly applies to the 1/2 scale mini, and not the octave guitar. See the post directly above for details on what I had to fabricate for each. Regarding Matte...yes, he's an incredible musician, and I'm very pleased to be working with him on this octave guitar project. And while he's performed on albums for many top acts, he doesn't currently have a CD of his own available...yet. He's busy working on one right now, however, and expects have the tracks completed and mixed within the next 4 - 5 months. And look for him to be using this octave guitar on the CD a fair amount (I hope)! And who will be making the 2X scale Les Paul? I don't know about 2X, but here's a pic of me holding one of my minis in front of a very large LP: Oh, and here's a video of a guy playing a giant Flying V: Frank

Thanks again to everyone for their nice comments, and a special thanks to those who voted for my octave guitar in the September GOTM competition. And if you haven't already voted for your favorite (no matter which guitar you like best), please do so! Thanks Cam! You're right; the middle guitar is the octave guitar, and I'm able to use mostly stock hardware for it. The only parts I have to fabricate myself for the octave guitars are the pickguard and bracket, truss rod cover, back control cavity cover, plus I have to make modifications to the pickup ring to account for the body contour. With the mini 1/2 scale guitar, I had to fabricate all the parts myself, including all the plastic parts (the knobs were the most challenging), and all the metal parts. Unfortunately, none of these parts are available anywhere, which makes these builds especially challenging and time consuming. The guitar case for this mini was one of the most fun...and challenging parts of this entire project. Frank

In case you're interested, here are some more detailed photos of the octave guitar:

Thanks guys! Prick your ears up, and in the distance you might make out the 'thud' of my jaw hitting the ground! Great work, absolutely fantastic attention to detail. I take it you have access to a lathe and milling machine to achieve those results, not to mention some serious machining chops! And yes, I have a lathe, but barely used it for any of that hardware; no, I don't have a milling machine; and no, I never did any machining before starting work on these parts. I did most of the work by hand (with files, saws, dremel, sander), and on my $99 Craftsman table top drill press (with a $99 X-Y axis milling-type vise). Oh, and one other critical tool...magnifying goggles. I found working with aluminum to be very similar to working with wood, only slower, and in much finer detail. It's a lot of fun, actually! Frank

Thanks again for all the nice comments! Sorry about that Setch! That little guy of yours sure looks sweet! I see you decided to put two pickups in yours. What are those going to be, mini-hums or P-90s? I bought some of each to try out in future builds, so I'll be curious to see how yours comes out. And thanks for the nice comments on the half size guitars. Here are some photos of some of the hardware, including the bridge, tailpiece, Kluson style tuners and Grover style tuners (during construction):

For those interested, here's a clip of Matte Henderson, playing the above octave guitar through a Smith Custom Amplifiers 25 Watt head: http://www.mattemusic.com/smith8valester.aif It's very cool to hear this little thing in the hands of a professional (please don't try this at home)! Frank

I posted this over in the "In Progress and Finished Work" section as well, so please forgive me if this is old news to you. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a guitar collector (Les Pauls), an infrequent guitar player, and now a part-time guitar builder. Until late last year, I was building half scale replicas of Les Pauls (called "Less Talls"), primarily for art/display purposes. The latest chapter in the Less Tall saga began this past November. I was debating what project I wanted to take on next, and was thinking I'd like to make something bigger and fully functional/playable this time, but still not full-size. Then, out of the blue, I was contacted by Matte Henderson, an accomplished guitarist and session musician who, as luck would have it, lives just 20 minutes from me. He had heard of my work, and was looking for someone to build him a Les Paul style octave guitar, for use on-stage, and in the studio. The timing was perfect, and so was the project. Thus was born the Less Tall Octave guitar. In two months time, I went from concept, to (almost) playable guitar. I say almost, because I was still waiting for some (Pigtail) hardware, plus the pickup. Otherwise, the construction was completed on the prototype except for the MOP headstock logo, which I was still waiting to receive from my vendor. Several months have passed since I completed that first prototype, and I just recently completed two more octave guitars. These guitars all feature a Honduran mahogany back and neck (long tenon, of course), figured maple cap and Brazilian rosewood fingerboard (with vintage style inlays). And, for those of you who may not be familiar with what an octave guitar is, it's a smallish guitar with a short fret scale (in my case approx. 14.5 inches) and a normal width fingerboard, that's tuned one full octave higher than a normal guitar. Well, I finally delivered the guitar shown below to Matte last week, and since receiving the guitar, Matte has commented on this guitar in a couple of other forums. Here's one of his posts: "this guitar is unbelievable! nashville high string to true violin tone shred. frank pine is a genius! 14.5" scale length. astounding attention to the most minute detail. i've been after this guitar for nearly 28 years. frank nailed it. brazilian board, correct inlay materials, effortless playability." Below are some pics of the guitar I built for Matte, which I delivered to him last week (clips to follow soon). And, if you're interested in seeing and reading more about this guitar, check out my original thread here: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=37047 I hope you like the guitar! Frank For those interested, here's a clip of Matte Henderson playing the above octave guitar through a Smith Custom Amplifiers 25 Watt head: http://www.mattemusic.com/smith8valester.aif It's very cool to hear this little thing in the hands of a professional (please don't try this at home)! p.s. If you absolutely have to have a name for this little guy, I guess "Mini-Me" is as good as any.

Rich, First and foremost, glad to hear you're doing well. And the guitar looks great! Nice job! I love the combination of the figuring and the grain. Keep us posted! Frank

The tiny one is one of my half scale "Less Tall" guitars. It is exactly half scale in every respect, except for two things: 1) it does not currently have a working pickup in it (all other electronics are in there); and, 2) the tuners, although they look like they are fully functional, are really dummy covers for the alternative tuning mechanisms I came up with...since I couldn't find or make gears small enough for a real half size tuner. You can get the guitar reasonably in tune, but realistically, with a neck only an inch wide at its widest point (approx.), it's virtually impossible to play anyway. Here's another picture of that one in the half scale Lifton case I made for it:

No, but the cases do!

Ah, I just found a pic of me holding the same guitar at that same jam (yes, I'm the old guy with the scruffy beard), with Tom Murphy standing next to me:

Thanks again for all the nice comments, guys. Happy to oblige with the photos. Here's one showing my prototype with a full size Les Paul, and "Baby Duane", my half scale replica of Duane Allman's Les Paul: And I don't have a picture of me with the guitar, but here's one of my buddy Nick Morgan, guitar player and builder extraordinaire, who played one my guitars for a whole set at a jam a couple of months ago:

Thanks Roman! So I'm a professional, eh? Professional what? (I'm still trying to figure out that part)

Thanks doug! Here's what the headstock says (in addition to "Less Tall Octave"):

Thanks, Geo! These guitars actually use 8 gauge strings. Otherwise, the neck tension would be unbearable.