matttheguy

Well, mattia, that's just my problem. Whatever work I did before and after college was tool and die, rarely any wood work, so I'm not that good yet. I apply it pretty liberally and the squeeze out is just as generous.

Do you have to glue on the top or the back first. Is it better one way than the other? Stewmac's directions say to put on the top first, but I'm just curious as to whether this is preference or integral to the build.

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Alright, so the top is fixed now and basically completed.

For the linings, how do you guys sand them? Stewmac's book that comes with this kit says to take a sanding stick and attach a 5 degree angled block to one side and a 1.5 degree angled block to the other. I'm just curious if there are any other ways to go about this?

Thanks.

I will probably attempt to weaken the Titebond first, as I've done in the past in other mis-glues, but if it requires any force whatsoever, I'm scrapping that idea. I'll probably end up chiseling them off and:

Matthew,

Thank you for contacting us.

Removal of the braces is likely the best choice. A heat gun can be used, keep it moving to avoid scorching the wood.

If you find you can't salvage the braces, let us know, we can ship replacements.

Let me know if I can provide further assistance.

Best Regards,

Erick Coleman

Technical Advisor

Stewart-MacDonald

Good to know that StewMac has my back when I slip up!

I've already sent StewMac an email, but I'll call them in the morning, also. They've always been good to me, we'll see how they react here.

Thanks Rich, much appreciated.

Those are some rough dimensions. You can see though, from the pictures, that it's not solid stock the entire way to the top, it tapers at those high points. I'm sure you know this already though, just stating for principle, though.

Here's a side angle of the soundboard.

And you can see a picture of the braces alone here

By the way, all those black marks that look like gaps are just pencil marks yet to be sanded. I can assure you everything is glued tight. And yes, I did use Titebond.

Didn't read you wanted the top thickness. Measuring it with a straightedge - no caliper or mic - it looks about 1/8 thick. I'm willing to say its probably around .120 - .125.

Is it honestly that catastrophic towards the setup of the guitar? I'm sure with some work I could get these off, yes, but is it truly necessary, is the soundboard going to sustain massive damage because of this, or the guitar sound horrible?

I'm just weighing my options.

Right now with the equipment and the expertise I have, the only option is to buy new braces, a new soundboard, and a new rosette, unless you think that the braces could be strong enough.

Okay guys, quick question on the x braces.

Simply put, I messed them up.

About half of the each brace was scalloped and the other half was full height. They were supposed to cross at a point where they were both full height, but I misread the blueprints and crossed them where they were scalloped, like this:

Did I just ruin the guitar?

Another view can be seen here.

Other than that, things are going good. Most back braces are on, sides are glued up and kerfing is all good. Pictures can be seen here.

Thanks.

Rich, being without a caliper and a micrometer limits my measuring abilities. I use to have an old manual micrometer sitting around that I swore by, but it has since come up missing. Looks like I'll have to dig into the pockets again to start getting some accurate readouts.

Just from measuring it with a ruler I'd say it's between 1/16 and 3/32 of an inch thick.

Those are both the back and the top braces that came with this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/mat...-23-07Sides.jpgThere are the sides.

Question, will those 'burn' marks come out?

Yes, the neck is pre-shaped. I'll get some more photos up soon, Rich. Some things came up and I can't start this right away.

Now starts the fun

Well, I had ordered it, and I don't live too far from Athens and packages usually get here pretty fast, but when it starts looking like this outside within 2 hours:

... and doesn't stop coming down, it takes our postal service a bit longer. It stopped snowing for about an hour here, but Lake Erie just keeps producing more and more.

Well, the sides are already pre bent, so that's no worry with me on this build. Next build I'll go for woods that I think sound / look better, this one's just to set a benchmark.

Well, I think I'm going to give Stewmac's kit a try, as they've always been good to me, and I know what I'm getting with it.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

I'm thinking about building an acoustic guitar now that I've finished my first electric and I've decided to first start out with a kit, since it actually seems relatively simple.

Now, I'm going to go with a kit with Mahogany backs and sides, as generally the Rosewood kits cost much more, and as a first attempt I don't want to go all out.

I wanted to know if you folks think I should buy the kit from Stewmac , which is 365 and clear that it comes with no tuners and clear that I'm getting a dovetail neck, or should I go with the kit from Martin that isn't clear on the neck construction or the inclusion of tuners, but is 350 and is made by Martin?

Which is the smarter way to go. It's only a 15 dollar difference, so I'm really not concerned about the price. Which kit would YOU, Mr/Mrs Acoustic builder, buy if you were looking for a quick build for yourself?

Indeed! I'll be plugging her into the computer once I get my standalone module for my Audigy fixed. Sounds just like a Gibson.

I got that kit for something like 5 dollars.

Make sure to get spare blades, though, they snap easy. They are also very cheap.

Indeed. I'll get the numbers of the blades to you soon.

Normal blade for outlining and the big flat blade for scooping out the fatter inlays and the smaller flat blade for the skinny upper-fret inlays.

It took a lot of work, but it also saved money for a hobbyist builder.

Erik, I refinished the entire thing, so it's all smooth now.

I'm using the brushing varnish from Stewmac with alcohol based dyes from LMI. The top is amber dye mixed with a tad bit of yellow to brighten it a bit and the backs and sides are dark mixes of the red.

All done!

Indeed. I kept most of the soldering very neat and clean (one pot doesn't look professionally done, a slip on my part), but that channel where the jack sits in the LP is just a little tight, so it barely touches that wire. I should have taped it up in the first place.

It's all good now though, sounds just like two humbuckers should.

I've found the problem.

On the jack, the ground was left bare a bit, and when the plug was inserted it was JUST touching the bare ground.

After a quick fix with electrical tape, she sounds perfect.

Yes, so they're not being used for the actual wiring to the controls.

I'm pretty sure I have the correct legs, you can tell which ones are which by how they're stacked among all the other things of the jack.