GoodWood

Im having some nice rosette wood cut, maple burl, and LMI seems to do 1/8 thickness. Is that overkill for solid wood? I was thinking more like 3/32. Is 1/8 just a standard size?

Mattia, what do you use for making Chiladni patterns? Details please! And my vote goes to Mattia if he comes through with the info! What kind of sound system, how loud is it, how much $$$$.. mm mm:read

My guesstimate is that the vast majority of all guitars out there are Dreds.

That said, there's a huge market for custom dreds, although mostly among bluegrass players who'd really want a Martin. Really. So the custom Dred builders tend to build Martin clones, down to the trim and headstock and 'vintage correct' scalloped and/or forward shifted X-bracing, adirondack spruce tops, etc. The builders I find more interesting are those building their own kind of instrument, which tends to be more of a fingerstyle thing, because the flatpick crowd is a touch more conservative, and knows what they want: A D-18 or D-28, if at all possible.

Lol, thats funny, Im a dread guy, and I'm a 'bit more conservative', so to speak'. Im not a flatpicker though, fingerstyle with chords or visa versa. But those hippies freak out man....

I got that SM plan from the OLF forum which is a nicely designed 'in betweener', it looks like.

I couldnt glue up my guitar these past weeks - humidity was off the charts. If it sounds like crap I will take it all apart and fit it to that SM design. I have to redo the finger braces on the trebel side.

What is the most popular guitar style out there. I would think dred, but it seems alot of custom buyers want fingerstyle oms. What is the % = any guesses?

Uhm, did we ever get a soundclip from that one?

How long have you been building electrics before these acoustics? Looks really good, nice lines on it.

I just started work on a new acoustic commission.

He is a lefty so it will be left handed w/cutaway.

It will have a figured mahogany back with a sitka spruce top and rosewood bindings.

The tuners will be chrome schaller with ebony buttons and it will have fishman prefix electronics.

Pictures to come.

So you have to make the mold special, or can you use your other ones?

hey guys a friend of mine banged his guitar off a table and now has a crack down the back of his acoustic taylor going along the grain. iv never had to fix somthing like this. im not saying im going to fix it im just wondering the best way to fix it. thanks alot im probably taking it to my mentor that taught me evertthing i know but he is away for the next few days. my friend is freaking out, i just want an answer on how we will fix it so he will calm down lol

Try the OLF forum if you dont get any answers, but this is a major deal if it cracked though all the braces. Yikes. Tell him the back is not important structurally like the top, so that should calm him a bit. Id like to hear what info if any you get....

Google Smartflix, acoustic guitar, and rent a few. Cumpliano, and kinkead books also. Kinkead has a basic om plan with measurements youmay need. or find handy.

Yes Rich, Ill be cutting by hand. I got the German cutter, like in Cumplianos book, on ebay for a very good price. (Anyone intrested could get one for about 31.00 PP UPS)

I need to get my binding done also, its nice quartersawn tigerish maple. But its way too thick as it is now.

Looking good GW

Cutting off the exess wood to trim to the sides was actually fun (because it worked with no problems.) I used a chisel for alot of ot but had to switch to a coping saw. Im thinking I would like to try a Japanese keyhole saw for this, or build an adjustable holder for the coping saw blade.

If your talking about trimming the soundboard? I use a router.

Peace,Rich

Yea Rich, trimming the soundboard, and back. Im staying away from the router until I get the hang of it better, or go into production for sales, if they sound really good. It was actually my favorite part up to now, using a coping saw.

Ok, got it going again. Gluing the top was a bit nervewracking using hide glue, but it turned out ok. First time is a be-ach to be sure, and gluing the back end seam was no fun at all. That is just your standard 'Martin' rosette there folks, nothing fancy, and I will use shelac next time as the downdraft bit DID leave some tearout, despite what I have heard from alot of builders (no shelac needed with downdraft bits.) I may even use a blade of sorts to precut the top channel outines if I intend the guitar for sale.

Cutting off the exess wood to trim to the sides was actually fun (because it worked with no problems.) I used a chisel for alot of ot but had to switch to a coping saw. Im thinking I would like to try a Japanese keyhole saw for this, or build an adjustable holder for the coping saw blade.

Putt putt, its comming along. The next one will take less than half this time. This took too long, and its a long way to go yet. But I love the pain.......

Ok, my vid drivers are still goofed up for some reason related to my anti-virus, so I cant post pics, but, the top is mounted to the sides, the back is getting done, and the box should be closed soon! Pain pain pain in the butt, but at least its getting done. Have an order going out to LMI for the fingerboard and stuff. I like the look and am sort of happy with the tap tones Im getting.

Bridge design is comming along good, just about there, headstock is still up in the air a bit.

Thinking of renting from Smartflix, French Polish and Advanced Fretting. Anyone want to recommend these?

For the gobar deck, I used one 3/4 plywood, and 2x3 X braces across the tops.

Works just fine, as I dont have more than 15 in use at one time. 4 and 2 layers of ply seems like over kill to me. I dont do all the braces at the same time though.

Are you building an archtop? I would do at least one practice top, that is major major carvin, and how good are you at carvin? Woodwroking? Mark is exellent, now I want some more gil wood darn it!

Ive messed up on just about every step, so Im not the right guy to ask. Gluing my top/sides up today or next week I hope!

I will probably do 2 more practice tops before the next real one, I would like to have just done tops to a premade body at this point, becaue thee top is the key component.

Good luck and measure 3X and cut once.

EXELLENT How DOES this baby sound??? MP3 UNPLUGGED please!!!

Ok here is an update. My Hygrometer reads about 38% today, check out colorado: When it was predicting 70% humidity, the hygrometer read about 55, so within the bounds of yes or no, can I glue up tomorrow, for those who dont have humidity control but live where it gets below 50% alot of the time, this so far seems to be accurate!

It's been strung up for a while, I'm just waiting for the pickup to come in the mail before I put some decent strings on it and take pictures.

It sounds great so far and looks amazing. This guitar is so light it's great.

Good news. I really can't wait to see the pictures!

I want some unplugged MP3s here.

What kind of amp do you use?

Thanks, I still need a strait edge, and another $$ to finish the first one. A dehumidifier is on the list, but not today. Maybe for the third. I know that this weather page has been pretty accurate so far, and I see Im gonna get waterlogged tomorrow. Im thinking plastic bags to try to keep the humidty I have now somewhat normal. It seems to be a great tool for fair weather lutheri.

http://merv.metr.ou.edu/weather/run12z/zz_usa_rhum.html

I posted this at OLF, but it got bad reviews. For those who dont have humidty control in their house, and build in the garage, this might give you a heads up as to when it may be acceptable to build, and when it will be a No Way Jose' days to build, so you can plan a few days, even a week ahead. Its just another tool for those of us doing this on the cheap. Alot of first timers will not have dehumidifiers.

I used this to plan for some minor glue up today and it was fairly accurate, but I know that Tuesday will be a no way jose' day, as well as some other days next week.

You need to have your wood at the proper humidity to begin with of course.

Just for all this talk about looks, we will need to hear this baby! Lots of MP-3s! Requested!! It would be nice to hear it before it opens up, like when you first string it up.

Doubleneck has the second set of strings on.

A LOAD of tidying up to do now.

screws in tuners

nuts tidied

pickups under saddles

preamp/tuner & switch fitted

strap buttons

frets on 6 neck sorted

intonation on saddles set

trussrod covers

and I've just noticed that one head has the corners rounded and the other one doesn't.......

Goodwood, that top's looking good!!

great to see someone else who has glue on the inside, and not an internal finish that looks like it was done by a machine....

Here is my top glue up, just to show Im doing something ! This is going slowly but surely. Im almost glad the first top that had mistakes was done for brace testing. Good experience.

Go to kitguitarsforum.com

Great site with usefull info on building kit guitars

I would say that you need to figure out every step and then look at what else LMI will do. Im having them do my fretboard slotting and I may just buy an off the shelf bridge for the first one or 2 guitars I build. I also have a Martin reject neck for my second build, its 1 3/4 though, too small but what the hey. Saves lots of time. Have them thickness sand the top and back and sides also. It would cost you $30.00 for that anyway. Get a second set of bracewood for backup.

Depending on your materials/tools, you could do the rosette, or play it safe and have them do it. It would run about $100 for a Dremel setup, which works for me.

You may need a bending iron/ heat blanket for touch up, not sure if the sides are bent to glue up stage. Nothing wrong with putting 'parts' together for your first or second guitar. Like they say, it will take 5-10 to get a feel for it. Ive heard lots of good comments from thier kits, I always wonder if I should have started that way, but I got my 2 carpathian spruce tops for $30.00pp, so I couldnt argue with that.

Make the positive mold before you make the negative and see where the wood bends to!

And remember, the kit has plastic trim, you can get maple or whatnot for like $8.00 a topset.

Good luck.

Not tucking leaves things a little looser, both options are good. What you don't want to do is leave it untucked and still have some height to the brace. Feather it down to nothing. Otherwise you create a stress riser, and if the top gets a whack, that's where the brace will let go...

Mattia

Ok, thanks, I think I want some of it tucked for insurance, although my braces passed the .003 slim gauge test, so they are tight to the top