GoodWood

I'm no expert (by any stretch of the imagination ) but I would try overbending it, and than clamping it to the mold while it dries. Or possibly holding it in the overbent state while it dries?

Yea, I tried that, it did bend more though. It cupped when I first heated it, so imagine it concave, then I 'flatened' it, althoug I did not get all the cup out. That is what I think is holding me back. So its a bit wavey in parts. The hot iron (320) on the wood over a 3 inch pipe didnt do anything....butIll have to try it again. Thats with the heat blacnket under it.....Im pushing my luck here, I know..... Grrrrrrrr....

Well feel free to build alot anyways and give them away. Just PM me for your address

hahahah

Chris

Lol, well, I will be selling them at whatever I can get above cost to pay for my "education"...Put in 8 hours today, yea this is fun..!!

I was just gonna buy some because of time contraints, (but lost the crappy dayjob) so ha ha, got plenty of time now!! (*$#@**#)

I made some test stuff for both outside and inside bends, from my quartered Afican Mahogany(honduran after this)

It looks like it will bend to fit the tight curves, but I did double cuts it the stuff to get it there.

I am thinking because I am having problems with the lower bout curve, I will heat this stuff on the mold, AND glue the insides together so it forms a solid curve to help support the sides.

I used the tablesaw, the rotosander/drill press on an angle vice, and a hand plane, flat sanding board, file to get both the triangle and rounded profiles, and it was a blast (because it actually worked.)

I just run the rectangle kerf through the rotosander on and angle vice and it whips it out pretty fast. for the rounded I do the same at the greatest angle and then handplane it. It was fun.

Next, I run it through the bandsaw to kerf it. fast easy simple. Im a happy boy today.

Why not do a flamed maple and black limba lam neck? That'd look hot. Then you could match it with flamed maple binding.

Chris

How is your rosewood breaking in Godin? Notice any tonal differences in the past few months? I have to wonder if your gonna beat my first with your second, even though I have a headstart!

It's turning out pretty good.

For sure there has been a quite drastic change. The treble is much more defined and prominent now and the bass is tight instead of flabby. It's much more balanced and sounds great plugged in. I agree with what Bob Taylor said about the GS, it has a really sweet midrange, much more so than say, a dread or similar.

I've decided I'm going to build another guitar on the shape I made along with the limba one. It will be figured mahogany back, WR cedar top (or maybe bearclaw sitka), and a rosewood neck

Man making guitars is so fun!!!!!!! I wish I had unlimited resources and time, I would just build guitars all day long and give them away ya know?

Yea, Ill say that when mine actually plays without going out of tune or exploding! =)

Why not do a flamed maple and black limba lam neck? That'd look hot. Then you could match it with flamed maple binding.

Chris

How is your rosewood breaking in Godin? Notice any tonal differences in the past few months? I have to wonder if your gonna beat my first with your second, even though I have a headstart!

i mysteriously received a subscription to Guitar Player Magazine (idk why) and i was looking through the pages of gear and came across Revival Acoustic Guitars.

I went to the website and looked at them and from the listed materials they look and sound like they are good. I don't know for sure though. The music places around Philadelphia don't have any of them.

They have Features like solid Indian Rosewood back & sides, solid stika top, X style bracing, cool inlays and binding. They use the same basic components as martin guitars. They are under $800.

Anyone ever play or know anything about Revival Acoustic Guitars cause I'm interested in maybe.... procuring one. Do they sound like they are well built?

thx

link to site:

http://revivalacoustics.com/

Hey man!!!!!!!

My name Is Jake Flood I work for the company Major Music Supply, we do the Revival guitars you can go to this site

//www.instrumentalsavings.com/SearchResults.asp to check out our stuff. If you need a dealer closer contact me via E-mail at jake_majormusicsupply@yahoo.com we are still pretty small so I would actually pack your order myself. So if I got an order from instrumental I would know it is you and pick you a good one. these are great guitars man I cant say enough good things about them. All martin specs like you said. I've worked for alot of wholeselers in the area thewse are by far the best guitars I've come across.

Thanks again

MuddyFlood

Blues fan for life

Hey, are these American made? Good to hear we are stillcompetitive it they are.

Ok, I am still having problems with my padouk sides. I used a regular iron, heated to 320, over a 2" pipe to try to get some more bend, with NO luck. The steam was flying , it has no problem bending, but my god it bounces right back to where it is 2 inches longer than the mold. I want to get rid of most of that tension, here are my thoughts.

I am at altitude, about 5500 feet, so the 310 needs to be 340 or something.

Padouk is more difficult to bend? But the front and middle bend fine?

It is about .78 average thick.

??

THX!

There are whole forums full of people who are chomping at the bit to screw up a perfectly good guitar. They won't listen to good advice, either, just the really really really bad stuff from people who know absolutely jack about what they're doing. I'm tellin' ya, it'll make blood shoot right out of your eyes.

Closest thing I have is that I gave a guitar away to replace an old Harmony, (Alvarez), and it ended up with someone else, who has never touched it. STill, its ' in the family', and that is the one that I was going to replace the top with a cheap but solid Carpathian spruce top, in place of the apparently plywood top.

Lol the kid left the house without taking it. But he 'wants to learn it' as well as the cello, violin etc...etc etc...

Its in your blood or it aint.

Yes, sort of, but it looks like the back part of the blanket may not be heating up to equal temp. The front part was steaming, but the back was 20 or 30 degrees behind,

I need to do a blank run test of the blanket I guess. I was having to put water on the front part and I was getting steam off the wood. Im lucky I didnt scortch it! I will do just the rear end this time. Whew........

GW- When you say you had to put water on the front part. That makes me think you are not sealing the wood up between the metal sheets. If you seal the sheets up with a little tape around the edges, it will help keep the moisture contained and the steam will roll about inside the sandwhich and give you better protection against burning as weel as even out the heat. I never have had problems with even a hint of burning using this method .

Ok, that sounds good. This first set is Padouk, but Im going to go with mahogany until I get the sound I want. The Padouk does not seem to absorb much water.

Doing dry run right now. I may have to send this blanket back.

GW- I am not sure you understand what I was saying. Steam is good. If you spray(use a regular spray bottle)your wood with a bit of water(both sides), OR soak paper and cover both sides of your wood with it. Then place the wood between your metal sheets, and seal the edges with tape(all the way around). You will keep the moisture(steam) near the wood. This will both protect the wood and help get even heat throughout the wood you are bending. After you have finished your bending simply split the tape with a razor or knife and the steam and moisture will escape. You will get better results doing it this way.

Bending dry can be done, but you have got to have your heating and clamping nailed down VERY well. Or it will be hit and miss for results, and risky(in terms of burning).

Good luck,

Rich

Ok, it came out ok. I just use an on-off switch and manually keep the heat up for 10 minutes. There is still some "slack" in the sides, id say about an inch and a half. I suppose I should get it down to 1/4 inch or less?

Also, they are a bit wobbley from not being clamped properly before heating. I may just go with mahogany sides.

Thanks

Yes, sort of, but it looks like the back part of the blanket may not be heating up to equal temp. The front part was steaming, but the back was 20 or 30 degrees behind,

I need to do a blank run test of the blanket I guess. I was having to put water on the front part and I was getting steam off the wood. Im lucky I didnt scortch it! I will do just the rear end this time. Whew........

GW- When you say you had to put water on the front part. That makes me think you are not sealing the wood up between the metal sheets. If you seal the sheets up with a little tape around the edges, it will help keep the moisture contained and the steam will roll about inside the sandwhich and give you better protection against burning as weel as even out the heat. I never have had problems with even a hint of burning using this method .

Ok, that sounds good. This first set is Padouk, but Im going to go with mahogany until I get the sound I want. The Padouk does not seem to absorb much water.

Doing dry run right now. I may have to send this blanket back.

Hmmm... This is a bit of a mystery. When I did the set for my project around Chrismas of last year. I used heat lamps and suplimented with a heat gun(blankets are easier) with thin aluminum(disposable and very flexable).

set up looked like this-

product looked like this-

That was with a tight cutoway, and had no issues. I do use a steel sheet over the form to give the wood a firm even base(very important to avoid cupping, wobbles, or woop-de-doos in the sides). The thin aluminum is really nice for the tight cutoway because spring or heavy steel wants to crack the wood when you release the clamps, and aluminum sheets are much more gentle. My gut is telling me this is an insufficient heat issue. Did you use a bit of wet paper or a spritz of water on the wood and then seal the metal sheet(with tape or something) to trap the steam?

Peace,Rich

Yes, sort of, but it looks like the back part of the blanket may not be heating up to equal temp. The front part was steaming, but the back was 20 or 30 degrees behind,

I need to do a blank run test of the blanket I guess. I was having to put water on the front part and I was getting steam off the wood. Im lucky I didnt scortch it! I will do just the rear end this time. Whew........

I think this problem manifested itself because when I bent the sides, the wood cupped concave pretty bad, I let the blanket heat up on the wood and it took 20 minutes, with nothing on top, or clamped together with the heat blanket. When I finally "flatened" it out in the mold, part of the cup was still there, so it set up a tension in the wood. I just cooked it some more, and it looks like its getting closer, but no potato just yet. I can see that the sides would need a bit of sanding to get 'perfectly' flat. That is probably the issue. Grrrrrr first timers learning curve.

[qu

They spoon match perfect, so whatever is happening is consistent. I will reverse the heat blacnket and see what happens. The upper bout is actually a pretty good match.

Ok, just got my second set of sides off my fox style bender. It was sitting on there for a few days. It matches my first set pretty close, but the bottom bout (pics comming) is really not bent well at all. Id say its (bottom center) 3 inches from where it needs to be. I baked it for 20 minutes at 310, with thin thin aluminium between it and the blanket. This looks like it needs to be rebent on the iron, it did not conform to the mold well, although the center section did.

What is going on??? This will need to fit the mold without much help, right? Grrrr...

GW-Is there just a little spring back? Will the lower bout conform with just a little force(I mean very little)? If you have clamped the wood to your bending form, and you hit the proper temp for 20 minutes(longer than I bake). It should bend just fine. The other thought that comes to mind is, does your form and mold match properly?

Peace,Rich

Yes they do match, if not the form being "1/4" compensated" a bit for spring back. . LOL, my springback is 3 inches....??? Pics comming....

http://img517.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0314zn0.jpg

They spoon match perfect, so whatever is happening is consistent. I will reverse the heat blacnket and see what happens. The upper bout is actually a pretty good match.

Ok, just got my second set of sides off my fox style bender. It was sitting on there for a few days. It matches my first set pretty close, but the bottom bout (pics comming) is really not bent well at all. Id say its (bottom center) 3 inches from where it needs to be. I baked it for 20 minutes at 310, with thin thin aluminium between it and the blanket. This looks like it needs to be rebent on the iron, it did not conform to the mold well, although the center section did.

What is going on??? This will need to fit the mold without much help, right? Grrrr...

It ended up fitting in the mold ok, but it will have to be forced a bit with the spreaders. I like your way, reheat and let sit overnight. I suppose mist it a bit with water. it seems a bit lumpy at the bottom also, but I was happy with the results.The heat gun seems to heat it soft pretty well also, I remember they get really hot, over 300. I should have my first box in a month or so.

Ok, Im considering redoing my old Alvarez, should have done it in the first place. I have a heat gun and a 36" Blanket. Should I just apply it to the sides until the glue melts? What temp should I shoot for?

Thanks

I have played alot of acoustics but never an Alvarez

How does a midrange model ($400-$800) sound and what are they like?

none of the stores around me carry them

I have an ok Tacoma DM-9 its all solid wood, but I would say this.

For the 6 + years I have had it, I would like to have had a GREAT guitar, because those 6 years are GONE!

Get the best guitar you can afford, then spend an extra $500.00 and get a better one. Go for tone, not fancy wood! You will not regret it!

I am seriously considering putting a top on my old Alvares (ply top FGS!)

Take off fretboard,

Clean up interior

Make top

Glue it in

Glue on Bridge

Glue back Fretboard

Wala, I can test out the cheap spruce this way also.

Ok, Ive just bent my first side on th' bender!! Padouk, and I thinned it out to about .76 up at the tight upper bends, and it went fairly smoothly. The temp gauge was 'all over' the place, but I kept it at about 310 Degrees. Its been about 2 hours, every thing is cooled down, but when I take off the fron top hold down bar, it springs back up to 1" even when I hold the steel down. I let the wood set with the heat at 310 for about 15-20 minutes. Should I just wait overnight? Or is springback common? I did build in about 1/8 off mold" for springback compensation.

Thanks

I was looking at this model to get for a fix up

http://cgi.ebay.com/Alvarez-Acoustic-Guita...1QQcmdZViewItem

Its actually a good model from the reviews Ive read. It get high ratings from owners.

If it was mine to do over I d get a beater and redo the top, then the neck etc...

I have seen his guitars rated and they love his stuff. I would go see him for sure. Try to use quartered wood.

Both are good, they compliment eachother. Cumpliano also has a webpage for more indepth info. I seem to use Kinkeads book more (more pictures, but you could probably google enough info like this

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/DaveKit/dave/L...ngtheguitar.htm

Some info is not relevent, as I use dishes to get the dish on the back and top. Both are good, with message boards, and lots of tools, and some $$ you should be ok.

One thing I had to do over was my outer mold. Neither had 'pictures', or indepth coverage of moldmaking, so I ended up blowing my first try ( not square to eachother, test wood was wobbley, etc)

So that was my first big mistake. Bending next week I hope, it should be 'downhill' from there.

Anther issue is should you get a kit? With Kinkeads book, I was too thick with my tops for some reason,- have the guy take them down to your finished thickness.

Someone said you need to thin the brace measurments, that cumpliano is over-built etc...

Anyone use that SaddleMatic" Bridge finder? Do you like it?

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchan...tegory_Code=TSJ

This has alot of japanese saws, some cheaper than others, AND the Western/Nippon design with the brass on top to keep it strait. I may try wood to do this with for now.

Im going with Bolt on after considering dovetail. I am using cumpianos measurements, but I think I would like a larger area, the tenon is 1X5/8 or so. Seems a little narrow. LOts of good stuff on his site.Glued up the neck and will be truing the sides this week, so as to fit the neck block to it, before my side bending, hopefully this weekend... I should have the basic box done in a month or so...

http://www.cumpiano.com/Home/Newsletters/archive.html