Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

I've been a bit slack at sharing my finished builds of late. So here is a nylon build I finished a few months ago. It is a falcate braced with a king billy soundboard and amboyna back, sides and neck, flame maple fretboard and bridge. It is hard french polished. 99EFFAFE-0468-4651-B158-0FBB12CF2749_...

My instinct is that a sparse lattice or double x are going to be over braced for a small body. Also the more frets to the body, the more neckward the bridge location is going and less efficient the sound board. If you want a 15 fret, you might also be consider moving the soundhole north and also pos...

Lovely! Really like the pickguard & tail piece.

Hi Mak, It will depend a little on your type of cutaway and your heel shape. But assuming you you are doing a Venetian cutaway with a tapered heel, But basically you are attaching the side to a pre-shaped internal block and then a third piece for next to the heel. I would be first determining the wi...

We clean the belt for that kind of gummed up mess with a spray bottle of borax and water solution. We just lower the feed tray and put a bunch of paper towel to catch the excess and then spray it on the affected area. Leave it for about 10mins and then you can clean 98% it off with a stiff bristled ...

Thanks guys. Spring, I was really led by the customer, they wanted Elixir #14502: Acoustic Bass Nano Light 45-100. They sound nice despite my personal preference for flat wounds. IMO, the sound is great and big for an acoustic bass. The customer is over the moon with it, although any amplification a...

The wood review has done a little feature on this build, I'm a bit chuffed about it. https://www.woodreview.com.au/how-to/tr ... ass-guitar

That is really beautiful AKEric! Lovely rosette, headstock and beautiful wood choices. I like the line detail on the side of the fretboard too.

nkforster wrote: ↑

Fri May 06, 2022 4:27 pm

I think the most innovative cutaway bending set up I've seen is this one:

https://youtu.be/HQMgt_kkMA0

That is kinda brilliant

Looking good. Might be time to invest in a vacuum clamp Martin

Very nice Jim. Great work on the v joint

That looks like it would be great fun to build!

Beautiful Steve. I like you've finished the arm bevel incorporated. That seamless look, looks fantastic!

Kent Fishburn wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 07, 2022 5:50 am

Babin Guitars in Hampshire is an authorized Taylor and Martin repair luthier. My friend Martin Brunkalla, an excellent luthier himself, has been backing off repairs and has been referring work to Babin.

Kent

Thanks Kent, greatly appreciated

2.2mm is a bit thick in my book. I start everything at 2mm and then will thin out troublesome areas or high figure wood further. 1.8mm for a Venetian cutaway or even waist areas if the wood looks a bit antagonistic.

Dehumidifier blasting 24/7 and still only sitting at 68%

That is very cool! I've only seen/heard a balalaika a couple of times but I really love the more regional/ethic-specific instruments.

Ah yes ebony dust! My second build I tried to pair ebony bindings with paua purfling which meant I couldn't scrap the bindings. I had to sand them and the ebony dust just turned the SB into a muddy mess! In the end, I had to sand from centre out, cleaning the sandpaper with a dust brush between each...

Good idea Martin. I posted in Robbie's forum but got there. I'll hit him up direct and hadn't thought about OLF. Will give that a burl also. Cheers

Any member in or near Naperville IL or does anyone know of someone in this area that might be able to help with a popped bridge for one of my guitars? Bit far to ship back to aus

Hey Guys, I'm doing a paid partnership mini-series on instagram about french polish with Restorer's Choice. I approached them about this series after some pretty good feedback here on a thread. My approach is pretty much a mix between Trevor's azetropic processes from the Book and Robbie O'Brien's m...

Looks really great Martin. The QLD Kauri makes a good-looking top. And your photos are great. What is the white background?

5 guitars in 3 weeks, different types, shapes and customised! Not kidding around when you say 'intensive'! You must be exhausted. Thanks for all photos and sharing.

you might find this video interesting

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2018/07 ... dsaw-drift

Hey all, I've been including bridge plates on my pinless bridge builds more out of habit more than anything else and was starting to wonder if I am doing the right thing My original thoughts were that you change the neutral axis and prevent cold creep by keeping it, but lately I've been thinking abo...