Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Nice looking little ukes Col,
That tru oil finish is magnificent (pic 2 and 3) You must know something I don't in relation to the application of it.
Cheers Maurice

Nice looking guitar Bob.
Interesting with the hardwood sound board and the rope perflings look a treat.
You must just about be up to your 100th by now or are you passed it?
Cheers Maurice

I initially thought about stealth tuners based on their small body size, but felt they may not handle the tension of 12 to 53 strings.
However I have just checked them out and find they will handle 20kg of tension. Amazing.
This would make them ideal, apart from their cost.
Cheers Maurice

Hi Mark Yes I would do it again and recommend it, providing I could obtain long shaft tuners with a small foot print. Schaller M6 Minis are only 13mm wide which is great, but the threaded retaining screw length is the restriction. Open tuners with a press fit bushes would be the way to go but the sm...

It was done at the request of the owner, wanting 12 tuners on a standard size headstock similar to Rickenbacker 12 strings. I was hesitant at first but told him I would give it a go with an all care but no responsibility attitude. I had concerns with strength of the headstock, function difficulty of...

Very, very nice (and different) Alan.
Love the back inlay and it appears a lot of hours put into the sound port. How was it made???
It would be nice to sell it for half of what Benadetto sold his arch top for. If my memory serves me right around $30000.
Cheers Maurice

Beautiful as usual Allen
Love the rosette, subtle but very effective and the ziricote is spectacular.
Maurie

Thanks for that Martin and a great tute from Craig.
If the client agrees, that will be the way I go
Cheers Maurie

I am currently building a 12 string dreadnought and about to drill the bridge for bridge pins. I have noticed that some manufacturers locate the octave strings differently. Martin and others locate the main strings further from the saddle with octaves closest. Gretch, Fender and others position main...

Beautiful as usual Allen. I love the rosette. Very effective

Maurice

Allen's guitar is KTM9 waterbase high gloss.

All of mine are off the gun Mirotone 3220 30% gloss, with the classical and macca having U-beaut hard French polished tops and lacquered back and sides.
I tend to like the natural appearance of 30% and only use high gloss if requested.
Cheers Maurice

Aahhhh Retirement is a wonderful thing.

Maurice

Hi Aidan Pete Young here in Albany built a really nice sounding guitar using figured wandoo for back and sides (from Tim Spittle). Well known South West builder Scott Wise has also used it for guitars. Local builder Alan Warburton also recently built a tenor uke using goldfields blackbut with succes...

Babinga may be difficult to work but well worth the effort. Beautiful, and I love the different rosette.
Maurice

Hi Chappy If the Zebrawood is well quartered I say go for it. I am about to string up an 8 string cutaway baritone built from it and was pleasantly surprised by it's workability. It bends well, sands well and glues well but does require heavy grain filling and glue is difficult to remove. I bent the...

Absolutely beautiful Allen. What a gorgeous set of tiger myrtle.
Cheers Maurice

Great buy Nick I am currently building an 8 string baritone with zebra wood. It cost me $100 for a set from a local guy. He purchased quite a few sets from the deceased estate of a Perth luthier (DeJago) years ago. LMI and RC Tonewoods sell it, and liken it as an alternative to Indian Rosewood, howe...

I have built 3 Mottola Opomoea and 3 L-OO guitars from these plans.
John Maddison had them printed full size at the local office printing supply shop.
Good plans and well drawn.
Go for them.

Cheers Maurie

You are right Kim, the Washburn copy makes a great finger style guitar. I have built 6 of them now, and all have been great sounding instruments. I have built this one as a keeper due to the amazing set of maccasser that Tim reluctently sold me. My last Washburn copy was black heart sass and also a ...

Thanks Martin.
I will e-mail and post the response for those interested.
Cheers Maurie

Obviously pins with pearl and abalone dots would not be able to be sent to Oz? Yes / No ????

Cheers Maurie

I buy mine from Strings by Mail in USA.
12 sets of 12-53 coated Elixir Nanoweb in June was $15 a set delivered to my door.
Cheers Maurie

Rob The quality of the bases seam equal to the clear Maktec originals, but the screw centres are a blonde mickey whisker different than the Makita bases. Just requires a slightly larger clearance hole in the jig to accommodate. Of course on new jigs drilled to suit there would be no preblem. As far ...

Welcome to the forum Sean. The guitar is looking great so far. I am currently completing my second Mattola "Ipomoea" steel string. The first one sounds good but is very basey and slightly lacking in top end. I have taken less off the braces on the second to try and lift the treble side. I think you ...

Stunning Allen
What a beautiful little uke. Love the bridge and headstock.
How does it sound with the surian top?

Cheers Maurie