Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Hi everyone, I just got a shipment of wood from Ashok and thought I'd add my recomendation. I got mainly Ebony fretboards and rosewood bridge blanks, just a few rosewood backs and sides this time. Its all beautiful material, the Indian ebony is really close grained and silky, like liquorice. All ver...

Hi geoffro, heres a list of courses in Australia that I'm aware of, apologies if I've missed any.. Carson Crickmore school of guitar making (Melbourne) www.carson-crickmoreguitars.com.au/school.htm Thomas Lloyd Guitar making school (Melbourne) http://www.thomaslloydguitars.com.au/Guitar-Making-Cours...

I'd like to agree with peter as well!! How bad is the dollar at the moment, argh! Please go down again AUD! I remeber that bar Graham and Lillian, I went there in 2004ish with Joe Gallacher. Its a lovely place too, much nicer than the average uni bar I'm used to squishing my way through. I remebr wa...

Thanks for mentioning the Singapore show Ashok. I had a great time there and have some pictures to put up if I can figure it out... It was so good to meet Ashok, and also a bunch of really cool guitar makers from the region that I never realised were there! I certainly had my horizons broadened and ...

There's also ray Berketa in Canberra, which is about a three or four hour drive south of Sydney.

http://www.berketaguitars.com

That sounds great Rick! A brilliant opportunity to meet such a creative and experienced individual as yourself....I'd love to come along and know a couple of others who would too, thank you!!
Jack

Thanks martin! For putting up a link, and for emailing the note to remind me to look at this forum, its really become a great one! Congratulation Bob. I'm a very intermittent poster I'm afraid to say. The makers festival is being organised by me and Phil Crickmore and Jim Matheas and Sachar Amos mos...

Hi Sebastiaan, I get veneers from Peter Scott Young in Ringwood, east of Melbourne, always found him to be a very good supplier and has a good range of all kinds, including dyed veneer
Jack

Hi Craig,
How much would you charge to build me a new life?
Jack

Hi Allen, its a good question, and a major problem for all guitar makers in Australia I think. The only way around it as far as I'm aware is to cultivate a good relationship with a post office that will accept the oversized guitars. Once they are in the system they seem to get delivered no problem A...

Wow! What a show! Thanks for putting up the pictures Bob!!
I might start saving now to try and get to the next one
JAck

Hi Stu, I can recomend the Acid catalyst lacquer from Air Lac in Sunshine ( industrial drive, sunshine) Its the best solvent based finish I've found so far and have been using it for many years. I'm pretty sure they do a straight nitro cellulose lacquer as well. I don't have the same experience with...

Hi Grant, I've got the stew mac one which you are welcome to come over and try out. I've found it very good, except for the saw which is very average. I've since got the LMI saw to use with it and that seems a lot better.
Jack

That looks great Bob! And I look foward to your thoughts about it when its finished.
I'm making some ash guitars myself at the moment, and have found it a very good material to work. The stuff I'm using is e.regnans from Gippsland, but it looks pretty similar.
Jack

Hi Martin, I can second what Stu says about the twin drum machine. I've got the same one I think and I've worked it hard for several years, no problems at all. I read an article somewhere once by an American maker who used something simililar. He was replacing the rubber feed belt with a belt of 80 ...

I got mine last week and am really enjoying it. I too loved the chapter on mandolin history. It set to tone for the whole book, filled out with plenty of detail, but not dry and very readable and interesting. Seems Graham has quite a talent for writing these things!
Jack

I think option 2 as well. A short scale is not a bad thing for a 12 string I reckon, might break the octave G string a bit less often. 646mm doesn't seem that short to me though...I think of 632mm as short?
Jack

Thanks graham, its amazing how regular and symetrical the patterns are. I got some more conjecture, and that is that the position of the soundhole must also effect the standing waves in the air inside the box. Presumably wherever the air inside the box is open to atmosphere makes a boundary to its v...

Hi Craig, my thoughts are that having the soundhole in the usual place, in the centre in front of the fretboard, makes a disconection between the bridge area and the neckblock area. I assume that this disconection from a very solid part of the instrument allows for a greater amplitude of movement at...

The only one i have has no soundboard Graham, but I'll keep a lookout and let you know if I come across one, I may well do.
Jack

Hi Bob, thanks for the compliments! Not sure I can live up to them.... It was great to meet you and see the guitars. They're all lovely, but liked the sounds from the two small ones particularly, very nice. I'm not surprised you got offers for the little one with the pretty wood ( is it Ziricote? I ...

I've been using the rounded end files and thinking of getting the V shaped ones. The reason being as Dennis says, they should hold many diferent string gauges equally well. I assume that the string hieght would go up with a fatter string sitting in the V shape, but I'd like to get some to try out ho...

Theres a good veneer supplier in London Sam, Crispin and sons. I think this is them www.capitalcrispin.com They used to be in aldgate somewhere but I think they've moved out towards Woolwich
Jack

Cute devil Bob.

Hi Bob, nice mitres! mmmm lovely! look foward to seeing it at the show
Jack