Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

I have a CNC, but have never used it to cut fret slots. The reason why is that it is very slow and as you already said the small bits you need to use tend to break. It makes much more sense to cut a template on the CNC and use the template on the table saw to cut the slots. I can cut slots on a fret...

Yes, I came to the same conclusion. I got an application form from the Chinese domain registry but replied telling him I can't buy them all, and since I don't have any Chinese customers and am not targeting China forget it. If I was trying to sell in China that would be another matter.

I use Target Coatings EM2000 which is a water based oil varnish emulsion. I brush it on, but you can spray it. Have been using it in it's various guises for at least 20 years. It is an American product, I have not found anything equivalent locally, so is difficult and expensive to import. However, i...

I have just received an email from the domain registry fellow. This time I can't find anything to suggest it might be bogus. The return path is the same as the return email address, i.e. asianetwork.org.cn, and I can't find anything else in the header or email to raise suspicion. Asian Network does ...

Only high level domains are done by an international body. Lower level domain names are done by organizations in the individual countries' domain.

They are not getting any money out of me, and certainly not any bank account details, even if the scumbag does manage to get the domain name in my name. There is not a lot I can do if it all happens in China under the Chinese high level domain names. I did tell the domain name fellow that it looked ...

Thought I would run this through you guys and see what you think. Yesterday I received a strange email from someone claiming to be from the Chinese domain name registrar (asianetwork.org.cn). He has someone who has requested to register petercoombe.cn, petercoombe.com.cn and other domain names with ...

Use Epoxy.

I will butt in here since I have been using carbon fiber in my flat top mandolins for a while now. In the mandolin world there has been even more misunderstandings about carbon fiber. This is all covered in the Gore/Gilet book but bears repeating here. The advantage of Carbon fiber composite is resi...

On archtop mandolins they are all X braced. On F soundhole mandolins, the arms of the X are closer together, and the X crosses further foreward.

See https://petercoombe.com/construction.htm for pictures.

Well Mark it is your mandolin, you can do whatever you like with it. It is true that mandolins are quite different from guitars. The string pulling force is greater than a steel string guitar and the forces on the top are different. With a floating bridge, there is no rotation force on the bridge, j...

Yep, 3 transverse braces, but the brace under the bridge does not go right across the top, it effectively takes the place of the bridge in a classical guitar. It is not notched, although you can notch it if you want to make it neater and waste some time. With CF on the top notching is not necessary....

I have repaired a collapsed top before on a vintage flat top mandolin by removing the back. A brace had come loose from a previous repair because the repairer had not tucked the end into the linings. I used steam to remove the sag and re-braced, tucking the bracing into the linings. As far as I know...

I visited Frank Ford when we travelled to the USA in 1999, and had a good look around the shop. I left one of my mandolins with him and they sold it shortly afterwards. Frank was very generous with his knowledge and many of us benefited, including me. He will be missed.

Here is my latest guitar. Not many guitars this year (only 2), mostly mandolins or tenor guitars. This one is a small bodied guitar, short scale length (23.5inches) made mostly from native woods as per the customer's request. Top is King Billy Pine, back and sides Otway Blackwood, neck Blackwood, ro...

Mac Ebony - Maderas barber, and Madinter stock them. CF - I get all mine from carbonfiber.com.au probably dont have the exact size you are lookng for (ps. thats a large CF bar for guitars). LMI yellow - i'd say this willbe non existent, although you could reach out to natalie to see who their suppl...

Resurrection of an old thread. Presto Cases has closed down, so they are no longer an option. The last Cedar Creek case cost me around $1800 and nowadays would be well over $2000, so not really an option anymore unless desperate and the customer is prepared to pay. I did find a quite nice carbon fir...

I suspect a lot are buying from LMI now before they close.

I use bridges made by Vern Brekke. Mandolin, mandola and Octave mandolin, carved top or flat top. They are adjustable but don't use thumb wheels and are adjustable via two allen screws that move two wedges in or out. Very neat design, and Vern can make them to your specifications in terms of bridge ...

Mine arrived on Friday. I have to agree with Martin, the grading is optimistic, but the tops are certainly usable. For the money and free postage I paid a fair price so am not complaining.

Thank you, have just ordered 3 AAA tops. Will see what the quality is like when they arrive. Can always make 2 mandolin tops from them if not so great.

Yes I got the email. A very big bummer. Some things are now going to be very difficult or impossible to get.

Very sad to hear this news. I met David a number of times at the Port Fairy FF in the instrument makers tent. Got to chat with him and examine his guitars closely, and listened to his guitars at the instrument makers concert (they sounded really great). Got a few ideas from him when I first started ...

I have used Pack and Send before several times, but they don't have a local office (nearest is Canberra) and the local couriers they use are hopeless. It is always a big hassle to get anything picked up. Couriers are also quite a bit more expensive than Australia Post, so with the smaller packages (...

I agree with you Allen, and have done what you suggested before, but in this case the mandolin was worth nearly double the threshold and I was not willing to take the risk. This is a particularly difficult shipment because not only is there the crap I have to deal with, but the customer has to deal ...