Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

With the re curve I do it more by eye and touch than trying to get it exactly like the plans. I do try and get the right thickness though.
I always thin my sides to around 2mm to 2.2mm, at the cutaway section I thin to about 1.7mm to 1.8mm, depending on what timber I use.
Wayne

I've used red cedar on acoustic builds including 2 selmer guitars and it sounds great, I was going to buy an archtop set but haven't yet, I wouldn't hesitate to use it but that's just my opinion, I have built 4 archtop guitars and used spruce on them all. I have a WRC set here and a HUON pine set, t...

If you want spruce you'll have to get it outside of Australia. Australia red cedar ( Toona) is a good choice, huon pine would also be a good choice but I'm not sure where you'd get that. Wayne

If you use Blackwood for b/s, Marri is a nice contrasting binding if Tim still has some, he was starting to run out. Wayne

Those timbers are great, there's also myrtle and sassafrass. Lots of exotic timbers out there too that are great. Have a look at Australian tonewoods, Tim Spittle owns it and he's a great guy and very reasonable with his prices and his timber is always good quality, just ring him and have a talk if ...

Alaska specialty woods has really nice Sitka spruce in archtop sets, I got my last set there, a master grade set which was first class. Thought about Blackwood for back and sides? That's a really good option. Wayne

I've used it for tops a few times and it's great. As mentioned it's pretty soft, I wouldn't use it for back and sides there's much better options out there. Wayne

14 days should be fine Wayne. I spray 15 coats in total, 5 coats per session, I used to spray 10 but I decided to up it
I think with the extra coats there’s less chance of sanding through when it’s levelled, just my take on it. Wayne

I've been mixing my miritone as per Allen's post for about 10 years now. I started off using miritone thinners but one time my supplier never had any and they told me general purpose thinners would be ok, so that's what I've been using for about 8 years, I just get it from autobahn, it's way cheaper...

You could try tas oak ( kd hardwood ) from Bunnings it's fairly cheap and actually makes a pretty good neck. I've used it on a few builds. Wayne

Thanks Taffy. It's easy to get confused making a left hander, which I did a couple of times.
Wayne

Thanks Al. It is nice when the owner is really pleased with the guitar.
Wayne

Thanks Dave. Funny you should mention the fret markers, the first f/b I made i put them on the wrong side, luckily I hadn’t cut the end so I can use it on the next one. The black wood is another beautiful set from Tim at Australian tonewood his wood is top quality and he’s really reasonable with his...

My first left handed guitar, it’s easy to get confused but overall the build went well.
Figured black wood b/s from Tim
AAAA Sitka top
QLD maple neck
Ebony fretboard
Eirw bridge
Marri bindings
K&K twin spot p/up
Wayne

Very nice. Wayne

I find walnut bends easy, I thickness to 2mm, at the cutaway section it's about 1.8mm I always use fabric softener. Cutaway sides I soak in hot water with fabric softener for about 25 minutes. Non cutaway I just spray with water and bend, I use aluminium slats for bending. Make sure your blanket is ...

Thanks Jacob.

I've used sass for one neck but wouldn't use it again, it's prone to movement. I use CF in all my necks and I'd highly recommend that, it's easy enough to install. Maybe get some QLD maple, NGRW or mahogany for the neck I think they would be a better choice. Wayne

I've built a few parlour guitars and I also radius the top bracing, I use a 25ft radius. Wayne

Thanks Al.

Thanks Taffy.
The owner is really happy with it. He's coming tomorrow for a test play so I can tweek it for him if need be.
Wayne

Not too sure if a Spanish heel would be suitable for an archtop. I think the mortise and tenon is a much better option I’ve used it on 4 archtops with good results. Wayne

This is my first mandolin. It was an order from a guy from the mens shed. He wanted it to look unique and he wanted the top stained to match the look of his Australian red cedar topped OM that I built for him. Blackwood b/s and neck. Red spruce top Ebony fretboard and bridge. K&K internal mandolin p...

Thanks Taffy.

No problem Dave. Yeah they really are a different animal. They're also a real challenge, I'm starting to get the hang of them now but I can tell you the first one did my head in and took me 12months to build, I had to walk away from it for about 3 months so I could get motivated to finish it. Thanks...