Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Get back to us with the measurements, and maybe a photo of the bridge. If you need to remove the bridge we can help you to get that done. Don’t ask me why - but I have removed the bridge on a few of my builds before. The falcate bracing, because of its close relationship to the position of the bridg...

Can we check how you are calculating the right place for the saddle? Presumably you have measured the distance from the front of the nut to the crown of the 12th fret, and then you doubled this, and then you added a bit for compensation - and that lands you on the spot that would be the front edge o...

Yes, the new frets will probably cover up nearly all the chips. For any bigger ones the sawdust and CA remedy will fix it. That figured timber will hide blemishes really well, just as long as you fill any divots. The whole instrument is looking great.

Dave You can use any form of bracing you like, and X-bracing is certainly tried and tested. Falcate is just another way to do it, and it is becoming popular- but the bracing pattern is not really what we started talking about in this conversation. It is about getting some objective data about the st...

Dave I agree with the comments that Peter and Dave M have made. It will probably be very useful to get some hard data about how your instruments function , and to compare this to your target. If you have a Taylor and a Collings that you like (1) you are a lucky guy, (2) you have the capability to do...

I have seen a recommendation by Frank Ford (frets.com) to heat the fret with a soldering iron to loosen glue before pulling them. I guess this would work best for a PVA or hide glue - maybe not so well for CA, but it could be worth a try if you find them difficult to remove. But it sounds like they ...

That is a setback for sure, but fixable. Are they all loose? If so, there is not much option but to remove them as gently as possible and have at it again with new wire. Did you glue them in? If not, and if it is just a few of them causing problems, you could wick in some thin CA glue to the slots o...

Looks great Wayne. It really captures the Macca style. How did you do the burst, is it sprayed?

2mm is getting a bit thin, but a parlor size guitar can be a bit light all round and get away with it. Just be careful with the sanding and you will probably be OK.

That technique became widely known from Don Teeter’s book (published in 1975), The Acoustic Guitar - adjustment, care, maintenance and repair. A classic book, and still in print. I am looking at it now and on page 53 Teeter credits the idea to a friend named Bill Cheatwood, who first showed him the ...

The best way to fill those gaps is to raise a bit of sawdust from your back or sides and pack it into the gaps, then wick in some CA glue. Overfill it a bit and then sand flat. The gaps will completely disappear.

Wow, for a bloke who has not done any guitar building in 10 years you are moving along at a good pace. You are obviously well tooled and jigged up and have no lack of skills. I am enjoying watching this.

That should be fine. Good save. If you managed to rebend the sides in the right shape for a parlor, and if it is thinner so you can trim off the wavy bits or flatten them - well you should be back in business. One of the good things about luthiery is that most stuff-ups are fixable, and most materia...

Hi Mr Who. If you are around the Hornsby area then I am actually located very near to you. I have sent you a PM message if you want to borrow tools or get some help to do this job yourself. But a professional refret would give the best outcome. Turramurra Music or Gladesville Guitar Factory both see...

Hi Ethan (I am assuming Ethan? - apologies if incorrect, but we like to use a name around here). There was a thread about this topic not long ago. Take a look here first: http://www.anzlf.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8653 Two questions arise. 1. Why does this happen? 2. What can you do about it? Answers:...

Nothing wrong with a scalloped X-bracing system! Yes, there are some new ideas around and you might want to try some of them at a later date but what you are doing now looks great. I expect it will produce a really good instrument.

Steve - I will not try to change your plan, if that is what has been successful for you in the past. I confess I have never done a dovetail, only 8 bolt on necks so I can’t say one is better than the other. Your box looks really well made so far. I look forward to seeing the next stages.
m

After 10 years you are lucky not to have rats living in that nice little she-oak nest you built. But it is looking pretty good. Better just get on with it. None of us know how many years we have left. So I am going to get down to some serious discussion here. Are you going to dovetail that neck or j...

Hi Steve. Welcome to the forum, and good on you for getting back to the workbench. That guitar certainly looks like it is worth finishing off. Tell us some more about the materials and methods that you are using for it. One of the great things about this hobby is that you can put a job down and it j...

What a lovely find. The seller was probably talking to you about it being made by Larson Brothers, which would make it a very high quality and desirable instrument. Stahl was a retailer, not a manufacturer (despite the claim that they put on their label) and they sourced their instruments from vario...

Ok. Thanks. You have given me enough info to give it a good try. Can't be worse than my last effort.

Thanks for the info Mark. That really explains it. But I have some follow-up questions (sorry). When you mention 8oz cloth, I presume that is referring to 8oz/sq yard, which seems to be a specification I see in that merchant’s website? Secondly, do you lay this up in a flat square shape and then cut...

OK - I reread your post and see that you did state that it is CF under the timber. Can you share how you fashion that CF frame?
Love your work.
m

Hi Mark. That is absolutely lovely. I am particularly interested in the tailpiece. Is that all timber, or a timber veneer over a metal frame? I tried to do a similar thing once, using blackwood and CF in a sandwich. It swung off a bolt anchored in the tailblock - just like yours. Mine had a complete...

That is cool. I knew I would not have been the first to think if it.