Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

My all time favorite wine is d'Arenberg Stump Jump Red. From McLaren Vale South Australia. I think around the $20 a bottle. http://www.darenberg.com.au/ An unmistakable South Australian Shiraz. Everyone that I've given a bottle to can't believe how good it is, even when they previously didn't like r...

On the last guitar I've glued up a sandwich of veneers to the Silky Oak that I used for purflings and then sliced off the strips on the bandsaw and drum sanded to final thickness. Bent them over an iron. These were the easiest ones I've ever installed. I've bent them on the bending form as well, but...

I'd be up for a group buy if there is enough interest.

You bet, this gets my blood boiling. I'm not sure of the reason that we're getting gouged here. I've only lived in Oz for just over 5 years now, but it seems to me that we are so isolated here that the local market place has just developed an attitude of "charge whatever the traffic will bear becaus...

I've been in contact with Nancy and she was very prompt responding to my inquires. I've sent off the specs of one of my OOO's and they have been forwarded to engineering so they can check to see if an off the shelf case will work, or if something needs to be modified. I'll keep you up to date with t...

I was just thinking that this thread was about whether we are bracing ottomans or something else. My first guitar certainly falls in the ottoman category and if being heavy and overbuilt is where you want to be when you use a pickup, then I just might have the perfect instrument already made

I was thinking of building one of those, but never really thought how useful they would be in a blue.

I was reading the thread in the OLF about building for a pickup, and some of the info was really good, but there is a least one notable member there that is so opinionated and might I say full of himself that it just turned me off of posting in that thread or reading much more for that matter. Thank...

For those of you that have placed pickups in your guitars, do you brace any differently? I must admit that I'm completely clueless when it comes to pickups. Never used one or installed one for that matter. I'm only guessing here, but I imagine that feedback could be a problem for a acoustic?

Well, I might as well jump on the band wagon and post my Aussie wood guitar. Some of you have probably seen it before on those other forums :wink: Tassy Blackwood back and sides, Fiddleback acacia bindings, Australian Cedar top and neck. It's the one I gave to a mate that has been battling cancer fo...

Isn't it just Kiwi's that pronounce it that way?

Well stated Hesh. That's what's so fascinating. The more we learn about building an instrument, the more we realize we don't know yet.

The braces with all those holes sure look purdy though .

Good onya Hesh. I like to build whatever comes to mind as well, as you could probably tell by my choices for tops. I'm only doing this as a hobby, and if it doesn't interest or inspire me, then what's the point? If someone else doesn't like it, so be it. I learned a long time ago that it's impossibl...

Thanks for posting those shots Hesh. I've only ever seen some small shots of it and others giving you a dig about it. It's a real beauty and someday down the track I just might have to try something similar. It's just so different that I'm sure everyone that sees it would want to pick it up. On a si...

You know, I've walked by that little saw at Bunnies and thought it might be good for something, and low and behold there it is.

You're in a great position Bob to be able to see subtle differences in small changes doing productions runs like you are. I bet you must observe and learn in a few months what it will take many of us years to achieve. I haven't got them to the point where they will be overdriven, so I guess I've got...

My first Dread was definitely an Ottoman. I didn't have a clue. It's scalloped and thinned, but the bracing dimensions where just so large to start with that in hindsight it was just to hard to convince myself to remove all that wood. With each successive build they have been getting lighter. The Cy...

Thanks Bob, I'll check them out. And now that I'm building a jumbo style I might need something else, so I'm keen to see what develops.

On a side thought, wouldn't it be cool to have cases with our own logo/name on them.

I just got one for my 000 cypress and 0M Cutaway. It's a CNB but I can't find the model number. It has a finish that looks like old patchwork jeans. It fits these guitars perfectly. As I recall you said you were building to similar specs. It's not the best case in the world, but quite functional for...

I'm using Mirotone Gloss Catalyzed Lacquer over WEST Systems Epoxy for pore filler. The last Cutaway only required 2 sessions in the spray booth. 5 coats of 50% thinned lacquer each time. Let dry 2 weeks between sessions. Rub back after 1st spraying with a very firm sponge block with P320 dry paper....

The first guitar I built I followed the plans exactly, and it called for the low wide braces on the back lower bout. That back ended up flexing back and forth from concave to convex depending on humidity. I didn't have any sort of humidity control on that first one. I ask for options on the MIMF and...

Got it from Berry Kerr. He had it on ebay when I was getting some other wood from him, so I threw in a bid and ended up with it. I just love the red tones in the Australian Cedar top that I used and was looking for something similar. I haven't been able to find any more suitable cedar, so this one w...

Here's some pictures of the latest one. The top is California Redwood. First time using it. It was fairly floppy before bracing, but has a really nice resonance now that it's braced. Of course only HHG used for bracing and plate joining. The more I use it the more I love it. This is a body plan that...

Martin, Out of interest, I pulled the sets yesterday after reading this thread earlier and they are as flat as a slow cane toad in Townsville. Cheers Kim Stop it Kim, I can't stop giggling...I had to toss a couple of really big ones out of the house last night. They've been coming in to eat the cat...

To get air freely at the plates I have, I've strung up a makeshift clothes line and hang the wood from it. For all the plates that I've had that cupped, this has worked a treat.