Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Got to add my 2c here. The big investment is the cost of the books and you have already done that. Using the spectrum analysis and bridge rotation method to get data from your target guitars and previous builds is actually much easier than it sounds. Have a go. You have nothing to lose and everythin...

I think that thicker light line looks great Dave. You've "nailed" it!!

That looks great. I started on kits too. If you are on your own i think its a good way to begin. Building from scratch isn't that much more difficult but you generally end up buying a lot more tools. Gives you much more freedom to experiment and opportunities for your personal creativity..imho. Ther...

I've taken the nitro off a few times on the last ones i tried to spray but was it new and soft so was fairly easy. So now I've swapped to FP i only have to brush it with a fingernail and i have a scratch while its freshly done. If you're in business I can understand why a nitro or similar finish is ...

Thanks. Yes bolts on but with the bolts/nuts accessed through the soundhole. The soundport makes it easier to see these and so tighten them but its still a bit of a faff. Thinking of going full Tele with next one and putting at least two of the bolts right through. The end grafts are make from the r...

Finished a week or so ago and handed over to its new owner. Described elsewhere in a build thread but decided I should put these here as this is the best looking and so far best sounding guitar I have built. Blackheart Sassafras Back and Sides Lutz spruce top Rosewood fretboard Blackwood bridge (for...

To close out this thread, after a few hiccups I delivered it on the weekend and the new owner is delighted. I have got the lowest action I have ever managed on a classical and so when you climb into stuff there are a couple of buzzes, so we will lift that slightly after the guitar settles down a bit...

That was the universe telling you that something else was going to go horribly wrong later anyway so better you start again now.

Hopefully you can start again.
Better luck next time.

Been there made that mistake :D :D I would be worried that if you try to correct that with a side splint and a clamp you might actually break or split the side. At least you would want to get it pretty hot before you try. If i was happy with the top and back I would find it hard to sacrifice them to...

Thanks Dave M, and yes I restrung right handed last night and eased the strings over which helps. Was kinda going for straighter strung pull, 4 out of 6 isn't bad. I will try more bevel on the headstock next time. Of the sets I got from you Martin that one had the best stiffness by some margin. I'm ...

Thanks Trevor...will think about that.

Have now done some tap testing and measured bridge rotation. Interestingly the top went from 180hz before I put the bridge on, up to 189hz now, which I deem close enough to the target 190, so thats OK The back is at 250 Hz and if I want it 4 semitones above the top I reckon I need that to drop to 23...

I put the strings on this one this weekend, happy with how it sounds. I've got to do the tap testing and tune the back but it is much sweeter and even across the strings than my previous fan braced classical. The bottom E string sounds muddy compared to the rest so need to investigate that. Its not ...

Nope its the final saddle. 11mm off the soundboard. I havent trimmed back the cheeks yet so the saddle is actually flush now but won't be when finished. This is my way of dealing with the lefty righty problem. The saddle has a bit of blackwood glued either side of it. I plane it to get a suitable br...

So the bridge is on but I have had a bit of a set back on the FP on the back, either didnt wait long enough before getting stuck in with the fine cut and polish, or getting too stuck in with the fine cut, or both, and went through the FP. Currently sanding it back and starting again. Such is life. S...

Nicely done.
Plenty of imperfection in my rosette but that to me is fine. Looks properly handmade.
Im about to start my next one.

Well if you thought the FP spirit was bad you should read the MSDS for the Mirotone. 25 pages. First two pages told me i dont have the correct PPE or ventilation and the other 23 set consequences of using the stuff. Holy crap. Given im doing this in my garage i would be wafting clouds of this stuff ...

1 mins worth of googling will tell you the difference between quarter and flat sawn. And why quarter is better.

Hmmmm...Browns Bay? About 5 mins away from me!.. Got a trade me reference so I can have a squizzle? You will be fine with DIY and its very likely that it will turn out much better than a "practice" guitar. Plus I'm around this weekend if you would like to pop round and see if there's anything I can ...

And if all else fails, order some wood from Tim Spittle in OZ! Have a look at the other thread by the other Nick in OZ...is this some kind of parallel universe thing going on??

Hi Nick, fellow Aucklander here. This topic has come up a few times, so would be worth a search on this site when you can. Getting top quality wood in small quantities is difficult everywhere but lately harder in Auckland. There used to be timber yards that imported stuff for boatbuilders but as tha...

Very nice. Just finishing something vaguely similar but not in the same class as that. Love the blackwood,

I reckon a waka is your best option if you have enough mates. Otherwise one man rowing dinghy. Air New Zealand will keep your money also.
Kia kaha Ross

Lovely. What a great way to start a day. I admire the sharpness of his tools. He knows what he is doing.
Thanks for posting that.

I preface all this by saying I've never built or set up a bass..but the principles are the same. So I had a quick look. See if these help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26-n2rGnKAg&feature=emb_rel_end https://youtu.be/dRzPbAiR-mk Annoyingly no one says "you need 0.25mm of relief at the xxth fret. ...