Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Jeremy, it looks as if life could not be more perfect!

Lovely ukes. Please show us some more of them once the finish is dry and they are strung up

Mark

Here is a spalted maple rosette that I put into one of the Swiss spruce tops that I got from Vic's lot. I have finished the guitar but it is with a mate at present and I don't have good pics of the whole thing handy. I'll show you later when I get some. But it is a nice soundboard. Thanks for puting...

Beutiful stuff Rod. That combination of woods is great.

We definitely need to know a bit more about how you did the checkerboard-style end graft.............(please).

Mark

Outstanding work Peter. Everything from the tuner buttons to the tailpiece exudes class and beutiful workmanship. I also love the finish that you are getting. What are you using (sorry, I think you have told us before but I forget). All of the timbers look great. The maple is my favourite just for l...

Hi Tod
That looks like a beauty - very blonde. The workmanship looks great. I especially like the figure in the neck and the satin finish. What are you planning for number 2?
cheers
Mark

Nice job Brett. Great looking guitar. I am building with the same wood combination at the moment so I was very interested to see how it looks - and it is a very nice combination. I know what you mean about bending ebony bindings. I snapped plenty of them on my last build and I am not keen to try it ...

Thanks Robbie. Nice tutorial. I have used Tru Oil on 2 guitars and I really like it for a simply applied satin (or semi-gloss) finish. It is very easy to apply - as you demonstrated. Doesn't smell as good as FP or Danish Oil, but it seems to come up with a more durable and solid result. cheers Mark

Fantastic stuff Dom - and no two alike! I, too, feel a bit in awe of that productivity. Some of those tops are going on cutaway bodies - I was surprised to see them braced up as if for a non-cutaway. Do you just chop off the excess bit together with its section of the UTB? I have only made 1 cutaway...

Hi Matt. Welcome to ANZLF, and to this very addictive hobby! It looks like you are making good progress with Number 1, and the side bending obviously worked out OK. It is a terrible moment when something like that slip happens, but we have all done it and nearly everything is recoverable. That lacer...

Looks beaut!
It is a great feeling to shoot a good joint (even if it takes ages chasing that one high bit) - and then to get it glued tight. Looks like nice blackwood.
Mark

For spruce brace wood there is the idea of getting pallet material from whitegoods suppliers. See this thread that was started by Geoff Branch a little while ago. http://www.anzlf.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2581&p=31895#p31895 The delivery cases for Meile appliances have German spruce frames. Your loca...

Classic, Flamenco, Steel String, Archtop, Early Guitars, Harp Guitars, Acoustic Bass, Ukulele and Other Guitar-like Styles.
Cost $18-$30
http://luth.org/plans/archtop.htm

Peter Your guitars are really looking good. All that mando experience obviously translates straight into guitar building. Tassie Oak from Bunning's??!! How many pieces did you have to sort through to find some good enough for luthery? Anyway, I guess the savings can go towards those nice looking (bu...

Thanks Allen. In <4 minutes of video you have told me heaps that I wanted to know and got me over my anxiety about trying this sort of approach to a gloss finish.

cheers

Mark

You do see some acoustics with hardwood soundboards, eg all mahogany Martin 15 and 17 series, Guild M25 (Nick Drake style), and there are lots of stunning looking all koa guitars around. Also, check out the Taylor W series (all walnut). You are right that the tops on those can be made thinner (at le...

You could just go with an oil type finish all the way. Scandinavian oil doesn't harden as much as some of the other options such as Tru-Oil or PNZ Hard Oil. I have used Tru-Oil on two acoustics and it hardens up well (after a few weeks of curing). I used the PNZ on the latest one and I think it is e...

Thanks Bob. That picture explains it well. I'll give it a go with the one I am starting now. But don't hold your breath - I build slow.
You are right Kim, that double bolt looks like you could tow a boat with it. A very tidy system.
Mark

Back in November there was a thread about neck bolting systems. http://www.anzlf.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2604&hilit=neck+bolt Bob, you posted a picture of the system that you are using with a butt joint of the heel to the body, but a fingerboard extension that sits in a routed slot in the body. It l...

Hi Daniel Yep, you want your bracing to stay nice and straight. All wood will swell and shrink with inevitable changes in humidity. Quarter sawn wood will tend to do that only in one dimension, whereas wood with a curve in the line of the grain will be inclined to bend, skew or twist. If it is a bra...

Hi Daniel Welcome to the daft world of DIY guitar building - a very addictive hobby. I agree with the advice that you have been given so far. I started fairly recently and have built 3 instruments. Interestingly, my second was a mahogany and adirondack (red spruce) L-00, so we have similar thoughts ...

Looks good Tim. Very easy to navigate and looks clean and efficient. I'll be laying down the credit card soon!
Mark

Dave that is a truly unique looking guitar and beautifully executed. The quilting on the back and sides is hard to believe. I haven't seen Rewarewa used for a rosette and headstock like that and it is really nice - a perfect accompanyment to the other timbers, and a good NZ signature. I am not alway...

Hey Bob, congratulations on the award. That is really impressive!

Tim
That is just beautiful all round - the instrument, the tune and the playing. I can see why it would bring a lump to your throat.
Keep making them!
Mark

Hi Aidan I used the Kinkade book for my first guitar and thought it was very good. You definitely need a detailed plan. The book comes with one for a 000 or OM. If you want a different style you can get plans from many places (see the plans section of this forum). If you don't want an OM a L-00 is a...