Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

To make my black purfling I just soak strips of veneer in a bath of vinegar and steel wool for about a week. Nice and black, all the way through.

you probably know that old trick.

Why MDF or fish paper? Why not just wood, dyed black if you want it so?

you mean the "tickler" below the bottom lip??

I don't think Merv has any competition here. Jack Sparrow might ...

I was waiting for my daughter's piano lesson to finish and my eye fell upon an old stringybark tree in the park, with a gash in the side just oozing with crystals of resin. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2113/1943508253_e1a2e4c957.jpg Isn't it beautiful? I harvested as much as I could and am now ext...

"does this apply to double basses?" HA! Do you expect me to give you all my secrets?? No actually, I have no idea :) Actually the braces in the pic of my bass were thinned down a bit after that pic was shot. But that bottom bout is 700mm across, so it needs to be a bit hefty I think. Also, double ba...

Check this: http://www.centrum.is/hansi/bassabjalkarnet.jpg Seems to me there is a fundamental question to answer. Should the back vibrate, acting like a pump with the top ... or be stiff, to push all the vibrations out the top. If you want the back to be stiff and "reflect" all the sounds out the F...

OK so it seems your guitar uses mainly the lower bout as a diaphragm to mirror the top diaphragm. Your X brace covers that. The top braces are for stiffness. It doesn't need a lot of strength because there's nothing pressing on it; its stiffening and holding the radius in that area. What is the corr...

This is a useless forum no-one knows ANYTHING! I come here for answers an' all I get is questions!!!!!!! Only kidding. yes the post will sit on the brace. I don't like the idea of tucking in the braces. I'm thinking WRC cedar cos light, stiff and stable, about 10mm x 70mm, tapering in width and heig...

This is traditional bracing:



lower and middle brace has a slight curve built in so the back bow outwards.

Centre brace is wider as it has to support the soundpost pressure, but I don't see why it has to go right across.

Hmmmm.

I want stability - no splits please I want resonance, volume, strength Heck, I want it ALL and I WANT IT NOW!!!!! This is what I am drifting towards: http://www.stringrepair.com/images/db23/DB_Solano_013.JPG have a look here for more. great website. http://www.stringrepair.com/Double_Bass_Solano_Klo...

I'm trying to come up with a design for the back bracing of my new bass. Usually doubles basses use three or four transverse braces. That's what I used on the last bass. But some makers are using a long X design running from upper bout to lower bout, with the ends of the braces joined with a transve...

planing the back flat, down to about 6mm:

So, now that you've sponsored me, you have to put up with this:

Some months ago, I got a surprise call from one of my online bass-building mates in Oregon and yes, it was good to have a real chat. This guy Chet just put me onto welders' "tip cleaners", $5 a set from welders supplies, as nut files. They are a bit delicate and won't last as long as real nut files,...

Well, I just turn it on long enough so the thing is too hot to touch, then it's about right. All happens quite quickly after that. And can just turn it off again. And on again for a quick blast. That way I am heating only the minumum time necessary. Not cooking the wood for ages at a certain temp. B...

nice, but it sounds like sophistication you might not need, at least to start with. What sort of cost for the thermostat are they talking?

Simple to add an in-line switch about 90cm along the cord from the heat blanket. That way you don't have to run to the wall! My heat gauge is also water-based. The wood is spritzed before the sandwich is laid up. When I can hear the sandwich sizzling and see a bit of steam escaping at the sides, tha...

Yeah be good ... and remember, oils ain't oils.

If you were making violins you could take a scroll wih you to carve ...

Here you go, honourable sponsors. I'm discovering my limitations here.

My first paying customer needed a fingerboard setup. de-string and remove nut plane ebony fingerboard repair splits and tearout with CA and ebony dust sand, seal and finish clean, recut bridge, fit pickup reshape and fit nut trim endpin, slot saddle re-string, refit and adjust bridge clean the ebony...

OK I'm off to bed ...

bin using Photoshop since 1864 so yep, got all that. But I'm lazy and the pic is the one I put on the MOvember website. I was wondering whether the [IMG} tag supports the html width attributes but it seems not ... I'll fix it later! BTW Irfanview in my opinion beats those other programs hands down a...

Isn't that the most scary pic you ever saw? Scared me.

Trying to work out how to resize pics with [img] tags but maybe its not possible.

The snoz hairs will remain, sorry. They are grown there to filter wood dust

I think you put the number, click SEARCH (down a bit) then click on my name. But this link might work better: http://www.movember.com/au/donate/donate-details.php?action=showrego®o=99624&country=au You guys are Movellous. http://www.mcguitars.com.au/phpBB2/userpix/7_Matts_mo_1.jpg (end of day 1)

Holy Mackerel that's generous of you Martin.

I promise I shall do my best to push these hairs out with gusto, honesty and a pinch of tea tree oil ... or something.