Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

As usual, it's taken a while to get something off the bench.
This one's been strung up for abou 10 days and is really performing well.
Hard to get it away from anyone who tries it

Tried to keep things simple & let the wood speak for itself.
Top - Some of Graham Hein's Englemann Spruce (without a doubt the real star of the show)
Back, Sides, Rosette, Bindings, Headstock, Backstrap, Heel Cap - Tassie Blackwood
Neck - African Mahogony & Tassie Blackwood
Fingerboard, Bridge - Gidgee
Inlay - Some of Jim's (DarwinStrings) refurbed Kiwi Ahstrays
Finish - Ubeaut Hard Shellac (French Polished)
Cheers

For those interested, I got this case off Aust Ebay for $100.
Plenty of foam padding & velvety stuff with a plastic outer skin.

The reason I'm showing it is that I used the Grellier OM Plan for my body shape & this case fits the guitar nice & snug.
I won't advertise the seller here, but if you want further info just PM me.

Hey Craig

She looks wonderful mate. Shot 6 seem to tell of bracing that has produced a nice even 'dome' behind the bridge indicating the load is spread through the top as it should be. Therefore if you find it difficult to get the guitar back from players, you have obviously done justice to Graham's wonderful Englemann.

Must ask because the heel sweep is pronounced, what kind of neck joint are you using?

P.S. Please feel free to name the supplier of your guitar case. This topic is about 'your' guitar and that information is relevant to this topic.

Cheers

Kim

Very tasty instrument Craig. Simple, elegant, understated and classy.

Regards

Looks very good. I like the shape of the heel too. Don't see anything like that too often.

What a beautiful guitar! Well done with the bindings, "doing nothing" they really draw the attention to the wonderful wood of the sides!

Nice job Craig, what's not to like on this! Evenly grained bit of spruce and I've always got a soft spot (or should that be a hard spot ) for anything with figured Blackwood, think it has to be my favourite looking timber & you've certainly got a good example of it there!
I love how you've carried the neck stripe right through the heel cap too, very classy touch! Perhaps you'd care to expand on how you achieved that (and keep the horizontal purfling perfectly inline with it's side cousins!) for enquiring minds?
As you say, that case could almost have been made for it too!

What a classy guitar Craig. I do like the small dot inlay and your truss rod cover. Blackwood is my favourite wood and your finish has a gorgeous luster.

Cheers

Alan

Nice Craig.

I agree with Kim, I'd love to hear more about your neck design.

Nick, the heel stripe was achieved by simply making the 3 piece neck, cutting of the sections for a stacked neck & gluing them up, shaping the heel, then sawing & chiseling away the sections on either side of the stripe and gluing in 'heel cap' replacement pieces.
Smooth back into the heel shape.
(Does sound simple but I did have some nervous moments. Kept telling myself if I stuffed up, I could just cut the lot off & put on a heel cap and no-one would know I'd even tried )

(Sorry Kim & Lillian, can't find a picture of the heel and neck join on this one, but if you look on the Myrtle OMC thread I've added those pictures there and it's exactly the same. viewtopic.php?f=25&t=3136)
The back is also closer to 10' radius than 15' - my stuff up. I think it works well but it's really difficult getting the binding in place

I braced the top with a Double X, for no other reason than I didn't have any bracewood left long enough to do the 2 parrallel style braces across the lower bout
I worked hard on voicing the top, took Dominics advice when he checked it out & felt it was still a bit stiff & tight, then once the body was together I continued to voice it by scraping.

Here's a pic of the bracing. An idea of the brace heights can be seen in pictures in the Myrtle OMC thread mentioned before.
The case came from Selby Acoustics in Hallam, Vic - ebay shop http://stores.ebay.com.au/Selby-Acoustics?_rdc=1
The Upper & lower bout sizes are perfect but they are a little tight at the shoulders (easily remified).

Clancy wrote:Nick, the heel stripe was achieved by simply making the 3 piece neck, cutting of the sections for a stacked neck & gluing them up, shaping the heel, then sawing & chiseling away the sections on either side of the stripe and gluing in 'heel cap' replacement pieces.
Smooth back into the heel shape.
(Does sound simple but I did have some nervous moments. Kept telling myself if I stuffed up, I could just cut the lot off & put on a heel cap and no-one would know I'd even tried ).

I thought that's how it may have been done but the trick would be trimming exactly the right amount off each side for the cap. Very clever

Hi Craig, I really like the way you have made the bridge with out the sanded in scallops but a graceful curve over the whole top surface. I would love to know how you did that so nicely.

Absolutely beautiful guitar.

John

Nice work Craig. The heel cap demonstrates the level of your skills.

What was sanding schedule prior to french polishing? I had alot of trouble sanding back the nibs on my current Englemann topped classical.

French polishing with hard shellac.....where there any modifications to your FP technique?

Cheers Martin

Very Nice guitar Craig! I like that top very much.Well, I like everything about it
very much ! Tassie Blackwood is one of my favorite woods too.

What was sanding schedule prior to french polishing? I had alot of trouble sanding back the nibs on my current Englemann topped classical.

I initilally sanded to 600 grit.
When the nibs appeared I tried to level it all (I think I had to use 400 to get rid of them, then used 600 & 800).
When the nibs appeared again I panicked & posted the 'Shellac Help" post.
After that I didn't bother with sanding back anymore apart from a light going with 800 & 1200 before the final coat.
I'm still not happy with the edges in the lower bout area where the grain is widest.

French polishing with hard shellac.....where there any modifications to your FP technique?

I've never french polished before, so the only modifications I made were those you suggested in my 'Shellac Help" post.
I'm not sure that what I did was strictly french polishing as I pore filled with epoxy (everywhere except the top).
Then just diluted the Hard Shellac 50/50 and applied with the pad (about the size of a 50c piece).
Re-charged with shellac to the top of wadding, with 1 drop of Paraffin Oil on the pad face.

Settled into a routine of applying 1 coat a day for 3 days, then leave for 2 days.
(Each coat would take about an hour for each guitar body)
I did find I had to always make a new pad after the 2 days wait (the hard shellac seemed to gel).

...graceful curve over the whole top surface.I would love to know how you did that so nicely.

Thanks John, it's one of the features I really like looking at too! (and running my fingers over it, and... no...better not go there )
Did it the hard way using a sanding stick to get the initial curve.
Then 'tucked in' some areas with a Dremil & little sanding drum.
Tidied up again with the sanding stick and sand paper wrapped around my finger.
Sanded free hand up to 600 & buffed with a cotton cloth tied around a rubber sanding disc mounted on a battery drill clamped in a bench vise

Thanks for everyone's comments.
As with any praise from you lot, I'm humbled.

Had a local artist, Warren H Williams, have a go on it last week.
(He's a Golden Guitar winner so to me he has cred!)
After about an hour of playing I got his comment.
"Bloody beautiful mate, bloody beautiful."

Cool as mate, nice to see the shell in use and look like the Alice has a new top notch guitar maker. Make sure you drag that up please when you head north.

Jim

I just have to say Craig, that I love the bridge design - such understated elegance! I keep coming back to this thread just to have a look at it.

I might borrow the idea if that is OK?